Torn Asunder

Torn Asunder

Chapter Two- Sword Dance

"Hey Harry..." Tom's voice reached Harry's ears and the older boy turned over on his bed to look across the room at Harry. After having declined Dumbledore's tea invitation, they had been sent straight up, to Madam Pomfrey, who had fussed over both boys, as usual, until they were sick of it. They had quickly taken their baths and had been placed straight into bed -- even though both had complained, not wanting to sleep.

"Hmmm?" Harry looked blearily over at Tom, his glasses on the night table. He didn't particularly want to go to sleep yet: he always had those dreams... and any time he didn't, he had nightmares... So Harry had been somewhat like an insomniac on and off throughout the entire summer and start of the year, though no one knew of it but himself.

Yawning lightly, Tom stretched his arms, settling himself against the pillows comfortably, tucking one under his arm for good measure. He gave Harry a thoughtful look before finally asking, "So... I was Voldemort? Prof- I mean Headmaster Dumbledore and the others didn't seem to like this Voldemort fellow," he gave a slight shrug and smirked, "and here I always thought that I was likable."

Ugh, why must I always answer the hard questions? What will I say now? Oh, you're fine right now, but you used to be a homicidal person who most wizards think is insane as well? He rubbed his head, brushing his scar with his hand as he was jolted back with a vivid memory of the time Voldemort tossed multiple Cruciatus curses at him. So why was he being so nice to Tom right now? Harry gave a slight grimace, because Tom has no idea of what he did...

"Harry?"

Tom's voice jerked Harry back into reality as he tossed the other boy an apologetic smile, "Sorry Tom, got caught up in my thoughts..." His fingers tapped the side of the bed as he thought of a reply, "Voldemort... isn't a nice person Tom." He really did not want to delve deeper into the topic.

Tom was silent for a moment, his dark eyes unreadable before he gave a slight nod, turned over, and quietly murmured, "Good night then, Harry."

"... good night Tom."

~

Harry looked around at the grassy plain, a faint look of resignation on his face as he lightly spoke, "Well... I suppose that this is better then having another nightmare." His hand reached up to grip his cusith necklace, green eyes searching for something.

"And here we always thought that you liked our impromptu lessons, young one," a tall figure appeared and a dark silver robed man walked towards Harry calmly, his light amber eyes watching him. A faint smile appeared on his face as he watched the boy turn towards him with no surprise.

A small answering smile appeared on Harry's as he retorted, "These lessons always leave me sore and make me feel as if I get no sleep. I'm already a bit of an insomniac, but with these dreams, with the nightmares I regularly have, it's a surprise if I can function throughout the day at all, Praeceptor," his eyes flashed with a bit of indignation, a small frown on his lips.

A small wind whipped the man's silver waist-length hair around lazily, as he narrowed his eyes slightly, chiding his pupil, "You're showing excessive emotion once again. Remember what I have taught you..."

"-letting one's emotions show is letting an enemy understand you better... I know, I know," Harry heaved a sigh and composed himself, letting a blank mask slip over his face. He could shield most of his emotions from his eyes, but not all, they were too expressive for that, no matter how hard he tried. But it seemed to suit his instructor, for the man gave him a light smile and a nod.

"Of course, having a guarded face does not help at all if one does not guard his tongue as well," the man shook his head lightly at Harry, faint amusement in them.

Harry nearly scowled at the man, but stopped himself just in time. His eyes quickly flickered over the landscape, slight confusion in them as he asked in what he hoped was a blank tone of voice, "Where is Praeceptrix?"

The man gently fingered his own cusith necklace, as he used his other hand to summon a couple of large rocks. He motioned Harry to sit down on one as he sat on the other, finally answering, "She had to go see the council about your progress. You're doing nicely by my standards, but they seem to think that you are moving too slowly."

Anger flashed quickly through Harry's eyes though he struggled to contain it, "The council always expects so much of me! First these lessons, and then Voldemort! What next and why do I never see them? Only you and Praeceptrix!"

