It was December 21. Tom picked today to come out of hiding. The press had picked up on Dumbledore's manipulations. No one would admit to being the anonymous tipper so Harry had no idea which one of his new group it was. All he knew for sure was that it was not Tom and it was not Draco. Tom would have told him after he did it and Draco would have been bragging about it by now.
But Tom had decided that with Dumbledore's opinions out of the way he could come out as being the face behind the man Lucius was campaigning for. Harry and Lucius had been seen together and separately answering questions about Tom's campaign, Lucius had been at it for almost three months. This morning Tom's picture appeared in the papers for the first time since then. A handful of people recognized him and sent in letters, but the reporters and other people shot them down saying that Tom Riddle was dead along with Voldemort.
About a week into the campaign Tom had needed to change his name. Or rather his identity. He had become Tom Abraxas Riddle. He had taken a Malfoy name and identified as the cousin to Tom M. Riddle who became the Dark Lord. He was a half-blood still. From a muggle father and wizarding mother. No one seemed to question their similarities aside from the few and Tom was pleasantly surprised.
Harry was having some more important problems. Christmas was four days away and he had no idea what to get Tom. Draco, the twins, Blaise, Lucius, Narcissa, Severus, and Remus had all been easy enough to shop for. Tom was being exceedingly difficult.
It had been years since he had gotten a present and did not see why that needed to change now. Lucius had gone ahead and gotten Tom a potions book. The twins had developed a charm for him. Draco had gone simple with a gift card. Harry was at a loss. He walked Diagon Alley absent mindedly answering questions about Tom's campaign. Until he saw the store. That was it. Harry grinned to himself and walked in.
(0,0)
Christmas morning brought smiles and laughter to the Manor as it was filled with birds of all shapes and sizes dropping off this gift or that. People flooing in and out to send holiday wishes to either Harry, Tom, or occasionally the Malfoy family. Something that Harry and Narcissa found very amusing. Lucius and Tom were less amused.
A little afternoon the twins showed up. Bearing gifts and obviously worried about their welcome. Narcissa cut Lucius off when he started heading over. With an ease that only Narcissa could project, the gifts were sent floating ahead of them. Narcissa stepped between them and took one arm from each and 'allowed' them to escort her into the drawing room. Draco's jaw was on the floor. Lucius shook his head and followed them into the room.
Tom smirked and offered Harry his arm with a flourish. Harry grinned and took it with as much dignity as he could muster. Tom stifled a laugh and led Harry into the drawing room. As they passed Draco Tom pulled him in as well. Gripping his shoulder leading both young men through the door.
They found the twins on the couch, Narcissa on the loveseat with Lucius, and a pile of gifts under a tree fifteen feet tall. Harry stood gazing at it in wonder and Tom pulled Harry back against his chest. Ever since that day at the diner Tom had been touching Harry as often as he could. As if that was enough to make sure Harry was still there. Tom had never talked to Harry but he felt as though Harry understood and that was enough for now.
Harry gave Tom's hand a squeeze and stepped away. Tom watched as Harry went and greeted the twins with hugs and smiled at something Narcissa said. Harry then moved away. He sat down so that he could see everyone else in the room. Tom joined Harry on the floor, their backs to an unoccupied chair.
"Harry? Why are we sitting on the floor?"
Harry shrugged and moved so that he was between Tom's legs. Tom felt him settle in with a grin and rested his chin on top of Harry's head. Draco rolled his eyes, but said nothing. Lucius averted his eyes and Narcissa hid a smile at her husband's denial. He seemed to ignore the fact that Harry and Tom were a couple as often as possible.
The floo activated with a rapid growth of flames and Harry watched with glee as Remus stepped through. Seconds later Severus followed. Harry called out a greeting to both men but did not seem inclined to get up and greet them. Severus gave a nod to them both while Remus headed over with a smile to squeeze Harry's offered hand in place of ruffling his hair.
Severus moved to another love seat and miraculously no one said anything as Remus sat next to him. Legs curled up on one side as he leaned into Snape's shoulder. All of the couples looked comfortable and everyone let out soft smiles.
A sudden pop distracted them as a house elf appeared.
"Misky be handing out the pressies for Master and guests?"
The eager house elf was given permission with a wave of Narcissa's hand and suddenly everyone found themselves greeted in turn with a beaming elf and a package.
Everyone waited for Draco to get the last gift and they tore into their own in a frenzy. They were all gifts from Tom. Several pairs of eyes blinked at him. Tom merely rolled his own in response. Draco's lap was occupied by his very own Firebolt. The twins got a face full of black powder when they opened theirs, along with a package of it for them to duplicate and guide books. Delighted to find that it would only stick to the person who got hit with it, making clean up next to nothing, along with books that discussed the properties of more complex potions they grinned mischievously at Tom.
