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So I've always wanted to write an HP time travel I-will-fix-this-shit and have just recently fallen in love with Harry/Tom.  And somehow soulmates demand to be included and that's what we have here.

Most of this is based on the movies, because it's been more than 10 years since I've read an HP book and YouTube exists.  Also, some of the timeline gets a little lose but is explained.

Flames will be used for marshmallows but constructive criticism is always welcome.  Please mind the tags.

In which we start this story off in the white limbo of the train station.

“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it isn’t real?”

Harry Potter stared in disbelief as Albus Dumbledore twinkled one last time at him before fading back into the whiteness of the light.

Silence rang as Harry blinked, then ran a hand through his hair and huffed in frustration.

“Bloody hell, he is a twat, isn’t he?”

The wizard jumped and whirled, right hand coming up as if he still grasped his wand.

He flushed red as the dark haired man just smirked, unfolding himself from the lounging position he’d been in against a white pillar and strolled forward.

“Hello luv.”  The stranger said, fondness lacing his tone as he came to a stop in front of the teen.

Brown eyes looked down into green as Harry leaned back, confusion and wariness running through the wizard as he looked up at the impossibly tall man in front of him.

“Do I know you?” Harry questioned after a moment, eyes darting around the train station as he looked for an escape exit.  

“We are old friends, you and I.”  

Thick eyebrows rose in disbelief as the young wizard swept a look down the handsome, impeccably dressed man.  

‘I’m pretty sure I would have remembered meeting you,” Harry said dryly.

The taller man smirked and then tapped his cheek with two fingers, causing green eyes to shoot up in indignation.

Indignation that turned into fear and apprehension as gold swept through chocolate brown eyes, flames dancing around black pupils.

Hellfire consumed Harry’s vision as the screams of the dying and the damned roared in his ears.

“Death.” The teen breathed out, staggering back a step in shock.

“Just so.” Death said cheerfully, brown overtaking gold until human eyes once more looked back at him.  “Let’s take a walk, shall we?”

“It seems to be my day for it.”  Harry agreed with a sigh as Death grabbed his left arm and placed it in the crook of his, forcing the teen into motion.

They walked for several moments in silence, Harry cocking his head in interest as he noticed they were making a straight line back to the bench he’d left the Horcrux under.

Death clicked his tongue in disgust as they reached the bench, the strange baby-like figure shivering as it tried to move back as the entity knelt before it.

“Tom Marvolo Riddle. Did you really think you could escape me forever?” Death asked, darkly amused as he watched it try to move away.  “Everything comes to an end. Even you .”

Death raised a hand and snapped his fingers, the Horcrux spasming before it fell into dust.  A faint wind stirred Harry’s hair as it swept past, picking the dust up and flowing away.

Dusting his hands off in satisfaction, Death smiled as he got back to his feet, once more grabbing Harry’s arm and entwining it with his.

“Where did you send him?” Harry asked, deciding to just go with it as Death whistled a jaunty tune as they walked.

“Back to the main soul piece.  The others too as you destroyed the containers.”  A dark look crossed Death’s face.  “What he did is a crime against Creation.  He’s lucky he’s your soulmate, or I’d be having a fabulous time with him in Hell for all eternity.”

Harry stopped dead.

“What?!”

“Opps.” Death smirked, looking unrepentant as the teen gawked at him. He leaned in and whispered stagely. “I was supposed to wait to tell you that until after I told you about the whole ‘Master of Death’ part.”  

“You’re fucking with me.”  Harry blurted out in shock, going white.

“Nope,” The entity replied, popping the ‘p’ as wickedness danced in his eyes as the teen began to sway.

“You’re fucking with me.” Anger started to sweep away shock as Harry firmly told his knees to get it the fuck together.  Despair tried to choke him as his mind raced.

Soulmates, to both his and Hermione’s surprise, were a real thing in the Wizarding World. At the exact time of your birth on the day you turned 18, what was considered majority age in the Wizarding World, some of the first words your soulmate said to you etched themselves across your chest.  

Right above where the heart lay.

Harry had just laughed and laughed when, ‘No? Sunshine, daisies, buttermellow.  Turn this stupid fat rat yellow!’ had scrawled itself on Hermione’s skin last year.  It had been the only bright point in their lives when they’d gone on the run a few weeks later.

It had also broken ‘Mione all the harder when Ron had left them.

Death sobered as anguish collapsed Harry until the teen slumped onto the bench the entity hastily created behind him.

“ Please tell me you’re fucking with me.” Harry asked lowly into the palms that covered his face, eyes closing tight in despair when there was no answer.

When he’d first learned about soulmates from Ron, the hope and yearning to meet them had nearly overwhelmed him. 

Finally.

Finally he would have someone to cherish and love, someone of his own . A person who would walk beside him for the rest of his life.

Besides Hermione, the hope of it had been the only other thing helping keep his head above water during the year long Horcrux hunt.  

When he’d been walking to his death, he’d only been grateful he hadn’t discovered them yet.  That his soulmate wouldn’t have to bear the pain of finding him only to lose him so quickly.

A hysterical giggle bubbled up.

Before he knew it Harry was laughing, tears running down his face as Death made an aborted movement towards him.

“It figures,” he gasped, holding his stomach as he bent over.  “Figures I can’t even get this.”

“Get what, luv?” Death asked gently, folding his long frame down next to the teen.  Harry resisted the gentle tugging for a moment before he fell against the taller man, the smell of woodsmoke and cedar filling his nose as he buried his face in the hard chest.

“Every time I get something good, it gets taken from me and replaced with something worse. The only memory I have of my mother is her begging for my life.  From my soulmate. ” 

The powerful entity said nothing, only tightening his hold on his Master as ragged breathing echoed in the air.

“What should have been a sanctuary was filled with danger, blinded at each turn of what was really going on. Pulled like a puppet on strings and being fucking happy about it.” Death just arched an eyebrow as cloth ripped, Harry’s fists so tangled now in his suit as rage began to burn brightly.

Green eyes glared into nothingness as every manipulation and carefully controlled handling of him danced through his head again.  He seethed as the tears dried up, wishing now he’d used Dumbledore’s beard to strangle the man.

“You know, my wife didn’t want me to tell you all of this at once.” 

Harry went still before he looked up, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

Death grinned before shrugging, pulling the teen in tighter as he leaned against the back of the bench.  “She’s Fate. And she can be a real hardass sometimes.”  He grinned fondly as thunder rolled in the distance, Harry going a bit wide eyed at the noise.

“She got to have her little fun with Dumbledore here, showing you what his final endgame was.  But I kindly told her to butt out.  You're my Master, and therefore, my prerogative.”

“There was no kindly about it.”

Harry perked his head up and looked over Death’s shoulder, mouth dropping open as the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen walked into view.  White gold hair flowed gracefully down her back, eyes the color of slate regarding him gently as she reached out and ran a soft hand through the teen’s hair.

“ AND, mister.  You were supposed to tell him gently, we agreed to that when you convinced me. Not drop it on him like a bag of bricks.” Fate said next, thwapping her husband over the head as he grinned at her.

“He was going to have a break down soon.  The kid’s been running on fumes for more than a year.  Might as well get it over with first.”  Death informed her.

“HE is still sitting here.” Harry said somewhat crossly, straightening up as Fate rounded the bench and settled into a chair that materialized in front of them.

“You are.  And I’m sure you have many questions.” 

Harry blew out a breath at the total understatement to her reply.  A cheeky grin crossed her face, and the teen slumped a little as Death chuckled.

“Loads.” He faltered, trying to find a beginning to start with the tangle of thoughts overcrowding his brain.

Seeing his dilemma, Death shrugged and slung an arm across Harry’s shoulders.

“Why not start at the beginning, luv?  There were once three brothers, traveling along a road at twilight…”

Harry sucked in a breath as the puzzle pieces began to fall around him.

“...and then he greeted Death as an old friend, and went with him gladly, departing this life as equals.”  Harry said softly, interrupting Death.

Pride glimmered in dark brown eyes, and Harry flushed with pleasure.

“Now you’re getting it.” Death commented, nudging the teen in the side. “But like all mythical stories, most of it is bullshit.”

Harry let out a shocked laugh as Fate scolded Death for his language, though the amused glint in her eyes told another story.

“So how did it really go?” Harry questioned, settling back into Death’s warmth and raised an intrigued eyebrow as the entity actually blushed and Fate started to chortle.

“Yes, husband. Tell your Master what you did.”  She teased.

Death sighed theatrically and rolled his eyes, leaning his head back.

“Well as you’ll find out, eternity is boring .  And when I mean it gets boring, it can cause you to run amuck and start shit for fun.  Like volcanoes.”  

Amuck? Harry mouthed and then blanched, not only at the implication of immortality but the volcano part.

“Don’t even ask him about Pompeii unless you want to be here until the next millennium.” Fate said dryly, giving an arch look at her husband as he straightened in indignation.

“ Anyway ,”’ Death stressed, glaring at his smirking wife. “Every once in a great moon, I take a trip down to earth and have a little fun.”

Fate tried to conceal her smile with a closed fist against her mouth as her husband sank lower in his seat, pulling Harry down with him. “When I come earth side, to blend in with the locals I lock away as much of my power as possible.”

Harry glanced over to Fate, his lips twitching at the hilarity streaking her face.

“You got drunk and did something stupid.”  The teen guessed, starting to smirk as the entity glared down at him.

Giving up the ghost, Death slumped.  “I got drunk and did something stupid.” 

He rolled his eyes as both his wife and Master laughed at him.  “Yes, yes.  Laugh it up.  Anyway, the woman was absolutely lovely and could bend in the most interesting places!  It was totally worth it.”   

Startled, Harry glanced over at Fate only to find the other entity just shaking her head fondly.

“I don’t mind.” She assured him.  “At various points in our very long lives, we have both taken lovers.  Though I have to say they're usually not mortals.”  

Harry nibbled his lip as he considered that, and then pushed it away.  It wasn’t any of his business and it seemed to work for them.

“Anywho, we have a brief affair and imagine my surprise when 9 months later triplets pop out.”  Here Death actually glared at Fate, the woman looking unrepentant.

“It was meant to happen.” She said serenely. “The Pervell line was Fated to be entwined with you.”

“You could have bloody well warned me that was possible.”  Death grumbled, shifting before dragging himself up, Harry squeaking as he was hauled up too.

“So how did the Deathly Hallows actually come to be?” Harry questioned, the curiosity that had nearly gotten him killed numerous times rearing up.

Fate leaned back and tilted her head, regarding him like a curious bird. 

“The Deathly Hallows were gifts.”  Harry frowned as he looked up at the soft reply, throat growing tight at the sorrow lining Death’s face.

A sad smile tugging at his lips, Death continued, “I loved my children.  The only children I have ever had. But they were also a product of their environment and upbringing.”

The entity waved a hand as Harry opened his mouth, and then reluctantly closed it when Death inhaled a ragged breath.

“On their majority, I gifted them each a Hallow, as the Son’s of Death.  Anitoch loved a good fight.”  Death smiled faintly at what could only be fond memories of a time long ago. “Hated to lose, and could be a bit of a tosser about it. So to him I gifted a powerful wand, the Elder Wand.”

Harry leaned into Death, the entity shooting him a grateful look.  “To Cadmus, I took from my Vault the Stone, so he could gain closure from his fiancé’s passing.”

Dark brown eyes looked down into green, pain crossing the entity’s face.  “Exist long enough Harry, and you forget what it is to be mortal.  To be able to understand what it is to have a fleeting life, and the pain and joy that comes from it.  Truly, I did not consider what it would do to him.”

Grimacing in sympathy, Harry reached out and laced his fingers with Death, giving him comfort in the only way he knew how.

Death shuddered and looked up into loving slate eyes.  Fate nudged his foot playfully, and he smiled weakly at her.

“And then to my last son, I gave him exactly what he asked for. Freedom.”

Harry blinked and then cocked his head.  “Freedom?”

“By then, Ignotus had already started his family, and wanted nothing to do with the responsibility or burden of being a Son of Death.  So I gave him my Cloak.”

“And it hid him until he was done with life, and passed it on to his son.”  Harry muttered thoughtfully.

“Just so.” Death agreed softly, lips finally tilting up as he remembered reaping his son, and the joy and love that had passed between them as he'd escorted him to the Elysian Fields.

Silence rang for some time as the immortals let the teen think.

“Why do you call me Master?”  Harry asked finally, fully pulling back to consider the powerful being next to him.

“Mostly as a joke.”  Death replied, mischief finally lighting his handsome features.  “But also not.”

“Not?” The teen replied in confusion, turning to look at Fate as she made an amused noise.

“We couldn’t let objects of such power lose in the world, especially should they ever be united.  So we bound their power to the mortal plane.”  She smiled knowingly at his skepticism, the teen remembering the grim history of the Elder Wand.  If even half of it was true, it had carved a bloody swath throughout the world.

“The wand was the most powerful in Anitoch’s hands. Unlike in the story, he had it for some time.  He created many wondrous, and horrible, things with that wand.”

The wizard drew back at the dark look on both their faces.

“Can you image the horrors Grindelwald could have done if he had been able to access the full power of it?”  Fate shuddered at the dark question from Death, her face pulling tight.

“What he was able to do was horror enough.”  She replied tightly.

Harry watched the interplay, head tilting as he made a mental note to look up more information on Grindelwald when he returned home.  If he returned.

Plucking the discordant thought from the wizard in front of her, Fate turned to him.

“It’s your choice.”  She said simply.

Harry raised an eyebrow in disbelief and she chuckled.  “Even Fate would change things for you, Harry James Potter.” Fate said knowingly.

“But that wouldn't be my fate then, would it? If I had a choice.” Death groaned and flopped back against the bench, throwing an arm over his face as his wife brightened at the question. “Now you’ve done it.” He muttered to the teen darkly.

“Ignore him.” She said primly, smoothing her hands across the white floor length dress. “Do you have a fate?  Why yes, everyone has a fate.  Typically, it’s a single one.  Otherwise it just spawns an alternate timeline.”

She grinned at his confused look even as Death slumped to the side.  “Say you’re walking down one road, but there’s a fork. In one universe, you go left.  In another, you go right.  And in another after that, you go straight and then fall off the mountainside and die.”

Fate let out a little laugh at the expression on his face.  

“So I have more than one fate in this timeline? A choice, then?” He asked slowly, resisting the urge to bury his face in his hands as she nodded brightly.

“Why me?” Harry asked plaintively, rubbing at the bridge of his nose as his head began to throb.  “Can’t I just rest ?”

Fate sobered and then leaned forward, grasping one hand as Death sat up.

“Yes Harry, you can rest.” She informed him quietly. “My husband can take you to the Elysian Fields, where you will be greeted by your family.  And pass eternity in happiness and peace.  You deserve to have that, no one in any plane of existence can tell you otherwise.” 

“I don’t understand.” Harry said miserably, untangling his hands to reach up and grip at his hair tightly.

“We have gone about this wrongly, haven’t we luv?” Death murmured, wrapping a long arm around his middle and pulling him in tight for comfort. “I’ve gone about this wrongly.” He amended at the firm look from his wife, having no desire to sleep on the couch for the next few centuries.

Fate gracefully slipped from her perch, settling at Harry’s feet and gently pried his hands away from his hair.  Red rimmed emerald eyes stared at her despondently from an exhausted face.

“When we bound the powers of the Hallows, there was a caveat that had to be made. Unfortunately with objects of such power, they gain a sort of sentience over time, and they demanded it.”  Fate gave him a look to quiet the wizard as curiosity sparked in his eyes.

“A gift that powerful given freely cannot be retaken.  Our only choice was to restrict them, which they did not like. So it was thusly; upon agreeing to the restrictions, it would only be lifted until one of the Pervell bloodlines collected them all, and was accepted as wielder.  They would all have to agree on who was the Master.  And there can be only one in a single timeline.  They chose you, Harry. A thousand lifetimes they have chosen you, and I suspect for a thousand more they would still do so.”

Fate paused at the confused look on Harry’s face.  “But I haven’t even held the Elder Wand, much less won its allegiance.”

An amused look crossed her face and Death chuckled behind him.  “Oh didn’t you?  Draco Malfoy disarmed Albus Dumbledore that night in the Astronomy Tower, and then you disarmed and took the boy’s wand later.”

Death laughed freely at the look that must be on his face.  “It’s far fetched but the Stick took it and ran with it.”  A thoughtful glint then came into the entity’s eyes.  “In fact, it insisted on it even though it is a bit of a stretch.”  

“Then why can Voldemort use it at all?”  Harry argued, and then slumped back as he answered his own question.  “It’s because he’s my soulmate, isn’t it?”  It was a well known fact that soulmates had linked magical cores, which could only happen once they’d met.  Even if one wasn’t in their majority yet. 

“Yes, though the Death Stick fights him in other ways, reminding him he isn’t the true owner.”  Death reminded him, and Harry went pale as he remembered watching Snape die in front of him.

“How can I be soul-mated to that monster?” Harry asked thickly, sorrow gripping his heart tight as he stared at the floor.

“He wasn’t always like that.”  Fate reminded him gently.  

Her mouth twisted wryly at the dry look the human shot her.  “Oh he wasn’t a good person by any stretch, but he wasn’t the twisted creature he is now.”

Harry huffed darkly as he glared at his feet. A smooth hand grasped his chin and gently brought it up to meet slate grey eyes.

For the first time in a century, Fate was surprised as she combed through the thoughts and emotions running through the wizard’s mind as Tom Riddle's history spread out.

The empathy he’d felt for the small orphan who’d be so excited to learn he wasn’t the only one who could do magic.  That there was a school where he could learn to do more.  To be accepted by people just like him.

It had been so hard for Harry to watch that same light go out when Dumbledore had set fire to every possession the boy owned.  That instead of questioning what the matron had told him he’d just naturally assumed it was all stolen.

Harry had been watching the younger Dumbledore’s face too when Tom had told him he could speak to snakes.  The revulsion that had crossed the professor’s face had shaken him.

After all, what was so different between Harry Potter and Tom Riddle?   

Harry had stolen toys too, things Dudley had either broken or discarded. Had lies told about him that kept other people away, thinking he was violent or unhinged. 

What if he’d been in the same position when he’d been told about Hogwarts as well?  He could only imagine what both his aunt and uncle would have said about him.

That same thought process had kept him awake for more than one night in the last year.

“It would not have been the same.” Fate countered softly.

Harry scowled, acknowledgement in his eyes.

Of course it would have been different.  Dumbledore had needed his toy soldier beaten down, so desperate for love and approval he’d do anything for it.  Including ignoring his own misgivings and survival instincts that had screamed out at him over the years.

Looking back, it was so easy to see all the manipulations and tests the Headmaster had put to him.

Hagrid, though he loved him dearly, had been the start of the first. Why the fuck hadn’t he’d gotten what all the other muggleborns got?  

A visit from one of the professors who would have given a clear and precise introduction to the Wizarding World along with his letter.  

An added list that would have contained book titles to give a more in depth view on the world he was just entering.  

It hadn’t even been until his third year that he’d found that out, Hermione assuming his lack of knowledge simply meant he’d never bothered.

Neither of them had been able to figure out why he’d been excluded.  The Headmaster would have known he’d been raised muggle.  Even if by some unholy grace Aunt Petunia had actually treated him decently, she wouldn’t have had much knowledge of wizarding society.

Now though, it was very clear why.  Dumbledore had wanted him blind and deaf to the world he was expected to die for. To not know anything, and therefore not able to make different decisions. The heavy handed ‘Slytherins are Evil, with a capital E’ he’d been smothered with before he’d even stepped foot onto Hogwarts grounds spoke plainly to that.

Snape had been right, he’d been a dunderhead of the highest order. 

“That’s why you let him meet me here, isn’t it? So that I could see it clearly?” Harry asked darkly, yanking his chin away from her as he surged to his feet. “ I already knew dammit ! I figured that out when he sent me to die!”

Fate placed a calming hand on her husband’s knee as he growled softly at the fierce glare she was getting from Harry as the wizard paced next to them. He may like Harry very much, but no one disrespected his wife.  

He has been controlled and toyed with all his life , she whispered in his head, reminding Death of those facts as the wizard pulled at his hair. He deserves to be angry.

“Why are you helping me?”  Harry questioned wildly, spinning on one heel to look at her.  “What does being the Master of Death really mean?”

“It can mean whatever you want it to mean.” Fate replied calmly, rising up to catch the teen as he swept past her.

“You could choose to ignore it, and move on to the Fields.  To lay down your wand and stop fighting.”  Her expression gentled before she conveyed this next part.  “You could see your father, kiss your mother, and hug your godfathers. No more war. No more suffering.”

Fate pulled him into a hug as the young wizard’s mouth trembled before tears spilled out.  “You deserve peace, Harry James Potter.  And should you wish it, no more will be said.” She whispered into his ear, holding his weight up easily as he sagged against her.

For long moments the wizard struggled to regain his composure, the events of the last 7 years pressing heavily on him.  Harry laid his head on Fate’s shoulder, absentmindedly noticing she was taller than him.   

“What’s my other option?” He asked softly, using one edge of his dirty sleeve to wipe at his dripping nose.

“Another option is to go back, and put your soulmate out of his misery.  By now he is nothing more than a rabid animal that needs to be put down.”  Harry shivered at the steel that had entered her tone.

“You forget I see all of it, Harry.  Every depraved thing he has done I have had to stand witness to.” Fate said darkly, tightening her hold on him.

He drew in a ragged breath.  

For once he wanted to be selfish.  Anyone who lived after their soulmate died usually led a heartsick one, not able to form the bond that could tie them to another as a soulmate could.  For the first time since he got his Hogwarts letter, he wished he wasn’t a wizard.  Knowing and seeing what he was missing would be the hardest thing of all.  It would just be easier to let go, and claim what happiness he could with his family beyond.

“You could still be content.” She whispered in his ear, holding tight to him as the world swirled around them.  

“James!”  A half familiar voice called out, and Harry almost lunged out of her arms to chase after the familiar figure darting past him as the real King’s Cross Station came into view around them. 

“ Look , Harry.” Fate urged.

His breath caught as a boy darted out of the crowd, hair a devastating familiar shade of bubblegum pink as he launched himself into ‘James’s’ laughing hold.

Harry clung to her then as an older Hermione and Ron passed him, smiling as they greeted who could only be his godson.  Strong arms wrapped around them both as Ginny swept by, pushing a little flame haired girl sitting on a trunk trolley.  His breath caught as green-green eyes locked onto his as his daughter grinned brightly at him.

“Dad?”

Harry bit his lip and then looked behind him, tears already starting to prickle.  His older self was crouched down next to his son as the boy toyed with his shoe lace.

“What if I am put in Slytherin?” 

Harry’s heart hurt as he noticed the uncertain look on the boy’s face, even as his older self reached out for him.

“Albus Severus Potter.  You are named after two Headmasters of Hogwarts. One of them was a Slytherin, and he was the bravest man I’ve ever known.”

The wizard scoffed through his tears as the scene faded to the now familiar white settings of the train station.  “I can’t believe I named one of my children after that old goat.  I must have been high.”

Death sputtered out a laugh even as Fate slapped him lightly on one arm before dissolving into giggles as well.

Harry’s breath caught as the view swirled once more, settling into what was clearly an elegant office, an older version of him scratching away at some parchment behind a desk.

“HARRY JAMES POTTER!!”  

The younger wizard lurched back a step as the door flew open, instinctively drawing Death and Fate behind him as a figure stormed in.

The older him just looked up lazily and arched an eyebrow at the tower of rage standing before his desk.  Glacial blue eyes glared down at him from a handsome face, one rebellious black curl falling into the older man’s face before he imperiously swept it aside.

“Your child…” Who could only be an older version of Tom Riddle began.

“ Our child.” Older him interrupted, marking something out on the parchment in front of him.

Riddle hissed like a tea kettle as older Harry ignored him to squint down at his own handwriting.

“Or, you could be incandescently happy with your soulmate.” Fate murmured in younger Harry’s ear, causing the wizard to actually take a moment to look and not panic.

Wicked mischievous glimmered on Tom Riddle’s face as he glanced down, spying the robes spilling out from under the desk.

Older Harry glanced up again, and the younger one almost lost his footing as he recognized the expression on his own face.

Happiness.  Sheer joy danced in familiar green as he looked upon a man who had tried, and succeeded, in killing him.  Older Harry’s lips twitched as his desk giggled, then shushing near his legs almost made him laugh out loud.

Riddle pressed a fist to his lips as his eyebrows wiggled.  

One. Harry mouthed to his husband.

Two. Tom winked back.

On three, both wizards dropped low and pulled their prey out from their hiding place.

“No daddy no!” One little boy with frost blue eyes and Potter hair shrieked happily as he was dragged out, giggling madly as he tried to squirm away.

“It wasn’t us, Uncle Tom!”  The other boy declared, hair flaring snow white as Riddle straightened up with the older child clutched to his chest.

“Oh no?” Riddle drawled, squinting down at the projected innocence on the boy’s face.

“Nu uh! It was Uncle Paddy.” He declared solemnly. 

Death swore as he grabbed for Harry, the wizard falling to the floor as a beloved bark like laugh echoed from the doorway.

“Traitors!” His godfather exclaimed gleefully, sweeping forward and freed both little boys from their grasps and made a run for it, laughing madly as all three disappeared from sight.

“Let Black come for the holidays, you said.  It’ll be fun, you said.  We’ll get time to ourselves, you said.”  Riddle said darkly, corning his smirking husband up against the desk.

“We’re alone right now.”  The older Harry said cheeky, waggling his eyebrows salaciously.  

“I want blowjobs in recompense.”  Riddle demanded, striking snake fast and threw Harry over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes as he made for the door.  The room whirled again, laughter from an older Harry dancing around them as white settled back in.

“ How?! ”  Harry breathed out, clutching onto Death as one hand whipped out and latched onto Fate.

She used the hand not attached to Harry to glide gently through his hair.  “It will not be easy. You will struggle, you will fail.  At times you will wonder if you made the right choice.”

“I don’t care.” He gasped raggedly, almost shaking her in his eagerness. “ I WANT THAT FUTURE .”

“Are you sure?” Death asked gently, untangling his wife and sweeping his Master into his arms.  “The road is long, and you will have to make sacrifices along the way to obtain what you want.  Once the decision is made, it cannot thus be unmade.”

Harry drew in a deep breath, and reviewed both futures again in his head.

He had looked so fucking happy .  There had been none of the shadows in his eyes that had haunted him for the last few years, none of the heartbreak weighing his shoulders down.  None of the strife that had tormented his steps since he first got his letter.  

Those same shadows had still been in his eyes in the first vision, lines already carved deep on his face and sadness lingering there even as he’d smiled.

And Tom.  

Harry closed his eyes as his heart wrenched in his chest.  He may hate him right now but the man is his soulmate . He knows what it’s like to be the outcast, the freak no one wants and to be so fucking lonely it hurts, even when surround by people.

To see him whole had the dice rolling towards Harry to throw.  

What had him grabbing for them was his godfather.  An innocent man sent to prison, mind so torn to shreds by the dementors that he sometimes confused the son with the father.

To see him there, holding his son and laughing , sealed the deal. It may only be one possibility but he wasn’t going to waste this chance.

“Please.”  

“BOY!”

Harry shot up at the unexpected shout, head slamming into the underside of stairs he hasn’t had to deal with since he was 11.

‘Well that was smart.’ 

Harry rolled his eyes and pushed the amused snake off his neck, ignoring the complaints she hissed at him as he rubbed his stinging head.

“BOY.”  Thumps slammed into the door and dust fell around his head.

I can’t believe I have to deal with this shit again , Harry moaned to himself.  

It was the childish laughter ringing through his head as well as the hope for his future that convinced him it was worth it to take a deep breath and call out, “Yes, Aunt Petunia?”

And so began another day at Privet Drive, 7 years in the past. 

So what do you think?  If I could talk to snakes, you'd be damn sure one would always be perched on my shoulders.

Updates will be weekly, and I'm already working on Chapter 3.

Also, Death is Tom Ellis's Lucifer.  I cannot wait for S5B! 

Chapter Text

Firstly, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE LOVE!  Your reviews have seriously warmed my heart, and convinced me to let this one lose early.

Quick note: The Families of the Scared Twenty Eight are 'Noble and Most Ancient Houses'.

Other Families are just 'Noble Houses'.  This may not be correct canon wise but has relevance here.

On to the show!

Harry almost gagged as he watched Dudley stuff another pancake into his mouth, wondering how the other boy was even suppressing his gag reflex to do it.

He’s going to die before he’s 40 , a dark voice whispered in his head, amused as Harry turned away from that knowledge.

There’s nothing I can do about that , he thought firmly as his cousin whined for another sausage, stating it was his birthday and he deserved it.

Your choice, luv .  Death purred back before Harry felt him leave, going off to do whatever it is that he does.

Harry huffed out a sigh as he turned a reluctant eye back on his cousin.

In the end, Dudley had been alright. Apparently almost getting your soul sucked out by dementors had been life-changing for him.  

Did Harry have any right not to help start that off early?  He had the power now, and the knowledge that came with being a 17 year old stuck in his 11 year old body but still.  

‘Isn’t what they’re doing to him a form of abuse, Master?’

Harry glared down at the white, wedge shaped head perched near his collar bone.

When he’d chosen to go back in time and change the course of history, both Death and Fate had decided to give him a companion.  Someone to help him and break him out of that ‘daredevil-I-will-do-anything-for-affection-mode.’ 

Harry had just rolled his eyes when Death muttered about getting it trademarked before summoning a pure white serpent, with gold eyes that flickered like flames if you looked too closely.

Both teen and snake had stared at each other for several long moments, a black tongue flicking out as she tasted the air.

‘You will call me Artemis.’ The snake had declared before sliding up the teen’s body and winding around his neck.  She was only a few feet long and so settled comfortably around him.

Fate had only giggled at the look on his face.  “Every Parselmouth deserves a serpent familiar.” She had declared before moving forward, lips pressing to his scar with affection.

“Good luck, my little love.”  She had cupped his face in her hands, and Harry had unexpectedly felt tears creep into his eyes.

“Do not mourn.  We will see each other again soon.  This is only the beginning, Harry Potter.”  The warmth of a mother’s embrace filled him as she’d squeezed him tight before fading away.

That had left only Death, hands in his pockets as he regarded his Master as the light surrounding them began to grow brighter.

“I’m glad it’s you.”  He said abruptly.  “Of anyone to have this chance, and the power you will receive from it, I’m glad it’s you.”

“What if I fuck it up? I’ll be all alone, trying to make the right choices.” Harry asked shakily, vision starting to whiten.

“Do you really think that you’ll be alone?” Death had murmured, great black wings sprouting from his back as he readied for flight.

“You have the support of both Death and Fate behind you.  Three objects of immense power have chosen you as their Master. For a thousand years they have waited for you.  Listen to them, and to us Harry. You will have the happiness you so richly deserve if you do.”

Harry came back to the present as Dudley wailed about only getting 35 presents, and not 36 . He watched cynically as his cousin twisted his parents into exactly what he wanted.

He then closed his eyes tightly as the last memory he had of his cousin from before surfaced.

“I don’t understand.  Isn’t Harry coming with us?”  The look on Uncle Vernon’s face had been almost priceless with the way his son had glared him down as he’d moved towards Harry.

And then a moment later when his cousin had approached him and reached out.  “I don’t think you're a waste of space.”  A strong, rough hand had squeezed his tightly.

‘Yes Artemis, it is abuse.’ Harry whispered quietly to his familiar.

Later that night, long after his aunt and uncle had gone to bed, Harry slipped into Dudley’s room.

He sighed deeply as Dudley snored loudly, sleep apnea already holding sway as his severely overweight cousin struggled to breath as he slept.

‘This should be fun.’ Artemis crowed, rising up from around his thin torso to regard the human lying in the bed.

“Remember, only to frighten.” Harry whispered with amusement, wandless magic sparking at his fingertips in anticipation.  

He sighed in exasperation a moment later when his pocket whistled lowly at him.

Harry looked down and rolled his eyes even as Artemis chuckled, winding down his body to gently clasp the Elder Wand in her mouth and brought it up.

“You’re going to get me in trouble.”  He whispered to it.  It buzzed at him and Artemis dropped it, hissing in agitation as she flexed her jaw while seeker reflexes caught the falling wand.

All day the Stick had been showing up in odd places.  Behind his ear like Luna kept hers while he worked in the garden this morning.  In his back pocket while he mowed the lawn, his younger body struggling a little to push the heavy mower.  And now in his pajama pocket, humming in his ears with anticipation.

Waiting for him to pick it up and use it, yearning for him to cast.

It’s incredibly stubborn, just like it’s Master.   Death laughed at him, that dark presence hovering over his shoulder gently.

And what happens when Dumbledore notices it’s missing?  We have to fly as under the radar as possible.  He cannot know .  Harry stressed to both Death and the Wand.

The teen stiffened as a vision filled his mind, Dumbledore sitting at his desk with the Elder Wand next to him as he wrote something in a book.

Ohh ho, that is a trick, isn’t it? Death said approvingly as the Stick hummed in satisfaction.  It says the copy won’t be detected unless the Headmaster tries to use it heavily.  Most daily spells it can cover but nothing like dueling.

Harry raised a skeptical eyebrow and then firmed up his expression as he stared down at the Wand.  If he does notice or goes to cast a large spell, you will go back.   He thought as firmly as he could.

Angry buzzing filled his head as the Wand twitched violently in his hand.

We MUST be as careful as possible.  Everything is riding on this.  Harry snarled, tightening his grip on the Stick. It sulked for a moment longer and then resigned agreement filled his mind.

Thank you. The teen murmured, thumb rubbing gently at the lowest knob along the length. His lips twitched as affection filled his soul from the Wand.

So, what will you cast to save this boy’s life? Death asked curiously, and Harry smirked as he lifted his wand.

“Somnum exterreri!” The teen whispered quietly, trying to contain his own laughter as Death chortled.

Harry frowned in mock confusion as Dudley jumped up for the endless time that morning, shrieking a bit before running out the back door.  He babbled something about visiting Piers before disappearing.

Aunt Petunia scowled at the half eaten breakfast, whipping around to glare at the dark haired child reaching for the plate to bring it to the sink.

“Don’t think you can steal my Dudder’s food for yourself, freak.” She hissed lowly, swiping the plate to cover it in foil.

“Yes, Aunt Petunia.” Harry replied, shaking his head in exasperation after she’d turned away.

She hadn’t even noticed he’d already nicked his breakfast earlier as he’d cooked it. Harry smirked to himself as he cleared the rest of the table, amusing himself with thoughts of the nightmare curse he’d placed on Dudley.

It had turned what the boy loved most, food, against him.  The dark haired teen muffled a laugh as he remembered Death showing him the cream puff with shark teeth that had chased his cousin in his dreams.

“Here.” She pushed his daily chores list into his hands and then stalked off.  Probably to spy on No. 2 down the street who looked like he was having an affair on his wife.

Harry sighed as he ran down the list.  If he was lucky, he would finish just in time to make dinner.

A gentle push behind his ear made him smile absently as he made his way to the laundry room.  Having Artemis here was a definite plus as he worked his way through the list.  What he hadn’t known was that Death must have given her the history of the Wizarding World, along with its society and structure.

So as he worked through the long list, she taught him what he would have learned as he grew up Heir Potter.  

‘So the Potters aren’t in the Sacred Twenty-Eight, but since Sirius blood adopted me I gained some of that status through him?’  

‘Yes.  When Arcturus Black dies later this year, that will make your godfather Lord Black and you his Heir.’

Harry paused as he was sorting the whites to look at her. ‘But Sirius was disinherited.’

Artemis swung her head in a negative motion from where she was perched on the dryer, soaking up the heat from the running machine.

‘Orion, his father, only partially disinherited him. Regulus was set to take on the Lord mantle but later disappeared, as you know. Arcturus fears the ending of the Black line so he never approved the full disinheritance.’

A wicked smirk started to pull at Harry’s lips as he mulled that over.  ‘So, a Heir of the Twenty-Eight was thrown into Azkaban without a trial?’ 

Artemis let out a hissy chuckle.  ‘You could ask the goblins for a blood inheritance test. And not knowing anything of the Wizarding World, ask why your godfather and Lord is in prison.’

Harry just grinned savagely as he threw the clothes into the washer and turned it on.

“BOY!  Get the mail.”

For the millionth time in the last two days, Harry barely suppressed rolling his eyes, magic itching underneath his skin in agitation.

This better be worth it, he thought darkly as he bent down to get the mail.  

The teen forgot his ire instantly as he spotted the familiar crest of Hogwarts peeking at him from the bottom of the pile.

Quickly shoving it into his pocket before anyone else could see, Harry made his way into the kitchen and dumped the pile next to his uncle.

The rest of the morning passed by in a haze as Harry completed the long list of chores.

He now had his letter, which meant a trip to Diagon Alley. But how to play this?  For all intents and purposes, he was a muggleborn.  And he knew the information needed to access both Diagon Alley and Platform 9 ¾ wasn’t in it.  After all, it hadn’t been in there the last time.

A hand slapping him over the back of the head interrupted his thinking, and his pocket buzzed angrily as the Elder Wand begged him to pick it up and use it.

“Get going, boy.” Aunt Petunia snarled and pushed him out the door and into the backyard.  “You will not eat until the weeding is done!”  The door slammed shut in his face.

‘It would only take a little bite, Master.’ Artemis rose from her position around his neck to give the door an angry look.  The sharp whistle from his pocket agreed.

‘As fun as that would be.’ Harry sighed dryly, putting a calming hand on her head and scratched gently on her under jaw.  She just grumbled before winding her way down his body, making for her favorite rock to sun herself on.

He put a placating hand on the wand in his baggy pocket before he made for the shed in the back, mind whirling as he rotated a new thought over in his head.

As the sister to a witch, surely Aunt Petunia had been to the Alley a few times when she was younger.  And even if she hadn’t gone, who would know?

Did he dare to throw this particular pair of dice? It would only take one owl or visit for the whole thing to come tumbling down if he used her as his ‘source’ of information.  But it wasn’t like Dumbledore had ever checked on him, or owled the Dursleys unless absolutely necessary.  

Besides, using Aunt Petunia as his backup in case he slipped up would be fun .  A little petty perhaps but he never claimed he wasn’t.

Decision made, he grabbed the gloves off the bench in the shed before making his way over to the rose bush.

Harry winced as he lowered his sore body onto the lumpy mattress, sighing with relief as his muscles relaxed.  He’d forgotten how much fucking energy it took to complete all the chores, combined with what little food he managed to sneak past Aunt Petunia.

The gentle poke to his chin had him opening his eyes to a worried familiar as she hovered over him, now curled up on his thin chest.

‘I survived it once before Artemis, I can do it again.’ He reassured her, stroking her coils before letting his hand fall back to the mattress.

‘Your soulmate and godfather had better be worth all of this.’ She hissed at him, displeasure clear in her tone. ‘Or I will be having a chat with them they won’t soon forget.’

Harry muffled his laughter with one hand as she snapped threateningly at the air, fangs glittering in the small amount of light coming through the door.

‘My hero.’ He teased, giving her tail a playful tug.

She grumbled as she adjusted herself before going still, head cocked to the side as she stared over his head at the shelves behind him.

‘What is it?’ The wizard asked curiously as she started to hiss with amusement, angling his head back but not seeing what had caught her gaze.   

Stretching out her long body, Artemis gently picked up what had grabbed her attention and dropped it onto his chest.

Harry froze as gold gleamed dully in the dim light, the black stone radiating innocence as the Deathly Hallow sat on his thin shirt. 

Panic roared him as he quickly rolled to the side so the ring fell to the mattress, scooting back as much as possible in the small space with his familiar clutched tightly in his hands. He vividly remembered the black and withered arm of the Headmaster that this ring had caused.

Artemis hissed in indignation as he manhandled her, twisting her over as he frantically checked to make sure she was alright.

‘ Master! ’ She protested, now hanging upside down as he checked her belly.  ‘This is so undignified.’

‘Hang your dignity, Artemis!  The last time someone touched that ring it cursed him to death.’  He breathed a sigh of relief when he found nothing but healthy white scales.

Something prodded at his mind, both guilt and pique filling his mind as the Elder Wand whistled soothingly from its perch on a shelf.  

It's safe to pick up. Did you really think it would allow itself to harm either of you ?  Harry scowled as Death snickered in his head.

Hey!  It’s not like there’s a playbook here, and the last time I knew it was cursed . The teen protested, then leaned forward and gingerly picked up the ring.

It warmed in his hand, ire gone now as its Master held it.  A picture formed in Harry’s mind and he watched with slight disbelief as just like the Wand, it copied itself and left the cursed fake still buried under the floorboards of the Gaunt shack.

Harry sighed in amused resignation as a second later it disappeared and then slid down his right index finger, gold band rippling as it fitted itself to him.

Smugness radiated from the Stone as the Wand whistled lowly in glee.  Glee that turned into outright delight as something soft hit the top of his head, spilling over to pool in his lap.

Harry face palmed as mischief practically beamed out of the Cloak that covered his legs.  Artemis made a sound of surprise that turned into cackles.

‘I won the bet!’ The snake said with glee.  

The teen dragged his hands down his face to glare at the reptile. ‘What bet?’ He asked suspiciously.

Yes, yes.  You won the bet, you silly thing. Death groused fondly as a small black mouse appeared mid-air, squeaking madly as it flailed upside down.  Artemis coiled and then struck, the poor mouse making one last defiant sound before going quiet.

“You bet that the Hallows would come to me?” Harry sighed, rubbing tiredly at one eye as he glared into nothing.

I told you.  They are as stubborn as their Master . Death said slyly. Though I thought it would be at least a week before they felt you back on the mortal plane. He admitted with some amusement. 

Artemis managed to make a cocky sound around the mouse she was slowly swallowing.  

“That’s it, I’m done for the night.” Harry yawned, bundling the Cloak into a makeshift pillow and laid down, burying his face in the silky material.

Goodnight, luv .  Death whispered, unseen hands dragging up the ratty blanket to cover the small body beneath it.  Harry hummed lowly as he fell asleep, three voices singing a song of homecoming in his soul as he drifted off.

Harry snorted as dust filled his nose, blinking slowly as he woke up.  He groaned a moment later when his door rattled, Aunt Petunia demanding he ‘get up lazy boy, and cook breakfast!’

‘Big day today!’ Artemis crowed as she winded around his neck, shivering a little as her wizard placed a Notice Me Not charm on her.

The teen brightened as he remembered they were going to Diagon Alley this morning to pick up supplies for school.  And hopefully get the wand rolling on getting Sirius out of Azkaban.

Harry waited until Uncle Vernon had gone to work, and Dudley had left to terrorize the neighborhood before he struck.

“Confundo.” He said firmly, Elder Wand humming gleeful in his hand as a glazed look overtook his aunt’s expression.

Harry had mulled over what to use to get her to forget he was gone, or alternatively, where he was for the day. He wanted none of this getting back to Dumbledore, and fortunately the Wand concealed any magic he did from the Ministry. 

“If anyone asks, you sent me to the store the next town over to get Dudley his favorite snack.  The local store here ran out, and nothing is better for your Dudder’s than it.”  The teen gagged slightly at using his cousin’s nickname.

Aunt Petunia dreamily repeated what he said, then shook her head sharply after Harry had put his wand away.

“Well? Get going!” She said sharply, thrusting a twenty pound note in his hands before shoving him to the front door. 

“Yes, Aunt Petunia.”  At this point his eyes will probably be stuck permanently, Harry thought with some amusement as he suppressed rolling them.

He walked down the street to the bus stop, warily eyeing Mrs. Figg’s as he passed by her front door.  Deciding to be more safe than sorry, he walked a few more blocks before stopping.

After picking a random house as cover, he glanced around to make sure no window curtains were fluttering in his direction before he pulled out his wand.

Quickly casting a glamour to conceal his scar, Harry then took a deep breath and raised his wand in the air before stuffing it back in his pocket.

The Knight Bus appeared with a BANG and Harry cursed as he lurched back just enough to not get run over.

“Welcome to the Knight Bus, transportation for the stranded witch or…” The bored looking conductor finally looked up, and raised his eyebrows at the tiny boy standing there.  

“The Leaky Cauldron, please.”  Harry asked politely, handing over the twenty pound note, thankful that the Bus accepted muggle money as well.

The suspicious look cleared up from the conductor’s face as he handed Harry his change, “Ah, going to get your supplies for school then? But where’s your parents?”  The suspicious look reappeared as the man looked around the empty street.

“Dad is meeting me at the Cauldron, he works at the Ministry. Both him and mom agreed I was old enough to ride the Bus by myself this time.”   The conductor chuckled at the look Harry shot him, mistaking it as a prideful boast of a boy chuffed to be allowed to go by himself, just as the teen had intended.

‘Whee.’ Artemis hissed out happily as the Bus took off like a shot.

‘Tell me that again after this is over.’ Harry informed her, gripping tight to a bench as the Bus swerved around some muggle cars and disappeared with a loud pop.

‘That was fun!  We must do it again.’ 

‘It figures you would find that amusing.’ A green looking Harry staggered off the Bus once it had rolled to a stop in front of the Leaky Cauldron.

‘Don’t be such a buzzkill, Master.’ She bounced happily on his shoulders and Harry couldn’t help but laugh as he gave her an affectionate stroke.  

For not the first time did he send a thank you winging into the dark that Death had given her to him.

You are most welcome . A dark voice floated into his mind, feminine laughter fluttering past his cheek as Harry flattened his bangs over his forehead and entered the pub.

The teen eeled his way around the patrons in the pub, a Notice Me Not charm doing it’s job wonderfully as he made for the brick wall in the back.

Giving a quick look around to make sure he wasn’t spotted, Harry tapped out the sequence to the bricks with his wand.

Oh .  

