Chapter 3: Eenie Meanie Miny Moe to Which Side Will Harry Go?

When Harry made his way down to the Great Hall the following morning for breakfast he was already in a rather foul mood. Ronald had decided to be a more insufferable ass than usual after their confrontation in the potion's classroom the previous afternoon. If he could have gotten away with it, he would have hexed the ginger just to get five minutes of peace and quiet in the room. He had just sat down and begun his usual breakfast of nibbling on some toast when a hand landed on his shoulder. Glancing up, he was met with the sight of Professor Moody or rather Barty. "Morning Potter, I need you to stay after a few minutes this evening when your defense lesson finishes." He growled out, slipping a note onto the table beside Harry where no one would see it. Harry nodded once, "Of course, Professor."

Moody moved away after to the head table and Harry picked up the letter curiously, noting that the outside was blank but the same sealing charm he used had been cast on it. Opening the letter, he continued to munch on his toast as he read.

Dear Potter,

I have agreed to your terms and will provide the answers your seeking. We will meet this evening when you will not be missed around the school. Should anyone but you attempt to read this it will appear blank. I look forward to an interesting conversation with you.

Tom Marvolo Riddle

The boy hummed silently to himself. This was rather well written for someone who had been accused of being totally insane. True the man had seemed a bit unhinged when he had been attached to Quirrell, but he wondered what the man was like now. He knew the dark wizard had been searching for ways to regain his body for some time, but how much progress he had made was unclear. Harry supposed he would see firsthand this evening.

The day dragged on painfully slowly for Harry. He was ready to hex someone by the time defense finally rolled around after being dragged into a closet by Rita Skeeter to try and drag some half-cocked story about the 'Attention Seeking Chosen One with a Haunted Past'. God, he hated reporters. His annoyance simmered down as the defense lesson went on and by its end, he felt relatively calm again. He stayed seated at the end as the other student's filed out until only he and Barty were left. Barty once again warded the door and cast the silencing charm. "A bit annoyed at the beginning of class, weren't we?" The older wizard teased, a small smirk on his face. "You try dealing with this damn tournament and the reporters for a day and you tell me." Harry snipped back, crossing his arms a bit. "No thank you, I'll leave that to you. Take a few moments to calm yourself before I take you to the dark lord, it'll do you some good." He advised softly, making Harry sigh.

"What's he like now anyway? I had always heard he had gone insane over the years, but I didn't get that feeling from his letter." Harry asked with obvious curiosity. "He was for a long time, but he's saner at this point. Much closer to how he was when he first started out. He does have a short temper still and doesn't react to disrespect well, so bear that in mind." Barty warned the teen as he pulled out a small statue from a desk drawer, "We're traveling by Portkey, aren't we?" His nose scrunched in distaste, causing Barty to laugh. "We are, don't care for them?" Harry shook his head slightly, "Not really, but I assume it's the only way. Before we go, I appreciate you setting this up Barty." The raven smiled softly; Barty was a bit surprised at the gratitude. "Grab my arm and the statue and hold tight." The older wizard held his arm out and waited for Harry to grip both it and the portkey before calling out the activation words. "Riddle Manor!"

When his feet touched solid ground once more, Harry was glad that Barty had advised him to hold onto his arm so as not to fall on his face. When his eyes adjusted, he noticed they were standing in a large marble entryway and he could see what appeared to be a sitting room to the side of it and a large dark wood staircase in front of them. He had expected the dark lord's home to look more...sinister? "The dark lord will be waiting for us in his study." Barty explained, guiding Harry toward the dark wood stairs.

They ascended to the next floor and passed a number of closed doors and winding corridors before coming to a stop in front of a large set of double doors. The raven took a second to appreciate the serpent carvings that ran along the wood of the doors as Barty knocked twice upon them. "Enter." A deep voice called from within, leading Barty to push the door open and the raven to follow him inside. Barty dropped to one knee on the rug before a large armchair, in which sat who he assumed to be Lord Voldemort. Harry observed the dark wizard's face, it seemed his attempts to regain his body had been rather successful. The man who sat before Harry resembled the Tom Riddle he had met in the diary only older, probably early to mid-twenties.

"Nice to see you are no longer living on the back of someone's head. I'm sure you find it to be nice also." Harry finally spoke, noticing Barty's eyes widen at his statement. 'Right Barty had said the man had a short temper when it came to disrespect, well too late now.' Harry though to himself as he awaited a response. Voldemort simply quirked an eyebrow at him, "Yes, it is actually. Now as I recall you're expecting a magical oath of me, yes?" The man cut straight to the point all business; Harry could respect that. He nodded and held out his hand, Voldemort grasping it in his own placed his wand where they met. "I, Tom Marvolo Riddle, swear not to harm or imprison Harry James Potter during this meeting and to only speak the truth." Harry was a bit shocked at the last part he added but continued his part. "I, Harry James Potter, swear not to harm Tom Marvolo Riddle or divulge what he tells me here and to answer his questions truthfully. So mote it be." The glowing band around their joined hands dissipated as the magic settled over the both of them. Voldemort gestured towards a chair opposite him for Harry to sit, the raven accepted the invitation.