"Emotions, young one!" The man sharply said, his light eyes brooding, "You are not to question the council... they are pleased that you managed to accomplish the first task against the one you call Voldemort, but they would not tolerate your unguarded tongue for long." At Harry's smoldering hurt look, the man spoke in a softer tone, "We are getting off track from the original purpose... Do you have any questions young one? Maybe I can answer them..."

Faint hope rose in Harry's eyes, maybe he would actually get some answers from his illusive instructor for once, "What did the spell that I cast do to Voldemort?" He was dying to know the answer, his eyes pleading with the man.

The man hesitated for a moment, but instead of him answering, a light feminine voice rang out, "It was to correct a mistake we made." A slender woman seemingly appeared out of thin air, though neither Harry nor his Praeceptor seemed to be surprised. She was lively looking with lovely stormy gray eyes and wavy black hair. She stepped sprightly up to the man and gave him a light kiss, "Hello Valion."

This must have been an ordinary event for the duo, because Harry continued speaking without missing a beat, "A mistake that you and Praeceptor made? Or one that all of you and the council made? And what mistake exactly was it?"

Valion gave a small smile towards Kiari before turning to Harry, "Very sharp aren't you? One that the council made... and no we cannot yet tell you what the mistake was," a faint twinkle entered his eyes, "Though did you like our result?"

Harry nearly rolled his eyes, speaking in a rapid tone, "You two are never allowed to tell me anything! So Voldemort is gone now isn't he? And Tom Riddle took his place?" He ignored the last part of Valion's words, thinking he was teasing him.

Kiari's expression sobered as she nudged over Valion and sat on part of his rock, "The one you call Voldemort is not gone yet... he is weaker now, but he is still very much alive. Think Tom Riddle as if he is a whole new person... before he became this Voldemort that you speak of."

Confusion whirled through Harry's eyes as he ground out angrily, "So the spell was for nothing then? I can't even tell Dumbledore or even Sirius about what happened to me out there! Do you know how hurt Ron and Hermione were, Praeceptrix?" There were always questions that the duo couldn't, or wouldn't, answer. There always were hidden agendas, hidden meanings...

"We would tell you in a flash if we were able, young one! But the council compelled us to wait and to keep things secret for now, and we cannot go against the will of the council!" Valion seemed angered, but quickly got over it after his outburst, returning to the somber, serious man that Harry had known.

Kiari broke in gently, "And it wasn't for nothing, the one you call Voldemort is greatly weakened without his counter part... You must treat Tom Riddle well and with understanding, young one. He has never as of yet done anything wrong that would garner your hatred or mistrust."

For as long as he could remember, Harry had never heard his tutors directly call Voldemort by his name -- they didn't say "You-Know-Who", or anything like that, but they referred to him as: 'the one you call Voldemort' or another sort of statement, letting Harry to believe that Voldemort was just a name they used when he was around them. It was maddening the first time he had heard them say that. He had questioned them, yet both had mysteriously clammed up and refused to say anything more on the subject except: 'it isn't your time to know, the council obliges us not to tell you'.

The council was another sore spot. His dreams had started early over the summer, yet he had never seen anybody else except Kiari and Valion, his instructors. But they were forever mentioning the mysterious council and seemed to abide by it's every command. They never spoke a word against it and seemed to never think a thought against it.

Harry sighed and finally nodded his head, but he couldn't help but ask, "So... he won't do anything against us?" He wished that his instructors had the permission to tell him all they knew, to let him tell Dumbledore and the others, but that was just wishful thinking.

Valion hesitated for a moment, before truthfully replying, "Not right now anyway. But remember he is as much a human being as you, and so prone to outside influence. You must do everything in your power to protect him from the one you call Voldemort and anyone else that might sway his allegiances."

Bitterly Harry thought to himself that he was the one who always had to try to fix things -- the council's mistakes! Why couldn't he just have a normal existence? Why can't that council of theirs do anything about their own mistakes? He would ask his instructors... but he had learned early on not to criticize the council too much in front of them.

"Stop brooding, young one! Your life is too short!" Kiari jumped up from the rock and gave him a smile, her cusith pendant swinging lazily around her neck, "I think it's time for more training."

