Tom was working frantically to get all of the papers graded.
He swore that these kids were writing idiotic things on purpose. It was frustrating that all of them were making ridiculous mistakes. The Dark Lord had needed to get away from the idiocy more than once and had destroyed his classroom in an outrageous response to the 'dunderheads' as Severus liked to call them. Which was one of the reasons why it had taken so long.
He was trying to be thorough, finding all of the errors marking them and explaining them if he could do so easily. Making a note to see him if he couldn't explain it. By now he was rushing through the final essays. The first house bonding event was taking place this evening. The prefects had decided that the best way to bring everyone together the first time was with a movie night.
Draco and Harper were protesting it. Some of the other pure bloods were skeptical, but everyone else who had watch a movie or heard of them were on board. The vote had come out in favor of the event so it was planned for tonight, the third Friday of the year.
Tom was determined to spend tomorrow with his little mate. He hadn't seen the teen for extended periods of time, outside of class and meals, in several days and he was desperate for contact. But every time he came into their rooms the teen's door was closed. He finished the final red marking across the last page. The 'P' written on top and a request to see him sometime after the weekend scrawled near the bottom.
Tom cast a quick tempus and noticed he had just enough time to go and catch the end of the movie. He hope that the raven was ready to spend the weekend together because he was not planning on letting the teen leave his sight.
He stood and placed his hands on his lower back. Stretching the tense muscles and feeling his spine pop once or twice. An exhausted smile was on his face. He moved towards his door casting a charm to organize all of the papers alphabetically and place them in their folder. He warded his door behind him and moved towards the Great Hall.
The exhausting late hours were going to be worth it once his mate was in his arms.
(0,0)
The movie was just starting and Harry was already fidgeting. Draco and Hermione were making an announcement up on stage and Pansy was helping organize the groups. Neville was sitting next to him and his presence was helping slightly but the feeling of isolation was starting to become overwhelming.
The sense of abandonment was becoming worse as the days passed. He was always dizzy and often nauseas. His morning sickness was becoming a real problem now. He could barely smell food in the afternoon, which meant know meals for Harry just light crackers. That wasn't even the worst part.
He rarely saw his mate outside of class. The odd night that he spent in his own rooms he was there and asleep long before his mate returned. He was really starting to regret the fact that they had decided to come back to Hogwarts. Granted Dumbledore couldn't get on the grounds and everyone else who visited was tracked and escorted around the premises. It was probably safer, but he missed his mate.
Neville put an arm over his shoulder and pulled the smaller teen closer to him on the benches that they decided to use for seats. Harry relaxed slightly and let the other boy's touch soothe him. It wasn't nearly as effective as Draco, but it would have to do for now. He wished that they had a theory as to why Harry was feeling so miserable these last few weeks. It obviously had to do with the change of location but why was the real question.
Hermione's voice cut through the pounding in harry's head and he heard her explain what exactly it was that they were all watching. The idea of a muggle device and the enraptured audience had Hermione in full-on lecture mode. She had put herself in charge of figuring out how to work the VCR with magic so that everyone could enjoy the movie the muggle way as much as possible.
Apparently she figured out a way to use magic in much the same way as a television. The VCR would spin the tapes with the images and then magic would enlarge the picture and display it on the wall which had been charmed white for this purpose.
Basically it functioned without all the mess of electronic signals all it took was a sight spell altered slightly to display a scene large enough for the entire hall to enjoy. Ironically, the sound was harder to figure out. Hermione had consulted several text books but she had no luck until Draco called her out on her train of thought.
It had been the blonde's idea to use speakers.
Everyone had stared at him in disbelief before he turned to them with a glare and claimed that he liked to listen to music as much as the next person. Apparently there was a room at the Manor with a muggle sound system so that they could enjoy the works of older composers.
Harry groaned slightly when a wave of nausea and dizziness passed over him. He just wanted the movie to start so that he could either slip away or fall asleep. Either option sounded good at the moment. Apparently Hermione had decided to pick a fairytale as they were fairly similar no matter whether they were muggle or magic.
