It's All Inside My Head

Back To Hogwarts

Harry was bored.

So, so bored.

It'd been two days since Voldemort had kidnapped him. He had tried a thousand times to pry open the door to the drawing room. He'd picked up a chair and threw it at the window, only to have it smack him in the face when it rebounded.

He supposed he could read some of the books stacked on the shelves...

But he didn't.

Most of them were in Latin anyway. He didn't know Latin. Hermione probably did.

Meals came at regular times every day. Appearing on the mahogany desk with a 'pop' like apparition. He scarfed down the food every time it came, if only for something to do. At night he slept on one of the sofas.

So very bored.

On the third day, the door opened.

Harry scrambled to his feet from where he's been picking at the carpet and grinned as Tom Riddle walked into the room, closing the door behind him.

"Tom!" he exclaimed, not sure what to do with himself.

Riddle's expression darkened, "Only call me that if you would like another two days in this room."

Harry shut his mouth.

"I trust you have come to a decision?" Riddle continued, sitting down on a chair and crossing one foot over the other.

Harry had. In the midst of the boredom, he had decided to join Voldemort.

That was something he never thought he would think. Ever. It didn't even seem right to put into words. The decision was too large, too important.

"I'll join you," Harry murmured, "I'll help you with whatever you need. You kept me safe in those months when Dumbledore didn't," he shrugged, "and I guess you're keeping me safe now. I'd rather this than Azkaban."

The had been a time when Harry would've welcomed Azkaban rather than join the Dark Lord. When he would've rather died. That time was long gone.

Riddle smirked, "Marvellous.  Consider me surprised Harry." 

"Yeah well, I've got nothing to lose have I?" Harry said, moving to sit in the chair opposite Riddle, "I don't want to go to Azkaban." 

Riddle chuckled, "So very interesting," he whispered. 

Harry sighed, leaning back on the chair, "So what now?" 

Riddle laughed, "I require confirmation. I need you to prove to me that you are loyal." 

Harry pursed his lips together, "What do I need to do?"

Riddle leant forward, "I need you to murder Hermione Granger." 

"What! No!" Harry exclaimed. 

He couldn't kill Hermione! She was his friend, she had stuck with him through everyth-

He supposed that sentence wasn't exactly true anymore. She had abandoned him when he needed her most. He thought back to the terror in her eyes two days ago. Fear towards Harry, who she believed to be a murderer, who she knew was a murderer. 

"She was the only person other than Dumbledore to know about Umbridge," Riddle said softly, "You wouldn't want her telling any more of your little Gryffindors."

Harry clutched the locket under his shirt, hoping it would console some of his anxiety. 

"You're right," he whispered, more to himself than anyone. "I'll do it." He looked at Voldemort and said again with renewed determination, "I'll do it."

"I will apparate you to Hogwarts tonight," Riddle said. 

Harry gaped at him, "Tonight?" 

"Would you rather wait?" 

Wait for Hermione to tell Ron, for Ron to tell Seamus, for Seamus to tell Dean. No. He couldn't wait. 

Harry shook his head in answer to Riddle's question. Riddle smirked and reached into his pocket. 

"Here," the boy said, handing Harry a wand. 

Harry's wand. 

Harry stared at it before grasping it tightly, "I didn't realise it was missing." 

"You are prepared I assume?" Riddle said. 

"I'm going now?"

Riddle nodded once and handed Harry a ring. It was black with some sort of rune carved into it. Harry slipped it on and grinned. "Usually you take me out to dinner first." 

Riddle sneered, "Say Hogwarts and it will take you to the castle. Say my name and it will bring you back here. I will not come to rescue you this time. If you die, you die." 

Harry gulped and stared at the boy. They were almost the same height, Harry slightly shorter. Tom's face was all dark eyes and proud cheekbones. He was quite handsome, if you went for murdering dark lords. 

"Go now," Riddle said. 

Harry paused, dread pooling in his stomach, "Hogwarts," he whispered. 

~~~~~~~~~~

Harry appeared in the Hallway where he had disappeared. He realised with a jolt that he was standing in front of Dumbledore's office. He quickly moved on, cursing the lack of his invisibility cloak. He walked the familiar hallways, being silent as to not wake the portraits, until he came to a stop before the fat lady. 

Harry cleared his throat and she opened one eye. 

"A little late for walking around don't you think?" she yawned. 

"Baubles," Harry whispered, and the fat lady opened the portrait. 

Harry walked inside, wincing when the door shut with a 'click' behind him. He crept into the common room and froze when he saw a familiar bushy head of hair sitting in front of the fire. He could hear her crying, he could see her shoulders shaking. 

He didn't care. 

"Silencio," he said, pointing his wand at her. 

As soon as the spell hit her back, Hermione turned around and froze when she saw Harry, her mouth opening in a silent scream. She leapt up and tried to run past him, but he grabbed her by the shoulders and pressed her into the wall, his wand at her neck. 

"If you try to run, I'll only kill you slower," he murmered. 

Hermione stared at him with horrified eyes. 

"Oh don't look at me like that," Harry said, "I'm only doing what my Lord instructs."

Harry grinned as Hermione's eyes widened in realisation. 

"That's right, while you lot have been ignoring me, Voldemort's been in my head!" he said, slightly hysteric. "But that doesn't matter now. What matters is that you saw me kill Umbridge." he paused, "Well, you saw her body." 

Hermione was crying again, tears falling down her face in streams. If she had been able to speak, she would've been sobbing. 

"Goodbye Hermione," Harry whispered close to her ear, he felt her shudder. "Avada Kedavra." 

A flash of green light, a thump as Hermione fell to the ground. Harry laughed slightly. He'd just killed someone. He'd killed his friend. He'd killed someone by his own will, not helped by Riddle at all. He felt...

He felt good. 

He felt powerful. 

"Tom Riddle," he whispered and disappeared.