Disclaimer: if Tom Riddle (Christian Coulson) and Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliff) belonged to me I'd be too busy toying with them to write this fic so… no, unfortunately for me (and them) they don't.

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Chapter 7: Freezing Flower, Burning Earth...

"Take us... to Albus Dumbledore."

Harry repeated just as Tom had told him and he soon felt himself being teleported away in a bright and comforting light.

And just like that, the hotel room was once again empty...

...Harry opened his eyes as he felt his feet touching the ground and the light vanishing away slowly. He turned his head to the side and the first thing he saw clearly when his vision settled was the reassuring look on Tom's handsome face. The teen still held the boy's hand firmly in his own and Harry felt appeased by this ongoing physical contact. However, both boys were so busy looking fondly at each other that they didn't notice the old man sitting at his desk, looking at them with a very not amused look.

"Hum-hum..."

Harry and Tom turn their gazes forward in an instant after hearing the old man's voice calling for their attention. They both stared at him with great anticipation since the look on his face made it practically impossible to decipher his current state of mind. One thing was for certain; he seemed neither happy or surprise to see them.

"Well, I must say... I expected you a bit sooner. I've been sitting here for almost an hour now... still, you both arrived here safe and sound so I guess in the end; everything turned out for the better."

Both boys were baffled by the apparent calm and composure of the professor who as usual seemed to be ten marks ahead of everybody. It was always so shocking for both of them to see how Dumbledore exhaled cleverness and assurance; like there never would be anything you could ever try to reveal to this man that he wouldn't know better already and explain more thoroughly than you ever could. Albus smiled at their shared dumbfounded stares and indicated them the two chairs in front of him.

"Please... have a seat."

Harry smiled at his headmaster and sat right away. Noticing that Tom wasn't sitting by his side, he turned around and quickly realised the teen and Dumbledore seemed to be deep in the middle of some kind of hateful and mistrusting staring contest.

"Tom..."

Harry sent a pleading look at the young man. Tom was really not in the mood to let Dumbledore handle this his way. He never trusted the old man and he knew very well the feeling was mutual.

"Come... sit down..."

Harry kept looking at Tom, praying that the Slytherin would let go of his apparent contempt for his headmaster and agree to do as he was beseeching him.

"Please... next to me."

Tom finally turned his gaze from the old wizard and stared again into the beautiful emeralds that belonged to Harry. He could not ignore the lovely boy's insistence. He knew although it pained him to step on his pride and give in to Dumbledore so easily, the pain he felt knowing he might be disappointing Harry right now with his persistent lack of cooperation was even worse to endure. Tom could clearly see that the boy was fond of the old goat. Ultimately, Riddle decided that Harry's happiness was just more important to him than some silly ego fight with Albus. He went to sit next to the Gryffindor and was delighted to see a smile finding its way back to the boy's lips. Dumbledore looked at Harry with kind eyes.

"Harry?"

"Yes professor?"

"The diary, if you please."

"Oh, right!"

Harry took out the diary and handed it to his headmaster. Dumbledore took a good look at it before putting it down again.

"Yes... devoid of any kind of magic now isn't it... Tom?"

Albus stared at Tom for a while until the young man allowed himself to answer the question.

"Yes... whatever magic was in there to begin with was entirely mine... and now that I'm free from it, the diary has basically returned to its original state."

Dumbledore smiled wittingly and Tom was afraid of what that meant for him.

"Then it only seems fitting that it should return to its original owner."

Dumbledore handed the diary to Tom who simply threw it mindlessly on the table, in a rather feeble attempt to provoke the old man and show him that he didn't give two cents what he thought was fitting or not. The headmaster turned his attention back to Harry who felt uneasy at the idea that the professor could see right through him like a mirror and the boy looked away.

"Don't worry Harry..."

Harry looked up at the old man whose face was full of warmth and concern for him. Harry instantly felt reassured.

"Professor...I..."

"I know what happened, my boy."

Both boys gasped and gazed at the older man with surprise hanging from their faces. Dumbledore readjusted himself in his chair, before looking at the both of them with a seriousness that left no doubt as to his commitment to sort the entire story out.

"Yes, I know very well what occurred inside that motel room."