In fact Harry had been subjected to Draco and Hermione's argument a few days ago over which movie they should watch. The discussion had taken place under a muffliato charm as Harry had been trying to sleep, but the yelling had basically shattered the purposes of that spell. The sounds of their 'heated debate,' as Hermione had called it, had woken him but he couldn't actually understand any of the words they were saying.
The only thing that he knew was the Draco had won. And that discovery was only due to the smug look that the blonde had carried around for the rest of the week. The raven would admit that he was exceedingly curious as to which movie they had chosen.
"Draco, Luna, Harper, and myself chose the movie that we are going to watch. Or rather we argued and yelled until we got it down to two options. We picked two animated classics from the muggle world that practically every child has watched and that will show the muggle interpretation of magic.
"The two we were choosing from are Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella." Harry's eyes widened.
'No, no, no no nonononononono. Please, No! Don't say it!'
Draco stepped forward, "In honor of our next event we have chosen to watch Cinderella. We shall explain the connection after the movie. Enjoy!"
Several sets of eyes blinked at the practically giddy Slytherin who looked far too smug for anything to be okay. Much less enjoyable.
Hermione looked at him for a moment but managed to shake off her thoughts and smile at everyone, "Alright then as they say in Hollywood:" She pulled out her wand, "Lights." The candles dimmed until only a faint glow lit the shadows of the room, "Camera." A spell at the VCR showed Cinderella's castle decorating the wall, "Action!" The press of a button and the room filled with classic opening notes.
The teen had a hard time focusing on the picture. Every time he directed his eyes the screen grew blurry. Green eyes blinked. It was probably because he was shaking for no real reason.
Then Harry glared at the Gryffindor next to him. The other boy was shaking. His arm forcing Harry's body to mimic the motion. A motion which was being caused by Neville's muffled laughter.
"It's not funny." Harry hissed under his breath.
Neville shook his head, still chuckling under his breath, "Yeah it is."
"No-"
"Harry. Draco had no idea what the whole 'Cinderella' thing was about until Hermione explained the movie to him. Neither did I for that matter. All either of us understood was that Cinderella was a princess."
"It's still not funny."
"It is when you are thinking about Draco's face when he realized the incredible amounts of sappy romantic thoughts are curled around that one word. He was bright red and stuttering after Hermione. 'True love?' 'Love at first sight?' 'Desperate search?' 'Love?' I swear he almost passed out when she mentioned the fact that they get married in the end."
By that point Harry couldn't help laughing along with the slightly older boy.
(0,0)
Tom walked into the room as Cinderella and Charming were running down the castle stairs after their wedding. He smirked a little as he recognized the characters from various memorabilia the decorated the streets of London. He had a feeling at least one of the Slytherins had had a part in that.
He waited until the candles were glowing bright once again before scouting the benches for the sight of his little mate. His eyes tracked the numerous heads multiple times. Tom frowned, his brow furrowing as he slowly searched the room once more.
Where was Harry?
"I hope you all enjoyed that. We figured a dark room with no real time to interact was the best way to spend our first activity together."
Hermione's voice called his attention reluctantly from his scrutiny of the room. And he stepped back into the shadow of a column to prevent drawing attention. Perhaps the teen had decided that he would rather rest than watch this movie. No, that made no sense, Harry had mentioned coming to the movie just that morning in their quarters.
"Which of course means that a month from now we will have to do the exact opposite."
Hermione cut Draco off when some of the students started shifting uncomfortably in their chairs at his vicious smirk.
"We have requested that the Headmaster allow us to change the day for the next cultural opportunity."
Draco stepped forward and cut her off. The resulting glare from the Head Girl and Draco's smug smirk had the room laughing quietly.
"Next month is October. Therefore it only seemed right to take advantage of that fact." He paused for effect which had Hermione rolling her eyes, "Our next event will be in honor of Halloween!"
Several murmurs started to fill the room as Hermione stepped forward to stand next to the Slytherin, "It will be a costume ball and everyone must wear a costume. First through third years will be attending a separate party from the fourth years and up. Only third years will be allowed to the upper class event if their date is a fourth year or higher. And no going as students, or a muggle, or any other costume that everyone knows does not count."
