Yo! Thank you to all readers so far!

Things got kind of quiet again after that. After explaining why Tom was around in the first place, and reassuring them that he was alright staying with him, Remus and Bill both left the house, and Snape followed behind them just a minute or two later once he finished talking to Tom about...whatever it was Dark Lords and spies talked about.

And before he knew it, Harry was once again left alone at Number Two with Tom. Surprisingly, it wasn't even all that awkward anymore.

"So what do we do now?" asked Harry as they moved into the kitchen to get something to eat and drink. "Dumbledore's an asshole, we've been manipulated, he's probably the reason Sirius got killed, and I've got a bit of your soul in me and don't want to die, meaning you can't die now either. What do we do about all of this?"

"The first thing we should do is get you to Gringotts," said Tom, "so that you may see what Severus said you should. He would not have mentioned it were it not important. We can leave in the morning. I am curious to see if Dumbledore is aware the tracker on you has been removed, or if he has any interest in doing anything about it."

"Fair enough." Sitting down at the table with a sandwich in front of him, Harry said, "And what about after that? After the stuff at Gringotts? You said you want me to stay with you at your manor, which, cool, yeah, I'll do that. But what about Hogwarts? I'm not willing to drop out or anything."

"That's a good question," Tom admitted, preparing a sandwich for himself. Man, what a weirdly domestic sight this was for someone like him. The Dark Lord Voldemort, making a sandwich. "Before all of this happened with you, I had some thoughts about infiltrating the castle again."

"Infiltrating how?"

"I did not think that far ahead. I expect Dumbledore's manipulations have had something to do with it. Severus has been mentioning for a few weeks now that my behaviour seems odd, and you brought it up yourself as well. But it has been a while since I was last at Hogwarts, and I will admit I'm curious to see if it will be easier to implement changes from within this time."

Tom washed his hands and then sat down across Harry at the table, setting his plate down in front of him. "Of course, there are other questions that must be asked as well. Is the castle warded against me? Will the old man realize who I am? Who will I disguise myself as? Would they be qualified to get a job? Would they be trusted?" He shrugged. "But we will think on this further after our trip to Gringotts. We may learn something that can help."

Nodding, Harry started on his sandwich, chewing thoughtfully. There really was a lot that had to go into all of this, huh? It was kind of annoying. He wasn't known for his ability to think things out and plan ahead. He was a bit too reckless for that, but...maybe it wasn't all that bad.

There was a lot more they had to talk about. So much more that it was almost comical. But for the moment, Harry was content for them to just sit here at the table and eat their sandwiches in companionable silence.

What a mess. Slumped in an armchair most ungracefully, Severus dragged frustrated fingers through his hair. He'd known for weeks now that the Dark Lord was planning something, and that it involved Potter as well. What he'd learned was bad enough as it was, but that the boy had been turned into a horcrux?

This truly was a disaster.

But it seemed Potter and the Dark Lord had decided to work together now. Whether that was a good thing or not, Severus wasn't entirely sure just yet. Plenty of good could come out of it, yes, but there was even more that could go wrong. Did they even trust one another? How could Potter be sure he wasn't being used? Was he even considering the possibility? Or did he no longer care so long as he was able to get revenge on Dumbledore?

Regardless, the boy didn't seem to care much about being a horcrux. Did he understand the gravity of what that meant? Or did he just truly not care? It seemed he intended on remaining alive, which meant the Dark Lord certainly couldn't be defeated anytime soon.

He laughed a hollow sounding laugh. What was the point of everything that had happened if the two were only going to work together now? That was good for him and his vow, but it really was unbelievable.

Where would they go from here, he wondered? What was the plan? It was so difficult to say.

The next morning, Harry found himself standing inside an empty house. Dumbledore hadn't come by during the night, and neither had any of the Order members, at least according to Tom. He seemed satisfied with that, but Harry was only confused.

Why did Dumbledore bother putting that tracker on him if he wasn't going to care if it was removed? What was the point of it? But Harry kept those thoughts to himself as he watched Tom pack everything up with a few complicated waves of his wand.

"While we must find a way to ensure the permanence of it, this is the last time you will ever be forced to see this place, Harry," said Tom. His voice was calm, and if Harry wasn't mistaken, he could swear there was even a gentleness to it. "Do you want to have a final look around?"

