Sorry!

Long Summary (Because if you don't need it after all this time, you either have an amazing memory or did what I always do…read it back over from the beginning.) : Dumbledore forced Harry to return to the Dursley's over Christmas break. Managing to break out of the house for a little while, he stumbles over a snake in the street that he takes 'home' to his hellhole before it froze to death. While at the Dursley's, Harry begins to utilize the wandless magic he just realized he had. Impressing the snake with his abilities, he discusses with it various topics-the snake's favorite being the Dark Lord. The snake helps him with his newly discovered wandless/wordless magic and occlumency.
Harry has held suspicions for the snake's true identity, and his reaction to a newly remembered memory confirms it. The now revealed Voldemort helps Harry with his Occlumency and in banishing Dumbledore's suggestions from his mind.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. I typed away any rights I may have had to Fanfiction when I published this story though them. I did not own anything anyways.

Warning: Pain. Lots of pain. Physical abuse, torture. It's over soon…just…hold on a little longer.

Abandoned to the Cold

8

T_T T_T
;_; Pain and Protection ;_;
T_T T_T

Harry stirred on the floor, disturbing the invisible snake that was hanging from his shoulders. He felt himself rising from within his mind, coming back to his physical body from his mental room. He slowly opened his eyes, scowling as he saw the pitiable room. Riddle hissed a protest as Harry slowly stood up, almost losing balance for a moment when it surprised him. He concentrated for a moment, before willing the time to appear. It was 7:00 AM on December 26. He gave a small groan at what was going to happen today, a tradition he thought he had escaped when he realized he could stay at Hogwarts over term break.

::Good morning, Riddle.:: Harry said to the snake as he picked up his glasses from where they were after Vernon beat him, from what felt like so long ago.

The snake sniffed as Harry waited for his eyes to refocus as they peered through the somewhat-corrective lenses. Harry made a mental note to ask the Dark Lord if there was any way to fix his vision, or at least get a better pair of glasses.

The snake gave a grunting hiss and shifted so he stayed on Harry as he stood. :: What atrocities do your…housemates have in store for you today? ::

Harry did not respond right away, moving to sit on his ratty bed instead. :: Would you believe me if I said they gave me presents and paid utmost attention to me? ::

Harry heard a decidedly un-snakelike snort. ::No.::

He smirked. ::Then you would be wrong.:: The snake tightened his coils slightly at Harry's amusement. ::I never said what the presents where. I told you before: they will give me the socks and T-shirt you saw before. However, that is not all they will give me. I guess they see me receiving Christmas presents as something I do not need, so they do something to counteract the good. Luckily, Vernon never wanted me to 'repay' him that way, but he…:: Harry shifted uncomfortably. He did not know why it was harder to say now. After all, Voldemort had seen him beaten before. That was one thing though-he was still a snake to his mind before, even though he had been suspicious of his true self. Then there was the part of him that never wanted anyone else to know about this, the habitual hiding of his pain. Harry swallowed nervously, then stared straight ahead and finished his sentence. ::…he just…hurts me, I suppose. Only he does it more…viciously, more torturously than other times. I-:: He gave another swallow, Adam's apple bobbing up and down. ::I need you to be well out of the way by ten o'clock, when he comes in. He is very…harsh with the punishment. He pays the utmost attention to me then, with Dudley encouraging him from the background. He also uses it as a lesson, of sorts, in hurting others. He shows Dudley…what makes people scream the loudest.::

Harry removed his eyes from where they felt stuck focusing on the ceiling and looked down at Riddle. He saw red eyes blazing with murderous intent. ::He uses you…as a teaching tool in human torture?:: Harry winced a little at the phrasing, but refrained from answering. ::This…filthy creature uses you as a way to show his son on how to inflict agony on others?:: Harry closed his eyes and tried to ignore the feeling of shame spreading through him and burning his chest and face at Voldemort's words. His weakness kept him in the situation, and now the Dark Lord knew the full extent of it.

