Chapter 22: Tom

With a flick of Tom's wand, the ropes around Harry's hands fell away. Harry rolled his wrists and stretched out his arms, which had begun to cramp from the limited range of motion.

"Thank you," Harry said as relief washed over him. Tom had made it after all, and not a second too soon. Sure, Umbridge had gotten away, but she didn't have the Elder Wand and Harry was still alive. And now that Harry knew what Umbridge truly was, he would never willingly put himself in a position to be harmed by her ever again.

Tom helped Harry into a seated position. Harry took the opportunity to really look at his father, to take in the features of his face. He saw what his mother saw all those years ago; they had the same nose. Tom was looking back at Harry, seeming to have the same thoughts. And then they hugged, Tom's arms wrapping completely around Harry in a firm, comforting embrace. It was hard to believe it was real, that Harry was actually embracing his living, breathing father. He didn't want the moment to end, squeezing Tom back as tightly as his weakened muscles would allow.

"Are you alright?" Tom asked after a while. He pulled back, helping to ease his son into a position where he could balance on his own.

"I'm fine," Harry said, though this wasn't entirely true. He was doing much better than he had been over the past few hours, now that his tormentor had left. Still, it would likely take some time before he'd physically and emotionally recovered from the night he'd had. "Thanks to you."

Tom smiled. "Impeccable timing, huh? I'm sorry it took me so long. I couldn't find my notes from Uncle Morfin on how to get here. Admittedly, I'd hoped I would never have to come."

"It's okay, I'm just glad you got my message," said Harry. "I'd have preferred not to have to come here either."

There was sadness in Tom's eyes, but his smile remained. "I never wanted you to have to know about any of this. When I left you and your mother… Well, you know what happened. You must have seen all the memories if you were able to get your message to me. That was quite resourceful of you, by the way. That's something your mother would have thought of. You're more like her than you know."

Pride welled up inside Harry at this declaration. He realized he'd never had anyone tell him how like his parents he was. Of course, given his recent revelations, it was little wonder that no one ever tried to tell him that he was like James. "It was really good to see her, in your memories. And dad, or, James? I don't even know what to call him anymore." That has been the hardest part for Harry to wrap his mind around after all of the memories had been viewed. What was he supposed to make of his connection with James Potter? He'd still been lumping him in with his mother as he referred to his parents that had died at Voldemort's hand, but he wasn't sure if the term still applied.

Tom nodded. "I can't imagine how difficult it's been for you to learn everything, what it's done to your sense of self. But one thing I don't ever want is for you to feel weird about calling James Potter your dad. You can refer to him or me as whatever feels best, but don't ever refrain from calling James your dad just because you're not connected by blood. He was your dad in every other sense of the word, Harry. He loved you dearly from the moment your mother and I told him that we were expecting. He would have done anything for you, regardless of whether he was your dad or your uncle. He never thought twice about upending his entire life to try and keep you and your mother safe. And I know he took on his role as your father very seriously, that he was right there through feedings, play time, diaper changes, all of it. Everything I couldn't do. He wished that I could fulfill my fatherly duties as was intended, but because I couldn't, he stepped up and I know he loved every moment." Harry smiled, a tear threatening to spill out of his eye. "And if I had stayed, and things went down the same way with your mother and I dying to protect you, your Uncle James would have raised you in a heartbeat, Harry, I have no doubt."

"Okay," Harry said with a nod. "I needed to hear that, thanks." And he did. He hadn't realized just how much he needed to hear it until that very moment. He'd grown up idolizing James Potter, and didn't really know what he'd do if he found out he'd been a reluctant participant in Harry's parenting the whole time.

"He would want you to know that," Tom confirmed. "And no matter whether you say your father is James Potter, Tom Potter, or both, you're still Harry Potter. That will never change."

Harry took a deep breath. He'd really needed to hear all of this. Learning the truth about his parentage had shaken his sense of identity considerably.