Harry shook his head. "No, that's alright. I'd rather just leave as soon as possible, to be honest."

"Then let us be on our way. Take my arm, and we will apparate to Diagon Alley."

"What are the odds that we'll be stopped?"

"It is difficult to say," Tom admitted. "Dumbledore doesn't seem to have cared about the removal of the tracker yet, but it is also possible that he has predicted where you might go first and is either waiting there himself or has sent someone to wait in his stead."

Harry frowned as he listened. "I guess that makes sense. Maybe he thinks it'll be easier to get me if I'm in Diagon Alley." He looked up. "Speaking of, are you just going to walk in looking like that? I know there aren't that many people who know Tom Riddle is Voldemort, but even then…"

"I see… No, you're right. Going like this is only taking an unnecessary risk." Tom's brow furrowed slightly as he thought, and even as Harry watched, his appearance started to change, although the changes weren't really all that major.

Tom's body, his shoulders especially, broadened a little, his hair grew down to his shoulders and lightened to chestnut brown, his eyes changing to match, and he grew a little taller, maybe to even out the broadening.

Not quite as attractive as Tom, but not that ba-ah, er, it was a good disguise. Not too elaborate, but not so simple that it could immediately be seen through. Harry didn't miss looking at Tom at all! Of course he didn't! "I don't know if it'll be necessary or anything, but do you have like, an alias or something I can use? Unless you want me to keep calling you Tom."

"No, Nathan Knight will suffice. It is a name I have used before, along with this appearance, outside of the country."

"And do you have some reason we're together? We're probably going to be on the front page of the paper by the evening-I'm definitely going to be asked about you, if not now then at Hogwarts. So what's the story between us?"

"Have you ever had the opportunity to be alone anywhere in the wizarding world? A chance to be alone from friends or professors for any extended period of time?"

"The summer before my third year is the only time I was ever alone, but it was only for two weeks. I spent them at the Leaky Cauldron. Fudge knew I was there and the innkeeper kept an eye on me, but I spent most of my time wandering and exploring the Alley," said Harry.

Tom made a sound of understanding. "Then that will have been the perfect time for you to encounter a man visiting his hometown. We met in Diagon Alley during that time, and I told you that while I was born here, I was raised abroad, and that I am a teacher and interested in teaching at Hogwarts, though I never applied for the position. We went our separate ways as your break ended, but we remained in contact using both magical and Muggle means."

Soaking in the information, wanting to make sure he memorized it all, Harry nodded. "Okay, and why are we together now? And what happened to the tracker, if I'm asked about that?"

"...If I bring up the treatment you suffered at the hands of your relatives?"

Harry winced, but then shrugged. "I hate it, but if you're only telling Dumbledore, then I guess it doesn't really matter since he knows all about it."

Tom nodded. "Then, I have been aware of said treatment and now that I have returned to stay, decided to take you away from them, since it seems no one else is bothering to do so, especially considering the recent death of your godfather, who you have also told me about. Neither of us is aware of the tracker, but we learned of it here at the bank when I brought you to hear the wills of your parents and godfather." He rolled one shoulder, and then the other. "I think that should suffice for now. We can discuss any further details later on."

Unable to argue, Harry just agreed. "Alright, should we head over to Gringotts, then?"

"Yes, let's."

Harry was a little surprised when he and Tom managed to get into Gringotts without any hindrance. Surprised, and a little suspicious, if he was being honest. He'd half expected Dumbledore or an Order member to be waiting either outside or inside the bank, but he didn't see anyone-at least, no one who wasn't disguised, and they made it not only into Gringotts, but into a private room with one of the goblins as well.

Yeah, this was definitely suspicious.

"Welcome, Harry Potter and companion," said the goblin in greeting with a bow of his head. "Come. Sit."

They did so and relayed when they were there. Ragnar listened to them, nodding and stroking his dark beard as he did. After a moment, he looked at Harry.

"You did not attend Sirius Black's will reading. It took place two weeks ago."

Harry's brow furrowed. Will reading? "I never knew it was happening. I was never told about it."

"We were informed that you were too distraught to attend," said Ragnar, eyeing Harry closely.

"Who was it who told you this?" asked Tom, looking as calm as always.

"Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore."

Harry sighed. "Of course it was," he muttered.