::Yeah…basically, that's right. That's why nothing will happen before 10, so his precious son doesn't have to get up early. The…lessons will take a long while to be over. Petunia leaves the house for after-Christmas sales right before they…start the lesson. Since the last time this happened was before Hogwarts, I was still in my cupboard so they took me into the kitchen. There was plenty of room in the kitchen, and the floor is made of tiles, so that made it less likely to stain after I cleaned it up later. Of course, it could also be because the knives are located in the kitchen. I was never sure which reason it was. I don't know if they will…come up here, or bring me down…:: Harry trailed off for a moment before picking back up the conversations thread, determined to get through with his explanation. :: Either way, you need to make sure that you are nowhere near me, or hidden under something. I know that they cannot see you unless you will it, but they might notice blood sticking to something in midair. :: Harry winced at the end, but managed to keep a determined mask on his face. He felt a wave of compassion run through his bond.

Riddle stayed silent, as though thinking. Harry said nothing, just watched as the snake idly wound around him. He felt that the snake did not realize it was doing it, so deep in its thoughts Voldemort was. Harry was hoping that the sometimes-invisible snake would stay away. He had the first times Harry had been hurt, but he had not cared for Harry then, and only saw him as an enemy that desperately needed defeating but was his temporary ticket to staying alive. 'Does he care for me now?' Harry wondered. He thought back to the mental exercise, and the care he had shown when he was taking care of Harry. 'I think he might. At least, a little bit.' It was a very odd feeling for Harry. Someone seemed to care about him-him! 'Just Harry!'

Just then, the subject of Harry's wonder spoke up. :: I…do not know if I will be able to do that. It is a disgrace that they are allowed to hurt you at all, but to torture you with the sole intent of maliciously causing pain? :: Harry resisted the grin threatening to show on his face. The powerful wizard had promised his protection earlier, and he was displaying the inability to watch Harry hurt more. It warmed Harry inside. The man-snake former-enemy future-ally cared for him! His face fell as he thought about what prompted his thoughts.

::You must. This is it. The last time I have to put up with anything horrifyingly brutal before summer. Several days after this, I get to go back to school. So, they cannot hurt me-too badly, at least, and then they have to stop so I can heal. Sure, they realize how quickly I heal, but they don't know just how quick I am at fully healing. I will be perfectly fine by the time I am back on the Hogwart's Express. In the meantime, the pain is not that bad…:: Harry trailed off at the lie. The pain was a complete witch while healing. However, he could not tell the suddenly over-protective Voldemort that, now, could he?

The snake in question let out a furious hiss. ::You're a fool to believe you could lie to me. I can sense you know the excruciating pain you'll be in, how you are comparing it to the Cruciatus Curse. ::

Harry winced and leaned back. He should not have shown Riddle how to pick things up from his mind-but how could he not have sensed his thoughts, when Harry was broadcasting them so desperately? ::I'm sorry…and I know, but I have to take it. Just one more time, and it will be over. This will be it. If I cannot handle it this one last time, everybody will know, and I don't know what Dumbledore will do to me. I have to handle the Dursley's, because I cannot handle Dumbledore-not yet. Just one more time, a little more time, that's all it has to be. I can find a way. Just let me handle the pain one more time, and wait. :: By the end of his plea, Harry was not sure of what he was saying anymore, but he could not let Voldemort interfere. This was it. If he couldn't take this last bit of pain, Dumbledore would find out and he would do something to Harry-he knew it. It had happened before. He shuddered. Not again. ::Just…please, I am begging you, leave them alone. They will get their just deserts later. Now, though-please just wait…::

The snake was hissing angrily, but subsided. ::I do not like this, Potter. Ensure that they do not kill you or permanently maim you. If they do, retribution will be even more harshly demanded. :: Riddle wound himself around Harry in a facsimile of a hug, squeezing gently before moving away. He gently slid off of Harry and under the bed, hiding in the shadows.

