Tom woke up in the morning with a headache.
For some moments he was confused, but the memory of the discovery of night before came back rushing into his mind.
He immediately groaned and flopped back into his bed. 'What to do?'
'I'm going to talk to him.'
Early morning mind doesn't overthink. Sleepy mind, simple solutions.
With that, he got ready to meet Harry. It was 5.45 in the morning, so very, very few people were awake.
He once again stood in front of Harry's quarters door. Pacing. 'I'm mad. Definitely. Going to confront the Dark Lord alone.'
He knocked.
The door opened on its own. He went inside. Harry wasn't seated in the classroom.
Tom went to the office. Harry wasn't there either.
'He knows. He's giving me a chance to run away. To behave as this never happened.'
Taking a deep breath, he went to the living room.
Harry was lounging on a single seat couch in front of the fireplace. It looked more like a throne than a couch. Harry looked more like a Dark Lord than Harry. His green eyes were watching Tom's every move.
Tom stood frozen at the doorway.
"Take a seat Tom."
It was a command. Not a request. Tom took the offered seat. He understood he was speaking to the Dark Lord, not Harry.
"So you've decided not to tell anyone about me?" His tone was neutral, like his expression.
"No."
"Do you want to?"
Did he want to? "No."
The Dark Lord smiled. Tom could see a bit of Harry in him.
"Good."
"Would you've killed me if I did? Told someone. "
"No. But if you had fought against me, I would have."
Tom nodded. It hurt, but he understood why. The Dark Lord had the responsibility of the lives of his Reapers. Of course, he would eliminate a threat as soon as possible.
"Tom, I understand that you are surprised by yesterday's revelation. But I need an answer. Are you willing to keep my identity a secret? Are you willing to join my side? I did not tell you any of this before because I was contemplating whether to trust you with this information or not. Yet, here we are now. So tell me Tom Riddle, will you join my side. Pledge yourself to me?"
Tom was frozen in his seat. He knew that this would come. Join the Dark Lord or be killed. He looked at the man in front of him.
The Dark Lord was staring at him indifferently.
Tom would've appreciated a bit of emotions, to make the decision easy. Whether Harry genuinely wanted him or not.
"Can I- Can I ask you something? Please?"
The Dark Lord nodded.
"This courtship. Did you offer it because you wanted me to join your side or..?" He trailed.
The man looked more serious now.
"I offered the courtship because I like you Tom. But I'm a Dark Lord. The villain in everyone's story. I can't let my adoration for someone come in between my responsibilities. Especially when that said someone is against me. If you reject my offer, we will part our ways. I'll not kill you. But if you stand against me, I'll not hesitate."
Tom took a deep breath.
"And what if I join?"
"I'll protect you with everything I am. I'll cherish you. Love you. Accept you. You'll be the Prince in my empire. But only if you accept me as I am. Also remember, if you accept, you'll in constant danger. My enemies will want to hurt to get me. Or just for vengeance. Life as my partner will not be like a walk in a park. Also, understand Tom, I'm not a good man. There are parts of me which will disgust you. Frighten you. Hurt you. Remeber, if you accept me now, I'll never let you go. "
Tom understood that Harry wanted him to choose wisely. He was being honest with him. Tom knew that there will be difficulties if he accepts this offer.
He looked at Harry. They both wanted acceptance. For who they were. The idea was tempting. So very tempting.
Taking a breath, he said, earnestly, "I'll join you. And I don't mind you being a Dark Lord. I promise I'll help you with everything I can."
Harry smiled at him. He accepted Tom.
"Thank you."
They smiled at each other. Both of them were relieved that they had each other.
Harry then took a serious look on his face and said, "You have to take an Unbreakable Vow, Tom. To never reveal my identity or anyone associated with my Dark Lord persona to anyone, directly or indirectly, without my permission. To never reveal any of my secrets."
"I'll take it."
Nodding, Harry went to the fireplace and threw the floo powder in it. There was a ward around the fireplace to block the sounds and to prohibit anyone from crossing the wards without his permission.
Harry talked with someone for a few seconds and returned back to his seat.
A moment later, the fireplace roared and a figure emerged from it.
Draco Malfoy.
With a bow, the Malfoy Heir said,
"Good morning, my Lord."
"Good morning, Draco."
Turning towards him, Harry beckoned Tom to stand beside him.
The Slytherin did as he was told.
"Tom, this is Draco Malfoy and Draco, meet Tom Riddle."
Both nodded respectfully to each other.
Harry then explained to Draco about the Unbreakable Vow.
After he finished taking the vow, Draco bowed respectfully and went back, saying, "My Lord."
Both Harry and Tom were left alone in the room.
Harry startled Tom by holding his hands in his and then kissed his knuckles on both the hands.
Looking at him in his eyes, he said sincerely, "Thank you, Tom. I promise that you'll never regret this choice."
Tom was sure he was a blushing mess, but said, smiling, "And thank you Harry for accepting me."
It meant a lot to him. Tom never had met anyone in his life who accepted him. All of him.
They stayed like that for some time.
Then, Harry guided them towards a couch (it was bigger than the one he was sitting on previously) and sat down side-by-side.
Unfortunately, he let go of Tom's hands and addressed another pressing matter.
"Tom, we have some important things to talk about."
The Slytherin sighed, knowing what was coming, "The Inheritance Test thing?"
"Yes. It's a really important matter Tom. The test shows us our family line, relatives, our parents and whether they are alive or not."
Tom looked down. It was a sensitive topic for him. Family. After coming here to Hogwarts, he lost his last hope at having a family, when he got to know that there is no one named 'Riddle' in the Wizarding World. But now here he was, 17 years old, being told that he may have some family members here. A chance at family.
It seemed that Harry somehow knew what he was thinking and said, "Hey. It's alright Tom. If the tests show that you do have a family, no one is going to force you to stay with them. And remember, I'll always be there for you. You can even stay with me at my manor, this summer. No one will force you to do anything you don't like Tom. I promise you. "
Tom felt tears gathering in his eyes at Harry's declaration. No one had ever said those words to him. No one ever looked out for him.
He felt himself being pulled by Harry in the Professor's arm. He laid his head on the taller man's chest. He, for the first time, felt safe. Accepted.