Braving the Past

Chapter 46: The Boy Who Lived...Again

Street Fight - Adam Jensen 

Because it's funny.

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Tom might've had a decent greeting for the young Harry Potter. He might've held out his hand to introduce himself properly. He might've expressed his interest in the fact that there was someone who would very much like to know he was alive. He might've even suggested they get a friendlier door greeter for future guests. Or he might've simply stood there dumbly for a moment to digest this new information.

As it was, there was only a small moment in which anything could have occurred. During that moment, Harry Potter's eyes happened to widen. His face happened to become a worrying shade of red. His hands happened to shake as they circled around Tom's neck and threw him to the ground.

Oh, right. Tom did stand there dumbly to digest the new information.

And that was why his back was currently on the rocky concrete walkway and shaking hands were choking the life out of him.

The sound returned to Tom's ears in time to hear the shouts, the gasps, and the angry screaming of a Mr. Harry Potter. They wrestled on the ground, twisting around every which way, and Tom was acquainted with many a fist in the face.

Harry shouted words unsuitable for many ears, spitting rage about this thing or that which he blamed Tom for. This life and that.

Tom had only just managed to wrench an arm free to get in a smack of his own when a normally quiet voice rang out with enough fury to stop both boys in their tracks.

"Harry Potter, you stop this right now!"

Two black haired heads swiveled to look at Luna, her hands clenched in fists at her sides. Tom took out his borrowed wand and blasted Harry back, sending him toppling over himself. He took this opportunity to stand, wand raised defensively.

In response, Molly and Severus both pointed their respective wands in Tom's direction while Harry picked himself up, body still trembling.

"You have some nerve coming here, Riddle," he spat.

Though incredibly surprised that this boy seemed to know exactly who he was, Tom did not let his composure slip. He decided to drop a little bomb of his own and see how the wizard liked it.

"Hermione told me I could trust you, but I'm beginning to think she was mistaken," he said, voice laced with venom. He wiped blood from his nose.

Harry's face immediately dropped, and his wand clattered to the ground. A sick look came about him, face ashen as if he had seen a ghost, and Tom was miffed that he no longer felt triumphant at his choice of words.

"Herm - Hermione?" he whispered. "She - she's alive?"

"He's lying," Severus insisted from the side.

"He's telling the truth," Luna defended. "I saw her myself, that's why we're here."

Tears were already falling from Harry's eyes and he crumpled to the ground, face scrunched in pain.

Tom stood taken aback, only now seeing with fresh eyes how tired Harry Potter was. How sunken from grief and war his eyes were. How pale and thin his skin was. Tom lowered his wand.

Molly knelt next to Harry and put her arm around his back. Her other hand trembled over her mouth, eyes shining with unshed tears of her own.

"If you would allow me inside, I could use your help in getting her back," Tom said, his voice still sounding harder than he wanted. "I would like to see her safe just as much as you."