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Altered Destinies by DobbyElfLord
 Books » Harry Potter Rated: T, English, Supernatural & Suspense, Harry P., Tom R. Jr., Words: 289k+, Favs: 8k+, Follows: 3k+, Published: Sep 16, 2006 Updated: Sep 1, 2007 3,864Chapter 38: Returning Home
Chapter 38 – Returning Home
13 June 1944 – Hogsmeade
The dawn light was just cracking the eastern horizon as two wizards with a large black dog appeared on the edge of the village. No one in the village was awake to notice their arrival. Since word of Grindelwald's defeat at the hands of Hogwart's own Professor Dumbledore, the British wizarding population, along with their foreign guests, had been celebrating for the last five days. The celebration culminated last night with a village wide party with free firewhiskey and butterbeer paid for by the village's businesses.
The two wizards walked silently through the streets of the village whilst the dog ran from place to place happily investigating everything. Neither wizard called the dog back, but seemed to enjoy the calm walk. They came to a stop in front of a neat house with no lights coming from the inside.
The taller of the two wizards spoke first, "I'm feeling really nervous right now, Dad."
"They are your family, Tom. They won't care what you were made to do under the effects of the potion. They will just be excited you are home," the shorter wizard replied.
"But the potion only made me do what I wanted to do in the first place!"
James sighed in exasperation. "Yes, Dr. Jekyll. You met your dark side. You will be stronger now in fighting it because you know exactly where it would lead you. Now, can we go inside? The Ministry's tea is horrible and I want a good cup."
Tom smiled slightly at his father's tone and comments. Whatever reservations Tom himself felt over the events of the last year, his father made it clear he had none whatsoever. Tom knew his father felt he was worrying about this too much, but Tom knew how deep the Darkness inside him went and it scared him.
James opened the door and led the way into the house. The house had not changed in their absence. Tom in particular was struck by on odd sense that the last year was all a dream. With all that had happened shouldn't something have changed here?
"TOMMY!"
Tom was struck by a high-velocity missile that wrapped herself around Tom's legs and squeezed. A missile named Katie.
"TOMMY, YOU CAME BACK! I KNEW YOU WOULD! DID YOU MISS US?"
Tom bent over to hug his little sister. "Of course, I did, squirt. I had to come back just to see you." Katie giggled and hugged him back.
Their reunion was interrupted as a voice came from down the hall. "Katherine Elizabeth Evans, stop making all of that noise! You know no one got to sleep last night because of that party. I know I…" Katie's admonishment from her mother came to an abrupt halt. "TOMMY!"
Sarah ran to her eldest son and wrapped him in a great big hug. "You are home and you are safe! Oh, I missed you!"
James looked down at Snuffles and commented, "It is nice to be wanted." Then Katie noticed the large black dog and wrapped her arms around him. "Snuffles!" The dog's look back at James was priceless.
Sarah finally let go of Tom enough to notice her husband standing there. "James, you brought him home." She greeted him with a kiss as she hugged him.
The noise had awoken the rest of the house. The four year olds, Ron and Tia, came running into the room trailed by seven year old Michael. The room was filled with shouts and laughter as the Evans family celebrated all being together for the first time in over a year. Cillie arrived and excitedly started making breakfast for 'Master Tom'.
James saw very little of Tom for the rest of the day. Katie and Michael insisted he went flying with them on their new brooms. (Faster with a thirty foot height limit) Then Tia insisted he read to her and Ron. The smile never left Tom's face the whole day. After all, they were the reason he was able to break his dark side's grasp on him. You never know when he might need more memories to help.
Thomas and Elizabeth Potter arrived in the evening with Chaz Potter's family. Their son, Albert, soon joined with his Evans cousins in a number of games in and around the house. The impromptu party ran late into the night after the little ones were long asleep.
As he lay in bed falling asleep that night, Tom realized his father was right about the family's reaction and acceptance.
ADAD
Later that night, Thomas, Albus, and James sat in the back garden with glasses of butterbeer in the cool night air. The children were long in bed while Elizabeth and Sarah were talking inside.
"How bad was the Ministry?" Thomas asked.
James shrugged. "They wanted to perform a number of tests on Tom 'to ensure he would not relapse into Darkness'. Stupid bureaucrats, treating my son like a potions experiment gone wrong is not the way to handle this."
"So, what are your plans now?" Albus asked in a quiet voice.
"The Count has gone on an indefinite leave of absence. Nott wants to do a public award ceremony for Albus and the rest of us. It looks like Grindelwald's remaining leadership is too busy fighting each other to really bother us."
James looked like he remembered something. "We heard from Maria. She went an talked to Claude's widow. Apparently she was very understanding. She didn't want Maria or Alan around her but she did arrange for Maria to be hidden by the veela population in Bulgaria. So Maria and Alan should be safe."
