Sorry for the re-post of the last chapter – I had to do a tiny edit to a spelling error which was bugging me. I'm off to Spain in a few days so I thought I would squeeze this chapter in before my holiday. Didn't want to leave you stuck with Chapter 19's cliffhanger for too long. Hope you enjoy …

Lord Voldemort had not moved since stunning the boy. His bone white wand had been lowered haltingly, as though the man was undecided about whether he would be using it again. Severus was in shock. He could not have begun to anticipate how this evening would unfold when he had felt his dark mark burn hours earlier. He had dutifully listened as his master explained the ritual they would be following in detail and set to work on the instructions he had been given. It had been astonishingly difficult; using every skill he possessed as a potions master and he was utterly exhausted.

None of this mattered though, as the Potter brat was sprawled out unconscious a mere few feet away from the man who attempted to kill him on a regular basis.

Severus could not remember the last time he had been this flustered. He prided himself in always staying one step ahead but now his path was unclear. His master had finally stopped staring at the teenager and had turned to face the man who has assisted in Potter's resurrection.

"My Lord?" Snape question warily. He did not know what to say. His tired mind was racing with half formed ideas of how he could possibly get the boy out of the Dark Lord's clutches. He had vowed on his life to keep this child safe but he had no idea how to do so. This was an incredibly dangerous situation. His eyes suddenly widened as he felt an insidious presence in his mind and realised in that fleeting moment that he had made a fatal error.

Voldemort's expression had rapidly changed from pensive to cunning and sneer crosses his lipless mouth, "Such traitorous thoughts you have, Severus. Expelliarmus! Incarcerous!"

The spy was flung painfully against the concrete wall before being bound in viciously tight unbreakable bonds. His master allowed the black wand to sail past him and clatter to the ground. It would not be needed. Severus could hardly believe how quickly and drastically his fortunes had changed. In his surprised and exhausted state he had carelessly neglected his occlumency and his normally flawless barriers had dropped. He grimaced in anticipation of the inevitable unforgivable curse.

"Crucio!"

Severus clenched his jaw as white hot pain set his very nerves alight. He twitched and shook as the curse tore through him relentlessly. The Dark Lord was persistent and the potions master felt his pride slip away as he let loose a drawn out scream. This was not stopping. His vocal cords strained from the wretched sound tearing out of them.

"Such wicked secrets you keep from your master!" the Dark Lord hissed. "You dare to spy on me! To betray me for Albus Dumbledore!"

Severus could barely catch his breath between his screams. He had been tortured on many occasions by his master but never like this. The pain was unbearable. His eyes rolled around wildly in their sockets and he clumsily bit through his lower lip as he tried to clench his teeth. Coppery blood spilled down his jaw as the spell lifted. Pained dark eyes rose to meet those of the wizard before him.

"Please let me explain, my Lord." he gasped desperately.

"Let you lie, you mean? Fool me once, shame on you. Oh my slippery servant you are an intelligent man. Such a waste," Voldemort tutted and strolled languidly towards the fallen Death Eater, "You must surely understand that I cannot possibly believe a single word you utter now that I have finally read your true thoughts! Crucio!"

The room was filled with more agonised screams as the man thrashed in his constraints. The once high pitched screams were steadily becoming more hoarse as the vocal chords began to tear. The spell was lifted again after a few minutes, and it took several seconds for the potions master to regain his thoughts. He was surprised that he was not insane yet. It would not take long at this rate.

"Under normal circumstances I would spend a lot more time punishing you. I would relish in demonstrating each and every torture method in my arsenal before handing you over to Bellatrix to play with. You deserve far worse for your crimes. You are fortunate that I have far more important things to deal with at present than traitors. Goodbye Severus." Black eyes widened in terrible understanding, "Avada Kedavra!"

"Accio!"

The deadly curse struck the cold floor where the spy had been slumped a split second earlier. Voldemort spun in outrage as his victim was yanked out of the curse's path and across the room. Snape was now propped heavily against the legs of his saviour, who stood shakily pointing the forgotten black wand at the Dark Lord. Green eyes were blazing in bewildered rage.