He’d forgotten what Diagon Alley had looked like before the war.  

Wizards and witches buzzed happily along the street, calling out to each other as they moved along.  All of the shops were open and doing a brisk business in the lead up to the start of the school year.

Grief and joy gripped tightly at his throat, and in that moment he made a promise to himself that he would not let it fall into ruin like it had before.

Harry shook himself out of it when a gentle nose poked him behind his ear.

Once more the teen dodged around the wixens lining the street and made his way to Gringotts.  The guards on either side of the door focused on him, armor clinking as they shifted in his direction and Harry dropped the Notice Me Not as he climbed the stairs.

“May your gold ever flow.” He nodded respectfully to them, suppressing a snort at the surprised look on their faces. 

Apparently most wizards didn’t take the time to be respectful or knowledgeable of a warrior race who controlled their money.  He could only be thankful he’d never had to deal with the fallout from robbing the Bank.  

According to Artemis, he would have been missing a few limbs by the time they were done with him.

“And may your enemies tremble at your feet, wizard.” The one on the right said a moment later, pushing the door open for him.

“Oh they do, Master Goblin.” Both guards returned the bloodthirsty smile the wizard gave them, and then exchanged intrigued looks after the boy had passed them.  This wizard would definitely be one to watch.

Harry joined the que and waited patiently for his turn, looking around the atrium.  Solemn looking goblins lined the rows, answering the questions wizards and witches had for them as many disappeared along the side walls to access their vaults.

Finally it was his turn, and he sidled up to the desk.  “Key.” The bored goblin intoned, not even looking up as he scratched away at something.

“Greetings, Master Goblin. May your coffers be ever full.”  

Black beady eyes looked up from the ledger, giving a sharp look to the tiny child in front of him.

“And may your gold flow freely.” The goblin said after a moment, closing the ledger with a snap and leaned forward with interest.

“I would like to speak to my accounts manager please.” Harry asked, holding the wicked looking eyes the entire time, just as Artemis had taught him.  To look away in goblin society was to let the other establish dominance over you.

The goblin gave him a sharp toothed smile, amused now at the small wizard standing before him. Amused and impressed.  In his experience most adult wizards didn’t have the balls to challenge much less keep it up the entire time.

“Name?”

Harry leaned forward and up as much as his skinny 11 year old body could. “Harry Potter, sir.”

Bushy eyebrows rose as the goblin studied the tiny wizard.  The Goblin Nation only paid attention to wixen affairs when they interfered with business, and the last wizarding war had shaken everything enough for the goblins to have taken notice.

Turning around, the goblin grounded out something in gobbledygook and then motioned behind him. “Follow Griphook, Mr. Potter.  He will take you to Bloodfang.”

Nodding a thank you, Harry followed after Griphook as the goblin turned down a sidewall.  He quickly got lost as they moved further into the bank, taking twists and turns until Harry knew there was no way he’d find a way out by himself.

They finally stopped in front of a simple looking door with the plaque Potter inscribed on the side.  “In here.” The goblin said briskly, pushing the boy into the dark room when Harry hesitated for a moment and then slammed the door shut behind him.

“Always a pleasure, Griphook.” Harry muttered sarcastically, torches flaming to life along the wall while a tea tray appeared on a side table.

Oooh cucumber sandwiches.  

He quickly snagged a couple and inhaled them, stomach giving a twinge of protest before it settled.  The teen gave a rueful sigh, remembering that it would take several weeks for his digestive system to grow accustomed to more food.

Picking up a tea cup and adding a little milk, Harry settled down to wait.

And wait.

And wait some more.

Finally the door behind the desk opened and what Harry could only call a battleaxe of a goblin came through it.  Scars crisscrossed a pitted and cratered face that glared at him over the desk, the goblin moving gracefully to take the seat behind it.

Silence fell as the two stared at each other, Harry knowing the goblin had given offense by keeping him waiting for so long.

Ruined lips twitched before the goblin bowed his head, saying, “I apologize, Mr. Potter, for my tardiness.”

“Greetings, Master Bloodfang.” Harry replied politely, matching the raised eyebrow as the goblin noted the correct address.  So the guards at the door hadn’t been misleading about this little wizard.

"You’ve saved me an owl, Mr. Potter.” Harry tilted his head in confusion and the goblin smirked at his surprise.

"You are the Heir of the Noble House of Potter.  And should Lord Black pass without his heir being released, you will become Lord of Two Houses on your majority.  We have things to discuss, Mr. Potter.”  Bloodfang looked down at his ledgers, completely missing it as the confused look turned into one of rage.

Why the hell hadn’t he been contacted the first time around? A certain meddling old goat must’ve had a hand in that. He took a moment to contain his anger before putting the next chess piece into motion.

“Lord Black?” Harry asked with fake puzzlement, suppressing a grim smile at the frown that crossed the goblin’s face as he looked up.

“Yes, Mr. Potter.  Were you not aware your godfather blood adopted you two days after your birth?”

BINGO .  

Harry leaned back and watched with concealed satisfaction at the furious whispering going on behind the desk, the three goblins making sharp movements as they spoke.

It didn’t take a genius to know the goblins were angry, rage dancing in the air as they gestured.  The teen basked in the knowledge that the first of many arrows was about to be launched, bursting the balloon that was Albus Dumbledore’s reputation.

Bloodfang had been flabbergasted that he’d had no knowledge of his Black heritage, and a simple curtsey dig had revealed numerous discrepancies in his accounting files.

Rage started to burn bright in his gut again before he pushed it back down.  

Apparently, his dear relatives had been receiving 500 pounds a month for his care since he’d been placed with them.  He’d promptly put a stop to that, as well as the 500 gallons a month made to the Phoenix Project.

Only his magical guardian had access to his trust vault besides himself.

As his trust had run low it had been replenished from his family vaults over the years, which is why the goblins hadn’t caught it before now.  And as Harry was underage, there had been no reason to do an audit as the Potter holdings and portfolio had become stagnant after his parent's death.

One of the goblins growled out “Dumbledore!” before retreating back to gobbledygook.

‘A mouse says that one of them will be reaching for a weapon before the end.’ Artemis hissed lowly, peeking her head out of his shirt to look at the goblins.

He made a sound of amused agreement before gently pushing her head back below his shirt neckline, not trusting a Notice Me Not in front of sharp eyed goblins.

One of the goblins made a sound of disgust before turning around, glaring at him over the desk.

“Do you wish to press charges, Mr. Potter?  The money towards your relatives cannot be recouped, and considering the state of your clothing it has clearly not been used for your care.  We can pursue several legal options for you.”

For the first time in a long time Harry felt embarrassed as he glanced down at the clothing he was wearing.  Castoffs from Dudley that were 4 sizes too large dwarfed his frame, and had been washed so many times they were a dull shade of grey.

For so long he’d just worn his school clothing, even on the weekends as he’d had nothing else decent to wear.

“Would my magical guardian be able to interfere with the investigation?”

All three goblins looked at him sharply, catching the slyness and anger hovering around the boy’s eyes.

“As he is your guardian, and therefore responsible for you, it was his duty to make sure the funds were used appropriately.  He will be blocked from the investigation until it’s complete.”  Bloodfang told him, matching the brutal smile the wizard gave him.

"Good.” Harry replied softly as Artemis tightened her coils around him.

This was very much a gamble, and had come far sooner than he’d thought it would.  He and Artemis had discussed the pros and cons of exposing his abuse at the hands of the Dursley’s. Harry had thought it wouldn’t be until after Sirius was free that he could even consider it.  The teen certainly hadn’t thought the goblins instead would be helping him.

“We will put you in touch with a solicitor who specializes in cases like these.”  Bloodfang eyed the young child sitting in front of him, catching the surprise before the boy quickly masked it.

Sharp teeth clenched tight before the goblin forced himself to relax, the slight sighs from the other two telling him he was not alone in his reaction.  Goblin children were rare, and therefore precious in the Nation.  To see obvious neglect in a child, no matter their race, made him want to howl and reach for his axe to go hunting .

“We will see this through, Heir Potter.” He pledged quietly, his brethren murmuring their assent with a closed fist thumping against their chests.

“Thank you.”  Harry blinked back unexpected tears at their promise.  

He’d never been able to open up about his abuse at the hands of his relatives, always brushing Ron and Hermione off when they’d questioned him.  Had ignored the worried looks the twins would give him when they’d thought he wasn’t looking.  The way Ginny thought she’d been so sneaky sliding pieces of food onto his plate at the start of term, not able to understand his stomach couldn’t handle the rich food until he’d acclimated. 

Harry had loved them for it anyway, even if he’d never been able to express his appreciation to them.  The only one to come close to unraveling him had been Luna, who would simply push a Stomach Soothing draught into his hands at the start of term feast.

“Heir Potter?”  Bloodfang asked gently.

“I’m alright.”  Harry replied, swiping at the lone tear streaking down his face before straightening. 

“I believe this concludes our business today, Mr. Potter? Besides the withdrawal to purchase your school supplies and your Heir ring.”  

Harry made sure to hesitate to catch their attention, the goblins eyeing him as his expression hardened.

“I would also like a recommendation of a solicitor for my godfather.” He asked.

One of the other goblins hissed a little then stilled when Bloodfang raised a sharp hand to silence them.  “You are aware that according to your Ministry, your godfather is imprisoned in Azkaban on charges he betrayed your parents to Lord Voldemort and was a Death Eater.”

Harry’s eyebrows shot up with respect when Bloodfang didn’t even stutter over the name.

“Considering how I was just dumped on my Aunt’s doorstep like a case of milk and not checked on for years, I don’t have much confidence in this so-called Ministry.”  Harry returned hotly, old anger at the sheer incompetence of the Ministry rearing its ugly head.

One of the goblins snorted while the other laughed.  “Oh I like you, wizard.  My name is Ironteeth.”  The aforementioned goblin grinned, showing the iron filings attached to his fangs that glinted like serrated blades at Harry.

Harry inclined his head, eyes ever watchful on the goblin as was custom.  “Well met, Ironteeth.” He replied.

“Before you sucker all of the Goblin Nation under your sway, Mr. Potter.” Bloodfang said with some dry amusement. “You wish us to contact a family solicitor to review your placement with your relatives, as well contact another to look into your godfather’s imprisonment.  Anything else you would like to add?”

“Please don’t forget the embezzlement charges for the Phoenix Project withdrawals.” Harry replied promptly, causing all three goblins to hiss with glee.  

It looked like Dumbledore didn’t have any fans among the goblins, the teen thought wickedly to himself.

“Oh we didn’t forget, Mr. Potter.” The other goblin finally spoke up, and Harry blinked at the clear bell like tone.  “We will take great pleasure in doing business with you.”

She grinned at him and he grinned back at the excited shark-like look on her face.  “Happy hunting, Master Goblin.”  He told her as she moved past him. 

The female goblin inclined her head to him before marching away, delight clear in every step she took.

It was another hour before Harry was finally stepping out of the bank, taking a deep breath of fresh air after being underground for the last three hours.  He inclined his head respectively to the guards and descended the stairs.

‘Clothes next, yes?  If we want to present the right impression to the purebloods, we must look the part.’ 

The teen suppressed a smile and reached up to twitch her tail as he teased, ‘What’s this we?’

I need a coat!’ Artemis protested, eeling her way up to snap at the air near his right ear.  ‘The dungeons will be cold and if you want me to spy for you, you will get me a coat.’

Harry lost some of his amusement as he bypassed Madame Malkins and headed for the South Side of the Alley.  He and Artemis had hashed out something resembling a plan in the last two days as well.

He couldn’t leap blindly into this and hope everything turned out as he wanted them to.

Besides the possible issue of collecting the Horcruxes again, the only other person besides him who knew Voldemort’s true identity was Dumbledore. And if Harry ever wanted the future Fate had shown him, Voldemort had to die and Tom Riddle be reborn.

The secondary problem was Harry could not allow the Second Wizarding War to come about.  Too many had died, almost entire generations lost fighting over an ideology that would drive them into the dust.

And once Tom Riddle finally stepped back into the ring, so to speak, Dumbledore would marshal his forces to oppose him.  

He needed to undercut the support the old man had, and to do that he needed to be smart. Cunning. Patient.

Slytherin .

None of the Families of the Sacred Twenty-Eight would take an uneducated Heir from only a Noble House seriously, no matter what fame he could claim among the masses or how rich he was.  The only reason why some of them had followed him last time was because it was either Harry Potter, or a crazy Dark Lord cutting a bloody swath across the British Isles.

And he needed their influence and power to accomplish all of it.

Without a war to pressure some of them however, they would disregard any kind of authority he tried to gather in the next 7 years at Hogwarts if he didn’t play it smart.

'You’ll want to do something about your current clothes before we go in, Master.  I should have thought of that before we left.’  Harry reached up and gently scratched the underside of her jaw at the self-recrimination lacing her tone.

"We are doing some of this by the seat of our pants.’ He whispered to her, looking right and spotted a dark shadow in a small alleyway up ahead.  Quickly slipping in, he peered down as he nibbled his bottom lip.

‘Maybe just shrink them to fit?’ The teen mused, pulling out his wand and already starting the movements to transfigure them into something decent.

‘Change your shirt color to dark blue.’ Artemis advised as she curled up around his neck to avoid the tightening material.  ‘It brings out the sparkle in your eyes.’

Harry gave her an incredulous look as she snickered.  ‘Everyone's a critic.’ He muttered before leaving the alley.

Harry took a deep breath, gathered every bit of his Gryffindor courage and channeled his inner Malfoy.

Strutting into Twilfit and Tattings like he owned it, he raised an unimpressed eyebrow at the look of disdain he got from the store clerk.

“Can I help you?” She asked dubiously, running a disgusted look over the muggle clothes he was wearing.

“Perhaps, perhaps not.  I was told this is where I can purchase my wardrobe.”  He drawled, internally wincing at how much of a ponce he sounded like.  

“Young man,” she began before stilling as Harry used his left hand to brush his hair back, the Potter Heir signet ring glinting gold in the light.  Her mouth dropped open as she recognized the diamond P inlaid in the flat garnet, cradled between the golden stag antlers that formed the rest of the ring.

The lightning bolt scar that bisected his right eyebrow confirmed what her eyes were telling her.

“Oh.” The woman breathed out before she brightened.  “Oh yes, Mr. Potter. Here, please come with me.”

What followed was two agonizing hours as Bridget, “Please do call me Bri, Mr. Potter.” danced around him, measuring tape and cloth whirling in the air.

It was worth it though when he finally looked up into the mirror in front of him, no longer looking like a scruffy urchin but like a wizard .  An Heir of a Noble Family who would make them proud, even if he was the last one.

A short sleeved black open robe swept over his shoulder and down to his calves, a look according to Bridget that was a current mode among purebloods. A blue button down shirt was tucked neatly behind a dark grey vest, charcoal pants completing the look over dragonhide boots.

“The rest will be ready by the end of the week, Mr. Potter.  Shall we owl them to you?” Bridget asked, satisfaction coating her tone as she rang up his purchases.

As she should be , he thought with some amusement even as he internally winced at the total.  He was now the proud owner of not only his Hogwarts uniforms, but ten sets of robes along with matching pants, shirts and vests. 

Thank Merlin she’d color coordinated them or he might have caused the purebloods to faint from a fashion faux pas!

‘Looking pretty swell there, Master.’ Artemis said slyly.  ‘Now if only we could do something about that hair!’

Harry snorted as he stepped out onto the street, black over robe fluttering around him in the wind.  ‘The world would end before you could get Potter hair to do anything but look like a bird’s nest.’ He returned mirthfully.

She muffled her hissy chuckles under his shirt, the first three buttons opened to allow her to see out.

‘I almost thought I was going to have to call Death for a rescue.’ She continued cheerfully, peeking out as they made their way to the next stop. 

Harry briefly closed his eyes in mortification.  Bridget had gotten so enthusiastic about having a free reign on his clothing she’d started selecting his underwear and socks as well.

There had been a brief scuffle about it until Harry had drawn his small frame up as far as he could manage and glared until she subsided.  He’d pointedly selected his own underclothes in wildly different colors, getting a perverse sense of satisfaction every time she twitched.

Of course that meant he now had y-fronts and briefs in shades like hot pink and neon orange but still.  He’d basked in her impotent rage.

‘Hopefully this won’t take another three hours.’ Harry sighed to her as they entered the optometry.  

He was in and out within the hour, thank Merlin, temporary glasses and a bottle of Eye-Sight More potion clutched in his hands.

He’d just gone in with the intention of getting a correct prescription for his glasses, and had emerged instead with a cure to his horrible eyesight.

Why the fuck hadn’t Hermione known about this? He thought despairingly, carefully storing his precious cargo in his pocket and then replaced his old glasses with the new ones.

Five drops of potion in each eye morning and night for the next two weeks would permanently correct his eyesight.  The glasses would adjust themselves as his eyes got better until he got to 20/20 vision.

He’d always wondered why he was one of the few at Hogwarts to wear glasses.

Harry plopped down onto a bench outside a restaurant and leaned his head back against the bricks as his mind spun.

No more.

No more would he not ask questions, fearing he would look stupid in front of his friends.  And no more would he depend on others to know things for him.  It was just now occurring to him how massively unfair he’d been to Hermione, expecting her to know it all without him pulling his own weight.

‘Master?’ 

Harry opened his eyes and smiled down at the white snake peering out at him from under his shirt.  With the correct prescription he could truly see how stunning she actually was.

‘Just admiring your gorgeousness, Artemis.’  He whispered back, giving the body wrapped around his neck a soothingly rub.

‘As well you should.  I am the fairest in all the land, after all.’ She sniffed, proud of herself when her Master chuckled.

‘You need to eat before we continue,’ she said, and as if on cue his stomach rumbled from the amazing smells drifting out of the building behind him.  Sighing in agreement, Harry pulled himself up from the bench and entered the restaurant.

It was midway through his chicken salad that the hair on the back of Harry’s neck stood straight up.  Battle instincts that had been honed for years vibrated warnings as the teen carefully looked around as he took a sip of water.

‘We’re being watched, Master.’  

Harry barely caught the whisper, Artemis coiled tight around his neck as one gold eye had kept a lookout.

‘Where?’ He replied calmly, cutting up the last piece of chicken and biting into it.

‘Behind you, 6 o'clock.’  Harry looked at the windows in front of him, trying to get a glimpse of his stalker but saw nothing as he finished chewing.

‘He’s wearing the most ridiculous hat I’ve ever seen. And it’s purple .’

FUCK .

Thankful that the waitress had already dropped off his check, Harry moved his right hand underneath the table.  The Hallow vibrated unhappily but slid off his finger and into his pocket.

If he was lucky, Voldemort had not seen his Family ring sitting on his finger.  If he did, it was all over but the crying.

Act casual, act casual.   He chanted to himself as he rose up and moved to the front to pay.  Out of the corner of his eye he spotted purple cloth moving in the far back.

He handed over enough gallons plus a tip to the smiling hostess before slipping out the front door.  As soon as he was around the corner he was flying, Artemis actually hissing with glee as they ran.

His pocket suddenly bulged and Harry pivoted on the spot, slipping into a dark alleyway and swung the Cloak over him in the same motion. He hadn’t even grabbed for his wand before he felt a muffling charm go up around him.

And not a second too soon either as Professor Quirinus Quirrell bolted into view, peering around him suspiciously.

Even with the Muffalo up Harry tried not to pant too hard, his unnourished body not ready yet for such activity.

Quirrell stopped and looked around again, not even six feet from where Harry held himself still.

That’s odd, the teen thought to himself as his breathing evened out.

The professor looked good .  And not good as attractive, but healthy.  He’d always seemed a bit sickly, which had made sense later considering he’d been possessed by a Dark Lord for more than a year.  That’s not even taking into account the damage from the unicorn blood either.

I’ll explain it later .  A dark voice brushed past his ear, and Harry tilted his head in curiosity as the professor shivered from the wind.

Giving one last glance, Professor Quirrell then turned around and retreated out of sight.

Harry blew out a relieved sigh and sagged back against the brick wall.  

He closed his eyes and then pushed his approval and thanks down to the three lights now orbiting his soul.

“Well done.” He breathed out loud, hugging the Cloak to him with one hand and slipped the other into the pocket containing the Wand and Ring.

They hummed happily at him and he gave a little laugh as the ring promptly slid back onto his finger, a scolding emotion flooding his soul.

“Yes, yes.  Let’s hope we can finish the rest of today without any more trouble?”

Artemis almost fell off her perch she laughed so hard.

Contrary to the bets now being placed between Death and his familiar, the next few hours passed peacefully as he gathered the supplies he would need for Hogwarts.

“Going to be a politician?” The clerk at Flourish and Blotts had asked humorously, eyeing the large stack of extra books he’d gotten that were based on pureblood politics and Family standings.

“Something like that.” Harry had replied vaguely, accepting the shrunken stack of books and exited.

“Are you sure you don’t want the three bedroom flat?”  The truck salesman wheedled, excited that Harry had been looking for something that had a large interior he could retreat into.

“This one will do.”  The teen replied tiredly, gently tugging the shrunken trunk out of his hands and walked to the door.

Standing on the stoop to the store, Harry pulled up the hood of his robe. 

There were only two stops left to make, and both of them were going to be trying either way he looked at it.

‘Let’s go get our girl first.’ Artemis used the cover of the hood to poke gently at his cheek, rubbing soothingly along his jawline.

‘Sure you won’t get jealous?’ He teased gently, heart clenching in his chest.

‘She died protecting you, Harry.  That is all I need to know about her worthiness.’ A black tongue flicked out and caught the tear running down his face. ‘Come, Master.  Hedwig is next.’

Twenty minutes later he was walking out of Eeylops Emporium, his beautiful snowy owl perched on his arm and looking at him with knowing gold eyes as she hooted softly.

“On to 4 Privet Drive, girl. Wait for me there.” Hedwig walked carefully up his arm to nibble at the edge of his hood, ignoring the white snake looking up at her thoughtfully.  With one last hoot, she spread her wings and took to the sky.

‘At least we match.’

Harry face palmed, laughing wetly and ignored the strange looks he was getting from passersby.

‘I adore you, Artemis.  What the hell would I do without you?’ 

The snake huffed and promptly replied, ‘You would do something Gryffindorish and stupid, like die.  Then Death would have to keep sending you back over and over until you got it right.’

She’s not wrong.

“Oh hush.” Harry replied to the both of them with amusement, wiping at his cheeks and making sure his hood was still up.

‘Now I get to meet the creepy old guy.’

The bell rang loudly as Harry walked into Ollivanders, the store just like he remembered it.  Dark and crowded, with the sense of being watched by many eyes rolling over him.

“Ah Mr. Potter, I wondered when I’d be…”

Harry raised his eyebrows in question as Mr. Ollivander came into view, stopping to stare at him with his head cocked to the side like a bird.

“You already have a wand, Mr. Potter.” Ollivander said knowingly, glancing down to the pocket that held the Elder Wand.

Dammit.

He’d been hoping this wasn’t the case, had hoped that he’d be able to dodge around whatever magic sight the wand maker had.

“You obviously know.  Which means you also know why I can’t use it in plain sight.”  Harry replied as calmly as he could, heart thumping in his chest.

“I’d always wondered if I’d live long enough to see the Master of Death.” The wand maker mused, moving around the stacks of boxes to get a closer look at him.

“Well now you have seen him.  And he needs a wand he can use without raising suspicion.” 

Wispy white eyebrows rose as the old man chuckled.  “And he’s sassy as well.  I assume you already know what your secondary wand is?”

A fond smile crossed Harry’s face before he responded, “It’s made of holly, 11”.  The core is phoenix feather and yes, I do know who owns the brother to it.”

Garrick Ollivander stared at him for several long moments before another chuckle escaped him. “Then I expect great things from you, Harry Potter.”

Harry pushed one foot against the ground and swung gently, sun starting to sink low in the sky.  He estimated he had another hour or two left until he needed to make it back to the Dursleys. But for now, he only closed his eyes and tilted his face up to the sun as he sat on the swing.

He smiled a moment later as the seat next to him started to creak as it began to rock back and forth.

“You’ve had a busy day.” Death said happily, settling himself in and swaying with the motion.  He grinned as the teen made an amused noise and swung to the left, bumping into him as a result.

The teen wrapped his arms around the chains and looked on as the powerful entity swung back and forth, Death clearly getting a child-like glee from the swing set.

Out of all the things that had happened today, only one thought kept plaguing his mind.

“Why did he look better?  It’s only just now occurring to me I should have asked if he was coming back whole or if I would have to start the hunt for his bloody soul pieces again.”

Harry blushed dark red at the incredulous look he got from Death.  “If Gryffindor's had a motto, it would be ‘We’re going to jump without looking even though we know it’s over a large pit of burning lava.’.” 

Death barked out a laugh, using one long leg to push himself higher. “That is true enough.”

Harry bent down to gather Artemis up, the snake having seen Death and had made her way over from the log she’d been using to sun herself.

“To answer your question, yes.  When we sent you both back, it was with Tom Riddle’s mind and soul fully intact.”

The teen froze as his heart began to race. 

“What?!” He choked out before jackknifing straight up, ignoring his familiar’s sigh of irritation as she had to crawl her way up his body.

Dark brown eyes regarded him seriously as the entity came to a halt.  

“Neither Fate nor I wanted you to have to repeat the grueling task of collecting your soulmate’s shattered pieces.  Not only that, but while your mind is 17 your body is most certainly not .  It would not have been able to handle the stress that magic would have demanded to not only collect them, but unite them with the whole. Especially with the condition your body is in now.”

Harry tried to control his panicked thoughts but the next one blurted out without his control.  “Does he remember?!”

Further alarm shot through the teen when Death slowly nodded.

“Fuck.” Harry whispered, griping at his hair as he tried to think of damage control. Dammit this would go sideways very quickly with a Voldemort who knew what the next seven years held.

And what's to say the man wouldn’t be stupid enough to make another Horcrux?  Something that Harry wouldn’t know about until it was too bloody late and Tom’s mind shattered again.

“ Harry. ” The teen shook as Death dropped down in front of him, gently grasping his hands as the wizard fought to breathe.

“When I said he committed a crime against Creation, I was not saying a fallacy.  He has been made more than aware what the punishment would be should he create another. And he knows I will be keeping a close eye on him as well.”

Harry looked up and swallowed heavily at the vicious look on Death’s face.  “Oh, I had a lovely little chat with your soulmate before releasing him back onto this plane.”

The teen breathed deeply before a slightly hysterical giggle forced its way out. “Please tell me you made him shit his pants.”  He gasped, laughing more freely when Death cackled .

“Oh he looked two seconds away from it.” Death said gleefully, leaning back as he remembered the look of sheer terror on Riddle’s face.

“Wait. The snake was left, right?” The wizard asked, finally catching his breath as Artemis settled around his neck, nudging him lovingly behind his ear.  A low hoot was the only warning as Hedwig flew in, landing carefully on Harry’s head.  He reached up and ran an affectionate hand down her wing, the owl settling herself more firmly in his hair.

A wicked look crossed Death’s face as he sat cross legged in front of his Master.  “There was a bit of a time lapse between you dying and being resurrected in the past. Guess who pulled the Sword of Gryffindor out of the Hat and slew the snake?”

Harry leaned back slightly in thought before a slow smile crossed his face.  “Neville.”  He guessed.

“You would be correct, luv. And since she was a Horcrux, I was able to take her soul from this plane when she died.  That poor child can rest now in whatever afterlife she has available to her.”

The teen blinked in confusion, mouth slowly dropping open in horror as Death told him the story of Nagini.  He’d hated that snake but couldn’t help feel a sliver of pity for her.

“Damn.” Harry blew out as he slumped into the seat and rubbed at his face, Hedwig easily shifting with him as she groomed his hair.

“Any other life-altering news I should know about?” He teased weakly, stilling at the slightly guilty look on Death’s face.

“Weelll.” Death hedged. 

“No.  Another day, my darlings.”  Gentle hands grasped the chains and pulled back, Harry swaying gently as Fate pushed him on the swing set. Hedwig clicked her beak before fluttering down into his lap, her human wrapping a careful arm around her as they swung.

“What is it?” Fate asked in amusement as he started to snicker.  

Both immortals laughed with him as he made a joke about a wizard, Death and Fate walking into a bar.

Death settled into the swing next to him and they kept him company as the sun began to set. 

So I know Harry came back to life before Neville pulled the sword out, but it was just too good not to leave in.  So a bit of time wamy to make it possible.

Ooohhh y'all just wait for what chapter 3 is all about!  We get Tom's POV.  ::cackles::

Chapter Text

Hello y’all!  Please don’t kill me for this first part.  Also, the rating is explicit for the later smut but also the violence.  I’m a bit...bloodthirsty at times.

I promise this first bit is made up for later.

On with the show!

Voldemort went still and then staggered, almost falling to his knees as Nagini’s death shattered through his soul.

Before he could even howl out in denial his vision went dark and his body fell to the stone courtyard.

The heat blasting over his face woke him, along with the screaming . 

Normally he didn’t mind a little screaming, enjoyed it actually, but something about this made every hair on his body stand up.

“Oh you are a sorry sack of shit, aren’t you Tom Riddle?” 

The boot to his face flipped him over to his back, Voldemort snarling through his broken nose as blood poured down his face.

The man just sneered down at him and slammed his foot against his chest, the wizard grunting in pain as ribs snapped.

“Do you know where you are, Riddle?”  The man leaned down and grabbed him by his robes, hauling him up so that he could see his surroundings.

No.  

NO.

Only little flickers of light could be seen as souls howled as they were held down, cackling things moving in between as they worked.  Primeval knowledge filled his soul of where he was, and who was holding him.

“Oh there we are, darling.  Nice of you to join the party.”  Death snarled in his face before he threw the wizard back to the ground.

“Did you really think you could out fox me?  That you could magic your way into immortality?” Bright gold eyes glared down at him before Death lashed out again.

Voldemort gritted his teeth as his left leg snapped cleanly in two.  

“Jealous that I managed to dodge you for so long?”  He spat out, completely missing the approving glint in Death’s eyes as the human struggled to his feet. 

Panting, the wizard glared as he shifted his weight onto his good leg, calculating thoughts running behind ice blue eyes.

Death only smiled savagely as claws pierced Voldemort’s shoulders from behind and slammed the mortal down onto a raised slab, chains shooting up to wrap around him.

“Let’s have a little chat, shall we?”  

Quirinus Quirrell bolted up from a dead sleep, agony wracking his mind as the Dark Lord thrashed wildly in his head.

“My Lord?” He whispered, starting to shake when there wasn’t a reply.  “Mast..”

“ Quiet .” It roared through his head and Quirrell winced with pain, rubbing at his temples as they throbbed.  It faded a moment later as the Dark Lord settled back down.

“There is a change of plans, Quirrell.  Find out the address of Bartimus Crouch immediately.”  Quirrell jumped out of bed and quickly made his way to the wardrobe, never minding the fact that it was the middle of the night.

As Quirrell dressed, Tom Riddle took a moment to breathe and center himself.

And he was Tom Riddle again, the feeling of wholeness unfamiliar after so long.  A sensation he’d utterly forgotten after the first time he’d made a Horcrux.

He wished he actually had a body, just so he could pinch his nose in frustration.

What the fuck had he been thinking? Why in the hell had he ignored the warnings?!  The most important thing he’d ever possessed was his mind.  And it was clear that it had been torn to pieces until only madness remained after he’d split his soul apart.

“You’re bloody lucky that I’m very fond of your soulmate.  And that he has a greater destiny unfolding before him.  If you had just waited, you arrogant child, the immortality you sought would have been yours without having lost your sodding mind and tearing down everything that you wanted to protect.”

Tom closed his eyes and suppressed the urge to curse violently.  He’d been unable to do anything strapped to that table, the demons cutting into him as Death had paced a slow circle around him.

He’d also been unable to ignore the words ringing like bells through his mind even over the pain.

“However fond I am of him, you must pay the piper for all the lives you destroyed.”

Every magical death that had ever been caused by his orders had been revisited back onto him.  

He’d tried not to scream as he was torn apart by a werewolf who howled over his body.  Blood arched high and splattered against his face as his right arm was sliced off by an Acromantula.  The Cruciatus had caused his body to seize and spasm until blood vessels burst in his brain.

Only to be healed by Death as the demons cackled with glee at getting to start over.

Every lost hope and scream of denial as his victims died had raged through his soul.

The worst part had come when it was over.  The torture he could take but what came after had almost shattered him.

FLASHBACK

Tom grunted as the torn neckline of his robes was grabbed and he was pulled off the torture slab, pitching forward and then falling .

He moaned with pain when he finally hit the ground face first, bits of rock and stone cutting into his cheek as his whole body throbbed as it was healed again.  

“Get up, arsehole.  See what your legacy has wrought the world you claimed you would save.” Death hissed viciously in his ear, hauling him to his feet and pushed him forward.

Tom staggered for a moment and turned to glare at the entity. Death only gave him a dark look and then pointed behind him.

The wizard turned around and felt his heart break.  

Hogwarts stood in pieces, great chunks taken out of her as smoke blackened the sky.  Even as he watched, a south tower crumbled and shook the ground as it fell.  

Bodies were piled high in the courtyard, black Death Eaters robes and Hogwarts Houses mingling together. 

From the direction of the castle he could hear sounds of mourning, and survivors moved exhaustly to cart the dead inside. 

He closed his eyes in pain at the destruction surrounding him.  Hogwarts had been the only home he’d ever known.

Dammit, this wasn’t supposed to happen!  

He’d only wanted to stop the erosion of Wizarding culture and traditions, and protect their world from the dangerous muggles.

Instead his insanity had him ordering terrorist attack after terrorist attack against muggles and mudbloods both, very closely getting Wizarding society exposed many times over in the past two years.  It must have only been by the grace of Salazar they hadn’t been caught already.  

Too many bodies were laying in that courtyard.  If the muggles attacked  now, the English Wizarding World would crumble in days.

He sank to his knees and folded over as he pulled at his hair, devastation wrecking his soul.

For all he knew everything he’d sought to preserve and protect was already ash.

“This is why you do not mess with things beyond your ken, mortal.  Should you do so again, it does not matter how much I love and consider your soulmate my family.  I will throw you into the darkest Pit in Hell for all of eternity should you make another Horcrux.”  Tom Riddle shuddered at the snarling black voice at his shoulder, the sounds and smells of Hell rising up around him.

Wait.  Did that mean…?   

The blow to the back of his head launched him forward, arms pinwheeling wildly as he fell through time and space.

END FLASHBACK

Tom shuddered out a mental breath as Quirrell muttered to himself, gathering large stacks of parchment together to bring to his desk.

He would not allow what happened before to happen again. But first, he needed a damn body.

For the next two days they watched as Bartimus Crouch, Sr. went about his daily life.  

For a retired Auror the man was entirely too predictable about his schedule.  He always left for the Ministry right at 8:15 am, and lunched at noon, taking only the required 30 minutes before returning to the office.  He rounded out the day at 6 pm and returned straight home.

Crouch had been one of the best Auror’s of his generation, so Tom could only hope retirement and age had softened some of those edges.  His son had managed to get the drop on him, and that was with Crouch knowing Barty had escaped, so surprise was definitely the way to go about this.

Gently pushing Quirrell to the back of his mind, Tom took control and strolled down the street outside Crouch’s house at exactly 8:13 am.  

Exactly as he’d planned he collided with Crouch Sr., stuttering out excuses as he helped the other man up from the ground.

The irritation on the man’s face quickly faded as the Imperio took hold, Crouch drifting back to his house as Tom followed.

“Masters Crouchs sir?  Yous be back?”  A house elf appeared with a pop, eyeing Tom suspiciously as he hovered behind Crouch.

“Hello,” Tom said warmly, pulling out all the charm he’d once held.  “I’m so sorry, I accidently ran your master over while walking down the sidewalk.  Silly me!” 

He tittered like an idiot and the elf relaxed.

“I’s be helping Master then.” 

As soon as she’d turned towards Crouch he stunned her, small body falling to the floor under the red light.

“Incarcerous.” Both man and elf were soon bound, letting Tom breathe out a sigh.

It took longer than he’d thought to locate him, but soon Barty Crouch, Jr. was blinking his eyes, trying to shake off the Imperius’s hold on him.

Tom waited patiently, knowing if he pushed too fast he could cause permanent damage.  The Unforgivable was only meant for short periods of time, not the more than half a decade Barty had been under. Along with the damage from the Dementors and his mind was just a bit too fragile to hurry it along.

Push too quickly and that sharp Ravenclaw mind would buckle.

Unfortunately he’d learned that the hard way the first time around, Barty emerging a little too unhinged.  It hadn’t bothered him at the time but it did now.

Barty Crouch, Jr. had paid much to follow Voldemort.  The least he could do was allow the man his damn mind.  

After all, he now knows how high a price that actually was.

“Who are you?” Barty slurred, sharp eyes focusing on him for a moment before they slid away and glazed back over.

Well hell .  They could be here a while, so he might as well deal with the father.

Levitating him up onto the kitchen table, Tom then dove deep into Baritmus Crouch’s mind.  

What he found disgusted him.  Crouch Sr. had never really given another thought to Barty beyond locking him in the house, too consumed with embarrassment and scorn to care about his son.

It had been the house elf who’d been responsible for Barty’s care, and he paused thoughtfully as he watched her through Crouch’s memories.

She had been unfailing kind even when she hadn’t needed to be, and had concealed it when Barty had managed moments of lucidity in front of his father.  There was a loyalty there between them that could benefit him.

Dismissing that thought for now, Tom carefully erased Barty from his father’s mind, planting memories of his son dying a year previous. 

He would let the son deal with the father, and decide his fate later.  Until then, Bartimus Crouch, Sr. would not know his son was alive and free.

Tom settled into the back of Quirrell's mind, exhausted from the events of the morning.  He’d squirrelled Barty and Winky away in a safe house he’d established in the last war, a cottage not even his most trusted Death Eaters knew of.

Under strict orders to help Barty recover, he’d had no choice but to leave them there. He’d been reluctant to place the house elf under Imperius, knowing the damage that it could do. And he needed a sane and cooperative Barty on his side, and subjecting the elf to abuse would win him no favors.

She’d been overjoyed they could leave, her loyalty assured when he’d forced Crouch, Sr. to give her clothes so that she could follow her true master.

He sighed as Quirrell entered a restaurant off Diagon Alley, the man’s stomach rumbling from the amount of magical energy they’d expended this morning.  

Tom drifted for a bit as his follower ate, not taking much notice of anything until he spotted something.  Black hair, running wild like the owner had been struck with electricity and was standing straight up in tuffs.

Potter hair.

Quirrell didn’t even manage a sound before Tom was taking over, eyes sharpening on the small shape near the front door.

The figure was eating calmly, head tilted like he was listening to someone talk. Unfortunately from this distance he couldn’t tell if it actually was Potter, the memories from that time slightly fuzzy.

The person got up and walked towards the front, and Tom slid out from behind the table as he followed.  He was stopped momentarily as a waitress bustled by, carrying a tray high in the air as she passed him.

By the time he got around her and towards the doors the boy was gone.  Rushing out and ignoring the indignant cry of his waiter, Tom ran around the nearest corner in pursuit.

An empty alley greeted him and he slowed to a stop, glancing around to see if there was any movement in the offshoots.  

“Oi!  Professor!”  

Tom pressed his lips together and gave one last glance around before he retreated back to the restaurant.

“So, wait, let me get this straight.  You’re the Dark Lord, possessing this poor fellow here and need my help to rebuild your body.  Oh, and you’re from 7 years in the future.”

Tom sighed and rubbed at the bridge of Quirrell's nose.  “Yes.”

“ Bullshit .  That’s the most ridiculous story I’ve ever heard.  Thank you for saving me but I’ll be going now.”  Barty Crouch rose from the leather couch and started to make a beeline for the door, Winky hovering around his feet.

“You were almost a ‘Puff.”  And with that, Tom pulled out the biggest stop he knew with the Ravenclaw.

Barty froze mid step before whirling around, mouth dropping open in shock. “I’ve NEVER told anyone that!”

“It’s your deepest, most darkest secret and I know all.”  Tom returned dryly, suppressing the smirk that wanted to come out. He’d found that little tidbit out a few weeks before Barty went to kidnap Moody, who actually had been a Hufflepuff.  

The younger wizard stared at him for another moment before dropping gracelessly to his knees.  “My Lord.” He croaked out before bending over and placing his forehead against the floor.

“Get up, Crouch.” Tom sighed tiredly, hating now how he’d trained his followers.  The behavior was abhorrent and served no actual purpose besides stroking his ego.  Or getting revenge on purebloods who had teased and bullied him before he’d found out he was Slytherin’s Heir.

Those wizards, however, were mostly dead at this point.  If he wanted to accomplish his goals, he needed to treat the Lord’s and Heir’s who were still loyal to him appropriately.

Barty warily got up and sat back down onto the couch, sharp brown eyes studying him.

The older wizard just raised an eyebrow at the thoughts flashing through the other man’s eyes.

“You’re different.” Barty stated thoughtfully, relaxing a bit as Tom simply nodded.  The Dark Lord he’d known would have already been throwing Crucio’s left, right and center.  

“Getting your arse handed to you by Death, and seeing what your own insanity had caused will do that to a man.” Tom said quietly, gazing contemplatively into his tea cup.

“Why did he send you back?” The Dark Lord frowned and leaned back.

“I don’t know.  If anything, I should still be his plaything.”  Barty shuddered as he recalled some of the things his Lord had told him. 

Knowing that he’d been Kissed in that other timeline was going to give him nightmares for months . 

“Just ask , Barty.  Besides you and Quirrell, I have no other allies at this moment.  Anything you inquire about will not be punished.”  Tom said impatiently when Barty hesitated, mouth opening and closing.

“He talked about your soulmate.”  Tom stiffened and Barty flinched, bracing himself for the Crucio he just knew was coming.

After a moment he relaxed and opened one eye carefully when nothing happened.  

“I’ve never met him.” The older wizard replied finally, and Barty concealed his surprise at the sorrow he could see lacing his Lord’s figure.

“It said, ‘Oh! It’s nice to meet you, professor.’  It didn’t come back when I regained my body last time.  An effect, I assume, because there was only 1/7 of my soul inhabiting it.” Tom continued softly, tapping at where his Words used to sit on his chest.

Telling another person the Words inscribed over your heart was a very personal choice, and he was shocked the Dark Lord trusted him enough.

Barty once again studied this man who was and wasn’t the Lord he remembered serving.  For the first time he wondered how close they’d actually gotten in their last life.

“Thank you, My Lord.  Know that it will never leave my confidence.”  He returned quietly.

For a while they just sat, Tom thinking with some regret over all the actions he’d taken to get there.

His Words had been the reason he’d petitioned Headmaster Dippet for the Defense Against The Dark Arts position when Professor Merryweather had retired after his 7th year.

It had also been the reason why he’d tried a second time years later, even knowing the newly minted Headmaster Dumbledore would turn him down.  

As the years rolled by he’d steadily lost hope that he would find him.  

That one person who would be his own . 

He didn’t even know if he had the capacity to love, but he also knew himself.  Tom would have tried with every bit of his heart and soul to learn, if only because they’d deserve it.

He sighed at the dark irony of his position now, technically a professor and considering how much Death had mentioned him, it possibly meant they would meet soon.

Which meant that every misstep he’d made had been meant to happen, and he couldn’t help but despair at the thought.  He’d set their cause back by decades with his actions in the last War.

For Merlin’s sake he’d tried to murder a baby .  And all based on some half heard so called prophecy.  He’d always thought Divination was a load of shit, so why had he lost his mind about it?  

It was also curious as to why Dumbledore had thought the Hog’s Head an appropriate place to have an interview.  His brother ran the pub of course, but it would have been just as easy to have it at Hogwarts.  More professional too.

With another sigh, Tom pushed the thoughts away as he rose, tea cup clicking as he placed it back on the tray.

“Quirrell is needed back at Hogwarts for a Staff Meeting.  Please start looking into the ritual I drew out that we used last time.”

Barty nodded and rose to follow the Dark Lord to the door. “I’ll also look into changing it so your actual body comes back.”

Tom gave a sardonic snort as he reached the door. “Please do.  Having a forked tongue was not as adventurous as you might think it would be.”

He closed the door on Barty’s surprised laughter and apparated away.

That night, Tom Riddle dreamed for the first time in a very long time.

“Papa.”

Tom twitched as he stretched in the bed, eyes still closed as the early morning sunlight warmed the bedroom in strips of light.

“ Papa .” 

He opened his eyes and met bright ice blue ones the exact shade of his own peering at him from the edge of the bed.

“Hello.” He said slowly, mind starting to hum as he woke up.

“Daddy says breakfast is ready.” His son informed him, the little boy gripping the edges of the heavy blanket and trying to pull himself up.

Reaching out, Tom wrapped one long arm around him and hauled him up and under the blankets with him.  Awe struck eyes traced over the little boy as he squirmed to get comfortable in his arms.

Father and son regarded each other for long moments.

Tom reached out and ran a trembling finger gently over a high cheekbone, his if he recalled his own features correctly.  A cute button nose that definitely didn’t belong to him, slightly pouty lips that did and thick eyebrows.  Wild black hair stood up in tufts.

“Papa, why you crying?” His son whispered, sadness crossing the little boy's face as he reached up with a chubby hand and wiped away the tear streaking down Tom’s face.

Soulmates were connected on such a deep level; mind, body and soul, that children between same sex wixen’s was possible.  It was hard and somewhat rare, but it could be accomplished if enough effort was put in.

It also took a lot of love to do it.  Deep, abiding love that went way past what the soul level was capable of.  

His breath shuddered out as his son peered up at him.

Here in his arms was living proof that someone loved him that much.  

Him . 

Tom Riddle.

The faint sounds of a man singing off key echoed down the hallway and through the open door as pots clanged distantly.

