Chapter 01: The Splitting of Souls

Lily Athena Potter smiled down at her three babies in their cots. They were no older than 2 weeks and were triplets. Her beautiful children. The door to the nursery creaked open and her husband came in, smiling as well. He came towards his wife and slipped an arm around her waist.


"Come now Lils, you should be resting!" scolded James softly and lightly. Lily smiled at her hsuband James Harrison Potter and replied "I just wanted to see them. I still can't believe that this is true," James pressed a kiss on her forehead and pulled her closer.


"I know Lils. But we haven't decided on their names," he said with a frown. It was true. They had tried name after name for their children and none seemed to fit. Lily smiled slyly at James and said airily "Oh you mean YOU haven't decided on a name. I have,"


James gaped at his wife who was trying in vain to stifle her laughter as so not to wake the babies up. "Enlighten me then," James said, baffled. Lily giggled softly and leant over the shared cot. She pointed at the oldest triplet who was born at 11.30 p.m. and said quietly "He will Aidan Darrius Potter,"


She pointed and the second triplet who was born 3 minutes and 45 seconds after Aidan and said "She will be Rosaline Nerissa Potter," James smiled at the name Rosaline. His wife had always wanted to name her daughter that. Now she did. And finally, she pointed at the last one who was born 2 minutes after Rosaline and 5 minutes after Aidan. "He will be Harry James Potter," she said softly.


James squeezed his wife gently and led her out of the room. Words were not needed as James knew that his wife knew he liked the names. Little did they know.. They were about to lose one of their children.



James' mother watched as the couple exited the nursery in silence and happiness. As much as she hated to do this, she had no choice. She entered the nursery quietly and picked up Harry carefully. Among the triplets, he was the most sickly and had just recovered from a fever and stomach bug. "I'm sorry child," she said sadly. "I have no choice but to do this," Harry yawned and whimpered softly, his eyes opening to reveal a pair of pure green eyes that stared at the old lady terafully.


"Hush now," she said as she took out her wand and murmured "Silencio," Immediately, whatever sounds Harry made was silenced by that spell. The old lady bundled him in a blue blanket and placed him in a lined box then exited the house silently. She crept up several streets before turning into an alleyway where she placed the box down. "I'm sorry," she said one last time before she lifeted the silencing spell and fledded back to the haven of her home.

____


Harry lay in the small box feeling confused. To his little baby mind, he knew this wasn't home. That old woman just now had done something bad from the looks of it but he couldn't care less. All he wanted was he mama and papa who smiled at him. He started whimpering and his whimpers turned to full fledged crying. But sadly, it fell to deaf ears.


___


Lord Riddle sighed heavily and massaged his temples. As much as he enjoyed being an alchemist and an apprentice to Nicolas Flamel, it could get really annoying at times. Especially when Nicolas dumped his paper work on Lord Riddle and ran off to Italy or where ever with his wife Perenelle. As he finished off the report -finally- and shut the file happily. Just as he did, the door to his private study -provided on insistence of Perenelle- opened and Maria, the head of the house affairs popped her head in and clicked her tongue.


"Aye monsieur, it is no good for you to be working as late as this. That Nicolas," she said disapprovingly. Lord Riddle smiled at the stern French lady and replied "Ah, but you know how he is," She shook her head ruefully and entered the room with a cunningly hidden tray of food which she placed in front of the young lord.


She sat opposite him and said "I know him far too well to know that he is in Tahiti trying to find the young lord a good wife," She looked pointedly at Lord Riddle and he choked on his crumpet. After clearing his throat and wiping his mouth, he exclaimed "Finding me a good wife?! What for?!"


Maria gave her normal throaty chuckle and smiled dryly at the handsome young man before her. "Come now monsiuer, surely you know that Madame Perenelle and Monsieur Nicolas cares deeply for you. They want you to settle and have kids," Once more, Lord Riddle promptly choked again on his crumpet. Maria laughed and shook her head in amusement. "Tom," she said seriously now. "You're already 28, you need a family,"


Tom looked sadly at Maria and said "I only wish I could find happiness Maria. Honestly," She gave him a small smile and patted his hand briefly. "You can if you want to," And with that she left the room.