Here she glared at several Gryffindor boys who she just knew were thinking about doing that exact thing.
Everyone was preparing to get up and move towards the exit when Draco smirked and dropped the final jarring note, "And your date must be from a different house."
The room froze in an instant. Outraged whispers grew from the shocked silence. Angry murmurs began to fill the room. The noise quickly rising to the point of deafening the smug Slytherin.
The first shout was from a furious McLaggen. "And what if we're already in a relationship?"
"Then you may ask a friend from another house to accompany you. You are allowed to go in groups with anyone you wish we just want to improve inter-house relationships."
Cormac glared at her, "And who are you going with instead of your boyfriend."
Hermione narrowed her eyes at him and gave him a very uncharacteristic smirk, "Draco and I are going as friends."
"No bloody way." That came from, surprise, Ronald Weasley.
"We will discuss this later Ronald."
Tom was one of the few people to notice how the witch had to force the words out. Almost as if she had forgotten how to say them.
(0,0)
Eventually Hermione got everyone to leave the Great Hall.
Of course they only successful solution was by threatening them all with curfew and lost points should they not be in their common rooms before the bell tolled. Draco had covered all protestors with a glare and taken points for disrespecting authority and for not tying their tie properly.
The room was practically empty within moments.
Practically because two Gryffindors were still sitting on their bench. It was then that Tom was able to light upon the familiar head of messy black hair. He let a small smile cross over his face as he registered that the teen had fallen asleep during the movie. His little mate really was adorable. Granger, Lovegood, Draco, and Harper walked up to the pair and Hermione frowned.
"Did he fall asleep or…?"
The blonde Gryffindor shook his head slowly. Hopelessness etched into his features as he turned his head up to look at Harry's friends. Hermione sat on one side of the duo while Draco sat on the other and began brushing his fingers through Harry's hair, Hermione brushed a tear from her watched intently after that. What could have them so worried?
"He passed out again. I wish we knew what was causing these fainting spells."
'Fainting spells? What fainting spells?'
Draco snorted, "I want to know why the hell his precious mate" Tom's eyes widened as he heard the vicious tone behind the Slytherin's words, "has not done anything about it. Harry can't sleep, he's barely eating anything and only when we remind him about the baby. He's miserable."
Neville shrugged, "Harry was a little bummed a few days ago because Tom basically threw Harry from the room. Apparently he had to finish grading papers. No one even cares what they got on the papers. They're worth practically nothing when it comes to our grades. The least he could do is spend time with Harry."
Draco rolled his eyes, "The least he could do would be to show up in the Hospital Wing when Harry's fainted. God knows he's been in there enough times since the year started."
"Boys." Both of the blondes looked over at Granger, "Harry's waking up."
Tom redirected his eyes and watched as those bright green eyes blinked slowly. He looked confused as his eyes darted around the room. Comprehension dawned in the form of a frown.
"It happened again." It wasn't a question but the other three nodded anyway.
He let out a breath and moved to stand up. Shaking legs gave out seconds later and he feel back to the bench. The teen waved off his friends and shoved himself to his feet. The small boy teetered for a moment but recovered himself enough to start walking towards the doors.
"I'm going to bed."
"Where?" Draco asked, wanting to know whether or not to follow the younger boy.
Harry paused and let out a sigh, "Tom's and mine tonight. Your couch is only good five days out of the week."
"I can always transfigure you a bed?" Hermione offered, not sure if she should let him go back to his neglectful mate.
"Thanks, but…" He ran a hand through his messy hair, "Magic is sort of painful when it's not Tom's I don't think I could sleep."
The girl frowned but gave an understanding nod, "Do you want one of us to walk up with you?"
Harry parted his lips to respond but Tom had decided it was time to make his presence known. He stepped from his hiding place and caused a gasp from the other three. Harry frowned at them. Green eyes turned to spot the cause of distress and he nearly fell to the ground.
