Son of a Lord

Tom Riddle's good news

"Theo-" 

"He hates me," Theo whispered thickly. "They all do." 

Harry frowned, "What?" 

"Dad and Uncle Sirius and Mum," the boy said, raising his gaze to meet Harry's, "They all hate me." 

"Theo, you've done nothing wrong," Harry said, "They don't hate you, they hate the magic we were using. Their grudge against Dark Magic is greater than their love for you. Don't you understand?" 

Theo's eyes darted around nervously, and Harry placed his hands on his brother's shoulders. 

"Listen to me. If they really loved you, if they actually cared, do you think they would've thrown you in here with me?" 

He paused, making it obvious that the question was anything if rhetorical. 

"No," Theo whispered, barely audible. 

"Say it again." 

Theo hesitated, before his head lifted and he breathed in, "No," he said again, loud and firm. "They wouldn't." 

Harry nodded, "That's right. They don't care about you, none of them do, not really. The only person who cares now is me." 

As he said the words, he was only a little shocked to realise that they were true. He cared for the boy sitting in front of him, and he didn't want him to get hurt. There was only one person that Harry had cared for, and that was his Father, but now... 

Another name had been added to the list, and he wasn't quite sure how he felt about it, but as Theo surged forward, wrapping his arms around Harry tightly, he didn't have to think. He just hugged him back, albeit a little stiffly. 

"Thank you," Theo murmered, still holding on. 

Harry patted his back softly, letting go, "We're going to get out of here Theo," he said, "I promise. People are going to come for us." 

Theo's eyes widened, "You mean..." 

"Yes," Harry said, nodding ,"But you don't have to be afraid, I'm sure it'll be quick. In and out." 

Theo frowned, "Will he come."

Harry could certainly guess who he was. 

~~~~~~~~~~

It had been months since Tom Riddle had seen his son's face, and in the dim lighting in the study, he sat brooding as he did almost every evening. Books were piled on his desk, pages of notes strewn over texts and documents all having one thing in common. 

The wards surrounding Hogwarts. 

In every text he had studied, every book he had pored over, they all essentially had the same message. 

The wards surrounding Hogwarts were impenetrable. 

The Dark Lord sighed, shutting the book that lay open in front of him and leaning back on his chair. When he had heard that Harry had been taken to Hogwarts, he had immediately known how difficult the process was going to be to get him back. 

"Do we really need him my Lord?" Wormtail had said that first month when Riddle had every available Death Eater researching wards. "I only mean that... it seems like a lot of effort for one boy-" 

"Crucio." 

The man's screams had filled the room for a few minutes before the spell was cancelled. 

"Harry is more important to me than you will ever be," the Dark Lord hissed, standing over Wormtail, who had fallen to the floor and was whimpering pitifully. "Do you understand? You should be prepared to sacrifice your own life for his if it came to it." 

"Y-yes my Lord," Wormtail whispered, trembling from head to toe. 

"Crucio." 

Riddle was pulled out of his memory by a quick knock on his door. 

"Enter." 

Immediately, the door burst open and Lucius Malfoy barged inside, panting, still wearing his Ministry robes. 

"My Lord," he gasped, "I apologise for the intrusion, but something has happened. I came as soon as I heard." 

"Heard what?" Riddle asked, eyeing the dishevelled man who usually held such pride for his appearance. 

"It's your son, my Lord," Lucius said, "They've moved him to the Ministry holding cells." 

A wide smile came over the Dark Lord's face, and only one thought was running through his mind. 

'Harry wasn't in Hogwarts anymore.'

Notes:

Next chapter is the rescue mission... 

(Also can we just take a moment to appreciate Harry's big brother moment)