“I want this.” He whispered harshly, tugging the boy closer until his son laughed as he was squished against Tom’s bare chest.  “ I want this so fucking much .” 

“Is ok.  Daddy make it better.” The cheeky little thing patted his chin and wiggled out of his arms, giggling when Tom lunged to recapture him.

Tom bolted off the bed and chased after his little boy as he darted out of the door, childish laughter ringing in his ears as he woke up.

For days after the dream rolled through his thoughts.  

He’d always known his soulmate was male in so much that he’d always preferred his own gender. The possibility of having a female platonic soulmate was there, but somewhere deep in his soul he’d known that wasn’t going to be the case for him.

And something told him that the dream had been real. 

That for whatever reason, he’d been given a glimpse into what could be.

For not the first time did he wonder just who in the hell his soulmate was.  

Someone who obviously had a strange relationship with Death if the comments the entity had made were any true.

And if he was lucky, he would find them soon.  

He and Barty had managed to pull together the beginnings of a ritual to regain his body, though it would take time and effort to gather the materials needed.  It would be worth it though when he could stand on his own two feet, and see his reflection in the mirror and not someone else.

Tom sighed as he rubbed at the growing headache pounding at Quirrell’s temples, gratefully sliding to the back when the man gently nudged him.

Harry POV

For the next few days Harry kept his head down, Aunt Petunia irritated that it had taken him all day to get Dudley’s snack.

He’d just shrugged and mumbled that he’d had to travel to several stores just to find the crisps.  She’d locked him in the cupboard and only allowed him out for the bathroom and to cook.

So it was a very irritated barn owl that dive bombed at him almost a week later as he entered the backyard, letter clutched in his claws. He flew back with a screech as Hedwig barreled into him, shrieking with fury as Harry flattened himself to the ground.

‘Get him, Hedwig!’ Artemis cried out, shooting out from around his neck and Harry cursed, making a wild grab for his familiar.  She thrashed in his hold as she screamed out threats to the poor owl pinned to the ground under Hedwig’s heavy claws, very clearly regretting every life choice he’d made up to that point.

Hedwig ripped the letter from his leg and hopped off, menace in every line of her feathers as she stalked over to where Harry was laid out on the grass.

With an affronted hoot, the barn owl promptly took to the skies.

“Well.  That was exciting.” Harry said weakly, shrinking back a bit as two pairs of golden eyes turned to glare at him.

Hedwig fluffed her feathers in agitation and dropped the letter in front of him.  She gave him one last glare then made the short flight back to the tree she was sheltering in. 

Harry hadn’t wanted to lock her in the room in his trunk, even though it was quite a large space.  The ceiling was too low in the cupboard for him to climb in, and she would have been stuck there otherwise.  

Or have the very dangerous possibility of Dudley finding the trunk in the cupboard since he wouldn’t have been able to shrink it with her in it. When he’d been unexpectedly locked up, he’d only been grateful for his foresight.

It appeared she was holding that against him however from the way she pointedly faced away and started to groom her feathers.

Artemis muttered angrily to herself as she turned her back on him and went over to her stone to sun herself.

Harry winced as he considered the cold shoulder both his familiars were giving him.  Sighing, he retreated behind the shed to open his letter.

Greetings Heir Potter, 

Considering this is the fourth owl we have sent with neither a response, or indication that you have received any of our letters, we have no choice but to consider this a sign that you need to be retrieved. Should we not hear from you by tomorrow morning, we will assume this is true and act accordingly.

Sincerely, 

Master Bloodfang

Gringotts Bank, London

For the second time that morning adrenaline dumped into his system as he quickly turned the letter over and noticed the date marked on the envelope.  

Which was yesterday.

Oh hell.

For a wild moment he wondered what would happen when goblin soldiers showed up at his Aunt’s front door.  

Hysterical laughter welled up and next thing he knew, he was laughing into the crook of his elbow.

He managed to control it moments later when a piercing shriek echoed from inside the house.  Quickly tucking the letter away, Harry raced into the house, Elder Wand drawn just in case.

And promptly wished he had a camera.

Aunt Petunia was perched on top of the kitchen table, clutching Dudley to her chest as they stared at the goblins invading their house. His cousin’s four chins wobbled as he tried to peer around his mother, shrinking back as black beady eyes focused on him.

“Greetings, Master Goblins.” Harry said calmly, making sure to move slowly as he stored his wand away.

“Heir Potter.  We have come to retrieve you and bring you to Master Bloodfang.”  One goblin informed him briskly, casting a disdainful eye over his aunt and cousin. 

Violence danced in the air as armor creaked and hands tightened around weapons.

Based on the way the goblins were eyeing his relatives, he needed to walk a careful line so blood wasn’t spilt.  Apparently more was going on than he’d thought.

“I apologize, Master Goblins.  It seems there was something of a mistake.  I had not received any letters from Gringotts, otherwise I would have replied.”  Harry held very still and kept his hands away from his pockets.

“We know, Heir Potter.  And considering the information we have already gathered, it was agreed that we should fetch you from your relatives.”  The word relatives almost sounded like an expletive in the goblin’s tone.  

“Gather all of your things, you will not be returning.”

It seemed then that Aunt Petunia saw which way the wind was blowing.   “Now see here…” she blustered, then screamed as an axe flew so close to her head it was a miracle it didn’t hit her and lodged itself in the wall behind her.

In the next second the table was flipped over and she went crashing to the ground, taking Dudley with her as they sprawled out on the kitchen floor.

“Know that it is only because we don’t want another war that we stay our hand. Otherwise your spleen would be on the outside, сука. ”  A female goblin hissed, crouched on Aunt Petunia’s chest with a sharp sword lodged under her chin.  

“You were charged with the welfare of a child.  Paid to take care of him.  Should we ever go to war, there will be no place you can hide that we will not find you.  No one that could protect you from our wrath.” His aunt trembled as a slow line of blood dripped down her throat and onto the floor. 

Harry could only watch wide eyed as the goblin climbed off his aunt’s chest.  A low hoot got his attention and he glanced back over his shoulder.

Hedwig was standing on the porch behind him, Artemis wrapped around her as they both stared inside the house.

“Heir Potter.”  The same goblin who’d spoken to him before said impatiently.  

“Uhm, yes.” Harry replied shakily, bending down to pick up his owl.  Artemis quickly made her way around his neck, questioning him in low tones on what exactly was going on.

‘I don’t know.  But clearly something changed from the original timeline.’ He said lowly, kneeling down carefully to retrieve his shrunken trunk with Hedwig on his shoulder.  Days ago he’d stored everything he owned in the trunk, so it was a simple matter to grab it.

It will be alright, my little love.   Harry closed his eyes in relief as Fate brushed her fingers over his cheekbone.  He’d not had much contact with either of them in the last few days, locked up as he was.  It had surprised him how much he’d missed both of their presences.

Quickly storing his trunk away in his pocket, he returned to the kitchen.  His aunt and cousin were pressing themselves into the far corner as tightly as they could, warily watching the goblins who were glaring back. 

You will need to remove the curse.   Harry nodded his head slightly at Death’s whisper, and very carefully reached for the Elder Wand in his pocket.  It took just a touch before he felt the nightmare curse he’d placed on Dudley fall away.  Hopefully it had accomplished what he’d intended, and his cousin would lose the obsession with food he had.

A gallon was pressed into his hand, and with a guttural word later he was standing in Bloodfang’s office.

“Mr. Potter, thank you for joining us.”  Bloodfang stood up from behind his desk, motioning to a sharp dressed woman.  “This is Alanna Carmichael, she is the solicitor we hired to look into your situation.”

The tall woman stood up as Harry walked over to the other chair, shaking her hand when she held it out.

“I apologize for this morning, Mr. Potter, however we had solid reason to believe your safety was in jeopardy.”  He blinked at the low, mellow tone as they sat down, taken aback.  

“My safety?” He questioned, glancing back and forth between them.

“We investigated further into the money your relatives were receiving for your care, and discovered that when you start attending Hogwarts, the payments will stop while school is in session. However, if you didn’t attend, the payments were to continue.”  

Stunned, Harry gaped at her as pieces to a puzzle that had confused him for years fell to the floor and formed a picture.  He’d always wondered why his relatives had taken him and fled the Hogwarts letters in his first life.  Even going so far as to try to hide in a shack on a damn island as a last resort.

It just hadn’t made sense. 

They didn’t give two shits about him, and he’d thought him going away to boarding school would have made them ecstatic.  And even though Uncle Vernon had clearly hated it, they’d still shown up and retrieved him from King’s Cross Station every year.  

They hated and feared magic but Aunt Petunia would have known he couldn’t do magic outside of Hogwarts.  

Even though the Headmaster had threatened them against throwing him out later, at that point Voldemort had risen again and they knew the blood wards would protect them.  

But it hadn’t explained the before when everyone had thought the Dark Lord was dead.

“You stopped the payments the last time you were here, which are made on the first of every month.  It is July 31st, which means by tomorrow your relatives would have been made aware of it.”  His solicitor continued, and he swallowed heavily at the look on her face.  Fury was lining the handsome middle aged face, and grey eyes practically sparked at him.

“When Master Bloodfang described your clothing and general appearance, I grew concerned that we would not have time to do a thorough investigation before removing you from your relatives.”  She went on next, crossing her legs and pulling down her jacket.

“Investigation?” Harry questioned, watching as she fidgeted, almost like she couldn’t stay still in her anger.

“There isn’t a Children Services Department in the Ministry, Mr. Potter, which is why I would need to build a case before you could be removed.”  Her mouth tightened at the confused look on his face.  “Child abuse does not exist in the Wizarding World, or rather, the pureblood families do not like to acknowledge that it does.”

“So how do you fit in this, Mrs. Carmichael? Master Bloodfang mentioned they would contact someone who had experience in something like this.”  The teen reached up and stroked along Hedwig’s wing when she started to nibble at his hair, hooting lowly in his ear.

“I actually handle most cases for muggleborns and half-bloods. I’m sure it would not surprise you to learn that some muggles do not react well to learning about the Wizarding World.”  Harry huffed out a laugh in agreement to that sardonic answer.

“So, what happens now? If I’m not going back, where do I go?”

She reached down and pulled up the briefcase that had been leaning against her chair.  “You have several options, as you still have family left in the Wizarding World.”

“ What?! ” Harry exclaimed, shooting to his feet and Hedwig gave a startled hoot, wings flaring out to keep her balance on his shoulder.

“Family as in from your godfather’s side.” She amended as she pulled out some papers from her case. “Since you are blood adopted, you have family from the Black side.  Narcissa Malfoy nee Black. Though she was disinherited, Andromeda Tonks nee Black, as well.  Your godmother was also a consideration until we learned her name...”

“ I have a godmother? ” Harry blurted out, interrupting her as he slowly sank back down into his seat.  He swallowed heavily at the compassionate look that crossed her face.

“You do, though I’m sorry to tell you she has been incapacitated since the War.”  He closed his eyes and buried his face in his hands as she told him about Alice Longbottom. Apparently she and his mum had been best friends since their Hogwarts days, and Lily Potter had also been godmother to Neville.

He laughed wetly into his hands thinking of his friend.  They had both gotten the shitty end of the stick, hadn’t they?

Gentle hands removed his palms from his face as his solicitor knelt down in front of him.  She wrapped her hands around his as the door opened and shut behind the desk, Bloodfang giving them privacy for a moment.

“You do have some options, Harry, though most aren’t good.  Considering just exactly who your magical guardian is, I would not recommend Andromeda Tonks.  The Tonks family has neither the money nor the standing to go against Albus Dumbledore.  Narcissa Malfoy does, but her husband was accused of being a follower of You-Know-Who.  He managed to wiggle out of it, but I would not be comfortable sending you to the Malfoy’s.”

“So I have nowhere to go.” Harry said dully, untangling one hand to swipe at his cheek. Artemis shifted around his neck, rubbing her head against the back of his.

“I did not say that. I reached out to Dowager Longbottom, since her daughter in law was your godmother.  She has agreed to take you in until the start of school. Her grandson is also your age, so you will have a friend in your year.”  She rubbed soothingly at his hands before a wicked smirk crossed her face. 

“I have also known Augusta Longbottom a very long time, and she will have no problems giving Headmaster Dumbledore a swift kick in the arse as she throws him off her property.”

Harry sputtered out a laugh as he imagined that.  

“We will revisit custody arrangements at a later date.  I simply have not had enough time to compile the evidence needed to take to the Wizengamot.”

The teen took a deep breath and he tightened his hands around hers.  

“Thank you.” He said quietly, and she simply smiled at him.

“You are most welcome, Heir Potter.”

A knock interrupted them, and Harry raised his eyebrows as a slim blond woman slipped through the door.

“Harry, this is Daisy, my wife.  She is also a mediwitch. I want her to examine you so we can gauge how much work needs to be done to repair the obvious damage to your body.”  Alanna squeezed his hands when Harry stiffened as he warily eyed the young woman.

“Is this really necessary?” He asked weakly as Daisy set her medibag in the seat Alanna had left open.

‘It is, Mr. Potter.  Not only will this be used as evidence in court, but you're obviously in need of treatment.” Pale green eyes regarded him compassionately as the woman tilted her head.  “There is no shame in this, Mr. Potter.  The shame belongs to the adults who were charged with your care.”

He swallowed heavily at the uncompromising look on her face and then nodded.

“Your owl needs to move to the desk please, as her presence would throw off the readings.”

Harry stood up and silently shifted Hedwig to the desk, and then lifted Artemis away from his neck.  His snake familiar said nothing, just moving to curl herself around the owl as they watched.

He turned back and met the surprised eyebrows of both women, Alanna having now moved behind her wife so the healer could work.  Apparently neither woman had seen Artemis curled around his neck, even though he hadn’t had enough time to cast a concealing charm on her.

The teen just jutted out his chin and said shortly.  “They’re mine .”

Healer Daisy raised a nonjudgmental hand and soothed, “They are.  And quite loyal as well, I imagine.”

Harry took a deep breath as the mediwitch then turned her wand on him.  

Bright light exploded over his body and swirled around him, a scroll appearing next to Daisy as she walked forward, eyeing the lights as a quill franticly wrote.

“Daisy?” Alanna asked gently when her wife growled.

The healer breathed deeply and struggled to control her anger at what the readings were telling her.  She paused as the door behind the desk opened, and Bloodfang seated himself back into his chair.

The quill made one final scratch before the parchment flew over to her.

As her eyes ran down the extensive list her tempter got the better of her.  

Rotating quickly on one foot, Daisy stormed over to the goblin.

“He is never going back there!”  She spat out, trying to not shrug off the calming hand her wife placed on her shoulder.

“Of course he won’t.”  Bloodfang replied calmly. “It has been agreed that Heir Potter is Friend to the Goblin Nation.  Should it be needed, he will shelter with us.”

All three humans gaped at the goblin and Bloodfang couldn’t help but get a sadistic glee out of it. It had been centuries since a human had been given that status, and it was one the goblins took seriously.

He’d been surprised as well when he was told, and wary when he’d been called to an audience with his King.  

FLASHBACK

Bloodfang walked quickly down the hallway, irritated beyond belief that it had taken the messenger so long to find him.  You did not keep the Goblin King waiting if you wanted to keep your head on your shoulders.

He stopped before the doors to the audience chamber and waited to be announced.  Striding forward, he kept his eyes down and bowed before the King.

“Tell me of Mr. Potter.” 

Bloodfang narrowed his eyes at the floor as surprise ran through him. Thoughts rolling wildly, the goblin recounted the hours he’d spent with the Heir.

“Curious how a child raised by non-magicals knows our ways.  Knows, and respects them.”  

Unable to help himself, Bloodfang’s eyes had shot up and locked onto the grey ones regarding him impassively.  The King leaned back in the gold chair and raised an eyebrow at the challenge.

“His aunt is a squib.  It’s possible he learned it from her.” He countered, sliding his eyes quickly to the floor as gold plated nails drummed impatiently on the arms of the chair.

“A squib from a long line of non-magicals who cut her sister off as soon as she hit her majority.  I believe the phrase is, pull the other one.”  

Bloodfang tried to control his ire as those nails tapped again.  What was the point of this?

“Mr. Potter is to be named Friend.” Shock rocked his system and once more he forgot himself, looking up and locking eyes with his King.

“The ground has shifted, Bloodfang.  The very air itself dances with glee, and sings a song of homecoming.  Keep an eye on Mr. Potter, and if need be, offer assistance.”  The deep voice had intoned, waving a hand to dismiss the Accounts Manager.

Bloodfang reluctantly bowed, and left the audience chamber with his mind humming.  It was no secret the Royal Family could pluck at the energy that ran through the earth, seeing things long before they would happen.

It had saved the Goblin Nation on more than one occasion when dealing with the Wizarding World.

What was going on?   He wondered as he made his way back to his office.  

END FLASHBACK

Harry gaped at Bloodfang, Hedwig giving a low hoot as she left the desk and landed softly on his shoulder, Artemis wrapped tightly around her.

‘Master, the proper response is, ‘You honor me, Master Goblin.  Should you call for it, the Noble House of Potter will answer.’’ She hissed into his ear, giving him a firm nudge behind his ear when he said nothing.

He repeated what she’d told him, befuddled beyond belief when Bloodfang replied smoothly, “And should you call for it Friend, the Drums Will Sound in the Deep.”

And with that, the Goblin Nation pledged themselves to him.  Should he ever need it, the goblins would rise to his call and rally behind him.  Of course the same thing could be said in reverse.  Should the goblins call for his aid, he would have no choice but to answer.

Harry sank back down weakly into his seat, wondering if this was some strange dream he was having.

It took another two hours before they were finally done, and Harry leaned back tiredly in his seat as he reviewed everything.

The damage done by the malnutrition and neglect had apparently been much more expansive than he’d ever thought.  His bones are brittle, which explained the multiple fractures and breaks along his arms, according to Daisy.  They could have only been caused by repeated grabbing and blows.

He hadn’t even known he’d broken his arms.

Harry rubbed at the bridge of his nose, clutching his owl and snake to him tightly as both Daisy and Alanna whispered to each other in the corner.

His kidneys and liver weren’t operating as they should, which would cause issues down the road unless corrected immediately.  His ability to absorb nutrients was stunted which was only leading to more damage.

Oh, and he had a fucking heart murmur as well due to anemia.  Can’t forget that one either.  The news that he won’t ever be as tall as he should had been a small byline at that point.

Daisy had been astonished he’d been operating as well as he was.

“I want to make something very plain to you, Mr. Potter.  I can only conclude your magic has been healing the damage as it could, otherwise you would have been hospitalized a long time ago.”  He’d paled at her grim prognosis.

“If you didn’t have such a large magical core, I wouldn’t be able to say you would have ever made it to Hogwarts.  You would have died some years ago.”  She’d whispered that last part as tears had started to burn in his eyes.

He’d resisted only briefly when she’d pulled him into a hug, then had slumped against her.

A knock at the door pulled him from his reverie as Augusta Longbottom then swept into the room.

In short order Harry was given a list of potions to start taking to correct the damage, Daisy promising him she would send them by owl in the morning.  

He was also given a list of food he needed to start consuming, and his heart sank a bit when he saw the ‘No sweets!’ at the bottom.  

There went his treacle tart, he thought with a sigh.

So Tom got that come to Jesus Talk with Death.  Hahahahaa! That was a bit satisfying to write, even though I want to stuff him in my pocket.

And I was always super pissed the Dursley's were never punished for their obvious abuse and neglect.  Like, really Rowling?

Next up we have a month at Longbottom Manor and a Sorting.  ::rubs hands gleefully::

Also!  I apparently forgot to tell y’all, updates will be every Wednesday. Thank you so much for the love and I hope you have a great week!

Chapter Text

Hello loves!  Unfortunately for me, but very good for y'all, I have a history paper to write tonight. And I swear to Merlin this fic has been eating my brain this week.  So I decided to stop messing with it and release it early.  

::waves tissues wildly::  You will need these at a certain point.  We also do some POV switching.

On to the show!

“Hhh..Hello.” A voice said quietly, and Harry turned away from putting up his clothes to look at the pudgy boy hovering uncertainty at his door.

Once they had left Gringotts, Mrs. Longbottom had quickly shown him to his room to put his things away before supper. As they’d walked into Longbottom Manor, Harry had thought with some intimated amusement it was more like a museum.  He’d carefully tucked his hands away in his pockets, terrified he’d knock something over.

“Hi!” Harry returned brightly, years of fond memories of this boy flooding his mind.

“Come in.  I’m just finishing putting everything up.  Mind the bed though, Artemis can get cranky if you startle her.”

Neville crept in through the entryway, looking like he was ready to bolt at the smallest sign of trouble. “Artemis?”

“Get up you lazy thing, and introduce yourself.” Harry said gently, giving a small nudge to the blankets already piled high on his bed.

The other boy froze as a wedge shaped head shot out of the blankets, snapping at Harry lazily.  

“She won’t hurt you.  She’s all bark and no bite.”  Harry reached out and brought her up, the white snake moving to curl around his neck.

“She’s bb..beautiful.” Neville said quietly, watching as she nudged the other boy behind his ear.  He’d never been afraid of snakes, having seen them and other creatures in the garden beds he liked to tend.

“I’m Harry.” The teen reached out and clasped the other boy’s hand.

“Neville.” The boy returned quietly, and Harry could only smile at the firm grip the other gave.

“You know what, Neville?  Something tells me we’re going to be great friends.”

The shy boy swallowed nervously, then settled onto Harry’s bed as the other moved to put the rest of his things away.

“I hope so.” Neville whispered, something that was only heard by Artemis.

Neville knocked on the doorframe later that night after supper, peering around uncertainty before coming in when Harry called out. 

Harry exited the bathroom, steam spilling out behind him in a rolling wave.  It had been the first time in a week he’d been able to do more than a cleaning charm. While the spell was effective, it made his skin itch like crazy.

He’d finally left the hot water after Artemis had threatened to come in, saying she was positive he’d drowned by now.

“What’s this?” 

Neville shrugged sheepishly and held out the plate.  “Hh...happy birthday, Harry.” He said quietly.

Harry stared at the piece of chocolate cake, strawberries lining the rim and felt himself tear up a little. 

In all of the chaos of today, he’d totally forgotten it was his birthday. 

“Thank you, Neville.”  The teen replied softly, both boys settling onto Harry’s bed and shared the cake.

For the rest of the month the two were as thick as thieves, something Dowager Longbottom regarded with strong approval as Harry dragged her grandson into showing him around.

Augusta hid her smile in her tea cup at the whispering she could hear on the other side of the veranda, both boys just out of sight behind the stone railing.

She’s been somewhat apprehensive taking the Potter Heir in until she’d learned just why she was being asked.  Fury had burned through her like a hot wave as she’d scanned the extensive list of potions Harry was required to take every morning and night.

Magical children were precious, especially among the purebloods who were dying out a little by little each generation.  

It used to be that entire generations of Longbottoms would inhabit the Manor, but as slow as a creeping black tide they had less and less children born to them.  Now it was just her Neville, set to take the Lordship on his majority.  

It was an unfortunate set of circumstances that most of the Families now faced.

She turned slightly, hearing two sets of rapid footsteps and the bush to her far right rustled.

Before Harry had come into their lives, Augusta had feared for her grandson, seeing a boy too shy and introverted to reach out to others. 

What will he do when she is dead and gone?  She had despaired more than once as she’d quietly watched him tend to his plants, nary a soul in sight. The thoughts of others preying on him had kept her up more times than she’d liked to admit in the last 10 years.

The bushes snorted and she suppressed a smile at the muffled giggles that shook it.

Once again Augusta closed her eyes and offered up her thanks to whatever deity had brought Harry into their lives.  Her greying curls caressed her cheek lightly in the wind that flowed past.

In just a few short weeks her withdrawn grandson had grown more open, laughing and talking brightly even though his stutter still lingered.

Someone shrieked in the distance and it took everything Augusta had not to laugh along as both boys fell out of the bush, holding each up as they shook.

“What did he do this time?” She asked with amusement and Harry turned to look at her, green eyes sparkling in the sunlight.

There he is , August thought with pride as Neville straightened up and stood tall next to the Potter Heir.  Before she would have not been surprised to see him hiding behind his friend. 

But not anymore.  

“He uprooted Nev’s moly plant!  Said ‘It’s too dangerous for a boy not even at Hogwarts yet to have it.’.”  Harry said hotly, a fierce frown marring his expression as his amusement cleared.

For the last two weeks, ever since her grandson began asserting himself with Harry’s encouragement, there had been a silent war going on amongst her gardeners.  

What she hadn’t known until very recently was that some of them liked to intimidate and bully her grandson out of the greenhouses.  Or really, it was only one man after she’d done some careful digging.  The others had been genuinely concerned for the boy’s safety.

Augusta had all been set to promptly dismiss the gardener but Harry had pulled her aside and asked her not too.

“And why not, young man?” She had asked frostily, sheer anger causing her magic to rise underneath her skin and spit out.

“Neville needs to face this battle himself.  He’ll never learn to stand up for himself otherwise.  But don’t worry, I’ve got his back.”  He’d firmly replied.

She should have taken that glint of rage in his eyes seriously.  Or at the very least, remembered who sired this child.  

The cold war had started immediately, and she certainly couldn’t argue with the results.   For the last few weeks the gardeners had been under siege from plants that suddenly grew fangs and bit, whole garden beds suddenly rearranging themselves and causing mass confusion.

But the one who’d been the ringleader of the bullying?  Oh , she snorted to herself, that gentleman had gotten the worst of the pranks. 

At this point he must wish I had fired him . And speak of the devil and he shall appear , Augusta thought wickedly as the man in question shrieked again, the sound closer than it had been before.

Jack Waverly ran into view, one arm clutched to his chest as he dodged the sunflowers at his feet.  One of the flowers stopped to shoot thorns at him and he cried out as they pierced his leg through his trousers. 

She stood up in astonishment to get a closer look at the way the flowers were moving, thin roots banding together to form legs while leaves twined into arms.  Sharp thorns bristled out of leafy hands and she blinked in disbelief as they flew through the air.

The gardener hopped on one foot as he tried to squash them and one tiny voice screamed in victory when he lost his balance and fell over.

They rolled over him like an insidious wave, thick thorns catching at his skin as they climbed them.  He rolled over and shook them off, looking around wildly.

“I quit you bloody bint!  Bloody crazy the lot of you!”  He sputtered out before making a run for it, the small army of sunflowers chasing after him.

Her grandson bent over and laughed , holding his stomach as he struggled to breathe.

“How in the name of creation did you do that?” Augusta asked with amazement.  “Who did you convince to pull that off?”

“Nev will never tell, and you’ll never guess.”  Harry replied wickedly, pulling his friend behind him as they disappeared around the corner.

Augusta Longbottom slowly sank back down into her seat and placed her face in her hands, shoulders shaking as she laughed.  

Yes, thank Merlin whoever it was that had put Harry in their path.

Neville POV 

“Wait, what?!   He pushed you out of a third story window to see if your magic would save you?”  An outraged Harry asked, causing Neville to smile a bit.  

He’d gotten used to the way the other boy expressed himself, the shy Longbottom Heir not used to such antics but with Harry, it seemed natural to just go with it. 

“You better hope I never meet your Uncle Algy or Artemis is going to go hunting.  And that’s IF she gets to him first.”  Harry fumed, and at that Neville actually laughed out loud as the snake in his lap snapped at the air threateningly.

“So you haven’t really hung out with the other wizarding families?”  Harry asked curiously as Neville dug into the lush soil, carefully making a spot for the seeds he would plant there.

The other boy looked up and tried to swallow the snickers at the image Harry presented.  

The Potter Heir was perched cross legged on a rock, Artemis laid out over his legs sunning herself.  Hedwig was buried in Harry’s wild nest of curls, head tucked under her wing as she slept.

He’d learned quickly both owl and snake were fiercely protective of Harry, and rarely left his side unless it was to hunt.

And considering what Neville had managed to find out, he didn’t blame them in the slightest. 

His grandmother hadn’t given any reasons for exactly why Harry Potter was staying with them for the rest of the summer, but careful questions had revealed enough.  

The potions Harry had to take at breakfast and dinner were a lot, and could only point to long term damage. 

Neville stabbed angrily at the soil before tempering his actions as Harry made an inquiring noise.

Brushing him off, Neville continued his work, smiling slightly as Artemis woke up and made her way over to him.  He held out a dirty hand so the serpent could travel up his arm, more than used to it now as she twined around the Longbottom Heir.

Hisses passed by his ear and he looked up as Harry laughed.  

It had been a shock the first time he’d seen Harry talking to his snake familiar, the other boy confused when Neville had freaked out.  It had been a tense conversation until he explained just why he was startled but they had gotten past it quickly. 

“She says you're a much better perch.  Apparently you position yourself quite nicely for optimal sunbathing while I don’t.” Harry said, mirth dancing in his tone.

“Hhhh...HA!” Neville told him, both boys laughing as Artemis laid her head down smugly over his hair.

Harry POV

Harry carefully eased his way out of the bed, trying not to disturb Neville on the other side.  

Tomorrow was the 1st of September, and both of them had been excited and anxious for different reasons on the eve they would go to Hogwarts.

Neville because he was terrified he would disappoint his grandmother if he didn’t sort into Gryffindor.

Harry because tomorrow he would see his soulmate, and start the war for his future.  

Neither one of them had been able to settle down and had talked long into the evening.  So long that Nev had fallen asleep in his bed, even as Harry had too much energy running through him to rest.

Harry glanced at his sleeping familiars and decided not to bother them as he slipped out the door.  He walked the now familiar path through Longbottom Manor and out onto the grounds.

For several minutes he just wandered the gardens he and Neville had worked on for the past month, walking a meandering path to his favorite tree. 

Finally the teen folded himself down underneath it, and gazed out at the stars wheeling overhead as he laid on his back.

Since he’d been here neither Death or Fate had visited him and he missed them terribly.  

Oh he understood why they stayed away.  Between Neville and the countless house elves about the property, there simply hadn't been enough privacy.  

That hadn’t negated the unhappiness he felt when he’d only get teasing remarks from Death as the entity came to check on him. Or the rare few times he’d been alone long enough for Fate to gently run her fingers through his hair, Harry humming as he’d tilted his head to the unseen touch. 

But now that he was alone with some time before sunrise, he hoped they would come.  

Harry inhaled raggedly as he stared up at Canis Major right above him, feeling so alone that it hurt . It seemed like everything depended on him making the right choices, and he was so afraid he’d fuck up the future he wanted.

What if he made a wrong decision? Everything he had seen would be dust before it could even be realized. He closed his eyes as the happy laughter of their son rang through his head, as well as the deep love he had seen blazing out of ice blue eyes as Tom smiled.

The hidden Hollow on his ring finger heated up and he rubbed at it absently as the stars burned bright.

“...and he asked for the power to recall loved ones from the grave.”

It was not the deep tones of Death, but a bright one that was only half familiar.  

One he’d only heard in certain circumstances throughout his life.

Harry bolted up as Lily Potter walked through the grass to him.

“And he turned it thrice in hand…”

Tears burned as his father emerged from the dark behind his wife, his parents folding themselves down next to him in the grass.

“How?!”  He choked out, knowing better than to reach for them.  His hands would only pass through them like they had before.

“The power of the Hallows has been unlocked, and they are loyal only to you, Harry.”  Lily reached out and took his hand, Harry sputtering in disbelief when he felt the warmth of her fingers wrapping around his own.

In the next second James was barking out a laugh as they were tackled to the grass, their son gripping at them tightly.

“Hello, my son.” His father whispered in his ear, strong arms wrapping around both him and Lily.

“How long can you stay?” Harry asked raggedly, rubbing his face against his mother’s shoulder and inhaled the scent of lavender.

“Only until sunrise.” His mum returned softly, thumbing away the tears that flowed from his eyes.

He simply nodded, not wanting to look this gift horse in the mouth.  

“Did Sirius ever tell you about the time McGonnell caught us streaking through the courtyard naked after our first full moon with Remus as animagus’?”

His mouth dropped open at the wicked slant to his dad’s mouth and then Harry laughed .  For the next few hours they talked, his father struggling to contain his mirth as Harry recounted some of his own adventures that he’d had while his mother playfully scolded him.

Harry just stared at them as they talked, committing every detail to memory. 

The way his mother leaned into his father, the love between them so clear to see.  How his dad teased her mercilessly until she blushed, smacking him on the chest even as she laughed.  He sucked it up greedily, knowing in his soul that this was a one in a lifetime chance and like hell was he going to waste it.

He finally got the courage to ask the question that had been burning in his soul ever since he’d found out about Tom.

They went still when he hesitated before stating, “You know who my soulmate is.”

James regarded him thoughtfully. “We do.”

Harry looked away and swiped at the tear running down his face.

“Harry,” Lily crooned, pulling her son into her arms when he sniffled.  “The power of soulmates transcends time and space. Do I hate that we couldn’t raise you? That we don’t get to dance at your wedding, and pull out all the embarrassing baby pictures for your first date?  Hell yes .”

She smiled brokenly as he used his sleeve to swipe at his face even as he laughed.

“But I am so proud of the man you are, and will become. And that man will love Tom Riddle with every fiber of his being.”

Both of them were pulled into James’s embrace, his robes spilling over and engulfing them in his warmth.

“We’ve seen where this goes Harry, that’s the upside to the Elysian Fields.  You have such a happy future ahead that if I had to do it all again, I would still stand in front of him with my wand raised.”  His father whispered into his ear, clutching onto Harry as the teen cried.

“I have never regretted it. It helps that you both make such a pretty baby.  I have the most handsomest grandson.” Harry buried his face in his mother’s robes at her words, smile trembling at the slightly gloating tone in her voice.

“He is beautiful, isn’t he?”  He hiccupped.

“All the fairest in the land.” His father said mischievously, nudging him in the ribs.

After that they skated toward safer territory.  

He blushed bright red when a wicked Lily tried to give him the birds and the bees talk.

“No offense, my love, but you did die a virgin.”  She teased as his father laughed uproariously when Harry sputtered.

“I want that grandbaby.”  James choked out, dodging the half hearted swipe his son gave him. He caught him in a headlock and ruffled his hair as Harry tried to squirm out of his father’s arms.

Time passed way too quickly however and soon the horizon started to lighten.  His mouth trembled before he reached for them, not wanting to let them go. 

He’d given so much , why couldn’t he have this?!

Damn the consequences.  

“We are always with you, Harry.  Every step that you take, every triumph and loss we are there. We love you so much, sweetheart.”  Lily clutched him tightly to her chest as her son shuddered, clinging tightly to her and James as tears soaked into her robes.

“Look further into the Potter accounts, son. More is going on than you know.  And tell that soulmate of yours he’d better treat you right, or his arse is going to be haunted by a Marauder.”

Harry laughed wetly as the sun rose and his parents faded away and out of his arms.  A second later great black wings were wrapping around him, pulling him back against a strong chest.

“Thank you.” He whispered into the arms that were like steel bands around his chest, Fate folding down to her knees next to her husband.

“Thank the Stone.  For some reason it decided you needed this.”  Death rumbled behind him, tightening his wings around his Master as he sagged in his arms.

Harry rubbed gratefully against the camouflaged ring on his finger, sending every bit of love and gratefulness he felt it’s way.  A sweet song of acceptance echoed back and he clung to it.

“You need to return soon.  It’s time to go.” Fate told him gently, prying him out of Death’s hold.

“Visit me?” He begged softly, wrapping his arms around her as she chuckled.

“I dare anyone who tries to stop us.  You’re ours , Harry Potter.”

‘Where have you been?!’ A frantic Artemis greeted him at his bedroom doorway, Hedwig glaring at him from where she was perched on the footboard.  Neville was already gone, presumably to get dressed.

He bent down and gathered up his panicked snake familiar before going over to the bed and pulled Hedwig into his arms.  In a low voice he told them what had happened, Hedwig giving a mournful clack of her beak as he finished.

‘Oh, Harry.’  Artemis curled around his neck and rubbed along his jawline, black tongue flicking up to try to catch the tears once more running down his face.

‘I’m ok.  Just glad I got that time, you know?’ He sniffed wetly before taking a deep breath.

‘I would have liked to meet them.  They sound wonderful.’ Artemis said quietly, Hedwig making a mournful sound of agreement before she fluttered up and landed on his shoulder. She anxiously groomed his hair and Harry felt guilty at how both of them had worried.

‘I’m sorry.’ He wiped at his nose.  ‘I just needed some time to myself.  Today’s a big day after all.’

Artemis hissed out a chuckle as she rubbed along his jawline.  ‘It is.’ She agreed before giving his face a push.  ‘It’s time to get ready, Master.’

Harry dragged his trunk down the stairs, making for the receiving room Neville had directed him to.

He sat on his trunk and waited, springing up to help Nev as the other boy huffed as he dragged his trunk in.

“So how are we going to get there?” Harry asked, examining his trunk to make sure everything was latched correctly before looking up at the answer.

“We're going by Floo?”  Harry asked Neville in bewilderment, wondering why on earth any of the Weasley’s would prefer to go through the muggle way when that was available.

He was answered a moment later as Mrs. Longbottom swept into the room, velvet robes and vulture hat already on point.

“It costs more to go through the Floo to the train station.” She told him before he and Neville were ushered up to the fireplace. “You have everything ready?”

“Yes, ma’am.” They dutifully replied.

After she explained how to use the Floo to him, Neville stepped up first and called out, “King’s Cross Station, Platform 9 ¾!” and with a whoosh, was gone.

Harry took a deep breath and prayed to Merlin before stepping into the flames.  Fireplaces whooshed by him and Artemis cackled loudly as they spun.

Neville watched wide eyed as soot flew out of the fireplace, Harry practically flying through the air as he came out.

Two stumbling steps later and he found himself caught by Neville.

“Almost did a faceplant there, Nev.  Thanks for the save.” Harry breathed deeply, trying to calm the nausea in his stomach as Neville brushed the soot off him.

“Tth..that was quite the show.” Neville replied slyly, laughing when Harry gave him a gentle push.

“Now, boys.  I want you to be on your best behavior.  And Harry, it was such a joy to have you.  You should come back next summer and spend some time with us.” Harry beamed up at Mrs. Longbottom, genuinely fond of the old battleaxe.

“Yes, ma’am.  Thank you so much for having me.”  She brushed a little bit of soot off his cheek and then turned to her grandson.

“Remember, I will be proud of you either way.”  She told him gently before pressing a kiss to his forehead.

Harry pushed down the fierce vindication in his chest as Neville blushed bright red and then managed to nod.  

One thing he’d definitely managed to get right was successfully change the way Mrs. Longbottom was trying to push her grandson into the mold of her son.  

It had taken almost the whole month but now not only did Neville have his own wand instead of his father’s, but the acknowledgement from his grandmother that he was not a carbon copy of either of his parents.

It probably helped that Harry had made the passionate argument that as neither of them knew their parents, how were they supposed to take after them?  Not only that, but they were their own persons and deserved to make their own way in life.

Augusta Longbottom had thoughtfully regarded him for several long moments that night at dinner, sharp eyes assessing him.  That next day she had taken Neville to Ollivanders.

“Harry, ww..we need to find a seat.”  The teen followed the tugging on his sleeve and they boarded the train, dodging around the students racing up and down the corridor.

They found an empty compartment midway down the train and Harry relaxed as they entered.  He pulled his shrunken trunk out of his pocket and tapped it with the holly wand, letting the magic of the trunk resize it and then pushed it up to the space above.  

‘I can come out now?’ Artemis asked, poking her head up and out from beneath his shirt.  He hummed in agreement and she slid down to the bench.

‘Poor Hedwig,’ she hissed smugly, aiming for the spot closest to the window where the sunlight was streaming in.

Harry just rolled his eyes at his snake familiar.  He’d sent Hedwig on to Hogwarts, not wanting her to be stuck in her cage the entire way when she could stretch her wings.  

Surprisingly she’d not been happy about it, and the owl and teen had stared each other down before she’d finally fluffed her feathers in resigned agreement.

10 minutes later and the train gave the last warning whistle before wheels began to turn.  Harry couldn’t help the excited glance he shared with Neville as the train slowly pulled out of the station, both of them pressed up to the glass and waving goodbye to Mrs. Longbottom.

They finally settled down when nothing but rolling green grass passed by the windows, Harry pulling out his potions book and settled down to read. 

Without a certain dark bat sneering over his shoulder Harry actually found potions interesting, and was determined to be much better at it this time around.

He glanced up when he saw movement from the corner of his eye, shaking his head with fondness as Artemis moved to curl up in Neville’s lap.  The other boy just stoked a hand down her scales and gazed out the window.

For the next hour it passed this way, only the soft turning of pages and the soft snores from an asleep Neville breaking the silence.

BAM!

Battle reflexes had Harry already ducking low and then surging up, holly wand in hand.  Draco Malfoy froze as the tip dug into the corner of his jaw, swallowing heavily at the green eyes blazingly at him.

Harry gritted his teeth against the war cry being sung in his head, his left forearm heating up as the Elder Wand vibrated.  

“Hello?”  The blond tried, wincing as the tip dug in a little further and then withdrew.

“Sorry.” Harry said sheepishly, mentally face palming at the startled look on all three boys' faces, Crabbe and Goyle peering uncertainty around their leader. “You startled me.”

“Aa..at least they didn’t startle Artemis.”  Neville noted, coming up behind him with his familiar wrapped around his shoulders. She quickly moved over to Harry and disappeared beneath his shirt.

The dark haired teen subtly rubbed at where the Stick was holstered to try and calm it down.  It buzzed in his head in excitement and then seemed to slump in disappointment a moment later when nothing happened.

Harry slipped his holly wand back into the right arm holster, trying not to smirk at the wary look the blond was giving Artemis’s hiding place and moved back to allow the other three into the compartment.

The blond’s mouth moved for a second more before the familiar pureblood expression fell over his face.

Oh here we go , Harry thought with some entertainment.  As much as he was determined to at least be on the good side of the Malfoy Heir, he also couldn’t help a spot of vindictiveness running through him.

“She’s gorgeous but snakes aren’t allowed at Hogwarts.”  He said stiffly, settling himself down next to Neville.

“Not true.” Harry returned mildly, feeling Artemis tighten around his neck before peering out at the boy.  “In our list, it says nothing about other types of familiars being banned.  Or having more than one.”

Grey eyes narrowed at him thoughtfully before a smirk crossed the blond’s face.  “You’re going to do quite well in Slytherin.” He replied with amusement, and then stuck out his hand.  “Draco Malfoy.

Harry stared at it for a split second before an answering smirk crossed his face as he took it.  “Harry Potter.”

He massively enjoyed the look of shock on the other boy’s face, and it must have been apparent because Neville started to snicker.

“Nn..not laughing at you.” The shy boy assured the blond when he turned with indignation towards him.  “I w..would say you get used to Harry, but you really don’t.”

“Hey!” Harry said mildly, gently kicking the other boy in the leg.  “I resemble that remark.”

“How do you two know each other?” Draco asked curiously after Neville introduced himself, waving away Grabbe and Goyle when they mumbled something about visiting Pansy and left.

“I spent the last month at Longbottom Manor.” Harry shrugged, not missing the way Draco’s eyes narrowed in thought.  Everyone knew that Harry Potter had been hidden in the muggle world for his own safety.  

So why had he emerged the last month before school?  And why the Longbottoms?

Harry let Draco stew in his own thoughts as he and Nev started a conversation about which classes they were excited about most.

Draco lit up when they began talking about potions, inserting his own thoughts into the group.  For the rest of the train ride the three boys talked, slowly settling into the firm foundations of a friendship.

“You were right, Longbottom.  You really don’t get used to Harry.”  Draco whispered in disbelief to the other boy, watching wide eyed as the burnet across from them talked to his snake.

Hisses could only be heard until Harry laughed at something the snake must have said.

“No, you really don’t. Mm..makes it entertaining though.”  Draco turned to look at him, mouth dropping slightly at the wicked look on the other boy's face.

“You’re alright, Longbottom.  Call me Draco.”  He said, amused at the surprised look on the other's face.

“Neville.”  He replied to him, and then returned the smile Harry shot at the both of them.

Soon the conductor was announcing they would reach the station, and Draco left after assuring them he would meet them outside.

Harry and Neville quickly pulled on their robes as the train slowed to a stop.

They followed the mass exodus of students and stepped out into the night.

“F’rst years o’er here! F’rst years o’er here!”

Harry felt his breath catch at Hagrid’s familiar bellow.

‘Master?’ Artemis hissed lowly at him, rising up to poke behind his ear. She’d felt him stiffen at the shouting and had tensed herself to defend him.

‘I’m alright, Artemis.  And stop coming out!’ He hissed back quietly, pushing her wedge shaped head back below his shirt.

She grumbled at him but acquiesced, laying her head on his collar bone so she could peer out between the two buttons he’d left undone for her.

Draco ghosted up to his left side and all three boys walked down to the shore line.  Joining Anthony Goldstein in a boat, the first years then set off.

Harry ignored the talking going on around him, waiting impatiently for his first sight of Hogwarts as the trees cleared.  

And it did not disappoint.  

Lights blazed out from many of the windows littering the castle, and Harry felt tears burn in his eyes.  

She stood whole.  

The staircase’s roof hadn’t collapsed in, trapping some of the students beneath it.  

None of the stone pillars were laying on their sides.

And none of the dead littered the courtyard. 

Bodies that he’d had to step around, walking to his death.

A hand gently tugging at his left wrist got his attention and he turned his head.

“It’s gorgeous, isn’t it?” Draco whispered to him, awe in his tone as he glazed up.  “Dad wanted to send me to Drumstrang but mum and I disagreed.  There isn’t a place more magical than Hogwarts.”

“You’re right.”  Harry then nudged this boy who had once been an enemy, and was now turning into a friend.  “I’m really glad you came here instead.”

