Is Out the Right Way to Go?

by BEWD Sorcerer

Disclaimer: I own Harry Potter! Mwahahahahahahahahahaha-! gets shot Ok, maybe not…

:telepathic link speech:

"out loud speech, English"

'Parseltongue'

His feet barely hit the floor before I'm set down carefully and my mouth attacked. I think I could do this forever... if I didn't have to breath. It's completely ridiculous how addicting this is, but compared to Cho's sopping peck I'd be lying if I said this wasn't loads better. 'Course I doubt anything could be much better than being held close and kissed senseless by an attractive somebody that also just liberated me from my abusive relatives. I'm sad when he pulls away. Why couldn't we just continue? Oh, right, breathing. He's laughing at me now, clutching me tightly, but still chuckling. Bastard.

"What?" I growl, not liking being laughed at. Who does?

"I think we just scared someone a little too much :and you're adorable when you're like this:, that's all." He shifts back from being the Great Snake Bastard to being the sexy being known as Tom Riddle. His insanity must be affecting me because I did not just think that he's sexy. :Of course you did. I am sexy.:

:More like conceited.:

'Marvolo, Harry, please pay attention and quit getting lost in telepathic arguments. You scare people something awful when you both just zone out like that.' Tom just laughs some more after seeing his Death Eaters staring at him like he's insane. He is, don't get me wrong, but... now I'm talking to myself. Lovely.

:Yes, you are, but what are you thinking is lovely: I sigh as he scoops me into his arms.

:You. are. insane. and you're dragging me down the path with you.: He looks mildly offended. I know it's fake, but apparently others do not since they're cowering away from him.

:You are already insane and I'm not dragging you; I'm carrying you.: Letting my head thump against his chest, I scowl up at him through my bangs.

:Insane, utterly insane.: Tom sticks his tongue out at me. :And childish, too, not that I didn't know that already.:

:You're pretty childish yourself, shouting and throwing things in the Headmaster's office after the incident.: I look up, shocked.

:How do you know I - :

:We're connected, remember? I had just possessed you and our link was still wide open when you went berserk. Mind you, I wasn't very happy myself after being forced out of your mind by the pain of Dumbledore's spell. Had a wicked headache for days afterward because of it.: I nod slowly, then something clicks.

:Wait, Dumbledore's spell? What are you talking about? He didn't cast anything.: Smiling sadly, he leans down and kisses my nose.

:He didn't have to; it's been working for fourteen years.: I nod slowly. Dumbledore must have cast it when he retrieved me from my parents' house.

:Why doesn't it work now: He grins, spinning us around before answering.

:That, my fair maiden, is because I, your noble prince, found the threads of the spell and shredded them quite nicely. I'll also have to check you over to make sure you don't have anything that might damage your virtue.: I snort.

:Like my reputation: Grinning, he sets me down, stepping back to get a good look at me. His eyes glowing with power, even as they dilate.

:Nothing so silly as that. This might hurt a bit.: He reaches out and grabs what at first seems to be thin air before it shimmers into two strand of purple, one light and one dark. I barely register that everything else has come alive with pulsing color as he pulls the string taunt and snaps it, hurting for a fleeting moment like the plucking of a hair.

:It's beautiful, isn't it: I glance up, finally realizing the swirling, violent colors the world is infused with.

:This is all magic: He pulls me to him, tilting my head up to stare into my eyes. I cannot, however, really see his face, only color. There is something drawing my attention down, so I look, focusing on what must be his center, his magical core. It pulses softly, a blood red. It seems so warm, so I reach out to touch it, but meet a barrier. I feel a hand on my face, forcing me to look up again.

:Harry, you need to focus on the physical again.: I blink, trying to make sense of this, then focus on trying to see the flesh, not the magic. Blinking again my vision returns to what it usually is.

:That was - : He grins, leaning down to engage me in another round of tonsil hockey.

: - How the world looks with all the magic visible, yes. I wasn't sure if you'd be able to see it like I do, very few can.: Pulling away, he scoops me up into his arms again.

:That was amazing. Your eyes are the same color as your core.: I look up to see him grinning gleefully.

