Chapter 4
Initially, Harry felt compressed within a test tube, the rapid process causing brief but intense discomfort. Regaining his balance after his feet touched the ground, he experienced a momentary swaying sensation accompanied by a faint nauseous feeling.
"I've just apparated, haven't I?" Harry asked woozily.
"Oh yes." Tom answered, "Lucky for you, I am a very extraordinary wizard or it would've been much more unpleasant."
"Lucky me." Harry heaved a sigh as he pulled himself off his knees and surveyed his new surroundings. The property around him was a far cry from the sleek and modern wizarding world he was accustomed to. The grass was certainly overgrown, reaching his knees in some places, and the shrubbery near the trees appeared wild and untamed. The house itself was not much better off, with peeling paint, broken windows, and a general air of neglect. However, the area was saturated with magic, indicating that some work had already been done to prepare it for his arrival.
Harry suspected that the inside of the house had been freshened up a little more than the outside. He could feel the faint traces of cleaning spells and glamour charms as he approached the front door. Glancing around, he noticed a clearing in the vegetation and observed a small village in the distance. It didn't seem like much from here, just a cluster of thatched-roof cottages nestled at the foot of a hill. However, there was a large house on the top of the hill, and what appeared to be a cemetery as well. Harry wondered what secrets and mysteries this place held.
He took a deep breath and pushed open the front door of his new home. The inside was dark and dusty, but Harry could sense the potential beneath the layers of grime and neglect. He could already imagine the sitting room, and the well-stocked library, that would one day fill these empty spaces.
"Welcome to the home of my ancestors. Charming place, is it not?" Tom asked, but his voice indicated his disgust.
"I am guessing no one has lived here for a while?" Harry asked.
"Since the late 40's." Tom agreed, "Since I arrived, I have just rebuilt the wards. Something I will teach you eventually. We never did get to discuss it before little Ginny stole my diary back, but did you sign up for the classes I suggested?"
"I did." Harry agreed, but twitched internally at the name of the deceased girl, "Ancient Runes, Arthithmancy, and Care of Magical Creatures."
"Good. Next year we can build on the basics you are taught. I am afraid I don't have the patience to teach it from scratch." Tom said thoughtfully before adding, "Not like I will have to with Occlumency. That is too important to wait on."
"Am I really going to stay here all summer with you?" Harry asked, but tried to keep the hope out of his voice.
"Oh yes." Tom confirmed, "We will spend much of our time training, some of it will also be spent repairing Gaunt Manor. If we are going to spend any amount of time here, we will want a respectable place to rest."
"I have quite a bit of gold in my trust vault." Harry offered, "The least I can do is help repair this place I will be staying as well."
"It's a fine idea, Harry." Tom offered, "But with no magical relatives left in this world, Dumbledore will be your magical guardian, and will have access to your Gringotts account. If large amounts of money began disappearing, I believe he would begin inquiring about things we are not quite ready to answer for."
Harry immediately felt stupid at the idea. Of course Dumbledore would be watching his financial moves. Trying to redeem himself, Harry countered, "This year we will be able to go to Hogsmeade. Before I go back to school, I will pull out a ton of galleons. I can give them to you before I get on the express, but I will keep enough to make a show of blowing galleons on robes, or other things in the village."
"Now you are thinking like a Slytherin." Tom said, looking thoughtful, "That may work. Even when you get your supplies, you could pull out a little more than necessary. For time being, however, we will rely on our skills with a wand, which I assure you will be enough. I spent many years living in squalor. Only my own wits and abilities were able to get me by then, and until we restore my power, that will have to do for now as well."
Following Tom's lead, Harry obediently trailed behind as they approached the house. When the man pushed the door open, Harry's suspicions were confirmed. While the house exuded an antiquated charm, its disrepair was not as severe as its dilapidated exterior suggested. It became evident that Tom had diligently invested his time in tidying the place up.
It was nothing to write home about, but while the furniture was dilapidated, it was still functional. Surveying the kitchen as they came to it, Harry recognized that it was spotless, but spartan. There were no decorations anywhere in the house. No photos of the Gaunt family, no paintings of faraway places, nothing. It was completely devoid of personality.
Turning to his apprentice, Tom spoke, "While the house is not much, I know you are used to less. Unlike your filthy muggle relatives, I will ensure you are fed as well. I have bewitched the local butcher, and confounded a grocer in the village who will give you food if you venture to the area. I will teach you confundus and various sanitation charms to ensure our food will last. Soon I will expect you to take care of these errands yourself in our downtime. I suspect it will take a few days of practice to become self-sustainable, but since there will be little leisure time, I suspect it will not take long."