"I am glad to hear Maria and Alan are safe. I know Claude was nervous about them ever meeting. I heard about the award thing and I know the Ministry is planning on sending teams to remove the remaining Dark Army forces, but what are you planning on doing?" Thomas asked again.
James sighed. "Sarah and the kids need me here. Tom is going to have a difficult time going back to Hogwarts. Not academically, but fitting back into normal life. Young Nott is supposed to Floo over. I'll get a better idea after they get together." James was silent for a moment. "My magic is due to vanish sometime in the next year or two. I was scared it would leave before we got Tom back. I have been thinking about attending a Muggle medical school and working with Sarah to combine magical and Muggle healing methods."
Thomas nodded. "That sounds like an interesting plan. And you still have your work with the Phoenix Foundation. Once all of the foreign students return home what are you going to do with the school in Wales?"
"The magical orphanage will remain there. It will be better for the students then to remain in the middle of London. Albus and I talked about turning it into a finishing school for post-NEWT studies." James paused, "How are you doing, Albus?"
The now white haired wizard looked down at the grass. Since the battle with Grindelwald, Albus had seemed withdrawn and fragile. After waking from his magical exhaustion sleep, the powerful wizard was very emotional and prone to quietly cry for reasons he would not discuss.
"James, you saw the end of my battle with Albert. Did you see what was happening to him?"
"He seemed to be turning into a demon, like the one I fought in Hamburg," James replied.
"He was drawing on the negative energies of that place to fuel his magic. I had to use positive energies to counter his. His magic was too strong for mine to pierce, but I could hold him back. He drew on more Dark magic than a human body can handle and it started to change him." Albus drew a deep, shuddering breath. "Once he changed enough, I was able to push him through the rift into Hell."
Albus looked up at his two friends with a stricken face. "I did not just kill my old friend. I destroyed his soul. The demonic magic started it and I finished it when I pushed him through. The tattered remains will never know rest, only eternal torment."
And then Albus Dumbledore did something James had never seen before either now or in the future he came from. The man hailed as the 'Most Powerful Wizard Alive' sank down in his chair and started to cry uncontrollably.
James and Thomas tried to settle their friend but after fifteen minutes of failure, James left saying, "This may be more serious than it looks. I want Sarah to check him out. He told the Healers at the Ministry he was over his magical exhaustion, but this looks like more than that."
Sarah took one look at Dumbledore and ordered him to bed in their guest room. She ran a few diagnostic charms and whispered a few comments to Elizabeth, who left immediately afterwards. Sarah gave Dumbledore a Calming Drought and told him to rest.
The Healer in Sarah emerged when the old wizard tried to protest. "Albus Dumbledore, you need to rest and recover from your ordeal. Now you lay down, rest, and I don't want to hear another word out of you."
"Tyrant" Dumbledore muttered.
"I heard that, Albus! I said not one word!"
Outside the room, James winced at the interchange. He turned to his grandfather and commented, "She may be a full Healer now, but Sarah will always be a Medi-witch at heart."
Thomas smiled back. "If Albus thinks this is bad now, wait till Elizabeth gets back with the Mind Healer from St. Mungos." Elizabeth had told the two men that Sarah wanted her to Floo the hospital and ask for the on-duty Mind Healer to come at once.
"Thomas, you and James may leave now unless you have something to do that would help the situation?"
James and Thomas turned see Elizabeth entering the room trailed by the Mind Healer.
"No, dear. We were just leaving." Thomas motioned to James as they escaped back to James's library.
The Mind Healer spent the next several hours running tests on the sleeping Dumbledore. The combination of the Calming Drought, sleep and his weakened magical state allowed the Healer to slip past Dumbledore's Occlumency shields.
The results were not too promising. "He is holding his mind together solely through will power and his Occlumency skills," Healer Milfkin told them. "The backlash of magic from his fight with the Dark Lord would have shattered a weaker mind. He will need time and rest combined with treatment to make a mostly full recovery."
This alarmed all of them.
James asked, "What would have happened if we didn't catch this?"
The Mind Healer shrugged. "In any other case, I'd say the patient would lose all contact with reality. I was a First year when Professor Dumbledore started teaching. I think he is strong enough that eventually he could have recovered quite a bit on his own. He would have been functional but his own hopes and desires would have colored his judgment to an unhealthy degree." She shrugged. "Given there would be no obvious signs and only a deep mental scan would have revealed it, most people would have called him eccentric or a little crazy."
"Thank you." James said absently whilst he thought about the Headmaster Dumbledore he knew as a student. The signs were all there. Could this have not been caught the fist time around? Could the hidden injuries from his fight with Grindelwald on top of the type of magic used to counter the Dark Lord's power, have been behind the odd decisions Albus made to leave Harry at the Dursleys, accept Snape's treatment of non-Slytherin students, and his conduct of the fight against Voldemort? It certainly seemed more likely than not at this point.
