Title: On this Cross

Disclaimers: Not Mine

Warning: Male x Male

Summary: Before Voldemort, there was Tom Riddle. Harry is sent to the past in order to locate Voldemort's weakness only to find himself falling in love...with Riddle.

Notes: Tom Riddle is out of character. I suppose. The only introspective we have dealing with Tom was when he was showing Harry the diary but...well...love at fist sight, maybe? J

same old question
without words
so familiar
seldom heard
if I answer
I confess
I am only
just a guess
and with my eyes
it's hard to see
with my ears it's
hard to believe that
if I ever lose my will to live
it was me that I could not forgive

Over the Rhine - Moth

Chapter One

"You're insane," Harry chocked on his shock, gazing wide-eyed at Albus Dumbledore. "You want me to go to 1945 and befriend Lord Voldemort?!" Bewildered, Harry shook his head. "Is this some sort of sick joke because if it is, I'm not laughing. In fact, I think you're completely off your rocker. I met Tom Riddle and I have to say, I wasn't too impressed with him. What makes you think he'd even consider being my friend? From what I've been told, he was a haughty little bastard. Oh, and then there's the question as to how I'm going to be able to go to 1945. Last time I checked, there weren't any time traveling devices created."

"Harry," Albus gently laid his hand on the youth's shoulder. "I know this is a heavy burden for you to bear. I would go myself but it's obvious why I cannot. I would send another student but you are the best. Your absence will be for three months, which, has already been explained to the students and the teachers. You are receiving intensive training outside of Hogwart's. You will spend those three months trying your best to befriend Tom Riddle and find his weaknesses so that that knowledge may be used against his future self. No one knows the truth but myself. This key," Albus held up an ordinary looking key, "Is your passage to the past. I've charmed it into bringing you back on December the 20th. At that time, even if you haven't accomplished your goal, you will return. Do you understand, Harry? This mission is extremely important and needs to be treated as such."

Harry sighed, nodding. "I understand, sir. What should happen if Voldemort attacks while I'm gone or better yet, what if Tom Riddle decides to kill me?"

"There is no need to think about it. Everything will be taken care of here. If Voldemort were to attack tomorrow, the Order could defend him but we need you to finish him. You should be leaving now. I wish you the best of luck. Hand this letter to my past self, he'll know what to do with it. You will be taken care of. Goodbye, Harry."

"Goodbye, Professor." Holding his breath, Harry grabbed the key and the letter. Eyes closed tightly, Harry felt nauseous and cold. Those feelings gave way to warmth and suddenly, he was falling into darkness. Unable to withstand the intense, erratic emotions swelling within him, he fainted into oblivion, the void swallowing him whole.

X X X

When Harry came to, he was lying on his back, staring at the ceiling of the headmaster's office. Blinking several times, Harry hoisted himself upon his elbows, gazing at his surroundings. This was definitely different. Nothing like Dumbledore's office, it was more...stately. Frowning, Harry patted himself to make sure that he was still in one piece and that vital organs were still in place. "Now, where the hell do I find Dumbledore?" he murmured. Shoving the key and the letter into the pockets of his trousers, Harry ignored the protesting voices in his head and exited the office.

It was exactly like the memory he was shown during second year. At least he knew his way around and thankfully the students were apparently in classes. Then a nagging thought entered Harry's mind. Wasn't Dumbledore a professor? If so, he would be teaching and Harry would be forced to wander around the school looking dazed and confused. "What are you doing out of class?" a condescending voice interrupted Harry's musings. He cringed, thinking of several good excuses. Pivoting, he nearly lost all composure. To think, the reason for his extensive traveling was standing before him, glaring at him. "Are you new? I haven't see you before."

Yes, that was definitely Tom Riddle. Just as he was in the diary... perfectly combed black hair, deep jade eyes with the slightest crimson glint to them, ivory flesh stretched across a tall, sculpted body that just screamed Quidditch player. "Yes, I was transferred from Beauxbatons to here. I honestly have no idea where I'm going." Grinning wanly, Harry bit back his initial reaction to hex the young man to oblivion but he had to keep up the pretense of friendliness.

Tom raised a dark brow. "You weren't given a tour by Headmaster Dippet? Who exactly are you?"

"My name is Harold Wood but I prefer going by Harry," Harry lied perfectly. "Headmaster Dippet told me to go to a...Professor Dumbledore. Apparently, the headmaster's busy. Might I ask your name? It's only fair, after all."

"Tom Riddle." Tom regarded Harry intently for several seconds, green eyes never leaving Harry. "Professor Dumbledore is in classes right now. I see you've been sorted into Slytherin." Tom nodded towards the serpent badge on Harry's robe. "I can show you the Tower until the professor's finished. Don't just stand there or have you forgotten how to walk?" Tom inquired sarcastically. "You went to Beauxbatons? I would have figured you'd be in Gryffindor or Hufflepuff."