Harry could hardly complain over the directive. It would be unwise to expect someone like the Dark Lord to allow a moocher to be in his service. Harry had absolutely nothing to offer the man at this time. Given the circumstances, Harry might have slit a stranger's throat if Tom asked him too, as long as it kept him away from the Dursely's.
"Thank you." Harry said softly as the man walked past him.
Tom turned his head slightly and had a smirk on his face, "Don't thank me yet. The way I plan to teach you Occlumency will not endear you to me. It is necessary however. You must return to Hogwarts with formidable shields. Minimally, you will need to be able to stop anyone from reading your surface thoughts. This is something I believe to be attainable, but not without struggle. I will accept nothing less than your best. I do not wish to punish you, but if I feel you are slacking in any way, you will feel my displeasure."
Swallowing hard at the words, Harry reminded himself he was still in the presence of a man who brought a nation to its knees. A man who had just tortured someone he had never met before just minutes before their arrival at Gaunt Manor. Failure was not an option, "I understand, sir."
"Master." Tom corrected, but this time with a hiss.
"I understand, Master." Harry corrected at once.
"I like you, Harry." Tom said with an even voice, "But do not mistake my compassion for your situation, and honing of your skills for a weakness. I did not rise to the position I was in by playing nicely."
"I understand, master." Harry repeated again.
"Good. Now take a seat." Tom commanded and gestured towards a tan single-cushioned chair.
Following his orders, Harry moved through the room with a sense of urgency and took his seat. Tom, for his part, did not sit across from him, but paced before him. He was suddenly reminded of their moment in the Chamber of Secrets where Tom contemplated his decision to make Harry his apprentice. He could feel the thoughts of the powerful wizard in front of him as if they were palpable, but just because he could sense the man's emotions, it did not give him any indication of what would come from the man's mouth.
"As I told your relatives, you will be with me from sunup to sundown everyday. There are powerful blood wards at your muggle relatives house, and if you do not stay in the home for at least some amount of time this Summer the wards will fail." Tom informed Harry casually.
"Blood wards?" Harry asked curiously.
"Oh yes." Tom confirmed, "Dumbledore placed those wards up himself, and he values them for good reason. I suspect they hold power from your mother's sacrifice. I could not breach them in my current state even if I wanted to. There is a reason I met you in the driveway. I doubt I could've approached much closer than I had without notifying Dumbledore that something was amiss."
"What would happen if you tried?" Harry asked with morbid curiosity. While he didn't know much about wards, he knew that blood magic was rather taboo in Wizarding Britain. The fact that the leader of the light, Albus Bloody Dumbledore, placed them up on his muggle relatives had to be newsworthy if it ever made it to the press.
"Blood magic is violent with its intent, and more so when its intent is to protect or destroy." Tom answered carefully, "At the very least it would injure me, while also notifying the caster of the wards that his creation was in danger. At worst it would incinerate whichever part of my body crossed the wardline."
In understanding, Harry just nodded. At least the protection from the outside world was nearly foolproof. Too bad it didn't protect me from the horrors inside the house.
Harry cast the thought away, before shaking himself of the bitter feeling that welled up inside him when he thought of who Dumbledore had left him with. Especially after finding him in his half-starved state last Summer.
Trying to show that he was keeping up, Harry let out a breath, "So you observed the wards. Deducting that I need to at least stay a few hours a night in the house to keep the wards active, while in the meantime you and I will be training here during the day."
"You will be training here during the day." Tom corrected, "I, of course will guide your studies. Assist you with overcoming obstacles in your path that will keep you from progressing, but aside from your occulmency training, or specific branches of magic I need to impart to you urgently, you will be on your own. I have much I need to accomplish, the least of which is discovering how exactly my rise to power started and ended."
Tom twisted a black ring on his finger subconsciously and Harry realized he had not recognized it from their last encounter. It was a nice thick dark gold band, with a black stone that held a symbol that Harry did not recognize in the middle of it. A triangle, with a circle, and a line drawn right down the middle. Something resonated deeply within Harry at the sight of it, and he instantly knew whatever it was, it had to be an immensely powerful magical artifact.
"Is there anything I can do to help?" Harry asked carefully.
"When we begin your Occlumency training I will be diving deep into your mind and memories while you learn to force me out." Tom explained as he stopped fidgeting with his ring, and stared at his apprentice, "During that time, I suspect I will learn everything you have ever known about the magical world and the first blood war. There will be no secrets you will be able to hide from me."
Harry's eyes widened at the prospect of what was to come. He had known primitively that the mind arts were difficult. He had read several books about what they can do in the library, but never about how one actually goes about learning them. Thankfully for the time being, he had nothing to hide from Tom. Good thing too, because he wasn't tempted to test the resilience of the blood pact if his mentor decided Harry was more trouble than he was worth.