Harry sighed with mixed relief and loss. He once again imbibed the need to see the time in his magic, once again conjuring the time. December 26, 1996. 9:57 AM. Harry sighed and let his magic fade. The words disappeared, shimmering away into empty air. He began mentally calling up the strength he would need to endure through the upcoming pain. He felt waves of encouragement come from the back of his mind. Apparently Voldemort had been listening in on Harry's thoughts. He sent his gratitude through the link, and received back a feeling of acknowledgement. He had just drawn in another breath when he heard voices coming up the stairs.

"I get the freak this time, dad. You always have all the fun. It's my Christmas present!" Harry heard Dudley's nasal whine come from the next room over. He swallowed a shudder of fear and drew himself together. He would not fall apart. This was the last trial of the Dursley's. He would make- "I want to make him cry, Daddy! Come on! I've been practicing on stuff, I know what to do!"

Harry felt chills go up his spine at his beefy uncle's response. "I understand. My little tyke's a big man now; he thinks he knows more than his old man." There came a very disgusting chuckle at the end of his sentence. "Why don't we see who can make him scream the loudest, eh, Dudders?"

The door slammed open. Harry winced as Dudley forced his girth through first, with Vernon following behind. His eyes widened as he saw the knives in their hands. They were gleaming, butcher bright, thirsting for blood-Harry's blood, his blood. Dudley stepped closer, and without any prelude, sliced open Harry's right arm from the top of his shoulder to his elbow, splitting the tattered bandages and Harry's skin. Harry gasped as searing pain flared down the thin line. He could tell it was not deep, but it was obvious they were not going to make this easy on him. Vernon chucked as Harry's blood began to drip down his arm onto the floor.

"Now, son, don't make him faint too quickly. That ruins all the fun." So saying, Vernon bent closer, and made Harry wish he could lean back in disgust. He could not for two reasons: the bed behind him, and the torturers in front of him. So, Harry just stayed still as Vernon encroached onto his personal space. "Are you ready, runt? Today we're going to slit you open." Harry shuddered, knowing the truth and threat lying in his words as Vernon smirked. There were no reasons for them to hold back today. They could and would do anything short of something obviously and permanently disfiguring. Harry's worst scars came from this day, every year.

Suddenly, Vernon cuffed him hard enough in the head he was flung across the room, hitting the door with a dull thud. He stifled a moan as the gash on his arm tore open wider. He managed to open his eyes, closed after he was sent flying, to see Dudley lumbering after him again. He watched silently as Dudley thrust his knife into him again. The sharp blade sliced through his meager clothing and his pasty skin, leaving a large gash along his stomach.

Dudley pulled back for a second, grinning. When Harry did nothing, said nothing, and moved nowhere, he frowned. Harry just sat silently as blood dripped from the wound stretching across his front, arms hanging limply at his sides. "Huh…normally they curl up when you do that…" Dudley muttered to himself. Harry almost smiled grimly at not meeting Dudley's expectations. His instincts were in fact demanding for him to curl up, protect his vital organs, but he knew better than to move or even respond. No use making the torture sequence even harder than it was without any reason.

Dudley leaned back in and smirked. "Guess we have to make him." Vernon chuckled behind him as Dudley lifted the knife from where it had been resting against Harry's thigh, dragging through the skin and back up to the wound, cutting a perpendicular slash into it. He twisted the knife so it was realigned with the stomach cut. Harry flinched as his skin ripped and tore with a burning pain. Dudley slowly eased the knife into the wound, cutting deeper, forcing more agony through Harry's tortured frame.

He grinned as he tormented Harry. "Like that, freak? We're bleeding the magic out of you. We might even be doing you a favor! With less blood, you have less life. With less life, it's harder for you to hurt others, work your freakish witchcraft, steal others souls."

Vernon laughed in the background. "Now Dudders, don't waste your words on this runty freak. A good taste of steel is enough for the likes of him." So saying, the large man almost gently thrust the knife into Harry's right shoulder, before harshly tearing it down his arm, cutting over the slice Dudley already gave him. Harry stifled a shriek as he felt his skin being torn and twisted away while his blood spurted across the room, some of it managing to land on Vernon, who pulled back in slight disgust.