Harry groaned inwardly and muttered as he got up from his own rock, "What's the point of learning all of this if I can't use it in front of other people anyway?" He sighed and tapped his cusith pendant. It broke away from the thin silver chain and floated in front of him, changing its shape and length before it became a katana that Harry easily caught the handle of.

It was slightly longer than normal katanas, made of strange alloy of metals that made it extremely strong, yet be able to bend slightly to prevent it from breaking. The hilt was of a dark silver and white color, the pommel showing a proud cusith upon it. The katana suited Harry perfectly because of the history behind the types of swords. Their carriers were always associated with being honorable, courageous people, something that fitted Harry's personality quite well.

With a raised brow, Valion summoned his own sword, a two-handed one, holding it in front of himself casually, "And here I thought you would prefer to practice magic instead of your sword skills."

With a shrug, Harry lunged at Valion, his sword quickly slashing towards the man, "I need something to vent on, using my katana seems like the best idea," and with those last words, they dueled.

~

Harry woke up abruptly, feeling sore and as if he had gotten no sleep, again. As always, the results from his dreams were crystal clear and he felt it imprinted into every bruise that had appeared on his body. He gave a soft grunt as he sat up, his cusith necklace swaying in front of him. Ugh, Valion beat me... again. Of course I haven't been practicing long enough with my katana, but it would be nice to win against him at least once.

"What's that?" A soft voice broke through his musings and a sleepy-eyed Tom Riddle looked at Harry, his eyes pinned on the boy's cusith necklace with interest. He stretched and jumped out of bed, walking over to Harry slowly.

"... it's a necklace, the pendant is in the shape of a cusith," really, Harry didn't know why he always felt hesitant about telling others about it, which is why he always kept it under his robes so it couldn't be seen by anyone else. "Know what a cusith is, Tom?"

Tom looked a little put-out that Harry doubted his abilities, even the slightest bit, pulling himself up haughtily as he answered, "Of course I know what it is... A cusith-"

"Good morning you two!" Albus Dumbledore walked into the room cheerfully; nothing seemed to put the man off for more then a few instants. "How are you feeling today? Up to classes it is, Harry?" A kind smile appeared on his lips as he watched both boys thoughtfully.

Harry gave a nod, answering immediately, "Of course Headmaster... Just a question though," at Dumbledore's inquiring look, he spoke rapidly, "I just wanted to know what your going to do with Tom, I mean, if he's going to take classes or anything." He blushed faintly at the curious look that Tom shot his way, but refused to add anything else.

Instead of directly answering him, Dumbledore turned to Tom, "What do you think my boy? From what I understand you seem to only remember things before the Chamber of Secrets opened in your time. That would put you in Harry's year then." A sharp look came into his eyes as he looked at Harry and then Tom.

"Well Headmaster, I wouldn't mind going to classes," Harry couldn't help but look at him in surprise as Tom continued speaking in a calm voice, "But would I stay in Slytherin? And what about my classes? What will the other students think if I just arrived? I don't know about the circumstances of my arrival, but I think that none of you have told anyone else about it."

A faint smile appeared as Dumbledore spoke, "Brilliant, you were always brilliant Tom," he didn't look surprised when Tom appeared smug, "Well then... Harry, what do you think is best for him? You were the one who brought him here if I remember correctly."

He has never as of yet done anything wrong... his Praeceptrix's words flashed quickly through Harry's mind as he spoke thoughtfully, "I suggest that we give Tom a new name... or at least a new last name. I know that Hermione would figure out the connection immediately and some of the Ravenclaws will, on the long term as well," at Dumbledore's nod, Harry went on, "And... I think it would be best if he was placed in Gryffindor."

"What?!" Tom's head snapped in Harry's direction as he watched him with a sharp look.

"Hmm... I think that it may be for the best Tom, until I figure out exactly what happened to Voldemort," Dumbledore gave the boy a calm look, "And Harry is probably the only one who knows who you really are, isn't it for the best?"

