"No... No... NO!" Harry banged his fists down on the sink, not daring to raise his head. He couldn't even look at himself in the eye. He had failed. Being so caught up in his selfish feelings for Tom turned out sour in the end. He had dropped his guard and forgotten about the reason he was here. Voldemort needed to be stopped, but this only felt like encouragement. Turning a cheek even when Tom was doing something suspicious. Missing dinners, supposedly studying. It was all a ruse.
Now Hagrid was the one paying for it. The boy had found out this morning, three days after the incident, after ten more muggleborns had been murdered, that Rubeus Hagrid had taken the fall for all the attacks. It was all Harry's fault.
Now that he'd ran away from all of his problems, refusing to confront Tom, too scared of his own feelings being hurt in the end. Harry was selfish. Because of that, he changed nothing.
Allowing his fingernails to dig deep in his scalp, he let out a helpless sob. Because even now, after all that happened he is too scared to talk to the boy. Riddle may not be very fond in his heart anymore, but he just frightened him. Harry couldn't feel anymore love in his heart. All he felt was pain, and the ominous ambiance that nothing will change.
Harry gritted his teeth, jaw tensing. Dumbledore sent him on this mission to save the future. To save the people Tom Riddle wronged. All Harry managed to complete was watch as the regular timeline set into motion. Only, it was set one year prior to how it happened originally.
Maybe time just couldn't be changed naturally. No, if Harry wanted anything to change he would have to do it the way he should've done it in the first place. The only question is, did he have the guts?
Tom has wronged him in the future. More than anyone else probably ever could've done. That doesn't change the fact that Tom here... Tom now... He doesn't even know any of the stuff he will do. He doesn't know any of the stuff he will become. Dumbledore sent Harry back to this year because this is the year before Tom completely lost control of any side of him that could be good.
Obviously Dumbledore was wrong. Tom was never good. Even after trying to convince him the good in muggleborns, the good in himself, he reverts back to how he was in the natural time. The only difference is that Harry was here to stop him. If only he had the strength.
Raising his head slightly, he let his tear struck eyes stare back at him. Studying every inch of his face, he saw a certain familiar sadness. Like when Cedric died, or Sirius, or Dumbledore. Tom Riddle has destroyed one other person in Harry's life that he cared about. He destroyed himself.
Taking the life of another. Harry deemed that as irreversible. There was no saving Tom. He fell back on his feet a little, standing up straight. Wiping away the tears he looked around where he was. Their bathroom. The countless times they've come in here to escape, just to be with each other. Harry needed to get out.
Returning to the hallways, he shook his head, taking in a deep breath to clear his sinuses. Harry wasn't the person for this job. He had too much emotional connection. That made it dangerous. He thought back to Dumbledore's letter, having every line memorized due to the countless sleepless nights. One line in particular had his attention. When you are ready to go home, you must breath directly onto the paper and the directions will reveal themselves to you.
Was he ready to go home? Not quite yet. But he only needed one day for this plan to work. As much as his mind, body and heart begged him not to, Harry must do what he most dreaded. He needs to finish the job another way. Gripping his wand in his robes, he headed towards the dorms, ready to pack himself up for the trip he's about to endure.
Dumbledore's words were precise. If Tom showed no signs of changing, Harry must end him. It was the only way.
Walking up the steps of the Slytherin stairs, Harry held his breath, entering his room. Looking around he could list all of things he would miss about this place on one hand. No part of being in this house settled nicely with him. As terribly as this sounded, he greatly missed Gryffindor. The oceans of red, the familiar faces, the welcoming atmosphere.
Heading towards his bed post, he sat down on the mattress, wiggling around to get one last feel of the place. He supposed if anything was good about this place, it was the mattress. Despite the freezing temperatures, the bed itself was quite comfortable. Nevertheless, he would be glad to part with it.
His eye locked onto the nightside table. His escape was in there. For the whole week he's avoided going in there. Before all this chaos, he strongly thought Tom was changing. Now, not so much. Gladly giving in, he reached towards the drawer, sliding it open. Smiling, he caught sight of the picture he found himself staring at when he's most feeling sad.
Mrs. Weasley was obsessed with this picture. It hung in every room of the Burrow. Harry only felt right by bringing his copy with him. Him, Ron, and Hermione were in their Gryffindor robes, about to go their separate ways after their third year ended. It was the last year Harry could honestly say he was happy. He assumed it was the same for everyone in Hogwarts. Everything went to shit after that year.