"What in Salazar's name is happening, Tom?! Why did you stupefy me? Why are you trying to kill him? He just helped you bring me back! Little ungrateful don't you think?" he snapped sarcastically, "What is wrong with you?!"

The boy was gesticulating wildly, no longer pointing the wand at Voldemort. Blue sparks were shooting off haphazardly his agitation, coming precariously close to Snape's face. The man flinched away, "Careful with my wand, Potter!" he croaked.

"Who the hell is Potter?" was the frustrated response, "What is wrong with you both?"

Wide green eyes turned back to the hairless wizard who had been thoughtfully taking in the teenager's outburst with a calculating expression. "Hadrian..."

"Oh so you do remember me then?" the boy sneered. Severus was steadily becoming more alert and his gaze darted between the two in confusion.

"Of course I remember you," was the cautious reply.

"Then... then what's with all the bloody cursing?"

Voldemort hesitated, thinking through his answer carefully before responding, "It has been fifty years since I saw you last. Between that and your altered appearance I was wary of your identity at first. I was simply being cautious and verifying the ritual's complete success before waking you."

"Uh huh … and did you verify anything? Because correct me if I'm wrong but it seemed like you were busy torturing this guy when I woke up from my rather inconsiderate stunning."

"I was distracted by an unpleasant discovery." Voldemort conceded, as his eyes made contact with the oh so familiar green pair. He rapidly legilimised the boy, scanning his surface thoughts and smirking in satisfaction, "However, I understand that you are indeed Hadrian Jameson. Only you would dare to question me so vigorously." A wry smile crossed his lips before his expression morphed into one more serious, "Stupefy!"

Hadrian flinched as the red beam shot past him, stunning the man at his feet into unconsciousness. "Okay, what the...?"

"I will deal with Severus later." the red eyed man smoothly interrupted, "I may have been a little hasty in my decision to kill him. He has betrayed me in a most unforgivable manner, but I can question him before I put him out of his misery."

Hadrian's eyebrows rose to his hairline at his friend's accusation. He cast a worried glance at the bound and crumpled form on the ground, "Won't he wake up though? I did."

"Severus is in no state to fight off a stupefy any time soon." Voldemort explained as he led the way out of the laboratory, "As it is, most wizards would not wake from my stunning without a counter spell. In my haste I had forgotten about all of the modifications I made to the ritual to enhance your capabilities. Rather ironic really." He added the last part under his breath.

"What's ironic?" the boy asked, catching up to the man's pace.

"So the hearing enhancements worked too. Wonderful." he stated dryly. He was saved from explaining himself when Lucius Malfoy turned a corner into their path and stopped to gape at the boy.

"Pot..."

"Obliviate!" Voldemort snapped impatiently, wiping all memory of the meeting from the blond's mind. Lucius' memory was quickly modified and he headed to his bedroom under the belief that he had finished his night's work and needed to sleep. He was also instructed to not seek his master unless he was summoned.

Hadrian watched the dazed man wander away as the Dark Lord resumed his stride.

"Keep up!" the man called back and Hadrian almost laughed in remembrance. Tom looked radically different and seemed much quicker to anger these days, but his mannerisms had barely changed. Even as a teenager Tom's stride was confident. He rarely slowed down for anybody. It was usually a case of keep up or be left behind. He followed the man into the office and stopped when the man turned abruptly.

"We appear to have a long talk ahead of … oof!" Hadrian had flung himself at Tom and wrapped his arms around him tightly. He had intended to hug his best friend the second he regained his body but the man's actions had prevented that. The man in question had not expected it and stood stiffly before carefully patting the boy on the back. Hadrian stepped away grinning, "Sorry."

Voldemort scoffed. The boy looked completely unrepentant for his actions. "The wand." he stated, holding a pale hand out expectantly. Snape's wand was handed over without question before the teenager sat in the seat the Dark Lord gestured to. Voldemort took his own seat, silently marvelling at the complacency of his guest. The boy appeared to trust him implicitly. A few silent flicks of his wand slammed the door shut and warded the room heavily against entry and eavesdropping.