Tom's expression softened as he seemed to take a moment to really look at his son. "It's so good to finally see you, Harry. I wish the circumstances were different, but to have you with me, finally knowing the truth… I never thought this day would come." He wiped a tear from his eye.

"I'm so glad to finally see you too, now that I know everything," said Harry. "I never thought I would be able to just sit and have a conversation with a parent."

Tom nodded. "I felt the same way when I met Uncle Morfin for the first time, after thinking I would never meet my biological family. He would have loved you too, Harry."

"He seemed like a great man. I wish I could have met him," Harry said of the man who had been his great uncle. "Should we get out of here? I unfortunately can't walk on my own at the moment, but with some assistance I should be able to move well enough."

A strange expression flashed across Tom's face for a moment, but it was gone before Harry could read it. "Ah, yes of course. Perhaps it would be best to rest here for a bit first, there's no rush. We should be safe here, Umbridge won't come back. And if she does I'll just chase her off again," he said with a grin. "But, why can't you walk? Are you sure you're alright?"

Harry sighed. "Yeah, I'll be fine. I just… I really messed up, Tom."

Tom's eyes narrowed in concern. "What do you mean?"

"I practically did nothing and just allowed Umbridge to kidnap me," said Harry. "I didn't realize she was the one after the wand. She'd taken over the school, she was terrorizing students, teachers, everyone. Anyone who tried to stand in her way just got hurt even more. And it was clear that she wanted to hurt me most of all, I just didn't know why. But I knew that if I could just give her what she wanted, I could get her to stop hurting everyone else. And that's how I ended up here. I let her weaken me to the point where she could basically take me anywhere she wanted, and because of me she almost got the Elder Wand. I could have doomed everyone, would have if you hadn't stepped in to save me."

"Oh, Harry," Tom said with a sigh. "It seems you take after me a bit after all."

"What do you mean?"

"For many years, I blamed myself for James's death," Tom explained. "I felt some guilt over your mother's death too, to be honest, but even if I'd stayed, who knows if things would have ended differently for her? She would have fought for you until her last breath regardless if it was me there with her or my brother. But James wasn't meant to be there that day, or so I told myself so many times. He was there because I asked him to be, because I brought him into a fight that was never his to face. I spent years telling myself that I should have died that day in his place, that he should still be here."

Harry took a shaky breath. "It wasn't your fault. You did it to try and save everyone."

Tom nodded. "I did. But I couldn't help thinking that because I did, my brother lost his life. I'd sealed his fate by asking him to put his safety on the line, something I knew he'd do without hesitation if I asked. The thoughts were hard to live with, but I've had a lot of time to think. And the more I think about it, the more I realize that James wouldn't have wanted it to happen any other way. Because my brother James loved me, he loved Lily, he loved you. And the thing about the people who love us, Harry, is that they want to protect us. He would be happy to know that his actions saved you, and saved me. And he wouldn't want me to feel guilty about it for one moment. Do you know how I know that?" Harry shook his head. "I know that because I love my brother so much. He's meant the world to me since the day I met him at the train station. And I know that, if things had been reversed, I would have gladly sacrificed myself to keep him safe. And it would kill me to think that he had spent so much time feeling guilty. That's what it is to love people who love you back, Harry. You want to forgo your own happiness and safety to ensure theirs, and they feel the same way about you. I'm willing to bet that a lot of those people you were protecting care about you an awful lot, and wanted to share the burden with you."

Harry felt his chest tightening. He thought of Luna telling him that they were stronger together, of Hermione telling him that his deal with Umbridge was never what Dumbledore's Army wanted, of his uncle begging him to confide in him. Harry hadn't listened to any of them, he just couldn't bear seeing Umbridge hurt them anymore. Not if he could stop it.

"Think of how you'd feel if you were in their place," Tom continued. "If your dearest friends had taken on everything alone to try and keep you safe, instead of letting you help."

Harry nodded. "I would have wanted them to let me help, even if it meant me getting hurt, too. And I wouldn't have wanted them to feel bad about letting me help them."