Red spread across Tom and Harry's cheeks and they both looked away, unable to fully acknowledge what had just been said. A brand new smile appeared upon the headmaster's face; replacing his serious demeanor as he gazed endearingly at Harry.

"I'm also aware of everything you and Mr. Weasley did last night."

Harry was rejoiced to hear those kind words, however Albus' expression suddenly grew darker again.

"You of course realise that this means you have both broken perhaps a dozen school rules in a matter of hours."

Harry suddenly felt extremely anxious, while Tom couldn't believe what he was hearing. He didn't like Dumbledore, but he knew the old coot had more kindness in him than that.

"Y-yes... sir."

"And that there is sufficient evidence to have you both expelled."

Harry nodded as he became increasingly scared.

"Yes, sir."

Tom just couldn't take this anymore.

"Now, wait just a minute here!"

"Therefore!"

Albus' voice immediately rose a few notches, putting Tom right back in his place and shutting him up immediately.

"It is only fitting..."

Harry held his breath.

"That you both receive..."

Tom held Harry's hand tightly in his in order to try and give the boy some kind of confidence.

"Special Awards for Services to the School."

Harry exhaled delightedly as the Professor's gentle smile reassured him that everything was going to be alright. Albus continued.

"I'm sure you'll be glad to know that I've already charged Mr. Weasley with the very important task of getting an owl to Azkaban with letters meant to insure the return of our Game Keeper. As for the victims of the Basilisk, they are being cured as we speak."

Harry's joyous expression only worsened the feeling of guilt that coursed through Tom's veins as the headmaster pierced him with his shiny little eyes. Tom could easily accept feeling guilty towards Harry, in the sense that the boy was worth it to him; however he refused to allow himself to feel intimidated by his former professor. He was not going to let him have the satisfaction of seeing him weaker. Suddenly, Harry spoke in the mist of the tension.

"Tom you need to get out now."

The two other people in the room shot the boy confused gazes. Tom felt suddenly so afraid and hurt, but he quickly realized that Harry's expression contained neither hate nor anger, just concern.

"Wh-What? Harry why?"

"Because I can hear someone approaching!"

The footsteps became lauder and the professor looked quickly at Tom with a face that clearly meant "this is not over" and "Don't you even think about escaping the castle". Tom just responded with a snarky and bitchy smile then looked down softly at Harry. He was taken a bit aback when the boy took a hold of his hand and beamed at him.

"Don't worry. This isn't goodbye. We'll see each other again very soon I'm sure of it... I promise. Now please, go."

Tom nodded a bit bashfully then disappeared in a frail cloud of dark smoke just as the door was being opened and Lucius Malfoy entered the room. The man ragingly made his way towards Dumbledore's desk with a very nervous-looking house elf following behind. As the men assembled began to have their little back and forth, Tom sneakily materialised in a corner of the room hidden behind a large golden folding screen. He began spying on them and soon witnessed a completely discountenanced Malfoy having to turn back his heels and run away with his tail between his legs. Tom was quite please with the bold way Harry stood up to this arrogant blond-haired man, even if he himself didn't even know who Lucius was. What Riddle heard next, however was far from pleasing.

Harry was basically confining into Dumbledore about how he was afraid the Sorting Hat had been wrong not to place him in Slytherin and how troubled he was about realizing he had so many things in common with Voldemort, in other words; Tom. Although he knew he shouldn't be surprised nor expect, nor deserve for that matter, to hear any better, it still pained Riddle so much to notice the fear in the sweet voice of this gentle boy who seemed so scared to have anything akin to him. Of course, Dumbledore was more than happy to reassure Harry that this was nonsense and that he was nothing like this monster. Again, Tom couldn't help but firmly agree with that assessment. He knew first hand that the boy was a much greater human being than he could ever hope to be.

However, it intensely pissed him off to sense the unshakable feeling that Albus was saying this a tad bit more out of spite for Tom, rather than out of genuine concern for the boy. Although the headmasters' tone was just a shade too hateful and pointed, Tom still picked up on it and that allowed him to realize something very important; Dumbledore had spotted him. How long had the old fool known he was there? Had he known from the very beginning? Was he purposefully comforting Harry in this way just to tick him off? Why such an insistence on the word "choices" and them being "what really matters"? That old bastard! Still messing with his mind! How much he loathed the man was all Tom could think about right now. Then he saw Harry walking by... and all other thoughts vanished. The boy was on his way out, totally unaware of Tom's presence. Wrapped in his still unbroken innocence and childish, yet admirable confidence, he left the room with the diary in hands-wait a minute-the diary, why-

"-He's going to give it back to the one who planted it for Miss. Weasley to find."