"Filthy freak juice," he muttered under his breath while Dudley just sawed the blade back and forth just above Harry's ribs. A slow, savage grin spread across his features as a sadistic idea occurred to the pig. "This pale skin of yours…what would happen to you if we just tore it away?"

Harry's eyes widened as both Dursleys chuckled. Were they actually going to skin him? Harry closed his eyes as his brain provided him the answer. Yes; they were going to skin him. He felt Dudley wrench his left arm forward, forcing his eyes open in surprise, while leaving the knife he had been playing with stuck inside Harry's body. He watched through pain-filled gaze as Dudley pulled out a new knife and harshly tracing it along his skin.

"Careful, Duds," Vernon spoke up suddenly. "Not too much, we don't want him to have something to whine to his friends about when he's back in his freak-school." Belying his words, he traced his knife back up Harry's arm and down his chest, leaving a thin line of blood pooling up in its trail. Dudley began testing Harry's arm, making shallow cuts while Vernon continued pulling the knife down Harry's body all the way to his feet, leaving ruined clothes and broken skin in his wake. Harry let out a short scream as the knife suddenly dug into the underside of his foot while Dudley ripped off his first bit of Harry flesh, sending it flying off his knife to the other side of the room.

Harry whimpered as the torture continued, trying to close his eyes and keep his breathing steady while the Dursleys mercilessly abused his body. Breathe in slowly, hold it in and hold back the pain, then let it out slowly with his fear. Breathe in and pull up bravery, hold it and keep the pain at bay, then let it all out in a harsh whimper with another vicious tear.

Tears slowly streaked down his cheeks, unchecked by him as he knew that seeing the tears gave the Dursleys evidence that the torture was working. Even in his pain battered mind, he remembered that they didn't try as hard to force him to respond when they could see proof of his pain.

His eyes almost flew back open when he suddenly felt a sensation of worry wash over him. The worry had a distinctly not-him flavor to it. Managing to overwhelm his pain with his near insatiable curiosity, he traced the feelings back to their owner- Voldemort. Focusing on their link, he could feel the anxiety practically pouring off the snake-man. He felt Voldemort notice him and almost seem to draw him away from his pain, engulfing him in his growing feelings.

Harry clung to the provided escape desperately, hanging onto the emotions protecting him and blocking out the pain threatening to smother him. He felt Voldemort's desperation, and then he felt an odd tugging feeling in the back of his mind.

Shutting out what his personal torturers were doing to his body, he focused on materializing in his mind to figure out what was causing the sensation. When he finally managed to arrive in his mental room, he gasped in shock. A blood red mist was choking the area, the lighting was dim, and the floor was shaking. Was this how his mind coped with the pain? A thick patch of fog floated through him and he nearly collapsed in agony. He would have sighed in relief as that patch moved away, if it had not left lingering bits of painful fog clouding around near his mental body,

He was distracted from his disturbing surroundings and his pain when he noticed Voldemort's door was open. Curiosity, once again taking hold, prompted him to ignore the pain and venture over to the Dark Lord's door. The door was wide open, but the red mist of pain swirled away from it as if there was an invisible barrier keeping the air from mixing.

Voldemort appeared in the doorway a moment after Harry noticed it. He stood solemnly at the doorway, and beckoned for Harry to approach. Harry's vision swam as he took a step towards the Dark Lord, but he slowly put one foot in front of the other. He was partway to the doorway when his leg suddenly gave away under him, and he collapsed with a short gasp. He lay there for a moment, panting, before he slowly pushed himself up to his knees.

He panted for breath and was standing up when another patch of pain flooded through his body, paralyzing him from the pain temporarily. He could barely keep his eyes open, but he noted that there was a lot more of the painful fog filling his mind. He was startled when he heard a sudden gasp and felt something grasp his arm. He opened his eyes, confused, and traced the unexpected hand clenching his shoulder up a solid, well-toned arm to meet Voldemort's grimacing face.

