Harry's stay in the hospital was blessedly short, especially given the unseasonably warm weather they had started getting. Dumbledore had popped down to see Harry briefly and had seemed a little surprised that Harry had ended up there. Pomfrey had said he was suffering from magical exhaustion which she attributed to the fight Harry had with the Basilisk, and thankfully Dumbledore agreed. Not that Harry would have missed much if he had been off longer; with exams cancelled the lessons were a bit of a free-for-all, except for the O.W.L and N.E.W.T students who still had to take theirs, something that was both a blessing and a curse for them.
The upside of the weather, though, was that Harry had more of an excuse for spending time alone outside. He didn't want to talk about things with people since he hated having to lie to them but there was no way he could tell them the truth. They wouldn't understand what it was like to learn he'd been lied to all along. At least he now had an out, a way to get away from the Dursleys, and all he had to do was wait.
The other upside to having met Tom was the change in Snape's demeanour. Sure he still spat insults at him in lessons, but there was no longer a look of hatred in his eyes when he did it and every now and then he would stroke a hand down Harry's back as he made the rounds. It was a little strange at first but comforting nonetheless and Harry definitely couldn't say that he disliked it although it could be a little off putting at times, especially when he was trying to concentrate on his potion.
They also didn't have to worry about any more defence lessons, what with Lockhart having to go and try and get his memories sorted, although that was a little annoying as it only meant more time hanging out with Ron and Hermione, with Harry only feeling like he was growing further and further apart from them. They may be his best friends but there was no way they would understand why he would even consider killing his relatives and especially not in order to bring back the Dark Lord. The problem was that Harry really couldn't bring himself to care. They had abused him after all, kept him locked up and isolated, forced him to work and for what? Absolutely no reason at all. They weren't even related to him.
He supposed it wasn't really their fault, that they likely didn't know that Harry wasn't Lily's son, but that almost made their behaviour worse. It was also, however, the only way they could think to secretly get Tom his body back and, so far, Tom was the only one willing to help him. Possibly Snape now, but Harry still wasn't sure about the man's motives. Tom was easy to read, mostly because he didn't try to hide anything: he was using Harry as a means to return and was not adverse to Harry tagging along if it meant that he could no longer be used as a weapon against him. Snape, however, was an enigma wrapped in a mystery and Harry had no idea what was going on inside that man's head. It was why he was a little apprehensive about going to get his things from him on the last day but he knew leaving them at Hogwarts was not an option and so when Snape told Harry to follow him after breakfast on the last day of term, Harry resolved himself to follow.
The walk down to the dungeons was made in silence and that was not necessarily a bad thing since they were still supposed to hate each other. Once again, Snape whispered something as they got to a blank bit of wall and waited for Harry to enter first before following him in.
"At the Dark Lord's request I have acquired a special item called a blood quill and have charmed it to look like a muggle pen. I have also put a compulsion spell on it to encourage those people to use it. When you get back to the house I need you to put the diary and the pen next to each other somewhere visible and the blood quill should allow the link between them to form quickly so hopefully you won't have to stay for more than a few weeks," Snape explained, once they were inside and the door was closed and Harry couldn't help but feel relieved. "I've also acquired a box that is charmed so that only those with a magical core can see it. I thought it might be handy to ascertain exactly who in that household was a squib."
"Good," he sighed, "I don't know how long I could stand staying there before I blew up at them."
"I can understand. The Dark Lord mentioned that your life with them wasn't pleasant and, having grown up with an abusive drunkard for a father I can well imagine some of the things that you might have had to put up with." Snape said and placed a hand on Harry's head. It felt strange but not unpleasant, almost comforting, and Harry couldn't say that he minded it.
"I'm sorry to hear that sir," Harry said, genuinely feeling sympathy for the man.
Snape's lips quirked up slightly in some sort of semblance of a smile and the hand on Harry's head began petting his hair. "Thank you, Harry, although unfortunately we are not the only ones who have had to suffer from abusive childhoods. Dumbledore believes a child is always better with those they are related to and so sends them back regardless of their injuries or complaints."
Harry frowned. "That's terrible."
"Quite," Snape agreed, his thumb gently stroking Harry's hair, "which is why the Dark Lord and I wish to get him removed from his position but we fear it will take some time since he is so well entrenched."
"Can't the people that he has sent back say something?" Harry asked.