:Very few make that connection, but, yes, the reason my eyes are as bright and red is because of my core. The brighter a person's eyes are, the stronger their magic and color is also an indicator, but right now, it's time for lunch.: He sets me down in a chair as I look around at the dining room. I hadn't even noticed where we were going. He must be much more adept at this than I am since he got us here without any accidents, not that I'd have noticed, probably.

:What about my dreams: He looks up sharply and Nagini hisses, annoyed.

'If you're going to talk, talk aloud so you at least look more sane than responding to a mental conversation. At least in Parseltongue, others can tell you're speaking and not just doing things randomly.' Tom looks a tad sheepish as do I.

'Sorry, Nagi, we'll let you know what we're talking about.' He looks back over at me. 'What dreams?' I blink. What is he going on about? What dreams indeed.

'The dreams you keep sending me of torture and destruction-' Tom scowls darkly.

'I haven't send you any dreams except those that I used to lure you to the Department of Mysteries to retrieve the Prophesy. Those purple strands I shredded earlier were a nightmare spell and a locater spell that has to be active when the castor checks or it won't work.'

'Dumbledore has been sending me false visions? But what about that time Nagini attacked Arthur Weasley? He was in St. Mungo's because her venom wouldn't let the wound heal.' Tom and Nagini share a confused look.

'Harry? Nagi's a python, a constrictor; she doesn't have venom. She coils around her prey and crushes them before swallowing them whole.' I stare at them blankly. There is no way this is true. Did Arthur know that it wasn't really Voldemort's snake? Was it all a fabrication? What about Occlumency?

'Dumbledore insisted that I learn Occlumency-' Both he and Nagini look skeptical.

'Did it work very well?' I scowl at the memory of the lessons and humiliation.

'No, it was horrible. Snape just kept diving into my memories and I had to push him back out.' Tom is scowling now and Nagini just shakes her head.

'He was probably commanded to search for any Dark thoughts and to open your mind further to the old man's suggestions.' Tom nods at Nagini's idea and I sit there in shock.

'That conniving bastard!' Tom and Nagini look a little unnerved, but when Tom shifts me into his lap I don't protest because I realize the only way that things will ever be right again is if we take revenge on him and change the world in spite of him and everyone else who argues or doubts. 'Tom, we're taking over the world, yes?' He blinks at me, surprised by my sweet tone.

'Yes,' he starts slowly, watching me carefully and not just a bit suspicious, 'we're taking it over and changing it.' I smile reassuringly, only making him and Nagini more suspicious.

'You're not really on about Pureblood Supremacy, so how about if I help?' A wicked grin immediately greets my suggestion and once again I find myself under a most pleasurable assault. Nagini interrupts us.

'I thought you were going to opt out of the war?' I grin despondently at my new mum.

'I was unaware of Dumbledore's machinations. No one manipulates me without my permission.' Tom pouts at me and I resist the urge to roll my eyes.

'But then it wouldn't be manipulation.' I smack him lightly on the chest.

'If I'm told the complete truth from the beginning, then generally there is no need for super complicated plots and possible leaks like this one. He probably expected me to never have a decent conversation with any Dark wizards and I don't know much about snakes because of my status as a Gryffindor, they're not exactly supportive about any connection to Slytherins. Even I, Dumbledork's Golden Boy, was not exempt in my second year just because I could speak to snakes, something I had no control over what-so-ever.' Tom hugs me closer and Nagini slithers over to bestow a hug of her own.

We're pulled out of our loving family moment by a fidgety house elf telling us that lunch is ready.

After lunch I'm given the grand tour with Tom dragging me from room to room and Nagini complaining that Tom would wear me out and then what would he do? He finally conceded to taking a nap and happily glomped me when I got onto his bed.

I stiffened when I felt him, but he just lay there. I shifted so I could look at him and realized that Tom must have been in need of sleep more than I because he was already fast asleep. I settled in with Tom's comforting weight pressing me down, but it wasn't uncomfortable. In fact it felt strangely... right like he was supposed to be there. Nagini grumbled that I'd be sorry later if I didn't take a nap now, so I allowed sleep to overcome me, sinking into comforting darkness.

AN: Sorry this took so long to get up. As you can see it ended a bit lamely, but I couldn't write out their lunch because they wouldn't let me. Jerks. So I had to make do with putting them down for a nap like little kids or senior citizens depending on how you want to look at it.

Nagini's a python; isn't that just fucked?