Title: Wish Upon a Mermaid
Summary: Harry's wish comes true but with dire consequences – like being betrothed to Lord Voldemort.
Notes: Takes place during Harry's 4th year, but won't follow the exact storyline. Will be SLASH between a 14 year old Harry, and an older Tom Riddle. If that makes you squeamish please do not read any further.

Chapter One – Hear my wish.

Harry Potter grumbled as he flipped through one of the numerous books on charms in front of him. He had been searching all morning in hopes for a spell that would be able to help him breathe underwater for an hour or two. "This is hopeless, Hermione," he whined to his bushy haired friend who had been helping him all morning, "the task is tomorrow morning and the closest thing we've found is a spell to keep a fish alive out of water."

Hermione sighed, closing the large tome she had been reading, "I'm sure if we keep looking we'll come across something."

"Do you think my sheer dumb luck can help me tomorrow?" Harry asked in a not-so-gentle way, "Maybe, do you think I'll somehow be able to suddenly breathe underwater for an hour or two once I go into the lake?" He quickly snapped his mouth shut though, and went back to flipping through the dusty tome at Hermione's pointed glare.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled after a short pause, "I'm just really frustrated. Thanks for helping me 'Mione."

"It's okay Harry," Hermione spoke in a soft tone, "Do you want to take a break for a bit?" She asked him as she closed yet another book. Honestly, even she was getting frustrated at the lack of answers they were getting. A break would help them refresh their minds a bit she decided. "Let's come back here in… an hour?"

"That sounds great, are you going to grab a bite to eat?" Harry asked as he started packing up as well.

"Yes, I'm a bit famished at the moment," Hermione replied as she swung her bag over her shoulder, "Come with?"

"No, I don't really want to go to the Great Hall right now…" Harry trailed off. He didn't want to really deal with people at the moment, "Besides, I'm not really hungry. I'm going to go to the Black Lake. Maybe it'll help me think of some answers."

"When I'm done eating I'll bring you something to eat and we can relax near the lake," she told him in a voice that held no room for argument.

He smiled fondly when he saw Hermione's pursed lips. "I'll see you in a bit then," Harry called over his shoulder as he exited the library.

'There are mermaids in here…' Harry thought to himself as he peered into the dark glassy surface of the Black Lake. 'I can't see anything…' He sighed as he lay on his stomach. 'Why do these things happen to me?' He frowned at his own reflection, "What are you looking at?" He grumbled before swatting the image on the water. He leaned down, bracing his body on the rocky ledge as he slowly got closer to the water. "I wish things were different, I wish I wasn't the chosen one… I wish… I wish Voldemort never killed my parents," he whispered against the water before pulling away. He mused as he let his fingers play across the surface of the water. 'My life would probably be really different then…'

"Woah," Harry exhaled in surprise when he found himself staring at a dark haired mermaid. She seemed to be saying something to him but all that came out of her mouth were raspy breaths of air. "I'm sorry," he started, "I can't understand you… I'm afraid I don't quite speak… er… mermish." He knew he sounded stupid and if the knowing look in her eyes was anything to go by she knew he was being wary of her. Harry watched as the mermaid slowly extended her hand out of the water. He gasped lightly when her slightly webbed fingers wrapped around his arm loosely. She started speaking to him again before she paused, a coy smile playing on her lips.

"What?" Harry said before he was suddenly being pulled into the water. It happened so fast, one second the mermaid had her hand around his arm, the next she had grabbed onto his head with both hands as she forcefully dragged him head first into the icy cold lake. He opened his eyes as he struggled to free himself from the mermaid's surprisingly firm grip. 'Hold your breath, hold your breath Harry.' He told himself like a mantra. 'Don't give up!' He struggled with a renewed vengeance when he heard the mermaid's twinkling laugher. "Let me go!" He tried shouting at her, which was a bad move on his part as he let what little air he had in his lungs escape. 'Oh no,' he moaned as dread crept up his spine. Harry gasped as the cold water filled his lungs in copious amounts. He wanted to laugh at the total anticlimactic way he was going to die. 'Is this it? Is this how I'm going to die?'

"Don't worry Harry Potter," the mermaid told him as his body slowly started to give up her voice light and melodious like a song. "I'll grant you your wish…" the mermaid whispered to him as he finally blacked out, her coy smile playing behind his eyes as darkness washed over him.

"-rry!"

"Mn…" Harry mumbled. 'So loud, what's that noise?' he thought to himself as he rolled over on his side.

"Harry!" The voice shouted again, this time accompanied by a slap on his arm.