"To whom? Albus Dumbledore has built a reputation as a kind and caring educator and it would be your word against his that he 'knowingly' sent you back since he purposely makes sure not to ask certain questions. Not to mention the fact that he often maligns those who are abused at home to make anything they say against him seem less true."
Harry scowled. "You're right that can't continue."
Snape shook his head. "That is not something for you to worry about yet Harry. You are still a child at school so what you need to do is concentrate on your education. Changing the world can be left until after you obtain your N.E.W.Ts."
"At least you're not expecting me to defeat some seemingly unstoppable foe while I'm still at school," Harry sighed.
"Definitely not. I think it is completely reprehensible that Dumbledore put that kind of pressure on your shoulders at your age, especially as he doesn't seem to actually be training you how to fight in this apparently upcoming war."
"Yeah," Harry scoffed, "I've no idea how he expects me to take on someone like Tom who has had years of learning different spells on me."
"Well it's obviously not something you need to concern yourself with now," Snape reassured him. "Now you need to get back to your dorm. The Dark Lord has requested that I obtain some untraceable wands for yourself and him so that you may be able to perform magic without worry once the Dursleys have been dealt with. When the time is right, use your owl to message me to let me know you're on your way and you and Tom can use your broom to fly to my house. No one will think to look for you there."
Harry scoffed. "I suppose that is one of the upsides of maintaining our animosity for this last month."
"Yes," Snape agreed, "along with keeping our growing relationship from Dumbledore."
"Growing relationship?" Harry queried.
"Well thawing of our past animosity then," Snape smirked and Harry could only smile back. In all fairness he didn't mind the idea of a growing relationship with his professor, Snape seemed to understand him in a way that so few did and Harry looked forward to getting to know the man better.
"Anyway," the potions master continued, "I should also warn you that there is a tracking spell on your invisibility cloak. I decided against removing it now lest Dumbledore try and check it and become suspicious, but you will want to get the Dark Lord to remove it before you come to my house. One small spell shouldn't alert anyone too much. Anyway, it's time you head back to your dorms. Goodnight Harry, I'll see you soon."
"Goodnight Professor Snape," Harry smiled and almost reluctantly walked away. He had started to find the man's presence comforting and was actually looking forward to spending time at his house this summer.
The ride on the train back was incredibly dull for Harry, not helped by the fact that he didn't feel comfortable with anyone anymore. Now that he thought about it, none of these people thought twice about sending Harry out in front of the Dark Lord. They all assumed that he would one day come back and were fully intending on pushing Harry into the man's path regardless of Harry's age or ability. The idea of it made Harry sick and he used the excuse that he was dreading going back to the Dursleys for his foul mood.
The fact was that he was actually looking forward to getting back to Surrey. Those people who called themselves his relatives had made his life hell so far and for nothing, Harry wasn't even related to them, which would probably cause them to kick Harry out on his arse if they found out, but Harry didn't want to risk Dumbledore sending him somewhere worse instead so wasn't planning on letting them know that little tidbit, at least not until it was too late anyway. At least this way he knew he'd be safe and Tom would also get a body which would help him take down Dumbledore and prevent other children having to suffer like he did.
Vernon was waiting for him at the entrance to King's Cross, clearly irate, and Harry just kept quiet knowing anything could set off his uncle when he was in one of these moods. Harry would likely not be seeing any food tonight despite the fact that he would be cooking it and Harry could already see his 'uncle' writing his mental list of all of the chores he'd be giving Harry tomorrow.
Harry's time at the Dursleys passed quite quickly. In the day Harry would make sure to leave the diary and 'pen' in one of the rooms in the hopes that someone would use it, which they invariably did due to compulsions Snape had layered on the thing, and Harry would often have to fish the 'pen' out of the bin after it had scratched one of them. At night Harry would sneak it upstairs and put it under one of their pillows to allow Tom to begin draining their life force. Tom had wanted to kill them straight away but Snape had suggested waiting to make it look less suspicious as well as giving Snape, or Severus as he now suggested since he wouldn't be a professor anymore, a chance to get their wands before Dumbledore started a manhunt when Harry went missing.
That was the course of action they had decided to take anyway. Apparently Tom wasn't overly happy with the idea that Severus and Harry would be stuck at Hogwarts all year where he couldn't help them so they had decided that Severus would hand in his resignation at the start of the summer and they would all go into hiding once Tom had dealt with the wraith version of himself. Of course they hadn't discussed this with Harry at Hogwarts; instead Severus sent him messages, written in muggle invisible ink, alongside food packages that kept Harry sustained while he was stuck at Privet Drive.
