Delicious as Sin

Harry took a deep breath in before opening his eyes. He took in his surroundings with a sense of apprehension, tied to a chair in Dumbledore's office. 'Dumbledore's office?' he wondered, thoroughly confused. He moved his arm slightly, trying to test his restraints. He found that he couldn't move at all. His head snapped up as Tom entered the room.

"Hey there," Tom said smiling.

"What... what happened?" Harry asked trying to play innocent. Tom saw through it instantly.

"You know what happened," Tom said, his voice quiet, almost deadly; gone was the façade of friendliness he used to put up.

"How did you survive?" Harry asked.

"Oh you know, I'm used to escaping death now," Tom said trailing off his smile returning with an almost maniacal glint in his eyes, "Dumbledore ... unfortunately wasn't as lucky."

"That's a bunch of shit and you know it! He's more powerful than you'll ever be!" Harry yelled.

"I assure you," Tom drawled, taking Harry's face firmly in his hands, "I am being quite truthful."

"No," Harry hissed trying to pull away. Tears were beginning to well in his emerald eyes.

"Darling, we wouldn't be in the old fool's office if he were still alive. He tried to rescue his poor idiotic students in the Chamber, and of course, I strike him from behind. It was ... euphoric," Tom whispered, grinning. "you know -- the incredible feeling after an amazing kill." Tom trailed his fingers across the side of a face where a deep scar marred his face. "he put up quite a fight... I almost died," Tom trailed off.

"You son of a bitch!" Harry bellowed and Tom hit him so hard he drew blood.

"You are in no position to speak to me like that," Tom said looking irritated, but he seemed calm down and his face softened. "What a powerful wizard, a worthy enemy...this almost makes it worth all the times I've dies by his hands," Tom said.

"He will always be a better wizard then you," Harry said.

Obviously deciding he had had enough, Tom moved behind Harry, out of his field of view. The Gryffindor distinctly heard the entrance door being thrown open, before hearing Tom, "Bring in the children!" he shouted and Harry looked thoroughly alarmed.

He watched as two masked Death Eaters brought in three robed students and tossed them on the floor. One of them gave a student a hard kick for good measure and Tom hissed in disapproval.

"Stop! We cannot have damaged goods, now can we?" he asked looking up to smile at Harry.

He gently pulled back the hoods off the students and Harry gasped. He briefly shut his eyes, so taken was he, by pure rage. He tried to breathe deeply, but it was to no avail. He looked into the faces of Draco, Blaise and Hermione -- bound and gagged. Harry examined each of them. Draco's blond hair was tangled and matted to his forehead. A deep gash ran across his cheek to his jaw, but his eyes held an eerie sense of calm. Blaise looked furious. She put up a vicious fight against her bounds, and settled for glaring at Tom. Hermione looked the worst of them all. He tried to catch her eye, but she simply looked away. He had a flash of Tom yelling Crucio and Hermione falling.

"Mmm... these are some of those I decided to keep," Tom said cupping Hermione's face in his hand, "and trust me, I didn't keep many," he said winking at Harry. "Anyway your life or theirs," he said.

"What?" Harry asked.

"I can either kill you and spare them or I can kill them and spare you, which would you like?" Tom asked as aloofly as though asking Harry what he wanted for dinner.

"How can I trust you?" Harry asked.

"Oh! come on, you know better than that. You can't trust me," Tom said pulling a knife from his robes. He ran his finger across the edge and Harry watched as a line of red appeared on Tom's hand.

"Me," Harry said.

Hermione was trying to speak from behind her gag. She let out a howl of desperation.

"Alright Mr. Potter, but let us see what the mudblood is so riled up about," Tom said pulling the gag from Hermione's mouth.

"I think ... that we should all be allowed to speak to Harry before he makes his decision," she said breathing deeply.

"He's already made his choice," Tom pointed out amusedly.

"That's all fine and good but at least allow us to speak to him before he dies," she said. She looked as though she was about to pout at Tom. Tom sighed and removed the gag from Draco's mouth as well. As he was pulling away from Blaise she bit down on his hand. He screamed in pain, which Blaise almost fell laughing.

"Sucker!" she said still laughing. Tom just looked at her.

"I'll deal with you later," Tom said looking expectantly at Harry.

"I ... you guys ... it's me, I have to die it's always been me," Harry simply.

"STUPEFY!" Blaise screamed and Tom slammed into a bookshelf.

"How did... YOU LITTLE BITCH!" Tom yelled. He tried to stand up, but Blaise pointed the wand at his chest.

"Wands down or he dies," she said to the Death Eaters who had pulled their wands out. They failed to make a move and she hissed, "Fine then, but when I go I'm taking this bastard with me too."

"Put your wands down." Tom ordered his minions, then turning to Blaise, "How did you manage to keep your wand?" he softly asked.

"Oh! he was too busy looking at my ass to notice. Untie Harry," Blaise said.

"Are you fucking--"

"UNTIE HIM OR I'LL KILL YOU!" she shrieked.

Tom moved to the chair and loosened the ropes that bound Harry to the chair. As he was moving away Harry saw him reach for his wand.

