Hi!

This is not a happy update. This is me admitting defeat. It's been over three years and I've been in denial. I've wanted to think that I would get back to writing this. I've tried to edit. I've tried to rewrite. It just didn't work. I'm not committed to this anymore and I have to face up to myself and to you that it won't change.

What I'm posting here is everything I had written. The beginning of chapter 17, ideas for future chapters and even an epilogue sort of thing that I wrote to amuse myself quite early on in the process. I've not read through any of this. It'll be riddled (xD) with mistakes, but I think this is the best closure I can give you.

I also want to thank everyone who's read and commented on this story. It was the first thing I ever published and the positive feedback (probably more positive than I deserved *shudders at my bad spelling*) helped my confidence so much and I wouldn't be where I am today if it were not for this story.

I do want to write more Tomarry in the future, probably something rather similar to this, so in a way the journey isn't over, it's just changed direction.

Thank you and enjoy!

Kefalion

October 2016

Chapter 17

Words: 525

For a short moment Harry was dazed as the sensation of Riddle's magic returned to him. He couldn't think, only feel. Then it was gone as if someone had turned a switch, leaving him feeling confused and suspiciously drained. He swayed on his feet, and sat down on the bed, resting his head in his hands groaning.

"Damn you, Riddle!" he tried to yell to catch the Head Boy's attention, but he wasn't sure if the call was strong enough for the other boy to hear him. The breath he had used to try and curse the blasted Slytherin had him feeling faint. "Oh, Merlin," he groaned weakly. He felt awful again. "Damn it!" he hissed feebly, rocking back and forth with his arms wrapped around himself to starve off the nausea. His legs were almost vibrating with the shivers that went through them. He wanted to follow after the Slytherin to confront him, but apparently the tables had turned again and he was in no shape to run though any corridors, he was barely fit enough to sit up.

Harry knew that something important had just happened, but he couldn't grasp it at the moment, not with how he shivered and with how his stomach threatened to expel its contents on the floor. Exhaustion gripped him again, squeezing him like a boa constrictor, making every breath a struggle as his lungs fought for air and he felt that he had little choice other than to give in to it and sleep. He curled in under the blanket, wishing that he had several more to pile on top, but too tired to do anything about it. Eventually he fell into a restless slumber.

=(#)=

Tom went straight from the Hospital Wing and down to the Chamber of Secrets a single goal in his mind; to find out how to turn this disastrous and potentially dangerous situation to his advantage. He had time to do it. He would not need to resurface until Sunday evening when he would have to confront Potter and take him to Slughorn's soirée, unless the boy still was confined to the infirmary which he may have good cause to hope for now that the spell had been recast.

It meant that the talk he had also so offhandedly promised could be postponed and if he was lucky, or indeed sly enough, he may be able to get out of the commitment all together.

=(#)=

Harry's Saturday passed in a daze. Madam Durant was very upset to see the setback he had made in his recovery and Harry was certain that she would have been much harsher in her demands to be told what had happened if he didn't look as bad as he was feeling. And if he did indeed look like he was feeling he would be a pitiful sight. He felt drained and miserable, but above all he felt like a blue eyed fool.

He couldn't fathom why he had cared about Riddle's health. It was probably the most foolish thing he had done since travelling to the past and it was inexcusable. He couldn't afford any more missteps.

Chapter 18

Harry's Saturday began when Madam Durant harshly awoke him, saying that it was time for breakfast and once he'd eaten they would see how he could handle stepping outside his gilded, magic free bubble.

He felt like something important had happened, but he couldn't figure out what it was. Then he remembered Riddle's appearance late last night and cursed inwardly. The bastard had done something that had changed things back, leaving Harry a mess and probably making the Head-Boy fit for fighting again, not that there would be any fighting anytime soon if Harry had anything to say about it.

There had been something more though. He just couldn't remember what it was, the memory was hidden in a mist that was the memory of the short second of euphoric bliss he had experienced and thinking about it only made the longing for pleasure wake in him, making it useless to try.