Whilst James was considering the ramification missing Dumbledore's injuries would have caused, the others decided to relocate him to the Potter's for the summer.
"It will be very quiet and restful. I don't think the same thing could be said if he stayed here with the little ones around," Elizabeth stated.
Neither James nor Sarah disagreed with her comment. James muttered, "She means 'little hellions'." Which earned him a swat from his wife.
ADAD
When he awoke the next morning, Albus found himself in a familiar bed at the Potter Mansion with a number of his personal items and Fawkes sleeping on his normal stand beside Albus's bed. The professor sighed. He recognized the combined handiwork of Elizabeth and Sarah and knew resistance was futile. Potter women were a force of nature. Albus (wisely) rolled back over to get some more sleep.
14 June 1944 – Hogsmeade
Tom was excited when he saw the flames turn green. The figure that stepped out was a very familiar one but slightly different from the last time he had seen him. He looked a lot older.
"Tom!" the new arrival called out excitedly. The two best mates gave a brief (but masculine) hug in their excitement. Nott backed up but kept his arms on his mate's shoulder as he took all the changes in.
"Hogwarts was definitely not the same without you. It is so good to have you back. It was hard to run the school without my sidekick on hand."
Tom laughed at Nott's comments. After a year with no friends or companions it was nice to have his friend back.
"I thought you were my sidekick?" Tom retorted. "After all, I hear I left a follower behind."
Nott smirked, "You mean Peeves? The Bloody Baron is the only one that can control him and that is just because of he represents your House. He pranks all of us, especially the First years of all the Houses."
"Dad thinks that Tweaky's sprit is still trying to help the house-elves by giving them work to do," Tom told his friend.
"Well it is working," Nott replied. "He hasn't pranked anyone in our circle of friends though."
"How is everyone since I left? I heard about Xurana's leaving. What is everyone else up to? I owled Mary just before you came. I'm hoping she can come visit."
Nott looked a bit uncomfortable now. "Why don't we go see if we can steal some of your mum's biscuits? I really missed those more than you."
Tom felt a nasty suspicion as his friend tried to change the subject. Nott caught the look and realized his attempt failed.
He sighed. "Let's get your mum's biscuits and I'll tell you everything."
In an all too short a time for Nott, the pair were seated in the back garden. In fact, Tom was sitting in the same spot Dumbledore sat the previous night. They ate the biscuits for a bit before Nott started talking.
"After you were taken, the school was a mess. Fortunately the word of your capture didn't come out until after OWLS were done. Everyone was in shock on the Express ride home. Mary and the other girls were a wreck."
Nott paused to take another bite. "The rumors of why you were taken ran all over. Even the Daily Prophet printed up a bunch of theories. My father was keeping me quietly informed but there was not a lot of information. Laura told me that Mary and the other girls kept getting together all summer." Nott shrugged. "It was not a fun summer."
"For me either," Tom added.
Nott nodded his agreement and continued. "When we got back to school the news came out that Grindelwald introduced you as his apprentice. After the rumors last year about you going Dark, too many of the students were willing to believe you joined him willingly."
"And Mary was one of them," Tom finished when Nott paused.
"I don't think she really thought you went Dark willingly," Nott inserted quickly. "But she announced her intent to move on. I'll admit it was nice to have her start smiling and acting normal again. She started dating again at Halloween. She got engaged at the end of the school year." The last was said in a rush.
Tom felt like he had just been punched in the stomach. "Who is she with? Rosier?"
Err, no, Evan is seeing Alicia. Pretty serious about it too." Nott's voice dropped down to almost a whisper. "She's with Sardonnes."
"Alajos?" Tom asked in surprise.
Nott smirked slightly, "Well, not Andrea."
"What would she see in a git like him?"
"He did grow up a bit after you kicked his arse." Nott answered. "I…" Nott paused when he noticed a red glint in Tom's blue eyes.
Why are you so angry? Nagini hissed as he slithered into the garden.
My mate has left me whilst I was held captive by the Dark Lord. Tom hissed back angrily.
The cold blooded creature considered Tom dispassionately for a moment. Then she was not worthy of you. Find another mate who is worthy.
Tom glared at his familiar. Shouldn't I fight to get her back?
If a snake had shoulders, Nagini would have shrugged. It is not important that she has found another to fertilize her eggs, but that she lost faith and surrendered you to the Dark.
Despite himself, Tom laughed at the snake's cold, emotionless assessment. The red light in Tom's eyes receded to Nott's relief.
"Nagini makes a good point," Tom commented to Nott.