"Come on, brat," Voldemort muttered as he tugged Harry up to his feet and over to his door. "You need to get moving if you want to leave the pain behind." Harry perked up slightly, and managed to force his spasming muscles to move. Not sure what Voldemort had in mind, he just blindly followed the Dark Lord's directions and limped over to the door. He paused at the doorway, but bravely pressed forward, leaving his pain-filled mind behind.

He let out a relieved gasp as he passed the doorframe, relief flooding his no longer aching body. He looked up into Voldemort's smirking face as he straightened up, no longer clenching up in pain. "What are you…?" Harry asked slowly as looked around at a dark tunnel. It was dimly lit on either end, but the end he just came from had a sickly red cast to it.

Voldemort rolled his eyes and gently released Harry's arm. "I'm taking you away from your pain and into my mind, brat. Be very grateful for this boon; Lord Voldemort allows no one into his mind.

Harry gave the handsome man a grateful smile and quickened his pace. "Really? Is it anything like mine? Well, without the pain clouding it like it is now, but…" Harry couldn't help it; he was excited to see what Voldemort's mind was like. Would it be a library? The Slytherin common room? A jeweler's store? A throne room?

Harry blinked as he crossed the doorframe and entered Voldemort's mind. He just looked around for a few minutes, taking in his surroundings. It seemed as if he was in a private study, filled with books, a very expensive looking desk, fancy paintings, beautiful tapestries, exotic treasures …it was a beautiful, striking room. He let out a little gasp of awe.

Voldemort let out a low chuckle. "Impressive, isn't it? It looked much worse a year ago; the entire place was torn apart and there was a fog clouding the place. I only checked it once or twice after my resurrection, and I believed it was just the after-effects of the ritual being done with Wormtail and my muggle father as ingredients…" Voldemort shuddered, and Harry grimaced in disgust. "However, you have given me cause to believe that the effects were the physical representations of my insanity. As they have disappeared at the rate my mind has cleared, it lends credence to that theory. I suppose you have my gratitude for that, brat."

Harry grinned cheekily up at him, and the n turned to walk around the room a little. "This is actually pretty amazing…I wasn't really expecting the souvenirs, but it makes sense now that I've seen them. You travelled quite a bit before trying to teach at Hogwarts, didn't you?"

Voldemort nodded, and reached over to stroke a statue of a menacing vampire. "This is a trophy from Romania, the same area I met Quirrel in decades later."

Harry grimaced. "Did you have to come back on the back of his head? That could not have been pleasant for either you or him." Harry did pause to take a closer look at the statue and noticed that something dripped from the vampire's fangs onto its pedestal.

Voldemort sighed, pinched the bridge of his nose in a plea for patience, and then answered Harry. "I could not simply take him over entirely, and where else was I supposed to manifest on his body? His stomach? His back? His admittedly decent buttocks?"

Harry snickered slightly as he tried to see what the vampire was dripping: blood or venom. "Did you have to stare at his arse a lot, or was it just the inside of his turban?" Harry paused for a moment, then wrinkled his nose. "Is that why you came back without a nose? You got so sick of the garlic smell you couldn't handle any other scents?"

The man actually gave a violent shudder as he moved behind his desk. "DON'T remind me…that was probably one of the worst years in my life. It even made some of my childhood years look positively angelic and idyllic. Let me just say: however awful it was to suffer through one class with him…I had to deal with him through 12 classes, and every moment of the day. During through every conversation he participated in, I had to listen. Every stutter he uttered, I was forced to suffer through… Or, I would, had I not frequently placed myself in a temporary stasis. I needed to regain my energy…and I needed to escape him, quite frankly."

Harry chuckled quietly as he decided that it was blood dripping from the statue, rather than any other liquid possibilities that had occurred to him while he listened. After a moment of chuckling, he quieted, and then sighed. He simply looked around the room for several minutes before finally voicing his thoughts.