At least not going back to Hogwarts meant he didn't have to deal with homework, or so Harry thought, but Severus was very adamant that Harry continue his education, saying that he could always take his exams independently, and that he should spend his time reviewing the last two years of work ready for them to start their lessons once they had gotten settled somewhere. Harry had blanched at first, wondering when he was going to be able to find the time to do all that work, that was until Tom's energy drains had started causing the Dursleys to oversleep which often meant that Harry wasn't unlocked from his room all day. It had been a bit daunting at first, especially with trying to figure out how to get around having to use the bathroom but Severus sorted that out by providing him with an old fashioned chamber pot and telling him to just chuck it out the window when he was done. He said he hoped the smell would be enough to teach the Dursleys to take better care of his charge.
The result, however, was that Harry had quite an enjoyable summer, especially since his so-called relatives' lethargy meant that he was pretty much left to his own devices. His list of chores was shorter than usual, as if the Dursleys didn't have the energy to think things up, Dudley was more inclined to spend his time in his room as opposed to going 'Harry hunting' and the whole family were prone to afternoon naps which meant Harry had plenty of time to enjoy himself, even outside of work.
The only problem was that Harry was getting a little restless. It had been five weeks already and there was no word yet that their plan could enter its final phase. Harry's conscience had started kicking in as well without the shadow of Dumbledore looming over him or Tom's voice in his head. For all their faults, the Dursleys had taken him in and given him a roof over his head, that was until Harry had found a cheque book one day while he was exploring while everyone else was sleeping. The Dursleys had always claimed that Harry was nothing but a drain on them and that he had to work to 'earn his keep' but it turned out that they had been claiming his child benefit for years. It wasn't quite £20 per week but it was still more than the Dursleys spent on him, especially while he was at school. The thought that they had been profiting off him all these years turned Harry's stomach and any remaining guilt he might have felt over their impending deaths vanished.
The same was true for his friends. While he had initially questioned whether they were actually trustworthy or not, the idea of cutting them out of his life completely had caused Harry to baulk. They were his first friends after all, his only friends really, and the idea of possibly losing them for good quite frankly scared Harry and he'd argued against it at first. Then the weeks had passed and not one letter from them had arrived despite a near daily correspondence with Severus, the man he used to think hated him. There had been a phone call from Ron of all people and unfortunately Vernon had been standing next to the phone at the time. For some unknown reasons Ron had decided to shout down the phone loud enough for the whole family to hear him and had even talked about Hogwarts. It was like he wanted Harry's family to hear him and a little part of Harry's mind questioned if that might actually be the case.
Harry also questioned how Ron got his number. Harry had given it to Hermione since she didn't have an owl so he figured it would be easier for her to get in contact with him that way, although she would have had the common sense not to risk calling exactly when Vernon was getting in from work and, if one of his relatives had picked up instead of him, would have put the phone down or claimed to have the wrong number. The thing was that Harry specifically hadn't given the number to Ron, mainly because Harry wasn't even sure that Ron would know what to do with it, so the fact that he had it at all implied that he had already been in contact with Hermione and yet hadn't thought to write to Harry at all.
Harry was actually wondering if he would hear from them at all when he was rudely awoken one night when a group of owls clattered onto his floor and Harry was only glad that he'd been keeping the window open at night, partly because of the heat and partly because Severus had the sense to always send his owls at night to avoid annoying the Dursleys. The heaving lump on the floor appeared to be the Weasleys owl, Erroll, so Harry decided to relieve him of his present first. He read the letter first, one that also contained a clipping of a newspaper article announcing that the Weasleys had won The Daily Prophet grand prize and had used the money to go on holiday to Egypt. Harry thought it might have been a better idea for a family to have saved some of it since last year they hadn't even been able to afford 8 galleons to get Ron a new wand so he could do his school work.