Harry curbed his initial reaction to defend Gryffindor, just a little confused as to why Tom Riddle was starting small talk. "Is there something wrong with those two Houses?" Harry innocently asked, walking beside of Riddle.

"No," Riddle simply stated. "Our Head of House if Professor Russe. She's quite interesting for a woman and of course, she plays favorites. Most of the professor's have their favorites. You might want to remember that around Professor Dumbledore." Riddle tucked his arms behind his head, stretching. Harry blinked, surprised that Tom Riddle could seem so human. Then again, this was before Riddle became fixated on purging the world of half-blood's and Muggles. "What year are you in?"

"Seventh," Harry answered without batting an eyelash. "Yourself?"

"The same. It's a little odd that you'd be transferred to Hogwart's with this being your last year." Emerald eyes suspiciously landed on Harry. "What sort of trouble did you cause to be sent here? Let me guess, you performed a killing curse on some hapless innocent?" Although the tone was light and teasing, Harry couldn't help but shiver.

"Nothing that drastic," Harry laughed. "My parents wanted me to expand my horizons a little so they sent me here on my own. I'll admit, I'm terrified." At least he was honest about that last declaration. He was frightened beyond his wildest dreams. Should he be discovered, there was the likelihood that Tom Riddle might skewer him over a pit of fire.

"There's no need to be scared," Tom chuckled and once again, Harry was gob smacked that this young man was the cruel bastard of the future. Unless Riddle was a master of disguise, that laugh had sounded almost real. "We aren't that evil to new students." Winking slyly, Tom murmured the password. "Serpentsortia. You might not want to say that with your wand poised to attack." Humor sparkled in the jade depths. "It might be an unpleasant experience."

"I'll remember that." Harry forced himself to close his mouth. This couldn't be Tom Riddle. Even in the diary, he'd been an arrogant prick. This young man...was hardly like that. "Why aren't you in class?" Harry found himself asking before he could stop himself.

"Oh, I don't have classes right now." Tom shrugged. "This is the Common Room. Not very impressive but we Slytherin's tend to stay by ourselves." Harry certainly found it remarkable. Silver and green was everywhere; the banners and the decorations to the color of the leather couches to the finely woven rugs on the floor. "We have House Pride, as you can tell. I don't think there are any free rooms available unless you don't mind sharing a bed with another boy."

"Well...I could stay down here," Harry did his best to not look uncomfortable.

"And Professor Russe would have your head." Riddle pursed his lips, thinking. Harry released a breath he hadn't been aware that he was holding. How did this boy become the monster that was Lord Voldemort? He seemed normal and as much as Harry hated to admit it, Riddle was...kind. Perhaps it was only a mask that Riddle used to hide his true self. "As Head Boy, I have my own, private room. If you'd like, you can share it with me."

Harry knew he was ogling Riddle as if he were completely insane. "You don't even know me!"

"You look like you can be trusted, besides," Riddle's voice became deeper, "I doubt you'd try anything against me. You wouldn't appreciate the consequences." Harry shivered. That was the voice of Lord Voldemort. Just as quickly as the shift in personalities came, it was gone. "Harry Wood, eh? You're a pure-blood, I'm assuming?"

"Yes."

"Aleron will be delighted to know." Tom rolled his eyes, ascending the staircase.

"Aleron?"

"Aleron Malfoy. You'll meet him soon enough. He's quite vain and self-involved. Compliment him a few times and you're on his good side." Tom laughed, opening the door of his private chambers. "Insult him and you might as well sign your own death warrant. He's pompous but loyal enough. At least his priorities are straight. Make yourself at home."

Harry's lips parted in a silent cry of shock. Hermione was Head Girl and her rooms were nowhere near as magnificent as these were. It was Riddle's own private flat. A gorgeously adorned living room leading into a small but efficient kitchen. Two doors branched on either side leading into what Harry figured to be the washroom and Riddle's bedroom. "This is...amazing. Being Head Boy has it perks."

"More than you know. You can transfigure yourself a bed if you like or you can sleep on the couch. Though, I recommend a bed, specifically elsewhere than the living room. Aleron and Corin are always coming here completely wasted. They think I have nothing better to do than pamper them."

"Corin?"

"Corin Lestrange." Tom smirked, opening the door to his boudoir. "I have plenty of space. You can transfigure a bed in here. I promise I don't have any strange night habits. At least this way, you'll have privacy."

"You honestly don't mind if I stay here with you?"

"As long as you're not a stalker or a pervert, be my guest." Suddenly, voices carried into the room. Tom patiently sighed. "You'll get to meet the infamous quartet of idiots that rampage through Hogwart's as if they own the place. Scared, Harry?"

"You wish."

Tom's laughter rang through the room. "You don't need to be scared of me. I'm harmless." The words, yeah right, flashed through Harry's mind. Harry knew how harmless Tom Riddle was. Even this version of Voldemort wasn't altogether innocent. What it would have been like to go back into time when Tom Riddle was still naïve and still a child but from the stories Harry had heard, Tom was never innocent. From the second he was brought into the world, his innocence had faded and he'd begun to sin.