Nott smirked when Tom relayed the snake's comments. "I always said both of your familiars were smarter than you." He paused. "It bothered me when they started dating. We had a huge blowout over it. I told her Sardonnes was stealing her from you to make himself look better. We almost had a full out duel in the common room."
"What happened?"
Nott looked a little embarrassed. "Laura hit me in the back with a Stunner. When I calmed down she convinced me it was none of my business who Mary dated. I still think I was right about why he chased after her, but Andrea says he fought with her uncle over getting engaged to an English witch, even if she is a Pureblood."
Nagini climbed up Tom's chair and hissed in his ear. Tom nodded and muttered, "I think you are right."
"What did he say?" Nott asked.
"If Mary breaks it off and comes back on her own, then we might have a chance. I plan on revealing my true heritage and why I was taken when school starts. If she tries to come back then, I should run the other way no matter what I feel. If she stays with him, I should just try to be happy for them both."
Nott snorted. "I knew there was a reason Slytherin liked snakes."
4 July 1944 – Potter Mansion
The Potter Clan was having a large celebration at the Potter Mansion to officially celebrate Tom's return. Unofficially they were also celebrating James's retirement from the Department of Mysteries. The only non-Potter family member in attendance was Professor Dumbledore who was still a guest of the elder Potters.
Several hours after the party started, James and Tom snuck away to Thomas's study. Once the door closed a pair of voices greeted them.
"Welcome back, boys!" "It is nice to see my heir back safely."
"Hello, Salazar, Godric," Tom greeted them. "I almost didn't ever expect to see you again."
"Indeed, we feared the same," Slytherin's portrait answered. Salazar turned and bowed slightly in James's direction. "On behalf of the Slytherin family I thank you for ending the curse on my family forever."
"You mean I don't have to worry about turning Dark again?" Tom asked excitedly.
"I am afraid not, young Tom," Godric answered. "The curse on the Slytherin line merely allowed the Darkness we all carry inside to take control of them. The potions Thomas told us of acted to speed up the curse. Your act of will coupled with your father's enabled you to suppress the Darkness and snapping the curse."
"Your children will not be forced to endure the curse driving them to Darkness, but like any witch or wizard, they may choose to give into it on their own," Salazar finished.
Tom frowned at their answer. "I'd hoped I wouldn't have to worry about it anymore."
Salazar snorted. "Everyone with any type of power will always have to deal with the temptation to misuse it. I am sure your father and Thomas would tell you the same thing. Now that the curse is broken, I want to talk to you about restoring our family's heritage."
Godric interrupted, "But first I want to hear about the battle. Thomas has already told us about the little he saw."
Tom felt a bit reluctant but he complied with the painting's request. He spent the next twenty minutes describing all he had seen during the battle.
"Why did you allow the Dark Witch who captured you to live?" Salazar asked.
A frustrated look crossed Tom's face. How would he explain this? "Christina is Dark, but not really evil. Yes, she used Dark curses and served a demon summoning master who would have sent us all to Hell, but I think she just wanted the challenge. I saw her a lot last year and she and Helena were really the closest things I had to friends there. Does that make sense?"
Surprisingly it was Godric who voiced his agreement. "Remember Erik, that Viking chieftain that tried to invade Hogwarts for his king? I liked him but he would have killed us all because his king ordered it. Even you like him and that was after the accident." Godric smiled at Tom and winked. "Mercy to a defeated enemy is a Gryffindor trait. Maybe the Potters have rubbed off on you."
Godric and James laughed as Salazar and Tom made protests of indignation.
Once the protests wound down, Godric asked, "What about Black?"
James frowned. "Thomas told me the news just before we came in. The short answer is nothing." James hand up a hand before Tom could yell. "The only surviving witness to Black's treason is Tom. No other evidence exists so the Minister refused to bring charges. Since Veritserum is not yet accepted as fool-proof by the Ministry its use is not allowed in legal proceedings. Plus the fact he is a Wizengamot member and they would not be likely to convict one of their own members without solid proof."
Salazar was nodding, "I understand the Minister's position. And what does you former Department think?"
James gave him a predatory grin. "Mr. Able assures me that they will be watching him for any signs of criminal activities. Moody took offense to Black's getting away with it and has spun up the Aurors to watch him too. Politically, Black has lost all of his influence with the Government and the Minister removed him from all of the committees he was a member."
"Did we find out what role Orion played in this?" Tom asked.
"From what we can tell, he just passed some school gossip on to his father and did a few odd tasks for him." James shrugged. "As far as the Aurors can tell, he was innocent of any knowledge of his father's activities."
"Good," Tom said. "School is going to be hard enough without having to deal with a traitor living in my own House."
1 September 1944 – Hogwarts Express
Tom pushed the cart with his trunk on it through the barrier onto Platform 9 ¾. All four of his siblings were bouncing around excitedly at the sight of the train. Although he was feeling very nervous, he had to smile at the excitement of the little ones.
