Lettered

Disclaimer: J.K.R owns Harry Potter, not me. That's why she's making the big bucks, and I'm deciding between paying for books and buying food.



Warning: This is a Slash Story. That means boy/boy lovin'. Although, again, there isn't much going on. But I did manage to lay the groundwork for the relationship! And it's only September 14th in the story, there's still plenty of time left.



I'll reply to any and all comments in my livejournal, which is linked in my profile.



You know, insomnia can be a good thing. For you, anyways, because when I can't sleep, I write. Of course, it can also be a horrible thing, because when I don't sleep, you can usually tell.



The abeovulto potion is my own creation. The name is based in Latin, but it was really awkward, so I changed it so it's no longer accurate. Hooray for artistic license!



And I'd like to take this time to ask if anyone is willing to beta for me, because I know I had issues in this chapter. But then again, I'm a perfectionist, so I'm always going to find some issues.

------



September 1st



Ginny sighed as she sat down in an empty compartment on the Hogwarts Express. Ever since that day in Diagon Alley, Harry had been avoiding her. She knew it had something to do with that last bit Tom had said about his uncle. She'd gone over the conversation a hundred times in her head, and she still couldn't figure out what had sent him off. Boys, she thought, why do I even bother? She looked up as Luna and Neville entered the compartment.



"Hey, Gin, you mind if we sit here?" asked Neville, tentatively.



"No, go right ahead. How was your summer?" Ginny grinned, thankful for the distraction.



------



Ron and Hermione were of at the prefect meeting, leaving Harry alone again. That was perfectly alright with Harry at this point, though. He'd been on tenterhooks for weeks, waiting for Ginny to figure out what Tom had been about to say. He really didn't feel like being on the receiving end of her pity. He curled up in the corner of his compartment, ready to pass the time by dozing off, when the door opened, and he heard a familiar voice.



"Hello, Harry!"



Harry sat up, stunned. "Professor Lupin? What are you doing here?"



Remus Lupin smiled. "It seems that Albus had a harder time than usual finding a Defense teacher, so he offered the job to me again. I'm still not quite sure how he pulled it, but somehow he even got it okay'd by the ministry. So, how have you been? You've been rather reclusive as of late."



Harry tried to grin at the werewolf, but couldn't quite manage it. "Ok, I guess. I just haven't felt like dealing with people. And besides, if I stayed in my room, I didn't risk running into Ron and Hermione snogging." At this, he managed a grin, and leaned over to whisper conspiratorially. "It's rather scary watching them. I keep wondering if one of them is going to pass out from a lack of air."



Remus let out a snort at this. "Well, I was hoping to catch a quick nap before we get there. You don't mind, do you?"



"Nah, I was actually thinking of sleeping myself. Maybe I'll manage to keep out of trouble that way." the young Gryffindor jokes with an impish smile.



"You do that then "muttered the werewolf as he dozed off.

------



"So, what's up with you and Ginny?" Neville asked as he dug through his trunk for his pyjamas



Harry looked up from where he was lounging on his bed. "Wait, what? Where'd that come from?"



"Oh, I sat with her on the train. Every time your name came up, she blushed and got quiet. I think she fancies you, really."



"Nah, we just got into a bit of a disagreement. Haven't been talking much since then. You know how it goes." He shrugged, and laid back again. "Well, I think I'm off to bed, it's been a long day. G'night."



"G'night, Harry," came the response.



------



"So, we're going to need two chasers and two beaters this year. So, I guess if we have tryouts on the 7th, and we can start practicing..." Harry tuned his friend out. He'd heard this talk almost daily since Ron had learned that the was to be the captain of the quidditch team. At this point, he could almost recite it word for word.

"..You listening, Harry?" the red-head frowned. He hated to see his best mate tune out like that.



Before he could respond, a flurry of owls entered the great hall, dropping off the days mail. Harry looked up just in time to see a familiar owl drop a letter. Catching it before it landed in his cereal, Harry frowned. What the hell is he doing, writing to me here of all places?



"Hey, Harry, who's that from?" Hermione bent over, looking ready to snatch the letter out of Harry's hands.