"Ow!" He shouted as he shot up from the ground, he looked at the person that had slapped him. "Hermione? What'd you want?" He slurred, sniffling a yawn as he did so.

The girl rolled her eyes, "Honestly Harry, sleeping here of all places, what if a mermaid kidnapped you huh? I'd be a goner for sure!"

"Mermaid?" Harry whispered urgently, suddenly remembering what had happened earlier. "Hermione," he started in a serious voice, "Did I drown?"

"What?" Hermione asked, her eyebrows shooting up in surprise. "…Not that I know of…" She speculated as she took in his dry clothes.

"Oh, I'm dry," Harry spoke in wonder as he patted his – yep – dry clothing. 'Maybe it was a dream?' He thought to himself as he graciously accepted the sandwich Hermione handed him. "Probably just a dream I was having before you woke me up," he clarified.

"Hm… Probably because the task has to do with mermaids and it's stressing you out," she speculated.

"Probably," Harry agreed with her, too hungry to really argue or think much on the matter.

"Anyway, I got this from Neville during lunch," Hermione spoke as she took a clear bottle out of her pocket. It held a small tangled ball of green vines. "Gillyweed," she stated as she handed the bottle over.

"Looks like slimy rat tails," Harry commented as he took the bottle from her hand. "Remind me again why I need this?"

Hermione rolled her eyes as she let out an exasperated sigh. "Well-"she started to say before she was cut off by a male voice.

"-Gillyweed, if eaten, will allow you to breathe underwater for a limited amount of time. Hullo Harry," Neville finished as he sat down next to Hermione. "I'd say you have a little over an hour to breathe underwater."

"Oh wow, thanks Nev," Harry exclaimed as he fist bumped the blonde boy.

"Ah, there you are Miss Granger. I need to speak to you," Professor Mcgonagall spoke as she found Hermione and Harry huddled over a book in the library. "Potter, it's late. You need to get up early for the task tomorrow – you should head to bed soon."

Harry sniffled a yawn, "-Was just about to head to the dorm now Professor." He picked up his bag from the table as Hermione returned the book to its shelf, "I'll see you later then 'Mione. Good night Professor."

"Good night Mister Potter," Mcgonagall replied back.

"Harry Potter sir must be waking up now!" A shrill all too familiar voice exclaimed, "Harry Potter must rescue his snaky Lord!"

"D-Dobby," Harry mumbled as he shifted on his bed, "What time is it?"

"6:45 it is!" Dobby spoke up in an excited voice, "Harry Potter sir must go down to the lake in 15 minutes!"

"What?!" Harry exclaimed as he shot up from his bed, "Oh I am so late, so, soo late."

"Harry Potter must be wearing this!" Dobby proclaimed as he thrust a pair of swim trunks at him.

"Thanks, Dobby," Harry exhaled as he grabbed the trunks from the emotional elf. "Hang on," he spoke, "What do you mean I need to rescue snaky?"

"Harry Potter's most precious person has been taken!" Dobby exclaimed with wide eyes.

"Oh… merlin…" he spoke as it finally clicked in his head. "They've taken people?" He asked rhetorically but the elf nodded his head anyway.

"We've taken what you'll sorely miss,
An hour long you'll have to look,
And recover what we took," Harry repeated the verse as the elf continued to bob his head furiously next to him. He groaned as he stumbled his way out the dorm.

Cold. Bloody freezing cold. Was all Harry could think as he stood in front of the whole student body plus some in nothing but his swim trunks – swim trunks he didn't know he possessed. It was seven in the morning and merlin be damned did he mention how bloody cold it was?

He shivered watching the other champions shuffle on their feet.

"Cold Harry?" He heard Cedric call out to him.

"Cold is an understatement. I can't feel my face," Harry retorted back as he rubbed his arm in an attempt to warm up.

The taller boy laughed in amusement. "Don't worry. The lake's warmer than it looks."

Harry furrowed his eyebrow in doubt as he looked at the inky black lake in front of him. He didn't get a chance to voice his concerns however as at that exact moment Ludo Bagman announced for the champions to take their positions on their respective platforms.

"And on the count of three," Bagman's magically enhanced voice echoed through the area. "One, two, three," he shouted as the sound of a gun fired in the background.

Harry immediately reached into his pockets and stuffed the gillyweed into his mouth. It tasted almost like rubber, felt like it too. He retched as he swallowed it all down in a hurry. The effects of the gillyweed were instantaneous. Harry laughed as he felt gills form on his neck and looked down in wonder as his hands and feet became webbed. Without a second thought he plunged into the lake.