"So Potter, what exactly is it that you've come here to learn specifically?" The dark lord asked softly, waving for Barty to leave them and focusing on the Gryffindor. "I wish to hear from you what you hope to achieve with this war. I no longer trust Dumbledore to tell me the truth about it as he hasn't been able to anytime I've asked aside from some rubbish about blood purity." Harry began, "I saw memories of your years just after you graduated Hogwarts, you were running for Minister of Magic at one point and doing things the legal way, what changed? I also met your diary self who seemed rather sane so I can only assume the rumors of your insanity later on came from too many horcruxes being created." Harry finished, watching the other carefully. He caught a flash of surprise in the scarlet eyes but it was covered almost instantly.

"You know about Horcruxes?" Voldemort questioned, keeping his voice steady and calm. "I found some information on them sometime ago in the restricted section. When I read about them it seemed to make the diary situation much clearer. It was mostly just a theory, but you just gave me confirmation." Harry smirked slightly, earning an amused look from the dark wizard.

Tom's P.O.V.

The dark lord was internally laughing, he had been very correct in his observation about the boy having changed. He was quick-witted and a bit snarky, but Tom found that to be rather amusing. The Gryffindor reminded him a bit of his younger self when he was still at Hogwarts. He was impressed that the boy had been able to piece together the information about the Horcruxes so easily and it reaffirmed his initial thought that the boy could be an invaluable ally.

Regarding the boy with a neutral mask, he sighed softly. "To answer your question of why I stopped doing things the legal way it's quite simple. Dumbledore happened. Just as he did when I had applied for the defense against the dark arts position at Hogwarts. The old man has always been very adamant about keeping me away from any sort of power." The red eyed man breathed out an annoyed huff, "He used the media and a radical group who claimed to follow me to slander me and proclaim me a dark wizard. The radical group had already resorted to violence to try and push their ideals and although they weren't acting on direct orders from me, they had proclaimed me as the person whose ideas they upheld. He used their actions to feed the media into turning me into a monster."

Potter seemed to let this information sink in. "So, Dumbledore turned everyone against you before you even truly became a dark wizard?" He inquired; Voldemort shook his head slightly. "Not quite, I had already delved into the dark arts before then, you know of my time at Hogwarts. In the time of the Hogwarts founders magic wasn't as divided as it is now. People label magic they are afraid of as dark, not all spells that fall into that category are bad Potter. There are many shades of gray where magic is concerned." The raven again seemed to weigh that thought for a moment and nodded once. "Call me Harry. I hate being called Potter. So, what are your goals now then?" Harry questioned crossing his legs. The dark lord quirked an eyebrow at the request but sighed. "Fine, how much do you want to know Harry?" The red eyed man leaned forward on his hands. "All of it, if I'm to consider changing my side in this war I need to know what principles I'm defending." The raven replied evenly, making the older wizard nod.

"To put it simply I wish to protect magic and show the wizarding world the shades of gray. I wish to end the discrimination against the werewolves, vampires, and other creatures that many wizards look down upon. I want to protect magical children; I disagree with the fact that they aren't educated about our world until they turn twelve. I admit that during my insanity my goals became distorted, but these are the goals that I wanted to accomplish when I ran for minister and it's the goals I wish to pursue now with my sanity returned." He informed the young lion, watching him process what had been said.

"That sounds fairly reasonable actually. I didn't know that you had a stance regarding werewolves and other creatures." Harry admitted, seeming a bit sheepish at his lack of knowledge. "Many of my allies are creatures Harry. There are many of them that possess valuable skills and are knowledgeable in the ways of war." The red eyed wizard smirked, "There is no reason why they should be treated as less than wizards."

Harry's P.O.V.

Harry was actually a bit shocked at how reasonable the older wizard sounded. "That is true." Harry murmured distractedly, considering his options. He knew the dark wizard was telling the truth as he was under a magical oath and what he was saying made a lot of sense. After realizing that Dumbledore expected Harry and Voldemort both to die in their final battle, he could only assume that Dumbledore planned to lead the wizarding world after they were both gone. Voldemort was the only one really standing against him.