"No one in particular" he said, stuffing the letter into his bag. "So, Defense first?"



---



Defense Against the Dark Arts was particularly enjoyable, despite being with Slytherin. Professor Lupin had decided that it was high time that the students of Hogwarts learned to duel properly. So, wary of the disaster that was Lockhart's dueling club, Lupin set out to teach his students the basics of dueling behaviour, before setting the students to practice. As he left the classroom, Harry felt better than he had in weeks. While he was cooped up at Grimmauld place, he didn't have much of an opportunity to work off his pent-up energy, and dueling gave him a change to let off some steam. After a quick lunch, Harry ran up to Gryffindor tower to avoid listening to Ron's quidditch tryout speech again, under the pretense of getting his Care of Magical Creatures text.



Once he was in his dorm room, he decided it was time to see why Tom was writing.



Dear Harry,



Are you still mad at me? I'm sorry I went off like that, I really am. I didn't mean to mention anything in front of your friend... Ginny, was it?

I know you're probably giving me a lecture on the risk of writing to you, but I had to talk to you. It's been incredibly dull here with no one to talk to but these idiots. I figure that Jasper can get in and out without drawing too much attention, but if you're still nervous, I'm sure I can find other means of contacting you.

Oh, so, my big news! Guess what? I'm in Hogsmeade! Next Hogsmeade weekend, you'll have to come by and see the "handsome new bloke at Honeydukes" (not my words- some nice witches happened to speak a little too loudly). Yeah, I get to serve the little kids, but at least it's something to do. No one ever mentioned that my chosen occupation is incredibly boring, you know. I swear, there'd be less of us if people knew how incredibly dull it was.



Regards,

Your Friend



PS: Share the latter half of this with your friend. The last thing I need is for her to freak out in the middle of Hogsmeade.



Upon reading the letter, Harry nearly burst out laughing. Indeed, Tom must have been bored to consider coming out to Hogsmeade- and to actually get a job there? It was mind boggling. Still grinning like an idiot, Harry grabbed a quill and a bit of parchment and penned a reply.



Dear Tom,



Yeah, we're good. I haven't talked to Ginny much, though- she's still trying to figure out what you were talking about, and I really don't feel like answering her questions. And I think alternate means of communication might be better- although, are those involved in the other means of communication aware of the circumstances? If not, you may want to clue them in.

I'll tell Ginny about the new job before dinner. Hope it's more entertaining than your last gig- you sound like you need a bit of a change.

I'll see you on the next Hogsmeade weekend, then? Try to stay out of trouble until then. I'll write to you later- I've got class soon.



Cheers,

Harry



Reading it over, Harry decided that it sounded fine. As soon as the ink had dried, he rolled up the parchment and rushed off to the owlry, hoping to get the letter sent off with enough time to get to Care of Magical Creatures.



------



It took two days for him to hear back from Tom. After potions (during which Snape was unusually subdued, not having taken any points from Gryffindor during the entire lesson), Harry was asked to stay behind for a minute by the potions master. Staying in his seat, Harry watched as Severus paced across the floor, becoming more and more agitated, before stopping in front of the younger man.



"What kind of game are you playing?" asked the professor, eyes on fire.



"I'm not sure what you mean, sir." Came the response.



"I know you can't be that dense. Writing letters back and forth to... him! What on earth has gotten into you? Don't you realize how dangerous this is? Whatever possessed you to do such a thing?" Severus was just about screaming at this point.



"Sir, I didn't mean for anything like this to happen! I was just frustrated... you know, his Occlumency shields have a habit of breaking when he's-" Harry stopped, blushing.



"When he's what? What is it Potter?"



"Erm, well when he's... you know.. being intimate..." the Gryffindor murmured, turning bright red.



"When he's.. oh!" The Potion's Master went deathly white, realizing what Harry must have seen. "Well, then, that's..erm, a little different." He paused, took a few deep breaths, and seemed to regain his composure. "That doesn't explain why you seem to be friends with him."



"I'm not exactly sure how that happened, actually. It started off as just trading insults, then we started venting to each other, and then he saw a few things happen, and got really protective, and now, I have no idea what's going on." Harry sighed. "Trust me, you aren't the only one who's confused."