Instead of displaying his growing anxiety towards Occlumency he asked a different question, "What do you remember? From your time?"
Tom's brows furrowed at the question, and he stared at his ring once again, but this time his eyes stayed there as he spoke, "I remember everything from my childhood, and my early years at Hogwarts. I remember becoming a prefect and using that power to explore the school at practically all hours of the day and night. It was how I discovered the Chamber of Secrets."
A faraway look was in his eyes now as he spoke, "It was the greatest moment of my life. It took me exploring every inch of the castle for five years to discover it, but it was my greatest triumph. It was there that I learned the power of my heritage. I discovered books of the darkest arts in the library of Salazar Slytherin. I practically doubled my knowledge in months, among the hidden treasures was the key to taking my first steps to immortality."
Turning to face his apprentice, Tom continued after a long moment, "It wasn't long after that I created my first Horcrux, the diary. Fifty years may have passed, but it feels like Hagrid was expelled weeks ago."
"That's incredible." Harry whispered in wonder.
Nodding, Tom added, "I was just growing into my power during that time. When I discovered that I had to have been related to the Gaunts, I was making plans to visit them. I had hoped they would welcome me. I was talented, a prodigy in almost every class, I thought if I told them who I was, things would be different."
A dark look crossed the teen's face now, "Turns out nothing changed. It was foolish to dream they would want a little orphan. Besides, I grew to be greater than them all. With the help of Ginny, I was able to discover what became of the last few members of the Gaunt family. I suspected foul play immediately, and discovered I was right. When I came to this house, I found another one of my Horcuxes. It took some complex guesswork and theories I had only speculated on, but I managed to absorb another soul piece. In the aftermath, more of my power has returned. I had plans for others, and I need to absorb them before we contact any of my old followers. I don't know who I can trust, and who I need to punish."
Harry could feel the man's magic flare at this last word, and he swallowed hard. At least he was beginning to understand why Tom might have been so willing to take him on. He needed someone he could trust implicitly. Someone who cannot turn on him. He only hoped that as more of the Dark Lord's memories returned, he would not decide to end their alliance prematurely.
Thinking fast, trying to remain engaged and useful, Harry asked, "Do you know what the other items you used were?"
Thinking on this for a moment, Tom nodded, "I have ideas. I had spent my fifth and sixth year romanticizing what I might choose to anchor my soul, and where I would hide each Horcrux. I am not certain I achieved it, but I had hoped to pick powerful magical artifacts. This ring for example, has been with the Gaunts for centuries. My diary was a symbol of my own strength, but what I really wanted was an item from Hogwarts. I befriended several ghosts in attempts to discover any items belonging to the Founders, but I will need to do some digging if I am to discover if I was successful…truth be told, Harry, I am not even sure how many Horcruxes I managed to create before you defeated me."
Frowning at the words, Harry pondered the thought deeply. It was the first time that Tom had broached the suspect. Harry and his family had stopped Voldemort on the finish line of victory. The whole country had practically bowed down, but something had stopped the Dark Lord from complete domination. Beyond his mother's sacrifice. It had to be more. It had to be.
"If you think one of your horcruxes is at Hogwarts, I will search for it when we return to the castle." Harry promised.
"That is a good idea, but I fear if my search was unsuccessful there isn't lots of hope for yours. Naturally, I had Ginny search the Chamber along with the castle extensively, and also spoke with the basilisk at length to see if I left anything behind when I left Hogwarts, but she promised I did not." Tom said with a hint of frustration.
Sensing that Harry should not press the topic anymore, he merely nodded his head, and watched as the teen paced around the room. Clearly, there was lots on his mind, and Harry just allowed the teen to think. Eventually, the dark-haired young man shook his head and drew his wand, "It will do me no good to dwell on these thoughts for now. We must begin your Occlumency training at once. Already I have revealed things to you that could set me back immensely if Dumbledore were to discover it."
Knowing the severity of the matter, Harry bowed his head in acceptance and braced himself for what was to come. Tom pointed the wand of Ginny Weasley at him and he felt his stomach turn over as Tom's words pierced his ears, "I will attempt to penetrate your mind. You will attempt to resist. I want you to think of something massive or complex. Your goal is to make me lose myself in your thoughts. The more detailed you conceptualize a distraction, the more successful you will be."
Harry frowned at the observation, and his mind spun with thoughts and ideas. Before he could voice a question or thought, a sharp pain lanced into his mind. Instantly images of recent days passed through his eyes.
