Tom Riddle X Harry Potter

Chapter 43

Harry's POV-

"What did you do to them?" I asked, shouting at him. The old man smiled at me.
"Why would I tell you that?" He responded gleefully, "you really think I didn't have a back up plan?" The dark glint in his eye as bright as the morning sun. He was so smug, like everything was going exactly as he had planned. In contrast, tears were streaming down my face.
"What do you want from me?" I screamed, gripping the bars. They bent in my hands, but I didn't even realise.
"I want to win, Harry."
"Then fine, you fucking win! Just let me save them. I'll do whatever you want, I promise."
"Leave here, with me of course. Join me, publicly. You were under the imperius curse the whole time, a strong one. Everything you said and think that I did, well clearly that was them. How could your beloved headmaster do such a thing? Plus, Ginny is real intent on getting married. I think the saviour of the wizarding world shall do quite nicely. Plus, you look so much better in red and gold."
"You can't be serious."
"And, when it comes down to it, how willing would you be to kill that, what do you call him? Boyfriend of yours." All the air left my body. After everything he'd said, that was the final score. I couldn't breathe, couldn't even think of breathing. The shadows from the lamps were darker, Dumbledore's own seemed to loom. My blood ran cold. The only way to save their lives was to lose my own and kill my heart.
"No, please," I begged, practically on my knees.
"Do you want to save your family or not?"

His words rang in my head as I climbed the stairs. Save them. They're going to die. My father was going to die, for real this time. It wasn't like I could find him again. And I couldn't let Draco die, not after everything. Even if he hated me for it, at least he'd be alive. They'd both be alive. Even if I wasn't living.
"Harry!" I heard shouted as arms wrapped around me, pulling me close.
"It'll be okay, love, I promise," the voice said. It was Tom. Tom who was always there for me. Tom who I was going to leave. I could cross the bridge of having to kill him at a later date.
"Dumbledore has a deal," I muttered, holding him close.
"What?"
"Dumbledore. He said I could save them. He'd let me save them."
"At what cost?"
"My life. I'd go back to Harry Potter, the boy who lived. Have my life planned, my friends told to me, my wife even."
"No, Harry, we can't trust him. How can we trust anything he says?"
"I have to try. They have to live. Even if I can't. No second chances this time."
"Harry-"
"Please. Just let me."
"You're so damn self-sacrificing. Why couldn't you just be selfish like anyone else?"
"Not how I was raised."
"You weren't raised at all because of him!"
"And I won't let him take any more lives!" Tom was silent for a moment. I didn't know what to do, so I just held him and buried my face into the crook of his neck. He kissed the top of my head as my tears stained his collar.
"Let me be selfish. Please, just let me be selfish. Think it over, one night. We can discuss it in the morning with everyone, okay? Narcissa's looking after them. I can call Minerva and ask her to get Madame Pomfrey and she's a literal miracle worker. Let's try to find another solution."
My mind was made up. But this I could do for Tom. One last night next to my soulmate. Couldn't I at least be that selfish?