"So, you feel the best way to go about it is to trust the Dark-Fucking-Lord? Are you out of your mind?"



"I trust him about as much as I trust anyone else. At least, with him, I know who he is, and what he's done. As far as I can tell, he has lead me around with a trail of bullshit, unlike some other wizards I know." Harry stood up. "Look, professor, I know that this seems stupid, and reckless, and just plain idiotic. If you'll excuse me, I have better things to do than listen to you regurgitate what I already know, sir." At that, Harry stormed out of the room. Bloody greasy git, thinks I'm a fucking idiot.



------



At dinner, Harry sat and picked at his food. He was still pissed off at Snape for treating him like an idiot. I can take care of myself! I've done so for 16 years, after all. Harry snorted as he poked his mashed potatoes.



"Hey Harry, what's wrong? Is everything alright?" Hermione asked, leaning over to her friend.



"It's fine. I'm just tired. I'm think I'm going to head up to the tower now." Harry got up to leave.



"Alright. If you want to talk about anything, I'll be up in a bit, ok?" Hermione said, biting her lip.



"I'll be fine, 'Mione. Just not used to dealing with Slytherins, is all. I'll see you at breakfast." He grinned at her, and left the great hall.



He was half way up to the tower when a voice behind him called out, "Mr. Potter, a word, if you would?" Harry turned around to see his potions professor, a sneer firmly on his lips. Rolling his eyes, he followed the man to the nearest empty classroom, which the professor first locked and then warded.



"I was asked to pass this on to you. I hope, for your sake, that you know what you are getting into." Snape sneered, but couldn't hide the worry in his eyes.



"I'm sure I'll be fine, sir. By the way, you wouldn't happen to know the date of the first Hogsmeade visit, would you?" Harry asked, keeping his voice as neutral as he could.



Severus raised his eyebrow. "I believe it will be on the 14th. I assume I do not want to know why you are asking?"



"Well, sir, you probably don't but I'm sure you'll find out soon enough anyways. Now, if there isn't anything else..?"



"You're dismissed, Potter. I'm sick of looking at you." the Potions Master scowled. Bloody Gryffindors with more guts than bloody brains. Idiots, the whole lot of them.



------



"What!?" Ron screeched across the common room.

"I told you, I'm not playing quidditch this year. Lifetime ban, remember? I'll help you train, if you want, but I can't actually play." Harry responded coolly. He'd been over this with Ron at least a dozen times, with the red-head brushing him off each time in his excitement. It seemed that it had finally hit him.

"But we need you! Honestly, without you, we're toast!"

"No, you're not. Ginny's a fine seeker. And I said I'll help you practice and everything. It will be fine- all this means is you're going to have to work for the cup this year." With that, Harry turned to his potion's text, where he was reading about appearance altering potions.



"While the most well known appearance altering potion, the polyjuice potion, allows one to take on the form of another individual, other potions, such as the abeovulto potion, allows one to take on the appearance of a whole new person, by subtly altering facial features, such as eye colour and bone structure, as well as altering hair colour and length..."



Harry looked up in time to see a pissed of Ron storm up into their room, leaving the rest of the Gryffindors assembled in the common room stunned.



Ginny, who was sitting by the fireplace, turned to Harry. "Well, I guess we're going to have to train our asses off this year." She grinned, and stood up.



"Hey, Harry, do you have a minute? I've been meaning to talk to you."



"Yeah, I guess. We've still got some time before curfew. Outside?"



"Sure, that sounds good." The two headed towards the portrait hole, ignoring the rude sounds made by certain male classmates.



Once they were outside, Ginny turned to Harry.



"So, why have you been avoiding me? You've barely stopped to say two words to me since August, and even then, it was only to tell me that your friend is working in Hogsmeade. What's going on?"



"Look, last summer was... complicated. A lot of stuff happened, and I really don't want to talk about most of it. I really don't want to have to answer questions about what happened, and I know you're planning on asking." Harry slumped against the wall. "I haven't been trying to hurt you, or anything, Gin, you're my friend. I'm just frustrated by everything that's going on. I guess trying to isolate myself hasn't been that good of an idea, has it?" Harry smiled. "So, how's life been treating my surrogate baby sister?"