"You have a lot of love around you, Harry," said Tom. "Use it as an asset."

A moment of silence passed between them before Harry said, "Uncle Severus wanted to help me. I was a bit harsh when I shut him down."

Tom chuckled. "Your Uncle Severus can be a bit… reserved." Harry thought this was a bit of an understatement. "But I know he loves you, Harry, even if he doesn't say it. He doesn't have much of a way with words, but he cares deeply. If he's going out of his way to try and help you, he clearly cares so much more than you realize."

"I owe him an apology," Harry said with a sigh.

"That's quite big of you to recognize that, Harry," said Tom. "Though I'm sure he'll be overjoyed just to know you're alright."

Harry wondered if his uncle even knew he was gone. He supposed he would find out eventually if he didn't make it back to school by morning. In fact, his disappearance was likely to worry a lot of people if he didn't make it back to school by morning. "He'll be happy to see you again, I'm sure."

Tom smiled, but it seemed sad. "I would love a chance to see your uncle again. I always had a great admiration for him. You know, I'm sorry I had to ask you to keep our initial meeting and the journal a secret. I'm sure talking things over with your Uncle Severus would have been helpful to clear up some confusion. I just didn't know where things stood with him as far as I was concerned. He didn't know the full story, of course. I know he believed your mother when the Voldemort rumors first started, and she told him I was innocent. His support at that time meant everything to me. But I didn't know what he came to believe as time went on, and anyone else who recognized my name would surely have given you the wrong idea."

"I understand," said Harry. "I don't know what Uncle Severus thinks, but we'll set him straight. I'm sure he'll be relieved to finally know the whole story."

"Yes, I expect he will be," Tom agreed.

"Oh! Before I forget," Harry said as he reached beneath his shirt and pulled out the locket. "I noticed these weird symbols on the side."

Tom grinned. "I was so happy to pass that locket on to you. There were so many years when I didn't think I ever would. But yes, Uncle Morfin said they were some ancient language. Apparently snakes know how to read it, go figure."

Harry nodded. "I met a snake before Umbridge brought me here. He actually helped me contact you, long story. But he read the inscription. Apparently it says, 'My children, when all hope is lost, follow the sinking feeling to my ultimate protection.' Do you know what that means?"

Tom considered the words for a moment. "Uncle Morfin once told me of a secret chamber that Salazar Slytherin supposedly created when Hogwarts was being built. It is aptly named The Chamber of Secrets, have you heard of it?"

"I don't think so," said Harry.

"People don't speak of it often, it's largely believed to just be a rumor," Tom explained. "It's never been found, as far as I'm aware. But the legend says that the chamber contains some kind of secret weapon."

Harry groaned. "What is with Slytherin and hiding weapons all over the place?"

Tom laughed. "That's a good question. But unlike the Elder Wand, this weapon can only be controlled by one of Slytherin's descendants. So no one will be able to wield it against you. It's meant to help protect his heirs in their time of need, and that locket is said to be the key to finding the chamber. My guess is that that's the protection the inscription is referring to. You've got what, two and a half years of school left? You might as well look around for it. You never know when it will come in handy."

"Maybe I will," Harry said as he tucked the locket back into place. Finding a long lost part of the castle seemed like the type of adventure that could just be fun for once, without being tied to stopping some evil plot orchestrated by Voldemort and her followers.

"You know, I have a lot of notes with little things that Uncle Morfin told me about our family over the years," Tom said. Harry smiled at the mention of 'our family.' "They're back at my apartment, you should look through them some time. I'm leaving it to you in my will, you know. It's not much but it contains all the information I know about our ancestry. Could be useful information, or just nice to know, but either way you should have it."

Harry nodded. "Yeah I'd love to come over some time and learn more about my heritage."

Tom's smile was oddly sad, but he nodded.

"Should we be getting out of here?" Harry asked again. He still had no idea what time it was, but he thought it would be best if he got back to school before too many people noticed his absence. And there was a part of him that wasn't going to feel completely safe until he returned to Hogwarts.

