Chapter Text
When Voldemort first came to, he had no idea why everything hurt so much. He could barely draw a breath in and he felt small and weak, like the body he had before his resurrection. How could this have happened? The last thing that he remembered was the Boy-Who-Lived walking in to the clearing just when he thought he wouldn’t show up. He had stood there across from him, appearing to feign confidence but not reaching for his wand in defence.
This had made the Dark Lord hesitate before shooting the killing curse at his prophesied enemy. Somehow the boy had been a trap, the Dark Lord thought. Until, to his surprise, Dumbledore of all people showed up. The dead man’s explanations of his side of the war in the past years revealed that, no, the boy had not a plan when he stood across from him in the Forbidden Forest. Other than dying.
The boy had been his Horcrux! So that’s what he was seeing from. He was currently seeing through his soul shard that had been in the boy. Hearing, really, since he still could not open his eyes. This body was useless! Shifting again, and whimpering in pain, he heard the conversation halt and the former Headmaster assure the boy that there was nothing that could help him.
Clearly, he was talking about Lord Voldemort under the chair, for that is what he saw when he finally cracked an eye open. It was so infuriating to be ignored, but as the conversation picked up he understood that Dumbledore had no idea Lord Voldemort was listening. Thought that this shard of soul was unable to do more than breathe shakily.
Had no idea that he was in control of this shard of soul only momentarily. Like when he controlled his wonderful Nagini.
Had no idea that Lord Voldemort was hearing him spill every secret. All of Dumbledore’s plans on the side of the Light.
Had no idea that he would be able to pull himself back to the main soul in the Forbidden Forest with this knowledge.
So Lord Voldemort listened. Listened while the old man claimed that the boy was not really dead and that the shard of soul was destroyed. It certainly was not! He could feel the shard’s pain in this frail little body, but it wasn’t destroyed. More importantly, how could that brat not be dead?
The boy’s blood, Dumbledore believed? So the Dark Lord had tied Harry to the world as much as Harry did the Dark Lord? The shock of that made another whimper escape his mouth as his body twitched. Was he implying that the boy would be able to return to the living world?
If so, could the boy be made a Horcrux again? This shard of soul, while damaged, could still serve its purpose. If it was true that they tied each other to life, then the boy was a perfect vessel for his soul.
Yes! He would use the boy and protect him like his Nagini. He could do nothing now while the old man was still talking. So he would bide his time, learn all the old man’s secrets, and hope that the fool would leave the boy before the boy returned to the living world. Of course he could always put a new piece of soul into his boy if he wasn’t able to have him take this piece back. It wasn’t ideal, as he already had such a small amount of his soul in the main body already.
There was already a victim waiting for his sacrifice for the ritual in the forest, if needed. The half giant from his school days was held captive right now by his death eaters. Or, should he let his vessel choose?
He would start to need to win his boy’s loyalty. Sure, he would fight at first, but Lord Voldemort had eternity to woo him. This could be the beginning. Let the boy choose the one to die to turn him back into his Horcrux! It would be wonderful. He could lie the boy’s chosen death eater at his feet, the first of many gifts!
He was drawn out of his plans by something else the old man said. That he guessed that the boy wouldn’t die. How could Harry sit there and take this so well? His vessel was too forgiving if all that Dumbledore was saying wasn’t enough to turn him from the old man. He would turn this loyalty to Lord Voldemort in the future, so the Dark Lord calmed himself with that thought.
Now the old man was laughing at his Harry claiming to be in King’s Cross. How dare he laugh at his boy! He forced his eyes open again, and, yes, it was King’s Cross. Was Harry fond of the station? Could one gift someone a train station? Lord Voldemort would find a way. He would give his boy any gift he desired. That, and more.
He needed to stay focused at the moment. Time to dwell on the things he would give his boy later. Especially because right now his boy was defending Dumbledore from himself? He did not want to hear this! Harry’s loyalty should be with him! Still, it was nice to hear the old man weak and depressed so he laughed.
No, wait, that was another whimper.
He really couldn’t wait to be back in his main body, but he would hold out here to see if he had a chance of re-using this shard of soul.
