All I Ever Wanted Was the World

chapter 26

Harry was looking out the window, and, to Tom, he was the picture of heroism in the light of the rising sun.
The beams of light surrounded his figure and he looked almost godly, as if the gods themselves had sent him to fix what was broken.
That would be Tom Riddle turned Voldemort.

He began to wonder in the few minutes they had left about the boy in front of him.

Tom's eyes lingered on his silhouette, and he came to the realization that this boy had been doing this for years.
Harry had told him all about what had happened before, what had happened in the Chamber of Secrets and the death of Dumbledore.
Though Harry hadn't completely told him everything, Tom could only assume.

Voldemort had been bested by a mere babe and an eleven year old, both of them being Harry Potter himself. It was terribly sad, but Voldemort was not the same as before, according to the boy. He was full of anger now and restless, and he was tired of facing defeat. He was back with a vengeance and would not rest until Harry was dead.
Harry had looked at him then, his eyes downcast yet full of loss and grief, as if he'd already experienced war itself.

Tom was astounded and he wasn't sure he could ever tell that to Harry.
Tom was skilled in defense against the dark arts and heavily knowledgeable in the dark arts itself, but that was because he applied himself because he wanted to excel...but Harry?
Was he ever really given a choice ?

"Then lets go." Tom agreed, and he watched as Harry mounted the broom with ease.
He followed suit and was behind him, his arms draped across the Boy-who-lived's waist.
He placed his chin on Harry's shoulder, sighing.

He had planned for the Leaky Cauldron to last a little longer, but he supposed it was better to leave now than ever.
"Where to?" Harry asked, and the two began to fly out the window as they ducked to avoid hitting their heads against the wall.
"Fly to the outskirts of the Diagon, from there I will apparate us."
Tom said, and he could hear the sharp inhale Harry took.

The wind was sharp and stung their cheeks. Harry's hair whipped around his head in a frenzy as they rose high, higher above the buildings and farther away.
Tom cast a warming charm on the two as they got away from bringing destruction to the one place he had loved to see before he went to Hogwarts.

They landed outside the major city and got off of the broom.
Harry sighed and he ran a hand through his growing, unruly hair.
"Where are we going?"
He asked as Tom looked to the sky.
"I'm not sure."
He admitted.
"I just know we have to run. I would have made six horcruxes in this timeline, one of them being his snake."

"His snake?" Harry asked in shock, his mind thinking about the large scaly monster that had plagued his mind.
"Precisely. I...do not know how we could possibly get it though."
Tom said slowly, and he finally turned to look at Harry with an unreadable expression.
"We will get it." The boy confirmed, stubborn in his will that they would succeed.
Fleetingly, he thought about his own death and what it could mean.
"We will..." he repeated, and Tom walked over to him, offering his elbow.
"Lets go... I suppose we shall go to at least some place calm."
His eyes were misted over as he looked blankly at the sky once more.
He seemed to be reminiscing.

Harry winced and clutched at his hand, the once ebbing pain now returning.
He supposed Voldemort found out about the other horcrux.

Tom, now alert of what was happening, looked at him with concern.

Harry interlocked their arms and, ignoring the growing pain, held onto the broom tightly in his grip as the world began to spin around them.

They landed in a forest and Harry stumbled forward before Tom caught him in his arms.
He righted the boy and set him in front of him, gently placing his larger hands on Harry's cheeks.
His thumb grazed the skin before his fingers ran over the groove of his scar. His brown eyes studied Harry for a moment and skimmed his face to read his expression.