A/N 1: This is a genderbent story where Harry Potter is a female and married the Dark Lord in an attempt to stop the war.

A/N 2: The story has been written for The Houses Competition Year 3.

I don't own Harry Potter, it solely belongs to J.K. Rowling!

House: Ravenclaw

Year: 7

Category: Additional

Prompt: New Year's Day/ New Year's Eve

Additional Requirement: A happy occasion

Word Count: 2007

From the time they had spent in each other's presence and the surprisingly insightful conversations they had had, the Dark Lord knew that his wife preferred solitude over meaningless company as much as he did. That she would rather be holed up in her room with a book and a steaming mug of hot cocoa, instead of dressing up in an elegant gown and shining jewellery.

And that was why the Dark Lord had gracefully declined the Malfoy's New Year's Gala invitation.

The other reason he did not want to be in attendance at Malfoy Manor was because their mere presence would gain unwanted attention, and eventually, spoil their evening just like last time. He had made the mistake of accepting Fudge's invitation to the Ministry's Christmas thingy, and Harriet had paid the price heavily. She had been flogged by frenzied media, and some haters who made it very clear how much they despised his wife and the decision she had made, by openly attacking her.

Had Lucius not been quick enough to shield her, the Dark Lord surely would have wreaked havoc by slaughtering the rivalling baboons then and there. His wife though didn't hold back in the least; she retaliated when Rita Skeeter tried to make a scandal out of the whole situation. She didn't mind answering when the questions about her marriage contract to the Dark Lord was brought up.

"You're a coward, Potter! Hiding behind the murderer husband of yours! You should have fought the war like you were supposed to. You shouldn't have married that snake-face to save your pathetic life. You're a coward, Harriet. You're not a brave Gryffindor, you're an evil snake, just like everyone had said. Your parents would be so ashamed of you." Her once good friend, Ron had spit out the spiteful words in a fit of rage. Harriet had listened calmly to all of the accusations until her parents' name was brought up.

"Bravery isn't always about fighting and retaliating and bloodshed, Ronald. Bravery is also bowing before your enemy to protect others. It is also kneeling before the circumstances so that others don't have to live a cursed life." Harriet had not been affected by the harsh words in the least. She had done what she thought was right, because she wanted no more innocent lives to be wasted mercilessly in the name of a prophecy.

That was almost a week ago and Harriet had not left the confinements of her room since then. This worried Marvolo to no extent. In addition, he was also experiencing a whole range of new emotions foreign to him. He was confused as to why his heart thundered monstrously when he saw Harriet at someone's wand-end. He was even more bewildered as to why he was getting concerned just because he hadn't caught a glimpse of Harriet in the past few days. The thoughts swirling in his mind were literally draining him, and he was certain that all the events had taken a bigger toll on his wife.

"Tibby." Not a second later Harriet's personal elf appeared.

"Yessss, Master Snake, sir? What can Tibby do for you?"

"Please inform Harriet that we will be going out in an hour or so," he instructed the too excited elf.

"Right away, Master Snake sir!"

"Where are we?" Harriet asked her husband as they reached their destination. Salazar, she hated apparating! It always made her stomach churn in bad ways.

"Nashville, Tennessee." He simply answered pocketing his hands deep in the warm coat, after he making sure that Harriet landed safely.

"America? Why, though?"

"Nothing in particular. Thought that maybe a change of scenery and some fresh air would lighten your pissed-off mood." Seeing him shrug nonchalantly made Harriet stare wide-eyed. At first, she had thought that they were going somewhere fancy or someplace important from the way he had sent the order via Tibby. And, foolishly enough, Harriet had picked up a dress to wear alongside a pair of uncomfortable heels in order to look appropriate. Now though, her feet were killing her.

"We could have simply walked around Muggle London for a 'change of scenery'," Harriet said as she walked beside him, easily matching his long strides.

"You should appreciate my efforts, wife. Or you can consider it as your late Christmas present, instead of what I had actually planned for you. The choice is yours." That shut her up. Not in a million years had Harriet thought that the Dark Lord would go out of his way to cheer her dampened mood. She took in the surroundings as much as she could throughout their walk.

They came to halt in front of a small bakery making Harriet's eyebrow rise in question. Her husband, however, ignored her curious gaze and entered the tightly packed shop. The old lady's face - who seemed to be in her late eighties and the owner of the shop - lit up as soon as the smiling face of slightly older Tom Riddle came into her view. She all but ushered everyone out of her way before engulfing the man in a warm hug.

"Oh my, look who it is. You look handsome as ever, my boy! Not a day younger, I swear." The old lady exclaimed patting the most feared wizard's cheek affectionately.

Harriet stood there awkwardly, not believing what she had just witnessed and certainly not knowing what to do.

"Harriet?"

"Yeah!" She moved forward towards the duo when her husband's warm hand engulfed hers.

"Mrs Gregson. This is my wife, Harriet. Harriet, this is Mrs Gregson, the closest person I could call family." Harriet's face must have shown her shocked feelings, making the Dark Lord chuckle.