The first thing he noticed was that, yes, as Cedric said it was a lot warmer in the lake. The second was that it was a lot clearer in here than he thought it would be. On the surface the Black Lake was… well… black. The third thing he noticed was Moaning Myrtle was right in front of his face.

"Aurrghhh!" Harry shouted out in alarm as he pointed his wand at the ghost. "Myrtle," he hissed, "What are you doing here?"

The ghost seemed to be rolling her eyes at his antics, "I'm here to help you. Obviously you don't know where the merpeople are at do you?"

"I," he seemed to be at a loss for words, "No, I don't…" He admitted realizing that no, he really didn't know where to go or even start.

"I thought so," the ghost thrilled, "follow me."

Harry found it kind of funny, following a ghost through the lake. Myrtle was still transparent, but she looked less ghostly as it looked like she was swimming too, rather than floating as she usually did above water.

"We're almost there," she spoke up after a while. "See there?" She pointed in the distance. Harry swam next to her and peered at what she was pointing at. He squinted and sure enough in the distance he saw a village – a very crude village, but unmistakably a village. And in the center of the village, tied to a statue, he saw four figures. "Good luck Harry," Myrtle wished him before she floated past him and back toward where they came from.

Harry stared at the various merpeople surrounding the village. They looked vastly different from what he thought they'd look like. They looked more like fish than people really. All of them, or at least the ones he could see, were extremely thin and bony with long arms and fingers. Some carried tridents with them but none had shown any sign of aggression toward him so far.

He still proceeded with caution though as he neared the statue. He could vaguely make out the figures tied to the statue now. There was one male with black hair, Cho Chang, definitely Hermione, and a petite blonde girl who was in no doubt related to Fleur. He presumed that Cho was Cedric's, the blonde was Fleur's, and the black haired male was Krum's, so Hermione was logically his. So he was beyond surprised when he reached for Hermione and the nearby mermaid suddenly got violent and hissed, "Take only yours!"

He was completely dumbfounded as he back away slightly. He studied the people tied to the statue. 'If not Hermione… then maybe Cho?' He thought to himself as he reached for the brunette witch. He was once again thwarted by the same mermaid, but this time in an even more aggressive manner, "No!" She hissed, "Take only yours!"

Now he was really dumbfounded. So he did the only thing he could, he tried for the other hostages as well. He was blocked once again when he reached for the blonde. "Only yours!" The mermaid hissed at him as she thrust her trident in his direction. He frowned before swimming toward the last figure. Harry stared at the mermaid as he slowly reached for the ropes binding the stranger to the statue. When the mermaid made no attempt at stopping him he furrowed his brows in confusion. 'But I don't know him!' Harry wanted to shout as he cut the ropes with a rock he had found near the ground. He grabbed the unconscious stranger and stared at his face. He looked vaguely familiar but he couldn't really place when or where he had seen him. That is, if he had even seen him somewhere in the first place. The stranger looked a little too old for Harry to call his friend, he was probably in his late twenties maybe early thirties at most. And he looked way too finely dressed and aristocratic for Harry to have been even acquainted with. 'There's got to be a mistake,' Harry thought furiously, 'I'm pretty sure I'm supposed to rescue Hermione.'

"Harry!" A muffled voice broke his train of thoughts, "What are you doing? Krum and Fleur are going to come soon, hurry up!"

"Cedric!" Harry called as he watched the blonde haired champion swim toward him. Cedric raised an eyebrow in question at Harry when he made no move to head toward the surface, "Oh… I just want to make sure Hermione gets out safely..." He trailed off with a sheepish smile.

"Whatever floats your boat," Cedric replied as he made a move to cut the binds that held Cho. Harry frowned slightly as the merpeople let the blonde cut the ropes binding Cho to the statue. "I'll catch you later," the Hufflepuff called as he made his way up with Cho in his arms.

'Okay… So Cho was his… That leaves Hermione to Krum? That could totally make sense because they went to the ball together except-' Harry stared at the man he was holding onto, 'I have no idea who this is…'

"Whoa!" Harry exclaimed as he was once again shaken out of his thoughts. He gulped as he saw a shark make its way toward him. 'A shark! Bloody hell!' He aimed his wand toward the animal before he realized that thing had human legs. Harry blinked owlishly at the shark before placing two and two together. "Krum," He asked unsure of himself, "That you?" When the shark nodded its head in a gruff Krum-like manner Harry sighed in relief.

Krum ignored him for the most part as he worked on releasing Hermione. Harry stared dumbfounded as the merpeople let the male cut the binds and take his bushy haired friend.

