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-Now Harry makes a small move of his own.
"Today I thought we could get into pets. Tweet a picture or video of your pet and add a quirk they have, while tagging either me or Voldemort. We've got a lovely voucher for the Magical Menagerie to give away and the cutest pet, voted by how many Likes you receive, gets it!" Harry announced, voice chipper and smile broad. "The winner will be revealed at 9 AM tomorrow."
As this had been formerly explained to him, Tom had taken a photo of Nagini while she was resting in the sunlight at his flat, her scales practically glowing. He then waited for Harry's announcement and posted the photo along with the tag #MagicPets943 to his station-specific Twitter account that had several thousand Followers now. The piece of trivia he used was the fact that Nagini could open doors that were unlocked and had a habit of inviting herself in while he showered.
TMI perhaps, but people got a kick out of it judging by the comments that kept appearing and the constant buzz to alert him to new notifications every other second.
Harry's own post was a video of a beautiful, Snowy Owl named Hedwig. In said video she was stood on a perch of equally white wood, and was… barking. He was not joking, she made barking noises at an orange, Persian feline trying to climb the perch. It was tagged appropriately and the message was [Fun Fact: Snowy Owls bark when alarmed. Hedwig hates cats and will do this until they can't be seen anymore.].
Having a pet owl wasn't an entirely uncommon thing in Britain who still not an everyday kind of pet. Though if he thought long enough, having a pet snake wasn't all that common either. Most people preferred dogs and cats.
He was a bit put out to learn that Harry's pet had a historically significant name while Tom had just named his 'female snake' basically. Not that anyone else knew that. But he got her when he was eleven and he'd chosen the best name he could think of at the time. He could be afforded a little leeway.
"In the meantime, call in and tell us funny stories about your pets," Harry continued, bringing him back to the topic at hand. "I'll start us off. My owl Hedwig loves preening my hair. It's always been a helpless mess and she gets frustrated by it and will stand by trying to straighten it out. It never works, but the effort is appreciated and adorable!"
Tom thought Harry's hair looked fine as it was. "Perhaps I could help you some time," he offered with a charming smile. "My hair used to be like yours but as you can see it's rather well-tamed now. Together we can tame your hair as well."
He was delighted to see a flush creeping along Harry's cheeks. "You mean, like going to your barber?"
"Oh no, Prongslet. I like to handle myself personally," Tom purred. "I'll be gentle for your first time if it'll make you feel better."
Somehow he'd managed sexual innuendos while on the air. He was so proud of himself for not only getting them out, but also getting Harry to blush so adorably. And yet Harry still remained relatively oblivious to his advances, and everyone knew it.
Severus' look of pity that evening was ignored.
Harry was super excited that morning as he walked into the studio. And it wasn't just because Tom was already there with a fancy drink and a smile for him, though those were nice as well. No, the night previous, he'd gotten a delivery he'd placed around a month ago.
Said order was basically him getting he and Tom cute merch for their jobs. He'd placed an order for specially customised black shirts that had their radio handles on the front in fancy newspaper-like font. He then wrapped them up in a fancy gift box and gave it to Marcus at the main desk with explicit instructions to deliver it to the studio around noon and to not say a word on who they were from. He wanted them to remain Anonymous.
He didn't want Tom to know what Harry had done because it was embarrassing! He was sure that other radio hosts weren't this interested in their co-workers and Harry was unfortunately, very much interested in Tom.
His mum wasn't helping at all either. She'd been asking after him more recently, just to 'make sure he's doing well'. Tom had left a lasting impression on his family and when even his stubborn father accepted someone, Harry knew it was a big deal.
"Christmas is coming upon us, folks. That means some time with the family, decorations, and your favourite food! Mine happens to be treacle tart and I cannot wait to indulge. What about you, Voldemort?"
Tom smiled. "I know all about indulging, Prongslet. And I fancy a good, hard cider my father acquires only once a year."
Oooh. Tom rarely ever talked about his family. Harry didn't really know anything beyond what he'd revealed at dinner a couple weeks back.
"Sounds good. I for one, am least looking forward to the crowded areas soon to come. People like to put off responsibilities until the week before Christmas even begins and it's a hassle. Furthermore, people are none too kind to the customer service workers, so quick piece of advice for the listeners! The workers are just as stressed as you and yelling at them will not help anyone."
Tom nodded. "That is correct. Some are working double shifts as well and would like to be home as much as you. Common decency costs zero money."
Harry sent the man an approving smile. "Has anyone begun decorating yet? Let us know either by calling in, or on my recent Twitter post!"
It was around noon that Marcus delivered the 'mysterious box' to their studio, and Harry beamed when it was handed to Tom. Thankfully, a song was currently playing so they could devote a minute to opening the gift.
Tom smirked when he laid eyes on the shirts and Harry could feel his chest lighten. He liked them. They had gotten his stamp of approval. That was a relief.
Harry was tossed a shirt. The one he expected to say his nickname. Instead, he was holding the [Voldemort] shirt. When he moved to correct Tom, he found the man unbuttoning his shirt right there in the studio! His headphones had been set aside as he worked quickly, removing his button-down and the white t-shirt beneath it.
His body was wonderfully toned and Harry's mouth watered just a bit. Unfortunately, the shirt bearing [Prongslet] was slipped on in seconds and Tom had the headphones back on and was speaking into the mic. "It's time for lunch and we just received some lovely gifts from a fan out there. Whoever sent in the shirts, thank you. I'm wearing mine already."
While Harry had done this all because he'd wanted Tom to wear something he'd had a hand in making if by extension at least, he kind of now wanted him to take it off. And leave it off. Or at least to wear something Harry had personally created, which got him thinking.
"Yeah," Harry agreed, throat a little dry. "They're both great and I can't wait to try mine on! Thanks!"
Did his gratitude sound believable? He wasn't so sure and he hated not knowing.
Tom was smiling though, and that made it all worth it.
Severus rolled his eyes as his boss sauntered through the double doors, looking far too pleased with himself. It was like dealing with teenagers once again, except his boss was less of a dunderhead and wasn't handling volatile chemicals.
"Someone else out there really supports your little crush," he remarked, sipping his tea, disdainfully eying the shirt still covering the man's chest.
Tom glared. "Basically everyone does. He hasn't noticed a thing."
It was so hilarious and pathetic he didn't know if he should laugh or not. He settled for an amused smirk. "Perhaps you simply need to invite him over for dinner. Or surprise him. He cannot be that thick."
He was though. According to Lily, Harry Potter was none the wiser to the nature of her questions regarding Tom Riddle. It was sad.
Tom sighed. "I'll think of something. He flushes a lot more now, so I'm taking that as a sign of success. Just… slow going success."
Severus was certain that he was going to have to tell Lily to go through with her biggest plot. If only to speed things up a bit. The pathetic pining was beginning to frustrate him too.
A/N: Another is done!
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