"So, what did Snape do?"

Voldemort scowled at Potter's question, "We may get to the subject of the traitor later," his voice was sibilant, almost slipping into parseltongue in his annoyance, "As for now, we have far more important things to discuss. A catch up, if you will."

Hadrian grinned at the idea and sat up eagerly in his seat, "Sure, so what has happened in the last fifty years?"

Voldemort raised a hairless brow, "My tale will come. However, I wish to begin with yours. Starting from when Grindelwald's curse struck you."

Hadrian rolled his eyes at the evasion. Of course Tom would make him go first.

"Okay, but I want to hear everything when I'm done. I bet your story is way more interesting." At Voldemort's nod he launched into his story. He told Tom about his sudden appearance outside the gates of Hogwarts and the subsequent months of drifting. The older wizard was very interested in the appearance of Dumbledore in muggle London and questioned him thoroughly. Hadrian did not understand why he could not communicate the exact address to his friend, but Tom eventually waved his hand with a smirk and told the boy to continue. Hadrian explained about his search for other wizarding residences and the pull he felt from Tom which finally brought him to Malfoy Manor.

"...So imagine my delight when I found you here! I was expecting Abraxas." Hadrian's expression sobered somewhat when he thought of his roommate, "What happened to him? I came across his portrait in my exploration of the manor so he must have died, right?"

"He passed away a few years ago from a rather vicious bout of Dragon Pox." Voldemort replied. "He led a successful career in the ministry of magic and increased the Malfoy wealth, leaving a healthy inheritance to his son, Lucius." The Dark Lord gestured to his opulent surroundings to demonstrate his point.

"Right. Well, that's good. I'm glad he had a good life." Hadrian murmured. He picked at his robes despondently as he remembered the blond.

Voldemort could see that the teenager's thoughts were turning darker; no doubt dwelling on the fact that he would not be seeing many of his old schoolmates. No one had ever accused the Dark Lord of being a compassionate man. It was not in his nature to be considerate of the feelings of others. He could have never anticipated that one day he would be thinking of a way to cheer up Harry Potter of all people. Red eyes scanned the office for inspiration before alighting on the mirror in the corner. Voldemort did not care much for his appearance these days but the full length mirror remained in it's place from when Lucius had called this office his own.

"Loathe as I am to distract you from your maudlin thoughts," he drawled, "But I was thinking that before we start recapping the last five decades that you may wish to look upon your new form."

Green eyes followed the Dark Lord's gaze to the mirror before the boy grinned in anticipation. Seconds later he was stood a foot away from his reflection, eagerly taking in every detail of his new appearance. He was taken aback by how pale he was. Blue veins were clearly visible under ivory skin. His hair was a quite unkempt but longer than he remembered. It now skimmed his shoulder blades. He looked down and inspected his hands thoroughly. They were flawless. There was not a single callus or scar to speak of. They were also bigger! His head snapped up as he realised the reason for the size difference.

"I'm taller! Ha!"

"Hmm, yes. About five foot eleven inches I would wager." Voldemort agreed as the boy glanced his way.

"Still not as tall as you but I'll take it!" Hadrian laughed, turning back to the mirror. It had been immediately evident upon his first glance at his reflection that the scar which had cut across his eye socket was no longer there. Slim, tapered fingers swept away the dark fringe expecting an unblemished forehead to match the rest of his body. He frowned.

"Huh."

Voldemort finally rose from his seat and strolled over to face the boy, "What's wrong?"

"Oh there's nothing wrong," Hadrian hastily assured, "I was just not expecting to still have this." He gestured to the lightning bolt shaped scar which adorned his forehead.

Voldemort's expression was carefully blank as he gazed upon the scar. He raised a cautious hand, "May I?" At the boy's nod he slowly placed the tip of his index finger against the blemish, tracing the shape. The boy's face remained placid. There was no evidence that the Dark Lord was causing any discomfort with his activity. Two years ago Potter had been screaming in pain at the same action. Voldemort felt a flash of malevolent fury at lack of reaction he was invoking. Potter suddenly hissed in pain and pulled his head away as though burned.