He more or less wolfed down his scrambled eggs, piece of toast and the stripes of become that were placed before him, eager to get out of there. He tried to think about why he was so eager. He should want to stay, he should want to keep away from Riddle and begin stuck in the Infirmary was as good an alibi as he could possibly get, yet Harry was itching to get away from the Hospital Wing. It was just something about the place that made his skin crawl and he didn't want to be there unless he absolutely had to, so far he had spent all too much of his time at school injured.

However he was uncertain about what he should do if he was let out. He expected that Riddles magic would start affecting him the moment he got close to the Slytherin again, yet the wizard had said that they would talk and that while being something of a risk was still something Harry wanted to do.

He knew that he should not truth Riddle, but talking to him would be the first step of his plan. It could turn dangerous, he could very well make mistakes, and if it hadn't been for this bond between them he would have liked to bide his time for a while longer, but with the way things were he felt determined to make the best of it.

When he walked away from the Hospital Wing after promising Madam Durant to return the minute he felt any recline in his health and that he would keep drinking a lot of water for the following days Harry had the Marauder's Map in a secure grip and his truck shrunk down in his pocket.

He had the map up; scanning it for any anomalies. He didn't know what he was expecting, but to find the dot labelled Tom Riddle in the middle of the Slytherin Common Room wasn't it. That seemed so normal and in his mind Riddle wasn't connected to normal.

He was pleased that Riddle wasn't lurking about anywhere close though, it made it easer to avoid him and Harry would gladly do just that. He didn't' fancy having another run in with the wizard whose soul existence seemed to be to make life hard for him.

He should be able to stay away from Riddle until the next day if no longer. Then he would have to meet up with Riddle to go to Slughorn's idiotic, little party.

Harry was wishing more acutely than ever that he'd refused the Potion Master's invitation. Perhaps he should just skip it, pretend that he'd forgotten, or that he had to return to the infirmary. Harry sighed as he tapped his trunk to shrink it, getting ready to leave that sterile environment. He knew that he wouldn't be skipping anything. He would just do as usual and bit the bullet.

He felt that he should return to the Room of Requirement as he needed to continue his search through the books there, but he didn't feel like it at all. He'd been forced to stay in a bed for two days now and he needed some fresh air.

He also had to send a letter to Bethany. She had threatened to come to Hogwarts unless he sent her an account on how he was doing the moment he was released from the infirmary.

Harry went all the way up to the Owlery and dutifully sent his owl to the Potters, and then he returned back to the first floor and ventured out of the grounds.

He didn't walk down to the lake this time, it reminded him of Riddle and he didn't need any such reminders at the moment. He wanted some peace unrelated to anything Slytherin.

His feet took him to the edge of the forbidden forest where he'd gone so many times to visit Hagrid and to his amazement the hut stood there, with the pumpkin patch and everything. He hadn't thought it would be built yet. And he scolded himself for that. If the hit didn't exist where would Hagrid be staying?

He felt bad for not having thought about Hagrid since arriving. He'd seen the half-giant at the starting feast and then promptly forgotten about him.

Hagrid was his first friend and the one who had saved him from privet drive, the one who had told him that he was a wizard and not a freak. Hagrid was the first one to congratulate him on his birthday and give him a gift.

Harry felt that he owned it to the man to try to gain his friendship again. He wanted Hagrid for a friend and hoped that he now younger boy would be able to see past the green and silver patch that showed Harry's new house.

Harry walked closer to the hut which looked much like it had always done, except that it was clear that it was newly built, there was no moss on the roof and the glass in the windows were clear, not yet stained by years of harsh weather.

He walked around the corner and there Hagrid was, bent over tending to some plants in his vegetable garden.

"Hi!" Harry said in a tentative tone.

Hagrid flinched and straightened his back, making it clear that although his face was smooth he was already twice as tall as Harry.

"'ello," he answered just as hesitant as Harry. His black beetle eyes were narrowed in suspicion as he saw the green scarf Harry had wrapped around his neck.

"Sorry if I'm bothering you", Harry hurried to say with a smile. "My name's Harry. I'm new."

Hagrid seemed able to relax a bit at that. "Well, eh I'm Hagrid."