Was Dumbledore going to go into his whole life’s story? This did not interest Lord Voldemort at- was he crying? Sure enough as he peeled his eyes open once more the old man was openly sobbing as his boy comforted him. He eventually continued his story to the dark wizard’s disappointment.
This bit about the Deathly Hallows was new to his relief. Hearing that Harry was the true owner of the Hallows made sticking around worth it, even if his other plan did not work out. Finding out that he wasn’t the true owner of the Elder Wand added to his already mounting frustration over his situation and he couldn’t hold back another pained moan.
They had stopped talking now and he checked to see if his disturbance caught their attention, but no. They were both still facing away from him.
When Harry asked if he had to go back and Dumbledore replied with he had the choice to go on Voldemort nearly choked. His vessel could not pass on! No! He was to return to his Lord in the forest!
Harry turned to look at him then and Lord Voldemort tried to gather himself. This was it! Dumbledore was leading him toward returning now with the idea that he could save more of his friends’ lives this way. Lord Voldemort could work with that. If the old fool would just leave!
He did. As his old enemy faded away for, hopefully, the last time he knew he had to think quick. Harry would depart any moment, too. Even though he had plans in place for this not working out, it would be the best outcome for Harry to retake this piece.
The thought of having one Horcrux remaining, one anchor to immortality, was enough to send him into a near panic. What could he do? Until now, all he had done was listen in on their conversation and try to breathe. The shard of soul he was in control of at the moment was in no shape to even hope of overpowering the boy.
The boy was a Gryffindor though, and Tom Riddle was once a good actor. He had to be, to charm the professors and his schoolmates. Now he would have to make the boy want to bring him back. He knew what he could pretend to be to get the boy to accept him.
“ Harry…” He finally rasps, hardly making any noise at all. In the silence of the station, however, it was enough. Merlin, did he sound pathetic right now, but that would only help him in getting his former host’s attention. “ Harry, wait..”
The boy jerked before turning to look at him, as if he was scared of him. He had wanted that before, but not now! The boy would need to trust him. He stood there warily, seemingly uncertain if he should move closer or further away.
His weak body would not be able to carry him over to the boy, but surely his struggle would draw the boy closer out of sympathy. So, attempt to move he did. Rolling his body over onto his stomach he forced his thin limbs to push himself up wheezing the entire time. Sure enough, even that was too much. One blood soaked hand slipped and he was down again.
Before anger at his own state could set in the boy took a few hurried steps forward, before catching himself and stopping. “There’s nothing I can do for you here.”
“ Feels better…”
“What does?” The boy asked, bewildered.
“ Being closer..”
At last, showing something more than unease, the boy tensed and spat, “You deserve this pain! After all the deaths you’ve caused, the suffering you’ve caused others in this war!”
“ Not me… been with you…” If only he could find the breath to make complete sentences! He didn’t need to try and pretend to be in need of help apparently, this cursed body did need help. The boy took a few steps closer now, so he took a deeper breath and tried again. “ Not me in this war… I’ve been with you.”
“You’re part of him! And even if it wasn’t you now, you did the same in the first war. Killed my parents! You were there for that!” He was getting angier, clenching his fists now. “So what if you’ve been with me since then, what difference does that make?”
“ I’ve seen your life… been through everything… with you..” That had been a lie when he first opened his mouth to say that, but memories of a younger Harry, from the boy’s perspective came to the front of his mind now. How useful.
“Don’t compare my life with yours. I’ve already heard that before, we’re not the same.” Ah, so he had. Flashes of the boy in Salazar’s chamber with the diary’s shard were playing for him. How could he turn this to his benefit?
“ I know.. I see more than what the younger version of me did…” He was about to sound like that old fool Dumbledore, but he’d do whatever it took to keep this boy as his horcrux. “ I was unable to forgive those that hurt me as a child. Unable to feel love, until I felt it through you…”
Harry seemed at a loss for a moment before scoffing. “Yeah, like I’d believe Voldemort could feel love.”
He’d refused anybody the right to call him by his birth name decades ago and cursed those who dared since. So what better way to shock the golden boy? “ Tom.” The boys eyes went wide. “ I’m no longer him. Call me Tom.”