"Why do we need to wait?" Katie asked in a very loud voice. "I already read all of Tommy's old First year books!"
"You can't go until your core grows up a bit," Sarah answered absently. "And you shouldn't be reading those books yet. They are too advanced for you."
"But mum," Michael protested, "Tommy says he read those books when he was our age!"
Tom gave his brother a mock glare. "That's the last time I tell you a secret!"
This caused Katie to throw her arms around Tom's leg and look up at him with innocent eyes. "Don't say that, Tommy! We love studying like you!"
"Oh, you are going Slytherin for sure," Tom replied to her sweet, innocent look.
In all honesty, his younger brothers and sisters and Nott were the reasons Tom survived this summer. Mary answered his owl with a tearful letter apologizing for leaving him but that she had to move on. The next day, the Daily Prophet started publishing a series of accounts of Tom's captivity and rescue. Not much of the truth made it into the paper. No one talked to the James or Tom for the story. In fact, the only member of the rescue team who was quoted was Abraxus Malfoy and he only said he and an unnamed Unspeakable fought against a demon.
The articles hinted the potions made Tom unbalanced and a danger to be around. They talked about his half-blood status and said the presence of Muggle-blood allowed the demons to enter Tom's mind. (No mention was made of the fact that Grindelwald was a Pureblood from England.)
The articles did make Albus Dumbledore a national hero. They published a fantastic blow-by-blow account of a great magical duel complete with fantastic acrobatic moves, mysterious magic, and heroic nobility on Dumbledore's part. Only brief mention was made of Claude or Charlie's deaths or the input of the rest of the assault team. A couple lines covered the Count's fight with Christina.
The British wizarding world reacted in what his father called their typical sheep fashion. The villagers of Hogsmeade started to avoid Tom when he walked through the village. Tom did not hear anything directly from his friends except Nott. Nott passed messages to him from Evan, Andrea, Laura, Ela, Janek, and the others. Their families or guardians were preventing them from visiting "until his mental state settled".
Tom spent the time visiting the Potters and spending time with his family. He also reviewed all of the Sixth year material Hogwarts material not covered at Durmstrang. This included relearning not to use Dark curses in his dueling.
Tom wanted to skip the train and just walk up to the school, but dad insisted Tom take the train. He said the only way to face this was straight ahead. Tom tried to argue that was a Gryffindor trait, not Slytherin, but his father remained adamant. So after saying goodbye to his mum and sibs, he slipped onto the train virtually unnoticed.
Nott and Tom had agreed to meet in the rearmost car of the train. To Tom's surprise, the car was already occupied with five of his friends, Nott, Laura, Ela, Janek, and Andrea. The car was done up with decorations.
Janek was the first one to notice his arrival. "Tom, welcome back!" The Polish student gave him a huge hug and pounded him on the back. Once he released Tom, the girls dove on him in a competition to squeeze the life out of him. Tom collapsed under the sheer weight that pounced on him.
"Girls, let him breath!" Nott laughed. "Come on you lot, let him up before you kill him!"
When the girls climbed off him, Tom had a silly grin on his face. He glanced up at Nott and muttered, "But what a way to go."
This caused the girls to laugh and broke the ice. A minute later Tom was sitting with a piece of cake and a glass of butterbeer. The girls were all filling Tom in on all of the events of the last year with the boys throwing in their own sarcastic additions.
The train had moved out of the station and was well on the way to Hogwarts when the first uncomfortable situation occurred. The compartment door opened to reveal Alajos Sardonnes. The entire car turned to see who had entered and froze. Tom noticed the other boy wore the Head Boy's Badge.
"So you actually came back," the new arrival sneered. "I wouldn't have thought you'd have had the courage, traitor. You turned Dark at your first chance!"
Tom turned calmly to Nott and said, "I thought you said this git grew up. Sounds like the same arsehole he was before."
Sardonnes face turned red at that comment. "And stay away from Mary. She is mine now. We are going to be married right after we leave school in the spring."
Tom stood up to face the other Seventh year. He answered in a deadly calm voice. It was the same voice he used all of the last year at Durmstrang. "I sent Mary one letter before I knew about your relationship. Once I learned about it, I stopped. Now, if you really think I am Dark, why are you making me your enemy?"
Sardonnes paled at the perceived threat in that question, but he held his ground. "I am Head Boy now and I'll be watching you. One foot out of line and I'll…"
The calm voice interrupted him. "Go away now, Sardonnes. Who Mary chooses to spend her time with is up to her. So take you insecurities and leave. We were having a party here."
Andrea stood up and placed a hand on Tom's shoulder. "Alajos, there was no trouble here until you started it. Please don't make things harder than they have to be."