But this picture reminded Harry they could be happy again. Once the bad in the world was gone. Once Voldemort was gone. He ran his finger over his own face, studying the smile stitched into the picture. There were a few things that could honestly make him smile like that. Perhaps, Tom Riddle had been a part of that list at some point during the year.
Sighing, he folded the picture and place it in his robes. Next was his parents photograph, one that brought him comfort after many years of abuse with the Dursleys. He smiled, watching his parents dance in the photo. "I'll see you again." He whispered, fear that his voice would crack from his pain. There were undoubtedly more tears threatening to fall.
Repeating the process, he took the photo. His gaze fell back down to the drawer, rummaging through the pointless nick nacks in order to get to what he needed the most. But unfortunately, Harry Potter didn't find the only thing that could bring him home. His eyes widened, throwing things out of the drawer, falling to his knees to closely look through the space. The letter... It was gone.
Meanwhile...
Tom's eyes ran over the words one more time.
Harry Potter,
If you are reading this, I have died. And you are grieving. I am sorry to leave you with so little answers, and much more arising questions. You're probably wondering where the other horcruxes are, preparing yourself for the long crucibles ahead of you before your inevitable battle with Tom Riddle.
Without me, you are feeling hopeless, and inept. I know you are scared Harry, you need not fear any longer. Your journey with me is long but over. You see, my boy, I have been prepared in the case of these unfolding events. I have what muggles call, a scapegoat.
Look upon the wall, changed by magic, led to you by Fawkes. There are things in this world capable of many things, Harry. That wall is one of the most powerful objects known by not many wizards. It is called "flumen temporis", or the river of time.
Second year you encountered Tom Riddle, blinded by his hate and lack of morals. He is devoid of love, believing himself incapable. You know the story behind him making his horcruxes during his sixth and seventh year. Now that I am no longer present to aide your journey, we're going to need a different approach.
If he has ever been confused in his life, now would top everything else.
Tom Riddle will kill thousands, perhaps more. He's already taken everything from you, Harry. But when you meet him in this timeline, it will be different. You know he has done, and that will make it difficult to be near him, I understand. But you must remember, this Tom Riddle is different. He has not done any of the things that caused you to despise him. During this time, he is only a pitiful boy ashamed of his heritage, fooling every with his charm, confidence, and power.
In order to have anything in the future to change, to stop 'Lord Voldemort' from ever happening you have two options.
Tom's eyebrow furrowed. The rest of the letter was basically rubbish. But for some reason it made so much more sense. Harry, sent here to destroy Tom, or change him by introducing him to love, compassion.
He was perched on a chair in the library, scratching his head with a free hand. Harry lied about everything, then. He didn't care about Tom, or what happened to him. He was sent to deceive the boy, to show him a false love in order to halt any future potential the boy might possess.
Tom's mind fluttered back to their first interaction at the beginning of the year. Harry's utter anger towards Riddle, sputtering out information no one could possibly have known. Whatever Tom did to Harry must've caused the pure hatred he'd witnessed. But the only problem was, what did he do? He's never met the boy before. Hell, Harry went to Ilvormorny. No one here has ever met him.
He didn't even recognize the last name. Greyhorn. It wasn't a known last name, so his father must've been a no one. At least, that's all he could assume. But that was if Grehorn was even his real name.
Harry Potter. Potter was a moderately wealthy name. One of Fleamont Potter who had just left school recently one of the previous years. Him and Euphemia were Head Boy and Girl of Gryffindor. But what did that have to do with Harry?
None of this made a bit of sense to Tom. Where was the connection? In the rubbish about time travel? The 'flumen temporis'? Tom has never heard of such a thing, and he's researched nearly every piece of literature on time travel during his third year.
Regardless he couldn't comprehend if this was all some big joke or code. Nor did he understand the ultimatum. Harry either changes him successfully, or he's left with no other choice but to end Tom? Was Tom really so dangerous in the future?
To properly make sense of anything, he knew the only thing he could do was ask Harry himself. One thing he knew for sure, the boy was definitely planning something about Tom. That was why he was avoiding him, getting Lance to cover his whereabouts.
Tom has been fooled. And to think that he'd actually felt something remote to love... The word felt disgusting, as if poisoned in his mind. It was all deception and tricks.
If Harry thought he'd gotten away with it, he's gotten something else coming for him.