Tom smirked; he had been right. More importantly, no matter how long or how come he had known... Dumbledore wanted to play a game. Alright, Tom would play along... as long as it benefited him of course. He came out of his hiding spot with a devilishly confident expression across his face. Dumbledore spoke once more.

"So I see you've found an interesting alternative to apparition."

"One of many actually... developed that one quite a while back."

"How... unsurprising."

"Well as you've so eloquently pointed it out to Harry... I've always had a certain talent for disregarding and working my way around the rules."

"Indeed."

"So I guess the blond guy is one of my future followers then... a descendant of Abraxas I suppose judging by the face."

Tom kept smiling defiantly and Albus nodded.

"A Malfoy indeed. How could you have been unaware of whom that man was?"

Tom took moment. He hesitate for a while there, but came to the conclusion that nothing good or simply worth it would come out of trying to hide something from the old man... besides he knew Dumbledore was bound to find out or just figure it out for himself eventually.

"Ever since I was... "written" so to speak I've been... we'll say sleeping. Any and every pieces of knowledge I have of these present times is thanks to this... ginger girl. I only ever gained consciousness once someone opened me up and started... conversing. The girl was the very first person to do so. Of course, as my influence on her became stronger, so did my consciousness until I was capable of astral projection, then physical manifestation on this plain of reality and now... as you can clearly see, I am a brand new man... of my very own."

Dumbledore's poker face was back on and he approached the young man until they were merely inches from one another. Tom tried to remain as unreadable as possible but he knew it wouldn't take much on his part to betray his serious level of stress as the headmaster kept stoically staring at him. Then Riddle's face was met with Albus' knuckles in a punch that sent Tom, mouth-bleeding and shocked, right down to the ground before he could understand anything of what had just happened to him. Dumbledore's gaze had become a pillar of burning orange flames and his steaming red hot face looked just about ready to engulf Tom in the seventh circle of Hell itself. Tom was actually scared at the idea that darts might literally start shooting out of the man's eyes.

"You... putrid... rampant... filthy... little... slug... Why I ought to just squash you right now. Do you know that for what you did I should just kill you were you stand for Merlin's sake. Every fiber of my being is telling me to rip you apart without a second thought, you son of bitch! After what you did to him... I could just grasp your insides and twist them before tearing them slowly from your belly... and I would undoubtedly feel neither a hint of hesitation nor the inch of any sort of guilt whatsoever. In fact, I would just feel like I'm doing a favor to the world by riding it of one of the vilest, most repulsive and unnecessary waste of unworthy human trash there ever was."

Tom spat the blood out then wiped his injury with the back of his hand, covering it with the red fluid before he rose to his feet and laughed humorlessly.

"It's nice to see you two again Albus dear. After all this time, I would have thought a hug would have been more appropriate, don't you think?"

Dumbledore frowned furiously.

"You dare to make fun of this situation. How can you even tolerate your own presence when you know every breath you take is an abomination and an affront to everything that is right and decent in this world? How... when you know your very life was claimed at the hands of the torture and humiliation you dared to inflict on this poor innocent-?"

"-I know damn well what I did, you old piece of garbage okay! ? I know it all too bloody well, you got that! ? And get this through that thick head of yours as well while you're at it; nothing you do or say can ever, ever make me feel even the tiniest bit more gross and horrible and disgusting and terrible than what I'm feeling right now by myself. I've literality taken the most brilliant, precious thing in this entire universe and crushed it down with my very own two hands. I broke it so badly into a thousand little pieces that I will never be able to bring it back fully together, ever again. That's what I did... And you're stupid enough to think I don't know that and that I don't fully understand the depth... the seriousness... the gravity... the severity... and the awfulness of it all... well, guess what! ?... I. Do."