Sardonnes snorted without looking at his cousin and stormed out of the car.
The half-Veela French witch apologized to Tom. "I am sorry, Tom. Ever since word came of your rescue, Alajos has been scared Mary would leave him for you. I think part of the reason he has hated you so much is he has always been attracted to her."
Tom smiled sadly at his friend. "It's okay. I can handle it. I don't think I would be very good in a relationship right now anyway."
"Enough serious stuff, let's get back to the party!" Janek announced.
The party did resume, but without the same level of excitement as before.
ADAD
It was not until the Express reached Hogsmeade Station that Tom had his first glimpse of Mary. She gave him a sad, little wave from inside a carriage Alajos and his friends were climbing in with her as Tom and his friends moved past. He felt an odd pull as he waved back with a valiant attempt at a smile.
Despite the attempts of his friends to lighten his spirits, Tom remained quiet the whole ride up to the school. He followed the crowd to the Great Hall without really looking around. He didn't seem to notice the odd glances and muttering of the students around him.
A cream pie broke Tom out of his funk. More specifically, a flying cream pie that landed squarely on his head.
Tom wiped the pies remains from his eyes and reached for his wand as rage bubbled just under the surface. His eyes darted around for Sardonnes.
Instead of his school rival, Tom found himself eye to eye with the school's new poltergeist. "Ooh, Tommy-boy! Yous come back to ol'Peevsie! Now I can haves so much fun!" The poltergeist wrapped his arms around Tom and then quickly let go and popped up over Tom's head. "Look out Fisties! Heeeeeeeres Peeves!"
Tom turned to watch the disappearing poltergeist in disbelief. Dad and Professor Dumbledore had told him what happened to Tweaky but this was his first encounter with the ghost of his friend.
"Tom? Are you okay?" Rosier asked in a cautious tone.
To the shock of the students around him, Tom started laughing deep belly laughs. He ended up holding his sides from laughing. The students around him looked on in surprise. Many had seen the rage in Tom's eyes. This was the last reaction they expected.
When he regained control of himself, Tom wiped the tears from his eyes and turned back to his friends. "Let's get into dinner. I am suddenly very hungry."
The still silent student body watched Tom and his friends walk into the school accompanied by Tom's snickers.
ADAD
The Great Hall quickly filled in behind Tom and his friends. Traditionally the Seventh years sat at the end of the table furthest from the staff table. Tom took the very end seat as his friends settled in around him. Andrea and Janek moved off to their own House's table. Mary and the remaining Slytherin Seventh years settled just down the table from Tom.
Mary sat on the same side of the table as Tom but they were separated by Nott, Laura and Alicia. Tom actually felt slightly relieved. He knew they would have to talk eventually, but in front of the rest of the students in the Great Hall was not a good idea.
Tom enjoyed watching the Sorting although he was surprised how short they all were. He grinned at the thought of Katie and Michael's arrival at Hogwarts. Katie was definitely Slytherin but Michael was Gryffindor to his toes. Watching Quidditch should be exciting when they both went out for their House teams.
Professor Dippet stood after the Sorting and gestured for silence. ""Welcome to another year of magical learning at Hogwarts. I am Professor Dippet. Before for we start with our feast, I would like to say a few words. We welcome back two of Hogwart's own after defeating the Dark Lord Grindelwald."
The Headmaster gestured at Dumbledore to rise. "Our own Professor Dumbledore single-handedly battled the Dark Lord and brought his evil reign over the Continent to an end. He received the Order of Merlin, First Class just last week at a ceremony at the Ministry of Magic. Welcome back Professor Dumbledore and well done!"
The Great Hall erupted in cheering for the Transfiguration professor. Dumbledore was already popular with the students, but his defeat of the Dark Lord raised his position to mythical proportions. The foreign students, chased out of their homeland by the Dark Army, saw him as the savior of their nations. His victory meant they would one day be able to go home.
Tom watched the older wizard with some concern. Dumbledore waved back with a small smile on his face, but Tom knew how hard the professor had worked over the summer to recover from the cost of his victory. (Tom wasn't supposed to know but he wasn't a Slytherin for nothing.)
After the cheering quieted down, Dippet called out, "We also welcome back our student, Tom Evans, forcibly taken from us for over a year. Now he has returned to finish his education with us."
Silence filled the Hall. Then Professor Dumbledore stood and started clapping. He was followed by Professor Flitwick and Tom's friends. The rest of the Hall started to clap half heartedly. Tom smiled when a particularly large Gryffindor Fifth year rose and clapped with a smile on his face.
Tom rose from his seat and walked to the front of the Great Hall. The clapping came to a stop as he reached the staff table.
"Would you like to address the school, Tom?" Dippet asked.
