Dear Lena,

Summer has been quite tiring- I find myself wishing you had stayed here, though I understand why you left.

Lady Malfoy was over recently with Lady Greengrass and they all got drunk and I had to listen to an hour long conversation on how 'pretty' you were, so if you ever doubt that people like you, just ask one of them to take you shopping. Sheesh.

I hope you're studying, as we have our OWLs this next year and I know half of Slytherin is going to try to pick your brains as soon as we get back.

Also, Theo says 'hi' and wanted you to know he's staying with me this summer because he got tired of Malfoy Sr. In fact Draco's over here more than not too, as he's tired of having to play host to this new politician that's apparently taking the Wizengamot by storm- Gaunt or something.

Blaise.

Dearest Zucchini,

Sorry about my sudden trip, but I needed to take a break. I think the Dark Lord will soon come back into (some amount of) power, but while I'm studying with the Flamels, I'm also looking for a way to try to stop him.

I hope that everyone is doing alright- are you talking to Janus?

I've been getting a wonderful tan, as Perenelle says it's a travesty to not be out when it's sunny, but Severus always looks like a vampire because he burns easily and carries around a black umbrella. I think it's hilarious along with the Flamels, but he says that I'm 'insolent' and 'a brat', which I suppose is nothing new :)

My Gringotts account manager is sending me books through linked bags that he thinks would interest me on Severus' request, so as well as getting to learn from a new culture and have a private tutor, I'm doing alright with my learning.

Say hello to the boys for me, as I know anything I say to Theo will inevitably get to Daphne who will tell Ginny- and hug Draco for me. Politicians are never great guests and I feel his pain, especially as I know Mr. Gaunt likes to play mind games.

~Lena

Perenelle taught her and Severus about anything they could think of- her and Lena having spent the last week on warding and special obscure runes, Perenelle advising that she should take up drawing- while Nicolas had them running dueling drills, teaching her battlefield medicine spells, but Saturdays were always a break (something about the seventh day of the week being sacred).

Severus usually disappeared to go find somewhere dark that had books so he could brood without her or the Flamels getting in the way of his reading or potion making and Nicolas was likely to be absorbed into his carvings all day, so she usually found herself walking the streets of Paris with Madame Flamel.

The sun was out, the light silk clothing she had on thankfully keeping her from sweating, but she didn't speak up or ask for a cooling charm as she walked next to the woman through the small marketplace.

She knew that Perenelle had been told by her husband about the night on the balcony and wanted to ask about it, that much was obvious, but she was almost afraid of touching the conversation.

So instead she occupied herself with looking through a small vendor's shop of pretty metalwork.

As she moved further into the magically expanded stall, a man walked past, bumping into her and she felt a comfortable heat bloom where his shoulder had made contact with her. Pausing, stunned by the feeling of warmth and safety, she turned- only to find the man had disappeared.

"How… interesting."

Frowning slightly, she shook her head and then turned back to the tables of finery, eyes seeming to be drawn to a simple gold chalice amid a bunch of silver plates. Moving to pick it up, she almost dropped it because of two reasons: One, it felt like the sun in her hands, pulsing happily as the obvious last consciousness part of Tom. Two, there had been a knock on her outer mental barrier, as if asking to be let in.

Riddle was silent for a moment. "Does this mean I'll have to share you?"

Ha ha. Very funny. Better question: should I… let him in? Do you know what this one will be like?

"He was probably made right after me. He might have a darker sense of humor because we did work as a shopkeep at the time… but he's probably better with people than the diary."

Reassuring.

Looking at the cup pulsing like a heartbeat in her hands, she went to the cashier's desk, holding the cup up slightly. "How much?"

The man at the counter blinked. "That's not one of mine- but I'll buy it off you!" He grabbed her wrist when she went to leave, the chalice clutched to her chest protectively. "How much money? I'll give you five galleons for it! You won't find a better price anywhere else!"

The chalice seemed to still in her hands, getting warmer as if enraged, and she hugged it tighter, shaking her head. "No. I'm not selling."

"I could report you as stealing, you know." The hand on her wrist tightened.

Using a tendril of her magic, she pushed it into one of his eyes so that she could get to his brain. "How? You can't even remember I was here…" The man's eyes turned a milky color and she took her wrist back, turning from the man but lingering at the entrance to the shop just out of Perenelle's sight.

Another knock on her outer mind barriers.

Closing her eyes, she opened her outer defenses, feeling another presence seem to stroll in.

"Hello, gorgeous… and somewhat younger version of myself."

She felt a smile on her lips but ignored it for the sake of asking a real question.

How am I going to tell you two apart?