Tom caught the small teen around the waist and helped him stay on his feet. The boy looked excited, skeptic, and terrified in that moment. His older mate placed an arm around the boy's shoulders and a gentle kiss to the top of his head. But other-wise tried to keep as much space between them as possible.
Tom waited but the teen said nothing. In fact green eyes seemed to be studiously ignoring his.
"Harry?"
"I need to go lie down."
"Harry…" He took a deep breath Harry wasn't going to talk to him at the moment, "I'll take you to our rooms."
"Thank you." The words were succinct and flat. Tom cringed inwardly.
He took the steps slowly pausing whenever his little mate stumbled and helping him to regain his feet. It took several long pauses but they finally climbed the third staircase and were on their way down the hall.
It wasn't until they had arrived at their rooms that the teen spoke again.
"I'm going to the Manor for the weekend. I think I need to go. Besides that will make it easier for Healer Jaywing to perform this month's check-up."
"I need to check with Severus first."
"You do that." Tom nodded to the younger boy and left the rooms.
His head spinning as he tried to understand everything the teens had been discussing. Apparently these fainting spells had been going on for weeks. Why hadn't Harry said anything? Why hadn't anyone said anything?
The gargoyles guarding the room let Tom pass without hesitation and allowed him up into the rooms. He climbed the spiral staircase and rapped his knuckles gently on the door.
"Enter."
The door opened to a tastefully decorated room done in dark browns, greens, and blues. Many of the objects that Dumbledore had used to accentuate his eccentric personality were now in a pile in the corner. Tom stepped inside the room to see the man reading a doctoral essay on Wolfsbane. A potion that Severus had been trying to better for years.
"Severus?"
Black eyes jumped to look at him in surprise, "Tom? I thought you would have gone through with Harry. Weren't you supposed to leave for Riddle Manor tonight?"
Tom blinked, "Harry mentioned it to me a few minutes ago. I told him I wanted to come clear it with you."
Severus arched a single eyebrow, "Harry approached me about spending the weekend Monday. You haven't spoken about it?"
"We haven't spoken much at all the last few weeks. I've been busy grading and such, and Harry's been busy as well. He's rarely in our rooms."
"That would be because he is usually in Draco's and Hermione's." The younger man nodded as if in agreement.
"What?"
Severus pressed the tips of his fingers together and looked at Tom, "He's been sleeping in his friends' room for several nights. I assumed you had come to an agreement of sorts."
"I didn't even realize he wasn't sleeping in our rooms…" Tom admitted softly still in shock, staring blankly at the wall next to Severus' desk.
"I assume then that it was just your busy work schedule that has kept you apart?"
"That and the memory you shared with me." He paused and remembered something he had just found out about, "and the fact no one would tell me that Harry has been having fainting spells." Suddenly Tom turned to fully face the Headmaster, "Which I place that solely on your shoulders. Why exactly did no one tell me that my little mate has been in the Hospital Wing?!"
Severus looked just as shocked by that announcement as Tom had felt. The man was a flurry of motion and was soon standing by his fireplace tossing in a pinch of powder. "Poppy, Hospital Wing."
He bent his head to look into the fire, "Poppy!"
Instantly the mediwitch was kneeling at her end of the connection, "Yes, Severus?"
"Why was I not informed that Mr. Potter had been admitted several time for fainting over the last few weeks?"
"You asked for me not to bother you with trivial cases." She said simply not reacting at all to the Headmaster's most practiced sneer.
"I asked not to be informed every time a child came to you for help with a blister. Not a student being sent to your care multiple times for the same state. Last I checked fainting was not a trivial affliction."
"Yes well…" The mediwitch finally looked uncomfortable before regaining her usual posture and brisk attitude, "Mr. Potter asked me not to shared his information unless it was asked for. I agreed. Now I have a student in need of my assistance, good evening Severus."
With that the connection was closed and Tom and Snape found themselves staring at an empty fireplace once again. A silent moment filled the room before Severus turned to look at the other man. He gave the fireplace a pointed look.