Grey eyes shot to him and regarded him thoughtfully as the boats sidled up to the dock. “Me too.”  

The first years followed after Hagrid like little ducklings up to the front doors.

Professor McGonagall stepped out, and Harry tuned out the speech he already knew by heart.  Carefully looking around, Harry felt his breath catch again at all the familiar faces around him.  

Some of them hadn’t made it through the Final Battle, and his heart hurt at seeing Lavender's eager face as she glanced around.

Sorrow then lanced brightly through his chest as he spied bushy brown hair standing near bright red.

“The road is long, and you will have to make sacrifices along the way to obtain what you want.”

Considering what House he knew he was going to sort into, Ron was already a causality.  The Ron of right now still saw the world as so black and white that grey didn’t exist for him. And with all the times he had betrayed and left Harry Potter, Gryffindor, there was no way he’d stand with a Slytherin Harry.

Hermione, though?  They would have to pry her out of his cold, dead fingers before he’d give her up. Through every up and down she’d been there by his side, and for the very few times she hadn’t, it had only been with his safety in mind.

Mind already spinning with different ways to try to integrate himself with his old best friend, Harry barely paid attention as they entered the Great Hall.

“Abbot, Hannah!”

Harry shook himself out of it and very carefully shifted behind the taller Draco, Neville giving him a curious look. But bless this boy he just shifted and brushed shoulders with the blond, hiding Harry completely from sight.

He took that time to look around the Hall, not letting his eyes settle on anything. 

The temptation to look at where he was sitting was almost beyond control but Harry wrestled it down fiercely. 

After all, Harry Potter was about to turn the tide and kick over the hornet’s nest.  No need to give anyone a preview to the shenanigans he was about to cause.

When it was Neville’s turn he clapped his friend’s shoulder in support and cheered the loudest as Nev proudly walked to Gryffindor table.  He simply smirked when the hat barely touched Draco’s head before the other was strutting to his House.

“Potter, Harry!”

And with that, the entire Hall grew silent before whispers rose like an insidious wave.

Ignoring them all, Harry walked forward and sat down on the stool.  

“Well, well well.  What do we have here?” The hat said, amusement clearly lightening the old thing up.

“That was rude.” It said reprovingly before it chuckled in his head. “Though I am old. I never thought I would ever meet the Master of Death.  Much less sort him for a second time.”

“I don't suppose you’ll sort Gryffindor again?” Harry asked it dryly, smirking under the brim as it laughed out loud.

“Good luck, Mr. Potter.  Try to not torment the snakes too much.  SLYTHERIN !”  The old hat shouted out to a silent room.

Harry rose and pulled it off, giving the old hat a bow before he turned towards his House’s table.

A hysterical giggle broke the silence and it took everything Harry had not to laugh as Draco slapped a hand over his mouth, muffling the sound as the blond’s face lit up bright red in embarrassment.

A second later Draco had regained his composure and was clapping politely, the motion picked up by the rest of their House and Neville.  

The other three House’s just watched in horrified silence as Harry Potter seated himself at Slytherin House.

Half An Hour Before-The Staff Table

Tom POV

“Harry Potter starts this year, doesn’t he, Albus?” Pomona Sprout asked cheerfully, pouring herself a glass of pumpkin juice. 

“Yes, he does.  Gryffindor House will gain a remarkable member to their ranks.”  Dumbledore stated, twinkling at his staff as students began to stream in.

“That’s if he does.  Just because Lily and James were ‘Gryfs does not mean he will sort there.  5 gallons says he comes to Ravenclaw.” Flitwick rebutted, fishing said gallons out of his pocket and slapped them on the table.

And with that, the entire Staff table was engaged in betting on which house Potter would sit at.

Tom rolled his eyes and then smirked to himself, placing 10 on Gryffindor.  

Surprisingly no one, Slytherin House wasn’t chosen since the one Slytherin at the table (that they knew of) hated anything Potter with a passion.

He retreated to the back of Quirrell’s mind, having no interest in watching the sorting coming up.  After all, he’d already been through this song and dance before.

The shifting of two boys near the front caught his attention and he mentally frowned.  

Was someone purposely hiding behind them?  He gently pushed Quirrell to the back and took over again.

White blond hair that could only belong to a Malfoy was standing shoulder to shoulder with another boy, and his eyebrows rose in interest as he recognized the Longbottom Heir.  

But who was hiding behind them?  They were too small to see from this distance and he could not for the life of him remember the student list.

As the list of sorted first years dwindled, the child came into view and his puzzlement deepened.

It was Harry Potter.  

A Harry Potter that wasn’t wearing glasses.  He’d always worn glasses before.

He tilted his head and eyed the boy rocking back and forth on his heels as he looked around the Hall.  Was he always that small? Tom thought with some bafflement.

Finally the P’s came up and Potter walked forward and sat down, Minerva placing the hat on his head.

Tom stifled his amusement at the way the hat was so large, and Potter so small that it completely dwarfed the boy’s head and slid down over his nose.

The Great Hall waited with baited breath, silence that was then broken when the hat started laughing .

“Good luck, Mr. Potter.” It grounded out, mirth clear in it’s tone.

“Try to not torment the snakes too much.  SLYTHERIN! ”  The hat shouted out to a silent room.

His mouth fell open as shock froze his mind.

“What the ever loving fuck?!” Tom whispered harshly as Potter mockingly bowed to the old hat and then practically skipped his way to Slytherin House.

Tom could only watch in a daze as Harry Potter sat down at his House table.

Green-green eyes met his then, and a wicked smirk curled at the boy’s lips.

And then the fucking cheeky bastard winked at him.

Puzzle pieces that had been floating in the air for the last month clattered to the floor, forming a picture he wasn’t sure he was ready for yet.

A wild snort escaped his nose and before he knew it he was laughing helplessly.  

Of fucking course .

His fate had been entwined with Potter’s since before the boy was even born.  Tom shook his head at his own foolishness and resisted the urge to facepalm.

His soulmate just gave him another wicked look before turning to whisper something to the Malfoy Heir.

“Motherfucking Merlin’s. Wrinkled. Sagging. Ballsack ! ” A voice snarled at his shoulder, and Tom gave the wizard sitting next to him a shocked look.

Severus to his knowledge never cursed, preferring instead to cut a person down using words so harsh you were nothing but sand at the end.

His eyebrows rose as the darker man fished a flask out of his robes and poured a healthy dose into his empty cup.  From the bite in the air it was clearly firewhiskey.

Tom reached out without thought and snatched the flask, pouring a measure into his own empty glass.

“Cheers, Severus.”  Tom muttered, knocking it back and thanking Salazar they’d decided to not go with that fucking stupid stutter this time around.

Severus just grunted and slung his head back, then poured himself another measure.  He held the flask out and Tom sighed a thanks as he poured himself another finger.

He glanced up to find Potter staring at the both of them, one fist pressed against his mouth as the boy clearly struggled to contain his mirth.

Oh fuck it.

He made a rude hand gesture at the teen, feeling a little smug at the surprised expression before, “Quirinus!”

He turned toward Minerva and winced.

Shit, he’d been caught.

He slunk down into his seat at the explosion of muffled laughter he could hear from the Slytherin table as Minerva lectured him on appropriate behavior.

If only he’d known how much fun it was taunting Slytherins this way, Harry thought wickedly.  

He eyed his soulmate and Head of House at the Staff table, both men looking a little loose from what he was sure was firewhisky.

“You know,” a voice drawled at his side, mirth dancing in Draco’s tone, “when Neville said you were entertaining, he certainly wasn’t joking!”

“I have no idea what you’re referring to, Heir Malfoy.”  Harry said primly, turning to focus on the shepherd's pie in front of him. 

Oohh his favorite.

“I think my godfather is getting drunk.” Draco continued gleefully, the blond clearly trying not to laugh as he looked up at the Staff table.  Harry just snorted in amusement as Professor Snape poured himself another glass.

“I am curious as to how Harry Potter talked his way into Slytherin.  And why. ”  

Harry glanced up to the curious eyes of Blaise Zambini on the other side of the table, chewing thoughtfully as Theodore Nott nodded suspiciously beside him.

“What makes you think I talked it into it?”  Harry asked archly, cutting into a long green bean.

“Don’t torment the snakes too much?” Daphne Greengrass returned dryly, raising a perfectly manicured eyebrow at him.

Harry just smirked and said nothing.

The rest of the first year Slytherins continued to eye him warily as they ate.

They were nearly finished when Draco leaned into him, reaching for another serving of black pudding and laid lowly, “The Headmaster has been staring at you for the last half hour.  And not in a good way.”

Harry hummed in acknowledgement and glanced up slowly, looking around the Great Hall as if in thought.

The Death Stick thrummed a warning along his arm, heating up as Harry then looked to the Staff table at the front.

Dumbledore was staring at him, twinkle absent and eyes hard.

He felt the slightest push against his mind and Harry lashed out.

“OW!” Draco cried out, lurching back and grabbing at the shin the dark haired teen had just kicked.

“Merlin, Draco, I’m so sorry!  I felt something bite me.”  Harry apologized profusely as he turned to face him, wincing.  He hadn’t meant to kick the blond that hard.

Draco glared at him and rubbed his shin.  “That distraction had better been worth it.”  He grumbled at him. 

Harry gave him a surprised look and the other boy rolled his eyes at him.  

“Anyone other than a Slytherin wouldn’t have noticed.  What did he do?”

“Pretty sure he tried to read my mind.”  Harry said quietly.

Draco narrowed his eyes thoughtfully, suspicions rolling through his mind. 

Supposedly Harry was all but raised by muggles, so how the hell would he know anything about Legilimency?  All Family Heirs were taught the basics of keeping their minds closed as children, so it was possible Neville had said something during the past month but still.

How would he have known what an attack on the mind felt like?  

“What?” Harry asked, seeing the look when he’d reached for his goblet of water.

“Nothing.”  Draco replied finally, shaking the thoughts out of his mind as the Prefects called for the first years to follow them to the dorms.

Harry waited until snores echoed around his dorm before he was pulling his Cloak out, Artemis ‘I won’t be left behind again!’ clinging to his neck.  He softly stroked down Hedwig’s breast, whispering to her where he was going.

She nibbled on his fingers and then fell back to sleep perched on his headboard.  All of the Slytherin boys had been surprised at her presence but none had asked why she was there and not in the owlery.

Considering just how well he knew this castle, his home, it was barely a thought before he was strolling out onto the grounds.

Mist drifted along the grass as sounds from the Forbidden Forest echoed from the trees, but Harry didn’t pay it any mind. 

The Wand holstered to his left arm hummed at the howling of a wolf. He gave a wary glance up to the moon and relaxed, seeing that it was waning. 

A soft swoop of wings sang towards him and he smiled, spinning on one foot and launched himself into Death’s embrace.  The entity twirled him around gaily, laughing with him as they spun.

“Did you see his face?” Harry gasped out, trying not to giggle at the absolute hilarity.

“We did! There was popcorn and everything.” Death said gleefully, wings folding back until they vanished.

‘Did you see Snape?!’ Artemis crowed, shooting up so she could join the fun. ‘He had better wish he has a hangover cure ready for tomorrow.’

All three laughed as they walked further out onto the grounds.

“Now starts the real work, luv.”  Death said after a minute, hugging Harry to him.

“I did tip the scales in your favor, my darling.” A sweet voice confided, Fate appearing between one step and the next.  He slung an arm around her waist and hugged her tightly to him, relishing the warmth as they curled around him.

“How?” He asked curiously, then sucked in a breath as she showed him what she had to Tom Riddle.

“Apparently even Slytherin genes can’t get rid of that Potter hair.” He said wistfully, carefully storing the images of their child curled up with Tom deep into his mind.

“There is no force in existence that could tame that hair.” Death teased him quietly. 

Harry simply smiled and walked with them into the fog.

So was it worth the wait?  I swear, I either was cackling or crying the entire time I wrote this chapter. Pretty sure my son thought I'd finally lost my cookies. He'd come out of his room, see my crying into my tissues and was like, "Ma!  Again?!"

Next chapter is already over 8,000 words and I'm not even close to being done.  Snape finds out about abuse!  TOM FINDS OUT.  ::cackles::  See you next week!

Chapter Text

Why is it only Monday?  Yes, yes it is. I'm so far down into Chapter 6 that I decided to let this one lose a little early.  

If I named chapters, this one would definitely be called How to Make Your Dark Lord a Frothing Mass in 3 Easy Steps by Harry James Potter.  ::cackles wildly::

On to the show!

“Severus, I need to see you in my office after breakfast.”

Severus Snape raised an eyebrow as Madam Poppy Pomfrey stopped by his chair on her way out of the Great Hall.

“It’s in regards to the yearly physicals.”  She conveyed quietly, and he gave her a short nod.

She gave his shoulder a fond pat before using the teacher’s exit to the back.

Severus drained the last of his coffee and sighed heavily before picking up the class schedules for his snakes.

The chair to his left was pulled out and Quirrell collapsed into it, rubbing at his temples and wincing as bright morning light streamed down from the windows.

The Potions Master smirked to himself before silently sliding over the extra hangover potion he’d brought up from his quarters.  The Defense teacher gave him a grateful look before quickly swallowing it, sighing with relief as the pain ebbed.

Rising up from his chair, Severus swept out from behind the Staff Table and made for Slytherin House.  A quick count told him all of his snakes were there. His eyebrows shot up at the lone spot of red and gold sitting at the table then dismissed it.

To get it over with quickly, he handed his godson the first year schedules and swept by Potter, not even giving the boy a glance.

I can do this.  I will do this.  The dark haired man swore grimly to himself. It was a refrain he’d repeated to himself once he’d gone back to his quarters and opened that bottle of bourbon Lucius had given him one Yule. 

He still couldn’t believe that Potter was one of his snakes.  And now he had to deal with the brat for the next 7 years as his Head of House.

Please take after Lily , Severus prayed quietly.  If you take after your father, you may not make it to your majority.

A Little Bit Previous 

Harry gagged as he shot back the last potion he needed to take with breakfast.  He shook himself and then slipped the empty phial into his trunk and pulled on his shoes.

‘It’s not that bad.’ Artemis accused from inside his shirt.

‘It tastes like those socks from behind Dudley’s headboard that we pulled out last time we had to clean his room.’

The snake considered that carefully.  ‘That’s disgusting, Master. You poor thing.’  She mocked teasingly.

Harry chuckled and gave her a gentle poke.  

Hedwig fluttered up to his shoulder and they made for the Great Hall.  He hadn’t wanted any of his roommates to see him taking the potions, knowing instinctively that would be like blood in the water for the Slytherins.

Yes!   Harry crowed to himself as he saw a certain Gryffindor loitering by the doors.

He and Nev had promised each other that no matter what House they sorted into, they would remain best friends.  

Harry had thought he would need to convince the other boy he was actually serious but Neville must have taken their promise to heart.

“Nev!”  He called out cheerfully, slinging his arm around the other boy and pulled him in through the doors.

“Have you eaten yet?”  He asked and Neville shook his head, laughing a little as Harry dragged him over to the Slytherin table.

“Pp..pretty sure that’s not allowed.” The Gryffindor said as they neared, and a sleepy blond head popped up to eye them.

“I have a feeling that ‘No’ isn’t in Harry’s vocabulary.”  Draco yawned, not even protesting when Harry gently pushed him over to make room for them.

The rest of the first years eyed the lion but didn’t say much as both boys filled up their plates.  A few of the older years made some protesting noises but quieted down at the sharp look Harry sent them.

Neville peered around Harry and then gave his blond friend a nudge.

Draco smirked and then let out a little laugh.  Leaning in, he whispered what had happened last night in the Slytherin Common Room.  

Nev’s eyes bugged out and he whipped around to look at Harry.  The other boy didn’t give them a response, just smugly spooned porridge into his bowl.

FLASHBACK

“You have joined the greatest House at Hogwarts, although the other three will tell you otherwise. Countless ministers of magic have called the dungeons home, as well as Merlin himself. Be proud to be a snake.”

Their Head of House eyed them and every Slytherin in the Common Room straightened up as they watched him give the first years the welcoming speech.

“Outside of these walls Slytherin House stands as one.  Any issues you have with your Housemates stays within these walls.  Am I clear?”  Professor said silkily, a small smirk titling up one edge of his mouth at the affirmative answer from his newest snakes.

“Curfew exists for a reason.” Here he turned to glare directly at Harry, and the teen just gave him an innocent look.  “Should you be out after it, do not get caught.  The punishment you will receive from me will not be worth it.  Also, it is required for your yearly physicals to be completed by the end of the second week.  The sign up sheet is pinned near the door. Do not make me hunt you down.”

Harry’s eyebrows shot up in surprise and he turned to his blond friend with a questioning look. Draco just shrugged, not knowing either.

With that, Snape turned the rest of it over to the Prefects, Gemma Farley and Terrance Strickland.  Harry tuned them out as they instructed the rest of the first years on the notice boards pinned near the door and the House rules.  

It finally ended and Harry pulled Draco into a corner to talk, neither boys wanting to go to bed yet as they settled into green velvet chairs.  Before he’d even opened his mouth someone was interrupting him.

“Oi!  Potter!  You don’t belong here, half-blood .”  The students parted like the sea and Harry raised his eyebrows as a sneering Adrian Pucey came into view.

“The Sorting Hat would disagree with you.”  The teen returned mildly, slowly rising to his feet as the 5th year stopped in front of him.  

The Slytherin part of his soul hummed to life, calculations quickly running through his head. He’d been expecting a power play of some sort but this had come far quicker than he’d thought.  Apparently some Slytherins weren’t really all that cunning or patient.

He felt a flash of gratitude when he felt Draco hovering just over his shoulder, the other boy tense as he glared at the older year.

“Lay off, Pucey.”  Gemma hissed, separating herself from the crowd to stand next to the first year.

“Shut up, Farely!  He doesn’t belong here and I’m going to show him that.” Pucey raised his wand and pointed it right in Harry’s face.

He instantly regretted that as Harry slammed his knee into Pucey’s groin, the 5th year’s wand clattering to the floor as he bent over in pain. 

In the second after that Harry hooked a foot behind the other boy’s knee and it buckled, sending Pucey sprawling to the floor.  

Harry silently thanked the twins once more as he dropped down to the floor and lodged his holly wand in the corner of the other boy’s neck.  

They’d taught him how to defend himself that summer after first year, practicing long into the day out on the makeshift Quidditch pitch.  It had come in handy more times then he’d like to think about.

His left arm flared with heat and snarling filled his mind as the Elder Wand vibrated violently in it’s holster. 

Harry had to forcibly suppress the urge to reach for it as the 5th year tensed to move, battle instincts hammering at him to neutralize the threat.

White scales shot out from around his neck and flew down, Artemis hissing viciously as she quickly eeled her way up.  

Pucey froze as venom dripped from the open snake’s mouth, his shirt and tie hissing and starting to smoke as the liquid ate away at the cloth.

She glared down at him and snapped wildly, coming very close to biting the terrified 5th year. 

The wand at his throat dug in and he swallowed heavily as he looked up into the fiery green eyes glaring down at him.

“You are a discredit to your House, Pucey.”  Harry snarled, adrenaline and anger coursing through him.  “It does not matter whether I am pureblood, half-blood or muggleborn.  I am magical .  I deserve my spot in this House.”

Pucey nodded as best he could, arms raised in surrender at the furious first year kneeling over him.  He flinched when the snake leaned in and hissed something in his face.

Harry smirked darkly and his head tilted.  “She says you smell like prey.  Careful, or she’ll think you are.”

Slytherin House froze as one when Harry hissed back to her. ‘I think our point was made, Artemis.’

She huffed but reluctantly moved to wrap back around his neck and he stood up. 

“Still think I’m not worthy of the House of Slytherin?”  Harry mocked, sneering down at the boy staring up at him in shock.  He turned on one heel and stalked away, robes flaring around him much like their Head of House.

END FLASHBACK

“ Wow .”  The teen in question looked up in surprise and flushed at the admiring look on Neville’s face.

His eyebrows arched high in surprise when the boy continued, “Ccc...can you teach me that?”

Harry’s head shot up and then he turned to glare at Gryffindor House.  “Are they giving you trouble?” He demanded. 

His best friend looked startled and then shook his head quickly.  “No.”

“Good.” Harry muttered viciously and stabbed at his porridge.  Draco raised his eyebrows at Neville in intrigue and the other boy just shrugged sheepishly.

He fed Hedwig some bacon and the owl nibbled at his hair in thanks.  She brushed one wing fondly against his head and then spread her wings to take off for the owlery.

A moment later Snape swept by and Harry accepted his timetable from Draco.

Harry internally groaned when he saw they had History first thing with the Hufflepuffs.  The battle to stay awake has begun, he thought with dark humor.

Ooohhh, DADA wasn’t until tomorrow.  His last class in fact, thank Merlin, before the weekend began.

Harry snuck a glance up to the Staff Table only to find Professor Quirrell staring straight at him.

He raised an eyebrow in interest when the Professor’s expression sharpened as Tom obviously rose to the surface.

His soulmate jerked his head slightly to the side, indicating the antechamber located right next to the Staff exit.

An utterly wicked , delicious thought rose up in Harry’s mind and he slowly smiled at his soulmate.

Tom scowled at him when Harry widened his eyes innocently and pointed to his chest.

He jerked his head to the side again and glared.

Green-green eyes laughed at him as Harry shook his head, mouthing ‘Nope.’ as the teen grabbed his bookbag.

“What in the name of Merlin are you doing?”

Harry turned to look at Draco and Neville, both boys obviously catching the byplay between himself and Tom.

“Many, many years from now, I’ll tell you.”  Harry said cheerfully, slinging the shoulder strap of his bookbag around his torso as he rose up.  

From the corner of his eye he could see purple robes moving in his direction.

“And you will be amazed at my daring as well as question my sanity.  See you in Potions, Nev.”

And with that, the Potter Heir quickly swept out of the Great Hall.

“Does he even know the way to History?” Draco asked Neville with bewilderment.

Tom stopped midway through the Hall when it was obvious he wasn't going to catch Harry as the teen’s robes fluttered around a corner and out of sight.

He’s going to pay for that, he thought darkly, before letting himself fade into the back of Quirrell’s head.

‘That was fun!’ Artemis cackled as they swept around the corner and up the first flight of stairs.

‘He’s definitely going to make me pay for that later.’ Harry whispered to her, trying not to giggle as he remembered the look on Tom’s face when he’d said no.

That was fairly amusing .  Death remarked gleefully as Fate laughed gently in his ear. 

Harry just grinned as he mounted the second staircase, heading for Professor Binns’s classroom.

“Alanna?”  

The woman in question turned and smiled as he entered the Hospital Wing.

“Severus.” She said warmly, the woman rising up to her tiptoes to press a kiss to his cheek.  “Daisy sends her regards, and that she will thrash you in the next poker game.”

The dark haired man smirked at her fondly. “She forever lives in hope.” He intoned with mirth.

The woman shook her head and laughed to herself before moving so Madam Pomfrey could join them.

“It’s a little early in the year to see you, Alanna.  Not that I don’t enjoy your company, but why are you here?”

The solicitor sighed heavily and leaned back wearily on the medical bed behind her.  It was early in the year.  

Typically she and Severus didn’t meet until a month had passed into the school year to exchange notes and update both their files.  It also gave the Head of Slytherin time to get physicals on his youngest snakes, and alert her if he found anything amiss. 

Severus then realized someone was missing and his eyes sharpened.  “Where is Minerva?” He questioned.

The Deputy Headmistress always attended these meetings, wanting to keep an ear to the ground so to speak on the abuse cases in his House.

Slytherin House, by its very nature, acquired most of the cases on child abuse at Hogwarts.  

His House sheltered the children who had learned how to manipulate their abusers into not hurting them.  The cunning they had to develop early in life just so they could survive .  

The purebloods would be astonished at how many muggleborns and half-bloods have actually claimed the dungeons as their home.

“She’s not here because she was not notified.  And she won’t be Severus.”  The man stiffened at the look of steel in her eyes. “By law she would be required to report this to the Headmaster.”

“What the hell is going on, Al?”  He whispered, gathering the edges of his robes together so he could cross his arms.

She deflated at the look of vulnerability that was his very posture at that moment.  Severus Snape had been one of her very first cases when she had started practicing law. 

And no matter how hard she’d tried, and by Merlin had she tried, she hadn't been able to get his mother to press charges against her husband.  Or remove him from what was clearly an abusive home. 

That teenager had remembered what she’d done though, and even if she hadn’t been able to rescue him the Slytherin trusted her with his most precious charges.  

His snakes.

Madame Pomfrey took that moment to move forward, a scroll marked with the acid green Healer’s seal in her hands.

“Severus, please actually look when you open it.”  Severus slowly reached out and grabbed the scroll from her.  

“A child should not have to pay for the sins of their parents.”  The mediwitch continued quietly.

Trepidation filling him, Severus broke the seal and unfurled it.

Potter, Harry James 

Severus inhaled sharply and spun on one foot, scroll clenched in his hand as he stalked to the other side of the Hospital Wing.  Both women watched him silently, letting him work off the energy.

He paced frantically back and forth, long strides taking him from one side to the other quickly.  

Don't be a coward Severus.

Stopping in the middle of the room, he unrolled it once more and read past the name at the top.

What it said sent the man crashing to his knees, devastation rolling through his soul.

Adolescent osteoporosis 

Multiple fractures to both radius bones, two clean breaks on left

Humerus bone on right- spiral fractured and healed incorrectly

Long turn malnourishment- height and weight well below average

Right kidney-operating at 75%

Left kidney-started organ failure

Liver has been damaged-see anemia

Heart murmur-not dangerous, can be corrected with proper nutrients

Had it not been for Daisy's familiar handwriting he would be snarling that this must be some joke, and that he was not fucking amused, even though he knew Alanna would never do something like that.

The long list of potions that Potter must be taking was listed at the bottom, along with the legal charges against Petunia and Vernon Dursley she had filed. 

“Lily must be spinning in her grave.”  He finally rasped, letting the scroll roll up and staggered back to his feet.

“Yes, she must be.” Alanna agreed quietly, smiling wistfully.  She’d only met his friend once but she’d immediately taken a shine to the fiery little redhead.

“The Headmaster placed him there.”  Rage started to fill him as he quickly connected the dots, closing his eyes tightly at her nod.

“How could he send Potter to that bitch?  There’s no way he didn’t know.  Lily complained often enough about her.  In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if her Will specifically stated that he was not to be placed there.” Severus leaned back weakly at the dark look on his friend’s face.

“Please don’t tell me there’s more.”  He begged quietly.

“They kept him in a cupboard, Sev.  They forced him to cook for them, and then gave him the barest of scraps after. There wasn’t a chore that poor boy didn’t do in that house.” 

Grey eyes lit up with rage and the woman had to make herself breathe deeply to control her magic. “And that was after they were paid to care for him.”

“He didn’t even bother to check in on his Golden Boy, did he?  Just threw him away after his task was done, only to be picked up again if he was useful.”  Severus said bitterly, tucking the Healer’s scroll away in his robes.

“Why do you think he’s in our House, Severus?”  Alanna replied gently then crossed over to lay her hand on his shoulder.

“As of right now, the Headmaster has no idea Mr. Potter was removed from his relatives a month ago.”  Both Severus and Madam Pomfrey focused sharply on her, knowing there was more to the story.  It took a Wizengamot trial for that to happen.

Severus’s mouth fell open and Poppy gasped as she told them in low tones what had happened last month at Gringotts.  

Silence fell then as Alanna let the other two process their thoughts for a while.

“You want me to play buffer between Mr. Potter and the Headmaster.” The Potion’s Master finally said, shrewdness coating his tongue.

Alanna nodded sharply.  “We have a court date set for later this month, and I had to call in some favors but Harry’s name was hidden on the intake charges.  The Court won’t actually know what case they’re trying until it’s too late.  But I need to make sure the Headmaster doesn’t catch wind of this.”

A hard look filled her eyes.  “He will be removed as Harry’s magical guardian.  And I fully intend for him to never again be placed over a magical child’s care.”

Severus studied her for long moments with worry.  “Be careful, my friend.  He is dangerous.”

Alanna grinned at him as a bloodthirsty look crossed her face. “So am I.”

Potion’s Class

Harry slid into the seat next to Neville and ignored the hissing he could hear behind him as he settled on the Gryffindor side of the room.

Draco looked back at him from the front and Harry motioned for him to join them.  The blond gave him a considering look and then gathered his stuff to join his two friends.

Bushy brown hair almost blocked his view for a moment and he hid a smile as Hermione claimed a seat right in front of him.  He then dismissed the small pang he felt as Ron gave him a black look before sitting next to her.

The sound of the door slamming open jolted most of the students into sitting up straight as Professor Snape stalked to the front.

He raised his eyebrows at his two snakes sitting in lion territory as he took roll.  So long as it didn’t cause issues he would allow it but the second it affected the safety of the classroom he would address it.

Harry leaned back in appreciation as the professor gave his customary speech, thoroughly enjoying it.  The man certainly has a way with words.  

The teen bit his lip with mirth as Professor Snape pointedly glared at the Gryffindor side of the room when he called them potential dunderheads.

“Mr. Longbottom.  Where would you find a bedozar?”

His friend shrank back a little and Harry gave him an encouraging nudge with his foot.

“In the stomach of a gg...goat, sir.”  Neville replied quietly, cringing a little as Hermione dropped her hand in disappointment.  The girl had practically jumped out of her seat waving her hand around.

“Mr. Malfoy, what would I get if I added asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?”  Professor Snape actually rolled his eyes a little as her hand shot up again.

“The Draught of the Living Death, sir.”  

Harry waited patiently for his turn to be questioned and frowned when it never came.  Snape had never missed an opportunity to humiliate him before, so what had changed now?

The teen watched him from the corner of his eyes the rest of the class and noticed something strange.  The professor treated him just as he treated any of his other snakes.

Had it really been as simple as this?   Harry wondered in bafflement as he started to pack up his things.  

Had it just been being sorted into the man’s House enough to break the façade of his father Snape saw in him?

For the first time he gave serious thought to what could have been had he allowed the hat to sort him into Slytherin. The possibilities were endless .

And with the upcoming yearly physicals all Slytherins were supposed to take, his abuse would have been caught right away.  His body had simply sustained too much damage for it to be missed when they actually looked for it.

“Mr. Potter, please see me after class.”

Harry looked up at the professor in surprise. “Yes, sir.” He reluctantly replied.

The class slowly cleared out, Harry promising he’d meet up with both his friends for dinner once the professor was done with him before he walked to the front.

Finally it was just him and Snape.

The professor eyed him for a moment before he leaned back against his desk and crossed his arms.

“Mr. Potter, I have been made aware of the potions you are taking.  From here on out I will be providing them for you.  Come see me each Monday morning and I will give you a week's worth.”

Oh .

He hadn’t considered this but it made sense.  And Snape would have found out soon anyway with his physical coming up.

“Daisy will be coming next Tuesday during lunch period to evaluate your progress.”  A look of rare compassion crossed the professor’s face and he leaned forward to look Harry in the eyes. “I will be informed of the results but rest assured, they will never leave my confidence.”

“Thank you, sir.”  Harry replied quietly and toed the ground thoughtfully.  

He’d honestly thought he and Snape would still have the acrimonious relationship between them but he couldn’t say he didn’t like this change.  It would be so much easier to do what needed to be done without a master spy watching his every move.

And who knows how this might play out now?

Movement at the front of the room caught his attention and he bit his lip so he wouldn’t laugh.

Tom loitered by the potion’s classroom, ignoring the curious looks from the first year Gryffindors and Slytherins as they exited.  This was Harry’s last class of the day and he was determined to catch him.

He’d been trying to corner him all day but his Gryffindor/Slytherin soulmate had always been wily.  Tom had sometimes only managed to get glances of wild black hair before Harry disappeared. 

Lunch had been especially frustrating with Harry showing up late, and then vanishing between one second and the next when Tom had looked away for a split second.

The exodus ended without his quarry so Tom stepped through the door, seeing Severus and Harry talking quietly at the far end.

Severus looked up and frowned. “What is it, Professor Quirrell?”

“I actually need to speak to Mr. Potter.” Tom replied and narrowed his eyes at his smirking soulmate.

“Mr. Potter hasn’t even had his first class with you yet.” The Potion’s Master said slowly, crossing his arms and stepped slightly in front of Harry.

Harry bit his lip again as Tom obviously tried to control his exasperation.

“Ah, there you are, Harry.” The door to Professor Snape’s office opened behind them and Harry craned his neck back to see who was stepping through it.

Harry spun on one foot and his face lit up.  “Alanna!”  He said gleefully and darted around the professor’s desk.

Possessiveness roared through Tom and he gritted his teeth when his soulmate launched himself into the laughing woman’s embrace.

“We need to speak privately to Mr. Potter.  Then after that, you may speak to him with myself present.” Severus informed him, arms still folded as he eyed Tom suspiciously.

I would dearly love to spank him right now,  Tom thought darkly as he saw Harry’s shoulders shaking with laughter, the boy’s back to him as he hugged the woman.

Tom reluctantly left, knowing there was no way he’d be able to wiggle his way into whatever meeting was about to happen.

He leaned against the stone wall outside as the door shut behind him, a silencing spell going up behind it.

“Would you like to explain that to me, Mr. Potter?”

Harry widened his eyes in his best innocent look and shrugged. “I have no idea, sir.”

The look on Professor Snape’s face clearly said the man didn’t believe him but dropped it, waving the teen into one of the two chairs in front of his desk.

“You’re looking much better, Harry.  Longbottom Manor clearly agreed with you.”  Alanna said warmly, gently touching his chin so she could get a better look at his face.

A month of solid meals and the potions Daisy had sent him had done wonders for him.  He no longer looked as skinny and had gained enough weight his bones didn’t stick out as much.  The paleness had faded from his skin and been replaced with a healthy glow from a month spent mostly outdoors with Nev. 

Harry reached out and grasped her other hand.  “Thank you so much for saving me.”  He said quietly, noticing with interest the flinch Professor Snape tried to suppress from the corner of his eye.

She smoothed his hair back from his face and smiled a little as it bounced right back.

“The trail is set for the 24th, and Professor Snape will escort you to the Ministry the morning of.  We won’t be informing any of the other teachers ahead of time about your absence.”  Harry went still at the serious look on her face and her hand tightened on his.

“Under no circumstances are you to be alone with Headmaster Dumbledore, do you understand?”

Harry nodded and then shot Professor Snape a look.

“I think he tried to read my mind last night at the Welcoming Feast.” 

Snape’s lips pressed together and he quizzed Harry on why he thought that.  After hearing about the probing sensation he nodded reluctantly.

“Don’t meet his gaze head on.” The professor instructed.  “Always look at something either on a shoulder or the face.”

“Once you have settled into your classes I want you to meet with me every Saturday.  I will teach you to close your mind.”  Professor Snape continued, tilting his head slightly at the ironic amusement he just saw flash through green eyes.

Aw hell , Harry thought with some resignation as he nodded again.  He’d been teetering on whether to involve the Professor but hadn’t been able to make a solid decision yet due to their past bitterness with each other.

But this was an offer he really couldn’t refuse, Professor Snape being a rare Master at Occlumency.  

He’d also bet his wand that the lessons would go much better this time around with the lack of animosity between them.

It seemed now the choice had been made for him.  

"Good.”  Alanna said with satisfaction.  “Now that takes care of everything for today.  I do need to speak to you privately, Severus.”  

All three rose up and Harry reached for his bookbag, hugged Alanna goodbye and made for the door.

He’s still waiting for you outside, Fate’s amused voice sang out.

Hilarity streaked through him and he quickly dodged to the side and behind the door as it unlocked, Tom quickly striding past him and into the room.

Harry darted around and through the door, dancing around the hand that shot out of the doorway to catch him as Tom spun.  

‘Oh you can do better than that, Tom.’ Harry teased as he raced around a corner, Artemis laughing at the cursing coming from behind them as he swung the Cloak on.

When I catch him he will regret this cat and mouse game!  Tom thought savagely as he raced after his laughing soulmate.

“Is that something we need to worry about?” Alanna asked in concerned confusion as a professor she didn’t recognize swore and raced after her charge.

“For some strange reason, I feel like that’s a no.”  Severus said thoughtfully before the protectiveness he felt for all of his snakes roared up.  “I will be keeping an eye on it however.  Most likely Potter has already picked up on where his father left off.”

For once the thought didn’t cause rage to ignite in him though it did still stir up irritation.  

Of all the children who deserved to laugh and relax though it was Potter, so long as it was harmless.  And Quirrell would have said something already to him if it hadn’t been. 

For one wild moment he wondered just exactly what Potter had done.  It had only been a day!

“He hates bullies, Sev, that’s not something you need to worry about with him.  Augusta wrote me several letters while Harry was at the Manor, and he did not take kindly to a certain gardener who picked on his friend.”  Alanna replied mirthfully, and shared some of the stories she’d been told when he arched an eyebrow in intrigue.

She watched in satisfaction as Severus actually laughed at the sunflower story.

Harry stuffed a fist in his mouth, shoulders shaking as he watched his soulmate sulkily kick at the stone wall.

The teen snorted when a determined look crossed the man’s face and Tom began probing the wall with his wand, trying to find the latch that would open it.  If you knew where to look, triggering the latch on the false wall was easy, stones sliding back to form a shortcut to Hufflepuff territory.

What he didn’t know was that Harry wasn’t even in the hallway behind it, though he’d certainly made it look that way when he’d run past it.  

Instead Harry was hiding behind the tapestry to Tom’s left and slightly behind, a little alcove he’d found 3rd year.  It had the intriguing addition of a permanent silencing charm cast over it, something he figured an enterprising student had done a long time ago.

“Oooohhh are we still tormenting him?”  Death asked excitedly, peering over his right shoulder.  It didn’t startle the teen, having heard the rustle of feathers right before the entity appeared.

He twitched at the edge of the tapestry to get a better look and both froze when Tom’s head whipped around, catching the movement out of the corner of his eye.

“Opps.” Death muttered guiltily and wrapped strong arms around his laughing Master, the world twisting as the powerful beating of wings echoed in Harry’s ears.

The teen slid out of his arms and flopped onto the grass, giggles still shaking his body.  Death collapsed next to him and Harry shifted, settling his head comfortably on the entity’s shoulder as he calmed. 

Artemis spilled out of his shirt and onto Death’s chest, hissing with amusement.

‘He’s been trying to corner Harry all day.’ The snake said gleefully.

“How long do you intend to avoid your soulmate?”  Harry leaned his head back as Fate appeared on his other side, her smooth hand sliding into his hair to brush it back.  “I am surprised you’ve done so.”

“I’m not avoiding him.”  Harry corrected her, mirth still lingering in his tone.

“I’m really not.” He replied to her chiding look, eyes sliding half closed in pleasure as she scratched gently at his head.

“I’m teaching him. Tom was 54 when I was born.” 

Harry grinned when both Death and Fate moved so they could look him in the face, heads almost mashed together above him as the teen settled himself onto the grass.

“That’s a lot of life experience, not even taking into account the crazy parts.”

“And you want to stand an equal.” Fate said, face clearing from the confusion marring it.

“Exactly.”  Harry replied cheerfully.

“I don’t get it.”  Death frowned, sulking a little when they both laughed.

“Tom is demanding answers, answers only Harry can provide. Harry, on the other hand, is essentially telling Tom he’ll only get them when Harry deems it so.” Fate told her husband and then leaned over Harry to kiss him lightly.

“Ooohh.” The confusion cleared and Death started to smirk.

“I don’t want him to think he can say jump and I’ll ask how high.  I’ll let him catch me tomorrow.  Until then, he can just stew in it.”  Harry said, eyes closing as Fate threaded her fingers in his hair, almost purring as the sun slowly began to set.

Tom bolted for the tapestry and jerked it back, sighing angrily at the empty space.

Something caught his attention and he bent down, picking the object up.

“ Cheat!”   He hissed at the dark feather he just knew was somehow mocking him.  He snorted in disgust as a moment later it faded into dust.

His soulmate could not hide from him forever.  After all, he had a class with the teen tomorrow.

Oh.

OH.

Tom chuckled to himself as he let the tapestry go. 

Harry wanted to play?  Well fine then.  He’d been playing these games long before the teen was even a glint in his father’s eye.

It was time to turn the tables.

Harry warily eyed the Staff table as he skirted into the Hall.

Quickly spotting Neville he slinked over to Gryffindor and joined the boy across from him.

“I think you’re going to g..give them a heart attack.  Or cause a riot.” Nev said mirthfully as the lion’s table froze at the snake in their midst.  

“What?”  Harry asked innocently as he filled his plate up with vegetables. Daisy had been very clear on what he was supposed to eat and he didn’t want to disappoint her.

“I was raised muggle.  Didn’t know I was a wizard until my letter.”  He confided into a confused Dean Thomas across from him.

“Really?” Dean asked, leaning forward in interest. “Me as well.  Confused the bloody hell out of my mother when we found out I’m a half-blood.  She didn’t even know my father was a wizard.”

“Yup.  So I don’t understand why Nev and I can’t trade sitting at our House tables.  He’s my best friend.”  

Dean shrugged as Harry then reached forward and speared some grilled chicken onto his plate.

“I don’t understand the rivalry either.”  He admitted.

“Is this a thing we’re doing?  Flipping back and forth between our tables?”  Draco grumpily sat down next to him, filling his goblet with pumpkin juice as half of Gryffindor House sputtered in outrage.  Harry just smiled and leaned into his friend gratefully, the blond muttering under his breath that they owed him big for this.

The black haired teen wisely said nothing as Neville beamed happily at the blond, Draco smiling back at him as he reached for the potatoes. 

“Oh ho, Gred.  These ickle firsties think they can disrupt the system.”

A red head popped up near Neville, causing the boy to almost drop his goblet in startlement.

“Yes, yes Forge. Such chaos they’re causing, these snakes.  They must be up to no good.”

Harry amusingly eyed George as he thumped down next to him.

“Good thing…”

“We live for chaos…”

And you are?”  Harry asked, watching with concealed mirth as Fred braced his hand against his forehead, bemoaning the fact they weren’t famous yet.

“Messer's Fred and George Weasley, at your service, Heir Potter.”  George sniffed, mockingly raising his nose in the air and holding his hand out like Harry was supposed to kiss it.

Both twins cackled when Harry lightly gripped his pinky and shook it.  

“I like you, little snakie.”  Fred said when he’d gotten control of himself.

“Come back to see us.”  George added before both twins disappeared from the table.

“Weasley’s?” Draco moaned in the back of his throat, face palming as both his friends laughed.

“I hope you both know I’m suffering for this.”  The blond sniffed, smothering his smile as Harry teased him and Neville just grinned.

Towards the end of supper Harry remembered he was supposed to be driving his soulmate to distraction and glanced up at the Staff table.

And frowned.

Professor Quirrell was calmly eating his food, lightly conversing with Professor Snape.  

It was definitely the professor as well, body and posture somewhat loose versus the almost solid spine of steel Tom had.

What was that man up to?  

He got something of an answer 30 minutes later when Professor Quirrell swept by him without a glance.

Did Tom really think he was going to fall for that?  Harry laughed to himself, watching the purple robes vanish out of the Hall.

Tom had nothing on a pissed off Hermione, the girl giving the term ‘cold-shoulder’ a whole new meaning when either he or Ron had majorly fucked up.

Harry flipped the page on his Transfiguration book later that night, absently letting his mind wander.  He was the only one in the dorm right now, the others either in the Common Room or out in the castle.

He was waiting for his prey though, who was due to come through the door any minute now.  The teen wanted to catch him before the others came up to bed.

Harry was rewarded a minute later when Draco came in through the door and made a beeline for his bed, gathering his toiletries together for a shower.

“Draco.”  The blond turned in surprise, having not noticed the other boy.  

“Everything alright?” Draco asked in confusion when Harry just drummed his fingers on his leg.

“The Malfoy’s are in the Twenty-Eight.  The Potter’s aren’t, no matter how fabulously wealthy I am.” Harry said after a moment.

The confusion cleared from the blond’s face and he smirked, leaning back against his bed.  “And you want to know why I’ve been following your lead.”

The dark haired teen nodded sharply.   

By societal standards, Harry should be walking the step behind Draco, not the Malfoy Heir  taking up his left hand side while Nev claimed the right.

Oh he understood why Neville did, the introverted Heir not wanting to take a leadership role and being more than glad to follow him.

But the blond confused him.  

Harry had been hoping to at least have a friendship with him, and had been startled when Draco had gracefully folded back. It had been so subtle Harry hadn’t even noticed until they’d been walking to Potion’s class, both pureblood Heirs right at his shoulders as they walked down the hallway.  

In his first life he hadn’t even understood the significance when Ron and Hermione had done the same thing.  The extra books he’d gotten from Flourish and Blotts had been a real eye opener when he’d gotten around to reading them this summer. 

In a pureblood way, the Heirs of Malfoy and Longbottom were declaring allegiance to Heir Potter. It was by no means official, or anything really more than a declaration of friendship but it was still something.

“I have this great aunt from my father’s side, she’s as crazy as a bag full of cats.” Draco grinned as Harry sputtered out a laugh before continuing, “She’s actually my favorite. Always keeps chocolate in her pockets and would sneak me some when I was younger.”

Draco paused and twisted his toiletry bag in his hands. “Aunty Lizzy also says things.  Things that most times come true. She showed up unexpectedly one afternoon this past summer and whisked me away into the gardens. We lost ourselves in the maze like we did when I was little, talking about nothing and everything.”

The blond put his bag down on his bed and walked over to Harry’s, gently pushing the brunet over so he could crawl in.

“Before she left, she turned to me and knelt down.  ‘My little dragon, she said, the winds have changed.  Something is coming and magic herself dances with glee.  Tread carefully and actually look .  You will find what you seek and desire most.’.”