"Nice to meet you," Harry beamed, making an effort to keep the younger boy relaxed. He offered his hand and Hagrid took it. It was swallowed by the half giant's dustbin lid sized hand which crushed Harry's till he was sure all the bones in it were broken. Despite this he fought off the pained grimace that wanted to take over his face.

"Well then, what brings ya here?"

"Just needed some fresh air", he replayed with a shrug. "Can't stand to be inside all the time, and it's very nice weather today." And it was. It was sunny but there was a thin haze of cloud blocking out the sharpest rays of the sun and there was barely any wind. "Perfect weather for quidditch"

"I wouldn't know 'bout that"

"Oh..." Harry said feeling stupid. Hagrid had probably never played the game as there wasn't a broom which could support his weight. For the Hagrid he'd known this hadn't been a sore topic, but that might not be the case for the fourteen year old Hagrid.

=(#)=

Tom jolted a bit where he was seated on a couch in the Common Room. He could feel a small surge of magic. Potter had left the Infirmary. And he wasn't there to intercept him. Shit.

The night had been so calm and after taking out all of his frustration on Nott ha had actually forgotten about the wizard who lived to be trouble to him.

He'd been submerged in a book about advanced transfiguration. He'd even forgotten to keep researching the bond. What the hell was wrong with him?

He jumped up banishing the book back to the dorm, a few second years jumped out of the way for it as it switched through the air, but he didn't care, he was already out in the corridor, walking as fast as he could up to the first floor and in the direction of the Hospital Wing.

He knew that he was on the right track, for the sensation he got from Potter's magic was growing stronger with every step that he took, until it started to grow weaker.

'What now?' he thought irritate. 'Where is he going?' As Tom drew nearer to the infirmary, the feeling he had for Potter's magic kept going fainter. 'Okay then, not this way', he thought and backtracked, following the feeling outside into the warm September morning. He kept using the method of cold/warm to find Potter and found him talking to that oaf Hagrid. Tom sneered. Why would Potter be talking to that stupid half-breed with an obsession for dangerous animals? That boy didn't even have a wand anymore, so he couldn't be called a wizard. Tom was a bit smug about being able to frame Hagrid as he had done. He was such a stupid little Gryffindor.

He lingered a bit away, afraid that Potter's magic would become overwhelming again. He could already sense that he was near the border where the magic would start clawing at him, forcing him closer. At the distance he was now, he had control. He would have to be closer to undo the spell, but he wasn't going to do so with Hagrid right there.

Hagrid might not be of any importance, but he didn't want any witness to this. It was bad enough that Potter would be seeing him at his weakest. The roles would soon be reversed again thought so Potter wouldn't be able to enjoy Tom's predicament for long.

Tom stayed back just watching the two of them interact.

Before long Hagrid returned to what ever he'd been doing before Harry showed up, not that Tom cared what that great buffoon was up to, as long as he wasn't using any magic. Having the half-breed expelled had been making a service to the entire wizarding community.

Harry was walking away, back towards the castle and Tom steeled himself and walked up to Harry. As he moved closer he could feel the magic growing stronger, gripping at his core as shivers of intense pleasure began to rock through his body.

'Just get in and to the spell', he told himself. 'Once that is don you'll have the time you need to make things right'

=(#)=

It was Sunday night and Harry went back to the common room feeling the dread building in his stomach as he knew that Slughorn would interrogate him, and that he would have

Harry went into the common room, fighting the urge to turn around and run until his legs gave out under him.

He hadn't seen Riddle since they were in the infirmary and he would have liked to keep it that way.
Riddle was purged on a couch in the middle of the room. He was dressed in a deep blue dress robe and it should be illegal to be that handsome.
Ever since harry had received those smouldering looks while being completely drugged by magic his thoughts in the regard of the Head-Boy had stayed anything but innocent.
The dream he had woken up from that morning had him blushing, but at the time he could only think about heading into the shower to take care of the urgent problem that was hiding in his pyjama pants.

Harry had spent the entire day locked away in the Room of Requirement; he hadn't even ventured out to eat even though he knew that it was foolish of him and that he would be paying the price for it later. It was just that he finally had been making some progress. In several off the books which rightly belonged in the restricted section of the library he had found references to a book which would likely hold the answer to all his troubles.