"She's beautiful, Tommy." Not seconds later Harriet too was engulfed in warm arms which instantly made her smile wide.

"You two go, have a seat and order whatever you want. I'll join you once I clear this crowd." Mrs Gregson ushered them towards a booth in the far corner before taking checking on her customers again.

"What do you wanna have?" He asked once they were comfortable seated away from all the hustling crowd. After placing their order, he turned his attention back to his wife, who seemed to have questions for him.

"You know you can ask me questions, I might answer them if I find them appropriate." he was serious but somehow it made his wife smile wider. It felt that he was finally growing on her.

"Mrs Gregson?"

"Yeah, what about her?"

"She's a muggle." Harriet's tone was flat, trying to point out the obvious.

"So? What are you insinuating?" He narrowed his eyes at her, seeming to have missed her point entirely.

"You hate muggles, you wanted to slaughter them at one point. But this muggle woman has a special place in your heart, enough to call you 'Tommy' and, you respect her enough to introduce her as your family." Harriet said calmly, curious to know the relationship between the two. Thankfully, he caught on to what she was asking. He waited until the waiter brought up their order and left them alone again.

"I was travelling here and there, trying to learn every piece of magic I could get my hands on after I graduated from Hogwarts. They were hard times, of course. It was in late 1948 when I was stuck here in Nashville, without a single penny in my pocket. So I was sitting on that bench near the lake," he said as he pointed in the direction of a lonesome stone bench outside, whilst Harriet followed his gaze, "alone and hungry-when this woman, a good fifteen years older than me sat next to me. She offered me a cup of warm coffee and a sandwich. Obviously, I was hesitant at first as to why she was offering help without any motive behind when she said that I reminded her of her young brother who died in the war. It took sometime but I accepted it. She also offered me a job and a place to stay with the offer that I could leave whenever I wanted to. I took the chance." From the tone of his voice, Harriet understood how much importance Mrs Gregson held for him, and also knowing full well that he probably had told her about his identity a long time ago. They were pulled out of their trance when the said lady came into view.

"Did you enjoy your meal, dearie?" She asked again in that warm voice of hers.

"As delicious as ever, Mrs Gregson," Harriet swore she had never seen the Dark Lord smile so widely. "Have you got what I asked of you though?" he asked with furrowed brows.

"Yeah, yeah! I've got it all packed as you asked me. I've sent Billy to fetch it from my apartment." Mrs Gregson said as she sat next to Harriet, giving her undivided attention.

"Now dearie, tell me something about yourself." Conversation flowed easily between them and Lord Voldemort was sure his idea to bring his wife here worked. She seemed at ease now, smiling and laughing with Mrs Gregson. He didn't know why he brought her here of all places, though; the place which held some of his fondest memories but nonetheless, it was the correct decision.

Harriet's smiled grew even wider when she finally got her present; a beautiful and pristine violin. She had always loved playing the instrument since she was a child. Her music was her only sense of comfort in the Dursley's household. She didn't know when tears escaped her eyes because Mrs Gregson soon enough started yelling at Tommy for making the poor girl cry. After much reassurance that she was indeed okay, and the promise to stay in touch they left the bakery.

It was snowing outside. The pristine white snow adding to the serene beauty of the city. The whole place was lit up and ready to welcome a new year of their lives; a year to new opportunities and new ideas, new strengths and new challenges. Harriet felt content at that moment, not believing in the least that such warmth could ever exist in her life.

"Marvolo?"

"Hmm?"

"Thank you for bringing me here today." She said earnestly. "I got something for you too." Harriet took out a small box, wrapped up nicely and gave it to him with shaking hands; nervous whether he would like it or not. Marvolo took the gift from her hands, breath hitching in his throat when he saw the present. It was a beautiful emerald brooch, with two snakes intertwined; one of Salazar Slytherin's most prized possession. He stared at Harriet with unreadable expressions.

Marvolo wasn't a man of words. Words, in his most humble opinion, were just jumbled alphabets, which if used in a proper sense could prove to be better weapons in order to manipulate someone; they were sharper than a knife and slower than poison. He was a man of action. He always did what he intended to, always proving what he was capable of, because he learnt from an early age that actions spoke louder than words. Because he learnt the hard way that words, which held no promises, were hollow. So he acted just like he always did, closing the gap between them.

"I found this in the Peverell vault the day I visited the bank. I thought you might like it, seeing it belonged to your ancestor, but if you don't like it that's okay too…" Harriet kept rambling on until a warm pair of lips shut her up. She hadn't even seen him getting closer to her, so was obviously surprised. Gaining back her senses, she pulled him closer by threading her fingers in his hair, not wanting to let him go because she was terrified that it was all a dream; a stupidly romantic dream. Resting her forehead against his, she spoke in a breathy whisper,

"Happy birthday, Marvolo."

"Happy New Year, wife."

Crimson eyes mirrored the happiness shone in emerald ones.