"Merlin! What was that?" Potter's hand rose to no doubt scrub uselessly against his source of pain. Voldemort quickly snatched the hand away, gripping the wrist tightly as he leaned in closer to inspect the scar. Moments earlier it had been smooth and pale pink whereas now it appeared red and inflamed. The hand was yanked away as Potter staggered back a few steps in alarm.

"Okay grabby, let's not touch the scar anymore. Obviously I'm not as perfect as you intended but it's not worth getting mad about. Especially if it's going to hurt like that!"

Voldemort caught himself before he lashed out at the boy for his insolence. He had carelessly allowed himself be swept up in memories and forgotten that this was not Potter he was dealing with. Hadrian stalked away from the mirror and over to the ornate desk, absently taking in the chaotic mass of books and notes occupying the surface.

"This looks like Shay," he commented forlornly, picking up the marble sculpture which had been relinquished of it's precious cargo two weeks earlier.

"There is a very good reason for that," Voldemort stated smoothly, intending to distract Hadrian from earlier events, "This is Shay."

"You kept her?"

Voldemort was not prepared for the look of sheer gratitude that swept across the boy's features. Even after months of training in wearing the cool 'slytherin' mask the boy had never been able to maintain it in Tom's company. He was an open book.

"Clearly. I transfigured her in preparation for the day you returned." Voldemort watched as the boy sat back in his chair. He followed suit and took his own seat as Hadrian looked up at him in awe.

"You held a transfiguration for fifty years? I thought that was impossible!"

Voldemort smirked at the naked admiration adorning the boy's features and reached out a hand for the snake, "It was no mere transfiguration as taught in Hogwarts," he lectured as he placed the marble creature back on the desk beside him, "I have already educated you in the ways of Dark magic, Hadrian. As you may recall, it's effects are more permanent in nature."

Hadrian swallowed the lump which had formed in his throat at Tom's words, "So she is stuck this way then?" His voice was barely above a whisper.

"Of course not." Tom scoffed, "That which is done can quite often be undone. I will restore her after our conversation."

That was all it took to make the boy perk up, elated at the prospect of having his pet back. "So, it's your turn now." he said, "What have I missed?"

Voldemort sat back and folded his hands on his lap as he studied Hadrian. He debated what would be beneficial to tell the dark haired teenager and what parts of his story to edit, lest their telling be to his detriment. He was in a very delicate position and his next words could change the very path of the war he was waging. Hadrian Jameson was Harry Potter. Harry Potter, his nemesis, was sitting in front of him, delighted to be in his company and trusting his every word. It was unprecedented. The boy's mannerisms were not those of the brash, uncouth Gryffindor who regularly foiled his intricate schemes. They were smooth and graceful, with bouts of jittery excitement which he recalled from his past experience with the boy. The hideous glasses were gone, as was the bird's nest he called hair. He no longer looked scrawny and underfed. He was now the height of his father before him and carried a lean, healthy muscle structure on his frame. Most importantly, in his current mental state the boy was truly loyal to the Dark Lord. Tom Riddle was Hadrian Jameson's best friend and pseudo brother. Hadrian Jameson disliked Albus Dumbledore and Gryffindors. Hadrian would be a boon to his cause and a blow to the Light side, especially in his enhanced body.

Yes, Voldemort could list plenty of tactical reasons why he was keeping Harry Potter alive and well. However he would not admit, not even to himself, the biggest reason that he had thrown a stunner at the unarmed boy rather than a deadlier curse.

"Well?" Hadrian was getting impatient and a little anxious from being stared at.

"I was thinking of where to begin," Voldemort replied smoothly.

Hadrian grinned, "Easy. Start where I did."

And so Voldemort told a story. He told Hadrian of his remaining time at Hogwarts and his job at Borgin and Burke's shortly after graduation. He explained how he had gathered a following of Death Eaters and encouraged them to gain influential careers where they could do the most good in changing the laws in favour of the Dark. He detailed the obstacles they faced and what Light families stood in their way. He was sure to gloss over their less than altruistic deeds in his telling of the last half a century. He did explain that a civil war eventually began to brew and his name became well known and feared throughout the country. Hadrian had interrupted with several questions which were answered as truthfully as Voldemort dared.