By the end of his tirade, Tom's attitude had gone from jerk ass defiance to a strict rock hard animosity. His face had become nothing more than solidly frozen seriousness. Both men stayed silent and looked intensely at each other, as if waiting for the tension to get so thick they would actually be able to genuinely cut it with a knife... or simply start cutting each other with knives... either one really. Tom needed to keep venting his frustration so badly. He was still trying to refrain from simply lashing out at the old man who kept patronizing him. Instead, Riddle was desperately attempting to relax his breathing and blood pressure, which had both suffered dramatically from all the anger he felt rising up inside of him. But then, Albus suddenly picked up the conversation again.

"So... what now...?"

Tom took a deep breath. Although his decision on the matter had been made hours ago, he still needed to properly collect his thoughts about the subject before he could voice them out for the first time.

"Very simple... this life was given to me by sacrificing a part of his life so... As far as I'm concern, this life... my life... it is his... I forsake it for him."

Albus seemed shock... but mostly unimpressed.

"Meaning...?"

"Until there is nothing left of me I will live for him. Do you hear me?"

"Lots of pretty words... lots of empty ones two."

"I don't care what the hell it is you think! I'm vowing this to him... I've got something to prove... but not to you... to me. I'm not making this decision for you either and you can't stop me, so know this; whether it is from you or anyone else... I will protect him. I'll spend every day, for the rest of this life... pouring to the very last breath this body holds."

"And why is that Tom? Why do you care so much? Hell, why do you even care to begin with? Why for the first time since I've known you... why do you care about someone? Someone other than yourself. Tell me. Say it!"

"I... I don't know okay! But... all I really do know for sure is that... everything in me wants to care for him... insure his happiness... and his safety... anyway I can... I will for him and only... him. And I can't begin to understand why... and I don't care! To me there is no other possible or logical meaning to my life anymore. Everything I will ever even just plan on doing from this moment henceforth, till the day I vanish forever... It's all going to be for him... and him alone. That's what I know."

Albus inaudibly gasped; he had never felt more baffled, yet somehow strangely enlightened.

"So... you-"

"-You know damn well how I feel about him, Dumbledore! I'm not going to let you play on that."

Dumbledore closed his eyes and shook his head lightly.

"So... you still have this same false image of me. I guess it can't be help. I actually respect your sentiment, even if I can't seem to feel anything but contempt for you as a person."

"You always think you're so righteous don't you? And you talk so wisely you end up fooling everyone else around you. I bet you always even end up fooling yourself! But you never fooled me. You act like you care; you're no better than anyone else. All you care about is protecting your own selfish interests. There's nothing you can say that could justify letting these monsters raise him. I mean come on! Do you even care how badly they treated him?"

"You always talk such a big game Tom, and yet as always you know nothing of what you speak of. Arrogant as ever, I see. So you've learned nothing."

"I learned everything I needed to know and it's that selfless little boy who tough it to me, not you! Unlike everything you've ever promised me. You were always too scared of me to actually care. If you had, maybe I would have listened to you. Maybe I would have turned out differently and everything would be better now... for everyone!"

"Maybe... indeed. Just maybes, that's all there ever was with you"

"So you admit it then..."

"What?"

"You gave up on me from the get go. I was a lost cause... isn't that exactly what you thought when you first saw me? You never truly gave me a chance for redemption. I was guilty from the start with you. Hey! Who knows, had it been someone who actually gave me a fair chance and the total benefit of the doubt, someone who didn't set me up to fail, someone who wasn't just waiting for me to screw up and prove him right, someone who truly believed in me and what I could become... but I found that person and now I know I can be someone, someone better, someone great... because he believes in me... and I believe in him... no matter what. Now at least I know the world is not just made up of people like you... or me for that matter... that some people actually deserve the credit that every person is ready to blindly give them."

"So... again you put your faith in someone else's hand and you choose to blame me for the wrong choices you made on your own."

"Well Albus, sorry to disappoint you... again."

"To be disappointed I would need expectation first and as you duly noted it... I never had that much expectation when it came to you... only fears. And that, you never failed to meet up with."

"Is that a challenge old man?"

"Funny... That sounded almost playful. Unless it's just the fact that... you either don't really mean it or... simply lack the guts. "

"I'll show you old man."

"Is that a threat?"

"A promise."

Another long moment of silence and awkward tension and then... Dumbledore sighted in defeat as his angered expression faded away to reveal a surprisingly resigned face. The headmaster returned to sit at his desk, as though he had just given up on the entire affair. Tom was so drastically puzzled by this sudden change in attitude that he let out a giant;

"What! That's it! You're just going to surrender now is that it? After everything you've just told me or, rather threatened me with?"