"How about you call me Riddle, as you've been doing that for a while anyway, and then he can be Tom."

'Tom' seemed to scowl at this. "How come I get the boring name? 'Tom'. Hmph. What a stupid name."

"Because I was here first. Deal with it."

Lena rubbed at the bridge of her nose. Surely this was the last straw to driving her insane- voices arguing in her head and all…

Maybe I can call you by a middle name?

"Marvolo then. That would work well enough, thank you, angel."

Riddle snorted, seeming irritated. "Stop being such a flirt. We get it. Lena's exceedingly precious, but that doesn't give you the right to just walk in here and-"

Can we maybe save the male posturing for later, dears? I'm starting to get a headache and I should probably find a way to keep the cup on my person before finding Perenelle. Do you know it the enchantments and such will hold if I transfigure the cup into a ring?

But as she thought this, the cup seemed to melt into a ring, and she blinked slowly at the crest of the gold ring.

Really? Hufflepuff?

"We wanted to complete the set, in a way… sorry about the headache, angel."

"...He still gets on my nerves, but yeah, sorry about the headache dear one."

Rolling her eyes, she slipped the ring on, moving to brush her thumb over the locket and then the ring.

No worries, just maybe wait until I can lay down to talk out the issues between you two?

When she got the mental equivalent of nods from them both, she adjusted the bag on her shoulder and left the shop, smiling faintly at where Perenelle was waiting patiently for her. "Mind if we head back? I'm starting to get a headache."

"Sure." The woman smiled gently at her and they walked in silence until out of the marketplace, the noise dying down around them as they got further away.

Finally having enough of the woman's side glances, she stopped and turned to the immortal. "What? You want to ask me something… what is it?"

Perenelle sighed, waving to a bench and they both sat down. "I know about your fated and the twin wands- otherwise known as 'soulmate wands' and, well, I was wondering if your reluctance to meet your fated in the middle has more to do with the fact that he did something in the past to people you don't even know… or if you fear what he could do to the family you've built in the present?"

"You know the answer." Lena looked away with a wane smile. "If you have been paying attention at all… you should know that my family and my House will always come first."

"Before potential happiness?" When she made to stand and walk away, Perenelle stood as well, arms raised slightly. "Sorry- too far, I know… but at least say that you'll keep your mind open? I know that sometimes things work out in strange ways and I don't want to see you be unhappy, as you really are brilliant."

She nodded slowly. "I will try my best."

The woman smiled, seeming relieved, and they had a quiet walk back to the small townhouse that was much more comfortable than before as they slipped into a discussion on drawing and its importance in both rune and warding patterns.

Her mindscape was back to being a large library, the grand bookshelves towering overhead as she padded silently through the shelves to where she knew that the small area of couches and armchairs would be waiting.

Humming softly, she let her fingertips brush against the spines of her book-shaped memories, pulling out a thick tome especially on the other parts of Riddle, and flipping through it while she walked.

Lena knew her mind was making the trip to her outer defenses longer because of her trepidation, but not long enough, as it seemed when she turned the last page of the book and it disappeared- she was standing on the edge of a circle of couches.

Riddle was a familiar sight- neat robes and perfectly styled hair, brown eyes holding the faintest tint of crimson in their depths.

However the other figure was different, if just slightly. In worn robes- but not obviously so, like that of a uniform- the older boy's slightly longer hair seemed to be styled with the intent to have a hand run through it, thin reading glasses resting on the bridge of his nose. It gave off a slightly ruffled look but in a dignified (and admittedly, slightly adorable) way.

With a smile, she moved to hold out a hand to 'Marvolo'. "Nice to finally meet you in person."

"And who stands before me but an angel sent from heaven?" Her hand was forgotten and instead, she found herself wrapped in an embrace, his voice like honey as he draped himself over her as if trying to consume her very being into his. "What a magnificent creature I have here before me. I wonder if I should not just keep you here in my arms, never to leave..."

Riddle huffed from behind her and she could tell he was crossing his arms with a scowl.

She let Marvolo cling to her, smoothing her hand over his back gently, as she knew that every one of the memories had each been lonely to begin with and that they needed the contact like she needed water. "Why don't we, and I mean all three of us, sit together?"

"I refuse to go anywhere near him."

Lena looked at where Riddle was brooding. "Darling…" When he refused to meet her eyes she sighed and pushed Marvolo away gently so she could move to sit in an armchair by herself, looking between the two. "What's the issue here? It's literally your older self."