Lucius found a gift certificate to get some more robes, which he accepted with a nod, and a small smile. Narcissa held up a beautiful silver necklace, the charm a circle carved into the form of a snake, Tom told her that it was enchanted to attack anyone who wished to harm her and had 'venom' that would paralyze someone instantaneously. Remus was given a book on ways to calm your werewolf while human and was already immersed in it. Severus had a crystal potions set, complete with cauldron and vials.
Harry picked up his own and found a silver, oval locket with two small gemstones, one ruby and one emerald. Apparently it was similar to Narcissa as a defense and released the same poison somehow. More importantly when opened it showed a three dimensional image of them.
The rest of the gifts were of the same mind from everyone. The Weasley twins got more supplies for their inventions. Draco got Quidditch supplies and books on making spells. Lucius got gift cards to feed his vanity, and some stock in the WWW which was more profitable than he had ever imagined. Narcissa got mostly jewelry with the exception of a vase designed by the twins that prevented theft by creating visions of the owners being home. Remus got books on every subject one could think of. Severus got more potion supplies and a book called: How to Teach Potions to Dimwits. Which Snape apparently appreciated judging by the half-smile. Harry got cook books, a journal, and several different gift cards.
Tom tried to hide his disappointment that Harry had given him a journal. It was a nice journal and translated his writing into parseltongue, but was a journal none the less and he thought that Harry would do something a little more than that. Then Harry started squirming in his lap and pulled away to stand in front of him. All eyes moved to the messy head of hair but he kept his eyes on Tom.
"Nagini?"
"Coming young Master."
Tom would have missed the switch to parseltongue if the rest of the group had not jumped at the hissing sounds.
"I can't take all of the credit for Tom's gift. Or well his second gift. I asked Nagini for help and she said there was one thing she thought her master needed."
Everyone waited and Harry looked expectantly at Tom. Tom thought back over everything and tried to figure out what Nagini would think he needed. All of the sudden a thought came to him.
"Nagini? Please say you didn't."
"Young master asked, and I told him my thoughts. Although I do find it to be a strange ritual."
"You are going to ruin my Dark Lord status, the both of you."
Harry cut in, "Yes. But it will do wonders for your Minister status."
Harry held out his hand and his invisibility cloak flew to his fingers, revealing a large box in the corner, topped with a giant red bow.
Tom let Harry help him to his feet and walked slowly over to the box. He pulled off the bow and quickly pulled apart the tape. He opened the lid and looked inside. Tom felt his heart squeeze at the sight. He looked over at Harry who must have misread the look.
"If you don't want it then I can take it back. It's under a spell, this way it can't be harmed if you did not want it. I paid a little extra for it. I don't want you to think that you have to keep it. As soon as you pick it up the spell wears off."
Tom's thoughts ran wild for a long moment. But Tom gave a sigh. He had wanted one for so long, nothing was going to keep it from him now. It just proved that Tom was absolutely ridiculous when he had a soul. How was he ever going to run the country this way?
He reached in a gripped it tight. Soon enough the spell was gone and Tom watched it in fascination for a long moment before he pulled it out of the box. He held it tight in his arms as he moved back to his old spot, hiding it inside of his robes. Harry followed him nervously back. Tom sat on the chair and gave Harry a look that dared him to complain.
"I hope you realize that everyone is going to get the wrong impression of me with this. I have one question, though." Harry watched him anxiously, "What are we going to name him?"
With that Tom set the wriggling ball of fur down and watched as he ran around the room kept away from walls and furniture with a little charm so that all of it would stay safe. Laughter followed the puppy as he ran this way and that stopping occasionally to attack someone's foot.
The German shepherd tired of his explorations and ran back to his owners to curl up beside the chair where Harry now sat in Tom's lap.
"It's a girl."
Tom blinked, "Of course it is."
"We could call her Daisy?"
Tom gave him a look that shot him down on that idea. Harry laughed at Tom's look.
"Alright. How about we call her Athena?"
Tom thought it over with a grin, "What do you think, Athena?"
The dog wagged her tail and rested her head on Tom's foot.
"Alright then. Welcome home Athena."
(0,0)
Soon enough the holidays were over and Draco was sent back to school despite his own wishes. The twins told him to go and finish his N.E.W.T.s after all he only had to take them once. Draco had gone because they asked but was trying to get his done early, without much luck. Harry was swamped between taking care of Athena and trying to get Tom's campaign going.
Dumbledore was being a hassle but was currently trapped at Hogwarts. The ring had apparently cursed more than just his hand and it was spreading. Rumor was that Dumbledore was in his last few weeks. Harry was trying to be respectful towards Dumbledore and Scrimgeour without making it seem like he was going against Tom.