Tom seemed lost in thought for a moment. "How is it that you traveled here?"

Harry's brow furrowed in confusion, unsure of what that had to do with anything, but he said, "Umbridge had a portkey."

"Is it still here?"

"Yeah, it's over by the cave entrance."

"Where would it bring you back to?"

"Um, Umbridge's office at the Ministry. I'm sure Umbridge has run off somewhere, but I don't really want to go back there if it can be helped."

Tom nodded. "We'll talk about it later, Harry. Why don't you get a bit of sleep? You must be exhausted."

Harry frowned. He didn't see the point in sticking around in the cave. Surely Tom could disapparate them both away, to somewhere safe? Admittedly, Harry was quite tired, but he didn't think he could sleep. Not in a cave containing an ancient chest that would kill him or Tom if they tried to open it.

Conversation picked back up, and Harry got lost in the old stories that Tom told him about his school days, and sharing stories of his own, and before he knew it, the sun began to rise over the sea, the once dark sky bathed in bright orange.

"It's morning," Harry said. He found that he was feeling significantly better, and could probably even pull himself up to his feet if he tried, as long as he had something to hold onto to keep himself upright. Once again he found himself wondering if his friends had noticed his absence. If not, it wouldn't be long until they did.

Tom's breathing was a bit heavy as he said, "A beautiful sunrise." He got to his feet. "Harry, I… You're going to have to go on without me."

Harry's heart sank. "What? I don't understand."

Tom looked toward the sky outside the cave. "We may now know who was truly behind the Voldemort pseudonym, but the fact remains that Umbridge will never stop hunting you. Not as long as the Elder Wand remains here in its case."

"That's okay," said Harry. "We'll take her down together. We'll make sure she can't hurt anyone ever again."

Tom looked at Harry with a sad smile. "I have no doubt in my mind that you will do both of those things, Harry. But I can't leave this wand here. It's caused too much pain and devastation. I don't want you, or your children, or your children's children to have to deal with this ever again."

"What are you saying?" Harry asked, terror welling up inside him. He knew the answer before Tom said it.

After taking a deep breath, Tom said, "I'm going to open the chest."

"No."

Tom continued, ignoring Harry. "And then you'll need to take the wand."

"No."

"Hide it, destroy it, do what you've got to do. No one should have that much power."

"You can't do this!"

Tom smiled. "I've made up my mind, Harry. I think maybe things were always meant to end up this way. I got to have one amazing night with my son, and now I get to protect him in a way that only I can. It will be an honor to make this sacrifice for you, my boy. That's all I've wanted throughout your entire life. For you to be safe at last."

Tears welled up in Harry's eyes. "I only just got to know you."

"I'll always be with you, Harry. I always have been. Being your father was the greatest joy of my life. But it's time for me to join my beloved Lily, my dear brother James, my Uncle Morfin. Even my own parents who I never met are waiting for me on the other side. I don't fear what comes next. It's my time. Be good to that Uncle Severus of yours. You'll need his support. I love you, my son. Live a long, happy life and be well." Tom moved toward the chest.

Harry panicked. He tried to get to his feet, but that was no easy task. "Dad!" he exclaimed.

Tom turned to look at him, wiping a tear from his eyes. "I've waited your whole life to hear you call me that."

Harry couldn't stop this from happening. But if he'd learned anything from the hours he'd spent with his father, it was that this was the kind of thing people do for you when you're deeply loved. So Harry looked his father in the eyes, trying to remember every moment as he said, "I love you, Dad."

There was a sparkle in Tom's eye. "I love you, Harry. So very much. Goodbye, my son." And with that, he closed the gap to the silver chest.

Tom placed his hand on the Elder Wand's resting place. For a moment, nothing happened. But then it began to glow. The air began to move, and Tom seemed to sparkle, his feet lifting a few inches off the ground. Then he looked at his son one final time and said, "You have your mother's eyes," before his body seemed to disintegrate into a puff of smoke. The chest popped open.