"Who the bloody hell are you talking to?" a rich drawl came from the living room. Harry was close behind Riddle as they went to join the four boys that had crashed Riddle's chambers. Liquid silver eyes over-looked Harry curiously. "Well, well, well. Did you find yourself a pet?"

"Watch your mouth, Aleron," Riddle's smile was like poison. "Harry Wood, meet Aleron Malfoy." Harry felt his heart leapt to his throat. This must have been Draco's grandfather. The same gray eyes, the same pale blond hair, the same white flesh. "Corin Lestrange." A wiry blond with deep blue eyes and a playful smile highlighting a handsome face. "Romulus Black." Harry's heart descended from his throat to the pit of his stomach. The face...so much like Sirius's. Midnight-colored hair with lapis highlights in the different lighting, pale blue eyes that startled Harry. A lean and limber body, bronzed to the point of perfection. "And of course, Septimus Snape." Mocha-colored hair clipped neatly at the boy's feminine jaw, brown eyes that were so light they were almost a deep golden hue. Tall and slender, he was the carven copy of Severus.

The boy's gave Harry a curt nod of approval, except Aleron. "You know, he resembles Potter." Aleron narrowed his eyes at Harry. "Are you related to Octavious Potter?"

"Who?" Harry's entrails knotted a couple hundred times.

"Your little interrogative finished, Aleron?" Once again, that sweet smile slid into place as Riddle glared at the blond. "He's from Beauxbatons-" Corin and Romulus snickered, earning a glower from Tom. "Do you wish to share?"

"I've heard that all the blokes at Beauxbatons are queer," Corin leered at Harry. "Is it true?"

"No. I've heard the same about Hogwarts's boys. Does the same imply?" Harry smiled innocently at Corin, earning a laugh from Riddle. It wasn't going to be so difficult to befriend Riddle after all. "You know, since you go by word of mouth and all."

"You know how to pick them," Romulus snorted, swinging his legs across Septimus's lap. "They all have to be like you. Doesn't that get old after awhile? Constantly having to battle someone that's an exact replica of yourself. Fuck, he even looks like you. A bit narcissistic, aren't you?" Romulus ignored the death glare sent his way. "Sep, did you get the notes in Transfiguration?"

"I am not your personal note-taker, Romulus." Septimus snarled, throwing Romulus's legs off of his lap. "You should learn to pay attention in classes, maybe you wouldn't be failing if you did! You're more concerned with Quidditch and getting laid."

"At least I'm getting some."

"They must shut your trap up first."

"You're just jealous because you're still a virgin," Romulus mocked, grinning cheshirely at Septimus. "So, Harry, tell us about yourself. Where you from, who're your parents, what's your blood type, what's your measurements, do you fancy girls or boys. You know, the simple stuff."

Harry cast a glance at Riddle, hoping the boy could get him out of the firing squad Romulus was putting him under. Riddle merely shrugged, apparently wanting to know the same. "I was born in Scotland. My parents are Lillian and James Wood. I'm a pure-blood. My measurements aren't your business and I fancy girls. Does that answer your questions?"

"Oh, I'm wounded!" Romulus clutched his chest melodramatically, falling into a heap on Septimus. "You wouldn't even consider doing a bloke, would you?"

"I...I've never thought about it." Harry frowned. "Why, have you?"

Aleron laughed. "Romulus does anything that can walk. If you have an entrance, he'll do you." A pillow was thrown at Aleron. "We have to go to Quidditch practice." Aleron chuckled. "Are you any good at Quidditch, Wood?"

"I'm fairly decent. I used to play Seeker."

"Well, isn't that a coincidence? Just so happens our Seeker position is open. I'm a beater. Corin and Romulus are chaser's and Tom's our keeper. Sep prefers his academics to Quidditch." Aleron rolled his eyes. "What do you say? Want to try out?"

"Alright." Harry began to follow the four boys when a hand on his arm made him pause. "Tom?"

"You should be meeting with Professor Dumbledore."

He had nearly forgotten. "He'll be there when practice is over."

"Suit yourself." Tom removed the hold on Harry's arm. "You do remind me of Potter. Strange, you remind me of myself as well. Should I be wary around you?"

"No, you have no reason to be wary."

"I suppose." Harry stifled his gasp as Tom tilted his chin, their eyes meeting. "You're right. There's no reason to be cautious around you." Smirking, Tom went to the door. "Oh, you might want to remember what Aleron said about Romulus." Chuckling, Tom's laughter echoed through the staircase.

Harry frowned. This wasn't going to be as easy as he thought. There were two personalities that Riddle had; Tom Riddle and Lord Voldemort and the latter, Harry was nervous about meeting but he knew before long that personality would become the dominant. Harry had to admit, he kind of like Tom.

XX

Another one! Heaven forbid it! However, I feel like I'm doing good with updating and I'm on a Tom Riddle/Harry obsession right now.