Yo! As of June 9, 2021, this entire fic has been rewritten. Thank you to all readers so far!

Riddle Manor was...interesting. Harry had never been in a manor before, even if he was still only seeing the entrance hall. He looked around curiously, and when he had his fill, looked up at Tom, who had dropped his glamour and returned to looking like Tom rather than Nathan.

"What are we going to do about this when I go back to Hogwarts? How do we know for sure that I won't be forced to go back to the Dursleys? Mum and dad's wills said I wasn't supposed to go there, sure, but you, or rather, Nathan taking me away doesn't really mean anything."

"You are concerned over the legality of the matter?"

"Pretty much."

Tom hesitated only slightly before saying, "Technically speaking, I have no legal claim over your guardianship, meaning in the eyes of some, I have essentially kidnapped you. And while your relatives may have no claim over you in our law, the same cannot be said for Muggle law."

Harry frowned. "So how do we get around that? I mean, it's not like the Dursleys will bother calling the police or anything-they hate me too much to give a damn. They're probably celebrating that I'm gone, but I really don't want to risk having to go back."

"There are ways around it," said Tom, gesturing for Harry to follow him as he began to make his way down the nearby hall. "Throw some money around the right way in the Muggle world and your custody there can be signed over to someone else both quickly and quietly, especially considering your age. As you say, it is unlikely your aunt and uncle will argue against it. Our primary problem lies within our own world, where Dumbledore has larger reason and means to content against it."

"What do we do, then?" asked Harry curiously as he took a seat at one end of the large dining table in an even larger dining hall. "Dumbledore's not exactly the easiest person to go against, and I'm sure he's got fingers in a hell of a whole lot of pies."

Tom sat down nearby and leaned back in his chair, expression a mask of contemplation. "There are no emancipation laws in our world, which is unfortunate considering your current circumstances. That would be the easiest way to settle things for you. There is little you can do on your own for another year in regards to any and all laws." He brought his fingers up to his chin. "I would say the best thing to do here would be for someone else to take custody of you for the year."

Harry balked. "I don't want or need new parents."

"They would not be parents. They would be your guardian in name only, that is all," said Tom calmly. "And in any case, it would only be for one year, until you turn seventeen."

"Who...do you think it should be? And please don't say the Malfoys, because I really don't want to have to call Draco Malfoy a brother so long as the kid keeps acting like a little git."

Tom raised a brow, looking a little amused. "Are you not the same age? Actually, is Draco not nearly two months older than you?"

"Not while he's a posh prick he isn't," muttered Harry darkly. "But seriously, not them, please?"

"What about Severus?"

"...Snape?" Harry cocked his head, not entirely against it. Snape had been the one to warn him about things the other day, after all, and it didn't seem like he'd been ordered to do it either. "Would that be a good idea though? He's a spy and stuff, right? Wouldn't that just make Dumbledore more suspicious?"

"On the contrary, Dumbledore still trusts Severus and believes him to be firmly on his side. Wouldn't he protest about this guardianship change less if one of his trusted Order members became the guardian?"

That...was actually kind of fair, Harry realized. Dumbledore still trusted Snape, at least to a certain extent, and he probably thought Snape still completely hated him. Would Dumbledore fight or argue against Snape becoming his guardian in that case?

It was hard to say for sure, but it was honestly the best bet. Of course, Tom, or Nathan in this instant, could always take that guardianship over himself, but since he hadn't even suggested it, Harry figured he had a reason why he didn't want to do that. Harry didn't really want that either.

"Where do we start?" he asked instead. "There's only a month left before school starts up again. We don't have that much time."

Tom nodded, agreeing. "We should speak to Severus about everything first."

"What if he refuses?"

"I would rather not force him into it if he is truly against it," Tom admitted. "If that turns out to be the case, then I will take up the guardianship myself, though I would rather avoid that if possible. It will be a last resort. I doubt he will refuse though. As already stated, it will only be for one year and as it's in name only, he will have no need to do any actual parenting. This is simply to ensure you will not have to return to those Muggles."

Saying nothing, Harry nodded, and when he did, Tom stood and gestured for Harry to do the same.

"I will speak to Severus tomorrow. I have other matters to discuss with him regardless. Until then, I may as well show you where you will be sleeping and tell you more about this manor."

They spent the next little while walking through the manor as Tom explained a few things, and while he listened, Harry couldn't help but start to feel a small seed of hope growing inside him. Tom sounded like Harry was going to be staying in this manor for much longer than just a summer or two.

Did that mean he was welcome here? Did that mean he could stay for as long as he wanted? Did that mean he would be safe here? Did that mean he could maybe even be happy here…?

"I'm sorry, Headmaster, but is this really a good idea? I mean…"

Dumbledore smiled gently and reassuringly. "I understand your reservations, my girl, I truly do, but this is imperative. You must understand how fragile and impulsive he will be without this, especially considering his current state of mind. It is just a safety precaution we must take to prevent further dangerous decisions on his part."

"I understand that, sir, but if he finds out-"

"He must not find out. You know how temperamental he's been recently. I promise you, this is all for the greater good." With another reassuring smile, Dumbledore stood. "I will take my leave. I do apologize for intruding on you over your summer break."

'No, it's alright, sir."

And as Dumbledore left the large, neat house, seemingly satisfied, Hermione watched him go, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. She understood what the Headmaster wanted to do, and she understood why too, but at the same time, she couldn't help but think that his logic behind it was somewhat...flawed.

But he was Albus Dumbledore, Hermione reasoned. It didn't seem like he wanted to do this to hurt Harry. He only wanted what was best for him, right? Shouldn't she be pleased that he was trusting her with something this major?

He'd asked her things before now too, although it was usually just for information about Harry. Innocent and harmless information. But he wasn't asking for information this time, and what he was asking her to do seemed like it was a bad idea. A dangerous idea.

An evil idea.

Hermione wanted no part in this, she decided. She couldn't do this, could never, in a million years betray Harry's trust by doing something like this. And she couldn't just ignore it either. She had to tell Harry about it.

She had to warn him.

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