That title of the book was Salon's Grimoire. It was said to be an ancient text by some Greek and every copy was supposedly destroyed during the fifteenth century, the thing was that Harry recognized the title, and he was sure that it wasn't just from reading about it. He felt certain that he had seen it. He just couldn't remember where.

Late that night, Harry gave up on the next book he was reading, which was an encyclopaedia of different magical phenomenon that bound wizards together and began to pace, he walked around in the large room scanning the bookshelves trying to get inspiration, anything that would help him remember from where he knew the title of the book which could help him.

On his second laps through the part the magical room had turned into the restricted section Harry came across a shelf that was devoted to mind magic and that was when it hit him.

The Dark, Forgotten ways of the Mind Arts – Offence and Defence. That was the book on occlumency and legilimency that he had picked up from his vault at Gringotts. Two slots to the right of that book there had been the oldest book he'd ever seen, that was why he had noticed it. The bindings where about to crumble, the title that had once been printed in gold was faded, but he could remember reading the words written in a slanted script. Salon's Grimoire.

He owned this book. He had it in his vault. Now he only had to go and retrieve it. He would have sent for it, but he was afraid that it couldn't take a journey by owl, so that only left him having to actually visiting Gringotts.

The first Hogsmeade weekend was usually not until sometime in October so that would be to long. He had to sneak away sooner than that. He was of age now so there wasn't really anything anyone could do to stoop him. He could just walk outside the wards and apparate to Diagon Alley. Yes that was what he'd do, and he would do it as soon as the following day.

'Let's hope that this book will indeed give me the answers I need', he thought as he swept the invisibility cloak around his shoulders and brought up the marauder's map. He wanted to be sure that there wasn't anyone outside the room, even if it was late at night. He had given the idea of camping out in the Room of Requirement for the night a brief thought, but he had dismissed it. He could handle sleeping in his own dorm.

He felt very relaxed. He hadn't felt any magic from Riddle for the whole day, and any thoughts or emotions from the wizard had also been absent.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good", he muttered and scanned the map quickly finding the area where his own dot would have been if the Room had been included on the Map. His gaze swept to the corridor outside and his heart started to hammer hard in his chest.

A dot labelled 'Tom Riddle', was placed right outside the door.

'No…', he thought feebly. 'I don't want to have anything to do with him right now. Of course it was too much to hope that this reprieve would last. He squared his shoulders determined

'Well, Riddle. Let's see how well you know this Room', Harry thought and against all odds his lips quirked up in a smirk.

He closed his eyes and concentrated on what he wanted the Room to do for him. A door appeared before him, and without worry he opened it and walked out, watching as it melted back into the wall behind him.

The corridor was empty, and no tapestry hung across it. Harry had wished for an exit into another hallway and his wish had been granted.

He glanced down at the Map and saw that the dot labelled 'Riddle' hadn't moved from its position near the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy that was two corridors down from the location he had come out into.

'I wonder how long he'll be standing there before he realizes that the Room is no longer occupied. I hope he'll be stuck there a long time.'

Happy about this small victory Harry made his way down to the Slytherin Dorms and he fell asleep contently for the first time since arriving at Hogwarts.

Goes to Gringotts and get's the book.

Magical match:

A magical match is a connection between two wizards/witches whose magic is similar. The magic works on the same wavelength if you will. There are different intensities of the bond and it can manifest in different ways.

It is always initiated in the same way. One or both parts will feel a pull towards the other when they get close for the first time. At this state it can be refused although it is difficult.

The bond is initiated with touch, skin to skin. Depending on the feelings between the parts the bond will differ. If they are neutral towards each other the bond will work in a positive direction, which is true if they are positively inclined as well. The bond then gives both of the parts pleasure and attracts them to each other.

If there is hatred or dislike between the parts the hatred will grow and although they will still be pulled together by the bond it will cause them immense pain to touch and often lead to that one of them kills the other.

He was a bit sad that he wouldn't be able to use his Firebolt, but the new Comet 220 that he had bought if he would need to fly when someone would be watching wasn't exactly a bad broom.

