Harry potter and the breeding darkness

Chapter 16

September 1st at the manor passed far too quickly for Harry's tastes. It included one meeting with Voldemort and a small group of Death Eaters, then a training session with the Intermediate group that evening. Before he knew it, it was just after 10:30 pm, which was just about the same time that Harry had began to sneak out of Hogwarts his first go at September 1st. Harry waited until the moment he felt the shift in the manor wards that signified that he had just portkeyed in. He stood at the top of the stairs and listened as his previous self hissed open the door to the time-turner room, and the soft click of the door shutting behind him. A moment later, he felt the presence of his earlier self vanish from the manor and knew that he had just gone back 24-hours.

Harry then sighed and made his way down the stairs into the entry hall. He pulled the left sleeve of his school robes up, exposing the portkey, and activated it. A moment later, he found himself back in the Honeydukes tunnel and began to make his way back to the school, all the while muttering about how convoluted the process was, and wondering how he'd manage to keep track of it all, while maintaining his sanity.

About ten minutes after re-entering the castle, he met back up with Hermione and the two returned to Gryffindor Tower.

Harry entered the 5th year's dorm room and gave a heavy sigh at the sight of his bed. It wasn't a bad bed. It was leagues above the ratty thing he'd had to sleep on at Grimmauld Place. It was a double-sized, four-poster bed with beautiful red-velvet hangings, fine sheets, and overstuffed pillows with a thick, heavy, comforter. However, it wasn't his bed and it didn't have Tom in it.

He didn't have the locket to sleep with anymore and he knew he had to keep his mind mostly closed off from Tom simply to maintain his own sanity. Tom would be with his other self right about now and he knew it would be pure torture to experience Tom's lust, desire, or pleasure, not to mention any other emotions, while he was trapped at Hogwarts.

It was something that he and Tom had discussed as a part of Harry living every day twice in two separate places. Such constant and drastic time manipulation could be risky if not handled delicately. Harry would need to keep himself completely cut off from Tom during his days at Hogwarts, and could never let any information about the future slip to Tom when he was in the manor. It was a precaution that needed to be taken for multiple reasons.

With heavy feet, Harry made his way over to his trunk, opened it, and pulled out some pajama pants.

His dorm mates were already all asleep, they also having been exhausted from the long day of traveling, and not having the responsibilities of a prefect to keep them up the extra hour. Harry climbed into bed, drew the hangings around it and went to sleep.

Harry tried not to groan too loudly as he woke up in an empty bed. He tried to remind himself that this was still a thousand times preferable to waking up at Grimmauld place and that the following evening he'd be back in bed with Tom.

He showered then went through his standard bathroom routine, using several very handy charms Tom had taught him over the summer to magically shave, brush his teeth, and style his hair. It wasn't slicked back but his long chin-length fringe was now styled up around his forehead and back behind his ears while the rest lay loose, just beginning to brush his shoulders.

He removed his glasses and cleaned them on his robes before putting them back onto his face then pushing them slightly up his nose. He frowned at his reflection, debating for the nth time just getting rid of the damn things. Tom had never had poor eye sight so he had never, personally, had to investigate in any corrective eye magic but he knew there were a couple different procedures that could achieve the goal. Harry had just been so busy that summer that he hadn't gotten around to it at all. Finally, he sighed and shoved the thought to the back of his head to deal with another time.