Tom looked at Harry for a moment, mind faintly registering Dumbledore's words before he gave a slow nod, "I suppose it's for the best... You did say that people didn't like this Voldemort person that I'm supposed to be..." he suddenly demanded, "But I wasn't that bad was I? I couldn't be."

Dumbledore laid a hand gently on the boy's shoulder, saying quietly, "Just don't listen to what the others have to say, something had obviously happened that I haven't thought of before. I assure you that I'll find out as quickly as I can..." he gave a discreet glance towards Harry before he spoke again, "It's just about time for breakfast, I'll make the announcement as Harry will show you to where you will sit. He'll also tell you about the classes you will attend... You will attend the same ones as Harry, do you have a problem with that?"

Muttering to himself, Tom shook his head, "No I don't."

His eyes twinkled with hidden meaning as Dumbledore nodded, "Well then, both of you should go change and then go to the Great Hall, I'll arrive shortly." As he watched both boys exit the room, he gave a slight frown and softly murmured, "Something is amiss... That boy clearly has no idea who Voldemort is, or why everyone seems to dislike him. This Tom seems... normal, not like how I remember him when he attended my classes." Shaking his head slightly he got up and went out to the Great Hall, a faint smile on his face, well... seems as if things are getting more interesting once again.

~

Ugh, I forgot to ask Dumbledore what Tom's new last name is... Harry glanced over at the other boy, finding that Tom's eyes were fixed on him already. He gave him a faint smile, smoothing down his robes, "Ready to go in?" They stood in front of the Great Hall's doors, almost ready to go in and face everyone.

"... I don't know what my last name is," apparently, Tom was as sharp as Dumbledore had told Harry, "What am I going to say?" He smoothed his hair, absentmindedly looking around, "And I don't have my wand." His hand clenched at the last, he usually was never without his wand and felt uneasy without it by his side.

Harry looked mildly startled, I never thought of that, and bit his bottom lip slightly, drawing the other boy's attention to it, "I think Dumbledore knew... he'll think of something, and I don't think we need to say your last name either." Suddenly he smoothed his face over, making it blank and nearly emotionless, "Let's go then."

Thoughtfully Tom looked towards Harry, slight suspicion blossoming in his mind as he eyed the other boy through half-lidded eyes. Harry was hiding something... maybe not from him specifically, but he wanted to find out... he was going to find out. He fingered his Gryffindor badge, finally looking away from Harry to inspect it, he mused almost to himself, "Never thought I'd be wearing one of these."

"Get used to it," and with no warning, Harry gently pushed Tom through the door and into the loud room, his gaze falling directly onto the Gryffindor table. I wonder if Ginny will recognize him, she was unconscious throughout the whole time... He pushed down the rising anxiety and began to lead Tom toward the table.

Around, silence started to blanket the noise as more and more people noticed Harry and the new boy. Several excited whispers broke through the room, it wasn't everyday one sees someone new in the middle of the year that looked to be another Hogwarts student. Plainly curious gazes followed Tom's form as they watched the duo sit at the Gryffindor tables.

Harry silently reached over and rested his hand against Tom's tense shoulder lightly, a faint smile on his face as he watched him. Tom eyed Harry for a bit before he inclined his head in a slight nod and relaxed slightly, feeling Harry take his hand off.

Hermione watched the two boys quietly, concern and worry in her gaze as she looked towards Harry. She seemed uncertain whether or not to speak up, her gaze constantly shifting from Harry to Tom, to Ron.

Seeing Hermione's looks, Ron baldly spoke up, his eyes trained on Harry's blank face, "We're sorry for the incident last night Harry. We shouldn't pry..." suddenly he seemed unable to keep the rest of his words back, bursting out, "But you should be able to tell us! We're your best friends! You seem so different this year, and me and 'Mione are worried." He seemed to hardly notice Tom sitting quietly by Harry's side, too focused on Harry.

Harry narrowed his eyes briefly at Ron, conflicting emotions warring in his eyes; "I'm fine, you both shouldn't be worried at all." He gave them both a brief smile, eyes darting towards Tom.