He could feel his own dread at coming back to Privet Drive to face his muggle relatives. He could feel the rage he had towards Dumbledore for sending him back after he was nearly starved to death the previous Summer. He practically re-lived each of those moments as Tom swiftly penetrated his mind.
Further and further the man went and this time Harry watched the entirety of his conversation with Dumbledore after he had been summoned back to his office. When the memory was over, he felt a lurch of his body, and suddenly he was back at Gaunt Manor.
His breath was ragged and he felt like he had just run a mile. Harry realized he was sweating and wiped at his brow as he hunched over. Tom scoffed, "Well you certainly won't be a natural at the Mind Arts. I read you like a book. Not even a chapter book, but a children's picture book."
Harry felt embarrassment surge to his cheeks. He had been a natural study in almost all his classes. Even Potions, despite having an immense distaste for it due to his relationship with his Head of House. Hoping to get more advice on what to do, he asked, "Sorry, I was not ready."
"Do not apologize." Tom spat, "Be better."
Flinching at the tone, he nodded quickly. Trying to think of something massive or complex in a hurry before Tom decided to attack his mind again. Complex sounded too difficult at the moment, especially as his head was already starting to hurt. Instead, he began to think of the English countryside. The land that they passed on the Hogwarts Express to and from school. Attempting to focus his brain on every bit of detail he could remember from the countryside, he nearly jumped when he heard the sharp hiss of, "Legillmens."
This time they were on the train. The express was whipping across the countryside. The land was vibrant in color and detail, as was the lonely compartment he sat in. The image only lasted for a moment before the scene changed and he was in the dungeons with three familiar older Slytherin boys. He watched in horror as Tom saw him lie to the teens and desperately tried to force his mind back to Hogwarts Express. The scene flickered for the briefest moments, before the memory cemented and he relived the fear of what Flint and his friends might do to him and the exhilaration he felt when they bought his lies.
When he felt the pull of his mind and his vision returned him to Gaunt Manor, he fell out of his chair, grasping at his head. Tom said nothing for a few minutes as Harry groaned pitifully.
"Those are some of the boys who have bullied you in Slytherin?" Tom asked, his voice not as sharp as before.
Fighting his way through the tears, the pain was causing Harry to nod his head rapidly, not trusting his voice. Tom hummed in a soft tone before saying, "It was a very clever lie you concocted. One that I hope will not backfire on you, but it was very cunning. To come up with something like that while your back against the wall was quite clever."
Harry was surprised that the man complimented him. Just a moment ago, Tom was making him sound like the dumbest little boy in creation, and now he was given a sign of approval. Saying nothing, Harry wiped at his face, before returning to the chair.
Swallowing hard, he took a deep breath to steady himself and returned his mind to the vast English countryside. When Tom spoke again, he flinched, but this time it wasn't a spell, "You resisted much better the second time. I am not sure if you noticed, but you nearly forced the image back to the front of your mind. Something that is rather difficult, but an important building block for much more important things later. I only forced myself to stay in because I wanted to see how you reacted under pressure. Against a lesser Wizard the image would've held for a little longer, but certainly not for long."
Nodding in understanding, Harry spoke with uncertainty, "I am ready to go again."
Tom took on a sinister smile, before agreeing, "Very well. This time I will go back a little further into your mind. I need to not be interested in what I am seeing or you will not ever make progress. I will likely pull an unpleasant memory from your childhood. This should make you want to change what I am seeing, and I won't resist. Are you ready?"
Taking a deep breath, Harry attempted to calm himself. Thankfully, Tom gave him at least an entire minute to gather himself before he whispered the word again, "Legillmens."
The countryside was back. This time they were even arriving at Hogsmeade station, and the detail was immense. It looked just like it had when he had first arrived at Hogwarts in his first year. It was a cool Summer evening, the wind was blowing softly, and the trees seemed to sing with the nature around him.
Suddenly it all changed though and Dudley was in front of him. He watched in horror as his cousin pushed a smaller version of himself down with a mighty shove. The younger version of Harry fell backward as the impact of the boy who easily had a hundred pounds on him hit his chest. Harry watched as his younger self scrambled backwards in an attempt to escape, but knew it would be unsuccessful. He tried to focus on the countryside, or Hogsmeade station again, but his mind faltered when he felt a sharp pain in his stomach.
His vision blurred and Piers Polkis was standing there with a malicious laugh falling straight from his lips. They weren't at Hogsmeade station anymore. They were at the park near Privet Drive and little Harry was outnumbered. The boys approached his younger self and Harry did everything he could to escape.