"Hey…thanks. Again, I mean. I would be in a lot of pain right now…except you let me into your inner sanctuary of your mind instead of forcing me to endure…" Harry's eyes suddenly widened. "Oh shi-! Will my body be as resilient without my mind? I mean, I use magic to heal my body…what if my body takes too much damage while I am here?" Panicking, Harry spun back toward the hallway connecting their minds. "I have to go-"

He started, but he was interrupted by a hand on his shoulder. "Calm yourself. We will go back to your mind and observe the damage your body has taken, but you must take care not to lose focus of your occlumency. If you lose focus, you will likely be forced back to consciousness."

Harry nodded grimly, took a steady breath, and then strode forward. He passes through Voldemort's doorway quickly, retracing his path back to his pain-fogged mind. He hesitated at the doorway before setting his face in an expression of determination and then stepping forward. His eyes widened and he fell onto the floor as the pain suddenly overwhelmed him.

He heard a sigh, and then a grunt of pain, and suddenly Voldemort was standing above him, holding onto his arm again. He felt himself rising from the floor, being pulled up into a standing position. Harry shook his head rapidly in an effort to rid himself of the pain, but it made no difference.

Voldemort was grimacing beside him, but he spoke softly to the pained boy. "I suppose I should attempt to teach you another facet of occlumency…" He sighed before continuing. "As you have hopefully already guessed, this fog is a representation of your pain. Condense it. Push it into a corner, force it away from you. We are in your mind; you are in control, not the pain."

Harry looked up at the man before setting himself to this new task. He slowly held out a hand, palm open and fingers outstretched, before slowly curling his hand into a fist. The mist echoed his movements, spreading out before firmly retracting into a bright, blood-red ball the size of Harry's head. Harry stood on steady legs and reached out for the blood-ball, but Voldemort stopped him.

"Think, brat, about how much it would hurt to touch the condensed pain. You don't need to touch it to move it; you've done this much already without touching it. Simply will it where you want it to go; I suggest a wastebasket somewhere."

Harry gave a small smile as a small wastebasket came into existence between his book stacks, near the study table between the shelves and the fireplace. He made a gentle pushing movement with his clenched fist, and gestured down to the basket. It did not respond as quickly to his moves this time, but it did eventually move where he intended it too. He hesitantly looked to Voldemort for more instructions once the task was complete. "Did I do it right?" he asked, oddly self-conscious.

The older man simply smirked. "Are you in any pain?" Harry slowly shook his head from left to right. "Then yes, you did it right, brat." Harry gave the man a small grin, which was returned in another small smirk. "Now, you wanted to check on your body, correct?" Harry gave a short nod, his worry returning. "Then you will need to create a window to the outside, or some other way to view the outside from the inside."

Harry bit his lip as he thought for a moment, considering his options. He could create a larger window on the 'door' to outside, but that would also mean it was easier to see in. He could create a peephole in the door, but that was far too awkward ad difficult to work properly. Harry quickly came to the decision that the door would not be a good medium for viewing outside.

Should he create a window in the wall? He eyed his plain green walls thoughtfully, before deciding that simple windows would suffice for now. Once he decided that, he focused on the problem of the windows. Should he create two, one for each eye? Or should he just create one with the combined visions so it appeared normal? Or perhaps… he could create a mirror that tapped into his magic that could apparently 'see' his surroundings, even when he was asleep. He gave a sharp nod to himself. That would work.

Within moments, there was a large, brand-new window on the other side of his 'outside door' that presented a gory image. His body lay bleeding sluggishly on the floor, curled in on itself while the two Dursleys were already gone. Harry frowned at this oddity. They never left so quickly. It had only been-what, 30 minutes, tops?..- since he entered into his mind. He summoned a diary he just –knew- existed, -knowing- it contained the knowledge of what happened before it was recorded into different books as well.

He searched for the last filled page, knowing that it would contain the answers he wanted, and frowned as he read it. He winced at the description of his wounds, and flinched at the retelling of what suffering his body had undergone. Finally, he found the part where he had retreated into his own and Voldemort's mind. He found it fascinating, in a morbidly curios sort of way, to her what happened to his body when he wasn't present.