Harry rested against his headboard and caressed Artemis as she moved from his other pillow and onto his lap.  “And what is it that you seek and desire most?” He asked quietly.

Grey eyes regarded him thoughtfully. “Did you know that when we burst into the compartment on the train, the first thing you did was get in front of Neville?  You stood in front of him, shielding him from what you considered a threat.”

Harry tilted his head in confusion. “So you want a protector?” He hazarded, even knowing before Draco shook his head that wasn’t it.  

“You gave him your back.  Your familiar was wrapped around his shoulders and he wasn’t afraid.”

The confusion cleared in an instant as the dots connected.

“You want a friend.  Someone you can trust to have your back, and someone that also trusts you to do the same.”

Draco gave him a bitter smile.  “I’m the sole Heir to an incredibly influential and wealthy family. By the time I was 4 I already knew how to tell an enemy from a friend.  Or someone who wanted to use me to get to my father.”

“That sounds really lonely.” Harry said quietly, nudging his friend with his foot. For the first time he honestly regretted turning Draco down in their first life.  The blond had already shown him he would have still stuck by him even if he’d been sorted to Gryffindor.  And if he’d been laughed at for his name, he would have insulted Ron too.

“It is.”  Draco picked at a loose thread on Harry’s blanket, mouth going a little wobbly as Artemis slithered into his lap.  He gently ran a hand down her smooth scales and then laughed when she reached up and nudged his cheek in comfort.

“We’re your best friends, Nev and I.  We have your back, Dray.”  The blond wiped away a tear and gave a short laugh at his new nickname.

“I know.” The Malfoy Heir said simply, laying down onto Harry’s other pillow and both boys settled in to talk.

Later that night Blaise entered their dorm room and paused.  Theo was standing next to Potter’s bed and regarding it thoughtfully.

The Italian crept up quietly behind him to see what had captured his friend’s interest.  His eyebrows rose at the trio occupying the bed.

Potter was curled up on his back next to a Draco that was spread eagle on the bed, both snoring softly.  Potter’s familiar was stretched across both boys, wedge shaped head laying on Draco’s stomach.  

Blaise and Theo froze as that white head came up and turned to eye them. 

The ruffle of feathers drew their gaze and they looked at Hedwig, the owl giving them a glare as she shifted on her perch and mantled her wings in threat. 

Blaise raised his hands in a surrendering motion and grabbed at Theo, pulling him back to the Italian's bed right across from Potter’s.

“That’s interesting.” Theo breathed into his ear and Blaise nodded thoughtfully before both of them started to get ready for bed.

Tom stared up at the ceiling, willing the body he was possessing to sleep.  Quirrell had already faded off, the lucky bastard, leaving him to toss and turn.

It had been so easy to fall asleep last night, firewiskey doing a great job at calming his thoughts enough so he could sleep.

But not tonight as he watched the faint flickers from the firelight dancing along the walls.  His thoughts spun around and around and he sighed as he started to count the stones above him.

He finally gave up around midnight, silently dressing before walking over to the fireplace.

Barty glanced up in surprise as Tom walked into the library of the cottage.

“My Lord?”  He questioned, eyebrows shooting up as the Dark Lord just grunted, falling into the chair across from him with an unusual lack of grace.

“Would you like to talk about it?”  The Ravenclaw tried after several minutes of silence.

Tom sighed and decided to just get it over with.

Shocked silence and then “BWAHA!”

He glared at Barty as the darker haired man tried to contain his spout of laughter with a hand slapped over his mouth.

“Well,” Barty hummed and then coughed, trying to bury the mirth in his voice. “At least you know who he is now?”

“You’re hysterical, Barty.  Remind me to make you the entertainment at the next Reveal.”  Tom replied grumpily and Barty snorted, both men knowing there would never be a Death Eater Reveal again.

“It does make sense, if in an ironic one.”  Barty said thoughtfully sometime later.

Tom furrowed his eyebrows at him and rubbed at the migraine threatening at his temples. Seeing it, Barty rose and retrieved a bottle of the pain relievers they had started keeping on hand at the cottage.

“It’s getting worse, My Lord.  We’re running out of time.”  Barty knelt down and took his pulse, frowning at the rapid thump thump of Quirrell’s heartbeat.

Tom grimaced as he downed the pain reliever and sighed with relief as the throbbing in his temples eased somewhat.

It was getting worse.

Quirrell’s body was deteriorating too quickly as it tried to house the two souls.  

It was a lot sooner than it had been in the original timeline, something he and Barty thought was because his soul was now whole.

The unicorn blood had been immediately struck out as a stop gap, the curse of it definitely contributing to his later madness. It had slowed the damage but had caused additional health problems when he’d had to continue drinking it as they’d grown weaker.

Tom also wanted to be able to return Quirrell’s body to himself intact, his follower having willingly turned over control in a bid to save him.  It would be a piss poor payment for Quirinus to die again from this.

Barty had been researching feverishly in the last few days, trying to find a way so that both men could make it to the Winter Solstice.

“Anyway, what were you saying before?”  Tom asked tiredly, allowing himself to slump back into the comfy chair.

“Oh, just that it's ironic that the Boy-Who-Lived is also the Master of Death.”   Barty said absently as he went to shelve a book, not noticing as Tom shot straight up in his chair.

“What?!”

Barty turned startled eyes toward his Lord, blinking in confusion.  “Oh!  Right, you wouldn’t have the same information having grown up muggle. And I haven’t had a chance to inform you of my findings yet.”

He reached up and pulled another book down, once again quietly marveling to himself at the changes in his Lord.  Barty had been absolutely floored to learn the Dark Lord was actually a half-blood, and one who hadn’t even known he was a wizard until he got his letter.

The Ravenclaw turned around and flinched at the glare he was getting from Tom. “I truly meant no disrespect, My Lord.  What I’m referring to is a wixen children’s tale.  Once I started to dig into the myths around Death, it looks like this one is most likely true.”

Tom settled back and raised an eyebrow imperiously. Barty, being a wise Ravenclaw, sat himself in the other chair and began to read.

“There were once three brothers…”

Once Barty had finished they sat there in silence as Tom turned it over in his head.  It did and didn’t make sense all at the same time.

The slow clapping of hands broke the silence and Tom bolted up from his chair and spun around, Barty instantly at his side and both their wands leveled at the tall, dark haired man behind Tom’s chair.

“Oh you are a smart one, aren’t you?”  The man cooed, a dangerous smile flashing across his face.

“Is that?”  Barty hissed and blanched when Tom nodded. 

“It is.” Tom replied tightly.

Death picked up a trinket from a side table and turned it curiously in his hands.  He shook it and then put it down in disappointment when it didn’t do anything.

“The Peverell brothers were actually my children. Ask your soulmate about them as he knows the full story.”  The entity hummed, trailing around the room and looking at everything with an odd sort of fascination.

“Why are you here?” Tom asked, slowly lowering his wand when it became clear that Death wasn’t there to drag him back to Hell.

“Oh, I wanted to know how that one figured it out.”  Death said, frivolity falling away as bright gold eyes turned to glare at Barty.

“Uhm.”  Barty said, panicking as the entity began making his way towards him. He sighed in relief as Tom stepped in front of him, shielding the somewhat shorter man from view.

“Why?”  Tom asked, eyes narrowing at him.

Death slowly came to a halt, confusion and then something like sorrow flashing across his face.

“You don’t know, do you?” Death asked him softly.

“ Know what?! ”  Tom almost shouted, so done with this day as his temples started to throb again.  He closed his eyes and rubbed at the pain, going still as ice cold fingers gently pried his away and replaced them.

Tom sighed with absolute relief as the pain faded away completely, opening his eyes to meet gentle slate grey ones.

“Hello, Tom Riddle.” Fate smiled at the flabbergasted man and gently directed him into the chair he’d abandoned.  

“Hello.” He said slowly, mind turning over as the knowledge of who she was pushed itself into his mind.  By the way Barty flopped into the chair next to him, he guessed the same thing had happened to him.

Two other chairs were conjured into existence as a tea tray appeared, both of the men’s favorites steaming gently.

“We are not omnipotent.”  Fate told them and reached out to place a warm cup of tea in his hands, Tom automatically wrapping his fingers around it.

“I can see the strands of Fate and the possible destinations but the future itself isn’t set in stone. We can only act as this timeline travels onward.”

Barty quietly accepted his tea and gazed in awed wonder at the two beings in front of them.

“And you don’t know how I figured it out.”  Barty returned quietly and relaxed a little as they both nodded. “Well, I most likely wouldn't have without My Lord having told me of his time in Hell.  And what was said in it.”

Fate reached back and smacked her husband gently in the chest.  “So you gave them enough clues to fill in the spots and then got angry when they actually figured it out?” She asked him archly.

“Only Riddle was supposed to figure it out.”  Death grumbled into his own tea. “And! HE didn’t figure it out anyway!”

“ He is still here.” Tom glared at them as they laughed.

“So like your soulmate.” Fate replied merrily.  “Just as stubborn too.”

Barty glanced down and then took a sip of his tea, eyes closing at the absolute perfection of it. “So why did you get mad that I figured it out?”

Death sobered and went grim, both mortals straightening at how even Fate stilled.

“I am concerned because should it become known to one individual in particular, Harry’s life will be in danger.”  Death replied, tone going lower and both mortal's shivered at the screams that they could hear underneath it.

“But I don’t get it.  Isn’t Potter the Master of Death?”  Barty asked in confusion. “I would assume he would just get a free pass back to life.”

“At this point in time, his body can barely handle the regular use of magic for school, much less channel the power of the dead.”  Fate told them.

“Barely handle school magic?” Tom scoffed, remembering all the times Harry had bested him.  Of course some of it had been sheer dumb luck, but at others he’d felt the power vibrating off the young wizard.

“At this poi...”  Barty started to question and then froze, going white as Fate nodded sadly.

“No.” He breathed out in shock.

“Bartimus.”  He turned horror stricken eyes to his Lord. 

His Lord that he’d gotten to know more of in the past month, even going so far as to say that they were friends. 

Barty knew enough about him now to know how much this was going to shatter him.

“When I was a first year there was this girl.  Her name was Eleanor and she was a year mate.”  Barty blinked back tears and inhaled, trying to regain his composure.

“We knew something was wrong but didn’t know what.  She was so frail, like a good stiff wind could push her over.  El wouldn’t tell us why she was so thin, or why when she came back from winter break she had bruises on her arms.”  Barty wiped at his face as a tear trickled down.

“We tried to get her to go to Flitwick but she refused.” The Ravenclaw shuddered as he remembered that horrible day.  “Her magic literally burned her up from the inside, trying to save her.”

Tom waited patiently for this sad tale to continue and frowned when Barty just hunched over and put his face in his hands.

He looked at Death and silently demanded an explanation.  

“It’s going to come out anyway. Harry has insured that.”  Fate told her husband lowly, placing her hand over his fist as it clenched.

“Better now where we can control the fallout than Harry have to deal with it.”  She continued, turning sad grey eyes onto Tom.

A Healer’s scroll with a broken seal appeared in Death’s hands and he solemnly handed it over to Tom.

Tom carefully unrolled it, genius mind already starting to make the connections before he even saw his soulmate's name at the top.

The world exploded around him, eyesight going red as his magic flashed out and roared the agony he couldn’t scream as he stared at the extensive list of injuries.

This was his fault.

Not only had he done unimaginable harm to his soulmate as a baby, but he’d only continued to suffer at the hands of his relatives after.

“They’re going to die for this.” Tom said calmly, the echo of his past insanity riding hard under his tone, high pitched laughter grating in his mind as he reread the list again.

The list was snatched out of his hands and he snarled, shooting up to meet the bright gold ones glaring down at him.

“Their punishment will come but not at your hands.” Death promised darkly, easily catching the fist that swung out at him.

Great black wings swept out and Death grabbed him, Tom thrashing wildly in his grip as they took off.  

He hit sand a moment later, sputtering out grains as he rolled to a stop on the beach.

Tom scrambled back to his feet and flew at the entity again, screaming wordlessly as his magic lashed out in great waves, beating against the barrier Death had cast around himself. 

Sand turned to glass from the heat of his rage, crackling and snapping sharply before reforming again as he swung out blindly.  Lightning danced around them in violent strikes as magic spilled out wildly from him.

Death found himself impressed as he had to dodge several times when the mortal managed to make it past his wards, and he huffed when Tom’s fist actually managed to catch him in the face.

The wizard finally staggered to a stop and then sagged against the barrier, exhaustion in every line of his body as the tears came.

He was lowered to the sand as black wings folded around him and a soft voice crooned in his ear.

“I don’t deserve comfort.” He rasped and tried to wiggle away from the gentle hands.

“It is not up to you to determine what you deserve, Tom Marvolo Riddle.” The world twisted around them at Fate’s words and another beach greeted them.

He blinked rapidly as bright sunlight pierced his eyes, seagulls crying out in the distance.

“Daddy, daddy!  Again!” 

Tom looked up and inhaled deeply as their son ran toward Harry.  

An adult Harry who looked far healthier than he’d ever seen, laughing and sweeping his son up into his arms.  The little boy giggled as Harry twirled them around, arms straight back and body parallel to the ground as he shrieked with joy.

“Papa!” The boy called out as they stopped and Tom felt his breath catch at the sight of his older self.

He was standing on top of a small dune, a half smile on his face as he watched his small family.

“Tom!  Get your pretty arse down here.”  Harry called out and then laughed as his son gasped, “Daddy, language!”

His older self grinned then, climbing down the dune and approached the two.  

He pressed his forehead to his husband’s, eyes closing as Harry ghosted a hand over his cheekbone as they curled around each other, their son in between them.

“Would you tell them you’d rather wallow in misery than have them?”  Death whispered to him, wings tightened around him in compassion as tears dripped down Tom’s face.

“I would give anything for this.  Sacrifice whatever was needed to have them.”  Tom laughed brokenly. “Now I understand why Lily Potter refused to move aside.”

“Yes,” Fate murmured, reaching in with one hand and softly wiped the tears away.  He resisted a moment and then gave in, taking the comfort she offered wordlessly.

The world settled back into the field behind the cottage with both entity’s supporting him.

Tom noted with relief it stood whole, afraid he’d destroyed the home he’d begun to think of fondly. He’d known even through his rage he hadn’t hurt Barty, his friend wrapped in a bubble of Tom's making as he destroyed the room around them. 

He sank down to the ground and put his head in his hands, trying to gather himself back together.

“He survived it once, and he will do so again.  Your soulmate is very strong.”  Fate whispered to him as she knelt down to place her hand on his knee. 

“I killed his parents.”  Tom said lowly, heartbreak and devastation filling his soul. “I killed him . Destroyed his life over a bullshit prophecy and brought our world to its knees. Why in the hell would he ever want what I could offer?  It would be better for him if I just let him go.”

He looked up in shock when Fate slapped him over the back of his head. 

“And yet, when offered the chance he chose to come back and save you.”  Death replied mildly, smiling wickedly at his wife as she retracted her hand. 

“Do not take what others have stolen from him. Harry deserves the power of his own choices.” Fate stated firmly then teasingly wiggled her hand at him when Tom hesitated. 

He reluctantly smiled at her. “You are very wise, great Lady.”

“Ha!” She crowed and her husband rolled his eyes and flopped back onto the grass. 

“Thanks a lot, Riddle.” Death muttered into the arm he’d thrown over his face. 

Tom blew out a breath as he stepped back into the cottage, tired down to his very soul as he followed the sounds to the library. 

The book lover in him winced as he took in the carnage. 

Every book that had been on the shelves was now scattered all around the room and torn out pages littered the ground. 

Barty moved amongst them, carefully repairing them as he went. 

Tom joined him silently, wand waving in a graceful pattern as he floated a now complete book back onto the shelves. 

“What happened to your friend?” Tom asked him sometime later. 

Barty paused in the act of fixing the children’s book he’d read from earlier. 

“She died.” He replied softly, turning the book over in his hands. “Her magic continued to try to fix the damage but El didn’t have the bodily resources it needed to draw from.  Her magical core wasn’t very strong either.”

“So it overloaded then and killed her.”  

The Ravenclaw nodded tightly and shelved the book in his hands. 

“So that’s why you joined my service.”  Tom said thoughtfully, memories of other conversations they’d had over the last month surfacing. 

Barty gave him a bitter smile. “Your Muggleborn Act would have saved her if it had ever gotten past the Wizengamot.”

Tom sighed as he fixed another book. 

The Muggleborn Act, his first version at least, tagged muggleborns the first time they performed accidental magic. 

Once they'd been identified, their parents were to be contacted and the family evaluated to see if they could or would support a magical child. If they didn’t, or the home was unsafe, the child was to be removed and the parents obliviated. 

Primary magic schools and orphanages were also covered under the Act, built to house displaced children or offer primary education if their parents couldn’t afford tutors. It  ensured that when they finally went to Hogwarts, they would already know about their place in the Wizarding World. 

“I don’t even know if her mother was ever punished for her death.”  The man paused and took in a breath that shuddered. “You know I didn’t have the best home life but even to me child abuse was unknown. None of us knew anything about it until we met Eleanor.”

Most purebloods truly could not understand child abuse, their children so precious to them as they carried on the honor and legacy of their House.  

Besides not wanting to fund what they considered ‘dirty blood’, it had been the other main reason the Act had failed to pass. 

Well that, and the opposition from Dumbledore and his ilk , Tom thought darkly. 

To this day he still didn’t understand why the light wizards had stopped it. 

Surely something that helped children would tickle their fancy. 

“It seems something more is going on. That doesn’t make sense.” Barty mused after Tom had told him why the Act hadn’t gone through. 

“Maybe Potter would know more?” The Ravenclaw suggested. 

“I’ll ask him about that too once I catch the brat.” 

Tom ignored the interested look on his friend’s face as they continued to repair the books his magic had torn apart. 

The Next Day

Harry gave his soulmate a bright grin as he entered the DADA classroom, manfully restraining his mirth at the unamused look the man gave him in return. 

“Good afternoon, Professor.” He chirped, settling into a seat in the middle as Draco and Neville bracketed him. 

“Mr. Potter.” Tom intoned, wand flicking rapidly once Harry had looked away to bring out parchment and a quill. 

The room filled up and Tom retreated to the back, allowing Quirrell to come forward to teach the class. 

Harry hummed thoughtfully to himself as he took notes.  The professor was much better this time around without that stupid stutter distracting everyone.  He got a bit boring towards the middle but this was a double block today.

It wasn’t until the end of the class as he was packing away his things that he realized something was wrong.

His arse was stuck to the seat.  

Quite firmly too as even his robes didn’t shift when he tried to rock sideways. 

Harry buried his face in his bookbag and tried not to laugh hysterically.  

He’d been planning on talking to Tom after class anyway but his soulmate had apparently beaten him to the punch.

“Harry, you coming?”  Draco asked him, neither of his best friends looking at him as they put their things away as students began to leave.

“I’ll see you at dinner.  I need to talk to the professor.”  Harry managed to choke out, pinching himself harshly in the leg so he didn’t let out the giggles building in his chest.

Both boys looked at him sharply.

“I think we’ll wait for you.” Neville said slowly, suspiciously eyeing the professor waiting at the front.  Draco nodded wordlessly and came up to stand next to the Gryffindor.

Something was obviously going on between the DADA professor and their friend and they were determined to find out what. 

Harry flapped his hands at them.

“I’ll be fine.  And if you do find my body at the bottom of the Black Lake...well.  Professor Quirrell did it in the DADA classroom with the chalk.”

Both purebloods gave him a strange look while Tom snorted at the muggle Clue Game reference.

“ Go .”  Harry stressed when they still hesitated. 

Neville reluctantly shouldered his bookbag and pulled the protesting blond out of the classroom.

Tom leaned back in his seat and put his feet up on the desk, wand flicking towards the door.  The clear sound of the lock clicking over and a silencing charm going up completed the last steps of his grand master plan.

Harry felt the hilarity of the moment rise up again at the smug look on his soulmate's face.

Leaning his head back the teen laughed , stomach hurting a little from trying to hold back his amusement.

“Really, Tom?”  He managed to gasp out as his shoulders shook. “A Sticking charm on my arse?”

“If I have to go around sticking your arse to something so you can’t run from me then I will.” Tom threatened, narrowing his eyes in amusement as that made his soulmate laugh even harder.

“Tom Marvolo Riddle!  This body is only 11 right now, you dirty old man. At least save it for when I’m legal!”  Harry exclaimed as he placed a hand against his chest, lips twitching madly as Tom’s mouth fell open. 

Tom covered his face with one hand as fresh laughter exploded out of Harry.

“You are such a little shit.”  He sighed.

“Pretty much.” Harry agreed, Elder Wand sliding into his right hand as he canceled the charm. It thrummed in pleasure, sending tingles racing up his arm as he used it for the first time in over a week.

He grabbed his bookbag and made his way to the front, pulling out the chair in front of the desk.

Tom moved his feet off the desk and straightened up as Harry settled in.

Now that he finally had the teen where he wanted him, he wasn’t sure where to start.  And it was obvious Harry wasn’t going to throw him a bone as the boy crossed his legs and waited patiently.

Silence rang for several minutes.

‘Is this a Mexican standoff?  Do I need to get my sombrero and pistols?’ An irritated voice finally asked.

Tom raised his eyebrows in surprise as a white snake appeared from around Harry’s neck. 

‘Don’t be rude, Artemis.  Introduce yourself.’

Tom froze as his soulmate gently flicked the serpent under the chin.

“What?” Harry asked in confusion.

“You can speak parseltongue?!”  He sputtered out.

‘You seriously didn’t know that?!’ Artemis asked incredulously and rose up to get a better look at her Master’s soulmate.

“I have to second her question, Tom.  You really didn’t know?” Harry questioned him in bewilderment.

“No!  I didn’t.” Tom replied, mind still reeling.

“Nagini knew I did.” Harry frowned as he remembered her using Bagshot like a meat puppet.

“She never told me.”  He muttered and slumped back into his seat.  

“The entire school found out in my second year.  I’m seriously surprised no one ever told you.”

Tom shook his head when Harry finished giving a short synopsis of what had happened in his second year.  Did that boy ever have a normal school year?!

Silence fell again as Tom gathered the courage to ask what had been lingering in the back of his mind ever since he discovered Harry was his soulmate.

“Why, Harry?”  Tom finally asked him quietly.  “Why do this to yourself? You should have just put me out of my misery and continued on with your life.”

Harry tilted his head thoughtfully. “I had that choice, and saw what my future could have been.  I would have been content with my wife and children, helping to rebuild the Wizarding World after the War.”

White hot jealousy roared through Tom and he had to clench his jaw tight.  

Harry was his, dammit, not some unknown trollops.  

“I also could have just passed on and joined my family in eternal rest.” Harry shrugged at the surprised look on his soulmate’s face. “I’ve never been one to covet power, you know that.  I would have had no problems giving up the power of the Hallows.”

Tom gave a sardonic laugh.  “No.” He agreed. “Out of the two of us I’ve got that one covered for the both of us.”

Harry smiled at that accurate sally.  “I suppose I could tell you that the reason is that too many people died in the last War. Too many of my friends that I would have never again seen in this life.”

Artemis rubbed along his chin and then winded her way down to the desk as he paused.

“I could also say that I wanted to save our world.  To turn it into something we deserve. A world where you are judged for the character of your actions and not the source of your blood. Or the species you were born into.  But honestly?  My actual reason is entirely selfish.” 

Tom quietly eyed his soulmate as the teen smiled at him again and then leaned forward.

“He has your eyes and my hair.  I want to see my godfather live as a free man.  I want the family I saw in that possible future.”

Tom rubbed at his eyes as they burned with tears.  “He’s so beautiful.” The older man said quietly.

“He is.”  Harry agreed just as softly.

“So what do we do now? I assume you have a plan.”

“Well,” Harry replied and leaned back in his seat as he gave the man a once over. “You need a body.  As much as you wear the Quirrell look well, I’m not interested in sharing you with anyone.”

Tom’s eyebrows rose in astonishment at the sheer possessiveness lacing Harry’s tone.  Apparently he wasn’t the only one in this relationship to covet their soulmate.

“Barty and I have worked out a ritual.”  The older man said tentatively, wincing at the reminder of the last ritual they had all been involved in. 

“You’ve already freed Barty?” The teen brightened up at the mention of the Ravenclaw.  “Besides Remus he was the best DADA teacher we had. Taught me not to put my wand in my back pocket. I still want to know who’s buttocks got blown off.”

Tom was immediately curious and made a mental note to ask the next time he saw him.

“The problem we’re having is Quirrell’s body is breaking down too quickly.  The ritual is set for the Winter Solstice, being a powerful wixen date for rebirth and the start of new things.”  He explained and Harry nodded thoughtfully.

“ABSOLUTELY NOT!”

Tom jumped a few feet in the air at the bellow while Harry just turned calmly to the seething mass of Death that had appeared next to his elbow.

“Why not?  I’m his soulmate so it shouldn’t be an issue.” 

An exasperated expression crossed the entity’s face and he dragged one hand down his cheek.

“You’re not strong enough for that yet, luv.”  Death said before whirling to face Tom and the snake familiar sitting on the desk watching them.

“Tell him!” He demanded, pointing to the boy sitting in the chair and rolling his eyes.

‘We would if you would stop yelling and actually articulate.’ Artemis said dryly as she rose up higher to return the glare Death was giving her.

“Harry wants to transfer your soul to his body.”

“ Absolutely not .” Tom immediately agreed and the snake nodded.

‘That’s a stupid idea, Master.’ The serpent chided as she moved over to Harry.

“And why not?”  Harry asked as he leaned forward to pick her up.

“Because you don’t have the bodily resources needed for that, Harry.  Between both our power levels your body would burn itself out within a week.”  

Harry froze at his soulmate’s response before slowly rotating in his chair.

“And how would he know about that?”  Harry asked icily as he glared up at Death.

“Weelll.” Death wheedled out, clearly starting to panic.

“He would have found out eventually, my darling.”  Death slumped in relief as his wife appeared behind his Master.

“Yes, but that was my secret to tell.” Harry said firmly as he stood up.

He pointedly poked Death in the chest as he said, “Next time ask .”

Tom watched the interplay in front of him with fascination, noting the contrite look on Death’s face as the entity nodded.

“Is there anything else we can try instead then?”  Harry asked them as he leaned back against the chair, humming with pleasure as Fate reached up to play with his hair.

“There is one but it would need to agree.”  Death replied thoughtfully after a moment, and then glanced down to Harry’s right hand. 

“It can do that?” Harry asked with wonder as he brought his hand up.

“Do what?” Tom finally couldn’t contain his curiosity any longer as he leaned forward, seeing nothing on his soulmate’s hand.

Harry wordlessly dropped the concealment spell and the Deathly Hallow appeared on his index finger.

Surprise was quickly followed by possessive glee.  His ring was on his soulmate’s hand, claiming to all and sundry who he belonged to.  The feeling was so strong he wasn’t even perturbed at the loss of his Family ring.

Harry quirked his lips at the delighted expression on Tom’s face before turning his attention to the Ring.

Melancholy brightened the light orbiting his soul before his Ring seemed to sigh in agreement at the question.  The Elder Wand whistled mournfully as he pulled the ring off.

“Why did you take it off?” Tom demanded as Harry rounded the desk.

“Originally, the Resurrection Stone could bring the dead to the mortal plane, if only as a shade.  With the power now unlocked, it can bring those passed up in a bodily form for a time.”  Death paused as Harry picked up Tom’s right hand.

“Or in this case, freeze the body and the deterioration as it is now.  Brace yourself.” The entity added as the ring rippled to fit around his index finger.

Tom didn’t even have a chance to brace himself as fire ripped through his body.  He groaned and tried to curl into himself as skinny arms wrapped around him to hold him up.  It seemed like forever but must have only been a few seconds before the flames started to retreat.

“Thank you.” He rasped as Harry withdrew his arms.  His soulmate simply tapped him on the shoulder gently and then walked back to his seat.

“Unfortunately the damage already done can’t be corrected.”  Harry told him.  “This gives us time to come up with something to heal the professor once you’re you again.”

“Would the Philosopher's Stone help?”  The teen then asked and tilted his head back to look at Fate.

“No.”  She reached out and tried to smooth his hair down.  It was a futile effort and she gave up quickly. “It has many benefits but healing is not one of them.”

“Aw.”

Death laughed at him and poked him in the shoulder. “You just want to give that obstacle course another go.”

“Now it would be fun!” Harry protested and sulked when they all laughed at him.

“Yes, curious as to how it was so complicated.” Tom mocked his soulmate and grinned when Harry stuck his tongue at him.

“That’s another thing.  A series of tests that a first year could get through?”  

Harry sighed at Tom’s pointed question and then remarked, “Three of us but yes.  It’s obvious now what it was really meant to do.”

A dark look passed over the teen’s face and even Death leaned back a little at his Master’s look.

“Albus Dumbledore will pay for his puppet strings.”

AHAHAHAHHHA!  I had so much fun writing this.  Sassy Potter for the win!

Chapter Text

Oh my Tom.  Y’all.  Y’ALL.  This chapter is over 22,000 words and I had to cut off some of it to chapter 7 otherwise I would have never stopped.  I try to find a good place to home in on for a stopping point and apparently got a little ambitious with this one.  

Also, I’m American and ssoooo obsessed with Law and Order: SVU.  The Court scenes are mostly comprised of that, so I apologize in advance to any of my British readers.

We cover a lot in this chapter so I apologize now if some of the scene transitions are a little rough.

On with the show!

‘I still can’t believe he didn’t know you’re a speaker.’

“Me either.  It makes me wonder how much we actually know about each other.’ Harry mused quietly as they traversed the silent hallways towards the Great Hall for supper.  All three of his mother hens had shooed him out the door when Tom had noticed the time.

“Ah Harry, my boy.”  The boy in question cringed at the cheerful voice behind him.

Dammit, Alanna was going to kill him.  Not even a few days in and he was already being cornered by the Headmaster.

“Sir?”  He asked in question, rotating on one foot and gazed at the stupid little bell Dumbledore used to keep his beard straight.

“Did you happen to hear some hissing?”

“Hissing, Headmaster?  Like a pipe?”  

Shit.   

He and Artemis needed to be more careful. The only person outside of Slytherin who knew about his parseltongue was Neville, and his best friend knew better than to say anything about it.

And all of Slytherin itself would rather go up in flames before telling this secret to Dumbledore.

The white beard waved slightly as an old hand stroked it.  “Maybe it was a pipe.”  The Headmaster said thoughtfully.  “Ah well, it’s no matter.  Off you go, it’s supper time.”

Harry muttered an affirmative and turned around quickly, using long strides to outpace Dumbledore to the Hall.

‘That was too close.’ He felt Artemis nod her head against his chest, curling tighter around his neck at his whisper.

“What did Quirrell need to talk about with you?”  Draco asked him curiously once he’d joined them at the end of the Slytherin table.

Pure wickedness darted through Harry as purple robes swept past them at the same time.

“Oh, he wanted my autograph.  Said he’s my greatest fan.”  Harry fibbed, hiding a smirk at the way Tom paused mid stride.  His soulmate shot him a dark look but Harry wasn’t fooled.  He could see the humor on that face as the man restarted and made his way to the Staff table.

“Uh huh.”  Draco said doubtfully and turned to shoot Neville a look.  His other best friend nodded as they both turned back to Harry.  A Harry who hadn’t caught any of it as he continued to look up at their DADA professor.

The Next Morning

Harry thoughtfully studied his target, one hand on his hip as he carefully considered what he would do.

He could feel eyes on him but ignored it as he tapped at his hip.

‘Hey Artemis.’ Harry finally hissed mischievously.

‘Do it, Master.’ She replied with mirth when he mimed what he wanted to do.

Grasping her body gently, he placed her on the bed and watched as she quickly eeled her way up.

He glanced to the side as Blaise came up beside him, the Italian clamping one hand over his mouth so he didn’t laugh.

Artemis reached the pillow and curled up into a tight ball. She placed her snout next to a pale ear and then shouted as loudly as she could, ‘WAKE UP!’

Draco shot up from the bed at the violent hissing and flailed, throwing his pillow up high and fell off the side of the bed in a heap.

Artemis cackled loudly as she flew through the air, Harry jumping up and catching her with seeker reflexes.

‘We have to do that again!’ The snake hissed with mirth.

“Dammit, Harry!”  The boy dodged the swipe at his legs with a laugh as Draco groggily sat up.

Blaise bent over and laughed, Theo joining him from where the other boy sat on his bed.  Crabbe and Goyle snored, still deeply asleep.

Harry grinned brightly at the blond and then reached down to help him up.

“You were going to miss breakfast if we didn’t wake you.” 

“It’s Saturday.” The blond whined as he rubbed at his stinging arse.

“So?  Come on and get dressed.  I want to grab Nev and go exploring.”  Harry poked and prodded at the blond until the other Slytherin started moving.

“What hh..happened to you?” Neville asked sometime later, eyeing Draco as the boy glared at his eggs.

“Harry happened to me, that’s what.”  He grumbled and then reluctantly smiled as Neville laughed knowingly.

“Ah, got the Harry and Artemis wake up call did you?  Now I’m even more thankful I’m not sharing a dorm with them.”  Neville returned the rude hand gesture Harry made at him, eyes sparkling with humor in the morning light.

“I can get resorted right?” Draco asked Neville seriously, ignoring the protesting sound from their best friend. “I wouldn’t mind wearing blue and silver if it means I can sleep in on the weekend.”

“Hmph.  I’ll talk to the hat and make sure you wear red and gold then.” Harry smirked at the look of horror on the blond’s face.

“I wouldn’t risk it, Draco.  It seems the hat and Harry have an odd relationship.” Daphne told him, one side of her mouth titling up.

Draco sighed and then ate his eggs.

After breakfast they made their way outside, determined to enjoy the good weather while it still lasted.  

White feathers flashed in the sun as Hedwig lazily circled above them,  Harry looking up and taking in the beauty of her as she glided over the air currents, smiling wistfully.  He sorely missed flying and couldn’t wait to join her in the air again.

For hours they explored around the Lake, Harry teaching both the purebloods how to skip stones as they walked.  They had to stop when one large tentacle surfaced and started throwing them back at them.

“Well that was rude.”  Harry huffed as it sank beneath the small waves the limb had created.  

Draco laughed and pulled them back in the direction of the castle saying he wanted to find the entrance to the kitchens.  His father had given him several clues about where they could possibly be.

Hedwig flew close and hooted softly, landing gently on Harry’s raised arm.  

Neville felt contentment fill his soul as he trailed after his friends, both Slytherins laughing and gesturing ahead of him.

“Nev, help me out here.” The brunet grinned as Draco rotated on one foot and began walking backwards.  

“You have to agree with me on this.  Harry is completely in the wrong and needs to be told gently but firmly that he’s batshit crazy.”

The Gryffindor just laughed as Harry protested vehemently as they walked inside.

Later That Night-Still Saturday 

Quirinus juggled the 4th and 5th years essay’s as he reached his wand, unlocking the wards he had over his rooms tiredly.

Only the low crackling of the fire greeted him as he slipped inside, sighing with relief that the day was done.  Once again he questioned himself on just why he wanted to be a professor in the first place. They never tell you that working weekends was almost a requirement with the amount of students Hogwarts had if you taught a core class.

He paused mid-stride as a flash of white near the fireplace caught his attention as it moved.

“BOO!”

Scrolls went flying as he jumped a foot in the air and then spun around.

“POTTER!” 

He was immediately pushed back and Tom frowned and crossed his arms at the sight of his grinning soulmate.

“Was that really necessary? You almost gave poor Quirinus a heart attack!”

Harry smiled brightly as he skirted around him and settled himself on the floor next to the sofa.  Tom begrudgingly bent down and collected the essays that were scattered all over the floor and piled them on the table near the door.

“A DADA teacher needs to be more aware of his surroundings.”  Harry mock waved his fist in the air as Artemis chuckled by the fire. “Constant vigilance!  He should have noticed the ward telling him someone was in his quarters.”

Tom sighed as his follower apologized sheepishly in the back of his mind. 

Neither of us was paying attention , he told the man before pushing away from the entrance and collapsed onto the sofa.

“What are you doing here anyway, brat?” Tom asked, nudging the teen gently with a foot.

Emerald eyes studied him thoughtfully for a moment.

“It occurred to me that we don’t really know each other. Or,” Harry amended as Tom raised his eyebrows in disbelief. “We do but not really, at least not anything more than what enemies know about each other.”

“You’re not wrong.” Tom replied after some contemplation, leaning back in his seat.  “So, what do you want to know?”

Harry opened his mouth and then paused, frowning in thought before shrugging.

“Well, I want to know more about your second year.  You said the school found out you were a parselmouth after a mock duel, but nothing much more than that besides some trouble involving someone’s diary and the Chamber, oddly enough.  What happened that year?”

Tom raised his eyebrows in question as Artemis immediately started cackling.

‘Yes, Master. Tell your soulmate how much of a crush you had on his diary.’  She teased, and Harry blanched in horror as Tom shot up in his seat. 

Boy and snake stared at each other for half a second before Harry lunged forward to catch her, white scales moving quickly as she dodged him.

Ropes wrapped around him and Harry fell to the floor with a soft thump, Tom nimbly jumping over his trussed up figure.

‘Artemis,’ Tom cooed with a wicked smirk on his face as he picked her up.  ‘Most beautiful serpent in the known world.  Dangerous as she is fabulous.’

Harry squawked as the ropes re-tied themselves over him, the Elder Wand vibrating with amusement in his hand as he kept trying to cancel the spell.

‘Keep going.’ The snake said smugly as she turned to look down at her tied up Master.  Oh she was going to pay dearly for this later, she just knew it, but it was totally going to be worth it.

‘I will give you 3 mice if you tell me all you know.’  The snake pulled back to look at him.

‘5 and you have a deal.’  Both ignored the ‘Oh come on!’ from the floor as Artemis moved to whisper in his ear.

Tom covered his mouth and looked down at his soulmate with shock and glee.  “Really, Harry?  Am I gentle in your dreams?”  He managed to tease before he was laughing.

Harry slumped to the floor and just gave up, trying to smother himself in the rug below.

“How do you even know about that, you treacherous beast?”  The boy managed to moan around the fabric.  

He’d never told anyone how attractive he’d found the young Tom Riddle, or the wet dreams it had caused later.  In fact it was how he knew he was bi and not straight.

‘You talk in your sleep, Harry.’  He looked up to see her flopped backwards in Tom’s hands, eyeing him upside down and practically vibrating with amusement.

Tom’s lips twitched as Harry went scarlet and sputtered.

‘You’re sleeping with Draco from now on.’ He muttered as the ropes finally loosened from around him.

“How did you even come across it?”  Tom asked after he’d managed to control his mirth.  Finding out Harry had a crush on his younger self was extremely gratifying and he felt a bit smug about it.  He settled back onto the sofa and Artemis slithered into his lap.

He slowly petted her as Harry told him about the year long drama.

“Myrtle was a mistake.”  Tom said finally, looking down at the floor.  “We didn’t know she was in there and when Alysisus heard her, he turned around too quickly and it was too late.”

“Why did you even let him out in the first place? Surely if it really was muggleborn hunting then more than Myrtle would have died.”  

Tom looked up in surprise at the question.  “How did you know?”

Harry felt his mouth twist unpleasantly.  “That you weren't actually using a basilisk to hunt them?  Oh that was easy once I really stopped to think about it.  A hundred foot snake that could kill you as soon as you met its eyes?  With razor sharp teeth as long as swords that had access to every level of Hogwarts?  And yet only 5 were petrified that year, and no one else beside Myrtle died.  If you’d set him loose to kill, more than half the school would have been dead in a night.”

Tom sat still and considered his soulmate.  “You really are very clever, aren’t you?” He said quietly, smiling a little when Harry flushed bright red.

“We would go hunting in the Forest.  The basilisk sleeps when there is no one to open the Chamber, sometimes centuries depending on if the entrance can’t be found.  I was too arrogant Harry, flush on finding the Secret Chamber of my ancestor.  I suppose I also felt sorry for him.”  Tom went back to stroking the serpent snoozing in his lap.

“You used Myrtle’s death later to create the first Horcrux.”  Harry prompted when Tom had been quiet too long.

Tom blew out a breath and then slipped down to the floor, joining Harry so that he and the teen were eye to eye. Artemis yawned as she was shifted around and then slipped back into sleep.

“Remember what I said about being too arrogant?  I ruled Slytherin with an iron fist, had purebloods bowing to me and calling me their Lord. Those same purebloods who had bullied me for being a mudblood before I learned about my heritage.”  Tom raised a placating hand as anger flashed through green eyes at the word. “Back then the term was more common to be used than it is now.”

"And I suppose I started believing the rhetoric I was spouting to get the purebloods to follow me.” Tom shrugged at the way thick black eyebrows frowned at him.  “I wanted to preserve our way of life, and pandering to the purebloods about their blood superiority was the fastest way to get the Twenty-Eight’s support, or at least it was amongst the dark wizards.

Even by my time more and more muggleborn and half-bloods were being born. In an effort to accommodate them, the Ministry started passing laws banning certain practices that Families had used for centuries. Blood traditions they’d had going back to before the time of the Founders. Yule became Christmas, Samhain became Halloween and honoring your ancestors became outlawed because you used blood to do it.  Gods we worshiped could no longer have alters because it was ‘dark magic’.”

“Why would they do that?”  Harry propped his chin on the knee he drew up, fascinated as Tom talked.

“It made them ‘uncomfortable’ they said.  That ritual blood magic was too dark.” Tom replied with a slight sneer on his face. 

“Is that what muggleborns said or what was said for them?”

The older man looked up in surprise at the question and then a thoughtful look fell over his face.  “Why do you say that?”

“Hermione is muggleborn and devours knowledge like it would kill her if she didn’t.”  Harry smiled at the snort of laughter that got. “We canvassed all of the books she was given introducing the Wizarding World in 3rd year, and didn’t find anything like what you just said.”

“And when Dumbledore took over as Headmaster, the introductory wizarding classes were canceled.”  Tom tapped at his leg and then stilled when Artemis grumbled in her sleep.   

“You can’t make an informed decision if you haven’t seen all the cards.”  Harry replied darkly, then explained about his lack of knowledge and Dumbledore’s role in it.

“You still could have found out on your own.  The books are there, my soulmate.”  Tom chided softly and nudged him with one foot.

“Maybe I would have if I hadn’t had a certain Dark Lord trying to kill me every year since I was 11, soulmate .” Harry shot back and returned the nudge with a glare.

“Sorry.” The teen muttered when Tom winced.

“No, you’re correct.”  Tom sighed and then reached out to his cringing soulmate and pulled the boy in.

Harry snuggled underneath his arm and they watched the fire for a while in silence.

“Is that why you haven’t returned yourself to your correct age? You want to have a true do over?”

Harry blinked sleepily at the question, the dual warmth from the fire and body next to him lulling him in.

“A little.  I never really got to just enjoy being here at Hogwarts, and actually be able to concentrate on classes.”  Tom closed his eyes in pain at the words, grief spearing through him.  

His soulmate had been so concerned for his life he couldn’t even focus on his school work.  And it wasn’t like Harry had been too paranoid, as he really had been out to get him.

“It’s not recommended you do so permanently either.  You knew there were going to be sacrifices going into this.”  Both of them looked up at the tall figure hovering over them, feathers fluttering slightly as he landed.

“I know.  Besides, I have plans.”  Harry grinned as they both turned to look at him.

“So Slytherin.”  Death teased before holding out a hand and pulled Harry to his feet when the boy grasped it.  “Time for all little Masters to be in bed, luv.”

Harry grumbled but accepted the sleepy familiar and with a flutter of wings, both disappeared. 

Tom heaved himself up from the sofa and ignored the scrolls still needing to be graded by the door, retreating into the bedroom to sleep.

Harry inhaled deeply as he surfaced from sleep, stretching languidly as fractured early morning sunlight poured through the window next to his bed.  He watched lazily as a fish swam by, scales flashing brightly in the light.

He missed Gryffindor tower but the Slytherin dorms had a unique charm all their own.  Dark and gloomy at night, reflecting so well the cunning of Slytherin but the days were filled with fascination and intrigue as they showed what was buried below the surface of the Lake.  

Letting himself lay there for a few minutes more, Harry crossed his arms behind his head and stared contemplatively at the canopy.  It was Sunday and he felt like he deserved a bit of a lie in.

‘We’re going to miss breakfast.’  A white nose poked at his cheek.

‘We could just be lazy.’ Harry yawned, reaching out with one hand and stroked along her coils.  A low hoot had him twitching the curtains to the side and Hedwig fluttered in, walking across the covers until she was perched on his stomach.

Artemis moved down his chest and wrapped herself around the owl, two pairs of golden eyes staring at him reproachfully.

‘Then you can explain to Daisy why you missed a meal.’

‘Harsh.’ Harry scolded the serpent before reluctantly smiling at the threat.  He gave himself a few more minutes, running soft hands down both his familiars and they basked in the attention. 

‘Ok, ok. Let’s go.’  Heaving himself up from the bed once they’d moved, Harry pushed his curtains to the side and slipped out.  He gave Draco’s closed curtains a look and then decided to leave the blond be.

Getting dressed for a Sunday took just a moment and then he was striding out of the Common Room, Hedwig on one shoulder and Artemis wrapped around his neck.

“An early riser, Mr. Potter?”  Harry looked up sometime later from his porridge and gave his Head of House a small smile.

“Yes, sir.  Something I still haven’t been able to shake after growing up with my relatives.”

A black look crossed the professor’s face at the mention of the Dursley’s and Harry actually blinked in surprise when Snape settled down across from him.

“What do you have planned for today?” The dark man asked, pouring himself a cup of coffee and then began spooning kippers onto a plate that had just appeared.