Trying to calm himself, Harry forced images of the countryside back into his mind. Perhaps Hogsmeade station wasn't broad enough. Instead, he thought of the rolling hills he had seen. The green grass, the occasional flowing river.
The scene in his mind changed to it, and Harry sighed in relief. It was short-lived however, as he heard a voice roar, "COME HERE, BOY!"
Vernon's voice was heard, but Harry couldn't see him. Instead, he just continued to focus on the landscape around him. He did not want his uncle to be in the one place he could escape the man.
For a long moment, he could only hear the man's voice, but nothing changed. When the voice stopped, Harry began to relax. Instead of it ending, however, this time a bark was heard, and his image shattered and he was in the backyard of #4 Privet Drive. Ripper, his Aunt Marge's dog, was biting his leg, and attempting to knock him over. Harry resisted the dog and kicked it hard, when he suddenly felt a blow to the back of his head.
The pain dazed him and Marge was standing there when it steadied. She looked furious, and was screaming words so loudly at him it was nearly impossible to understand. Harry attempted to force different images up, but this time it didn't work as the woman surged forward to strike him again, but this time a different voice spoke, "Enough."
Harry's vision lit up with the room he was in with Tom at Gaunt Manor, but the room was spinning now. His head pounded and he felt liquid pooling down his face. His nose was bleeding.
"That was a much better attempt." Tom congratulated.
Still paralyzed from the memory he had just experienced, Harry said nothing, but held onto his chest as he felt like his heart was going to rip itself from its rightful place. As he steadied himself, he noticed that Tom had taken a seat across from him. The young man gave him several minutes to pull himself together this time before asking, "The fat woman with the dog, that was another one of your muggle relatives, I presume?"
Nodding Harry just continued to keep his eyes on the floor in shame. He was sitting in practically a puddle of his own sweat and blood in humiliation. Here he sat in front of one of the greatest wizards of all time, and was now being judged for getting abused by a muggle.
"Would you like me to kill her?" Tom asked in a softer voice than Harry imagined.
"What?" Harry asked in disbelief.
"Your relative." Tom clarified, "Would you like me to kill her? Or either of your other muggle relatives? Killing both would likely draw Dumbledore's attention, but one I think we can get away with."
The casual tone in Tom's voice told Harry he was serious. Desperately, Harry wanted to say yes, and have Tom extract more vengeance on his behalf, but then he thought of the risk. If either of the Durleys died, then chances are the other would take their chances with Dumbledore and tell him everything. Their fear of Tom may not outweigh the rage they would feel if one of them perished.
He could not allow Dumbledore to interfere in his training with Tom before it even began. He wanted to be great. He wanted to teach his housemates and peers that he was worthy of his magic. He wanted to make a name for himself, and Tom could help him do it. Nothing could get in the way of that.
Forcing his desire for vengeance down Harry said, "If you ever meet my Aunt Marge, you are welcome to. She's not worth going out of our way for."
"Very well." Tom said with a shrug, "I must admit I underestimated their mistreatment of you. It makes my blood boil and my heart resolves over what must be done to their kind to ensure our survival. I doubt I could've found someone who shared that sentiment more than you if I tried."
Harry's eyes widened at his words, and Tom offered an insidious grin, "Oh yes. I can feel your hatred of them. I could even feel your satisfaction earlier when I tortured your fat uncle. I may not have suffered as much physically as you have, but I assure you my distaste for them is immense."
Rising to his feet again, Tom walked past Harry and tapped him on the shoulder with his wand, causing his clothes to dry in an instant, "You should get some rest. Occlumency is an immensely exhausting form of magical exercise. I will return you home in a few hours. Tomorrow we will do some more hands-on magical training, and each day we will end with the Mind Arts. It will likely leave you drained and defeated for the first few weeks, but…"
Tom stopped seeming to be searching the words before placing a hand on Harry's shoulder, "There is strength to you, Harry Potter. Once again, you remind me much of myself. Your resilience. You're cunning. You are going to make a fine apprentice, and if you give me everything you've got, I will make you great."
A flare of desire flashed through Harry's exhaustion. He knew Tom had likely seen his ambitions in his mind, so he didn't bother denying it. He wanted it desperately. His resolve turned to steel and he offered his gratitude, "Thank you…master."
(A/N) This arc of Summer is going to cover the next few chapters, and we will see more of Tom's plans for Harry. Discord is going to receive their first free bonus chapter next Tuesday, so if there was ever a time to join "The Hunters Lounge" this is it!
Of course if you want to read through Chapter 7 today, you can follow me on Pat(reon) at OrionB15 for just 1$, and receive weekly updates going forward! That is all I have for this week, and I can't wait to share more with you in the coming days. Cheers!