Y’all fw scarcrux?

A magical child placed in a cupboard under the stairs? A magical child, the one prophesied to be his end, not being allowed to eat? By Muggles?! A magical child being forced to wear hideous hand-me-downs? A magical child forced to cook for Muggles, forced to do the gardening for Muggles, forced to clean for Muggles?

The injustice of someone who was prophesied to be strong enough to vanquish him being disrespected by those lesser than him. Of a clear similarity to himself. A guardian who detests him and will not only lie to his face but also spread lies about him to anyone who will listen, thereby turning everybody in his life against him. A child who makes friends with the little snakes in the garden, hissing premature Parseltongue at them somehow. No friends or companions and believed to be an inferior lifeform to everyone else, only for the opposite to be true.

The accidental magic allowing him to Apparate, to regrow his own shaved off hair, and to even damn near vanish clothes he's too embarrassed to wear. A Halfblood who is the last of a once long and respected Pureblood line.

Harry's entire upbringing would prove every horrible opinion he has correct. Muggles are horrible. They need to be kept away from magical people. Magical children should not allowed be around them. Eliminate all Muggles. History of his own life basically repeating itself, except there's no muggle World War at the time.

And because Dumbledore interfered, no one is going to actually give Harry Potter the truth about anything. All information he gets is going to be heavily sanitized before it actually reaches his ears. He's already being encouraged to not ask questions so he doesn't get in trouble, and the moment someone shows him even a bit of decency he'll be too happy to think to ask questions.

And this would also prove every negative thing that he has to think about Dumbledore true as well. He will reason it all away as Dumbledore once again failing another magical child in a long list of magical children he has failed, and how he intends to use this boy and force him into a similar life that Tom Riddle once led just to try to use him as an example of how Goodness and Righteousness can stop any other Voldemorts from coming about.

Which is so interesting because Goodness and Righteousness didn't care about helping Tom Riddle when it was very clear that he needed help. Maybe if Dumbledore actually lived what he preached, then Voldemort never would have been a necessity. But who knows? It was long since passed the time for What Ifs and clearly Dumbledore won't change.

Scarcrux's hyper fixation on Harry would be stronger than any other version of Tom/Voldemort because he'll be there every step of the way for Harry's journey.

In the summer following Sirius's death, Harry's mental state deteriorates rapidly. The prophecy only makes things worse, feeding the crushing guilt that already consumes him. Night after night, he's haunted by nightmares of his friends dying, by his family blaming him for their deaths, by the order failing and being disappointed in him.

Unable to endure them any longer, Harry turns to the little Occlumency Snape had managed to teach him. He concentrates with everything he has, trying desperately to empty his mind, but nothing works.

Still, he refuses to give up. And eventually, his persistence pays off.

After countless failed attempts, Harry stumbles upon another way to clear his mind completely. Instead of forcing his thoughts away, he finds himself standing in a vast white space, endless and empty, with nothing around him but the faint scent of a rainy night. Harry can't help but curse Snape—obviously this is a far better way to block everything out.

Even if there is nothing to do in that empty dreamscape, it is infinitely better than reliving his nightmares.

Then, during another peaceful night, something changes. A strange shadow appears in the distance.

Its presence carries an unsettling aura, and it reeks an overwhelmingly unnatural smell that somehow feels disturbingly real. Before Harry has the chance to observe it any longer, he jolts awake in a cold sweat, his entire bed soaked through.

The next night, the same shadow appears.

Harry focuses on it, and the moment he tries to get closer, it vanishes instantly—forcing him awake.

The following nights are no different. The blurry silhouette is always there, standing silently in the distance during his peaceful dreams, as if it was watching him. Harry stares back, trying to make sense of it, but nothing helps. No matter how long he observes it, he can't figure out what it is.

Then, in the middle of the summer, while lying in the endless white expanse, Harry is certain he catches the shadow moving from the corner of his eye.

He immediately looks toward it, but nothing. It stands exactly where it always has, perfectly still.

So the routine continues. Harry watches the shadow every night, but it never moves again, and eventually he begins to abandon the idea of ever discovering what it is.

The summer finally end, allowing Harry finally returns to Hogwarts for his sixth year with his friends. And life goes on normally.

That was until Halloween come.

That night, Harry slips back into the familiar white dreamscape. But the instant he opens his eyes, a pair of glowing red eyes stare back at him from only a few centimeters away.

His lighting bolt scar erupts in a blinding pain. Harry instinctively tries to scramble backward, but he can't move. None og his limbs are responding.

Slowly, the figure smiles—a dangerous, predatory smile—as it leans back just enough for Harry to finally see its face, making Harry completely freezes.

He recognizes it. He recognizes this face

Tom Riddle—Voldemort.

But... it can't be.

It doesn't quite look like him. If anything, it resembles an older completely changed Tom. His hair is different. They are not neatly combed anymore, but tangled and unkempt. And instead of being dark brown, it is jet black.

As Harry continues staring into the stranger's eyes, he realizes something even more disturbing.

The eyes looking at him aren't truly red. They're an impossibly deep green, just like his own.

Harry's eyes widen as the horrifying realization dawns on him.

The person standing before him is himself. Or... something wearing his face.

One last time, Harry struggles to pull away.

But the creature catches him effortlessly, gripping his jaw with surprising strength before letting out a low, dangerous laugh.

Just before everything fades to black, Harry hears it whisper two terrifying words.

I wanted to put together a rec list of Harry/Tom fics with a core focus on horcruxes outside of Diary Tom (the most popular horcrux) and Voldemort himself. Please enjoy these 22 fics that feature one of Tom's horcruxes and their special relationship with Harry.