"Not really." The younger of the two sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose, while Marvolo just looked amused as he leaned back against a nearby sofa. "The reason that we started to separate our consciousness parts was that each part was something we were trying to get away from… The diary was the childish aspects, the ring was the want for family, I was the want for companionship. If what I remember of the planning is true, the chalice," a glare was sent to Marvolo who just grinned, "would be the greedy aspect. If what you've told me is true, the diadem was probably our fascination with the world around us."

"You mean you separated yourself so there was nothing but anger, spite, and madness left? No wonder Voldemort was left with nothing but insanity… he literally couldn't understand a single thing around himself." She sunk back in the armchair, taking this in before she looked back to Riddle. "But why does Marvolo bother you so much?"

He sighed.

Marvolo just grinned even wider, a little maniacally. "Because if I had the choice, I would steal you away from him in a second… a treasure like you would never leave my arms if I had any power here."

She arched a single eyebrow at him, before glancing to Riddle. "As much as I sort of understand why you wouldn't like him, I still don't understand why you won't both compromise. Because it's either that or I leave to go read."

"...Fine."

Lena smiled and moved to the couch Riddle was sitting on, leaning against him and closing her eyes tiredly, feeling Marvolo sit down next to her. Shifting so her legs were across Marvolo's lap, she leaned back against Riddle and sighed softly as his arms wrapped around her. "See?" Her voice was soft, eyes having a hard time staying open, though her lips quirked up slightly. "Sharing is caring."

Marvolo chuckled, hands warm against her shins. "What a strange and fascinating concept for such a complex treasure… I suppose I can accept this, if only because he is me..."

"That's the only reason I didn't kick you in the face the second I saw you."

She giggled under her breath, laying her head back on Riddle's shoulder with eyes closed as she listened to the two snipe at each other, slowly falling asleep- sure she was safe with the two voices in her head.

It was a quiet day outside in the small garden that Perenelle tended to- Severus reading under his black umbrella, the Flamels being a sickeningly adorable couple in where they were curled up together under a glass pavilion, and her 'meditating' from her spot laying in the grass (which was sort of code for 'being squished in between Riddle and Marvolo in her mindscape').

Riddle was reading a memory of one of the books on muggle psychology that she'd read a long time ago, while Marvolo wrapped himself around her like a limpet.

"You're warm."

"And here I thought you were the warm one." She turned her head to smile at the boy with the longer hair, a few strands falling into his face.

"I mean it." His eyes were intense in the way that all of the parts seemed to all share, twisting her stomach, and he looked at her as if trying to see into her soul. "It's like wrapping my arms around a being of pure sunshine, angel… I never want to let go- just keep you here so I don't feel the cold when you're not with me."

Lena blinked slightly, twisting so she was half sitting in his lap and frowning slightly. "Wait- but I feel the same thing- hence why I'm so okay with you lot being so touchy."

"Maybe it's part of the soulmate wand thing." Riddle's voice was soft, eyes still on his book. "It's something that probably happened with all of us- did you ever have skin contact with Quirrell?"

She shook her head. "We talked a few times but I can't remember ever even shaking his-... Well, he did carry me back to Hogwarts, but it was never skin contact. Even then I had my cloak on… though I do remember him being a warm presence too."

Marvolo raised an eyebrow.

"He was hosting the shade of Voldemort and he stared at me a lot" She waved it off. "But anyway, that's not the point. The point is that apparently either that means that this 'bond' between us either is overriding my touch intuition or my intuition is telling me that of the pieces of you- including the part that tried to kill me as a child- are completely trustworthy."

At this Riddle looked up with a raised eyebrow. "Touch intuition?"

Lena blinked slowly. "I must have not told you… I can tell if a person is a danger to me by touch. Bad intentions are more painful while family and friends are warmer or lighter feelings."

Marvolo's arms moved to encircle her, his chin resting on her head as she was once again consumed by his larger frame. "This is why we're never letting you go, precious. You're much too special."

Riddle ignored Marvolo, like usual. "It could be either, as I haven't heard of that type of gift before so I don't have a basis to rely on… But I doubt that your senses would lie to you just because of our wand match. It's more likely that we all don't hold any ill will towards you."

She considered this, before nodding and relaxing slightly. "Yeah, I guess if Squirrelmort had any ill will towards me at the time I would have been killed… so that makes sense."

Marvolo and Riddle shared a look of exasperation between themselves that she ignored for the sake of it probably being something she didn't want to know- evil overlord stuff or something like that.

Lena-bean,

Blaise told me you're worried about me, so I might as well write to tell you how it's going. You know how Mr. Crouch disappeared mysteriously? Well, the same happened to Bagman, so, for now, I'm running the International Magical Co-operation department.

It's a lot of work, but thankfully Gemma (who told me to say hello) is by my side to be amazing and lessen some of the workload.