“I’m not sure.”  Harry admitted, dragging his spoon through his half finished breakfast.  “I decided to give Draco a stay of execution this morning and we finished what homework we had Friday night.”

Snape gave him a look full of humor as he bit into a piece of toast.  

“I do have some ingredients that need to be processed, if you would be willing.” 

The teen gave him a sharp look before he grinned. “Can I trade that help for extra credit tutoring then?”

One side of Snape’s mouth titled up in amusement. “Cheeky brat.” He muttered.  “You definitely belong in my house, Potter.”  

Harry just smirked brightly at him, catching the reluctant fondness he could hear in the dark man’s tone.

“One hour in the potion’s classroom, Mr. Potter.”  Harry gave an affirmative response as the man drained the last of his coffee and then rose, sweeping away in a dark billow of fabric.

‘Carreefulll, Master.’ Artemis sang out to him with glee. ‘Your soulmate is looking a little green around the edges.’

Harry glanced up to the Staff table with startlement and felt his eyebrows raise at the black look Tom was giving the retreating back of Professor Snape.

Huh , the teen thought with some pleasure as Tom looked back down and stabbed at his plate.  

His thought process was broken a second later when Hedwig hissed, wings flaring on his shoulder as an unfamiliar eagle owl landed gracefully in front of him.

The other owl gave her a disdainful look before regally holding out a leg.  

Harry placed a calming hand on his familiar and untied the letter, the owl not even waiting for a treat before he was flying back towards the ceiling.

Beyond curious now, Harry subtly checked it for curses.  The Elder Wand hummed soothingly along his left arm, a feeling of safety filling him.  Taking the confirmation for what it was, Harry opened the envelope.

Rich parchment graced his fingers and the teen rubbed at it, fascinated with the texture.

‘Master.’ Artemis poked him in the collar bone, apparently too curious to wait.  He poked her back before unfolding the letter to read it.

To Heir Potter, 

Greetings from Wilbanks and Sons, solicitors to the Wizarding World.

Master Bloodfang from the Gringotts branch of London contacted us a month ago on your behalf regarding your godfather and his imprisonment on Azkaban Island. On further review of his Ministry case, of which there curiously was none, we have decided to accept your request.

Attached are our findings so far into the case of Heir Sirius Orion Black, and we are working on getting a court date set for a hearing.  We will keep you apprised of any further findings into our investigation.

Due to the serious nature of this case, as well as what could come of it, we highly recommend you make no mention of this to anyone unless absolutely necessary.

When we first looked into the matter, we were made aware that Lord Black has for some time been trying to gain a trial for his Heir. On hearing that we were looking into it, as well as who hired us, he requested that we include a letter from him.

Please let us know if there is anything else we can provide for you.

Sincerely, 

Robert Michael Wilbanks II, Solicitor

Hands shaking, Harry retrieved the other sealed envelope that had fallen out and opened it. 

To my grandson’s Heir, 

I bid you welcome to the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black.  

I can only mourn that I did not know Sirius had blood adopted you, Harry. To me our family is everything, especially at this time in my life where I have outlived almost all of them.  To know that there is at least one Black out there alive and free does this old man’s heart good.  For years I have tried to free your blood-father, knowing deeply in my heart Sirius would have never betrayed James.  Your father was the brother of his soul and I know he adored you as well.  He must have, to have blood adopted you.  Your blood-father was never much for the old pureblood ways but to have done so tells me he loves you to the bottom of his heart.

I can only hope I live to see my Heir freed, and the honor of the Blacks restored.  Should I not, I wish only the best for yourself and Sirius. 

Toujours Pur.

May Morgana guard you and light your path forever. 

Sincerely, 

Your Great-Grandfather

Lord Arcturus Black

Hands that trembled violently tried to shove the letter back into the envelope but failed. Hedwig cooed anxiously in his ear, reaching up to groom his hair in an effort to calm him.

Strong hands gripped him and pulled him up gently from the table, dark purple robes sweeping across his vision as Tom hid his face from the rest of the students as the teen was guided out of the Hall. 

‘Master?’ Artemis asked uncertainty and with that Harry broke.

Tom caught his soulmate as the boy staggered, dragging him into an alcove off the main entrance.  Throwing up a silencing and disillusionment spell, the man sank to his knees and cradled Harry’s face as the teen wept.

“What is it, my own? What did those letters say?”  Tom asked him quietly, rubbing at his arms now in an effort to calm him. 

Harry just gave him the letters and used the wall at his back to sink to the ground.  He placed his head on his knees and wrapped his arms tightly around them.

Hedwig shifted on his shoulder and rubbed her face against his, cooing softy.  He reached up and scratched gently at her chest feathers, moving to cuddle her to his chest.  Artemis hissed soothingly and poked his ear gently causing Harry to smile even as tears ran down his face and dripped onto snowy white feathers.

Tom sighed and placed the letters back into their correct envelopes.  If he remembered correctly, Arcturus would succumb to the curse eating at his body within the month.  

He would not live to see his House restored.

The older man regarded his soulmate sadly as the boy’s shoulders shook silently, too used to mourning quietly.  He sank down to the floor and drew him into his arms.

“Should the Ministry drag its heels, I will do what I did last time.”

Wet green-green eyes looked up at him.

“How do the Americans say it?  I’ll plan a jailbreak.”  Tom nudged his soulmate playfully when the teen started to laugh wetly.

“Seriously, my own. Should the trial fail for whatever reason, your godfather will not spend another night in that wretched place. I know it’s not what you would prefer but Sirius Black does not belong in such a horrible place.”  

Harry’s mouth wobbled for a moment and then he buried his face back into purple robes.  Questions rose up in his mind but for once he pushed them aside, and simply accepted the comfort that was offered.

Severus eyed his little snake as Harry slipped into the room, head down as he approached.  

The teen was late by over a half hour.  

He didn’t know Potter well but something told the older man that the boy wasn’t one to skive off on things he’d agreed to willingly.  Which meant something must have happened after he’d left the Hall.

Deciding to push it away for now, he instructed his student to get out the billy wings they would be shredding.

For a while they worked in silence, moving on to cutting silk caterpillars for a potion Severus was experimenting with. His eyes sharpened as he noticed the graceful way his snake was welding the knife.

“You are quite the hand with a knife.”  Severus remarked.

Harry stilled over the last section he was slicing off. “My relatives had me cooking for them as soon as I could walk. Not cutting off my fingers was the quickest thing I learned with them besides dodging blows.”

Severus put down his knife and eyed Harry with compassion.  “Would you like to talk about it?” 

Harry closed his eyes tightly as tears burned at them again.  “One day, professor.”  He managed to choke out, putting down his knife so he could swipe at his eyes with his sleeve. “But not today.”

The Potion’s Master nodded and then reached out to his littlest snake.  “I am here for you, Harry, and my door is always open for you.”

The boy looked down at the hand wrapped around his own.  “Thank you, sir.”

Severus gripped the hand beneath his comfortably.  “When we're alone, you may call me Severus.”

“Yes pro..Severus.’  Harry amended at the sharp look he got from his Head of House.

They worked for a while longer until the door to the classroom creaked open and an irritated blond head stuck itself inside.

“Uncle Sev, have...there you are!”  Draco threw the door open and dragged a reluctant Neville inside.

“Is Harry getting extra lessons?!”  The blond Slytherin practically squeaked in rage and stormed up to them, still dragging a Gryffindor behind him.

“He’s helping me with storage.”  Severus drawled with some amusement, noticing the face his godson pulled at that.  

Neville saw the look on Draco’s face and felt wickedness pull at his soul.  

“Cc..can we help?”  He asked with false innocence.

Severus felt his mouth twitch at the three standing in front of him.  He’d wondered what effect two Slytherins would have on a Gryffindor and could only approve of the results.

“Mr. Potter is trading ingredients preparation for extra tutoring, which I have agreed to.  It will be every Sunday from 12 until 3.  Is this something you two would also be interested in?”  He replied and arched an eyebrow in question.

Neville elbowed his blond best friend when the other slumped. “You still get to sleep in.” He hissed and tried not to laugh when Professor Snape looked up at the ceiling, clearly trying to not roll his eyes.

“Alright but it’s more than first year potions!”  Draco said firmly.

“You forget, muggle raised.”  Harry returned dryly, pointing at his chest with a thumb.

“I will ensure you are all challenged.”  Professor Snape intoned with something approaching mirth.  He hadn’t expected his Sunday to go this way but the company provided by the three boys soothed something in his soul as they brightened up in interest.

“Professor, cc..can you tell me why the color on my Anti-Boil potion didn’t look correct?”  Neville asked hesitantly, settling down on one side of Harry as Draco took the other.

“It didn’t look correct because you added the stinging nettles too soon.”  The professor instructed them as all three began cutting the belladonna leaves into thin slices.

Harry hid the smile he wanted to give as he began to cut, listening to Severus’s soothing dark voice floating over him as he lectured.

Draco walked down the hallway headed for the Library the next afternoon, checking through his bag to make sure he had the assignments needed.  He was meeting up with Harry and Neville to work on DADA and Transfiguration.

A hand shot out from a dark hallway and the blond yelped as he was dragged in.

“What in the bloody blazes are you doing?!” He whispered harshly to a Neville trying to shush him.

“I wanted to catch you before we got there.  I wanted to talk about Harry.”  The brunet whispered back to him.

“You mean a Harry that seems to know where every class is and every trick step on the stairways?”

Both scowled at the reminder of this morning. 

Pansy had been popping off as they mounted the stairs for Transfiguration, spouting pureblood rhetoric that the other purebloods had just ignored, subtly rolling their eyes at her.

She hadn’t noticed as Harry’s face had grown progressively darker and darker at her words.  

They'd been turning to climb the third staircase when Draco saw Harry suddenly smirk from the corner of his eye.  A hand had fisted in his robes and pulled him quickly to the side, Neville almost stumbling as the boy tried to avoid getting run over by the both of them.

It wasn’t even a second later that Pansy was yelping, falling into a trick step and almost disappearing from view. 

Harry had just laughed into his sleeve as Goyle and Crabbe tried to pull her out, only her dark curls could be seen as she shrieked at them t o get her out.

Draco had leaned back a little and given a look to his other best friend, and Neville had nodded in acknowledgement, Harry not catching either look as they continued on to Professor McGonagall’s class.

“It’s weird, isn’t it?” Neville whispered to him. “If he’d had older siblings that could explain away his knowledge.”

“So how in Merlin would he know?” Draco agreed, pulling on his bottom lip in thought.

Silence rang as both pureblood’s thoughts spun round and around.

“Does it matter?” Neville asked tentatively at last.

Draco considered that.

“No.” He finally said, nudging his best friend as the other slumped slightly in relief.

“He’s Harry.  And he’s ours.  We’ll just have to wait until he trusts us enough to tell us what’s going on.”

On Tuesday around lunchtime Harry approached the Hospital Wing, raising his eyebrows in interest at the man loitering around the entrance.

“Did you really think I wouldn't be here?” Tom asked grimly, giving the doors a dark look.

“It’s just a check up, Tom.”  Harry soothed with some amusement. “Daisy is just making sure I’m on track.”

A pained expression crossed the other man’s face before he blew out a breath.  “You will tell me what she says, my own?”

“Of course. Otherwise Artemis would tell on me, the treacherous beast.”  Harry gave a fond poke at his collarbone and Tom smiled reluctantly at the way a white head emerged briefly to snap at her Master’s fingers before disappearing beneath his robes again.

“Is there a problem here?”  Both turned in surprise as a tall black figure marched up to them.

Professor Snape arched an eyebrow at his fellow professor, cutting his eyes away in clear dismissal.

Harry gave his soulmate a comforting smile before turning to walk into the Hospital Wing.

“I’m not sure what is going on between you and Mr. Potter but rest assured, I will find out.”  Tom blinked at the clear threat that was hissed at him as black robes swept away grandly and the Hospital Wing doors slammed shut behind Severus.

He’s always been something of a drama queen , Tom thought with some amusement before folding gracefully back into Quirrell’s mind.

Harry just smiled innocently at the dark look he was getting from Severus.

“Daisy!”  He said with delight as she emerged from behind a curtain, darting forward to give the laughing Healer a hug.

“Oh look at you, Harry!  You’re progressing much faster than I’d hoped.”  She said warmly, cupping his face so she could get a better look.  “Alanna was right, a month with the Longbottoms clearly did you a lot of good.”

“I couldn’t do anything else with such a fabulous Healer as yourself helping me.”  She huffed at the wicked smirk he gave her, swatting gently at his shoulder.

“Up on the bed, you cheeky devil.” Daisy said fondly.

Harry hopped up as she drew the curtain around him, gently untangling Artemis from around his neck as he did so and placed her on the pillow behind him.

It was just the two of them now and Daisy swished her wand again and a silencing charm went up.

“Now, Harry,” she said seriously and the teen stilled. “You must be completely honest with me.  Everything I do is for your benefit, and anything said in here will be kept between the two of us. Unless it risks your health. At that point I have to inform Alanna, do you understand?”

Harry nodded and then reached forward for her hand. “Everything you’ve done has been for me. I trust you completely, Daisy.”  He returned quietly.

The woman had to take a deep breath to steady her emotions.  

For a child who had been as severely abused as Harry has been, to hear that he trusted her with everything struck her deeply.  Children of abuse typically did not trust the adults trying to help them, too scared they would be punished if they gave the wrong answer. It warmed her heart that she was trusted so. 

“Alright, let’s get this done so you can join your friends for lunch then.”

Harry nodded and closed his eyes as the magic washed over him, Daisy humming as she studied the lights swirling around her patient.  

“You’ve been taking all of your potions?” She asked him, wand twirling as she twisted to enlarge a section on his abdomen to get a closer look.

“Yup!”  Harry replied, now looking down with fascination at the colors dancing around him.

“Good, good.” She muttered distractingly as she squinted. Her wand waved again as she focused on his left side, and Harry almost laughed when she got so close her nose almost brushed his robes.

Finally Daisy straightened up and dismissed the lights, giving him a blinding smile as she did so.

“Your left kidney has stopped its descent into madness.”  She teased and laughed when the teen straightened in excitement.  “Should this path continue, you will regain full use of it by the middle of next year.  Your right kidney has returned to operating at full percent and the damage to your liver has been repaired.”

Harry hopped off the bed and practically flew into her. “ Thank you. ” He said before laughing happily.

“Thank yourself for following all of my instructions, silly. Your bones are slowly but surely strengthening. I expect by next summer I’ll be able to repair the damage done to your arms.”  She smiled brightly as he whooped with glee.

The damage done to the bones in his arms had concerned both of them for different reasons.  Her because the fractures could re-break at any time, and him because he’d confessed he wanted to try out for Quidditch.  

Daisy however would not allow him to play until the breaks had been fully repaired.

“You’re so awesome!” The teen babbled as he gripped at her.

“You’re awesome!” She laughed back and then dragged him into a hug.

“You deserve all the happiness in the world, Harry.”  Daisy breathed into his shoulder.

“Till the day I die I will be so grateful for you and Alanna.” Harry breathed back gratefully, clutching her to him tightly. “The Houses of Potter and Black will forever be indebted to you. Anything you ask for, it shall be yours.  I so swear it as Heir to both great Houses. So mote it be .”

Daisy sucked in a startled breath as the magic settled around her, humming gently as the vow sank beneath her skin.  

“You are going to change our world, Harry Potter.  And I can’t wait to see what it will look like.”  She said softly into his hair, arms tightening around him.

Later that night Harry lied in wait, breath going still as he felt his prey come closer.

The Elder Wand thrummed in his hand, excitement filling his soul as they eyed the door, Artemis curling further around his neck so he could move freely without hurting her.

The door opened and the wizard he was waiting for entered tiredly, yawning as he did so.

BANG!

Tom jumped three feet in the air as a firework exploded beneath his feet. 

Hopping on one foot he withdrew his wand and spun around.

“You will tell me what she said, my own.” Tom hissed dangerously, mouth twitching wildly as his soulmate laughed happily as he danced back.  He’d been trying to corner him all day to see what the Healer had said but Harry had dodged him at every turn.

It was clear now that Harry expected him to work for any answers he wanted and the Dark Lord couldn’t help but revel in it.

His soulmate wanted him to pursue him, chase him down and make Tom prove himself worthy of Harry Potter.  

His very soul sang a sweet battle cry to claim his soulmate as Harry once more gracefully evaded him. It would be a long time until he could do so but that didn’t mean he couldn’t prove his worth in the meantime.

And he was worthy of him.  

Harry grinned savagely as a disarming hex flew over his head, practically cackling as he dove behind the sofa.

You two have a very strange way of flirting , Death commented with amusement and Fate laughed gaily as Harry dodged another hex.

Don't you want to help a Master out? Harry replied with mirth, slinging back a Bat-Bogey hex and roared with laughter as Tom squawked and flailed at the bats flooding his nose.

Incoming , Death laughed with delight before great black wings folded around him.

They disappeared a second later to Tom’s, “ Seriously?! ”

Oh they don't think it's going to be that easy, do they?   Fate said slyly and Tom laughed darkly as she slid the location into his mind.

Thank you, great Lady. He replied with merriment as he ran for the fireplace. 

Barty hummed to himself as he shelved the book he’d been reading onto the shelf. He’d had the cottage mostly to himself the last month and had enjoyed it for the most part. 

Being able to move on his own, choosing what he ate and when he’d slept had been a novelty at first.  Winky was also great company and kept him somewhat entertained.

But now he was bored.  His Lord could only come on rare occasions and there were only so many books the library held.

Barty sighed as he eyed the bookcase again with disappointment.

The sound of feathers had his head cocking to the side and a moment later he was yelping in shock as a body thumped to the ground next to him.

“Was that landing really necessary?!”  His mouth dropped open as who could only be Harry Potter staggered up from the ground.

“Err.”  He blurted out.

The boy spun around and brightened up at the sight of the Ravenclaw.

“Barty!” The Slytherin shouted with glee and threw open his arms.

Barty snorted and couldn’t help what he did next, “Harry!” he exclaimed loudly and threw open his arms as well, glomping the teen into a hug.

The teen in question laughed and wiggled his way up. “I still want to know who’s buttocks got blown off.”

Harry watched with dark glee as the Ravenclaw blanched and released him. “I told you about that?!”

“I knew it!” Harry crowed with delight.  “It was you. ”

The fire in the library flared and an irate Dark Lord came stomping out of it.

Barty pointed at the teen and then fled behind him.

“Coward.”  Harry accused and Barty just arched an eyebrow.

“Smart.”  He returned, raising his hands in surrender as Tom stalked forward.

“Harry James Potter.”  

Harry suppressed a wicked grin at the dark glower he was getting from his soulmate.  

“It wasn’t me, it was Death.”  He tried.

A second later he was laughing as he was thrown over a shoulder. 

Barty watched with some amusement as his Lord dragged Harry to his bedroom, firmly slamming the door shut behind him. 

Tom threw his giggling soulmate onto the bed and stood over him, hands on his hips as he tried not to join Harry in his amusement.

Harry just grinned brightly up at him as Tom tapped a foot impatiently and then gave in.

The older man slumped in relief as his soulmate told him what the Healer had said.  

He forced the teen over and sagged against the headboard, dragging his soulmate under his arm. 

“I quite like them both. We’ll need to do something for them.”  

Harry yawned, snuggling under the arm slung over him.  “I think they have a Foundation they set up for wixen children who can’t afford their services.”

Tom mentally tagged that, making a note to himself to send in a sizable donation.

‘Master, I think we blew by curfew.’  Artemis uncurled herself from around his neck and poked him beneath his jaw.

Harry cursed when he saw the time Tom conjured. He was already over by an hour and by the time he got to the dungeons it would be closer to two.

“Come on, my own. Call that Cloak to you and let’s be off.”  Tom smirked as almost immediately the Cloak spilled over Harry’s head, hiding the boy from view as it practically radiated mischievousness.  

Harry huffed as he battled his way out from under the fabric and gave the Hollow a sharp look.

“Don’t think you can fool me.” He accused the Cloak now trying for innocence. “I’m starting to think it was all you and not my father getting into trouble.”

Tom suppressed a laugh as the Cloak seemed to slump with sadness, edges going despondent.  He slipped a hand over his mouth to hide his mirth as Harry folded like a wet paper tissue instantly.

Harry hugged the Hollow to him tightly and mentally apologized to the light circling his soul. It chirped back at him, brightening back up as it accepted his apology.

Tom chivvied his soulmate up and they left the room, waving goodbye to Barty as they Floo’d back to the castle.

Harry yawned and threw the Cloak over his shoulders, slipping out into the hallway as Tom closed the door behind him.

In no time at all he was sneaking back into the Slytherin dorms, moving quietly so he didn’t wake up his sleeping roommates as he got ready for bed. 

He gave a snoozing Hedwig a stroke along her chest feathers and she opened one gold eye in acknowledgement before sliding back into sleep.

Climbing into bed, Harry placed Artemis onto her pillow and cast a warming charm on it, his familiar sighing with satisfaction as she curled up.  

Harry snuggled deeply into his pillow after throwing up his normal silencing charm.  

He didn’t have nightmares very much any more but still didn’t want to wake anyone if he did. 

Within moments he was asleep. 

Draco rushed around the dorm room that next morning, cursing as he hopped on one foot, dragging his trousers on while simultaneously reaching for his tie.

Why the hell hadn't Harry woken him up?!  The burnet was the first to get up and would wake him so that Draco had enough time to slick back his hair in the bathroom.

Harry would tease him but waited patiently by the door for him to finish.

Wait.

Was Harry even awake?  The dorm was empty but the others left on their own anyway. It was only the two of them that would walk up together in the morning.

Draco pulled back the curtains and frowned, rubbing at his fingertips as they tingled against a spell.  He looked at the bed and the frown deepened further.

Harry was spread out like a starfish on the bed, mouth open and clearly still asleep.  Artemis was curled up on the other pillow, her head resting on her coils. Snakes didn’t have eyelids but he could see the slight film over one eye that said she still slumbered.

Suspicious, Draco slowly reached a hand in and when nothing happened, stuck his head inside.

Snores greeted him, not loudly but enough to have been heard even through the curtains.

That’s a silencing charm.  

They hadn’t even gotten to floating feathers for Merlin’s sake, much less something as complicated as blocking in sound from around an area.

The mystery around his best friend was just getting deeper and deeper.  

Mentally making a note to talk to Nev, the blond shook his friend awake.

If they rushed they could just make the end of breakfast.

Harry paused as the sound of feathers shifting met his ears as he walked down the hallway that next Friday night on his way to ambush his soulmate.  

He’d managed to slither out of the dorms after giving Dray the slip but knew he’d pay for that later as they were supposed to be doing their homework.  

‘Wha..’ Artemis managed to hiss before black obscured their vision and boy and snake were swept away.

“What’s this?” Harry asked in bemusement after they’d stopped flying, Death perched on a large rock next to the Lake with his Master in his arms.  

“You never call, you never write.” Death pouted sadly as he released the boy and hopped off the rock, sinking into the dark grass and pulled Harry down after him.  “I haven’t seen much of you for the last week.”

‘Feeling a little neglected?’ Artemis teased as she unwound from Harry’s neck and slithered gracefully onto the entity’s chest.

“I’m just saying, I would appreciate some Harry time.”  Death protested, subsiding as Harry snuggled into his chest.

The boy propped his chin on the entity’s chest and squinted in the low light coming from the moon high up above.

“You’re still my favorite.”  He whispered to Death, grinning when the man rumbled a bit.

“I’d better be.”  The entity muttered petulantly before softening as Harry grasped one wing gently and pulled it over him, sinking down into the heat that practically poured off Death.   

“So, how are your classes going?”

Death smiled and settled back as his Master brightened up, chattering away to him as Artemis inserted her own dry comments, all three laughing as the moon moved overhead.

Tom paused in the middle of pulling off his outer robe and looked thoughtfully at the beautiful woman gracing Quirrell’s sofa.

She smiled at him and patted the cushion next to her, a tea tray appearing on a stand next to her.

“Good evening, great Lady.”  He said eventually, crossing over to settle next to her gracefully.

“Hello, Tom.” Fate replied and handed him a cup.

He inhaled the scent greedily and absently wondered how she knew his favorite tea and the way he prepared it.

“That would be telling, wouldn’t it?” She said mischievously, tapping her nose twice as he reluctantly smiled.

“Not that I’m not grateful, Lady.”  Tom led, arching an eyebrow at her.

“Your soulmate was kidnapped by my husband, so I’ve come to keep you company instead.”

Tom huffed a little before taking a sip.  “I wondered when he’d finally snap.  Harry has been terrorizing me every night since he got here, and between his classes and friends that doesn’t leave much time for anything else.”

“Terrorizing?” She teased and gave him a nudge.

“I didn’t say I didn’t love it.”  The man replied with a smirk hidden in the rim of his cup.

They were silent for a while before Fate laughed in her throat and turned to face him.

“Just ask your questions, silly.”

Tom shot up and put the cup down on the floor, leaning forward eagerly.

“What can the Hollows do now that they’re fully unlocked?  Why did they choose Harry?  Does the power come from within him or does it pull from somewhere else?  How can..”  Tom cut himself off when she laughed brightly and held up a hand to stop him.

“There are some things I can tell you, and some things that will have to be found out yourselves.  You can’t just have it all on a silver platter, Tom.” She chided with amusement as he slumped slightly in disappointment.

He shrugged and let out a little laugh.  “It was worth a try.” He admitted sheepishly.

“There’s a certain criteria that must be met for the Hollows to choose their Master.  Harry has told you, yes, the story of my husband’s children?”

The mortal nodded and settled deeper back into the cushions.  For a brief moment he missed Artemis, the serpent having taken a liking to snoozing in his lap as he and Harry talked to each other every night.  He’d gotten used to feeling her cool scales beneath his hands as he’d stroked her.

“There are many more timelines that exist. Each decision that you make is countered by another and it spins off into another timeline.  Not as many as you’re thinking,” she added, mouth tilting up as he straightened in excitement at the knowledge. “Most big decisions remain the same. You’ve always torn your soul apart.”

She reached out as the man paled and patted his hand in comfort. “Sometimes you don’t go after Harry, as that was a catalyst of another decision, and sometimes he chooses not to fight you but join you.”

Tom stared at her in shock, brain screeching to a halt like a bad record.

“He went back in time for you.  Did you not think he wouldn’t join you given a choice and a lack of reason to hate you?  In some dimensions you maintained a better grasp on your sanity, having not torn it into 7 pieces as you did here.”  Fate shrugged and reached for her cup, letting him think in peace.

“So what does that mean?  That the Hallows have only chosen Harry in this timeline?”  Tom asked finally, sighing a thanks as his cup refilled itself.

“No. The power of the Hallows transcends the mortal plane entirely.  As such, they are aware of their other copies and what happens in those places.  They can see the past as well as into the future. More than a thousand times they have chosen Harry.”

He rotated his cup in his hand as he eyed the entity next to him.  “Have they ever chosen anyone else?”

A smile curled at her lips.  “ Now you are asking the right questions. No, they have never chosen another.”

“Why him?”  Tom asked quietly.

Fate laughed at him gently and then nudged him with a foot.  “You already know the answer to that, Tom Riddle.”

Tom smiled at the floor and took another sip of tea. “Yes, I suppose I do. Anyone else would get drunk on the power and misuse it. Harry? He’ll always ask politely and respect a no.”

“Exactly.”  She returned softly, turning to look into the flames crackling away in the fireplace.  “He’s one of the most selfless beings I’ve ever seen.  Oh he has his flaws like any mortal, but his soul shines so brightly you can almost see it from the heavens.”

“What can the power of the Hallows do?”  Tom asked after some time had passed.

“The Wand is limitless now, only constrained by a lack of imagination on Harry’s part.  He simply needs to will it and it will be done. The Stone can retrieve anyone from Hell or the Elysian Fields in a bodily form.  They can only exist here for a night however, as the dead do not belong on the mortal plane.”  Fate paused and raised an eyebrow as the man went pale.

“Anyone or any thing ?”  He questioned, lips going numb when she nodded.

“Should he need it, he could summon the entire demon Horde.”

Holy fuck , Tom mouthed to himself, rubbing at his forehead as it began to throb.  There must have been millions of demons he’d seen in that vast expanse, and he’d only been on the surface of Hell.  He’d gotten a glimpse of various catacombs littered below them as he’d gotten thrashed by Death on that damn slab.

“You see now why they’ve grabbed onto him?  The Wand had a tenuous grip at first until Harry accepted his dominion over it.”

“Oh yes.” Tom said shakily before he laughed in self-disgust.  “I’m also a Pervell descendant and can only imagine the horror and destruction I would have caused if I’d known about that power.”

Fate tapped at her tea cup, slate eyes going cold and calculating as she stared at him. “As his soulmate, once you’re fully bonded you will have access to the power of the Hallows to some extent.”

Tom surged out of his seat and began to pace the room. “No.” He snarled, turning on her viciously. “That would require going through Harry wouldn’t it?  I will never sacrifice the chance for my family again. It’s not worth it.   I will gladly spend the rest of my life on Harry’s coattails if that means we have our son and the future we saw.”

She slowly smiled at him and placed her cup down, rising to stop the frantic pacing he was doing. “Harry isn’t the only one worthy here, darling.  But they are loyal only to him.  You may ask but that does not mean you will receive.”

The man swallowed heavily and then grabbed at her hands tightly.

“Promise me that if I ever lose my mind again, you or Death will do it.”  Tom pleaded quietly and Fate felt her eyes prickle with tears.  “Please don’t make my soulmate face the decision to kill me for a second time.”

“That will not be necessary.”  Fate said gently.

“Please.”

She studied the desperate man before nodding reluctantly, catching him as he swayed with relief.

For a while she just held him, rocking back and forth slowly as she hummed wordlessly.

“I’m almost afraid to ask about the Cloak.”

Fate chuckled as she pulled back and cupped his face.

“Out of all the Hollows that one is the least offensive in nature.  Though don’t tell it I said that, it sulks easily.”  She chuckled with him as she guided him back to the sofa.

Tom slumped tiredly onto it, rubbing at the headache dancing a merry tune around his temples.  He sighed in relief when cold fingers ran across his forehead and the pain faded entirely.

“The Cloak keeps Harry permanently concealed from scurrying spells and the malignant casting that can be done through that type of magic even when he isn’t wearing it.  When he does put it on, not even Death would be able to find him, just like in the stories.  Though I suppose you could at some point if you asked politely.”  Fate said thoughtfully.

“The power of the Hallows doesn’t come from their physical shells, at least not entirely.”  She expounded when he raised an eyebrow. “As you and Harry get closer, you’ll notice the three little lights tethered to his soul that circle him.  If you wished, you could reach out and ask them for a favor.  It’s up to them to decide if they’ll grant it of course.”

The man slumped back and asked the last question he had the energy for tonight. “Do they pull from him or their own power?”

“Their own power, and at the moment the Hollows are acting of their own accord.  Harry only knows how to cast as a wizard, and may accidentally pull from his own magical core in learning how to wield them.”

“Which he doesn’t have the strength for yet.”  

Fate nodded her head and then leaned back against the wizard beside her, smiling slightly as he wrapped a hesitant arm around her shoulders.

“That’s why my husband is waiting to teach him.  Until then, the Hallows help where needed without his input since they know their Master can’t direct them right now.  Which has created some hilarious situations but also has saved him a few times.”

“I knew it.” Tom sighed and smiled as Fate laughed at him. “That was him at the restaurant, wasn’t it?”

“It was and they all had a good time evading you down that alleyway.” She replied merrily as he then started laughing helplessly.

Draco surveyed the Slytherin Common Room again, hands on his hips as he looked for wild black hair. 

They’d gotten into the habit of doing their homework on Friday nights so they could have the rest of the weekend free.  And so far his friend was still a no show.

“He’s probably with Longbottom, Draco.” The blond in question turned around at the answer, spying Blaise sitting with Theo near the fire with their homework spread out around them.

“Probably.  It’s almost curfew though.”  He was not with Neville, he’d checked after the third night Harry had pulled his disappearing trick.  

Every night around the same time his best friend would vanish.  He hadn’t caught it the first night until after he was already gone but he’d seen Harry sneaking out the second. 

After that, Draco had been keeping tabs on when he left.  Oh he was always back before curfew but would shrug the blond off when Draco inquired on where he’d been.  He’d even followed after Harry one night in curiosity but had lost the brunet around a corner.

Speak of the snake , Draco thought uncharitably when Harry strolled through the Common Room door. 

He didn’t want to draw attention to it and so didn’t say anything as he settled next to Harry on one of the sofa’s near the fire as they fished out their homework.

Draco smiled faintly at the questioning look the brunet gave him nd then smiled for real with a white nose reached up to poke him in the cheek.

For now he would let it go but continue to watch.

A Few Weeks Later

“Alright, that’s it . I’ve had enough of this.  It’s been almost a month!”  Draco was almost snarling the words as he glared at the open doors of the Great Hall.

Neville nodded grimly as he leaned back to see if he could spot their best friend. 

Who had disappeared.

Again.

They'd settled into something of a routine since the start of school, trading sitting at their House tables every meal and pairing up when they could for class.  The three had grown incredibly close in the last month, so close that the evidence that there was something going on with Harry had become overwhelming.  He knew too much about a magical castle and world that someone raised in the muggle world simply couldn't know yet.  Not to mention that no matter how hard he and Draco searched, they couldn't find him between certain hours of the evening.

The Gryffindor ignored the way the pawn in his fingers shrieked as his hand tightened around it before he forcibly released it.

All three had gathered in the Great Hall that night after supper, Draco attempting to teach Neville the finer points of wizard’s chess.  It seemed like they had glanced away for just a second and their best friend had vanished.  

“I hh..have a plan.” Neville said with determination and the blond’s eyebrows flew up with glee once he’d finished telling the Slytherin.

“You should have been in our House, Nev.”  Draco teased him darkly before both rose to put that plan into action.

Tom walked tiredly to Quirrell’s quarters after curfew, rolling his shoulders to release the tension in them.  He’d taken over his body after the man had asked for some time to rest.  

If only he’d known what he was in for when he’d agreed to take over the man’s patrol duties for that night.

That’s it , Tom thought as he yawned.  I don’t want to be a professor any more.

He’d caught no less than 5 Ravenclaw's trying to sneak back into the Library after hours.  2 Gryffindor's that wanted to go for a night swim in the Lake.

And most horrifyingly, a group of Hufflepuff's in a broom closet.  He shuddered as he remembered slamming his eyes shut after getting an eyeful of writhing naked teenagers. 

It's always the quiet ones , he thought with some reluctant amusement as he unlocked his door.

The sitting room was dark with just the firelight dancing over the walls. Tom paused in the middle of removing his outer robe to eye the body sprawled out on the rug in front of the couch.

Harry snored softly on his back, small body tilted towards the heat as Artemis lay stretched out on his chest, clearly asleep as well.

Fondness and affection rolled through his soul as he approached his slumbering soulmate.

No matter how strong the wards Tom put up, Harry somehow managed to wiggle his way past them every single time.  His sneaky soulmate would just grin whenever Tom would demand to know just exactly how he was doing it.

It had quickly become a game between them, and both Death and Fate had teased them about it many times  over the last few weeks.

Tom knelt down and for long moments he studied his small soulmate. 

Firelight danced over the boy’s features and already he could see the handsome man Harry would become.  

Tom closed his eyes and thanked Salazar once more that Harry was such a forgiving soul.  Having this second shot at life with his sanity intact was something he would always be grateful for and definitely didn’t deserve.  

The sounds of Harry and their child laughing rang through his memory and his breath caught as longing squeezed his heart tightly. He knew it would be many years until then but he could wait patiently, knowing what was at the end for them.

The low hoot of an owl had him opening his eyes to look up at Hedwig perched on the owl stand near the mantle.

When it had become apparent Harry was not going to stop sneaking in he’d purchased it.  He didn’t fully understand the relationship between boy and owl but remembered vividly how she’d flown fearlessly into the path of his Killing Curse without hesitation.

Tom would always be incredibly grateful that she’d saved the life of his soulmate.  For that alone anything she desired would be hers.  An owl stand for her to be comfortable in his quarters was such a small thing to give.

It had also been worth the hassle when Harry had darted in for a hug and then gotten flustered when it’d shown up.

He looked back down at Harry and then settled down by his side. 

The man knew he was being a little creepy in watching the teen sleep but it was a rare instance when Harry wasn’t moving or talking constantly.  The boy was a veritable rush of energy at all times of the day.

His lips curled up when Harry mumbled something about mice in parseltongue, and then tried not to laugh as Artemis twitched in reaction. 

Tom reached out and traced a gentle finger over Harry’s right eyebrow, feeling the slight bump where his scar bisected it.

“What ‘ime is it?”  Harry yawned as he woke up at the touch.

“Time for all little first years to be in bed.” Tom chided softly.

“Yeah, yeah.” Harry mumbled as he slowly sat up, Artemis grumbling but moved to encircle herself around his neck.  

In short order Harry was swinging the Cloak over his head, both Hedwig and Artemis secured to his shoulders.  

“Don’t forget about tomorrow.”  Harry reminded him before slipping out of the door.

Tom scoffed as he retreated to the bathroom to get ready for bed.  

As if he could forget.

Tomorrow was the trial against Harry’s relatives and the first shot against Dumbledore.  The results would determine how fast they could proceed with the next step planned.

Tom clenched his jaw tight as he stepped beneath the showerhead and then forced himself to relax. His soulmate would be in the very heart of danger, pitting himself against Dumbledore for the first time in either life.

And he couldn’t be there to guard his back.  

The only consolation he had was that Severus would be there to protect him.  If there was one thing he’d learned about the man this go around it was how fanatical he was in guarding his snakes.  It didn’t matter whether he personally liked them or not, the man would go on the warpath if they were ever threatened.  And it had become clear over the last few weeks the dark haired man regarded his soulmate with fondness and care.

Tom rested his forehead against the tiles and prayed to the only gods he believed in.

Please protect him. I can’t bear to lose him.

He smiled then as an unseen hand brushed across his cheekbone and feathers glided along his back in response.

Harry slowly opened the dorm room door, holding his breath and then sighed in relief at the snores he could hear.

Quickly sneaking over to his bed, he carefully folded the Cloak and stored it in his trunk, Hedwig fluttering off his shoulder and to the stand he’d installed next to his bed as he changed into his pajamas.

Yawning, Harry opened the curtains and then barely contained a yelp as he saw what was waiting for him.

Neville arched his eyebrows at him and then pointed firmly to the space in front of him.

Draco just glared and crossed his arms as both boys sat cross legged on Harry’s bed.

“What are you doing?” Harry whispered harshly as he climbed into the bed.

“Put up a silencing charm please.”

Harry eyed them as the curtains closed behind him at Draco’s demand.

“And how would I know how to do that?”  He questioned lowly. 

Silencing charms weren’t covered until 3rd year at least. 

“Www..we’re not stupid, Harry. Please put it up.”

Harry felt Artemis poke him behind the ear and sighed.  Holly wand falling into his hand, he flicked it at the curtains and added a Sticking charm to keep them closed as well.

“Ok, what is going on with you two?” Harry demanded.

“What’s going on with us?” Draco asked in disbelief and exchanged glances with Neville.

“Harry, we kk...know something is going on with you .  You never get lost in Hogwarts, and know where to avoid all the trick stairs.”  Neville rebutted with a frown.

“And don’t think we haven’t noticed how you somehow just know things.  Like spells a first year muggle raised student shouldn’t know yet.  Or how you disappear almost every night and we can’t find you.  We’ve covered for you and no one has really noticed but now we want answers.” Draco continued firmly as he crossed his arms again.

“I read a lot.” Harry offered weakly and winced when both his best friends scoffed at him.

‘I think you should tell them, Master.’ Artemis said thoughtfully as she considered them, raising up from around his neck to eye his friends. 

“ No!   I will not put that burden on them.” He told her fiercely.

“What burden?” Neville asked him gently and the teen looked up in horror.  Apparently in his tiredness he’d spoken in English.

“We’re your best friends, Harry.”  Draco added quietly.

Harry sighed and looked down at his hands.  He wanted to tell them so badly but they were only 11 .  How could they understand the decisions he’d made?  Especially for Neville, who had suffered just as much as he had at the hands of his soulmate.

Neville considered his first, and best, friend. “Will you tell us one day?  When you trust us enough?”  

“It’s not about trust, Nev.  I’m scared.” Harry finally admitted and looked up.  “I’m scared you won’t understand why I did what I did.  You are my best friends.”

Draco sighed and then reached forward to punch Harry lightly in the arm.

“Look, at least let us in with something.  Why are you getting letters from two different solicitors?  And why have they been charmed to zap anyone who isn’t you from picking them up?”

Neville tried to muffle a snicker but didn’t succeed as Draco turned to glare at him.  The blond had made the mistake one morning of picking up a letter from Alanna and had been zapped hard enough his hair had stood on end when the owl had dropped it off.

“Yeah, I can tell you this.”  Harry sighed with relief at that bullet dodged.  

Eventually he knew he was going to tell them but he wanted that to be far into the future.  Hopefully by then both of his friends would have gained enough life experience to maybe understand his choice.

“Well, the one that zapped you was from Alanna Carmichael. The others have been from Willbanks and Sons.”

Draco sucked in a breath and Neville whistled lowly.  Willbanks and Sons were the crème de la crème of solicitors in the Wizarding World, and completely vicious in their dealings.

“Willbanks?  You only hire them if you’re going scorched earth. Who are we killing?” Draco asked eagerly and leaned forward with interest.

“The Ministry.” Harry replied with amusement and both his best friends straightened in excitement.

“Ww...what did they do?” Neville almost vibrated with energy as they waited for the answer.

Harry’s face darkened and both his friends leaned back slightly as magic snapped at the air.  “They sent my godfather to prison without a trial.”

Both purebloods froze and Harry almost laughed as they exchanged frantic glances with one another.  Dray made a harried hand gesture at Nev and the other boy rapidly shook his head.

“Relax. You don’t need to tell me, I know what he’s accused of.”

They sagged with relief.

“Hang on,” Draco said slowly. “They sent my cousin to Azkaban without a trial?!”

Harry smiled and knew it wasn’t a pleasant one.  “Not only that but I was placed with unfit relatives.”

By the time he was done explaining what the trial was about tomorrow, both of them had gone completely white.

“I’m going to be sick.” Draco whispered, looking green around the edges as he curled up and placed his forehead on his knees.

“I knew it.  I knew it was something bad but not this bad.” Neville said shakily and then crawled across the bed.

Harry sank gratefully into his embrace and then felt another pair of arms wrap around him.

“We can wait for the other answers, Harry.  Just don’t shut us out ok?  You’re not alone.”

Harry sniffled at his fellow Slytherin’s words.  “Ok.” He whispered and then placed his head on Neville’s shoulder as they hugged him.

Slowly they sank back onto the bed, Artemis nudging both his friends fondly as they settled in.

Harry rolled over and froze as he bumped into someone else, adrenaline making his heart rate skyrocket as he shot up.  He flopped back down onto the bed in relief a moment later.

Draco mumbled something about pancakes before going still, spread out like a starfish on the bed.  It had pushed both him and Neville to opposite sides of the bed and the Slytherin reached out and pulled his best friend away from the dangerous edge he was perched on.

Pale green eyes blinked at him sleepily as Neville yawned.  

“Don’t suppose you brought extra robes?”  Harry asked as they waited for the dorm to empty, Blaise being the last one to exit and closing the door behind him.

Neville shrugged sheepishly and Harry rolled his eyes fondly, shooting a wrinkle free and refreshing charm his way.

Harry looked down at the still sleeping blond.

“Don’t...” Nev warned before sighing as Harry pushed the other Slytherin out of his bed, the blond yelping as he fell gently to the floor in a tangle of blankets.  

Unfortunately the brunet had been on the end of that particular wake up call as well.

“Why am I friends with you again?”  Draco demanded as he clawed his way up the side of the bed.

“Because I’m fabulous and also need your fashion advice.”  Harry replied promptly, and grinned when his best friend lit up with glee.

Draco darted for his wardrobe and threw it open dramatically.  

“Ww...what are you trying to portray?”  Neville came up beside him as all three stared into the darkness of his collection of robes.  School robes were more prominent so Draco reached into the back and pulled out his dress robes, shuffling his Slytherin ones to the back.

“Like an Heir to a Noble House. I don’t want to look like a student that can be railroaded.  And to remind them without saying just who I am.”  Harry furrowed his eyebrows and pulled at his lower lip in thought.

Draco moved forward and started going through his robes, pulling out potentials as he went.

“This one,” Neville said, gently snatching up the black robe with silvery embroidered words around the cuffs.  

Harry reached out and took it from him, rubbing thoughtfully at the Potter Family motto stitched into the cloth.  “I’d forgotten I’d ordered this.”

“Mori Quam Foedari?”  Draco questioned with mirth, effortlessly pronouncing the Latin words.  “Death before dishonor?  Are you sure you weren’t meant to be a Gryffindor?”

Harry gave him a look of mock exasperation as his best friends laughed.  

“Here, pair it with this.  Between your Family stag and words you would have to be deaf and blind not to recognize Heir Potter.”

In short order, Harry was standing in front of his mirror and giving himself a critical once over.  

His dark grey vest glinted in the light as a silver stag leapt across it, the light grey shirt beneath it pairing nicely with the rich fabric of his black trousers. Combined with the polished dragonhide dress shoes he was wearing and he looked pretty damn good.

Hell even his hair had managed to be tamed, Draco pulling off the impossible with a shit ton of gel so that it arched gracefully in the front and then was smoothed back without being plastered to his head.  The little cow licks he’d never managed to get to lie down had been tormented into submission by a determined blond.

The only thing he’d forgone was a tie so Artemis could keep a lookout for him.  What he was about to do was going to cause an absolute uproar, and neither he or Severus could watch everything at once.