His entire left forearm was missing its skin, and his right arm had been shredded. His feet had been ripped apart, and he had been close to being gutted. As it was, his ribs had received extensive damage as well. His bones had still been slightly bruised from the earlier beating, and had not responded well to their rough treatment. His body was slowly bleeding out, as it had been for the past 4 hours.

Wait-4 hours? Harry questioned Voldemort. "It says that it's been 4 hours since I entered our minds; how is that possible? It's only been about half an hour, surely?"

The taller man rolled his eyes from where he was near Harry. "Time doesn't flow steadily in your mind. I thought you had realized this after how long you spent in your mind the other day. Your entire life could flash before your eyes in a moment here, or you could ponder on one sentence for hours. For the last few real-time hours, you have been doing both. Your time sense will be a little out of whack."

"However, as it is clear the filthy animals are gone, you need to return to your body from your mind and heal it. The pain from before is gone, but it is building up again." Voldemort nodded to the light mist that was slowly oozing out of his mental walls. "We can work with your mind more later. However, your body is the pressing matter at this moment. You need to return to it and repair as much damage as you can."

Harry slowly nodded, closing his eyes before slowly exiting through the door back into his broken body.

Voldemort stared after him for a moment as the door closed. He had done more than he had expected he would. He had only intended to reassure the boy, or perhaps take the slightest edge off of his pain. He had not expected to feel his heart wrenching and twisting as he watched the painful display. He had not anticipated pulling the boy into his own mental fortress, straight into the core of his mind, bypassing all of his protections.

He had watched the boy struggle to focus, zoning in and out as he tried to concentrate and follow his orders. He had seen the pain obey his will almost startlingly easily, showing that the boy was not stranger to pain and had a solid grip over it. He had not anticipated being impressed as the boy pushed through his pain.

He had definitely not foreseen the brat leaving him in his mind. Had he realized that he was practically giving his greatest enemy permission to manipulate and mold his mind as he wished? Malicious thoughts appeared and disappeared just as quickly. He sighed, knowing that this new fondness to the Chosen Brat would not let him maliciously manipulate his mind.

Instead, Voldemort banished the new pain to the wastebasket the old pain had been forced to. He frowned and looked into the wastebasket, realizing it was spelled like the standard Hogwarts wastebasket; the contents disappeared after several minutes. Looking back up, he realized there was something else wrong in Potter's room, but he couldn't quite identify it… It wasn't a metal manipulation of the old bee's, so he decided to let it rest for now. He could handle it later, along with all of his other problems.

He twitched and decided that approach would probably work, except for the fact that Potter only seemed to be adding several new ones as he erased an old problem. With a sigh, he turned and left Potter's mental sanctuary and retreated back into his own mind, and from there, his infuriating yet pleasing snake body.

'-_-''-_-''-_-''-_-''-_-'

Holy crows! Has it really been two years to the day since I first created this story? (The answer is yes.) …And…has it also really been…1 year, 6 months, and 4 days since I last updated? Ehehe….oops. Erm…well, at least now you know it hasn't been abandoned…right?

I had been stuck at the same spot for a year and a half. I picked my story back up today when Vernon and Dudley walked into Harry's room. I just…hated to really cause Harry more pain. So, as you may have noticed, he managed to escape the pain.

Sigh…how long until Hogwarts starts back and he can escape the Dursleys? (No, seriously…when does the next term begin?)

So, the answer to the question…I've been debating actually telling you then answer. I think, on account of all the wonderful reviews I have received…I will. I will give out points for partial credit if your answer was a little close, or I liked it a lot.

Voldemort has been taking a potion to restore his human appearance, as he has already told Harry. However, he also had Snape working on a potion to help him develop his animagus form at the same time. This potion takes a ridiculously long time to brew, which is one of the reasons it took so long for the Marauders to complete it.

Voldemort made his way into Snape's potion's lab in his base to take the potion. Snape was at Hogwarts, and this new batch of potions only needed several simple steps to complete it. Voldemort did them correctly…but he slipped up and managed to get some of the almost complete animagus potion into his restoring potion when he was magically moving the ingredients.

