Tom Riddle sat in his regal throne, absently stroking his familiar, Nagini.

The snake gently butted Tom's chin affectionately, knowing what ailed her master. 'Tom? What are you going to do?'

Tom sighed. "I don't know Nagini. I really hope that I'm wrong but…"

'You're never wrong…' She finished for him, understanding.

Tom nodded and sighed again.

Nagini hesitated. She had an idea, in inkling, but she wasn't sure that Tom would agree. It was risky, and a little odd, but if it worked, it would be brilliant.

'I have an idea Tom…' Tom looked at her in surprise, motioning her to continue, curious despite himself. 'Well, I'm a snake, an animal. I can go places humans can't, see and hear secret things because, to them, I'm just a dumb beast. Most of the time, I'm just invisible.' But there was no malice in her tone, just cool calculating acknowledgement of fact.

'So… if you were to disguise two of your most trusted, maybe Pretty One and Batman,' Tom had to grin at Nagini's names for Lucius and Severus. He was never watching a muggle movie with her again. 'as animals, they could look in on and confirm your suspicions about the little serpent.'

Tom nodded thoughtfully. The plan had merits, and there weren't two men on the face of the planet that he trusted more than Lucius and Severus. They knew about what Dumbledore had done to him, making him insane enough that he would attack and kill a pureblood family.

They stuck by him when, in his crazed desperation, he tried to return to his body, while trying not to let him lose his soul in the process. He was forever grateful that Severus had tried to stop Quirrel from drinking the unicorn's blood, although his warnings had gone unheeded at the time.

And Lucius, attempting to free him with the journal. Although he was glad that he was stopped in the end, trading an innocent soul for his own was not what Tom would have wanted.

Maybe Voldemort, the crazed, insane Dark Lord that Dumbledore had created, yes, he would have wanted that. When Dumbledore had split his soul and shattered his mind, he'd gone insane. If Severus and Lucius hadn't worked together to gather all of the damned horcruxes, then he still might be mad, even to this day.

He regretted his horrible actions on the day of his resurrection. He really didn't want to kill the poor boy, sucked into Dumbledore's mad scheme for power. Thankfully Harry got away, and Severus and Lucius were there to contain him and restore the final pieces of his soul, therefore restoring his sanity and mind.

Except for one. Yes, Tom knew that, somehow, Harry was a horcrux. Thus, their link.

Severus even went so far as to provide a potion that restored Tom's original appearance, and that scaly, slimy, cold bastard Voldemort that resurrected from the cauldron was no more.

One of the first things he did was send Peter Pettigrew to the ministry in a bright red bow- literally. After they questioned the rat under Veritaserum, thanks to Lucius, Sirius Black was named a free man. But, apparently, because he'd been in Azkaban and they were uncertain as to his mental health, he was deemed an unfit guardian of Harry and the boy was sent back to the Dursleys.

Courtesy of Dumbledore, regardless of the fact that Harry begged every year not to go back.

Severus informed Tom of this, along with the fact that, although he was Petrified and Levitating, Severus heard Sirius offer Harry a home and, even though he'd only known him for half an hour at best, Harry'd accepted immediately.

Combined, these didn't exactly paint the perfect home life.

And then there was that whole Ministry fiasco. He still didn't know what had happened. He'd been told that Severus was in danger, and had come to get him. He didn't expect the little army that the fifth years presented. He had no clue what they were doing there.

And through the connection he felt Harry's overwhelming pain, horror, guilt, and soul-crushing hopelessness as Sirius- the last of his family- was hexed through the veil. It wasn't Bellatrix, not even she would wish that kind of horror on another human being. But he'd seen the bushy-haired girl ducking behind the protection that the Order offered, and he knew, even if Harry didn't.

And then that whole thing with Harry screaming and clutching his scar, fighting against something in his head. It looked for all the world like something was trying to possess Harry, but the only one nearby was Albus. He'd taken that opportunity to Apparate him and all his Death Eaters out.

But Tom knew only too well from personal experience that Dumbledore would do anything to keep those of great power under his control.

And he knew that Dumbledore was doing something to Harry… something horrible.

And Tom realized that this was his last choice. He just had to know.

Tom touched Nagini and summoned Lucius and Severus to him. He didn't have to use the Dark Mark, that was just a cruel, tortuous form calling his followers that Voldemort had enjoyed. Now he just had to concentrate through his familiar, who was connected through the snake in the Mark, and he could call either specific followers, or all of them. Needless to say, all his followers were much happier with this development.