But Ragnar only continued. "One year ago we began sending you summons in order for you to hear the wills of James and Lily Potter. We had previously been told you were too young to hear them, but once you turned fifteen, we assumed you were old enough to go over them. Every summons was returned to us without answer."

Harry's frown only deepened, even as he felt Tom stiffen slightly beside him. "I never got any kind of post from here," he said. "And no one ever told me anything about any of the wills at all."

"Yes, that no longer surprises me," said Ragnar. Without another word, he produced the previously mentioned wills and set them down on the desk, allowing Harry to read through them at his own leisure.

Harry poured over them, and while it was all very emotional, he couldn't really say any of it was actually surprising. He had a lot of money, had hands in some known and unknown businesses, had been left a number of personal items along with everything else left in the vaults, and he was never supposed to have been sent to the Dursleys. Yeah, he'd figured as much.

The only really important thing that came out of it-important at the moment, specifically, was that he now had a legitimate excuse to not go back to the Dursleys.

While Harry pondered over this, Tom told Ragnar about the test Snape had mentioned he should take, and Ragnar left the room to prepare what was needed, leaving the other two alone. Once he realized that, Harry slumped back in the chair and huffed out a tired breath.

"Why didn't Dumbledore want me to hear their wills?" he asked quietly, though he was talking to himself more than he was Tom.

"I expect politics plays at least some part in it," Tom said anyway. "The Potters have always had a good political standing, and while those titles and seats are useless to you at the moment, they are very useful to Dumbledore and others like him. You can add the Black title and seats to that now as well. He has already been using these while taking on the position of Proxy, and due to your age, no one ever questioned it. I didn't either until recently. It only made sense that he would."

Harry nodded slowly, looking thoughtful. "So how can I stop him from doing that? I don't think asking will do much."

Tom laughed softly, surprising Harry with the unexpected but pleasant sound. "No, I doubt asking him to stop will be of much use to you. You can take up those titles and positions yourself, but not for another year-you must be of age for it."

Harry slumped down even further. "I'd kind of rather not do that," he admitted. "I don't really care all that much about politics, and I don't understand them at all either. And frankly, I'm not all that eager to learn."

Tom didn't seem surprised. "You can always assign a Proxy of your own. They would do exactly what Dumbledore is currently doing, but with your knowledge and permission. They will have to keep you informed on what is going on and you will be able to give them your own opinion on matters. If you have any decisions of your own, they will be able to implement them for you without you having to go do it in person."

"Huh…" Harry scratched his chin. "That sounds way better than me having to do everything," he said. The only real problem with this was figuring out who he trusted enough to put in that kind of position.

Ragnar returned just a moment later, setting an extremely old looking tapestry down on his desk. It was blank. Harry was then given a very sharp and fancy looking dagger and was told to slice his finger open and allow exactly seven drops of blood to fall into the tapestry. Confused as heck, but deciding to trust the goblin since Tom didn't look concerned, Harry did as told.

The fallen drops of blood turned into spidery words that crawled all over the tapestry, and when Ragnar gestured down at it, Harry took that as his cue to take a look.

And what a look it was.

He had a block on his magical core, though it seemed like it was coming off itself at a slow and safely consistent rate. He had an ability called Parselmagic that had been fully blocked, and said block was going to have to be removed by the goblins, as Tom insisted immediately. And Sirius had blood adopted him when he'd been a baby, which was why he had claim over the Black title in the first place.

And then the Parselmagic block was (painfuly) removed, and since there really wasn't anything else that could be done right away due to Harry's current age, that seemed to be that and Harry and Tom headed on their way.

They weren't stopped as they left Gringotts or Diagon Alley, and Harry only grew more suspicious by the lack of Order members he could see. At the same time though, it was just as possible that they were actually surrounded, but all of them were disguised. Didn't they have the tendency to do that?

But while Harry finally knew why Snape had told him to see the three wills and take that test, he still didn't really understand why it had all been hidden from him in the first place. Tom said it was politics, but was that really true?

Harry hadn't had any reason to distrust Dumbledore before all of this. If he'd come to him and told him he wanted to be a Proxy because Harry was too young to deal with things himself, but the titles and seats were really important, Harry would have easily given him permission, and there was no way Dumbledore didn't know that. So why all the secrecy? What was the point of any of it? Harry just couldn't figure it out.

That's it for now. Looking forward to reviews! Laterz!