Chamber Change

Masks Down

The moment they stepped foot into Malfoy Manor and Tom saw they were alone he stopped masking his power, something he had decided to do when being examined by Healer Cuttlebrink to avoid problems. This resulted in alerting Lucius to his actual identity. The look on the man's face was priceless.

"How?!" Lucius stuttered in shock.

"He was in the diary you slipped Ginny," Harry answered simply. He honestly didn't care at this point if Tom was Voldemort or not, the bond had soothed his fears for the most part. On top of that the obvious care that Tom had given him made him realize part of what he had been missing. Harry wasn't willing to give that up.

"Another one of my knights, how convenient," Tom said with obvious amusement. Both adults watched as he carefully and protectively tucked Harry into his side before moving to sit on one of the couch-like objects. Bailey was presented to Harry so that he could occupy himself by petting the shrunken Basilisk while the others talked.

"I presume that for the moment we will be discussing less than pleasant business?" Severus asked warily as the two Death Eaters took their own seats.

"Harry is a part of that business and will be made aware of how important it is that he survives," Tom said with amusement. "I have no objection to you removing your son from the school and I have no idea what my older self had in the works or indeed the events that have passed since shortly after the death of Myrtle Warren. Her death was an accident but I saw no reason not to use it to my advantage. So I did. I only later realized that I had miscalculated what some of the side effects of the ritual would result in. This relates to Harry in that somehow he became a living version of what I and the diary I was trapped in were. I doubt my elder self is aware of this or the entire Dark Sect would have been fanatical about his protection."

Harry made a small noise of contentment as Bailey grumbled about curious hatchlings before complying with the coaxing to wrap around Harry's wrist.

"From what I concluded due to my earlier brief discussion in the chamber with Severus he has been in Dumbledore's hands the entire time and poorly treated to boot. I may have taken the deaging potion but my mind and memories are still 16 plus 50 years trapped in the diary. You see I took various precautions in protecting my life. Harry some how became an integral part of those protections. This allowed his blood to act as a sort of binder and supplement to what life force I was drawing from the redhead girl, effectively saving her life by completing my actions for me and giving me a new body. I suspect he earned a life debt from her in the process," Tom snickered. "Severus has the bond to me formed by Harry and the mark on his arm. Harry has his scar with its special properties and the bond that was formed in the chamber by his magic. I am not certain if Severus has any other bonds to Harry but the end result is that we are bound together very tightly. I suspect that it is so tight that my own safety net in regards to mortality has extended to them as well, or at least if they die so will I. I have absolutely no idea if this event has separated me from my elder self in these matters or not."

"Pardon my plainness of speech but... you were less than sane by the time you faced the Potters," Lucius informed him, braced for a crucio. Tom nodded agreeably and opted to somewhat explain.

"From what that little girl said of the stories told of my actions I had gathered as much. I suspect that the enhancement rituals I performed had a less than stable effect even if it was only the one which first helped create the diary. I will need to be brought back up to date and I will also have to explain my original plans as I suspect they were warped over the years. Should anyone discover my older self we would need to meet so that I can determine the damage and possibly acquire an updated version of my own memories. As it stands now the bond also prevents me from returning to that madness that so obviously consumed me so you need not worry. I cannot determine the condition and risk of my older self until we have met so approach him with caution," Tom said almost musingly. Harry had turned to playing with his fingers and petting Bailey at the same time, humming in quiet contentment. "I will also still hold all of you to the loyalty oaths that you swore but consider this. I am obviously sane and bonded to two powerful wizards who will maintain that sanity whereas my elder self will also enforce the loyalty oaths and is most likely to be completely mad from one thing or another. The oaths will recognize both of us so should you choose to obey my orders over his they are still considered valid and you are merely helping me heal a strange type of magical injury... a split of personality and self."