Witness something bad Riddle does, as he is pulled by the magic. Realizes Riddle is up to no good and that he has to take action before it's too late.

Plots to steal the diary and the ring.

In the beginning of October professor Merrythought informed the students that all newt students ranking dada would be participating in a duelling tournament. In classes they would go over defensive spells, a few useful curses as well as how duels could look both on the arena and in team battles.

Round1: 5 opponents. You score points by winning. The best eight would go on into quarter finals where the winner would advance.

Semi final 1 riddle/?

Harry watched tom duel and was very, very, very happy that he had found a way to dull the connection.
He could sense the magic that was pouring out of the Slytherin but it didn't give him mind numbing pleasure that would have transformed him to a blubbering pile of goo.
Tom, wait now, Riddle was wiping the floor with the Gryffindor who was his opponent in the first semi final. Next up was his own duel against Lestrange and as Riddle was announced as the victor Harry seriously considered losing to his friend on purpose. He wasn't sure that facing Riddle in à duel would be good at This point.

Semi final 2 Harry/Lestrange

Final Harry/riddle stalemate as Harry is skilled and tom is unable to use Dark Arts in the duel

'Scratch the part where I thought Nott was a better version of Hermione. He is just as bad', Harry thought burying his head in his arms as Nott once again said that he should start working on his homework. It was a late Tuesday evening in the middle of November and they had an essay that they were supposed to hand in the next day in potions, Harry had yet to start on it.

"Harry, you must start working! You wouldn't want to disappoint Slughorn now would you?"

"Maybe that would stop him from liking me, and I could get out of the Slug club," Harry muttered darkly, but still he pulled himself together and took up his potions book and writing materials from his bag.

"Not likely to happen," Fergus sat down on the couch next to Harry, his face a big grin. "Old Slughorn is almost as infatuated with you as he is with Riddle."

"You just had to said that, didn't you?" Harry complained.

"Naturally."

"If you aren't planning on being any help I'd appreciate if you would leave me alone."

"Hmm." Fergus tapped his index finger against his chin in a parody of a pensive gesture. "I think I'll actually help."

"Go away, Lestrange," Harry muttered, before he did a retake. "What did you just say?"

"I said I'd help you, I've already finished that essay."

"Are you serious?"

"Yes! Why does no one ever believe in my sincerity?"

"Do you truly wonder that?" Joseph asked in a dull tone, raising an eyebrow.

"Eh…"

"Fergus, you aren't serious most of the time. It isn't very strange that people stop taking you seriously after a while."

"Point taken. Now do you want any help, Harry?"

"I can't say no to that," Harry murmured a bit uncertain.

"Oh, it will be fun, now let's see what you've written so far." He took up Harry's essay from the table and looked at it. Then he looked at Harry.

"What?" Harry exclaimed feeling his cheeks heat up.

"You've written the title and your name."

"Yes," Harry grumbled feeling that he was being made fun of again.

Lestrange looked like he wanted to say something snide and had to restrain himself, but as he had promised to help he kept the remark to himself. "Well, at least you won't have to change any of what you've written."

=(#)=

Joseph enjoyed listening to when Fergus helped Harry. Usually he would have been irritated at the silence being broken, but things were always different when Harry was involved. Instead of becoming irritable and wanting to snap at them to shut up and let him study in peace he had to suppress smiles as they shared light drabs and Harry asked questions that Fergus had to struggle to answer.

He looked up every once in a while to see Harry rolling his eyes, and when noticing that Joseph was watching they shared a smile that made him feel al warm inside.

Over the three months he had had the pleasure of getting to know Harry, they had grown close. Although it was such short a time he felt as if the messy haired wizard had easily become the best friend he had ever had.

Joseph and Harry are left in the common room; all the others have gone to bead.

They sit close and out of nowhere they share a kiss.

=(#)=

Tom left the Room of Requirement feeling pleased. He was once again making progress. It was only a matter of time now until he would have figured out all of Potter's secrets.

