Lemniscate

Six

Spring has a way of calming people, I've found. Draco seems much more mellow than before, and Dion has taken to laying in bed, reading on the weekends. Neil is also rather calm, and is overall a sweet person, especially for a Death Eater to be.
I don't mind the calm, though. It gives me a chance to accomplish things without interference.
Severus has already allowed me access to his potions storage, and the case for Sirius is going well. Sev is now my legal magical guardian (which the goblins were happy to do under Dumbledore's nose).

Aside from this, I've been thinking of endless ways to approach Tom (which will happen in a few days). I desperately want to just walk up to him, but that would be too easy. No, he'll likely see me as an enemy, and I don't want that.
And so, I'll have to gain his trust, somehow. A daring plan begins to take form, and I know, suddenly, what I'm going to do.

Quirrell is looking at the mirror when he notices me.
"Ah, Harry Potter. I did not expect you to be here."
"Sadly, I can't say that this is the same for me, sir," I bow my head slightly, in way of a traditional Death Eater greeting. The man's eyes widen slightly, as Tom commands him to let him see me.
Tom looks... gruesome, to say the least. However, I'm sure that he'll look better after getting a body of his own. I bow my head to him, as well.
"Tom," I say smoothly, "Lord of Darkness. I have a way to return you to your former glory."
Tom's eyes narrow, "And why would you want to do that?"
"The man that the wizarding world believes to be a savior is a fraud. I want him gone, as well as the corrupt system of government that we have now," I sigh, "Things just haven't been the same since you went bad, however, and so I have a few requests. We'll talk about them after you regain your body, though, and you can pick and choose between them."
He seems to ponder for a moment, "You don't seem to be lying..." after a few more seconds, he nods. I smirk, waving him aside from the mirror. An image forms in my mind of taking the stone, hiding it away so nobody will find it. I leave no room in my mind for the thought of what I'm actually going to do with it. As before, the stone falls into my pocket.
I take it out, causing Tom to gasp slightly, but I'm not done. I take out the vial full of the clear liquid I made a few nights ago. A restoration potion, nothing special, but its effects will be extremely amplified with the elixir of life. I pour in as much as the bottle will hold, and swirl it around for exactly 25 seconds before handing it to Tom. He drinks.
For a moment, nothing happens. He starts to get angry, but then sees the soft glow coming from his torso. I don't want to describe the process of him separating from his host (it's rather gruesome), but when it's done, a perfect replica of the Riddle from the diary stands before me. He shivers, feeling his body, then realizes that he is completely naked, and that I'm looking at his chest, which is slightly scarred from what I recognize as whip marks. I hand him his wand (courtesy of being from the future) and he covers himself in dark green robes. I don't ask about the marks. I know how he must feel about them.
"To think that my once enemy Harry Potter has revived me..." he whispers, tears rolling down his cheeks. He looks so fragile in this moment that I have to walk over and hug him. He seems surprised by my show of affection, but gingerly hugs me back.
"Welcome back, Tom," I say, and, in this moment, all feels right.