Ron's letter went into a bit more detail about the holiday, as well as apologising for the phone call and telling Harry about the present he got him. It spoiled the surprise a bit but the sneakoscope sounded interesting and Harry couldn't wait to try it out although he wondered if it would automatically class Tom as untrustworthy given who he was. The next letter he took was from Hedwig who had apparently gone to see Hermione to collect his gift. She claimed that the reason she hadn't called was because Ron had told her about his disastrous attempt at calling which is why she hadn't bothered. It somewhat redeemed her although Harry was pretty sure she could have worked round it if she really wanted to. She did redeem herself, however, with her gift of a broom serving kit, complete with an attachable compass which would come in very handy as he and Tom were planning on travelling to Severus's house by broom after Tom had dealt with the Dursleys.Harry did receive two books however. One was from Hagrid and Harry almost felt sorry about leaving the giant as well until he read Severus's letter and realised that the reason Hagrid sent him a book that apparently wouldn't think twice about eating him was because he had been given the position of Care of Magical Creatures Professor, despite not even having gained a single O.W.L, and his choice of books for a group that may include people with zero experience caring for creatures was a little worrying for how the lessons might go.
The present from Severus had been the biggest surprise for Harry since he hadn't even realised the man would even remember his birthday let alone honour it so even though he'd only gotten Harry a potions textbook, albeit a useful one on basic brewing techniques aimed at Muggleborn, Harry found himself almost as enthusiastic about it as he had been about Hermione's gift. Admittedly the best thing about Severus's letter was his announcement that he had discovered exactly where Tom's wraith form was hiding and, to top things off had acquired to wands that should suit him and Tom, courtesy of a Hungarian wand maker, which meant that they could move forward with their plans the following night.
That turned out to be excellent timing. Harry had gone down for breakfast the next morning and had caught sight of his father for the first time in his life; the apparently escaped criminal Sirius Black. Harry was so transfixed staring at the image on the screen of the gaunt looking man with elbow length scraggly hair who had apparently just escaped jail that he missed Vernon announcing that he was going to get Aunt Marge from the station.
Harry despised Aunt Marge and almost wondered if he could get Tom to suck her life out as well. It didn't help that Harry kept getting distracted thinking about Black, the man who was apparently his father, that he frequently missed the digs that Marge was making about his parents.
"If there's something wrong with the bitch then there'll be something wrong with the pup," Marge had announced over dinner, clearly trying to get a rise out of Harry but all it had done was make Harry think of James, the man who had bullied Severus and had made no attempt at contacting Harry over the years despite the fact that he obviously didn't die in Voldemort's attack: put that way Harry could almost agree with the woman and he might have borne the woman's presence better if not for the fact that she insisted on Harry staying in her sight at all times causing the day to drag. Harry had never been more glad than when he'd finally managed to get to his room.
He was awoken again in the early hours of the next morning, only this time by Tom opening the door.
"Happy birthday Harry. Thank you for putting the diary under that whale of a child's bed. Since he was actually squib as well, I was able to draw enough energy off of him to become mostly corporal and then got a bit of a boost from that disgusting creature downstairs."
"You managed to drain Aunt Marge?" Harry grinned.
"Yes Harry," Tom smiled, "and I should be able to set the cow up to be the cause of a little accident for the family as well but first I know you wanted to confront the other two."
Harry nodded his head vigorously and followed Tom into Vernon and Petunia's bedroom. Carefully tucking the diary under the woman's pillow Tom gently woke her up.
"Hello Petunia, I know you don't know me but I have some questions for you regarding your so-called nephew."
"Wh-who are you and what are you doing in my house?" Petunia stammered.
"Oh, I'm here for Harry," Tom replied, "I'm going to be taking him away from here so you don't need to worry about him ever again. As for who I am, well, I'm the man who killed your sister."
A look of horror came over Petunia's face as she realised who she was talking to. She struggled to move but the drain on her life was already in full affect and she couldn't even lift her arms. "What have you done to me you monster?" she wailed causing Vernon to stir.
"What is the fuss about Pet," he groused, barely opening his eyes.
"Good morning, Vernon," Tom smiled, "I was just having a little chat with your dear wife but I was curious about something. Since you seem to detest magic so much I was wondering if you were aware you're married to a squib?"
"A what!" Vernon bellowed.
"A squib. An individual who is too weak to be able to access their magical core but who has one nonetheless," Tom explained.
"You liar! Petunia has no trace of that filth in her!" Vernon protested.
"Then why was she able to see that antique box that Harry left in the living room but you weren't?" Tom reasoned.
"That brat has been leaving freaky stuff around my house! I'll have his hide for this!" Like Petunia, Vernon struggled to move but did little more than thrash around in the bed. "What's going on? What's happening?"
