Chapter Text
CHAPTER ONE
Going back in time
Year 1998
The trio were in the room of Requirement, going through it to find the Ravenclaw diadem. They were having a hard time, searching to no avail. As time passed with no progress, they started to lose hope. Harry started to suspect that Helena lied to him, or worse, Voldemort already took the diadem before he left Hogwarts.
"Guys, look what I found!" It was Ron who broke the silence, they both looked at him to see that he was holding a small silver ball with a snake coiled around it.
"Ron! We are trying to find the diadem! Not playing around!" Hermione huffed in frustration. She was agitated and stressed. There was a war outside, Voldemort is waiting for Harry Potter. Students are fighting death eaters. Time is slipping away.
"But, Hermione just come look at it!"
"No."
Harry shifted closer to Ron, and took the small ball in his hands. He doesn't know why, but he just had the urge to speak to the snake. So he did. In parseltongue.
"Hey.. " He hissed at it. There was nothing at first, but then the snake turned around, its eyes gleaming, its tongue flickering, tasting the air.
"A speaker.. Do you know what I am?"
"No.. What are you?"
"I can take you back.."
"Back where?"
"In time.. Do you wish to go back, and fix everything?"
"Can I?"
"You can. And if you did things right, if you never get caught, there will be no consequences."
"Okay, but-" Harry didn't even finish speaking when a bright light filled the room, and suddenly everything moved around them, like they were in a tornado.
Suddenly, the three of them fell on the ground. By the black lake. They looked around them, startled and confused. "What the hell happened? Harry what did you do?!" Asked Ron in confusion, looking at Harry who was still lying on the ground.
"I spoke the snake, apparently it can take us back in time. And I agreed to go back and change everything. But I was going to tell it to leave you both but it didn't let me finish and now, I believe we are in 1942." Harry panted, pushing himself up and adjusting his glasses.
"Harry! You should have told us first! How do you think we are going to change anything?" Bellowed Hermione in anger and worry.
"Well, we can convince Tom Riddle not make horcruxes!"
"And how exactly? That's Voldemort we are talking about! He can't be convinced!" Asked Hermione anxiously, standing up next to Ron.
"I will do it! I can do it.." Harry grunted as he stood up.
Hermione was going to continue arguing, when they heard footsteps coming towards them. They both looked in the direction of the sound and gasped.
"What are you three doing here at this hour?" It was Tom Riddle in the flesh, in his prefect uniform, wand in hand. He didn't look confused to see them, as if he knew them.
"Vol- ugh! -Riddle?!" Ron choked, nearly calling him Voldemort if Hermione didn't elbow him.
"... Weasley." Drawled Tom, eyeing him suspiciously.
Harry was in another world, drinking in Tom hungrily, He couldn't believe this. Tom was in front of him, his Tom. Even though, he came here with noble goals. He also came here for a purely selfish reason, and that is to have Tom for himself. He has always felt this pull, maybe because he is a horcrux, Tom's horcrux, a piece of Tom's soul is in his body. He is insane, he knows. To love his parents' murderer, to love a Dark Lord. To be so obsessed with him. To crave his touch, his love, his attention; was crazy. But he didn't care, and now there is an opportunity to do what he always wanted to do. Make Tom his.
"Potter!" Snapped Tom angrily. Hermione and Ron were looking at Harry weirdly.
"H-Huh?" Harry gulped unintelligently, finally focusing on the current situation. He realized that he must have had a dreamy look in his eyes while staring at Tom, but he couldn't bring himself to feel ashamed about it. "Wait, you know me?"
"Of course! I know all of you! Troublesome trio. Go back to your dorms before I deduct points from you." Tom said, looking at them as if they were insects.
"H-How?" Ron stuttered, confused and scared.
"... Have the lot of you gone mad?" Sneered Tom.
"No.. Well, uh.. We will be going.. Uh.." Harry wanted to ask if they were still in Gryffindor.