Harry was doing several interviews a day for different papers and was swamped with mail. Everyone wanted to know everything about the campaign. It got to the point that Harry had a standard reply that went with everyone's letter, promising to get back to them with more detail in a few weeks. Tom was apparently busy, but Harry had no idea what he was busy with.
The man had taken to spending every night in Harry's room again, this time on the bed. Athena often joined them once the door was opened for her. Every morning Harry would wake with a hungry dog and an absent Tom. Harry thought about talking to Tom, but figured it was all for the campaign. As soon as it finished Harry and Tom could worry about themselves. Wherever they were going.
Harry was beginning to realize that he was actually in love with Tom. There were small things that he loved about the man and larger things that he was annoyed with, but every day he would wait for Tom to come home. Tom always greeted Harry with a kiss and they would talk for a while about nothing. Then Tom would gather Harry up and take him off to bed. At that point Athena was kicked out temporarily and they enjoyed themselves.
(0,0)
Dumbledore's funeral came during February, leaving Severus as Headmaster in his stead. McGonagall stood behind him and firmly supported him against the protesting parents. Harry attended the ceremony and made a speech about the man who had taught him, taken him in. He kept his thoughts pure as they had been before the death of Sirius.
Other's followed his example. People stepped past grudges and admired the man who had always worked for the greater good. He was a wonderful wizard through and through. Harry fought back his tears as he moved amongst the guests.
Dumbledore had been a great man. Even if he did have his faults. As much as the man had ruined Harry's life, he had not done it out of spite. The man had simply been searching for the best and had become obsessed due to desperation. It could have happened to anyone.
Tom was right. Harry was far too forgiving.
(0,0)
The election was held on July fifteenth. Harry and Lucius moved through the crowds with Tom shaking hands and exchanging greetings. July sixteenth everyone sat down to wait. People sent in their selections by owls from all over the United Kingdom. The ballots were all sorted by magic and counted by hand. By July eighteenth the votes were in.
Three men stood on a platform. Harry stood anxiously off to the side. He had no idea how Tom would react if they lost this election. He had his hands clasped tightly against his chest. He was bouncing lightly on the balls of his feet. He saw a few people staring and a few camera flashes.
Harry forced himself to stand still. His eyes never left the man at the podium. One Percy Weasley. Harry had a feeling he had volunteered for the job. The red head was practically giddy with excitement. Harry had not seen him this excited since he finished his cauldron reports. Harry grinned and shook his head.
Tom and Scrimgeour were standing side-by-side as they awaited the delivery of the final letter. Scrimgeour was enjoying a low conversation with his opponent. He had swallowed the story of not being the Tom Riddle who became Lord Voldemort instantly. Harry rolled his eyes. If Rufus won again Harry was going to move to France. That man was a hopeless politician.
All of the sudden a loud cry was heard from beyond the crowd. All voices went silent. Several cameras flashed as the falcon flew towards the podium. Percy reached up one hand as the bird approached. The falcon dropped the letter into his hand as he turned to fly over the crowd once more. Harry and the rest of the audience turned their eyes to Percy. The redhead pulled open the flap.
And dropped the envelope.
Several voices snickered as the man turned bright red. He fumbled as he tried to pick it up causing outright laughter. Harry shook his head in amusement. That was Percy all over. The Weasley picked up his confidence and stood tall. He held up the envelope and waited for everyone to quiet once again. Percy smiled at Scrimgeour before pulling out the slip of paper.
"The new Minister of Magic is…" Everyone waited as he looked at the slip of paper, his smile slipped and Harry's grew in delight, "Tom Riddle!"
Percy faked his excitement and cast a worried glance over his shoulder. Scrimgeour played his part well. He shook Tom's hand and congratulated him on his win. Percy followed suit and left the stage with Scrimgeour. Tom stepped forward and stood at the podium.
"Witches and wizards of Britain, I stand before you proud to have been chosen, by you, to be the next Minister of Magic. My goals and values have stood strong since my youth and I am honored to find it in my ability to serve you from this day forth. I hope to bring us back to our roots. To show that we are different from our muggle brethren. We may welcome them into our gifts, we may welcome them to our schools. They find themselves welcome to join our community but in return we may ask them to welcome our traditions.
"We are a strong society. We have lasted through one adversity after another. Our people have grown in wisdom and power. From this day on we stand together. We are the magic in the world. Together we can change our world and our future. I hope that all of you will stand behind me as we travel to new ideals and embrace our past. Future generations will look at you with awe when they see the way we will grow. For we will welcome outsiders and love our past. Together we will do more for our community then has been attempted in many decades. Wizards and witches will stand strong. We are not the same as our brethren, but together we can grow to be much more.