____


The next morning was a sad affair for the Potters. Somehow old Mrs. Potter had deceived her son and daughter in law into believing that the charmed toy baby was really Harry and had died from his fever. They had a small funeral and buried the 'body' in the ancestral grave of the Potters. "My Harry. I'm so sorry," sobbed Lily as her husband forcefully brought her away from the fresh grave, tears in his eyes too. "Lils, I should've checked but it's too late," said James mournfully. "Now we have to look out for Rosie and Aidan to make sure they don't leave us too,"


His wife sobbed on his shoulder and nodded at the same time."Yes, for Harry," she whispered tearily. Old Mrs. Potter felt a wrench of guilt but shook it off. She did it for the greater good. That was all that mattered.

___

A week later...


Harry was losing strength. He had no more strength left in him to fight for his little 3 weeked life. No strenght to continue his cries for attention, food and warmth. His loud cries had by now turned into soft mewls of hunger and sometimes whimpers of pain from nightmares that plagued his childish dreams.


Then finally, as he was about to totally give up and submit to the darkness of death, a man came and picked him up, cradling him gently.

____


Tom Marvolo Riddle was not having a good day. Period. His alchemy went off course today, he couldn't even focus and the worst thing was he puked up whatever he ate and a stupid niggling sensation kept bothering him in the back of his mind. Thus, he was out walking when he heard it.


The soft pitiful mewling.
He thought it was a kitten.
How wrong he was.


There lay in the box,
A baby with tufts of black hair and beautiful green eyes
About to take his last breath to end his little life.
Malnourished and abandoned in an alleyway with just a blanket to keep him warm.


Tom knelt down and picked the baby up. He cradled the baby gently and whispered "The Breath of Life is all I can give you. Our souls will become one. In order to do that, you need to saty strong little one,"


The baby's green eyes showed understanding. Tom knew what it felt like to do anything to live. The baby was fighting for he's life and Tom was going to help it.


_____


"You shouldn't have overworked him!" scolded Perenelle to a sulky Nicolas. Nicolas opened his mouth to retaliate but was cut off by a loud BANG and a very out of breath Tom came running in as fast as he could carrying a bundle. "Tom! What is that you're holding?" asked Perenelle. "Why're you in such a rush? Is that a baby?!"


Tom nodded and took a few gulps of air before launching into a summarised explanation of how he found the baby and what he was planning to do. Nicolas stood up and said worriedly "Tom, he's just a baby. What you're about to do might kill him,"

"I know that. But would you rather let this child suffer ?" he asked quietly. Nicolas knew he had lost and immediately cleared the room to begin the ritual. Tom smiled down at the baby before placing him down in the centre of the ring and sitting at one of the outer corners. In the opposite corner, Nicolas was already sitting there prepared for what was to come. Tom picked up the dagger and the ritual began.


Nicolas started chanting "Found lost in the dark. Here to give back the light. Giving life to one so small, bringing your joy back to your heart,"


Tom cleared his throat and continued. "Chose my soul to share with you, the exchange of blood is what is needed. To free you from eternal darkness, and connect me to you," He pressed the dagger on his palm and allowed the blood to flow as he took his index finger and dipped it into the blood then started drawing runic symbols in the air. "The Breath of Life, the soul if mine, take it and come out from the darkness," he shouted over the powerful waves of magic.


Suddenly, a sensation that was so painful wrenched within Tom. He fought hard to scream and thrashed on the floor as it got more painful. The baby was screaming and crying. Pain... Pain... And he blacked out.

The Doll's Dream

This is a story by the way.


THE DOLL'S DREAM 'The Breath of Life is my gift to you. Our souls are joined as one'


Prologue:

He heard a soft mewling.
It sounded like a small kitten.
Oh, how wrong he was.


A small baby with tufts of raven hair laid in a box,
Malnourished and almost dying,
He pitied the young baby and carried the baby out gently as he whispered

'I will gift you with the Breath of Life. It is all I can do to save you'