'What is going on?' Harry thought extremely frustrated. He looked at the man he held onto, 'You're the person I'll miss?' Harry moaned pitifully as he looked at the wrist watch on his arm, 5 minutes 'til the hour was up it read and Fleur still hadn't shown up. "What do I do? What do I do?" He mumbled to himself as he remembered the last verse of the song.

"But past an hour- the prospect's black.
Too late, it's gone, it won't come back."

'Shite,' he thought as he looked at the little blonde girl still tied to the statue. 'I can't leave her behind,' he thought firmly as he made to cut the ropes binding her.

"Take only yours!" The same mermaid hissed at him as she once again thrust her trident as a warning.

"No!" Harry yelled back as he cut furiously at the rope.

The mermaid hissed in furry as she advanced on him along with her peers.

"Stay back!" Harry yelled pointing his want at them. They hissed but kept their distance as they observed him with their beady dark eyes.

"I'll get you out of here," he murmured to the blonde girl as he finally cut her binds. He struggled with the weight of the man and child as he forcefully dragged them up to the surface with him. He could feel the effects of the gillyweed run out as he renewed his efforts in reaching the surface.

'Air!' Harry thought as he broke through the surface of the water with his two passengers. It seemed that whatever spell they had been under had broken as well for they were no longer immobile and both of them had started paddling through the water on their own with him.

"Gabrielle!" Fleur's worried voice broke through as she reached for the little blonde girl. She lifted her out of the water and surprisingly helped Harry out as well, "Thank you." She stated graciously as she gave him a small peck on the cheek before she turned to fuss over her, he presumed, little sister.

"Can't believe you played hero even in this situation," the stranger that was, apparently, someone he'd surely miss commented as he pulled himself out of the water and onto the platform in a surprisingly graceful manner. He looked even better out of water Harry observed, as he watched the stranger brush his wet locks out of his face. "What?" The man asked in an amused voice when he caught Harry staring at him, "Shall I give you a kiss as well my knight in shining armor?"

"No…" Harry blushed hotly as he saw the smile on the man's face. "Somehow I doubt you need a knight in shining armor…" He mumbled when the man waved his hand in his direction and wandlessly dried both of them up.

"You're right I don't," the stranger purred, wrapping him up in a big fluffy towel he had conjured before pulling the smaller male toward his chest, "because I have you my little lion."

"I'm sorry to interrupt," Madam Pomfrey stated, "But I must check over Harry to see if he has any injuries." Harry flushed, grateful and embarrassed at the distraction. "If you'd allow me, Lord Slytherin, to check your betrothed…"

Harry coughed in surprise.

"Mm," Lord Slytherin nodded as he waved for the mediwitch to carry on.

"Well everything seems to be in order. How about you Lord Slytherin, are you feeling well? Would you like another towel perhaps?" Pomfrey asked as she finished her quick diagnosis.

"No," the older man replied as he waved her off. "We're fine," he told her in a curt tone as he hugged Harry closer to his chest.

"Um…" Harry started, feeling at a loss for words.

"Hmm? What is it?" The man answered back, as he trailed his fingers along the boy's arm.

"N-Nothing," Harry stuttered back as he tried to get his thoughts in order.

The Lord indulged him in a smile that Harry thought was never quite shown to many people – how he came up with such a thought, he didn't know, nor was he going to question it at this time.

"Oh, you're family is coming to greet you," the man's voice cut through his thoughts.

'Family?' Harry thought as he pictured the Dursley's stalking their way toward him, 'There's no way they would come here.'

"Harry! I'm so glad you're safe!" "Great job, son! They just announced the scores and you're tied in first place with Cedric!" Two voices called to him at once.

"Oh? Harry's tied in first place?" The man behind him questioned.

"Yes!" His father, yes, there was no doubt that the two people in front of him were his mom and dad, answered back. "The judges liked his moral and character for staying behind and making sure all the hostages were taken back safely! So they awarded him 45 points!"

"Isn't that great Harry?" The man whispered in his ear, he shivered as he body flared in delight, shocking himself at the amount of desire he felt for the man behind him.

"Oh Tom!" He heard his mom giggle, "Don't tease my boy like that."

He felt the man's lips curl into a smile against his ear, "I can't help it."

"Tom?" Harry called out to no one in particular as he realized why the older wizard looked so familiar, "Voldemort?" He asked out loud.

His parents looked at him questionably, "Yes Harry? Is something the matter?"

But they didn't get an answer back from their son as he had passed out cold from shock.

To be continued...

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