And she was his last line of defense should something happen.  

“Ready?”  Neville asked him quietly, reaching up to clasp his shoulder in comfort.  Nervousness twisted Harry’s stomach and he took careful breaths to calm down.  Draco nudged him and he smiled at both his best friends, grateful beyond words he had them in this life.

Neville blushed clear up to his hairline while Draco beamed brightly when he told them both so.

“Of course we’re the best.”  The blond sniffed dramatically and then laughed as he was dragged in for a hug.  “Come on, Potter.  Let’s get you going so you can kick some arse.”

“Severus, why am I only now getting a notice that someone needs to cover your classes for the day?”

Severus looked up and met Minerva’s chiding glare as she settled next to him at the Staff table.

“I need to escort Mr. Potter to the Ministry.” He replied smoothly, wiping at his lips with a napkin.  He straightened his black dress robes pointedly as she gave him a look.

“Why couldn’t Albus have escorted him?”  She demanded as she reached for a pot of tea.  “He’s already there for a….”

Severus reached out and wandlesly caught the pot as it fell.

“ No .  Please tell me it’s not for that.” She begged him quietly as tears brimmed in her eyes.  

Harry may not have sorted into her House like she’d hoped but he’d been nothing but a model student, even helping her lions in Transfiguration when they needed it.

“I wish I could tell you differently, Minnie.”  The Head of Slytherin replied sadly.

“I told him!” Minerva hissed angrily as horror turned to rage.

“Told him what?”  Both teachers looked up as a shadow fell over them.

“Told him they were the worst sort of muggles.”  She was almost snarling it as Professor Quirrell arched an eyebrow.

“I watched them all day and could already tell they would be unfit to house a magical child.  But noooo, Albus Dumbledore can never be wrong!”

Severus reached out and placed a calming hand on the fist she was practically waving in the air.

“Is there a reason why I’m only finding out about this now, Severus Tobias Snape?!”

Both he and Quirrell winced as she three named him.

“Minnie,” he said soothingly and shifted her chair enough so she was sheltered in his embrace as Quirrell placed calm hands on her shoulders.

“You would have been legally obligated to report this to him,” Severus reminded her gently.  “That wasn’t a position Alanna or I wanted to put you in.”

“Is everything alright, professors?”

All three turned to look at the student approaching the head table.

Harry Potter was not wearing his school robes but rather a set of rich black and grey, cutting a formidable figure if a small one. He looked every inch the Heir to a Noble House, Severus thought approvingly.

“It’s alright, Mr. Potter.” Minerva replied, rallying at the sight of one of her favorite students.

“If you’re sure.”  Potter said uncertainty as Severus chivvied her up so he could talk to her in private.

Harry watched with furrowed eyebrows as Professor Snape herded her into the antechamber behind the Staff table.

He then gave his soulmate a small smile as the man approached him.

“Please be careful.”  Tom pleaded quietly and used Harry’s body to hide the way his hand trembled as he picked up the teen’s.  “ No heroics .”

“No promises.”  Harry tightened his hand around Tom’s when the man swallowed heavily.  “I do promise to keep behind Severus, and to follow his lead.”

“Good enough.” Tom sighed, bowing his head before he dropped his soulmate’s hand.

He ignored the suspicious look Severus gave him as he swept up.

“Ready, Mr. Potter?”  The man intoned, gesturing towards the doors.

“As I’ll ever be, Professor.”  Harry replied tightly, giving one last look to Tom before they both stalked out the doors.

“I have allowed it but no more.  You will tell me what is going on between yourself and Professor Quirrell.”

Professor Snape turned on him as soon as they’d gotten past the gates.

“Is he hurting you?”  The man demanded gently, rage dancing in black eyes as he stared his little snake down.  “Has he told you that you can't tell anyone? Touched you inappropriately?”

Harry’s mouth dropped open in shock.

A moment later he was laughing, bending over as he tried to control his mirth.  The thought of Tom hurting him now was anathema. Even though it had only been a few months since they’d come to this time, he knew deep in his soul that Tom would never hurt him again. 

Would rather die than raise a hand against him.

“ Mr. Potter. ” His Head of House said impatiently as he continued to laugh.

“Professor,” Harry gasped as he leaned his hands on his knees. “The world would end before he ever raised a wand to me again.”

AGAIN?   Severus thought wildly before he surged forward to grip the boy’s shoulders and pulled him up.

Harry immediately realized what mistake he’d made and reached up to place comforting hands on the ones gripping his shoulders. 

In an instant he knew what he had to do.

“Severus.”  He said softly and sharp black eyes focused on the almost adult expression this child was wearing.

“You were the first person to tell my mother she was a witch.  Was her best friend until you said something in a moment of anger and she never spoke to you again.”

The dark man drew back a few steps and folded in on himself, wand sliding into his hand as he warily eyed the small boy standing in front of him.

Harry drew himself up and called the Elder Wand to his right palm.  

Severus went still as the familiar wand appeared before his eyes shot up to him in shocked disbelief.

“I, Harry James Potter, of the Noble House of Potter, do so solemnly swear to reveal all to Severus Tobias Snape of the Noble House of Prince within a fortnight of my knowledge or my magic will strike me down.  So mote it be.”

Severus shuddered out a breath at the wordless Lumos lighting up the tip of the wand.  He’d thought wildly for a moment that this actually wasn’t Harry Potter standing in front of him but the vow crushed that doubt.

“Tonight.”  He demanded.  “You will tell me tonight or I will go straight to the Headmaster.”

Harry nodded wordlessly as he sheathed the Elder Wand. He could only hope Severus reacted the way he hoped he would.  Otherwise, if the man moved to strike his soulmate down he would have to be neutralized.

He hated the thought of it, the spy deserving so much more than what he’d gotten in their last life but still.  Tom was his soulmate and nothing came before that now.

Professor Snape silently held out his arm and Harry gripped it, apparating away.

Harry followed closely behind Professor Snape as they traversed the atrium of the Ministry, hood pulled up so it concealed his face.  They bypassed the check in clerk completely and both ignored the protesting sounds as the man shot to his feet.

Within seconds they were encased in the elevator, Artemis hissing with delight as Harry fought to hold on to the strap above. He swayed sharply as it jolted to the right and almost slammed into the professor.

He noticed from the corner of his eye Severus looking around them in slight confusion at the hissing he could hear.  They were the only ones in the car and it suddenly occurred to Harry that his Head of House didn’t know about his familiar.

‘Quiet.’ He whispered and gave her a slight poke that he disguised as scratching at his ear.  She sighed but went quiet as the doors opened.

“Ah Severus! How are you?”  A cheerful voice asked and Harry went still as Arthur Weasley stepped in.

Shit! 

Panic dumped into his system as Professor Snape shifted to block him from view.  His trial wasn’t set for another few hours, and everything depended on Dumbledore not knowing. They’d been intending on hiding  in the dark corners of the Courtroom as other, lesser cases were tried.

All it would take would be an off handed comment and it would all come tumbling down like a house of cards.  The whole plan was contingent on hitting the Headmaster flat footed.

One of the little lights that orbited his soul chirped loudly, brightening up and seemed to bounce with excitement.  He reached for it without thought and the soft folds of his Cloak closed around him.

Harry slumped with relief into the corner, sending his gratitude to the Hallow.  It hummed in pleasure and tightened around him securely as the elevator rocked back and forth.

“...and I’ll have a talk with the twins about the unauthorized brewing they’ve been doing. It was a pleasure to see you, Severus.”

Mr. Weasley hopped out at the next stop and Severus blew out a sigh of relief as the doors closed again.

“That was a li…” Severus froze at the empty space behind him.  A second later his eyebrows were flying up his forehead as Harry’s head appeared midair.

“Is that a Cloak of Invisibility?” The man asked in wonder, reaching out to gently touch it as the teen pulled it off.

“Yes.”  Harry replied sheepishly.  “It was my father’s.”

“That...explains a lot.” Severus finally said as the elevator came to a stop on the Courtroom level.  “10 points to Slytherin for your forethought, although I wish you had informed me prior.”

Harry mentally face palmed.  

He’d not even thought of bringing the Cloak.  They’d left early with the intention of getting to Court before the session even started and would have gone unnoticed under a disillusionment charm camouflaging them in the shadows.

Not even an hour in and he was already getting into trouble. Harry made a mental note to not tell Tom about this.  His soulmate would never let him live it down.

Harry carefully folded the Cloak and stuffed it in his pocket, smiling slightly as he felt it shrink itself into a smaller shape.  He wished he’d known it could do that in his last life as that would have come in damn handy.

They slipped in through the Court doors and ghosted along the very back, Severus gently tapping Daisy on the shoulder as they came up beside her in the shadowed corner. 

She said nothing and smiled as she reached out and gripped Severus’s hand.  The Court wasn’t in session yet, maroon cloaked figures moving around and talking quietly at the far front.

“Where is Alanna?” Harry breathed into Daisy's ear as he settled beside her in the dark.

“She’s deflecting the Headmaster.” She said as quietly as she could, Severus leaning in her direction so he could hear.

“He’s been trying since she got here to ferret out more information.  Someone let slip to him it's about a Hogwarts student but Al’s contact came through, your name is still hidden on the intake files.”

“Then it’s a very good thing you’ve brought your Cloak.  Under it now, Mr. Potter.”  Professor Snape commanded softly, Daisy going a little wide eyed as Harry pulled out the fabric and then disappeared.

Severus pulled out his wand and cast a disillusionment charm around himself, shuddering a little as it settled.  He supposed he could have done the same for his snake, but he felt far better knowing Harry was hidden completely from view and not just faded into the background. 

Now beyond grateful they’d had that little scare with Mr. Weasley, Harry also cast a silencing spell around him so he could talk to Artemis.

‘I can’t believe we forgot about the Cloak!’ Artemis hissed as soon as she felt the spell settle.

‘We’re not telling Tom about this.’ Harry agreed.

‘You would be dead and dust before he would stop ranting about it.’ The snake sighed, shifting herself into a more comfortable position.  

‘Some Slytherins we turned out to be.’ Harry replied as mirth started to build up in his chest.

‘Next time we’re writing the plan down.’ Artemis demanded, pushing her nose into his cheek when he laughed.

For hours they sat in the far back corner, shrouded in darkness as case after case went through.

The nerves began to build up in his stomach and Harry had to breathe deeply a few times to calm down as his case came closer and closer.

A movement from of the corner of his eye caught his attention and he bit his lip as Alanna approached them.

Daisy gave her wife a slight hand motion and tipped her head to where Harry was sitting at her questioning look.  

Relief flashed briefly across her face. For a frightening moment she’d thought Harry hadn’t come as a lot of this case revolved around his testimony. 

The sound of a gravel banging brought their attention back to the front and Alanna slipped away. 

Harry’s leg bounced up and down anxiously as Alanna reached the front and placed her briefcase on the prosecutor's table. 

“I suppose now we’ll learn the identity of the minor, Solicitor Carmichael.”

Pale blue eyes twinkled down at her and Alanna smiled . 

“Chief Warlock Dumbledore, you will need to recuse yourself from this case.”

Rumbles echoed around the room as bushy white eyebrows rose in question as packets of information floated up to the members of the Wizengamot. 

“Oh? And why is that?”

“Because you’re being charged with one count of misdemeanor willful neglect of a minor.  His muggle guardians are being charged with ten counts of felony abuse of a child and neglect.  The minor in question, you ask?  Is Harry James Potter, Heir of the Noble House of Potter.”  Alanna leaned against the table at her back and took in the absolute bedlam that ensued. 

Wizards and witches surged to their feet, shouting as they protested. 

Dumbledore banged his gravel in an effort to calm them but it continued on as some of the smarter members actually opened the packets and started reading through the charges listed. 

Alanna let it go on for another moment before bringing her fingers up and whistled so sharply that the closest members of the Court cringed back. 

“You must be joking!” One member shouted once silence had fallen. 

“Oh I’m not, honored members of the Court. In fact, I wish this was a horrible dream that I could wake up from. However, as my investigation into the home life of Heir Potter will show, it is all true.  And I know that I will have nightmares for years to come about what was discovered.”  Alanna said, pacing along the table behind her with her arms behind her back. 

Before anyone could say more the doors at the back slammed open and the wixen’s drew back as gold armor glinted in the light. 

“Is there a reason why the Goblin Nation has disrupted this session?” Cornelius Fudge demanded, rising up from his seat amongst the members of the Court. 

“We are here, Minister for Magic, to ensure our Friend gets the justice he deserves.”  Bloodfang said silkily, baring his teeth in a sharp grin when the man paled and whispers broke out. The small army of goblins at his back shifted and armor creaked dangerously as menace fairly radiated off the small creatures. 

“Friend?” Fudge replied weakly.  

“King Malikai declared Heir Potter so after the first time he came to visit us.” 

The Master Goblin raised an eyebrow and then turned to face her. “I suppose you haven’t gotten to the part yet where it was us who first discovered the child abuse of one of their children?”

Harry covered his mouth and fought not to laugh as half the Wizagamot once again surged to their feet while the other half blanched in horror. 

All of the wixens understood the gravity of the situation. 

Not only had an Heir of a Noble House accused his guardians of abuse, but the goblins were not only backing his claims but also saying they had caught it first.

The allegations were damming enough but to involve a wizard of the caliber of Albus Dumbledore was going to reverberate for years to come.

“Albus.”  Fudge demanded shakily, standing up to move over to the Chief Warlock’s chair.

A Chief Warlock who had gone pale as Alanna waved her hand at the Aurors standing guard near the stands, the doors opening as Petunia and Vernon Dursley were dragged in.

“I don’t recognize the authority of these freaks!”  Uncle Vernon was shouting and Harry shook his head in disgust. The man had the self preservation of a slug.  Aunt Petunia, at least, seemed to realize how precarious their situation was and was trying in vain to quiet her husband as Aurors pushed them into the defendant’s chairs.

Fudge practically shoved a reluctant Dumbledore out of his seat and took his place.

A resolute expression crossed the Headmaster’s face then and he pulled off the robes of the Wizengamot and descended the stairs.

“I’m sure this is all just a big misunderstanding.” He said warmly, ignoring the looks of disgust on both Alanna and Bloodfang's faces.  “Since the Dursleys are muggles, I will represent them as well as myself.  I do believe we have the right to face our accuser?”

Every wixen leaned forward in anticipation as Alanna turned to face the back of the Courtroom.

Gasps and murmurs were heard as Harry Potter walked into the light, confidence lacing his every step as he smiled at his solicitor.

“The Court calls Harry James Potter to the stand.”

Tom paced in his office, rubbing at the headache threatening to bloom at his temples.  

“You must calm yourself.”  A soft voice chided and the wizard paused before turning to the woman who had just appeared in the seat across from his desk.

“You do yourself nor Harry any favors by driving this body into sickness.”  Fate continued, rising as the wizard sighed and slumped against his desk.

“He’s there without me by his side.  Facing a wizard who has proven he will do anything he thinks is ‘for the greater good’.” Tom scoffed, staring down at his feet without actually taking them in.  “He has committed great crimes in the name of that bullshit.”

“Death himself stalks one step behind his Master, ready to do whatever is necessary to guard Harry until he is strong enough.”  Fate said softly as she rounded the desk and reached out to grip his hands tightly.  “We did not send you both back only to lose you so soon.  Have faith, my darling.”

Tom turned her hands over in his thoughtfully.  “Until Harry is strong enough for what?  What is at the end of this rainbow, great Lady?”

She regarded him contemplatively.  “Neither of you are ready for that answer yet.”

Fate raised a hand when he went to argue.

“You will one day understand why we have chosen not to say.”  Fate reached out and cradled his cheek, smiling sadly as the touch starved man leaned heavily into it.

“You would say your soulmate is smart, yes?”

Tom laughed a little and nodded.  “He’s bested me almost every time we've fought, no matter how well I planned it.”

“Harry knows there is something more to this.  We have dropped enough hints that I can see it in his eyes.  He’s not asking, darling.”

Tom blew out a breath at what she was saying.  

“We will know eventually?”  He asked quietly.

“One day, all will become clear to you.”  She then reached up with her other hand and cupped his face.  “Until then, enjoy this time.  Get to know your soulmate, discover the love that will be deep and fierce enough to give birth to your beautiful son.”

“Yes ma’am.” Tom huffed gently and then hesitantly moved to encircle her in his arms.  His grip tightened when she just sank gracefully into his embrace.

“Good morning, Mr. Potter.”

Harry smiled brightly at her from his place on the witness stand. “Good morning, Solicitor Carmichael.”

“Do you know why we are here today, Harry?”  

The boy sobered and nodded grimly.  “We’re here because on my behalf, Master Bloodfang contacted you, concerned about my appearance and welfare after the first time I visited Gringotts.”

“Since you did not grow up in the Wizarding World, I wanted to let you know that anything you say in that chair cannot be a fabrication.”  

Harry glanced down at her words and eyed the chair he was seated in. He’d felt the magic lock onto him as soon as he’d sat down and so wasn’t surprised.

“There are spells that can do that?”  He asked with false wonder.

Alanna sighed softly at him and nodded. “Yes, Mr. Potter.”

“Oh.” He said dumbly and then shrugged.  “I didn’t even know I was a wizard until recently so everything is new to me.”

Harry concealed the smirk that wanted to surface at the various hisses that filled the room.

“ What? ”  A witch exclaimed from somewhere at the top.

“You didn’t think we would support his freakishness did you?!”  Fudge banged on his gravel as Uncle Vernon surged to his feet.

“Mr. Dursley, you will silence yourself or I will do it for you .”

Harry looked up in surprise at that vicious demand from a man he’d only known to be more cowardly than not.

Rage danced on the Minister's face as he glared down at his relatives.  The teen looked further up and noticed he wasn’t the only one.  Magic was starting to snap in the air as members of the Wizengamot flipped through the files Alanna had given them.

He winced slightly as the sounds of someone retching reached him as they obviously got to his medical reports.

“Mr. Potter’s relatives care for him, and only wanted to provide as normal a home as possible. It was their choice not to inform him about his magical heritage, which I’m sure all of you can understand considering the way Mrs. Dursley’s sister died.”  Dumbledore said calmly, placing a restraining hand on Uncle Vernon’s shoulder and not so subtly pushed the man back into his seat.  

Alanna hid her dark anticipation as she waved her wand and floated up the picture she wanted to start off with.

Harry watched in fascination as it enlarged enough so that every member could clearly see it.  

“Mr. Potter, what is this room?”

The teen made sure to hesitate long enough Minister Fudge had to gently prompt him to answer.

“It’s my room.”  He said quietly.

The picture zoomed out and cries of outrage were heard as the door to the cupboard opened.  ‘Harry’s Room’ was scrawled in crayon on one wall, and the lumpy mattress he’d slept on came into view.  

“This must have been a playroom.”  Dumbledore rebutted and Alanna could almost hear the grinding of teeth as he turned to glare at Petunia.

“Oh?  Then why was Mr. Potter’s Hogwarts letter addressed to the Cupboard Under the Stairs?” She asked archly, reaching back and picked up the envelope his letter had come in.

“Page three of your files has a picture of the address on the envelope.  According to the Hogwarts Charter, the Quill that composes the letters is enchanted to be delivered to the address the child knows as theirs.  Isn’t that correct, Headmaster Dumbledore?”

Alanna just arched an eyebrow when he didn’t reply. “Headmaster.”

“Yes.” He finally said reluctantly, anger burning in his eyes.

She simply smiled at him as the Headmaster glared at her.

“Harry, how many times a day was food provided to you?” Alanna turned back to him as she asked.

“About once a day.”  He replied, eyes shooting down to study his boots.  

Someone hissed angrily and Aunt Petunia shrank down in her seat.  It seemed even Uncle Vernon was starting to realize just how much trouble they were in and went pale.

“Isn’t it true that food would be withheld as punishment?”  His solicitor questioned gently.  

“Yes.  Sometimes I would go days without getting anything to eat if something freaky happened.  They locked me in my cupboard when that happened.”  Harry shifted uneasily in his seat as a woman began to cry quietly behind him.  

He hated this part, exposing just exactly what they’d done to him.  It went against every survival instinct he had to show weakness.

“I know this is very hard for you, Mr. Potter.  Just a few more questions, I promise.”

Harry swallowed heavily and then looked up, meeting the black eyes gazing compassionately at him.  He held Professor Snape’s gaze the entire time as he answered the last of Alanna’s questions.

“Your witness, Headmaster.”

Harry took a deep breath and prepared himself as Dumbledore rose up.

“Good morning, my boy.”  

The teen just raised an eyebrow and didn’t answer, something that clearly threw off the Headmaster as the man paused.  

Artemis flicked her tongue out, the only movement she could make without being seen.  Harry relaxed a little at the reminder of her presence. He’d been so tense the entire time he’d actually forgotten she was still around his neck.

“Could it be the reason you had to sleep in the cupboard was because there were simply not enough rooms in the Dursleys’ house?  After all, they had only planned on one child.”

Harry stilled in surprise before he started laughing, a sour edge to it that made all the wixens shift uncomfortably at the sound.  A child that young should not sound so bitter.

“No enough bedrooms?  My cousin had two .  One for him to sleep in and another for his broken toys.  There was also the guest room they kept for Aunt Marge when she came to visit.”  Harry glared as he added that last bit at Uncle Vernon.

The man glared back and then shot to his feet again.  “You don’t deserve a room like a normal person, you fucki..!”

Uncle Vernon slammed back into the railing as multiple spells of light hit him, ropes wrapping around him so tightly he couldn’t even move as he fell to the floor with a heavy thump.

Harry watched with glee as the man tried to roll but couldn’t even do that.  A gag wrapped around his mouth as he was levitated back into his seat.

“I warned you, Mr. Dursley.”  Fudge was almost hissing it as he leaned forward in his seat.  “The next time we won’t be as accommodating .”

Minister Fudge then glanced down and his expression softened as he looked at Harry.

“Please continue, Mr. Potter.”

Harry turned back to gaze at the edge of Dumbledore’s blinding yellow robes.

“There’s also the fact that 500 pounds was withdrawn every month from my Trust Vault for my care.  Almost all of it was obviously not used for myself.” Harry leaned around the figure of the Headmaster and arched a mocking eyebrow at his Aunt.  “All of which I will be suing you for.  That’s 54,000 pounds for 9 years and I will be getting it back.  Isn’t that right, Master Bloodfang?”

The goblin in question gave a bloodthirsty grin and leered at his Aunt as she shrank back. “Oh yes, I will enjoy taking my pound of flesh, Petunia Dursley.”

Dumbledore made an objecting sound and looked up at the Court.  Before he could even open his mouth he was stopped.

“The Treaty is between the Wizarding World and the Goblin Nation, not the muggle one.  Should the sale of their house be necessary to recoup Mr. Potter's money then it shall be done.”

Harry put a fist to his mouth at Fudge’s proclamation, savage glee running through him as his Aunt went white and swayed in her seat.  Oh this was so good.

I need more popcorn.  Darling, where is the rest of the popcorn?

The teen barely repressed a snort of laughter at Death’s words. 

He straightened up and let his face fall back into a neutral expression as Dumbledore whirled back around to him.

Harry didn’t let his eyes meet the Headmaster’s but could tell from the man’s posture just how truly furious he was.

The evidence was damning and the Headmaster knew it.  Not only that but they had succeeded in catching him off guard and the old coot was clearly winging it.  

Dumbledore tapped at his beard in thought before finally dismissing him from the stand.

Harry heaved himself up and retreated to the prosecutor's table and slipped into the seat behind it.  He gratefully gripped at the potions stained hand that reached forward to clasp at his shoulder.

“The Court calls Healer Daisy Carmichael to the stand.” Alanna stood up, patted at Harry’s shoulder in comfort before walking forward.

Fudge sighed weakly and rubbed at his forehead roughly as the healer came forward.  The Minster could hear several intaken breaths from all around him as his fellow wixens braced themselves for the next part.

“Good morning, Healer Carmichael.”  Daisy smiled at her wife as she settled into the witness’s chair and returned the greeting.

Alanna paced a slow path in front of the Wizagamont, hands behind her back again.  “For those not aware, Healer Carmichael is a part of my law practice. She provides medical care for the children under my purview.  Healer, please describe Mr. Potter’s condition and injuries to the Court.”

Daisy took in a deep breath and then raised her wand. 

Shock and horror erupted around the room as a projection of Harry’s body was cast up to the front, rotating slightly in place for all to see.  

When she’d taken this scan it had been at Gringotts with his permission for this specific purpose.  The boy was wearing only the baggy undershorts he’d had on underneath his clothes.

Harry paled and turned away from the sight of his sickly body, feeling the hand at his shoulder leave as Professor Snape gracefully climbed over the waist high barrier and settled into the seat next to him. In the next moment black cloth obscured his vision as the professor pulled him in, wrapping one edge of his robe around the boy and hid him completely from view.  He sank gratefully into his professor's embrace and rested his head on the older man's chest.

“As you can see, obvious starvation was a large component of his abuse.”  Daisy used her wand to highlight the way his ribs stuck out, every single one clear to see.  The knobby parts of his spine came into view as the body rotated fully around.

“With the prolonged lack of nutrients needed for a growing child, Mr. Potter’s bone structure became weak enough that he has several mid-healed fractures along both his arms.  They can have only been caused by repeated blows or harsh tugging typically seen with physical abuse.  I’ve been unable to correct them yet due to other health concerns.”  Bright red lit up the areas along the teens arm’s showing where the breaks had occurred.

“What other health concerns?” Alanna prompted her wife.

“One kidney had started shutting down, which I’ve just barely managed to stop.  It’s going to be a slow process but I do believe it will be fully reversed. The other kidney was damaged but the potions he has been taking stopped and then healed the organ.  He had also sustained liver damage from chronic anemia.”

Alanna looked up into the rows of her follow wixens to gauge the room.  

Many of them were pale, some looking like they’d been sick as green tinged their skin.  And all of them were angry, glaring down at the trio sitting on the other side of the room.

Good , she thought savagely. Harry deserved no less than the wrath of the Wizarding World falling down upon them.

“Will Heir Potter be able to make a full recovery?”

“Eventually,” Daisy allowed, nodding her head. “However there will be long term effects from his injuries, especially as he goes into puberty. Continued medical care is essential.”

Alanna turned to Dumbledore and arched an eyebrow. Her eyes sharpened as she realized something odd.  The man didn’t look surprised as he stared up at the body floating before him.  Sad yes, but not surprised.

Rage instantly lit up her veins and her hands clenched. She had to take a few deep breaths to calm herself as realization hit her like a brick.

That bastard had known.

Known, or at least suspected, and had done nothing.  

“You’re dismissed, Healer.”  She managed to choke out and Daisy gave her a concerned look as she rose up.

Harry peeked over the edge of Severus’s robe and frowned as Alanna whipped around.

“I call Albus Dumbledore to the stand.”

That wasn’t a part of the plan.  Harry looked up at his Head of House and the man shook his head in confusion, not knowing either.

He and Alanna had agreed calling the Headmaster to the stand wasn’t a wise idea. That man could tap dance around anything and make it sound like the most wonderous idea in the world by the time you were done.

And this was only the very start of the campaign against him, not wanting to tip their hand as Sirius’s trial was coming up in a few weeks.

That was when they were supposed to drop the hammer after letting the newspapers run weeks of coverage over his abuse. At that point there would be enough doubt about the Headmaster to start chipping away at the hold he had over the Wizarding World.

“Hello.”  He was twinkling at her.  Well, he wouldn’t be after she was done with him.

Alanna didn’t bother returning the greeting as she stalked forward.

“Headmaster Dumbledore, you are the magical guardian for Harry Potter, are you not?”

“Yes, I am.  I am the magical guardian for every muggleborn or half-blood without a magical parent who attends Hogwarts.”  Dumbledore returned pleasantly, and she smiled at the calculating look in his eyes.  

He was trying to figure out what she was up to. 

“Why did you not fulfill your duties then, in regards to his care?  You obviously never checked on him, and a simple courtesy visit could have saved Mr. Potter from the permanent harm he has suffered.”

Dumbledore cocked his head at her and looked at her over his half moon glasses. “My dear, I am a very busy man. I simply do not have the time to make home visits for all of my future students.”

“Then why are you a magical guardian in the first place?” She demanded, stalking forward as she closed the trap he’d just unknowingly walked into.  

“You could not even spare one afternoon in 10 years to check on him?  You failed , Headmaster, in the most basic aspect of being a guardian and that is the safety and welfare of a wixen child .  How many more have suffered because of your incompetence?”

“Holy fucking shit.” Harry whispered in awe, straightening up as Alanna continued to rip into the Headmaster.  “Remind me to never piss her off.”

Severus nodded in shocked agreement as his friend paced in a tight circle in front of the witness stand, eyebrows almost flying off his forehead.

“Now see here...” The Headmaster sputtered with anger and then was stopped by the banging of the gravel.

“I agree, Solicitor Carmichael.”  Fudge said with a hard tone in his voice as he glared down at the witness chair. “Once this trial is over, I will personally launch an investigation into this.  Please continue.”

Alanna stalked back to their table and grabbed a scroll that Harry hadn't noticed was sitting near the edge.

“This is the Last Will and Testament of James Fleamont Potter and Lily Jade Potter.  It states that any children of the Potter’s were absolutely not to be placed under the care of Petunia Dursley. You were their executor, so you knew there were other Families listed in this Will that were to take custody of Harry.”  She handed the Will to Fudge and the man opened it, quickly scanning down until he found the section needed.

“Why was Mr. Potter placed with them, Albus?” He demanded as he looked up.  “There are 3 other families in this list.  Magical families.”

Dumbledore straightened up and glared the other man down. Or at least tried to but this time Cornelius Fudge had obviously found his spine as the wixens around him muttered angrily.

“When Lily Potter sacrificed her life for her son, it created a blood protection against Voldemort. I used it to tie in wards around the Dursley’s home.  I sincerely regret Mr. Potter’s life with his relatives but the safest place for him was with them.”

Silence rang out for a moment as the entire Wizagmot looked down at him in appalled disbelief.

“BULLSHIT!  You-Know-Who is dead!”  Someone shouted before the entire Court was rising to their feet and pandemonium ensued again.

Alanna walked back to the table and took her seat with satisfaction, returning the glare the Headmaster was giving her with dark satisfaction.  He may be one of the most influential wizards in the world but she had him on the ropes and the bastard knew it.

She turned to look at her charge and grinned at the gobsmacked look on his face.

“If you weren’t already taken I’d ask you to marry me.”  Harry told her seriously as he uncurled from Professor Snape’s arms.

“Agreed.”  Severus drawled, lips turning up in amusement when she blushed.

It took some time but the wixens finally settled down. They were about to be astonished again as Albus Dumbledore made a fatal error in his anger.

“I may not have been able to visit Mr. Potter but that does not mean he was not watched.  Arabella Figg, a squib, was placed several doors down from the Dursleys’ home soon after Harry was placed with them.”  Dumbledore said firmly and Alanna felt her mouth drop open in absolute rage.

A second later she was surging out of her chair so hard it flew back into the railing behind it.

“So,” Alanna raged as she stalked over to where the Headmaster was seated. “You had a protector watching Mr. Potter be starved, abused and neglected for almost 10 years and she said nothing ?”

Dumbledore protested as she spun towards the Aurors at the side doors and demanded, “Please arrest Arabella Figg for second degree felony child neglect and abuse, as well as failing to report a crime.”

The two Aruror’s nodded seriously and disappeared quickly, replacements falling into line behind them.

“That was not necessary, my dear.”  The Headmaster reprimanded her harshly.

“Not necessary?” Alanna breathed out, feeling like she was spouting flames as she turned slowly on her heels to face this monster wearing the mask of a benevolent grandfather.

“Oh it is necessary , Headmaster Dumbledore.  Either she knew Harry was being abused, starved   by his relatives and did nothing. Or you did after she informed you of it.  Those are the only two answers available here.”

Every wixen went still at the magic practically snapping at the air.

“And I can guarantee you this, Albus Dumbledore.  Should my investigation reveal that you knew, there is no force in this world that will prevent me from slapping you with every criminal charge I can muster.” She snarled out fiercely.

Alanna glared into hard blue eyes as the Headmaster’s lips went white with rage.  A strong push at her mind had her dropping her mental shields just enough to give him the biggest FUCK YOU   gesture she could think of before snapping them back up tightly.

Grim satisfaction filled her soul when he flinched back harshly from the force.

“She could not have known.”  He protested and Alanna scoffed darkly.

“Master Bloodfang, please describe the appearance of Heir Potter to the Court when he visited Gringotts for the first time last month.”

The goblin gave her a sharp smile before turning to look at the foolish wixens lining their stands.

“He was wearing clothes that were clearly 4 sizes too big and had several holes in them from frequent use.”  He turned and glared at the two muggles sitting pale and quiet.  “It was also quite clear that poor child had not had a decent meal in years. If I could see that within 15 minutes of meeting Mr. Potter, then I cannot imagine someone stupid enough have not seen it for years.  Or if they were that stupid, then they had no business watching over a cat much less a child.”

Alanna gave him a deep bow that Bloodfang returned before facing the Court again.

“Is this all, Solicitor Carmichael?”  Fudge asked wearily as he rubbed at his forehead and Harry had to control his snort when the man actually whimpered when Alanna shook her head.

“I make a motion for the immediate suspension of Albus Dumbledore as Heir Potter’s magical guardian.”

Fudge didn’t even have to ask as every wand in the room lit up and was raised in answer.

“Please let the record reflect that Headmaster Albus Dumbledore has been removed as guardian for Harry James Potter.  On the first count of willful neglect, what does the Court say?  Raise your wand for guilty.”  Fudge said tiredly, then lit his wand and raised it.

This time not all the wands were raised but enough lit up the room.  “Guilty as charged. Punishment will be decided at a later date.  You may step down, Headmaster.”

Dumbledore stiffly rose from the chair and walked back to the defendant’s table in furious silence.

“For the charges of felony criminal child neglect and abuse by Vernon and Petunia Dursley, how does the Court find?”  Every wand lit up and some even spat angry sparks as they were raised.

Fudge glared down at the two muggles, the male tied up like a turkey and the woman pale as she stared back in fear.

“Your guilty charges will be transferred to our contacts in the muggle world and your punishment decided by your own laws. So mote it be.” He banged his gravel once more then began to rise.

“No.”  Aunt Petunia whispered before she started shrieking as she was hauled up.  “We didn’t ask to be saddled with that freak!  He was just left on our doorstep with a note telling us we had to take him in!”

The wixens watched with hard eyes as she was stunned and dragged out of the courtroom by the Aurors, her husband floating behind her.

“Well, that was fun.”  Harry sighed and then shrugged sheepishly at the incredulous looks he got.

“So what happens now?”

Alanna took a deep breath and shook out her hands, trying to settle her emotions as she then began packing away her papers into her briefcase.  

“For now, Professor Snape has volunteered to take over your guardianship during the school year, or at least until the trial for your godfather is over.  Should he lose, or be unable to take over your care then we can revisit your placement at a later date.”

Oh fuck , he’d totally forgotten to tell Severus about Sirius.  He looked up and winced at the bright fury dancing in black eyes.

“Something you forgot to inform me of, Mr. Potter?”  He asked icily.

“Err.”  Harry hedged.

Alanna reached forward and grabbed her friend’s hand and squeezed it in reassurance. “Sirius Black never received a trial, Sev. At the very least wizards should not be thrown into Azkaban without having a chance to defend themselves.”

Black eyebrows rose in surprise and he shot a look of contemplation to the Headmaster trying to corner Minister Fudge near the front.  “He let one of his precious Gryffindor's go to prison without defending them?”

“And isn’t it curious that he was first on the list to take over as guardian for me?  He blood adopted me a few days after I was born.”  Harry told him quietly, slumping a little in relief as the anger faded from his Head of House.

Blood adoption was rare and something more along the lines that purebloods did. The purpose had been originally established for the bloodline of Families to continue on as less and less children were born each generation.  In essence he had three parents as Black blood flowed through his veins.

“Lord Black is listed as a possible placement then?”  Alanna shook her head at his question as they moved towards Daisy, talking quietly as they headed for her.

Harry saw a flash of gold and moved quickly so he could catch the small army of goblins making for the exit.

“Master Bloodfang.” He called out and jogged forward a little as they paused.

“Thank you, Master Goblin, for coming.” Harry bowed deeply before him, letting his eyes drop to the floor in submission.

A gnarled hand reached out and patted at his.  “It was quite my pleasure, Heir Potter.  It’s not every day I get to torment wixens.”  

Harry laughed as he straightened up at the wicked tone dancing in the goblin’s voice.

“May your gold ever flow.”  The teen said fondly.

Bloodfang gave him a bloodthirsty smile as he leaned forward to whisper, “And may you enemies tremble at your feet, Harry.”  He dropped one scarred eyelid in a wink before exiting, gold armor flashing in the low light of the Courtroom.

A hand wrapped around his upper arm and gave it a gentle tug, Harry smiling tiredly at Daisy as she guided him to where Severus and Alanna were waiting for them.

“Alright there, Harry?”  She whispered in his ear and he wrapped his right arm around her waist and hugged her tightly. 

“Yes,” He sighed and then blushed when his stomach rumbled. 

The Healer laughed gently and then interrupted the pair walking ahead of them.

“Someone needs a feeding.” Daisy jostled him playfully when he pulled a face at her.

Harry leaned back with satisfaction and resisted the urge to pat at his full stomach.  The three pairs of eyes looking at him with mirth let him know he wasn’t fooling anyone in the slightest.

“Seriously, Alanna.  I’m pretty sure the Headmaster was just bits of ribbon after you were done with him.”

Alanna laughed lightly at the teen’s words and spooned another portion of treacle tart onto her plate from the serving dish at the center of the table.  In celebration Daisy was letting him not only eat the dessert but as much as he wanted from it.

Harry ruefully considered his empty plate as his stomach rumbled.  He might have been pushing it with that fourth serving but it was totally   worth it.

“It was most gratifying to watch.  Well done, Solicitor Carmichael.”  A voice drawled from behind Harry and the boy sat up straight in alarm as Lucius Malfoy materialized next to him.

Alanna arched an eyebrow but returned the compliment with a tilt of her head.

“Lord Malfoy,” Harry said uneasily, bowing his head to the proper angle benefiting a Lord of the Twenty-Eight.

“Heir Potter.”  Lord Malfoy returned the greeting coldly and then warmed somewhat as he crossed over to where his friend was sitting.

“Severus.  It’s good to see you.  How is Draco handling his classes?”

“He is a bit intimidating, isn't he?”  Daisy whispered mischievously into his ear as the pair talked. “Though the sexy ice blond look works really  well for him.”

Harry choked out a laugh and then coughed into his fist, trying to hide it as both his Head of House and Lord Malfoy turned to him in question.

Soon enough it was time to get back to Hogwarts and Harry tried to suppress his yawn with one hand as he hugged the women goodbye.

They apparated back to the gates of Hogwarts and Harry stumbled slightly before regaining his feet.  Merlin be damned but did he hate all the ways of wizarding travel except for the broom.

Night had fallen sometime in the last hour and the lights of the castle greeted them warmly as they walked across the lawn.  

Harry looked up and searched the skies, smiling as white feathers started to dive for him.  Hedwig swept in silently and landed softly on the arm he held up, clicking her beak in chastisement as she walked up his arm.

“I’m sorry, girl.”  He told her fondly, smoothing a gentle hand over her wing in apology as she nuzzled into his shoulder.  “I didn’t know it was going to take all day.”

The poke at his collarbone made him remember what he’d forgotten to tell Severus before. “So there’s something I need to tell you.”

Severus stopped when Harry did and raised one black eyebrow in question. 

“You mean besides what’s going on with you and Quirrell?”

“Err, yes.”  Harry shuffled his feet sheepishly and looked down.

‘Oh this is ridiculous.’ Artemis grumbled and emerged from around his neck, eyeing the professor that had frozen at the sight of her.

‘Hello, Professor Snape.  It’s a pleasure to finally meet you. I am Artemis and my Master's familiar.’

Black eyes shot up to his in shock as he repeated softly what his familiar had said.

“How many people know about this, Harry?” Severus asked sharply and started to pace in front of the boy.

“Alanna and Daisy know about her but not that I can talk to her.  Neville knows and so does Slytherin House.”  The Potion’s Master stopped pacing and pinched his nose in frustration.

“No one else, Mr. Potter.  Do you understand?”  The professor then swept up to him and gripped the boy gently by one shoulder. 

“They will not understand, and what people don’t understand, they fear. What they fear, they seek to destroy.”

Harry looked up thoughtfully at his Head of House, noting the worry in the man’s eyes.  Worry not for himself standing within striking distance of a venomous snake but for his student.

“Yes, sir.” He replied softly.

Severus gathered himself and took a step back, looking down at the snake curled around his student and gave a deep bow of his head.  “Greetings, Artemis.  Please try to keep him out of trouble.”

‘No promises. This boy attracts trouble like it’s his middle name.’ She said dryly, bobbing her head along when the professor laughed when her Master translated her answer.

Severus sighed tiredly as they resumed their trek up to the castle, Artemis once more hiding herself around her Master’s neck.  Harry softly whispered to Hedwig for her to meet him in the dorms, the owl giving him a sour look before taking wing again.

“We could always do this another night, Harry.  It has been a long day.”

Harry looked up from where he was trying to smother another yawn as they walked to the professor’s office.

“No, though I do appreciate the offer.  It’s better if we just rip this bandaid off.”

Severus settled at his desk and leaned back in thought as Harry silently retrieved a large flask from his storage, eyebrows slowly raising as the teen pointed the Elder Wand to his temple and began withdrawing memory after memory.

What the bloody hell is going on?  Severus wondered uneasily when five minutes had passed by, Harry’s face contorting with intense emotions as he continued pulling out memory strands.

Finally he was done and Harry looked down sorrowfully at the almost overflowing container.

“I guess the best way to start this off would be that I know what the next 7 years could have held.  Could have, because I accepted the choice to come back and change the past.”

Severus looked at his student with disbelief before anger curled in his gut and his eyes sharped to flint.

“ Mr. Pot… ”

“You and my mom grew up in Cokeworth, a shitty little mining town by a no name river.”  His mouth snapped shut at the interruption from his snake.

“You were the first to tell her she was a witch, and taught her how to make the leaves flutter like butterflies. Even though you were sorted into rival Houses you still kept up your friendship, which is why the Marauders targeted you as my father could be an oblivious arsehole sometimes.”

“Only sometimes?”  Severus replied weakly and rubbed at his forehead, a headache starting to brew there.

“Do I really need to go on?”  Harry questioned him gently. “Shall I tell you I know   the reason why she never spoke to you again after 5th year?”

“ Fuck .” The professor spat out and rose up, retreating to his liquor cabinet and poured himself a glass. He wasn’t one for using alcohol to cope but apparently Harry Potter was driving him to drink.

He shot back the finger and then poured himself another, capping the bottle and leaned back against the cabinet.

“Do you wish to view them with me?” Severus finally asked, rotating the glass in his hand.

“No.” Harry shuddered out a bitter laugh.  “I have no desire to view any of it again in real time.  Ask your questions after.”

Severus took a breath to gather his courage and then reached out for the glimmering vial.

I’m so sorry for the cliffhanger! Trust me it will be worth it.

Also, Harry is a little shit sometimes and I love him lol.

Chapter Text

Oh hello, it’s Monday.  Bahahaha!  Also, Sev is a potty mouth when alone!  Who knew?

On to the show!

Severus stared at the large vial of memories swirling around each other and closed his eyes.

Based on how long it had taken Harry to collect them, and the sometimes agonizing expressions that had crossed his face told the older man this would be no walk in the park.

Of course it won’t be a walk in the park, you stupid man , he scolded himself a second later.  The future had to be bad if Harry had taken a wild shot and decided to come back in time to fix it.  And how had he bloody done that in the first place?

Deciding he certainly wouldn’t be getting any answers contemplating the insides of his eyelids, the Head of Slytherin opened them and retrieved his pensive.

Severus whispered the spell to put them in chronological order as they slipped into the basin, glimmering in the candle lights of his office.

Gathering his courage, he took a deep breath and then plunged in.

Where in the fuck was he?

Weathered boards and an old ratty couch that contained a morbidly obese child were the only things that could be seen from the low light of a dying fire.

The sound of clothing shifting behind him had Severus spinning, catching sight of a skinny 11 year old Harry Potter drawing something in the dirt in front of him.

The man felt his heart break all over again as the boy blew out the imaginary candles drawn on his imaginary cake.

“Happy birthday, Harry.”  The boy whispered to himself, clearly used to being the only one to wish himself that year after year.

Severus bowed his head and fought back tears for what felt like the thousandth time today.  Being a pillar of strength for his littlest snake had been so hard today as the evidence against his relatives had continued to come out.  

For years he’d believed that the boy was spoiled, a clone of James that would come back to torment him once the boy reached Hogwarts.  To see and hear otherwise had knocked him back on his arse, just as it should.  It was a harsh reminder that children were not their parents, and that he needed to keep that in mind when dealing with them.

The banging on what was left of the front door brought him out of it and he watched in disbelief at what happened next. 

The Headmaster had sent Hagrid ?  What in the bloody hell had he been thinking?!

He quietly followed after them the entire way through Diagon Alley that next morning, steadily growing angrier the entire time.  

Harry was getting nothing on the history of the Wizarding World and his place in it.

He placed his head in his hands and tried not to scream when Hagrid wobbled off after Gringotts to go get a drink and left a minor alone in the Alley by himself.

Not just a minor who was practically muggleborn, or a Heir to a Noble Family, but Harry fucking Potter.  Who had enemies crawling out of the woodwork. The poor child won’t even know he needed to dodge an Avada.

Severus stifled the urge to grab his wand and set two sets of bushy beards on fire and walked behind Harry as he entered Madame Malkins.