Also, I heard a rumor from Marcus, who went into the Auror Corps, that the Under-secretary to the Minister is going to be the Defence Professor this next year. Umbridge. She's a nasty piece of work and from my sources, she seems to hate Muggles more than even any ex-Death Eater, so watch out for her- she gives me the creeps.

It's a bit strange, but I thought you'd like to know- the insane followers of Voldemort from the third war that were locked up in Azkaban have been slowly disappearing from the prison and showing up dead. Just a few weeks ago Peter Pettegrew showed up in a shady part of Knockturn. No one I know is sure, but some are saying it's a vigilante… but there's also rumors it's the Dark Lord himself.

Please stay safe Lena and make sure to stay close to the Flamels and Snape.

On a slightly better note, Rita Skeeter has also disappeared, but I suspect you might already know that.

Janus Carr

Carr-mell,

Attached is a stylish brooch for you that will make people more open to trusting you as well as a copy of my Hungarian ring that should help with Minister Oblansk, in congratulations on your promotion. Give a hug to Gemma for me.

I've sent off a letter to Marcus thanking him for the heads-up, and I will keep an eye on this 'Umbridge' woman.

I will inform Severus about the Death Eaters and of Peter Pettegrew… and I will keep myself safe, though you of all people should know that I can handle myself should the need arise.

Interesting Rita's gone. Not that it matters much to me- good riddance.

Perhaps we should meet up in Hogsmeade sometime this year? I would love to spend some time talking, as I've missed you.

~Lena

"Severus." Lena sat on the edge of her bed, legs crossed with her favorite cashmere shawl that she'd borrowed from Perenelle and had no intention to give back wrapped around her shoulders, staring out the window at the end of the room.

The locket and ring were on her pillow, as she didn't want to have this conversation with them in her head.

The man hummed from his bed across the room, eyes closed, but awake in the still darkness.

"The Dark Lord is alive. He's coming back... if he hasn't already."

Severus propped himself up on an elbow to stare at her for a long moment. "What… Lena? How do you know this?"

She looked away from him, out the window at the gleaming city illuminated by the moon. "He had a plan for me, same with Dumbledore. So I tried my best to play them both… But Albus is old enough to need medicinal lemon drops and all he can do is protect the castle that's become his home… so I think I made a mistake."

"Lena?"

"I stole the Philosopher's stone first year and when I found out that Moody was a Death Eater in disguise-" she heard a sharp inhale of breath, "I gave him the stone and a vial of my blood in hopes that if I had to give it, then the Dark Lord would come back saner than before if I gave it to him willingly..." Finally holding up Janus' letter from where she'd been holding it since she'd sat down after dinner, trying to build up the confidence to tell the man what she'd done, Lena swallowed thickly. "Janus tells me that he's killing off his more insane followers. Cleaning up shop. And I- I think that I might have created something more dangerous than I thought."

Slowly, the man stood up, moving to the window and taking a deep breath, putting his forehead against the glass.

Lena felt her lips tremble when she saw by the faint light of the moonlight that the man was crying. "I- I'm sorry..."

"You're not going back." His fist curled tightly against the window. "You can stay with the Flamels, they'll protect you. Or- or better yet I'll get in contact with Albus and he'll find a place with one of his trusted friends in Asia. Or America. We'll get you away from-"

Her eyes closed against the tears. "I cant."

"Lena…"

"I can't, because I have to take responsibility for what I did. I have to destroy him. I'm the only one who can."

Severus spun around. "No- no you can't be the only one, no that's what Aurors are for. Please, leave that to the adults."

She looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "You know I can't."

"Lena- Lena you know I can't lose you." He moved to kneel before her, hands shaking. "You know that I'll never force you to do anything- even if I could- but please… please Lena, just this once, run away from the danger. For my sake."

Shaking her head, she brought her hand up to muffle a sob, putting her head down so their foreheads were touching. "I'm sorry. I- I'm so very sorry... Forgive me."

His breathing was ragged, reaching up to put his hand on her head gently. "I-... will you do me one thing? Just one- please Lena…" When she swallowed thickly and nodded, he took a shaky breath. "Please, please, let me keep you safe- just for a little longer- just until you turn seventeen. Just live that long so I can know that I did what I could to help you have the life you deserve?"

"Yeah." She took a small breath at his visceral breath of relief. "Yeah, I'll do that... We'll be okay. It'll all be okay. I swear..."

She felt as if she was lying to him, saying those words.

But she would do that, live to the age of seventeen…

If just so that maybe Severus would be alright when she inevitably decided to destroy herself by killing the one man she could have loved.