"Spit it out, Potter!"
"Well, uh.. Do you mind taking us to our dorms?"
Silence.
"Why?" Now, Tom really looked confused.
"We are scared.. You see, we saw a giant squid in the lake, and we are really scared now.." Harry berated himself, no way Tom is going to believe that. Hermione nearly rolled her eyes.
"Really now.." Tom drawled, narrowing his eyes at them suspiciously.
"Please?" Ron added meekly, helping his best mate.
"Fine! Follow me." Tom twirled around his robes moving with him. They followed him obediently.
As they were moving in the castle, it was mainly empty, as it was night and everyone was in their dorms, save for the few students that Tom caught.
Harry cleared his throat, "So.. Uh.. We are in fifth year?"
"Obviously.. You are acting weird. Did you hit your heads?"
"Well, no.. Just making sure."
"Weird." Frowned Tom.
Harry wanted to kiss him silly.
"Stop staring holes at me, Potter!"
"Sorry, well, not really. Not my fault you are so pretty." Harry blurted before he could stop himself.
Ron and Hermione gasped in shock. Tom stopped in his tracks, trembling.
"Blimey, Harry, have you gone mad?" Ron nudged him, looking between Harry and Tom anxiously. While Hermione schooled her shocked expression, but was eyeing Harry with a suspicious glint in her eyes.
"Sorry, couldnt stop myself.." Muttered Harry staring at Tom's frame intensely.
"P-Potter.. What did you just say?!" Tom Riddle wanted to kill himself. He never stuttered! Never!
"I said you are pretty. Very pretty." Harry replied shamelessly.
"Y-You! Y-You... " Tom's face was so red. He has never felt this flustered before. He took a deep breath and let it out, trying to stay calm. He started walking again, fast and sharp. "Follow me! And stay quiet!"
Harry couldn't help the chuckle that escaped him. He was a bit shocked too. Both at his sudden assertiveness and at Tom's red face. He rendered the dark lord speechless. Who knew dark lords blush easily?
They finally reached their dorms. They were still in Gryffindor, this didn't change. Tom looked at them, well, at Hermione and Ron specifically. He avoided Harry's intense green eyes that were on him.
"Well, here we are. Go in." He said calmly, looking at them expectantly.
They stayed quiet, looking at each other. Hermione spoke up finally for the first time since they met Tom. "Uh.. Do you know the password?"
Tom looked at them suspiciously and huffed in exasperation. He turned to the portrait and uttered, "Quidditch." The door opened and they entered.
The common room was the same. No notable difference. They sat down in front of the fire and cast a muffliato.
"Harry! What the hell are you doing? Are you.. flirting with Voldemort?" Hermione hissed, glaring at Harry.
"Look.. I.. I need to tell you both something." Harry gulped nervously. Ron and Hermione looked at each other, then at Harry curiously.
"I love Tom.. I love Voldemort." Harry said fidgeting anxiously, avoiding their eyes.
They both gasped. "Are you mad Harry?!" They both said at the same time.
"Listen to me.. I know it's crazy! But I can't see him as a monster! A piece of his soul lives with me! Within me! It has been with me when I was being abused by my relatives, when I was alone in the stuffy dark cupboard under the stairs. Whenever I see him, I just feel this pull. And I came to love him. To me, he is just another version of me. Both orphans, treated badly. I can't find him scary. I find him endearing. And I know he killed people and I was going to kill him, even if it hurt me. But now that this chance came up, I will take it! Can't I be selfish for once? Can't I seek my own happiness, instead of sacrificing myself for people like I always have? Plus, I will also be helping people." Harry panted after his long rant. Finally getting his pent up feelings out of his chest.
Ron cleared his throat and said, "Harry... I can't say I understand what you see in Riddle. But.. He is still not a monster right now. I will cheer you on mate." Hermione snapped her head at Ron in shock.