In the 30 minutes that followed Sev wanted to either throttle his godson and/or his father who encouraged such behavior.  Oh he could see how nervous Draco was in talking to Harry, but that snobbery would get him nowhere with an orphan who’d been abused.

That last thought had his head tilting as he considered it.  As far as he could tell from Sundays spent with the boys they were as thick as thieves.

Looking at the carefully concealed disdain in the memory Harry’s eyes gave him a good fucking clue it had not been the same in the original timeline.

His surroundings blurred and then stabilized to the front doors of the castle, nervous first years shifting about as they waited for Minerva. He face palmed as Weasley laughed at Draco’s name, and Harry bristled in defense of his new found red-haired friend when his godson slung back.

If this was how the rest of the next 7 years were going to go he’ll need to surface for a bottle of wine first.  Once again he bemoaned the Harry factor on his liquor cabinet.

Letting his attention wander he wasn’t paying much attention until he heard Minnie call for Harry to be sorted.

He settled back and waited to watch the hilarity of seeing Harry be sorted into Slytherin again.  At the time he’d been too miserable to appreciate the absolute spectacle of it all but he could admit now, it had been damn funny in retrospect. 

“Gryffindor!”  The hat shouted and Severus froze as Harry beamed and ran to the House of the Lions.

He didn’t even need to look at the hatred and disgust on his own face to know what it would spell for his littlest snake in the years to come.

Severus sank to his knees and pulled at his hair, mind racing as tears finally spilled over.  

He knew himself very well after all.

The Head of Slytherin would never catch what signs there were on a lion determined to fit in and hide the abuse he received from his relatives.  And Minerva, for all that she was a fabulous teacher, was a pureblood and didn’t require physicals for her House.  

It always took Severus keeping a careful eye on her first year lions that beginning term to point out to her any problems he might see.  

He paused the memory loop, and yes, there it was.  Black eyes as hard as flint and just as dismissive as he’d thought.  Gathering himself together took time but he finally staggered to his feet, wiping at his eyes with a sleeve.

The Slytherin took a deep breath and then pressed the mental play button again.

What followed would have seemed the perfect adventure for a set of first years as they battled a troll and set a dragon free (sort of).  They also planned and plotted across the year against him, thinking it was the Head of Slytherin after the Philosopher's Stone.

Knowing that it obviously wasn't him, Severus paused and then rewound several scenes, eyes narrowing in on Professor Quirrell. First of all, the man had never had a stutter that bad, though he did sometimes trip over his words when excited.

He tapped in agitation at his leg before finally letting the ‘last’ memory of this section play.  Harry had clearly sectioned them off into his Hogwarts years and this one marked the boundary of this set.

Severus silently watched them make their way through the maze, frowning now at how easy it was.  It hadn’t seemed that way when all of the Heads of House had been gathered to work on it as directed by the Headmaster.

His frown deepened as the realization came to him.  It was a Merlin be damned obstacle course , meant to stall but be easy enough to allow 3 fucking first year  students to figure it out.

Teeth grinding as Harry pushed past his potions flames, the man almost pointed his wand and hexed the memory of Quirrell standing before the Mirror.

What followed was absolutely horrifying and he froze as his mind gibbered in panic as the Dark Lord taunted and then attacked his student.  

He went pale and almost threw up as Harry killed the Professor with his bare hands.

Suddenly, Lily’s blood protection didn’t seem so ridiculous as he gazed wide-eyed at the pile of Quirrell dust.

The man took a moment to breathe and paused the first scene of what was Harry’s second year.

This didn’t make a lick of sense.  

If Harry knew Voldemort was possessing Quirrell ( Quirrvort some part of his mind giggled hysterically) then why had he caught them numerous times together?  And obviously close as well, so much so he’d been highly concerned his fellow professor was taking advantage in a horrible way.

For a second he was tempted to burst out of the pensive and demand answers from a live Harry but quashed the urge.  Knowing his bratty little snake, the boy would just smirk and point back to his pile of memories.

Sucking in a breath and saying a prayer, Severus restarted the memories and his eyebrows practically flew off his forehead as a familiar house elf bounced excitedly on Harry’s bed.

Wait.

Harry’s bed?  In a normal sized room?

He got his answer a few moments later and he winced as cake dripped down the heads of two people in the Dursley’s living room.

Anger made his fists clench tight as he knew what this spelled for Harry.  And sure enough, locks were placed on his door and a fucking cat flap installed so that bitch Petunia could feed him the once per day.

Soon after that he was actually cheering the Weasley twins on as they wrapped a chain around the bars on Harry’s window and the black haired teen was escaping out along with his owl and trunk.

After that he carefully fast forwarded some memories, pausing briefly on the altercation between Arthur and Lucius, noticing what no one else had as the blond slipped a black book into the Weasley girl’s cauldron.

He also paused and replayed when Harry and the Weasley child committed a pile up at the 9 ¾ wall, laughing a little and mentally tagging this memory to tease the teen about later.  He did not , however, find the memory of them flying a bloody car into the Whomping Willow funny.

After that the year seemed to speed by as children were petrified, and Severus paced behind the memories, frowning in thought.  Why were they waiting for the mandrakes in the Green Houses to be ready?

Mandrakes themselves were not that hard to cultivate so long as you were careful, and buying what they would need for the drought would not be cost prohibitive.

Unless Dumbledore had wanted to keep this so under the hat parents hadn’t even known.  That would explain it as the budget for Hogwarts was public, and there were enough parents on the Board they would have demanded extra security for their Heirs.  Or shut down the school temporarily to find out what was causing it.

Maybe this was like the first year, and was either a test to engage Harry in some sort of hero antics or see which way he swayed when put to that same test.

Severus’s head tilted as the name Tom Riddle came up.  Where had he heard that name before?   He mused before dismissing the thought.

The next memory started after the warning about a student’s corpse being left behind in the Chamber forever and Severus frowned as Harry ran across grey stone to the flame haired little girl lying in a shallow puddle.

He paused the memory and then rewound it, looking for the part he’d missed where it showed Harry going into the actual entrance to the Chamber.

“You little shithead.” He muttered fondly when it became apparent Harry had excluded that part.

The Head of Slytherin snorted and then started laughing as he hung his head. 

How in the bloody hell had Harry convinced the hat to put him into Gryffindor in the first place?  

What it had said this time around had intrigued everyone at the Staff table and no one, not even the Headmaster had been able to get out of the hat what it had meant.

He dearly hoped Harry had the decency to include that memory before he pressed play again.

Severus watched silently as the next part came, making a note to himself to start training the boy better when his body was strong enough.  

Dropping his wand in another’s presence?!  Yes, they would definitely be revisiting that later.

His mouth dropped open in surprise as the flaming letters of Tom Marvolo Riddle became, I am Lord Voldemort.

A second later his genius mind had him bending over and laughing loudly as the anagram mentally rearranged itself in his head to read,

Mr.  Tom a Dildo Lover.  

He snorted and tried to contain himself, not even the sight of a basilisk stopping him as he flat out giggled wildly.

Harry had said 7 years into the future so he clearly did not die down here, and the Potion’s Master allowed himself this moment.

The amusement faded as Harry dodged the hundred foot snake and then pulled a damn sword out of a hat.  You’re a magician, Harry.   He thought before hilarity struck him again and he had to breathe harshly through his nose to calm himself.

It occurred to him that maybe he was getting a little hysterical here and needed to take a break.

He did just that after Harry had tricked Lucius into giving up his favorite house elf and laid down on his back, staring up at the ceiling of a hallway.

Holy fuck, were the next 5 years like this?

Surely not, but that only spelled worse in his opinion.  

What was so bad that Harry was actually making himself go through puberty twice ?

He sighed deeply and pulled himself to his feet.

And promptly wished he hadn’t as he watched the next year of Harry’s life.

Rage and heartache battled hand in hand as his little snake had to learn a spell that most adult wixens couldn’t cast because the adults in his life were either incompetent or simply didn’t care.

Or had motives of their own, he thought darkly as he eyed a laissez faire looking Dumbledore.

The man was surprisingly unconcerned about the security at Hogwarts considering that just last school year he’d been removed as Headmaster for the same damn thing.   

He shuffled uneasily as Harry discovered just what role his godfather had played with his parents death.  Did he ever find out what Severus had done?

The year continued on until the end, and Severus actually rolled his eyes at the discovery Ms. Granger had been given a time turner so that she could take extra classes. 

Typical.

He barely contained the terror he felt at seeing Lupin as a transformed werewolf, and watched sourly as Black escaped on the back of a Hippogriff before sighing heavily.

Alanna was right.  

A man should be able to defend himself from being thrown into a prison as horrible as Azkaban.  And for whatever bullying and taunting Black had done during their school years, the only thing that had deserved something like this was when he was almost eaten by a werewolf as a ‘prank gone wrong’.

And considering he’d spent 9 years there, he had already been punished for whatever horrible deeds he’d done and then some.

Seeing as he was on a role, he went straight into Harry’s fourth year without pause.  

For the first time in a while Severus actually smiled as the three Gryffindor's yelled and screamed for their Quidditch team, madly waving their flags as the two teams flew by.  At least some good had come out of this mess.

He wasn’t smiling later as the Dark Mark flared in the sky for the first time since the Dark Lord’s death, and sick apprehension rolled through him.  

The Head of Slytherin ran beside his little snake as they bolted into the trees and despaired, having already spotted what Harry hadn’t noticed yet.

His wand was missing.

Oh yes they’d be having a damn talk after this , he thought furiously as his students threw themselves to the forest floor as red stunners crackled over them.

The next memory contained the announcement of the Tri-Wizard Tournament and Sev groaned, already knowing what was coming.  And sure enough, he wasn’t a damn bit surprised when Harry’s name came out of that thrice be-damned Goblet.

He watched the next two tasks and couldn't help but be fiercely proud as Harry excelled at each task, most of the time better than the others.  

The dancing lessons Harry included must have been purely for Severus’s own amusement, and one corner of his mouth tilted up as his snake stepped on Minerva’s toes for what had to be the fourth time.

The Slytherin mirthfully added dancing lessons for Heir Potter on his, ‘Things to Beat Harry Over the Head With’ list.

He was but a ghost as he trailed his snake into the maze for the last task, nerves twisting his stomach tight. 

“Don’t be foolish, Harry.” He muttered in frustration as Diggory told him to take the Victory Cup and Harry said they’d take it together.

The portkey swept them both away and they landed roughly, Harry moaning in pain as he landed badly on his injured leg.

Which meant Severus saw the name on the grave first and his heart fell through his shoes.

“ Harry, run! ” He breathed out and whirled around to grab him, even knowing how just damn foolish it was but every protective instinct he had was screaming at him.

Severus’s hands went right through the memory projection of his snake and he could only watch helplessly as Diggory died under acid green light and Harry was tied up.

He felt bile rise up in his throat as the Dark Lord rose again, knowing what it meant for him and the Wizarding World.

Golden wings flared out and sang fiercely as they encased the two dueling wizards as Voldemort’s wand connected to Harry’s, the ghostly projections of past souls killed by that wand leaving it.

Severus watched with his heart in his throat as his best friend appeared next to her son.

“Harry, when the connection is broken you must get to the portkey! We can linger for a moment to give you some time but only a moment.  Do you understand?!”

Tears dripped down the dark man’s face as he realized this was the first time his little snake had ever actually spoken with his parents. It was almost breaking him to watch this, he couldn’t even imagine what Harry felt during it.

“Harry, take my body back to my father, will you? Take my body back to my father.”

The professor's side of him felt his heart twist again at this request.  Cedric Diggory was a damn fine wizard and did not deserve this end.

“Let go.  Sweetheart, you’re ready.  Let go!  LET GO! ” 

Severus cried silently at the tormented look on Harry’s face as he broke the connection and ran for Diggory’s body, summoning the Cup to him as he did so.

He just floated along the next memory as it was discovered that Moody wasn’t really Moody at all, which also made him laugh bitterly.  Apparently even the ultra paranoid could still be taken out.

The ex-Death Eater turned his face away as his light master made him return to spying, knowing it was likely what killed him.

At this point he had no hope he ever made it out alive after the Second Wizarding War started.

The Potion’s Master watched almost dully as the Ministry took over Hogwarts in the form of a pink toad.  He cringed as he used Occlumency lessons as an excuse to torment his student, and closed his eyes tightly in shame. 

The feeling was so great he almost cheered when Harry found his pensive and went spelunking.

The man rubbed at his nose in frustration as Harry fell for an obvious mind trick, and then mentally slapped himself over the head.  It wasn’t like Harry had the experience or knowledge to tell.

The boy should have listened to Granger though when she asked him to wait, but like true Gryffindors they followed after him to the Ministry.

What followed was at turns exhilarating and then almost unbearable to watch.

He hissed in delight as Harry and his friends taught experienced Death Eaters what happens when you underestimate your advisories.

Delehov learned that the hard way when a ‘brain’ reached out long tentacles and wrapped itself around his neck, just as Avery fell into a broken time loop and cycled through birth and death endlessly.

It came to a head in a circular room as the Order of the Phoenix finally came to the rescue.

He slipped through bodies, keeping an eye on Harry as the boy dueled beside his godfather.

It was but a moment later that Harry was screaming wordlessly as Sirius Black fell through the Veil of Death, only held back from joining him by the supernatural strength of Lupin.

Severus stilled in sadness as his littlest snake sank to his knees in devastation.

Does this boy ever get to keep his family?   The man wondered brokenly as he followed after a running Harry.  He hated Black but Harry had clearly loved him, and from the few memories in here the feeling had been more than returned. 

“Crucio!” 

“ Oh Harry, no. ” Severus moaned in the back of his throat as Bellatrix briefly screamed in agony and then her mad cackling sang out again.

“I killed Sirius! I killed Sirius!”

He could only watch helplessly as Voldemort appeared and the true battle began.  By the end he felt almost as drained as Harry looked as he was led away by Dumbledore.

Stopping the memories the Potion’s Master knelt down and covered his face, letting himself deal with the horrible things he’d just seen. 

The man could only imagine how many more events had happened that Harry hadn’t felt necessary to be included and despaired at the thought.

Bracing himself once more, and reminding himself firmly that NONE of this had happened yet, he restarted the sequence.

Severus kept that mantra chanting in his head as he felt the blood leave his face at the word, Horcrux .  He made it get louder as the year continued and events got darker as it moved on.

The chanting immediately stopped, as did everything else in his brain when his other self pointed his wand at Albus Dumbledore and said two words he’d sworn he would never utter again.

Avada Kedavra.

He could only watch in shock as the Headmaster flew over the side and disappeared.  In an instant he knew for certain that he would be dead soon.

There was no coming back from that.  He’d killed the leader of the light wizards.  It was only a matter of time before he was hunted down like a rabid dog.

Severus bent over and put his hands on his knees, stopping the next memory from progressing.

Oh Merlin this was worse than he’d thought.  What would happen now that the most powerful light wizard was dead with a resurrected Dark Lord on the loose?

Had he really turned coat and gone back to the Dark Lord?  These memories were only from Harry’s side obviously, so he had no idea what his future self was thinking.

It was clear though there was much more to come, the weight of the unseen memories pressing against his mind, demanding to be witnessed.

For a moment he seriously considered ending the sequence and asking Harry to obliviate him.  

Don’t be a fucking coward, Severus.  If Harry can live through this and come out sane then you damn well can too.

Gritting his teeth and gathering his courage, he pressed play again.

The next year spread out before him in a terrible and fascinating montage.

Harry and his friends ran from Snatchers across the British Isles, almost getting caught as they hunted for the torn pieces of the Dark Lord.

Fierce pride swelled in his soul as Draco lied about the dark haired boy they held being Harry, even as he could see in his godson’s eyes the blond knew it was him.

Was this why Harry had actually befriended him this time around?  No one with eyes could deny they were friends, and best ones at that now.

Hope lit his soul as his Patronus walked gracefully through a forest, leading Harry to the Sword of Gryffindor.  This was the first sign that maybe he hadn’t fallen as far as he thought he’d had.

Severus actually laughed as 3 Gryffindor's clung to a dragon as it tore its way out of Gringotts, wondering merrily if the goblins had known that when they’d named his snake Friend.

He followed after them as they made their way home to Hogwarts.

Victory and relief sang in his veins as Neville told them he’d suggested to the Carrows they instruct the older years to practice using the Cruciatus on the first years as punishment.

To use that horrible curse you had to actually mean it, and to cause the worst imaginable pain on someone.  Not even 7th years had the life experience to know what that really meant.  At worst they’d get a nose bleed or a headache.

He’d been a double spy all along.

And that for whatever reason, when Dumbledore had pleaded with him the old man had actually been asking to die.

Severus swallowed weakly as his other self faced down Minnie with their wands drawn.  They’d been friends for so many years and heartache twisted in his soul as she started to cast.  He laughed wetly as the other him used that to take out the Carrows behind him and then streak into the night, knowing that he would have never forgiven himself if he’d hurt her.

When the trio split he followed after Harry, his loyalty to his snake without question.

He frowned as Harry suddenly staggered and almost fell, gripping at his head with pain on the way to Ravenclaw Tower.  The boy was up within seconds but something niggled at the back of Sev’s mind.

After the battle in the Room of Requirement he slipped behind them as they made their way to the Shrieking Shack.

Seriously.

The Shrieking Shack was where Voldemort was coordinating his forces?  

He rubbed at his forehead and then snickered as he remembered the long ago humor he’d gotten out of the anagram of the man’s name.

The Dark Lord may be a genius but he was also stupid.

Severus crouched behind Harry and tensed as he realized that the other him was on the opposite side talking to the Dark Lord.  He listened more closely and dread filled his soul.

He didn’t even flinch like Harry did as his body slammed back against the glass, blood spraying up as Nagini attacked him again.

The man almost didn’t follow as the trio carefully opened the door after the Dark Lord left, not wanting to see himself dying. 

But Harry was showing him this for a reason .  The boy obviously didn’t hold a grudge against him, even after every bad thing he’d done to him.

The teen wouldn’t have trusted him otherwise with this knowledge, he could see that now.

He watched silently as Harry collected the memories he was crying, closing his eyes tightly as he told the teen he had his mother’s eyes.

Merlin, this was fucking morbid. 

The man rubbed his forehead roughly and wondered how much more of this he could take as he trudged after Harry and up to the Headmaster’s Office.

Oh.

Well fucking hell, of course there was more.

Why not add the murder of a child to the damn list!

Severus breathed deeply to control his rage as Harry slumped despondently onto the steps leading up to the desk.

“Just leave, Harry.”  He whispered to the teen in desperation as the wizard placed his head in his hands. “What has our world given you but misery and death?  Just go.   Leave us to our fate.”

The older wizard knelt by Harry as the teen gave a brief sob of grief into his palms.  

“You owe us nothing, my littlest snake.”  Severus said sadly as Harry heaved himself to his feet and headed for the stairs. “When will you stop sacrificing yourself on an altar that does not deserve you?”

The older man followed behind Harry and into the Hall.

Body after body lined the walls, some still struggling weakly to cling to life even knowing it was futile.  

Severus closed his eyes in pain as Harry stopped by the bodies of Tonks and Lupin, hands outstretched but not meeting.  

The teen had included the birth of their son earlier, and at the time he’d thought it was because Harry had been named godfather but now he truly knew why.

Harry was showing him what this stupid War had taken again.

Another set of parents dead with a son left behind.  Just like him, and like so many of his current classmates.  

When would this senseless killing cease?

He swallowed heavily as George sobbed on the shoulder of his father, Fred’s body still and covered with a sheet half way up his chest.

The Head of Slytherin slowly rotated on one foot and took in the utter devastation around him.

This could not happen again.

If he had to give up his soul to stop it he would.

Though apparently Harry had already made that decision for him as he slipped of the Hall and into the night unnoticed.

They walked for a time under the peaceful canopy of the Forest, nothing but the normal sounds of the forest surrounding them.

Severus stopped when Harry did, and his mouth titled sadly when the Resurrection Stone floated out of the snitch.

Harry’s family surrounded him for the last time and Sev closed his eyes as tears slipped out.

“Stay close to me.”

“Always.”

The next memory dawned bright and clear, the sun shining cheerfully if somewhat fractured through the windows located along the wall of the first year Slytherin dorms.

Severus blinked his eyes rapidly to dispel both the light spots and tears from his eyes, reaching up to rub at them roughly.

“I figured I’d spare you seeing me die, as in this time I’ve actually become quite fond of you, you great greasy bat.”

The Head of Slytherin threw his head back and laughed wetly, gently spinning on one heel to see a wicked looking 11 year old Harry Potter standing next to the doorway, dressed in Slytherin green and smiling softly.

The boy dragged two chairs over and spaced them out, waving a hand at one as he collapsed into the other.

“As I’m sure you’ve already guessed, this is also a memory. Do not ask me how many times I’ve practiced this, and thank Morgana you don’t speak parseltongue.”  The teen leaned forward as Severus settled into the opposite chair and winked. “Artemis is a terrible gossip and she doesn’t know it yet but she’s going to get hers real soon for the last little piece she dished out.”

Intense curiosity rattled his mind and he added it to the other little pieces he wanted to ask the real Harry.

“So, as you know, I died in the Forbidden Forest on May 2nd, 1998.  And yes, yes. I know.  Foolish Gryffindor, right?”

“Not so foolish, my little snake. Just really fucking brave.” Severus replied quietly as Harry paused to take a breath.

“Anyway, Voldemort killed me and I let him do it.  Just stood back and took one for the team.”  Harry shrugged and leaned back in his chair, crossing one ankle over the other.  “I obviously didn’t intend to make it out alive, and in some ways, I didn’t.”

Harry held up a hand as Severus straightened in alarm. “Please let me finish, Sev. And yes, I would say I do know you that well.”  He smirked.

“Cheeky little fucker.” The dark haired man accused, mouth twitching with amusement at the self-satisfied look on his snake’s face.

And Harry was still his snake, and would forever more be one, no matter what House he originally sorted into.  The boy was clearly made for the sneaky and ambitious.

“When Voldemort cast the Killing Curse at me for the last time, it killed the body housing it.  The tether between my body and his soul broke. Unfortunately, it also broke the connection I had to my body as well.”

The teen tapped at his leg, head cocking to the side as he contemplated the next part.

“What you will see next is incredibly personal, Severus.”  Emerald green looked unerringly into his own and the older man swallowed at the weight those young eyes held.

“Use that cunning Slytherin mind and actually look .”  The man in question stilled as Harry leaned forward, eyes still somehow locked onto his.

“You are the greatest spy this age has ever seen.  Prove it .”

White blinded him and he leaned forward to shield his eyes, rubbing at them as an incredibly clean King’s Cross Station came into view.

He stilled as Albus Dumbledore walked out of the light and instant rage lit his veins.

This man , and he used that term loosely, had manipulated them all.  Had played them like puppets and he the puppet master, making them dance to his tune even in death.

For a wild moment he debated the logistics of using the dead man’s beard to strangle the old goat.  

He took in what he and Harry were talking about, smiling savagely at the calculating look in his Slytherin’s eyes as he pumped the old man for information.

Severus scowled as for the last time in that world Albus Dumbledore once more tap danced around giving a Merlin be damned answer.

He went wide eyed with shock as Death revealed himself, and only felt dark glee as with a snap of his fingers the abnormal soul piece collapsed into dust.

Soulmates.

What the ever loving fuck?!  He thought wildly as Death grinned wickedly at Harry. 

Severus collapsed weakly onto the bench beside Harry and placed his forehead in his palms, listening quietly as Death and Fate explained about the Pervell’s and the Deathly Hallows.

He remembered that story.  

It was the one story he never had to beg his mother to reread again on the nights his father would come home rip roaring drunk.

The Slytherin then thoughtfully propped his head in his hands and watched as Harry James Potter was offered a choice.

His heart hurt as Harry asked to rest, red rimming green eyes in an exhausted face as the teen slumped.

For a moment he truly wished Harry had taken the offer to move on.  The poor child deserved it after all he’d suffered. And to know that it had been at the hands of his soulmate?

Severus shuddered hard as Harry mourned the fact he was soul-mated to a monster. He frowned and cocked his head as Fate obviously saw something he didn’t as she looked at Harry knowingly and whispered to him.

The boy surged up and Sev drew back as the wizard began ranting as he paced back and forth.

“You deserve peace, Harry James Potter.  And should you wish it, no more will be said.”

Severus’s mouth trembled as Harry collapsed against her, crying softly into her shoulder.

A presence at his shoulder drew his attention and gold eyes speared into his knowingly, one eyelid dropping in a wink before Death turned back to his wife and Master.

“James!”

The world swirled around them and Severus swayed a little as the real King’s Cross Station came into view.

“You are the greatest spy this age has ever seen.  Prove it .”

Black eyes sharpened as they took in everything.  

n almost clone of Harry ran past laughing and flew into the arms of what could only be Teddy.

His breath caught as a little flame haired girl with Harry’s eyes hummed happily as she was pushed by her mother on a trolley as they walked passed.  

Severus turned slowly on one heel and caught the last part of what Harry was saying to his younger son, and felt the honor deep in his soul that his little snake had named a child after him.

Apparently Harry had such a forgiving soul he could see past what Severus had done to him in the original timeline.

Keep that in mind, Severus Tobias Snape.  A female voice chimed gently in his mind, and the man in question twitched as he recognized Fate.

“HARRY JAMES POTTER!!”   

Severus flew to the younger man, instantly recognizing that voice even if it was deeper than he’d ever heard it.

As Harry shielded Death and Fate, Sev stood in front of him, wand drawn even as he knew it was stupid.

“ Our child.” An older Harry interrupted, looking up at his soulmate and Severus almost fell to the floor at the deep love and affection he saw blazing out of emerald green eyes.

He laughed with disbelief as a child with wild Potter hair and pale blue eyes was dragged out from under the desk and into Harry’s arms, a young Teddy clutched firmly to what had   to be a sane Dark Lord.

Severus heard Harry collapse behind him as Black barked out a laugh, practically dancing forward as both men gave up their hostages to him willingly.  

The scene whirled again around a laughing Harry being thrown over the Dark Lord’s shoulder, both of them radiating soul deep love.

The world stopped around a dark haired man leaning back arrogantly in a chair under a single spot light, gold eyes blazing with Hellfire and darkness surrounding them.

Another chair materialized and Severus mentally said fuck it, collapsing into and folded over to place his forehead on his knees.

“This isn’t a memory.”  The Slytherin stated to the floor.

“Nope.” Death said cheerfully, giving a soft kick to his shoes.

Severus nodded and then sat up, deciding to face his fate with equanimity.

“So what is my punishment to be?”  He asked calmly, raising an eyebrow as Death sat up in interest.

“Who said anything about a punishment, Severus Snape?” Death returned mildly.

Severus studied him for several long moments, wondering if he was being screwed with but the entity seemed to be genuinely curious.

“Everything is about balance.” The man finally shrugged. “Death equals life, suffering equals joy, and so on and so on.”

Death looked at the man seated in the chair thoughtfully. “And do you think you deserve punishment?”

Severus’s mouth twisted harshly and then he was surging up so hard his chair clattered off into the darkness.  

“I tormented a child for his father’s failings.  An abused child who did not understand why I targeted him so!”

“You did. And you will have to live with that knowledge for the rest of your days.  Do you not think that’s punishment enough?” Death asked softly.

“NO!” Severus cried out as he paced back and forth. “I deserve to rot in Hell for what I did.”

“Oh you think so?”  Said Death wickedly, slowly rising from his chair as his head tilted.  “Ask and you shall receive .”

The Slytherin stopped to gape in surprise and Death used that to reach out and throw him down .

Severus landed in burning heat, so hot it scorched his face as he squinted in the dim light all around him. He shuddered as things cackled in the distance and souls screamed.

“Now, you see, not all of Harry’s family is going to get the tour so to speak.  Only the special ones.  The ones who have fucked up so spectacularly this is literally their last shot, like Riddle, or like you.”

He leaned back as gold eyes set in a tall frame suddenly popped up in front of him.

“You, Severus Snape, who tormented an already abused orphan because his father could be a goddamn asshat.”

The man looked away in shame and studied the ground, noticing small little fissures that hissed faintly with screams.

“I deserve to be here.”  He said quietly.

Death sighed in exasperation and pinched at his nose.

“Uh huh.  Let me count the ways.”  Death held up a hand and started ticking off points. “You saved Harry in first year from falling off his broom in his first Quidditch match.”

Severus looked up and frowned at that.  “What?”

The entity sighed and then looked like he just wanted to fall to the ground in frustration.

“Harry only showed you what he considered relevant, yes? Remember, assaults on his life he doesn’t technically count because again, abused child. If it just affects him, he will dismiss it.  Please do keep up.”

The Slytherin nodded dumbly as the man continued, “Right, where were we?  Ah, yes.  Save from a high fall, check.  Continued interference from a possessed Quirrvort, that we will trademark later , check. Let’s see, second year.  Not much, but then not one fucking professor had a clue what was going on so, eh.”

The Potion’s Master could only look on in fascination as Death paced, gold eyes flashing delightfully as he mused.

“Ohhh third year was a dozy!”  He spun around and pranced up to a frozen Severus.

“You demanded my Master be told the truth, or at least, the truth as everyone knew it. And then you were blocked at every turn by not just Dumbledore but Lupin as well.”  

Rage tightened in Severus as he remembered that Lupin had known Black was an animagus. Had sacrificed the safety of all of Hogwarts with his lies.

“Hhmhm, yes. And at the end, even after Harry attacked you so he could glean the truth, you still stood between him and a werewolf.  Should I continue?”

Gold eyes gently mocked him as the entity drew back and Hell faded away, settling into his chair under the spotlight again.

Screeching echoed in the Potion’s Master ear’s and he winced as his chair came to a stop behind him.  An unseen force pushed him into it.

“You sound like such a person who deserves my tender mercies, Sev.”

The mortal blew out a breath and then sagged back into his chair.

“Then what do you want with me?”

Death sobered and leaned forward, propping his elbows on his knees as gold eyes softened.

“What I want?  I want you to be the person I know you can be.  The Head of House that Harry needs and deserves. As good as a witch she is, Minerva McGonagall was not a right fit for a Slytherindor.”

A weak snort escaped from Severus as he leaned back in his seat.  “A Slytherindor?”

Death smiled brightly at him, gold eyes shifting to a dark brown.  “You yourself are one.  It takes balls of steel to lie straight faced to two of the most powerful wizards in the world and fool them both .”

The entity smiled knowingly as the spy stiffened. “You were always Lily Potter’s, and then Harry’s.”

Severus closed his eyes and blew out a breath. “I still am.” He returned softly.

“Exactly.  Even as you treated him like shit you still pulled his bacon out of the fire. Every. Single. Time.  Harry knows this, Severus.  Why do you think he’s given you this second chance?”

The Slytherin mused over that for a while, Death waiting patiently.

“I can see Harry being so forgiving that he allows me this, and I will always be grateful for it.  But why him ?!” 

He sprang up and paced within the confines of the light, hands behind his back as his mind raced.

“That is something only Harry can answer.”  Death said softly.

Severus sighed and nodded, unclenching his hands and shaking them out gently.  “So that’s the last of them?”

Death laughed as the world spun around them, the familiar environs of the Great Hall appearing around them.

“Oh no, we still have a sorting to get through.”  The entity said gleefully, gesturing for Sev to take a seat at the Hufflepuff table.

Deciding to just go with it, the man sat and snorted as two glasses and a decanter of his favorite brandy appeared in front of them.

“So, let me set the scene for you.” Death poured out two fingers in each glass as the Great Hall began to fill with students. “Tommy boy here not only has an intact soul but is finally in his right mind again. He also spent some time with me in Hell getting his priorities straight.”

Severus paused mid motion in sipping at the brandy, giving a considering look at Death as the entity smirked.

“Oh did he?” The man finally drawled, sighing in satisfaction at the burn down his throat.

“Hhmh, yes.  He suffered every wixen death that was ordered or caused by his hand.”  Death shrugged at the incredulous look he was getting. “As you said, everything has a balance, Severus Snape.”

“So anyho, Tom Riddle is finally sane again and knows that he has a soulmate to thank for that.  A soulmate, mind you, that he hasn’t figured out the identity of yet.”

Severus coughed as he choked on the brandy, wild laughter caught in his throat as the memories from that night surfaced.  “You’re fucking joking.” He finally managed to gasp and Death just smirked and pointed a finger as Harry was called to the hat.

He had to put down his glass as the voice of the old hat and Harry reached them.  “‘Try to not torment the snakes too much,’ indeed my littlest snake.” 

He put his face in his hands and laughed a little helplessly as he and the Dark Lord inadvertently started a drinking contest at the damn Staff table.

“And now we’re done.” Death laughed and Severus surfaced from his pensive, breathing deeply as he braced his head over the swirling memories.

Deciding to make himself useful as Severus brought out his pensive, Harry got up and went to the potion’s storeroom and found some dung beetles he could dissect.

For hours he worked, carefully slicing off wings and eyes and storing them in the correct containers.  Finally a pair of pale, ingredient stained hands joined his silently, and the teen ignored how they shook slightly.

“How could you?”  Severus finally asked him, agony and indecision wracking his tone as he carefully dug out the eyes of the beetle he was holding.  “After all that man has done to you. To this world.  WHY?!”

Harry simply watched as Severus shouted that last word and bolted up, turning to pace along the tables.

“I can forgive what is mine to forgive, professor.”  Harry said kindly, moving up to intercept the man pacing between tables.

He gently grasped his hands as the man stopped.

“I do not demand you do so.  So much bad has happened.”  Tears brightened both of their eyes at the reminder of the devastation Harry had left behind.  “But use that Slytherin mind and think . Tom had so much to offer the Wizarding World.  There was a reason why you joined him, as well as the likes of Crouch and Malfoy.  Remember why .”

“It was good at the beginning.  He promised equality for all of us.  That we could go back to worshiping our own gods and traditions without reprisal from the Ministry.  Practice our family magic without being hunted by the light wizards.”  Severus said quietly, tightening his hands around the boy’s.  

He huffed not even a second later.  

This was no boy, he was already a man making difficult life decisions.

“Curious on how such a dark book like Horcruxes found its way into a school library.”  Harry replied grimly, and smiled as black eyes focused sharply on him.

“You think the Headmaster had something to do with that.” 

“I think the Headmaster has a lot to answer for. Things I’m still unraveling but yes, I do think he placed it there.”  Harry raised a hand at the protesting look on the Potion’s Master’s face.

“Tom is responsible for doing it in the first place.”  The teen said firmly. “He is accountable for the murders he committed as well as the absolute mess of a Wizarding World he left behind.”

Harry felt his lips tilt sadly at the confused look on Severus’s face.  “Alternate timelines exist, Sev. In one world that we left, there was barely anything remaining and I rested in peace. In another, I choose to kill my soulmate and go on.”

Severus blanched and turned green, fighting not to throw up.  Soulmate killing was almost as bad as butchering your soul into pieces.

“But in this one, I choose life .”

The professor thoughtfully regarded the wizard in front of him.

So much this boy has gone through, and he couldn’t help but deeply respect the solid strength in that tiny frame.

“ Thank you .  I know you didn’t do it for me but thank you for this second chance.”

Harry smiled up at his Head of House with fondness flooding through his soul.  “I may have not done it for you but you deserve to live your life as a free man Severus Snape.  I have an early Yule present for you.  Hopefully she can provide a bit of perspective for you.”  

Severus raised his eyebrows at the mischievous look on his snake’s face.

Harry closed his eyes and reached inward, the little ball of light singing sweetly to him as it brightened with joy at his request.

He smiled as a hand curled over his shoulder even as he heard Professor Snape crash to his knees.

“Hey baby, I’ve got this.  Go reassure your soulmate you’re still alive after today’s mess.  I’m pretty sure he’s about to start climbing the walls and hexing students.”

Harry laughed happily and opened his eyes to the same shade of green.

“I love you.”  He said simply, grinning as his mum tried to smooth down his hair.

Lily huffed at him then gave him a gentle shove towards the exit.

Harry darted forward and kissed her on her cheek, dancing away as she tried to playfully swat at him.

“I’ll see you on Samhain.”  He promised her and left.

Lily turned to regard her best friend.  And he had remained her best friend even after she’d cut him off after what he’d said.

“Lils.” Severus said brokenly before he covered his face with both hands.

She knelt down and pried his hands away from his face.

“I have many things to say to you, Severus Tobias Snape.”  He cringed back at her harsh tone.

“And the first and most important one?  Thank you, Sev. ”

He blinked up at her, not understanding.

“So many times did you protect my baby. You stood in front of your worst fear shielding him from harm.” She smoothed his hair back around his ear, smiling bittersweetly at him. “Till the day you died you did in service to others, thinking it would make up for a couple of stupid mistakes.”

Lily Potter then grabbed his face in her hands fiercely. “ ENOUGH .  Enough sacrificing your life.  I forgave you a long time ago and can only mourn I never had the courage to tell you so.”

Tears slowly slid down from black eyes.  “I’m the reason why you’re dead.” He choked out.

“No, Severus.”  She said sadly. “That belongs on others.  Do you have some culpability?  Yes. But you did not make the decision Tom made.”

“How can he forgive him?” Severus whispered, looking up into the green-green eyes he’d missed for so long. “Being soulmates only accounts for so much.”

Lily looked up at the ceiling and smiled .  “A little help here?” She asked gently.

Severus sucked in his breath as the world spun, stabilizing into the familiar workroom at his home.  A home he’d revealed to no others, not even to the Headmaster.  

It was a sanctuary he retreated to when the world became too much, and for just a little while, he could forget he was practically a slave. 

What was clearly his future self was embroiled in brewing, totally focused on the cauldron in front of him.  So caught up was he that he didn’t even notice the three sets of eyes peering up at him from below the surface of another table.

A knock at the door had him looking up, scowling as it opened and what could only be an older Harry came through the door.  The younger Severus felt his breath catch at the sight.  He looked so healthy, skin glowing and power practically vibrating out from his short frame.

“Sev? Have you seen…”

A set of giggles interrupted him while another shushed them.

A black eyebrow rose in amusement while Harry sighed.

Another body blocked the light from the doorway and the younger Severus wavered on his feet at the sight of that tall figure.

“Severus?  We have some monkey’s on the loose and are trying to track them down.”  The Dark Lord said from the doorway, head whipping around and then he crouched low, stealthily making his way towards the giggles that had erupted at his entrance.

Both Harry and Severus watched with amusement as their Lord stalked his prey.

“Aw papa no.”  Mourned one child while the other laughed as his hair flared bright blue as Tom caught them.

Lily braced Severus when the last child giggled happily and climbed up onto the table.

There was no mistaking that nose or silky black hair.  

The older Severus lunged forward and caught his daughter as she tried to make a break for the door.

“Giving your Uncle Tom a hard time?” He drawled as she grinned brightly at him, coltish legs wrapping around his waist as he clutched her to his chest.  

“Dad is face down in a book.”  She told him seriously, and both their mouth’s twitched in identical smirks.  “I’m pretty sure it ate him.”

“And that gave you license to torment your poor Uncles?” Tom demanded indignantly as he swept up to them, both boys captured upside down under his arms and giggling helplessly.

“No offense Uncle Tom but it’s too easy.”  She replied, sticking her tongue out when he hissed in mock outrage.

“I’ve got this one.”  Harry replied amusingly, moving forward to take the child out of his arms.

Severus resisted a moment, kissing his daughter on the forehead before reluctantly releasing her.

The child laughed as Harry slung her over his shoulder.

“Uncle Harry, is this really necessary?”

“Oh we know who the real ringleader is, sweetie.”  Tom replied with mirth, leading the way out of the potion’s room.  “Don’t think we haven’t noticed who taught the boys how to use the floo.”

The world shifted one more time before revealing his classroom, Lily cradling him in his arms.

“ Oh .” He breathed out and his best friend laughed loudly.

Severus closed his eyes at the cherished sound he hadn’t heard in decades.

“Continue down this path and discover everything you’ve ever wanted. Your soulmate who loves you fiercely enough to give up a part of his magic to carry your daughter. A family that walks beside and behind you, guarding you like fierce mama dragons just as you guard them in return.”  Severus laughed wetly as she cupped his face and brought it up, laying her forehead against his as green stared loving into black. 

“I’m so happy for you, Sev.”  She whispered.  

He rested his head on hers, gripping at her tightly. “I wish you were really here.” The man replied brokenly.

“Oh I am. Like I told Harry, I am with you every step that you take.”

Severus chuckled wetly.  “That’s creepy, Lils.”

She swatted at him and they both laughed, talking long into the night until she faded with the rising of the sun.

::sniffs::  I'm not crying you're crying!

I swear that’s the last of children mysteriously popping up!  But the thought of a Snape, Potter and Lupin all at Hogwarts raising Hell was just too good to resist.  Poor Minnie will probably throw her tartan in and retire when that happens lol.

I have plans to go ahead and make another update this Wednesday (whwhhooo 2 for the price of 1!).  This next chapter is practically writing itself, and I see this current chapter almost as an interlude since it's just mainly Severus. 

Hopefully see you on Wednesday!

Chapter Text

THANK YOU!   Thank you so much to everyone who gives me a kudo or tells me how much they love this story.  It seriously lifts me up and I puff myself up as if I’m Tom lmao.

This chapter is just pure fluff . Barely any angst (who am I right?).  Figured we’d all need a break for some sweetness after that last chapter, and what I’m going to do to our poor little cinnamon rolls next chapter. Mwahahaha.

On to the show!

Throwing the Cloak over his shoulders, Harry started walking down the familiar path towards Professor Quirrell’s quarters.  

Supper had ended some time ago and with curfew only an hour away, he wanted to avoid notice so he wasn’t stopped.

He could only imagine the hole Tom must have paced by now. 

Harry slowed and frowned in confusion as a loud BANG echoed down the hallway, barely throwing himself to the side in time as a bunch of Ravenclaws ran past shouting.

What the hell?  Usually it was Gryffindor's who created such antics right before bed, not ‘Claws.

He debated going to see what they were up to, body shifting in that direction before he stumbled as tiredness dragged him down.

Harry shot out a hand from the Cloak and managed to catch himself on the wall, unseen hands then steading him and Harry mumbled a thanks to Fate as she propped him up on the long trek to his soulmate.

Several minutes later the Elder Wand was humming a joyful song as Harry asked it to open a doorway through Tom’s wards.  Opening the door, the teen peered into the empty sitting room and sighed with disappointment.

Looks like he’ll just have to wait then.  

Toeing off his shoes and outer robes, Harry yawned as he made his way to the sofa. He was absolutely exhausted from the events of today.

Artemis slipped off from around his neck with a yawn of her own, moving to curl up along the back of the sofa.  Within no time at all Harry slipped off into sleep, snuggled under the Cloak.

Students scattered like rats off a sinking ship as Tom stalked down a hallway, face a thundercloud as he hunted them down.

“10 points from Slytherin, Greengrass.  Get back to your dorms .” He barked out and the girl didn’t even try to defend herself as she slipped down another hallway with a couple of Slytherin girls. 

Tom was about to follow to make sure they did go back to the dorms but the sound of feathers singing in the wind had him whirling around on one foot.  

Death simply cocked an eyebrow at him and then turned a corner, the mortal freezing for a moment before he was bolting after the entity.

He managed to stay two steps ahead of him the entire time and Tom felt fury ignite in him as black feathers once more disappeared around a familiar corner.

Wait, this was the hallway leading back to his quarters.

Hope now burning bright in him, Tom broke into a sprint and almost slid past the door in his rush.  It was but a second later that he was ripping down his wards and bursting through the door.

Into an empty room.

Tom slumped with despair against the door and rubbed at his forehead as his eyes closed.  Why had Death led him back to his rooms if his soulmate wasn’t even there yet?

Opening his eyes again, bright silver caught his attention from the cloak rack next to him.

He reached down and grasped a sleeve, rubbing at the Mori Quam Foedari  stitched into the black cloth thoughtfully. Harry was somewhere in the castle now, the over robe he’d been wearing this morning attested to that.  

But where in the hell was his soulmate?

Not even Death can find him under the Cloak. You may ask but that does not mean you will receive.…

The words Fate had told him a week ago echoed through his mind and Tom shut the door, leaning against it as his eyes closed.

Over the last few days he’d actively started looking for his soulmate, finding the faint presence of Harry growing nearer the more he pulled gently at the other's soul to move it closer to him. As he’d done so, he had noticed the 3 little lights orbiting his soulmate. 

The soul bond was now the closest they’d be able to get it before fully bonding when Harry was older. 

Hopefully it was strong enough for this.

Tom dove deep toward that larger light, taking a moment to bask in the essence of pure Harry that flowed over his own.  He then sent out a tentative question to all 3 Hallows and they stilled, seeming to bob in thought before they came to a consensus.  

Eyes opening, Tom strode forward when a little ball flamed to life and chirped eagerly at him from above the sofa.  

He then fell to his knees and cried with relief as he pulled back the Cloak and wild black hair emerged.

Tom gathered his sleeping soulmate into his arms, dragging Harry off the sofa and the boy flailed a bit as he woke up.

“Tom?” He asked groggily, one hand fisting at his eye as he yawned.

“My own.” The man breathed out, clutching his soulmate to his chest gratefully as he buried his face in black hair.

“What happened?”  Harry questioned as he woke up more fully.

He pulled back and went still at the solemn look on Tom’s face.

“The Daily Prophet released a special evening edition tonight.”

“Yeess,” Harry said slowly, now fully awake as he used the sofa at his back to brace himself.  Worried eyes traced over his face and the boy frowned at the tense way Tom was still holding himself.

‘We knew that was going to happen.  Planned on it actually.’ Artemis slithered her way off the top and curled herself next to her Master’s shoulder.

“Did you plan on having the entire   transcript of the trial released?”  Tom asked grimly, nodding with resignation as Harry went white.