Feeling uncomfortable, Hermione spoke up, trying to dispel the tension that seemingly crackled in the air, "Who is that Harry?" She gave Tom a puzzled glance, her eyes wondering; "I've never seen you before. I'm Hermione Granger, and this is Ron Weasley," she gestured to Ron by her side.

Dark sapphire blue eyes watched Ron and Hermione with a touch of interest, a faintly superior grin appearing on Tom's face, "It's a pleasure to meet you both. My name is Tom." Considering that he had to answer them, he used his first name only, hoping that Prof- no, Headmaster Dumbledore kept his first name and only changed the last.

Curiously, Hermione began to speak again, ignoring the way that Tom didn't say his last name, preferring to ask instead, "If I may be so blunt, what are you doing here? I didn't read anything about transfer students in Hogwarts, A History." So like Hermione, seeking out new information just to satisfy her own intellect.

Suddenly Dumbledore swept into the room, his eyes twinkling cheerfully as he began to speak. As if on cue, all the students hushed, saving Tom from having to answer Hermione's question, "I need to inform you all on something you may have recently noticed, Tom Doulin," he didn't seem to notice Tom glare at him, "recently joined our ranks. He was sorted into Gryffindor earlier and I would like you all to make him feel welcome." He smiled at all the students cheerfully, "That is all," and sat down at his chair, helping himself to some food, seemingly ignorant of inquiring eyes.

From the teacher's that had not been in the staff room last night, they eyed Dumbledore with curiosity, wondering why they were not present at the boy's sorting or why they were not even informed that Dumbledore had brought in a transfer student. From the teacher's that were in the staff room last night, there were mixed expressions of shock, wonder, concern, and from one, anger.

Ginny leaned over towards Harry, her eyes curious and lively, "Hey Harry, why is it that you knew about it before we did?" She smiled at him, face turning lightly pink when she saw that she had caught his attention. Her eyes wandered towards Tom and narrowed ever so slightly when she saw the boy looking at Harry, her gaze sharp.

While Harry began to quickly spin a false tale about meeting Tom by running into him, Tom leaned back in his chair and smiled insolently towards Ginny, his eyes amused. So she wants to play does she? He gave her a full smirk before turning to Harry, changing his expression and smiling lightly at him, the picture of innocence. "Yes, and he had the grace of catching me before I fell," Tom's voice was like a low purr in Harry's ear, looking at Ginny out of the corner of his eye and watching her scowl at him.

Harry reddened slightly as he felt the other boy's breath brush his ear, struggling to contain his surprise and embarrassment. Slowly he pushed those emotions away, becoming emotionally unattached once more, he certainly seems as innocent as Praeceptor and Praeceptrix tells me he is... and they are almost never wrong. Actually, he couldn't remember a time when those two were wrong on anything. Almost instantly he forgot about sitting at the table and ignored everyone around him as he wondered to himself why his instructors didn't want him to tell anyone, and what his spell did...

"-arry, Harry!" Seamus waved a hand in front of Harry's blank face, abruptly bringing the other boy back into awareness. He gave him a curious look, grinning at Tom rakishly as he announced, "Ah, drifting off again are you? I'm Seamus Finnigan by the way, nice to meet you Tom." Suddenly he yelped and glared at Dean, who had smirked and elbowed him in the side, "And this prat next to me is Dean Thomas."

"Hello," Tom's voice was cool and refined, his look slightly haughty. Suddenly he turned to Harry as a thought crossed his mind, asking curiously, "What is our first class?"

"Oh no! We're going to be late!" Immediately Hermione stood up, dragging Ron to his feet as she tugged on Harry's robe sleeve, "Hurry up!" At that instant Harry got up, Tom jumping up as well (he was unwilling to get dragged by the girl), Hermione whirled around and walked hurriedly off, hauling Harry and Ron with her.

Tom chuckled to himself as he cast a glance at the amused Gryffindor table, and the scowling Ginny, before he walked off after the trio, hearing Ron yell out, "But Hermione, we're not late yet!" He figured that he wouldn't find out just yet.