In that moment Tom walks in and sees them. He doesn't let them know that he is there and he is filled with strange feelings. He is in rage, he wants to drag Nott away from Harry and his finger twitches as he keeps himself from reaching for his wand to throw a Crosio Nott's way.

He leaves.

=(#)=

Harry felt soft lips against his own, and in his surprise he didn't draw back so fast. It took his brain embarrassingly long time to process what had happened.

Harry is confused and Joseph apologises. Harry doesn't feel that way about Joe, so the pureblood will have to accept that they will not be anything more than friends.

Harry gets his eyes opened for the possibility of having romantic feeling for another male.

December rolled in and with it came the first snow. This made quidditch practices less enjoyable, but Harry hadn't been flying in every sort of weather whit Oliver Wood as his captain without gaining some resilience.

Manage to steal the Diary

Harry had worked hard. He had disabled many of the charms and curses only to reapply them afterwards. This time he was positive that he would be able to get through them all. He sat to work, keeping a fraction of his concentration on the monitoring spell he had put up by the door to know if someone approached. He did not want to be caught in the act.

It was hard and slow work as the spells and curses had to be broken or lifted in a special way to not set of others. At last, feeling a bit drained Harry lifted the last curse, a curse that would have caused the arteries in his brain to clog, eventually giving him a stroke, and that was far from the nastiest thing he had disabled. He felt a bit drained after all that and was glad that the only thing he had left to do was to speak the password, which wasn't a problem. He had heard Riddle speak it enough items, the Head-Boy never bothering to hide when he did so as it was in parseltongue.

"Power is its own reward," Harry hissed in the snake tongue and the lock in the trunk clicked. He eased open the lid and wasn't surprised to see that every item and piece of clothing was put in impeccable order.

'Figures,' he thought wryly. 'Of course the Dark Lord would have an obsession whit keeping things orderly. I'm not going to complain though, it should make it easier to find the diary, and as I had planned to make it known that someone had broken into the trunk I might just go a bit overboard with leaving a mess. '

Stealing the diary before Christmas leaving a note in a copy similar to R.A.B only H.J.P

Harry could barely believe it. He had the diary. He had successfully stolen Tom Riddle's Diary.
The small black book looked like he remembered only less battered.

Harry casually strolled out of the dungeon; his trunk shrunk and put in the inner pocket of his heavy cloak, and Riddle's diary safely within it. He felt like whistling and as most of the Slytherins had already vacated the Common Room he gave in to the urge and whistled merrily on 'Deck the Halls'

Harry feels the anger in a dream.

Riddle in panic

Tom heart was beating frantically as he threw out the things he kept in his trunk. He had returned to the dorm and found that his trunk was open. Someone had broken into it. That someone had been determined to do so. Every single ward, charm, hex, and curse he had placed on it was broken. And that wasn't all. Whoever did this didn't want to get caught for every trace of magic on the trunk had been erased, leaving no evidence or clue to his identity behind.
The strange thing was that nothing appeared to be missing. His initial fear had been that someone would have taken the diary knowing that it was far more valuable than the average journal.
Though that was impossible no one could know or even suspect him of having created à horcrux.
His fear had been put to rest as he laid his hands on the familiar black book. It was safe. It hadn't been taken. There was no longer any real reason to worry.

The question remained as to what had been stolen, for surely no one would have gone though the trouble of disabling every protection he had had on his trunk without taking anything.

Riddle decides that he must make the ring into a horcrux even though he had planned to wait until after graduation.

In Somerset:

Christmas is pleasant.

Bethany speaks to Daniel about the instant connection they had with Harry and why they are acting so strange around the boy.

They shouldn't have taking in a stranger into their home, into their lives. Still they had so very much longed for a child, and she had just known that the boy was theirs

Daniel agrees and adds that he couldn't have done anything less after hearing the boy's story.

Prepares a ritual down in the Chamber of Secrets. Painful. Sees vision of riddle creating the ring on 31 Dec.

Harry woke up his breath haggard. His throat felt snared up and he felt as if he could draw in enough breath. He was also unconsciously clawing at his chest. It was itching in there, close to where his heart was beating at a high pace.