Ah, that did it. Anger gone, the boy looked stunned, slowly dropping to his knees in front of the soul shard’s battered body. He couldn’t look more confused. “You want me to call you Tom?”
“ Yes, Harry, please call me Tom.” With how close the boy was now, breathing came easy, though his voice was still raspy. Lord Voldemort even said ‘please’. He could not recall the last time he bothered with such pleasantries. Was he laying on this act too thick? He had to keep going regardless.
“ I don’t want the same as the Voldemort you left in the forrest wants.” Which was true enough, he had wanted Harry dead. Now, the boy would soon carry his soul and he would never fear death again. He reached his thin arms out to the boy. “ I wanted to protect you. Wanted to help you.”
Still looking more confused than the Dark Lord had ever seen him, the chosen one reached back to him and carefully brought the child-like being into his arms. Lord Voldemort did not need to fake the contended sign that escaped his mouth. Yes, he would have no problem sinking this shard of soul back into Harry’s. Perhaps this time, too, Harry would feel no pain from his touch if he was a willing Horcrux like Nagini. This plan was looking better than ever to the Dark Lord.
“I…” He started, uncertain. “I can’t take you back with me. The whole point of me dying was to get rid of the Horcrux. To make him mortal again. If I take you back…” He trailed off.
“ Then I could help you defeat him. He still has Nagini, I know you didn’t want to leave that to your friends. Even weakened, Lord Voldemort is powerful. How many more of those you love will die trying to defeat him?”
Harry clutched him tighter at that, as if seeking comfort. “I don’t want anyone else to be killed, but if I take you back I’ll have to die again. If you truly want to help me, you know that’s what will happen. I’m going back so I can defeat you.”
“ I know, Harry, and I know you. If you go back without me, you run the risk of more loved ones dying. If you go back with me we can protect your friends and leave him vulnerable to them. If it’s your life or theirs, I know what you’ll choose.”
If the use of his hated birth name was enough to get Harry to start to believe he was changed, then his supposed willingness to die with Harry should remove any remaining doubt. “ Then we can pass on together, Harry.”
The boy took a shuddering breath, eyes wide once more, this time with a bit of wonder. He should look at Lord Voldemort like this always. Maybe with some admiration, too. Voldemort saved this to memory, once back in the living world and the deception was up, his boy would not look at him like this. He would have eternity to win him back, though, sway him to his Lord’s side.
“I don’t want anyone else to get hurt, Tom, but how can you help me? I don’t understand.”
“ You weren’t aware of me in you before, all you have to do is call out to me in your head and I’ll be there.You’ll have my knowledge at your disposal. The spells you’ll need to defeat him. Enough so that you need not lose anyone else.”
“You’ll really help me? I can’t see anyone else die for me.”
“ Anything for you, Harry.” The horcrux reached up a frail blood-dripping hand to his vessel’s face, resting it gently on a cheek. “Let me back in, Harry, and let’s go back. Let me in, just one more time.”
-
Harry woke to dirt of the Forbidden Forest in his face. He was disoriented for a moment as he heard Bellatrix worry over Voldemort on the other side of the clearing. Had something happened to him, too? He didn’t have time to dwell on that. He was still surrounded by countless Death Eaters, but at least he wasn’t alone now. Filled with hope and determination once more, he mentally called out to his new ally.
Tom! Did it work? Are you still with me?
“Yes, my soul, it worked.”
Harry’s eyes flew open. Voldemort was right above him, red eyes boring into his own.
Harry pulled himself up a bit, to run, or to fight, he wasn’t sure. In his shocked state he wasn’t moving fast enough. How had everything gone wrong!
The Dark Lord was too close now. One hand reaching to cup his cheek again. It didn’t hurt. Voldemort’s touch didn’t hurt- and what had he done!
“Lord Voldemort is very pleased with you, Harry.”
Harry didn’t get the chance to say anything back before Voldemort, with a creepily out of place, almost tender smile, brought his wand up to Harry’s chest.
“I’ll take care of everything from here.”
Harry’s world went dark.