Tom settled back, he didn't have to wait long. Within ten minutes Lucius and Severus made their way through the wide double doors at the end of the hall. They halted in front of him, nodding in greeting. While it was just them, they were allowed to be informal. After all, they were best friends, and Tom trusted them with his life.

And that trust had not been misplaced.

"Yes Tom?" Lucius queried. He'd had to make a quick excuse to the Minister to get here, and he knew that it had to be relatively important is Tom would summon him in the middle of the day. He was right.

Tom sighed. "You know that I've been, well… worried I suppose you could say. For Harry Potter."

Severus nodded, a slight frown marring his face. "Yes Tom. I admit, I myself have found myself… concerned for the Potter brat. Do you know? Dumbledore told me to give the boy Occlumency lessons, because he was receiving visions from 'Voldemort'." Severus rolled his eyes, although he there was confusion shining in their onyx depths. Tom was equally dumbfounded. "And that night- the night of the Ministry attack- Harry yelled to me that 'He'- Voldemort- had 'Padfoot'- Sirius' Marauder name- at the 'place where it is hidden'. I realized that he meant that you had Sirius at the Department of Mysteries, where Dumbledore stashed that false prophesy. I quickly flooed to Grimmauld Place and found Sirius there, which was how I knew that it was a ruse. But that's why I wasn't there when you tried to contact me. And when you tried to summon me with the Dark Mark, Albus had already arrived to gather the Order to go after the Potter brat, and I couldn't come." Severus scowled at that. If Tom had only known that he was alright, the whole battle never would have happened.

Tom was obviously thinking the same thing.

"Alright, that's it. The similarities between me and Harry are just too many to ignore. I fear that the old fool may be manipulating the boy… similarly to how he manipulated me." Lucius and Severus looked at eachother in concern.

"Albus has always alluded that the boy had been spoiled…" Severus tapered off.

"Has he ever outright told you this? Or have you just assumed?" Tom nodded as Severus' horrified face confirmed his suspicions.

"I just… I hated James Potter so much, and I just figured that Harry would be raised the same way, for also being the Boy-Who-Lived, and… Dammit! I never asked, and the bastard never said otherwise!" Severus was furious with himself.

Tom held up his hand. "Albus just fed and manipulated preconceived ideas. It's not all your fault Severus. But, if you wish to know for certain, I have a task for the both of you."

"My Lord?" Lucius spoke for the first time since the beginning of their conversation. Since they were now preparing to follow orders, they slipped into mission-mode. "What is it you wish for us to do?"

"It's dangerous, and slightly unorthodox, but it's just sneaky and clever enough that it might work. And, if it does, it'll give us insight as to what's really going on with our young Mr. Potter. Do you agree?" Lucius and, after a moment's hesitation, Severus nodded in acquiescence.

"Good. Actually, it was dear Nagini here who gave me the idea." Nagini swelled and preened in the praise. "I would transform you into animals. This would require me to temporarily bind your magical cores, so that the wards wouldn't recognize you. As my dear familiar pointed out, no one notices animals, and are more likely to slip up in their presence than fellow humans. You would be able to communicate between yourselves, mentally, and with me once a week. Does this seem amenable to you?"

Severus looked at Lucius, and Lucius looked at Severus. They seemed to be deciding something between themselves, silently. After a few moments, they both nodded, looking back at Tom.

"Yes. I'll be the first to admit that I don't like the idea of having my core bound, but if it's the only way for us to know for certain, I'm willing to take the risk Tom. I won't take the chance that another boy may have the same childhood that you and I did Tom. I just can't." Severus admitted.

Lucius nodded, agreeing with his lifetime friend.

Tom smiled. "Good, I'm glad. I know where the boy lives, we'll Apparate a good distance away before I do the transformation. Today is Monday, so we'll just make that our day to trade information. Agreed?" Again, Lucius and Severus nodded. "Perfect. Let's depart."

Tom stroked Nagini one last time before slipping on his robes and grabbing onto Lucius and Severus' shoulder. Then, in a muted 'POP' of sidelong-Apparation, the three men were gone.

Nagini settled in for a long wait, hoping that, just this once, Tom was wrong.

But Nagini knew… Tom was always right.