Narrator's POV

Harry, Draco, Neville, Hermione, and Luna watched as Cedric and Ron entered the maze for the Third Task.

They sat there for several minutes when Harry felt Barty Crouch Jr. —who decided to watch the final event and hid like hell from his father— tug on his sleeve, he turned to face the man.

"Yes, Barty?" Harry asked

"Follow me, don't draw attention." Barty whispered, pulling them out of the crowd

Barty led them out of the arena, threw a black robe over his own shoulders and then Harry's, placed white masks on their faces, and apparated them away.

When Harry opened his eyes, they were surrounded by other people dressed like them in a graveyard, a large cauldron in the middle and Ron Weasley was tightly chained to a angel statue.

Throwing a bone into the cauldron, he saw Peter Pettigrew, "Bone of the father, unknowingly given, you will renew your son!"

Peter then cut Ron's arm and collected the blood and dumped it in, "B-Blood of the enemy, forcibly taken, you will resurrect your foe!" then he cut off his own left arm, "Flesh of the servant, w-willingly given, you will revive your master!"

The cauldron began to smoke and once it cleared he saw a figure pull itself up from the liquid.

The figure was Tom —his chocolate brown hair dripping with the liquid and his bare muscled torso dripping as well.

"Robe me!" Tom commanded and Peter handed him a simple black robe

Harry watched in both shock and amazement as Tom quickly threw on the robe, got out of the cauldron and approached Ron, "You stand, Ronald Weasley, upon the remains of my late father. A Muggle and a fool, very much like your Muggle-loving sister. But they both had their uses, did they not? She died to defend you and I killed my father, and how useful he's proved himself —in death."

Tom laughed, "You see, Weasley, my mother fell in love with him. But he abandoned her when she told him that she was a witch —he didn't like magic much, my father. He left her before I was even born, Weasley, and she died giving birth to me, leaving me to be raised in a Muggle orphanage. But I vowed to find him, to get my revenge."

Tom then faced the large masked group, "Welcome, Death Eaters. It's been thirteen years since we last met and yet you answer my call like it was only yesterday. We are still united under the Dark Mark, are we not?"

The Death Eaters were silent.

"I sense guilt." Tom ominously whispered, but his voice rang out on the silent night

No one dared move, save Wormtail who was clutching onto his bleeding stump.

"I see you all, whole and healthy, with your powers intact. And I ask myself, why did this band of witches and wizards never came to the aid of their master —to whom they swore their eternal loyalty?"

No one spoke, except Wormtail was was sobbing on the ground.

"And I answer myself: they must have believed me broken, they thought I was gone. They slipped back among my enemies, and they pleaded innocence, ignorance, and bewitchment."

The Death Eaters, especially the ones closest to Tom, looked down in shame.

"And then I ask myself, how could they have not believed I would have risen again? They, who knew the steps I took, long ago, to guard myself against mortal death? They, who have seen proof of the immensity of my power and knowledge that was mightier than any other living wizard?"

Again, no one spoke.

"And I answer myself, perhaps they believed that a greater power could exist, one that could defeat Lord Voldemort. Perhaps they now pay allegiance to another? Perhaps to that champion of Muggles, Albus Dumbledore?"

Suddenly, one of the Death Eaters threw himself forward to Tom's feet, "Master! Master, forgive me! Forgive us all!"

Harry smiled, he recognized that voice to be Walden MacNair's —Victoria's father.

His smile disappeared when Tom put him under "Crucio" and Walden started to scream.

After a few seconds Tom freed him from the curse, and he lay panting on the ground.

"Lucius Malfoy, my right-hand," Tom said, standing in front of a blond man Harry saw to be Lucius, "I am told that you and your family have not renounced the old ways, though to the present world you are a respectable face. Are you still ready to take your spot by my side? Yet you never tried to find me, your exploits of the Minister were entertaining but your energies could have been out to better work seeking me out and aiding me to my return."

"My lord, your most loyal and I were constantly on alert." Lucius replied, "Had there been any sign from you we would have been at your side immediately, nothing could have prevented us-"

"And yet you attempted pawn off something I entrusted to you? I know all about that, Lucius, you have disappointed me." Tom said, pausing momentarily, "I expect more faithful service in the future."

"Of course, my lord, of course." Lucius thanked, "You are most merciful, master, thank you."

Tom moved to the next person to Lucius' left, "Bellatrix LeStrange, my left-hand. I hear the same about you: that you and your family have not renounced the old ways and you are a respected face in the present. The torture of Alice and Frank Longbottom was entertaining to hear about, but your energy would have been better used in finding and aiding me."

"My lord, we were always watching for you. Any whisper from you and we would have rushed to your side as well." Bellatrix replied

Tom paused for a few moments before saying, "I expect more faithful service from you as well in the future, Bellatrix."

"Of course, my lord. Thank you for your mercy, master." Bellatrix thanked

"Many of us are missing, entombed in Azkaban, those who suffered prison rather than renounce me. When Azkaban is broken open they will be reward beyond their wildest dreams. The Dementors will join us, they are our natural allies. We will recall the banished Giants. I will have all my devoted servants returned to me and an army of creatures who all fear." Tom said, the wind drying his wet hair

"And we have one of my faithful at Hogwarts, and through his efforts we have our guests-of-honor here tonight." Tom said, causing everyone's eyes to move to Ron but no one seemed to notice that 'guests' had been plural

"Ronald Weasley has kindly decided to join us for my rebirthing." Tom added

"Master," Lucius said "we crave to know how your preformed this miracle to return to us."