"I wish I had been there." Hadrian stated mournfully.

"Your company would not have been unappreciated," Voldemort admitted. He ignore the teenager's fond, knowing smile and continued his narration of the past. He explained how his cause had been gaining momentum and the opposition that had arisen in the form of the Order of the Phoenix; a band of Light wizards gathered together by Dumbledore to defy him. He was interrupted when he reached the part where his spy had reported a prophecy threatening his downfall.

"What did it say?" Hadrian was brimming with anxious curiosity.

Voldemort sighed before reciting the passage he knew, "The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches. Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies …"

Hadrian waited impatiently as Tom dwindled off mid sentence. He couldn't contain himself, "Yes?"

"That is all he heard before he was interrupted," was the sullenly muttered response.

"Okay," Hadrian looked wary now, "So what happened. What did you do?"

"There were only two families who met the criteria of the prophecy. Prominent pureblood families you may recall from Hogwarts; the Longbottoms and the Potters."

Green eyes narrowed in suspicion, "I'm afraid to hear the next part. Oh merlin please don't tell me you planned to kill babies?" He looked green at the idea. At Tom's lack of response he was on his feet in outrage, "You acted on half of a prophecy? What is wrong with you?! The Tom I knew thought about every possible outcome and would not act until he knew every bloody fact! What ..."

Voldemort was also on his feet now, wand in hand but not yet raised. It took every ounce of patience he had to keep himself from cursing the young man who dared to berate him. "We. Were. At. WAR!" He gritted out, red eyes flashing in barely contained fury. He watched in grim satisfaction as the boy rubbed at his scar and sat back down, a pained scowl on his face. Voldemort took a moment to breathe and calm his temper before sitting back down. There was still a lot to cover.

"So you killed some babies..." Hadrian prompted, his voice defeated.

"No," Voldemort corrected, unhappy to reveal the details of his failure but aware of the necessity of it for the story, "I visited the Potter residence with the intention of killing their first born son. They had been forewarned and had hidden from me for over a year. Eventually, a friend of theirs turned spy for me and was made their secret keeper. You remember how the fidelius charm works?" At Hadrian's he nod continued, "Peter told me their location and I visited them on All Hallow's Eve. James Potter died quickly. He was not even holding his wand when I made my entrance. I went upstairs to the nursery where Lily had barricaded herself and her infant." He could see Hadrian's dismay but the boy was staying quiet at least. He persevered, determined to get through the telling of a very sore subject for him, "I told her to move aside, repeatedly I might mention, but she refused..."

"Of course she did!" Hadrian snapped, "What mother wouldn't?"

"You would be surprised," Voldemort said grimly.

"The boy made a noise of disgust before a thought crossed his mind, "Why did you give her the option to live?"

"Lily Potter was a close friend of Severus when they were younger. He was the one to deliver the prophecy to me and he begged for her life shortly after. I believe he had an unrequited romantic love for her," he sneered.

"Did you kill her?"

"Yes."

"Probably why he betrayed you then," Hadrian stated dryly.

Voldemort rubbed at his eyelids wearily, "That may well be but regardless of his reasons his actions are still unforgiveable and he will still die for them. Moving on," he snapped before he could be interrupted again, "Lily fell by my wand but she had left a parting gift. In my haste to end the threat to my life I had not anticipated the potential involvement of ancient magic."

Hadrian already knew what was coming next. This story was one he was familiar with though he did not know how. Tom explained how he attempted to curse the infant and was stopped by the powerful magic invoked by Lily Potter's sacrifice. The boy felt more than a pang of sympathy when he heard of the rebounding curse and Tom's subsequent loss of his body. He wondered briefly why the killing curse affected he and Tom differently than most people. Even baby Potter had survived it, though his at least had some explanation for it. Tom summarised the thirteen years he had spent in spirit form before explaining how Peter and Barty Crouch Jr had assisted him in his resurrection.