"Yes, sir"
The Headmaster motioned for Tom to do so as he settled back into his chair. Tom turned to face the assembled school.
"The Daily Prophet has published a great deal of tripe about what happened to me over the last year and why I was taken in the first place. I have never talked to a single reporter and neither has my father nor has Professors Flitwick or Dumbledore done so."
"I am going to deal with the second question tonight. Why was I taken? I was born Tom Malvolo Riddle. My mother was born in the Gaunt family. Mofitin Gaunt married the only daughter of Salazar Slytherin. I am the only surviving member of the Slytherin line. I am the Heir of Slytherin."
A loud murmuring erupted from the students at Tom's pronouncement.
"Grindelwald wanted something of the Founder's that he left in the school. Since legend said only Slytherin's Heir could retrieve it, I was targeted by the Dark Lord." The murmuring increased at that comment. "The object in question was destroyed by an Unspeakable from the Department of Mysteries."
"My family has hidden for too long because of the Darkness tied to the Slytherin name. It is time that ended and we came openly into the Light. I am proud of Slytherin's accomplishments before the Darkness infected him. I am making it my mission to balance the good he accomplished whilst remembering the dangers of slipping into the Darkness. Thank you."
The Hall was silent as Tom made his way back to his seat. Once he sat down, Dumbledore and Flitwick once again stood up and clapped. The Hall was so stunned no one joined them.
ADAD
"Bloody hell, mate! What did you do that for?"
Tom smirked a bit as Nott erupted the moment they entered the Slytherin Common Room. When he sat down after his announcement, Tom had told his friends they would discuss it once they were back in their Common Room. He'd seen Nott in particular struggling through dinner to contain himself. Tom found a grim amusement in watching the struggle.
Tom led the way into the Common Room and over to the couches they had traditionally claimed as their own. Tom dropped into a chair and looked up at the unmoving, non-magical portrait of Salazar Slytherin hanging over the fireplace. It must have been a trick of the firelight, but Tom could swear the thing just winked at him.
Whilst Tom was looking at the painting in shock, the Sixth and Seventh year Slytherins had filled the seats surrounding him. Many of the younger classes stood in loose groupings around them.
Tom was surprised to see Alajos Sardonnes sitting next to Mary in a couch next to him. "What is he doing here?"
Mary gave Tom a half apologetic, half-pleading look. "He is the Head Boy and has as much right to be here as they do." She pointed to where Andrea, Ela, and Janek were sitting. Then she added in a soft voice, "And I invited him here as Head Girl."
"What I had to say was for my House and my friends. Your fiancé is a member of neither group. How can you claim he has a right to hear what I want to say?" Tom asked in a flat, emotionless tone.
"Tom, please. Can you two learn to put this behind you?" For his part, Sardonnes looked furious. Tom couldn't say if it was at Tom's comments or at his girlfriend's defensive tone.
"Are you sure you are in the right House, Mary? You sound more like a Hufflepuff than a Slytherin. Mr. Sardonnes decided to pay me a visit on the train today. His actions don't give me any reason to 'put it behind me'. And why in Merlin's name, would you decided to do this in front of the entire House?"
Mary looked furious as she rose from her seat and pulled Alajos after her. "I had hoped you would be more mature than this Tom Evans. It appears I was wrong." Taking her boyfriend's hand, she led the way out of the Common Room.
Tom watched her go while Alajos glared back at him. He realized the whole scene had been staged by Mary to confirm she made the 'right' choice. Tom wondered if it was a conscious or unconscious effort on her part. He decided on conscious because it had been so different from the Mary he remembered.
A soft, French accented voice broke his thoughts. "Tom, are you okay?"
He smiled at the concern in Andrea's voice. "I'm fine."
For the next two hours Tom talked about what he had learned about the truth behind Salazar Slytherin's life and turn to Darkness. He explained about the accident and the curse it brought down on the Slytherin family. Without too many details he talked of his time at Durmstrang and his rescue. All of the listeners sat stunned at what they heard. Only Nott had ever heard most of this before.
He did not talk about the Gaunts and the details of his own early life or how he came to live with James Evans. Some things still needed to be kept private.
The Slytherin's were sworn on their House loyalty to only discuss what they heard with current or past members of their House. Tom knew realistically it would leak out eventually but he hoped to slow the rate down and keep it out of the Prophet for a bit.
Tom crawled into his bed that night. It was his first night sleeping in his dorm since his kidnapping. The room seemed smaller in an indescribable fashion. Snuffles and Nagini were already curled up on his bed when he arrived.
As he laid waiting for sleep, Tom thought about everything that had happened that day. He decided he probably should have handled it better, but couldn't think how with the emotions and memories he was dealing with.