"If you do decide to switch sides Harry, you do realize you would have to leave Hogwarts, leave your friends." The red eyed wizard explains. If the boy joins his side, he needs the boy to understand what he's leaving. "My true friends will stand by me regardless of which side I fight for. As for leaving Hogwarts that's not much of a concern." Harry frowned a bit, "You would need to stay here in the manor, would that not bother you?" Voldemort questioned, "Should it?" Harry countered, tilting his head.

Voldemort regarded the young lion coolly, "I have no intentions of harming you if that's what you're asking." Harry nodded in understanding, "You seem much saner and have no intention to harm me so I have no problem with staying here." Harry begins slowly, "But Dumbledore would look for me so the question is how do I make Harry Potter disappear?" He sighed; Voldemort looked at the boy slightly impressed. "Perhaps by providing a body that looks like Harry Potter." He suggests, "There is a ritual that can be performed on a body to change the appearance permanently." Voldemort explained, "You're third task is coming up in a couple weeks, yes?" Harry nodded to confirm the question, not surprised that the other had been tracking the tournament. "Then we could stage a kidnapping during the task and return what looks like Harry Potter's corpse." The older wizard finishes, a smirk on his face.

Harry considers the plan for a moment, thinking of any possible flaws in it. Finally, he nods in agreement with the older man. "I think that could work, what do you require for the ritual?" He questioned, "Everything I need is here in the manor, the only thing you need to worry about is being prepared on the day of the third task." Harry smirks at the statement, "I will be prepared, you can count on that Voldemort." The red eyed man nods his approval. "Is there anything else we need to discuss then Harry?" He wants all of the questions out of the way now so that the boy is clear about his decision.

Harry racks his brain for any further questions for the dark lord, "If I decide I wish to further my education and am unable to teach myself, is there a way do so?" He questions, he knows that there are still many spells he wants to learn. Voldemort's smirk returns to his face, silently happy that the boy is still interested in learning further magic. "Of course, Harry. If you find a form of magic you wish to learn there is someone who can teach you." Harry regards him curiously, "Who?" The raven asks suspiciously, making the older wizard's smirk grow a fraction. "Me of course. Would you have an issue with me training you Harry?" The man inquires, Harry shakes his head. "I believe that would be acceptable." He agrees, "What if it's a subject that you aren't adept in yourself?" The raven wasn't sure if there was one, but he was curious to see the other's reaction to having his intelligence called into question.

Without missing a beat Voldemort responded, "Unlikely to occur, but I'm sure that I have at least one Death Eater adept in many forms of magic including a few older and more forgotten varieties." Harry was a bit surprised with the answer but found it to be a rather good one. "If you have no other questions then I believe we are finished here, it has grown rather late and someone is going to begin wondering where you've went." Voldemort stated, unlacing his fingers and standing from his chair. Harry nodded standing from his place as well,

"If you need to contact me in the meantime you can use this." The older wizard handed him a small black book that resembled his diary from Harry's second year. "It is connected to another diary of my own, anything you write within this one will show in my own and vice versa." The dark lord explained, Harry hummed in approval as he tucked the book into his robes. "Otherwise, I'll be seeing you in a couple of weeks." A knock on the study door alerts Harry that Barty has returned to collect him, standing patiently at the door portkey in hand. "I'll be sure to write if I need to ask you anything, otherwise I'll see you at the end of the third task Voldemort."

Harry grabbed a hold of the portkey, surprised when the dark lord cuts in. "If you're insisting on me calling you Harry then call me Tom." As Barty activates the portkey with a tone of surprise lacing his voice, Harry's own face is one of unconcealed shock. The last thing he sees is a smirking Tom Riddle leaning against his desk. 'Smug Bastard.' Harry thinks to himself as they are whisked back to the school. When they land back inside the defense classroom, Harry glances over at Barty. "Well, that went well." He mutters letting go of the portkey. "Indeed, I'm here if you need anything over the next few weeks Harry." Harry nodded shooting the older wizard a smile. "Thank you, Barty. I guess I should be sneaking back to Gryffindor tower. I'll see you for class tomorrow." Harry disappears out the door, leaving Barty shaking his head with a small grin. He can already see that the dark lord will have his hands full dealing with the cheeky little lion. This should prove to be interesting to watch unfold.

Back in Gryffindor tower, Harry crawled under the covers of his four-poster bed and relaxed back on the pillow. He considered all of the information that Volde..Tom had told him tonight. He was surprised that the man had allowed himself to be called by his name, he remembered the diary's attitude towards being called Tom and the contempt he held for the name due to his muggle father. He brushed it aside, deciding to think things over further tomorrow after he had slept a few hours. As he was drifting off, he couldn't help but chuckle to himself, "Eenie Meanie Miny Moe, which side will Harry go? Well, it seems that I've gone to the dark side." He whispered to himself. He should have felt conflicted or guilty, but for the first time in a long time he felt at peace and drifted into an easy sleep.