"I assume you used a different ritual for your own revival?" Hadrian asked; silently alluding to their remarkably different appearances.

"You assume correctly. As it was my own resurrection I was regrettably reliant on the skill and power of Peter Pettigrew who did most of the work. Nevertheless the ritual was successful and I am as magically talented as I ever was. That was the main priority of course."

Hadrian frowned in confusion, "Where were the other Death Eaters? Why did it take so long for any other them to find you?"

Red eyes narrowed as the boy uncovered yet another sore subject, "Their fates varied," he replied. "Many lashed out and were sent to Azkaban without my protection. Others lied and bribed their way out, claiming to be under the imperius curse. On my resurrection I ensured that those who remained faithful were removed from their cells and rewarded. Those who lived in comfort during my exile were punished, naturally. I allowed most to live, however. Many of my Death Eaters who had escaped Azkaban had managed to obtain jobs and acquaintances in high places. In fact up until a few months ago I have been slowly infiltrating the Ministry of Magic again, completely unbeknownst to wizarding Britain."

"What happened a few months ago?" Hadrian asked, dreading the answer.

"Potter." Tom hissed. Hadrian felt his scar twinge as the Dark Lord detailed the lengths he had gone to to convince the Boy-Who-Lived to fetch the prophecy so that the ending could finally be known. He explained how everything had been going to plan until the Order had shown up and got in the way. Hadrian was impressed as Tom described his battle with Dumbledore and he groaned in sympathy as he heard how the prophecy had been smashed and the minister had appeared to witnessed the tail end of it.

"So Potter escaped then? He's still alive?"

"Yes," was the deadpan response. The crimson eyes wore a look of dark amusement which Hadrian could only assume he had deciphered incorrectly. He could not understand where the older wizard could find humour in his question.

"Here," Tom had stood quite suddenly and started waving his wand in intricate patterns over the marble snake. A minute later the creature was blinking sleepily and darting out a forked tongue to taste her surroundings.

"Shay!" Hadrian gasped, slipping into parseltongue instinctively. He scooped up the small snake and stroked her happily before turning to Tom, "Is the story finished then?"

"The important parts, yes. It is incredibly late and I believe that you could do with some rest. I will escort you to your room and we can speak further tomorrow."

"Now that you mention it, I am pretty tired," the boy agreed, "We have been talking for hours."

Voldemort led the boy to the room an elf had prepared a week earlier in preparation for his revival. It was large and homely, decorated in neutral colours to encourage relaxation. A four poster bed was situated against the wall parallel to the door. It looked wonderfully comfortable to the tired green eyes gazing upon it. There was a reptile tank prepared on top on the oak chest of drawers, waiting for Shay to be placed within it. Voldemort had ordered an elf to acquire it for the boy, knowing Nagini would likely eat the smaller snake if it were left to wander the manor.

Hadrian glanced at the tank before turning his gaze to Tom, "How did you know I would return?"

Voldemort grimaced, "I did not know. I hoped..."

For the second time that night Voldemort found himself being hugged by the younger wizard. Once again he patted the boy awkwardly before stepping away and gesturing to the oak wardrobe, "There are some clothes hanging for you for tomorrow. Should anything be incorrectly sized then one of the house elves will be able to adjust it for you. Should you need me, send an elf and I will arrive as soon as I am able. Goodnight Hadrian."

"Goodnight Tom."

He left the boy to chat with his snake and closed the door behind him. The moment it shut he cast several charms and wards to keep the teenager locked in while encouraging the manor's human occupants to instinctively avoid the room. Two elves were then summoned; one to guard and monitor the boy while remaining out of sight, and the other to transport Severus to the dungeons ready for interrogation.

Hadrian was not the only tired wizard in the manor. It was now the early hours of the morning and Voldemort had already taken part in a ritual which would have been exhausting enough without all the excitement that had followed. He made his way to his own room, tossing up similar wards to those used minutes earlier before preparing for bed.

There was a lot of work to be done tomorrow and many plans to be made. For now though, he would sleep.