"Baby sister, is that all I am to you?" Ginny asked with mock outrage. Harry nodded solemnly. Ginny poked him in the side, and then leaned back against the wall beside him.



"Your baby sister has been bored. Hermione used to be the only girl around who wasn't a complete ditz- and now she's going out with Ronnikins, and I can hardly get two words out of her. So, I've been stuck with the ditz squad in there. Really, it's been dull." Ginny sighed, and slid down the wall, so that she was sitting and hugging her knees. After a moment, Harry slid down to sit beside her. "And of course, there's the blokes. Really, don't you ever get the urge to slap some sense into them? Maybe tell Seamus and Dean to stop pretending that they aren't dating, and shove Neville and Luna into the room of requirement together until one of them asks the other out? It's irritating, that's what it is. And the blokes in my year- they don't even bear mentioning. I mean, they're all just gross! Really, you're the only guy in Gryffindor worth looking at- it's too bad you're gay."



Harry sputtered at that. "I am not gay! Dammit, why do people keep saying that?"



Ginny thought for a minute. "Well, it could have something to do with the fact that you were totally checking out your friend there at the Leaky Cauldron. Or the fact that I found a rather interesting book not quite tucked under your mattress." The girl grinned evilly as she jumped up and ducked Harry's outstretched hands.



"What the hell were you looking under my mattress for?" Harry yelled, grabbing again at his red-haired friend.



"I was bored. If you think that's bad, you should see what Ron has under his!" Ginny squealed, as Harry caught her and started tickling her mercilessly.



"Oh, god, I'm afraid to ask. Please don't tell me. I'm sure I don't want to know." Harry stopped, out of breath. He'd missed just goofing off, and spending time with Ginny just reminded him of all he had missed over the last few months.



"Hey, misery loves company, and since I'm scarred for life, you should be too." Ginny panted. "He has photographs of Hermione. Taken at Grimmauld Place. In various locations."



Harry froze, a shocked look on his face. "Oh. Alright then. Since we're sharing our scarring incidents in life, you want to hear what provoked me to write that first letter?" He leaned over to whisper in the younger girl's ear.



The look on Ginny's face was priceless.



------



It was the first Hogsmeade weekend, and Harry was excited to say the least. He didn't want to admit it, but the prospect of seeing Tom again was exhilarating. No carefully coded letters, no glares from Snape, and no worries about the old coot finding out and putting a stop to this- for Harry's own good, of course.



Yes, Harry was ecstatic. That was, of course, until he tried to leave.



"I'm sorry, Mr. Potter, but your form is no longer valid." Professor McGonagall looked at Harry, lips pinched.



"What? But, Sirius signed-"



"That's the problem. Unfortunately, the form is legally no longer valid. I'm sorry, Mr. Potter, I truly am, but I can't let you go. Maybe we can find a way in time for the next trip."



Ginny grabbed Harry's arm. "Damn, Harry, I'm sorry. You want me to take a message down, or..?"



Harry turned to Ginny, and pulled her aside. "Go to Honeydukes, and tell him to head to the cellar. I'll be there as soon as I can." Wide-eyed, Ginny nodded.



"Be careful, Harry."



"I will, Gin. Don't worry about me. Go on, now, have fun. I'll be fine." Harry grinned at his surrogate sister.



Nodding to her, he made his way up to the tower, where he grabbed his cloak and the marauder's map. With a quick check of the map, he was on his way to the one-eyed crone.



------



Tom was pacing the cellar. Where is he? Did he get caught? He was about to go back up and ask Ginny if she was sure that Harry was coming when he heard a noise in the dark.



"Harry? Is that you?" He asked tentatively.



"No, Tom, it's some other sixth year who decided to take the secret passage to Honeydukes." Harry shook his head, before realizing that he was still under the invisibility cloak, which he pulled off and tucked away in his pocket.



"So, think you could give us a bit of light, there, Tom?"