"Oh I'm afraid I'm slowly draining the life force out of both of you. A little distasteful for me since I abhor muggles as much as you hate magicals but needs must. At least you can take heart in the fact that you are helping to restore Lord Voldemort to greatness."
"You can't do that, you can't hurt us, Dumbledore said," Petunia stuttered.
"I'm afraid Dumbledore lied about a lot of things, Petunia, including the fact that Lily was Harry's mother which means that any protection that might have existed because of that connection is null and void. I'm assuming from your reaction that you were none the wiser to that little fact although I must say that that only makes your behaviour to your supposed nephew worse."
"The little freak deserved all he got and more!" Vernon spat.
"It's good that you think that Vernon as it means that Harry is unlikely to mourn your deaths," Tom smirked. "Now I would say it was nice to meet you, brief though our interaction was, but it really wasn't and I have absolutely no qualms in ending your miserable existence."
A faint glow seemed to emanate from under Petunia and Vernon's pillow and they both took a loud shuddering breath before simultaneously collapsing back onto the bed.
Tom shook himself out slightly. "That feels better. By the way, I hope I was right in thinking you won't be mourning them?" he asked Harry who had been watching from the corner.
"No," Harry stated, "I'm glad they're gone for good and I'll be glad to get away from all of this."
"Excellent. Now, I have some things to sort out to cover our tracks a bit. Thankfully that borish woman downstairs likes to smoke and drink which will provide excellent cover."
"What are you planning on doing?" Harry asked.
"I'm going to turn the gas on on the stove and light a cigarette in that woman's mouth as if she fell asleep smoking, knocking over a bottle of gin for good measure. I'll light a small candle as well, just to make sure, then, when the level of gas is high enough the house will explode."
"Won't that risk hurting the neighbours?" Harry questioned.
"So what if it does?" Tom replied. "Those people have lived next door to you for years and have done nothing about the abuse you've had to endure. It's not like they wouldn't have known, the dividing wall is hardly thick and I doubt dear Vernon was particularly quiet when he was berating you and yet they never questioned what was going on. Their inaction makes them as complicit in your abuse as the Dursleys as they allowed it to continue instead of raising alarms."
"I suppose when you put it like that," Harry sighed.
"I'm glad you understand Harry, although there is a chance they will get out no problem, I guess it all depends on karma. Now, go pack everything you want to bring with you and don't forget your wand. We can destroy it when we get to Severus' so no one can trace it but I don't want to be left vulnerable until we get there."
"Ok, I'll meet you by the front door when I'm done."
Harry grabbed one of Dudley's rucksacks, being careful not to look at his cousin's lifeless body lying on the bed, and filled it with his notes as well as his prized possessions, leaving the old clothes since Severus had already informed him that he and Tom would be supplying Harry with new ones when he got there. Harry contemplated grabbing some of Dudley's games but didn't want to risk getting weighed down on the journey but he did grab a load of his cousins snacks that he had in his room as well as some cash that Dudley had gotten off Aunt Marge for his apparent good grades although Harry was pretty sure Dudley had barely passed his first year. Slinging the bag over his shoulder, Harry grabbed his broom and Hedwig's cage and rushed to the front door where Tom was waiting.The pair carefully left the house, making sure to stick to the shadows lest anyone was watching the house. They made it down the drive and round the corner and were just about to head down a dark alley where they could safely mount Harry's broom when their way was blocked by a huge black dog that was snarling at them. Harry instantly stopped as memories of being chased up the tree by Ripper flooded his mind. Tom, however, was looking at the dog curiously.
"Harry, do you have your wand?"
"Er, yes, why?"
"Because I think we may have to use it sooner than I thought. Give it to me please."
Harry pulled the wand out of his back pocket and handed it to Tom, never once taking his eyes off the dog although, strangely, the dog seemed to be solely concentrating on Tom. Harry was just about to ask Tom about it when a spell came hurtling over his shoulder.
" Revelio! "
The spell hit the dog square in its face and sent it flying backwards, only, as it fell, it seemed to change shape. Gone was the shaggy black dog and in its place was a haggard man that Harry recognised from the news as Sirius Black.
"I don't know who you are but you need to get away from my godson right now!" Black spat.
"You can call me Tom Riddle for now Black but I'm afraid you've been misinformed. Harry here isn't your godson, he's your son."