Tom decided he wanted to focus on his studies and enjoying his final year at Hogwarts. He would have to get his Seeker position back from the Fourth year who played last year but that shouldn't be too difficult. The boy had only caught the Snitch once in the season.
Everything else would be sorted out in its own time.
9 June 1945 – Hogwarts
The war in Europe was drawing to a close. The collapse of Grindelwald's support did not affect the Muggle war as much as many had hoped. The death toll was a bit lower than it would have been otherwise, but enough of the Dark Army's forces remained active after their leader's death to continue to slow the Allied advance.
Two young looking wizards walked across the Hogwarts fields towards the Quidditch pitch. They had their brooms in hand and the taller of the two carried a picnic basket. The taller one looked slightly older but was in fact much younger. James was spending an unusual day without the appearance aging potions he normally used to look his chronological age.
James had visited a number of Muggle schools the previous day to look into his plan of becoming a Muggle doctor. A little judicious magic use placed the appropriate records in the system for one James Evans to have the correct grades for admission to a number of top universities. Tom found it odd to have his father looking his age but he understood the logic of using his natural appearance to fit in with the other students.
Unaware of Tom's thoughts, James asked, "Feel relieved to have your NEWTS out of the way?"
Tom nodded, "I guess so, I am just glad to be finished with the school year. But now I need to get a job and earn some Galleons. Homework doesn't sound so bad anymore."
The school year had been a uncomfortable one. After his revelation to the school, Tom became the de-facto Head Boy for the school. Sardonnes had all the legal authority to enforce the rules, but all the students looked to Tom as the school's moral authority. Concerns of his being Dark faded as memories of his past friendly dealings with the other Houses returned.
Relations with Mary and Sardonnes thawed a bit as the year passed. With the whole school watching their behavior, neither side wanted to act like a child. Mary was convinced however that Tom was behind the rash of pranks and Peeves targeting of Sardonnes and his friends. (And she was right.)
James laughed at Tom's comment. "You can always go back to school. The Welsh School will be opening its doors come fall. One of the Oxford deans is a Muggle-born wizard. Between him and the PM we have arranged for Welsh School students to attend Oxford classes to round out their studies. A special Floo has already been arranged. There is a spot with your name on it if you want it."
"Dad, I don't want a spot just because I am your son! Those spots are hard to get…" Tom protested.
"Stop, Tom. You were the Head Boy this year and you set an all-time Hogwarts record for scores on your NEWTS. No one will doubt you earned this on your own merit."
"But, you have to apply and I didn't!"
James grinned. "Your mother did it and submitted it."
"What about the interviews?"
The grin grew larger. "All of the review board knows you and had no problem accepting you. Since most of them were your professors or the NEWT examiners it was easy." After he paused, he added, "Unanimous too."
Tom gave a weak laugh. "I am supposed to be an adult wizard. You shouldn't be trying to run my life."
James laughed unrepentantly. "It's mostly your mother's doing. It's not my fault she still sees the cute little boy she first saw in a St. Mungo's bed. So, really it is your fault."
"You are impossible, Dad." Tom growled.
"I know," the accused happily agreed.
The pair had reached the pitch and James extracted a Snitch from a robe pocket. "Best out of five? Loser has to clean up after Snuffles without magic?"
What followed was an aerial display that would have made the English, Scottish, or Welsh National Teams green with envy. Both Seekers exhibited highly developed skills and tactics. James was smaller and faster with a natural's sense of flying. Tom was larger and heavier so not as fast, but he used his size and a better sense of strategy to offset James.
The pair of Seekers flew for over two hours. James caught the first two Snitches. Tom got the next one. Now both Seekers were in pursuit of the fourth Snitch. Tom was trying to use his larger size to knock his father off course. James was dodging whilst weaving along the Snitch's course.
James felt a slight shiver run up his spine as he felt magic building around him. A thrill of panic ran through his mind. Could this be the Time turner pulling his magic away? James suddenly swerved and headed for the ground leaving a confused Tom behind.
Thirty feet above the ground, James blinked. A sudden roar filled his ears as the Snitch appeared in front of him. Instinctually he grabbed the small fluttering ball. The roaring increased causing him to glance up. The stands were filled with students in Hogwarts robes.
In his shock, James never noticed the Bludger heading straight for him. It collided with the side of his head knocking him from the broom and to the ground below. As he fell, he thought, 'Why me?' He was unconscious before he hit the ground.
ADAD
Tom brought his broom to a sudden stop as he stared at the spot his father had just been. The loud clap was not the normal sound of Apparition or a Port key. Tom paled as he realized what it meant.
He turned his broom for home as he tried to figure out how to tell his mum and siblings that dad had returned to his own time.
A/N: One last chapter to go.
This chapter is dedicated to Dellacouer for all of her efforts as a beta on this story. Her questions, comments and corrections have all been greatly appreciated.
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