"And what a story it is, Lucius. After my body was destroyed by the Killing Curse, I was forced to become less than any ghost but still alive. I was weaker than the weakest animal, but I had one power left to me: the ability to possess others. For the first nine years I possessed only animals, snakes mostly, but I still couldn't perform magic. But then, four years ago, a young, gullible, foolish wizard crossed my path. His mind was easy to bend under my will and even better, he was a teacher at Dumbledore's school. But my plan failed, I did not manage to steal the Philosopher's Stone. I was thwarted by timing and the servant's weak magic." Tom told

The Death Eaters hissed angrily.

"The servant died and I was cast from his body. But luckily, within weeks I found another fool to possess. His mind was even easier to bend to my will and he'd also been recently accepted as a teacher at Hogwarts. I hoped to find an object that would have assisted me back to having my own body back, but Weasley destroyed it and my other servant died." Tom continued

Harry felt tears spring to his eyes: Tom was facing so much and yet still managed to keep him happy, they both had been facing a living hell.

"After that, I stumbled around for a few months, but no other wizard came for me to possess. Then right before the summer, I came across Wormtail and I had him create a potion from a few different spells and other potions that would return my body to me. But, of course, a spell like that required very power ingredients: the flesh of a servant, which was easy enough to get; a bone from the father, which meant that coming here was necessary; and the blood of my enemy. Wormtail would have had me use that blood of any wizard, since many hate me still, but no, I knew to be stronger than I was before my fall I needed the blood of the one who took claim to my defeat: Ronald Weasley." Tom added

Tom turned to face Ron, "Crucio!"

Ron screamed and Harry smiled: that brat deserved it.

After a minute, Tom removed the Curse and ordered, "Wormtail, untie him and give him his wand."

Peter did as ordered as best he could with one hand and gave Weasley back his wand.

Suddenly, once free, Ron dived for the portkey and diapperated back to Hogwarts.

After Weasley is gone, the Death Eaters —save him, Barty and Peter, who was still nursing his cut off hand— apparated away with a wave of Tom's hand.

Once the Death Eaters were gone, Tom approached Harry and Barty stepped away to speak with Peter.

Neither Harry or Tom spoke: a 'hello' seemed awkward; a 'suprise' wasn't funny; and 'I love you' seemed cliché.

So instead, Tom pulled Harry into a loving embrace, and Harry eagerly hugged him back.

"It took you long enough." Harry chuckled, barely holding back tears of joy

"I know I took my time, sweetheart, I would have gotten to you sooner if I could have. Every time I found a way it was ruined it." Tom said, wiping the tears from Harry's eyes

Tom hated seeing the tears in those beautiful 'Killing Curse' green eyes: he had seen them filled with tears on too many occasions; those whale-sized Muggles would pay for harming his beloved soulmate.

"I get you we're after the stone in my first year, but why did you possess Lockhart to go after in my second?"

"After my attempt to steal the stone failed, I remembered I left somethings at the school that could help regain my body, but Weasley destroyed it."

"What did he destroy?"

"My horcrux, my old diary. I tried to get it under control but Weasley destroyed it."

"No he didn't, I rescued it."

"Good, then it's safe. Why didn't you tell me?"

"It told me not to."

"Idiotic, hormonal horcrux." Tom muttered under his breath

"I don't want Peter here. Or alive." Harry whispered after a moment of comforting silence

With one arm still around Harry's waist and the other pulling out his wand, Tom lazily fired 'Avada Kedavra' at the rat animagus and Peter promptly fell dead.

Barty slowly walked away to a different part of the cemetery to let the two wizards alone and to avoid their attention in this private moment —lest he end up like Wormtail.

Tom looked at his Harry: he saw the raven black hair, emerald green eyes, and the both skinny and feminine figure; but under the school robes he knew there were scars from his childhood abuse.

Tom kissed Harry's left cheek as a promise —a promise of revenge and retribution.

And without either one of the two males realizing it until it happened, their lips met.

The kiss went from chaste to passionate within seconds.

Tom had, for the first time, touched his soulmate and kissed him too, but he wanted more: he wanted to make love to Harry.

Every fiber of his being was telling him to bend Harry over a tombstone and make him his forever.

But he stopped himself from moving, he stepped back and looked at his Harry again: his soulmate was fifteen: barely old enough for a first kiss much less first lovemaking.

Taking Harry's virginity now seemed wrong since Harry was too young, but in two years time he could make Harry completely and utterly his —with his darling Harry's consent, of course.

And Harry also needed to return to Hogwarts before anyone realized he was gone.

Tom quickly recalled Barty and Barty apparated them both back to Hogwarts just in time to hear the news that Ron had been portkeyed to a random place, but heard nothing of Lord Voldemort's return.

***

After everyone left to head back into their dorms, Barty found Harry in the crowd and handed him a package saying, "Don't open it until you're in your dorm."

Harry did as told and waited until he was back in the Slytherin Fourth Year Boy's Dorm to open the package.

Inside the package there was a silver and emerald encrusted hand-mirror.

"Hello, darling." Tom greeted as Harry activated his own mirror

"Hi, Tom." Harry replied, blushing, "I didn't have the chance to say it earlier, but, I love you."

"I thought you well knew by now, but I, of course, love you too." Tom replied, smirking...