Okay. Lumox. The title will be explained much further in the future (or later this chapter). Thanksies to Joshsies for Betasies.

"Wait, what?" – Amazing inspiring words from Josh.

I also would like to apologize, as the first chapter is told in snippets.

XxXxX

Tom Marvolo Riddle was having a horrible day, and his day was only going to get worse. At age 4, nearly 5, he had been on the receiving end of more than enough punches, and he was sick of it! So today, he decided to fight back.

Sore, bruised, bleeding and broken, we join Tom on December 25th when he was limping his way back to the orphanage. His lonely trek was interrupted as he passed a shadow, where a hand reached out and grabbed the collar of his faded green sweater.

XxXxX

Voldemort was overjoyed. He had send Quirrel back in time to his younger – and whole – self, telling the weak fool to bring Tom back to him. It had taken Voldemort four years, three libraries, and forty-seven dead bodies, but he finally did it. He succeeded.

In front of the Dark Lord (in a little muggle-born witch's body), a blood pentagram missing its' last connector line lit up a soft blue. In the center, Tom shimmered into existence.

XxXxX

When Tom had been grabbed and shoved onto the portal, another being had momentarily intercepted him,

Death smiled at the small child. "Hello, Tom."

Tom spun and saw a tall, cloaked figure. Warily, he responded, "Hello. Who're you?"

"I am Death," the figure replied. "You can call me Thanatos, and I have a deal for you."

"What kind of deal?"

Death smiled even wider. "Let me tell you the story of the Dark Lord named Voldemort…"

XxXxX

Harry James Potter, age 5, was not having a merry Christmas. The Dursleys had locked him out of the house, and it was freezing! The fresh cuts scattered upon his arms and back had already frozen over, and had a soft layer of snow coating them. He was sure he had Frostbite by now. After an hour of sitting in the weather, Harry had decided that perhaps an Orphanage couldn't be worse.

Could it?

XxXxX

"…So I'm going to grow up to be a monster."

"Yes," replied Death, "but here is my deal to you. Voldy had summoned you, but I intercepted you. Harry, like I said, had defeated Voldy and he's now a Wraith, stuck inhabiting the bodies of little girls who still like Unicorns. They're the only thing weak enough for him to inhabit. If I let you go all the way through, you'll be stuck 50 years in the future. This is where the deal comes in. If you accept, I'll take your soul for safe-keeping so neither you nor Voldy will have their powers drained due to the paradox. You can't live without a soul, however, so as soon as you step out, you'll have to take the small shard that Voldy still possesses. You'd have him speaking in your mind, but that's all he would be able to do unless you let him do more, but you'd ultimately be in charge of your own mind and body. If you don't accept, I'll wipe your mind and send you forward anyways. Again, if you accepted, you'd feel a pull to the other shard pieces that are scattered in the locations I told you. If one gets destroyed, I'll take what you gathered, give you your soul back, and shove you back to where you were taken from just as you left it. If you collect all of them, and I'm sure it'll take a while, then you can either stay in that time zone, or come chill on Death Isle with me. I'd exchange Voldy's repaired soul for yours, and send Voldy back to where you were taken from. Deal?"

Tom considered it.

"Yes."

He was, after all, not even five yet, and his Slytherin side had yet to fully develop.

XxXxX

Voldemort smiled at his younger self.

Tom smiled mischievously back at his counterpart and pointed his finger at the snake/man/girl/monster. "Lumox."

Voldemort screamed, and the girl he inhabited fainted, completely intact. "One down," Tom said, watching as the circle he had just exited lit up again to let Quirrel through. "Six to go."

XxXxX

Harry knocked hesitantly on the door, trying to rub his arms to get some warmth.

A girl answered the door. She looked about seventeen, with long, brown hair, and caring brown eyes.

"Hello, young one. Why are you here? Oh, you must be freezing! You poor thing!" She grabbed Harry's arm and dragged him inside, much to his horror.

There were a few children here and there, all looking at Harry with curious eyes.

The girl grabbed several blankets from a pile in the large room they found themselves in and wrapped them around Harry. She snapped out some orders at the other kids who still looked at Harry, and they quickly went to comply. She then rushed back over to him and sat him in front of the roaring fireplace. The heat hurt, after being in such cold weather for so long, but he was slowly thawing.

After a few minutes, a small child, older than Harry, walked over and handed the frozen boy-who-lived some Hot Chocolate.

He sat there, nursing his drink for a good while before another woman – older, definitely, with the same dark brown hair, but with blue eyes instead – came and sat next to him with her own cup of hot chocolate.

"So," She said, after a minute. "Why are you here, young one?"

"M' 'nt n' 'ncle d'nt like m' v'ry much…" He mumbled into his hot chocolate, not entirely sure that he trusted this lady.

"I'm sorry," She said, "I don't speak Gibber. My daughter does, though. Need I get her to translate?"

"No." He said clearly, clearing his throat. "My aunt and uncle don't like me very much…" He said again, dropping to a whisper by the time his sentence was finished.

"I see. So they threw you out into the snow, and you trekked your way here?"

Harry nodded mutely.

"Verbal, Mister…."

"Freak."

"Excuse me?"

"M' name is Freak, 'cording to them."

"And, sir, what do you think your name is?"
"The Teachers call m' Harry Potter, I think."

Her eyes went wide. "Oh. I see. Please, tell me more about your Aunt and Uncle's."

"My bedroom's the cupboard under the stairs!" He said proudly. "I can color the walls all I want 'cause the cubbard is mine and mine alone!"

"This will be a long night…" She muttered, setting her long-since cold cup of chocolate.