Yo! Sorry about the wait. Got a nasty cold, had a million doctor's appointments, sprained my thumb, and caught the plague. Still dealing with that last one, but I'm on the mend. Probably. Thank you to all readers so far!

Harry had been enjoying a rather pleasant dream when he was shaken awake by Tom. Groaning, he fumbled around for his glasses. "Wha's goin' on?" he asked, his words a little slurred.

"Severus is asking to speak to us urgently," said Tom without preamble.

Harry, still half asleep, blinked a few times, trying to process the words. Finally, his brain made the right connections and his eyes widened. "Is-is this about that potion we got from Hermione?"

"It is. Come."

Stumbling slightly, Harry followed, but he couldn't say he was feeling all that great about this. It had to be something pretty bad if Snape couldn't even wait until morning to tell them. Considering Dumbledore was involved though, he supposed his dread wasn't surprising.

Harry entered Tom's study right behind him and saw Snape already standing across Tom's desk. He looked exhausted. His face was pale and there were dark shadows under his eyes. His hair was a mess and his clothes were so wrinkled Harry was surprised they hadn't fallen apart at the seams. Aunt Petunia would have been horrified. As the one who'd always had to iron Uncle Vernon's clothes, Harry was horrified.

Snape looked up the instant they entered. "This," he said, holding out a small vial of light green liquid, "is the potion Dumbledore gave Granger. It is either new or unregistered, as I was unable to find it listed anywhere. After days of attempts, I was finally able to recreate it." He pulled out another vial that looked the same as the first. "This is that recreation."

"It was tested?" asked Tom, eyeing the vials closely.

"Yes. On myself, at first, and then on Bill Weasley when the former gave me no results other than that it wasn't poison. We tested both potions and they behaved the same way."

"What-what is it, then?" asked Harry cautiously, his dread only getting worse.

"Do you know what compulsion charms are, Potter?" asked Snape.

Slowly, Harry shook his head. "I don't think so."

"When one casts a compulsion charm on another, what they are truly doing is implanting a suggestion in that person's mind," Tom explained. "If, for example, I cast the spell on you and then told you that you no longer like pumpkin juice, you would then go on behaving as if you truly do not like pumpkin juice."

"So, it just makes you do whatever the person makes you do? That just sounds like the imperius curse."

"They're rather similar," said Tom with a nod, "but not identical. As I said, compulsions are suggestions more than anything. If we use the pumpkin juice example again, then you may not avoid the juice immediately. Instead, you would gradually grow to distaste it. In some cases, the suggestions may not have any effect at all.

"The imperius curse, on the other hand, forces the victim to act instantly in whatever manner the caster wishes, but one cannot implant suggestions like with the compulsion charm. The difference between the two is small, but it is there."

Harry wasn't sure he understood, so he just nodded, figuring he'd just look into it later. Or maybe ask Hermione to, depending on what he could get away with telling her.

"Is the potion some variation of the compulsion charm, Severus?"

Snape hesitated visibly. "It... The potion is a combination of a liquid version of both the compulsion charm and the imperius curse," he said, and he explained what he'd tested with Bill, which had let him come to that conclusion.

"I see," said Tom quietly. He crossed the room to sit behind his large wooden desk and cupped his chin as he thought.

Harry watched him quietly and Snape was no different, both of them sitting down as well.

"I expect Granger was to report to Dumbledore once she'd done as asked," said Tom. "Once she did, he would likely take Harry aside and begin telling him how to speak or behave, or perhaps tell him to distance himself from certain people or the like. It's difficult to say what his plan may be, but it must be something in this regard."

"So, he wants to force me into doing something?" asked Harry.

"From what I was able to test with Weasley, that seems likely," said Snape with a nod.

"Tch!" Tom threw himself back in his seat. "Blasted old man. My plans must be changed, then." He looked back up. "You've done well, Severus. Get some rest. I may need your help later."

"Thank you, my Lord." Snape stood and headed for the door.

"Thanks for looking into the potion, Snape," Harry called after him.

"Of course." And with that, Snape left Harry and Tom alone.

Tom didn't say anything, looking like he was deep in thought again, so Harry kept silent, not wanting to distract him, but also not sure if he was still wanted there or not. He'd known this couldn't have been good and it seemed like he'd been right.

But then a sudden thought hit him.

"Do you think Dumbledore used this potion on you when you were a kid?" he blurted out before he could stop himself.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Tom refocused. "On me?" he repeated, sounding like he hadn't heard him fully.

"Sorry," said Harry, "it's just, when we were talking in Privet Drive before you brought me here, you said Dumbledore planted some suggestions in your mind. You said they didn't affect you at the time but started to change how you reacted, behaved, and spoke later on."

Tom seemed kind of surprised at first, but then he nodded slowly. "I did say that, didn't I? I always assumed Dumbledore had used the compulsion charm on me, but I suppose there is a good chance it was this potion instead."

Picking up one of the vials, he held it up to the light and examined it closely. "It does make more sense, and it would explain why I never suspected anything. I am as unfamiliar with this potion as Severus was."

"Right..." Harry didn't say anything else and sat quietly as Tom thought. He was thinking too. He was angry, obviously, that Dumbledore wanted Hermione to drug him with this potion. But he was confused as well. What did Dumbledore want him to do? What suggestions did he want to implant in his mind?

What had Harry done to warrant that sort of control? Had he ever said or done anything that would make Dumbledore think he didn't support him or the Order or the Light side of the war? Harry couldn't remember. But maybe that didn't matter.

Dumbledore had already put a tracer spell on him and sealed some of his magic as well. He'd prevented him from seeing his parents' wills too.

Maybe it wasn't that Harry had done something, but more that he didn't want Harry to do something. But what? And why?

Tom remained in his study even after Harry returned to bed. He stared at the two little vials sitting innocently on his desk, trying to remember. Harry had said there was a chance Dumbledore had used this on him when he'd been a child. Now that he was thinking about it, he realized there was a very good chance that was true.

When he'd first realized Dumbledore was manipulating his thoughts and reactions, he'd thought it was through the use of compulsion spells. The imperius curse wouldn't have worked on him, so compulsions were the easiest way to go about it. He hadn't even considered a potion.

But here that potion was.

What was Dumbledore attempting to do? What was his goal? Hadn't Dumbledore tracking Harry and blocking his magic been enough? As far as he was aware, Harry had never done anything to warrant Dumbledore wanting to use compulsions (in potion form, in this case) on him. So why now? Had something changed in his plans?

How many plans would Tom have to change now? Was infiltrating Hogwarts still a good idea? Granger would have to pretend to drug Harry, and Harry would have to pretend to be drugged so Dumbledore could do whatever he was planning, but what if he noticed that Harry didn't take the potion? He would only suspect Harry all the more, and he would surely begin to suspect Granger as well.

Would keeping Granger as a spy of sorts be beneficial? Would she be able to pull it off? No, no, from what Harry had told him about the girl, she was nowhere near prepared for that sort of position.

They had to get around this somehow. But how-no, that was simple enough, he thought. More specifically, the plan was simple. Whether that plan could be executed was another question entirely. All he needed was another potion, but it relied heavily on Severus' time and skill.

Eyes still focused on the vials on his desk, Tom stroked his chin. Yes, it was possible. Very possible. But he would have to contact Severus first. He could spare some of his own time as well, he decided. It would make things a little easier for his dear potions master. He was no slouch when it came to potions, after all.

Tom stood. It was time to get to work.

That's it for now. Looking forward to reviews! Laterz!