There’s a ton of interesting variation that can be explored within a Harry and horcrux Tom ship — from where the horcruxes are located and when Harry can conceivably meet them in canon (for example, the Cup horcrux is harder to access than the others); to what age they were made by Voldemort and how that would shape their personalities and interactions with Harry; to the different magical properties that they might embody, depending on the vessel that was chosen.

Finally, it looks like Scarcrux and Locket are the most popular choices (after Diary Tom), and we absolutely need more Cup horcrux fics!

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⚡ Scarcrux

Amensalism by @cindle-writes (E, 6k, complete)

Scarcrux becomes sentient after the encounter in the Ministry in Harry's 5th year and takes Harry for an adventure.

Bolide by @vdoshu (T, 3k, complete)

On October 31, 1981, a tiny piece of soul attaches himself to Harry Potter in order to survive. This is his story.

Creatures of the Dark we are by @hikarimeroperiddle (M, 28k, complete)

Banished to his cupboard at age 4, Harry learns to listen only to the Voice in his head. Its teachings warp all Harry could have become until no more than dark magic and devotion remains. Visions of a wraith with red eyes complicate matters, especially when Harry and the Voice follow it to Hogwarts so Master can get his hands on the Philosopher’s stone.

Eulogy by @meles-merrivale (E, 6k, complete)

You run through the things you have to do for the day. It is, admittedly, a very short list. Wake up. Be clean. Be ready. An empty life, some might call it. You don’t. It is the life He has given you, and so it is what you deserve.

last rites by @cindle-writes (E, 5k, complete)

Harry has an hour before he walks to his death in the Forbidden Forest. The horcrux in Harry’s scar decides to take matters into its own hands.

Look at me. by @crowcrowcrowthing (M, 1k, complete)

A dark night of the soul.

Pitch Black by @kagariasuha (E, 2k, complete)

The proximity of Horcruxes can influence anyone - especially Harry.

sandpaper kisses, paper cut bliss by @xodahafez (E, 27k, WIP)

Harry Potter survives the Killing Curse, but so does the horcrux within him. And this horcrux has been dangerously infatuated with Harry for seventeen years.

saw you in a dream by @duplicitywrites (E, 2k, complete)

Harry has had this dream before.

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👑 Diadem

A peculiar way of fitting together by @being-luminous (T, 2k, complete)

“Aren’t you going to ask me why I’m wearing a diadem?”

Dance Me On and On by @duplicitywrites (E, 19k, complete)

In his first year at Hogwarts, Harry overhears Quirrell interrogating Binns about an artifact from over a thousand years ago. Five years later, Harry uncovers Rowena Ravenclaw's Diadem in the Room of Requirement and finds himself pulled into a kingdom in the throes of a mysterious masquerade ball.

In Just a Moment, You’ll Be Mine by @dividawrites (E, 34k, WIP)

Tom has been stuck inside the Ravenclaw's Diadem for decades, alone, with nothing but his slowly fading memories. One day he feels a pull towards someone and gets interested. And then he gets obsessed.

Death is not an Escape by @whitepinkdandelions (T, 2k, complete)

The Lost Diadem of Ravenclaw is full of endless wisdom, so it only makes sense that it gets its hooks into Harry much faster than the rest of them.

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🏆 Cup

Thirst by @obsidianpen (E, 27k, complete)

Things go awry when the trio beaks into Gringotts. Harry finds himself trapped, locked in the Lestrange vault, wandless and alone... With a horcrux.

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🔒 Locket

Arson by @rudehellion (M, 8k, complete)

The hunt for Voldemort's Horcruxes is going poorly. In need of some space to think, Harry offers to take the first watch over camp and slips out into the snowy night. Unable to shake his dark thoughts, Harry finds himself drifting and he begins to dream. What he sees changes everything.

knock it off (part 1) / crave gets slaked (part 2) by @theonceandfuturequeenoftarts (E, 6k, complete)

At some point during Harry's time with the Dursleys, pain got crossed with affection. A kick from Dudley or having his arm yanked by Uncle Vernon at least means they’re acknowledging his existence. It’s not love, but it’s something. Too bad for Harry he carries that through to his less dysfunctional relationships.

The Cost by Blood_Stained_Fingers (M, 8k, complete)

The cost of making a horcrux was steep and when Voldemort manages to kill Harry, destroying the horcrux within, Harry finds out the exact price of losing a piece of your soul. It made a cruel joke that if Voldemort loved his horcruxes, Harry should love them too.

The Dead of Night by @cybrid (E, 6k, complete)

An empty house. A glint of gold. A dream. Or: running away from Privet Drive goes terribly for Harry.

The Ties That Bind by @mosiva (E, 8k, complete)

Harry finds the locket at Grimmauld Place, but it has a curse laid on it. When Harry triggers it, he finds himself trapped with the locket version of Tom Riddle, both of them stuck within the enchantment until they can find the way out. Or so Harry thinks.

Whole by Emriel (E, 20k, complete)

The horcrux hunt goes wrong and Harry fails to destroy the locket horcrux. Tom Riddle hands him over to the Dark Lord as a present for they know he holds part of their soul. In their care, Harry learns that feelings, no matter how toxic, are hard to get rid off.

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💍 Ring

Personal Assistant by @phantomato (E, 10k, complete)

“And that’s it? I call ‘Tom’ and you show up?” “Yes,” Tom answers.

shelter from the storm by @cindle-writes, @duplicitywrites (E, 7k, complete)

After being left behind by the Dursleys, Harry stumbles upon an empty shack in the middle of nowhere, where he finds a mysterious ring underneath the loose floorboards.