"I thank you for this opportunity and together I know we will achieve more than could have been possible. With your support we can become who we were destined to be. We will be the future we want to see."
Tom raised his hand to cheers and applause. Harry shook his head in wonder at the man who had become so much more than what he was. Tom stepped away and moved from the platform. His expression one of satisfaction and hope. Harry eagerly waited for Tom to walk down. He reached out a hand to congratulate him. Tom caught him off guard once again. Tom grabbed Harry's hand and pulled him in close.
He whispered into Harry's ear, "You will not be my secret Harry."
With that Tom kissed Harry in front of hundreds of flashing lights and voices. Raised in disappointment or approval Harry did not care. The shorter man wrapped his arms around Tom's neck and responded eagerly.
Tom pulled back with a smile and took Harry's hand leading him away from the crowds and taking him back to the Manor for a well-deserved rest.
The interviews would just have to wait.
(0,0)
The raven stood in the Manor's kitchen once again. Tom had been busy in the office. Harry smiled as he thought of the man. They had become closer since the elections. It had been about a month and Tom was always home on time. Harry was so proud of his man.
Harry smiled as he stood over his cookie mix. Chocolate chocolate chip cookies! He was excited to eat them and had taken a break from making pies to enjoy the cookies. It didn't hurt that they were Tom's favorite either. He shook his head at his sentimental thoughts and pulled them from the oven as the timer went off. Tom popped into the kitchen just as they finished. He cast a quick cooling charm and took a bite.
"These are delicious!"
Harry laughed, "They're cookies Tom. Not that hard to make."
"Still delicious." Tom finished his cookie, "Are you working on anything right now?"
Harry shook his head, "Nope. The pies finished a little while ago. I'm free, although I wanted to go over the-"
"You can do it later. Come with me."
"But Tom-"
"Please?"
"I…" Harry looked up at Tom's pleading eyes, "Alright."
Tom looked like a little kid as he smiled at Harry. He pulled Harry in for a hug before taking Harry's hand and dragging him from the kitchen and out into the entrance hall. He held out his arm and Harry took it. Focusing firmly on Tom as he felt the other man start to turn.
(0,0)
Tom took a deep breath and swallowed back his nerves.
"Close your eyes, Harry."
Harry gave him a calculating look before closing his eyes. Tom took Harry's hands in both of his and led him around the copse of trees and down the path. A few minutes past before Harry began to run out of patience. Tom whispered encouraging words and Harry took a deep breath. Finally Tom eased Harry to a stop.
"Alright so I wanted to talk to you about this, but I kind of wanted to prove that I was serious."
"Tom?"
"You know how we have been living in the Manor for a little less than a year now?"
"Yeah. Tom, what's this about?"
"I wanted to know if… Would you move out with me?"
"Tom?"
"Open your eyes Harry."
Harry opened his eyes and looked into Tom's hopeful ones before looking beyond Tom. Harry smiled at what he saw and started to laugh. Before he could say anything to worry Tom, Harry started nodding. He felt tears in his eyes and forced them back. He threw his arms around Tom's neck.
"Yes. Yes. Yes!"
Tom laughed with him and started to spin Harry around. When Harry's laughter died down to giggles. Tom gently set Harry back on his feet. He brushed a hand down the side of Harry's face and turned to lead him toward their new home.
"Come on let's go look around."
Tom led Harry up a dirt path. Harry looked around at the yard that was filled with green grass. Two large trees stood off to the left. A small flower garden stood against the house and Harry took in the lovely smell. The house was simple enough. A little big for two people, but much better than the Manor. The house stood two stories above ground and one below.
Harry explored the main floor, finding a kitchen that would be perfect for baking. He moved into a simple dining room that would be perfect for their friends to come for dinner. He moved into a small living room in which he found a couch, a loveseat, and a comfy chair. The fireplace was standing against the wall and would be perfect for sitting in front of during the winter.
Harry followed Tom upstairs. Two guest rooms and a master. He peaked into the main room and found a big that had his mouth falling open in awe. Gorgeous sheets and a king size bed, with French doors leading onto an open balcony. Tom pulled Harry into the bathroom and he was surprised by a giant shower.
Tom moved Harry back to the hall outside bedroom, "What do you think?"
Harry smiled, "When can we move in, Minister?"
"How about now?"
Their kiss was intense and full of passion. Tom lifted the smaller man who wrapped his legs around Tom's hips. Tom made his way back to the bedroom. Kicking the door shut behind them.
I hope that you all enjoyed the story. I have had requests to continue it into further chapters, but I'm afraid that I have no ideas on how to continue it. I finished up this story line for the most part. I have an epilogue in the works as a sort of compromise. If someone wants me to keep going after that I'll need some new ideas! Thanks for all of your wonderful reviews and your support! Love you all!