"Oh, right. Sorry about that." Tom grinned sheepishly. Inside, he could hear a voice screaming, What is wrong with you? You're a bloody Dark Lord for Merlin's sake! You aren't supposed to fall apart whenever you run across a pretty face! Shaking his head, he turned to the younger man and grinned. "So, the beacon of all that is light, good, and cute and fluffy, sneaking out of school? Tsk, tsk. I think someone's been a bad influence on you."



Sitting down on a crate, Harry grinned back. "Yep, and you can't even claim credit for this one. I learned about this particular passageway from Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs."



"Wormtail, as in that bloody rat?" asked Tom, flopping down beside the young man.



"Unfortunately."



The two men fell silent, unsure of what to say next.



It was Harry who broke the silence first.



"So, I'm just wondering, and you don't have to answer this, but what exactly was that between you and Snape?"



Tom blushed. "Honestly? The result of too much firewhiskey. From what I remember of that night, we were both sitting around, bitching about how long it's been since either of us had gotten laid, when one of us pointed out that we were both single, horny, and gay, so why not?"



Harry snorted. "And you were bugging me about my sex life. Bloody wanker."



"Hey, I may be a wanker, but I still get laid more than you. And I'm fucking reviled." Tom replied, pretending to be hurt.



"Yeah, yeah, everyone gets laid more than poor Harry. Rub it in, why don't ya?"



"So, why aren't you dating that Ginny girl, then? You two seem close."



"That's the bloody problem. She's like my baby sister. Although, she'd be happy to set me up with someone- she already has everyone else in my dorm paired up."



Tom chuckled at this. "And who do you think she'd set you up with?"



Harry rolled his eyes. "God only knows. I'm afraid to ask. I love her, truly, but I'm not giving her another excuse to meddle in my love life. You know that she decided to check under my mattress, to see what kind of porn I keep? Of course, she managed to find your birthday present to me- which I do love, by the way, don't get me wrong- but now she's off trying to find a nice guy for me, which is just not a good idea in a place like Hogwarts. I really don't feel like finding myself on the cover of the Daily Prophet should the wrong people find out."



"Ah, yes, I forgot about your loving fan base. So, if you didn't have to worry about the idiots of the world, who would you be with?"



"Honestly, I have no idea. I've actually been avoiding this subject, for obvious reasons. It would have to be someone who's honest with me. Someone who doesn't see "the boy who bloody well won't die". Someone who doesn't push me to do whatever the public at large wants of me. Other than that, I don't really care." Harry sighed, and leaned back onto the stack of crates behind him. "Well, no you know what I want. What about you?"



Tom looked over at Harry, and then looked down at his feet. "That's tough. Right now, I'd say someone who made me fight for them. Someone who didn't want to fuck me because they might get a bit of power out of it. Someone who cares for me, not someone who's afraid of what I might do. Unfortunately, I think I bollixed that one up proper. It's fucking depressing sometimes, you know? I swear, it's like I spent years walking though a fog. Looking back now, I just want to go back in time and kick my own arse. I feel like everything I went through since I was 15 or so happened to someone else, and I just happened to go along for the ride. And that part of me- the part that wanted power, that wanted to rule the world, that wanted to hurt you- started to die around the time I got my body back. I just want to be Tom Riddle, damn it! Not some fucked up Dark Lord, just an average guy." Tom sighed.



"Sorry about that. I didn't mean to rant at you, I'm just frustrated. I'm really not sure what to do. I have to keep this Dark Lord persona around, or else the nutters like Bellatrix would run rampant. You remember how you wrote in that one letter that you thought that there was a god, and he likes to watch you suffer? Well, that's how I've felt for the past year." The older man leaned back against the crates and closed his eyes. Fuck, I didn't mean to say all that. I probably scared him away. I wouldn't blame him if he suddenly realized that he had to leave. After all, no one wants to deal with someone who's as fucked up as me, even if he believes me, which he probably doesn't... He stopped his internal monologue when he felt a hand on his arm. Looking over, he saw that Harry had turned to face him. Vibrant green eyes met pale blue. Harry reached around Tom with his free arm and pulled him close.



"It's ok, Tom. I'm here for you, and I'll be here for you when you need me."



With that, Tom Marvolo Riddle did something he hadn't done since he was 15. He cried.