'So he hadn't made the ring into a horcrux yet,' he thinks as the room spins around him and he feels lightheaded

Harry is researching horcruxes since he needs to be able to destroy the diary and now also the ring.

Harry has an accident that should kill him.

Tom followed the pull. He couldn't stop himself. He felt as if one of his horcruxes desperately wanted to unite with him and that searing longing drove him though the empty corridors. He ended up in a part of the castle he seldom visited. All the moving staircases seemed to favour him for not once did they move from the path he followed. He came to the base of the astronomy tower and walked up. He started to run up the ever twisting stairs.

The pull grew stronger as he came nearer to the source. On one level he knew what he would find at his destination, on another he did not for Tom was not willing to believe that Potter was the cause. He had chosen to be blind to the attraction. Done everything to repress the need to be near the other wizard, and from what he had seen Potter had done the same.

They had taken to avoiding each other in the months following the confrontation they had had over the theft of the diary. They had come to a sort of understanding, not one that Tom was the least bit pleased with, but it was one he could live with until he could take back the diary from Potter without risking that it would be destroyed. He had believed fully that he would be able to do so, given time.

He wasn't so certain any more. The connection between them had grown to the point where it wasn't Potter who acted like a wanting whore as he felt Tom's magic, but Tom who did that as he sensed Harry's magic.

That was also one of the things. He had begun to with increasingly frequency think of Potter as Harry.

Tom swiftly climbed the last part of the stairs and walked out at the top of the astronomy tower where he was met with the cold night air and the endless dark sky, that was like a piece of blue velvet laid out with diamonds, but the sky didn't interest him. His gaze was drawn to the shadowy figure that was leaning against the barrister looking out over the forest.

Harry convinces Tom to work in Ministry.
Harry becomes an Auror

Epilogue (Possibly)

Harry was sitting in the living room together with his family enjoying a quiet breakfast. It was his birthday. And it wasn't just any birthday, but the actual day he had been born. 31st July 1980.

In time he had been alive he was fifty-three. Not that he looked his age, which was the perk of being a powerful wizard.

"Uncle Harry! Thank you for coming! On your birthday and all… Oh and Minister Riddle. It's nice to see you, sir."
A throaty laugh came from behind Harry. It was a laugh Harry never grew tired of hearing. It was amazing how different his Tom was from the Dark Lord he had known in his youth. "Relax, James. How many times have I told you that Tom is fine?"

"Right… eh…"

"How's Lily?
"I-I don't know they wont let me inside to see her, they say that a delivery room is no place for a man, but I want to be with her support her with anything I can."
"I'll have a word with the healer."
Harry knocked on the door and a second later he was met by a flustered woman.
"How many times do I have to say it Mr. Potter you aren't welcome in here."
Harry cleared his throat, "I think you've got the wrong Mr. Potter."
"Oh, my! Excuse me, Mr. Potter.
"That's fine as long. As you have viable excuse for separating a couple that is about to have a baby."

"Hey Sirius how are you?"
"Just as nervous as James I'd imagine. I'm going to be a godfather!"
"Yeah it's pretty amazing."
"Never forget that your foremost duty will be to the child now. The baby's needs will come first, do I make myself clear?"
"Oh, of course, Uncle Harry."

A tried looking James came out the door and everyone who was waiting tensed until James gave a huge grin
"I'm now the proud father of a healthy baby boy!"

"Harry would you come in first?"
"Of course."

"Hey, Lily. How are you doing? And how's the little one?"
"Hello, Harry. I'm fine. Just a bit tried. And the baby is fine too. He seems curious, though he hasn't opened his eyes yet. Anyway, things felt better once I had James in here with me. Thanks for talking with the nurse. She is sweet bit she got some ancient ideas about males and babies that I thought were outdated even in the wizarding world."

"Do you want to hold him?"

Harry held the small child that was all bundled up in a soft blue blanket. The face was all wrinkled and red, still the child was perfect with a small button nose and petal shaped lips. A tuft of soft black hair lay on the child's forehead. As he stroked it the child opened his eyes and they were an amazing green colour.
"Uncle Harry. I present to you our son Harry James Potter."

The End