"Well you clearly made up your mind about this and there's obviously nothing I can do about it, can I?"

Dumbledore looked questioningly at Riddle with a little smirk on his face. Tom frowned.

"N-No! Absolutely not!"

"Then it settled. Have it your way."

"I will; thank you!"

Tom turned around and was about to leave when Dumbledore interrupted him.

"Of course... you're going to need a safe place to stay."

Tom immediately stopped, more astonished than ever. Dumbledore continued.

"And I can think of several places in this very castle where you could live quite comfortably and quietly. I would personally guarantee your safety and anonymity."

"Why in the hell would I trust you?"

"No reasons. However, considering your current situation, I suggest you think about it; you would be hidden from the rest of the world and of course from the always to inquisitive ministry of magic who would be delighted I'm sure to have a little chat with the future Lord Voldemort... as well as the real responsible of both the recent muggle-born attacks and those committed 50 years ago, which as you know cost the life of an innocent little girl."

"You wouldn't."

"Oh wouldn't I now?"

The Slytherin could tell Albus wasn't kidding around and as usual the old man had Tom by the balls.

"Why would you do this for me?"

"For you? No. For Harry."

"What?"

"Believe it or not Tom, I actually do care for the boy and since I can tell your resolution to protect him is honest and genuine, I simply think we would be more useful to him by working as allies. If by helping you I can help him, then secrecy and lies are sacrifices I'm ready to make. Besides, by being here in the castle you'll have a much easier time watching over him by staying... physically... close to him."

Tom had to laugh at the old man's failed subtlety.

"But why... why in the hell would you... trust me?"

Dumbledore smiled fondly as he was reminiscing.

"Let's just say... it's not my first time... being convinced of someone's devotion and inflexible commitment to a cause, and this purely out of simple... love."

Unbeknown to both men... not far from there... spying on them through the window... hidden far away... up in the trees... they were two shadows... smiling to themselves.

"Hum... Well that didn't turn out too bad now did it?"

"Yeah... I'm actually quite impressed with how easy this was."

"I'm not. My visions were unequivocal."

The taller shadow scooted closer to the shorter one and held him tight.

"You're right Vee... I should never doubt your intuitions. Forgive me."

A kiss was laid and the shorter one rested his head on the tall one's shoulder.

"Nothing to forgive. There's still so much ahead... but at least now the real fun begins"

"Indeed, it's our turn to enter the scene... and it's bound to get interesting."

"Although it was already quite entertaining so far... Aili?"

"Yes love?"

"What are thinking about?"

"I'm thinking about you my dear, who else? What's on your mind?"

"No one but you."

"The hardships are only just starting... I feel sorrow for them. The storm approaches quicker than any of them can expect..."

"May they hold on to whatever joy and hope they can still find... soon it will be their only source of strength left... such dark times up ahead... I can already see it clearly... we'll make a difference... but only if we can help them make it."

"I know we will, besides... one thing is for sure; so far everything went according to plan."

"Let's hope the greater scheme works just as well... I'm cold."

"I'll warm you up soon enough."

"I know you will."

They two figures held each other even closer.

"What are you thinking about Veena?"

"You, Aillia."

"Girl... The SHADE, the SHADE of it all!"

Hello, I'm back! And for good this time!

Explanations: Okay... so if you live in my part of the world, you know shit's crazy over here: riots, strikes, sick murderers, family & health crisis and so on to only name a few... SO MUCH DRAMA JESSICA!

Also I've suffered from what scientists call writer's block; the truth is I knew how to get this story so far to this point, but I lacked the inspiration on how to make it go really further. No more of that, I know how to get moving the way it most pleases me...

So Yeah! Hope you enjoyed this short chapter; it's kind of a settlement for what's to come next so please be excited! It'll be awesome!

On a side note, I want to make something very clear: Tom has but only begun his path towards the road of redemption... there's still a lot he has to prove to others and most importantly to himself before anything more conclusive between him and Harry happens. In the mean time however... many consensual sexual escapades for the pretty boys at Hogwarts are underway so... keep tuning in!

BTW, I will try my best to have the next chapter uploaded by next Weekend, thank you for your patience and your support!