He was moving and mixing the ingredients magically rather than being careful because he was in one of his tempers, and was impatient. He managed to either dip an ingredient into the cauldron, or accidently levitated a small portion of the liquid into his potion without noticing (to be decided later).

Either way, the Animagus potion mixed and he was forced into his animagus form: a magical, albino constrictor. The animagus potion is what safely allows a human to transform into an animal and back at will. The rejuvenator…well, it restored his body. So, he got extremely lucky and was not blown up, but instead easily and painlessly locked into his animagus form.

And…That's all you get for now. Consider it a partial apology for waiting so long. The reason he blushed when he answered Harry was not because the potions mixed while he had crazy monkey sex with Snape (although I can easily see how you would guess that) but because he was being impatient and a klutz.

Ladyroo88 – 2 points to RAVENCLAW! (You were the first to get it partially correct- good job mentioning the animagus potion.)
Lady Logos – 1 point to SLYTHERIN! (Something definitely went wrong with the potion, alright.)
Corpium – 1 point to RAVENCLAW! (Your reviews made me smile.)
Cally Chloe – 1 point to SLYTHERIN! (I loved your review…and sorry for making you read it again. The extended summary should help.)
Kitiara Woodbane – 2 points to SLYTHERIN! (Alright! Closest to the exact answer so far!)
Sam – 1 point to Ravenlclaw. (You don't get capitals because you weren't signed in. )
Tonks-is-cool – 1 point to RAVENCLAW! (Not exactly right, but thank you for informing me about Severus' birthday. Look to see that fixed within a week)
Dante'sTwistedRoses – 1 point to SLYTHERIN! (Second closest so far…)
Kyuubiluver – 1 point to SLYTHERIN!
Kibaxkaori – 2 points to SLYTHERIN! (:3 LV is impatient~ TY for reading my other stories.)
Sirei – 1 point to RAVENCLAW! (Don't worry- I love Snape! Dumbledore… he has his own reasons. He is only good in his own, twisted little world…but he is good there.)
LaTiL – 1 point to GRYFINDOR! (Look for a PM from me-I loved your review and it's too long here…)
Kingsdaughter613 – 1 point to RAVENCLAW! (I did? I guess so…I changed it a little, then.)
hanakisa – 1 point to ALL! (Meh…close enough. Try to put in your house next time.)
rebekahalana – 1 point to ALL! (Haha…that really brightened my day.)
Cally Chloe – 1 point to SLYTHERIN! (…again. No, it's not just b/c you answered twice. Thank you for your encouragement! I had to bite down (ooc for me) squeals of joy when I read your message. Thank you!)
Saskue-teme Naruto Rulz – (…Sumimasen. Reread your review and guess why… sorry)
shadowinRW – 1 point to ALL!
Slytherins Are Better – 1 point to SLYTHERIN! (Erm…nice answer…but you had best thank google translate.)
RebelWithoutACause1997 – 2 points to GRYFFINDOR! (Very nice!)
Ember Kazumi – 1 point to ALL! (Is that offer still open? B/c, if so, I beg you, please share. *Bleeds from being poked*)
NeedForDumpsters – 1 point to ALL! (*snickers*)
B2J – 1 point to RAVENCLAW! (I will see if I can work that in there…. )
Relina-Chan – 1 point to RAVENCLAW!
Dragonazar – 1 point to RAVENCLAW!
Riddle Wraith – 1 point to SLYTHERIN!
Reader-anonymous-writer – 1 point to ALL! (Your review was kind of disjointed…but still good.)

Holy Crap. That was a full page in MS Word. Here are the results:

Slytherin in the lead with 29 points!
Ravenclaw 2nd with 22!
Gryffindor 3rd with 15!
Hufflepuff has 10

Alright! So, I hope you enjoyed it, look forward to the next chapter within a month! (Feel free to hunt me down and sewer me if I don't) I am also going to update the others within that timeframe.

First Updated: June 16, 2012.
Last Updated: June 16, 2012.
Words w/o AN: 5,534.
Words w/ AN: 6,681.