"BLAISE!" Harry screamed and sighed with relief as she dodged the curse. It seemed as though Draco and Hermione had both freed themselves. Harry ducked behind the desk as curses flew left and right. 'I have no wand,' he thought in panic.

"STOP!" Harry heard a voice say. He peeked around the desk and saw that everyone had frozen.

Ginny stood in the doorway, Death Eaters behind her.

"Red, I knew you'd pull through," Tom said and Hermione shot her a death glare. Ginny walked towards him as though the world was hers'. She paused for a moment to shoot a pointed look at Harry. Her gaze dragged upwards, towards the sword of Gyffindor that rested a few shelves about Harry. She pulled Blaise's wand out of her hand and smiled. She embraced Tom and pulled back.

"Killing Dumbledore ... Tom -- I must say -- quite an accomplishment," Ginny purred her hand trailing across Tom's back.

"Quite fascinating how Percy went missing on his highly important mission for the ministry," Tom said as he winked at her.

"What can I say? I didn't know killing you own family could be so... exhilarating," Ginny said.

"You bitch! You're a traitor. How could you choose him over everyone else!? You're going to choose him over us!" Hermione screamed and Tom backhanded her. Ginny winced.

"As you can see, I have these to deal with," Tom said motioning towards Hermione and Draco.

"We'll take care of them," she said with an ease Harry knew she didn't feel. She pointed her wand at Blaise and Blaise's eyes widened.

"Ginny ... what are ... what are you doing?" Blaise asked softly.

"What I should have done a long time ago," Ginny said. She whipped around and slammed her fist into Tom's face. She tore his wand out of his hand and snapped it in half. Tom screamed and Ginny tossed Blaise her wand and pulled out Hermione's and Draco's from her robe. The Death Eaters poured in and they shot off curses left and right. Harry jumped up and in one single swipe, had the sword in his hands. He panicked as he saw Tom moving towards the door. Hermione and Draco had managed to push the Death Eaters out of the room and Aurors matched them in numbers. It was an even match. Harry brought the sword around so it rested against Tom's chin and he pressed himself against Tom's back. The knife Tom was holding fell to the floor.

'Is this it kitten?" Tom asked softly trying to turn around, but Harry held him tighter.

"Don't kitten me, asshole," Harry hissed.

"Can you kill me Harry? Can you really?" Tom asked.

Thoughts flooded Harry's mind. Thoughts of their time together, the dreams, the pain Tom cause, and the pleasure.

"Say the word and we can change it all," Tom murmured seductively.

As much as Harry wanted to plunge the sword through Tom, his thoughts kept lingering on the better times they had together. Tom owned a piece of him and killing him would mean living in pain ... tormenting himself everyday. 'NO I have to make the right choice!' he thought frantically as Tom used the opportunity to flip them over. The sword slid across the floor and into the wall. Tom looked in Harry's eyes.

"One of us has to die," he said.

Harry took a deep breath grabbed the fallen knife and plunged it into Tom's heart.

"I'm sorry. I love you," he whispered against Tom's face.

Tom gave a small chuckle, "I love you -- but I too would have killed you," he rasped as he fell to the side. "The irony... the dark lord defeated by a boy. I never thought I'd see the day. I owe you more credit than I've given you." Blood pooled at the side of his mouth and Harry wiped away a tear. He wondered momentarily when he had started crying. He readjusted himself so he cradled Tom in his lap. He rocked back and forth with tears running down his face. He pulled the knife gently from Tom's body and cried harder.

"Master!" a Death Eater cried as he saw Tom's fallen body.

"Our lord has fallen!" another Death Eater screamed.

"Stupefy!" Blaise shouted at one.

"RETREAT!" a Death Eater shouted. The Death Eater's were stopped at the door by Auror's as they tried to flee.

Harry watched through bleary eyes as Draco held a wand to the Death Eater's chest.

"No father, I don't think so," Draco said in an icy voice.

"You wouldn't," the man said pulling back his hood. Draco stared at his father.

"Avada Kedavra," Draco said and Harry watched in half-horror, half-fascination as a green light flew out of Draco's wand and Lucius Malfoy hit the floor with a sickening thud. Harry shut his eyes, and when he opened them again an Auror was trying to pull Tom out of his arms.

"No!" Harry said pulling Tom closer. The Auror look at him oddly and Hermione ran forward. There was blood everywhere and bodies littered the floor. The young, the old, the weak, the strong... so many had put their faith in the dark lord. Some of them had

chosen him for greed, some for power, and those that had no where else to turn. It was those that Harry pitied. He understood the allure of darkness, the allure of Tom. He had the ability to press himself into a person's very mind and learn what made them live, only to turn it against them.

"He was great," Harry whispered.

"Harry," Hermione said softly.

"Hermione," he said.

She sank down on her knees and kissed Harry on the cheek.

"Let him go," she whispered, "let him go." She took his hand into hers. Her hand was soft against his, splattered with blood. They had all suffered enough. He felt it as Tom's body was lifted from his lap, and he buried himself in Hermione's arms.