"Ron! What are you saying?" She turned to Harry and added, "Harry, he is dangerous, even right now. Isn't he going to open the chamber of secrets and kill Myrtle this year?!"
"Well, Yes, but I can prevent him!"
"How?" She frowned.
"Well, I will seduce him?"
"You don't have a plan!" She snapped at him.
"This is my plan. I will make him mine. I will take up all his time, and I will convince him not to kill anyone. I will fix him!" Harry glared at her.
"Okay.. Then, Ron and I will keep an eye on him too." She sighed in defiance. There was no deterring Harry once he set his mind on something.
"Yeah, mate. We will help however we can." Ron added with a reassuring.
"Now, to more pressing matters. Apparently, we are already registered students here." Hermione said frowning in confusion.
"Yeah, we also go by the same names.." Ron added.
"Well, that's a whole burden we don't have to worry about. Let's go to sleep. I'm tired." Harry sighed tiredly and they all went to their dorms to sleep.
The next day, they all woke up, and headed to the Great Hall to have breakfast. They sat next to each other in the Gryffindor table.
"Thankfully, I won't see my grandpa, he didn't go to Hogwarts." Ron said, his mouth full.
"Oh, which school did he go to?" Hermione asked curiously.
"Ilvermorny."
"Cool.." Ron and Hermione continued chatting while Harry was focused on the Slytherin table. Staring at Tom Riddle. He was surrounded by his followers, Harry could recognize Malfoy, whatever his name was, and a Black. They just have their family names written all over their faces. The rest he couldn't recognize. Tom was facing the Gryffindor's table but wasn't looking at it or at Harry. He was focused on his food. Eating elegantly while listening attentively to his followers.
Finally, he lifted his eyes, as if he felt Harry staring holes at him, and his eyes met Harry's. He held his gaze for a few seconds before quickly averting his eyes, his cheeks and ears slightly red.
"You look like you want to eat him." Ron's voice snapped him from his stupor. He looked at Ron and smiled playfully. "Maybe I do." He replied and paid attention to food. Ron stuttered in shock and Hermione grumbled in embarrassment at Harry's comment.
They had potions for their first period, with the Slytherins. Professor Slughorn was their potions teacher. Harry luckily was paired with Tom while Ron and Hermione were together.
"Well, now that you are all paired up. You will be working on brewing a pepper up potion! Good luck!" Slughorn exclaimed excitedly eyeing Harry and Tom both.
"You prepare the ingredients and I will brew..understood? If you are unsure of how to do something, ask me first." Tom said sharply as he started the fire.
"Yessir." Harry started to cut the ingredients while Tom added them and stirred.
"So.. Tom.. Are you single?" Harry already knows the answer, but he just wanted to be sure. And maybe provoke Tom. He just liked his reactions.
".. First of all, I didn't give you permission to call me Tom, second, why do you care?" Tom tried to sound polite but his annoyance slipped through. Harry thought he looked like an angry kitten.
"I don't want to call you Riddle. I love your name. Tom. Short, and cute. And I'm just curious. Surely, someone as pretty and smart as you couldn't be single?" Harry smirked at him.
Tom glared at him, cheeks flushed slightly. "Potter! Stop mocking me! And I'm a man, don't call me " cute" or "pretty" . And no.. I'm single. I don't care for trivial matters such as romance."
"But I'm not mocking you, Tom. I'm flirting with you." Harry finished his task and was just watching Tom stir the potion.
"Wh-What?!" Tom was shocked, never was he this shocked. His eyes widened and his breath hitched. He averted his eyes and glared at the potion. Refusing to reply to Harry any more. Harry didn't push him and stayed silent, smirking smugly. Soon, they finished and Slughorn praised them.
The day ended peacefully, Harry didn't pester Tom anymore. He doesn't want to come off too strong. He climbed his bed, and rest his heard on the pillow. Harry sighed in content and drifted off to dream land.