"I suggest you go to your mate now before he realizes he can block the floo."
Tom paled at the thought of missing his mate for the entirety of the weekend and quickly nodded his agreement. Within seconds he was disappearing in a roar of green flames.
(0,0)
The teen came stumbling out of the fire place, soot everywhere and feeling dots dancing behind his eyes.
"Potter?"
He looked up with wide eyes to see a wand pointing in his face.
"Hello, Bella. Would you mind moving out of my way?" He stood and started to make his way to the stairs and his room.
"What are you doing here? You're supposed to be at school." Her voice was simply full of confusion as she looked at the younger boy.
"I got a weekend home thanks to the darling Headmaster. Now, I'm going to my room."
He pulled on his magic and remembered the ability to apparate into the nursery. He smirked and avoided the woman's questions by simply turning on his heel. The familiar, and dreaded, tube like feeling was just as horrible as always.
Harry landed inside his room about a foot away from his bed. The Gryffindor didn't even bother trying to fight gravity as his knees buckled. Calling out for the elf he was glad when Minsy appeared in front of him.
"Is Mr. Potter being okays?"
The elf helped him to stand and led him to the bed. He sat down with a thump and shook his head. He took a deep breath and looked at the elf. He really hoped that she would do this for him.
"You know that barrier you can put up with your house elf magic? The one wizards can't touch?"
Eyes widened but the elf nodded, "Minsy knows."
"I need you to put one up for me. I need to keep your master from coming in and he will eventually be able to take down anything I put up."
The elf shook her head, pulling on her ears and looking around. Apparently this was not something that she thought she could acceptably do. The teen noticed when her eyes landed on the heavy lamp on his table and quickly tried to come up with a compromise of sorts.
"What if I give you a way to let him through? A passwords of sorts."
The elf thought about and slowly nodded her head, "Minsy should be ables to dos that."
Harry let out a breath of relief. The elf looked at him expectantly. Right. Now Harry had to come up with said password of sorts.
"Ummm…" His brain scrambled until his eyes lit with a Slytherin's glee, "He just has to say he wants to apologize."
The elf started to panic again.
"It's a way for him to get in. We agreed." He rushed, hoping to calm her down and get the wards up before Tom had a chance to get in.
Minsy nodded and popped out of Harry's room. Apparently eager to get this unpleasant task out of the way. Seconds later he felt the ward go up. Just in time too. Because seconds later the teen felt Tom's shift in the manor wards.
(0,0)
His older mate had been standing outside his room for several hours now. Actually he had gone into the nursery about an hour before because the elves had informed him that 'master's guests were coming up to makes sure everything beings good.'
The man behind the door was cursing at Harry now. His loud voice more than likely echoing down the hall where the death eaters were listening, the teen was sure of it. About five minutes in the teen had decided he was over reacting. He was going to let Tom in. Tell the elf to take down the barrier and apologize for not thinking it all through.
Then the man had called out something about the fact that not everything was about him. How he was being immature and should start acting like an adult. Anger and stubbornness had shot through the teen and appeared to be lasting this time. If the wizard could ignore Harry for three weeks then Harry could do the same.
The elves brought him dinner, which he was extremely grateful for and the teen had sat down with a pad of paper and started doodling. He had already finished the one book he had brought to his room from the library and he really wasn't eager to ask the elves for another one. They had spent twenty minutes after delivering his dinner, pleading with him to let them take down the wards.
Therefore, he decided to doodle.
He made it about five minutes longer before he started feeling guilty again. In reality, Tom really was just trying to keep Harry from getting hurt. Of course, if he stopped to listen to his mate for five seconds that really wouldn't be a problem. Still Harry was apparently a mix of all the houses and his inner Hufflepuff was starting to show through.
But he was still a Gryffindor and a Slytherin which meant that he wanted Tom to admit he was wrong and he really didn't care how long it took. Harry looked down at his doodle which had turned into familiar eyes glaring at him from the paper. He shook his head and moved to the bed. Collapsing onto it and closing his eyes.
He hoped Tom would forgive him for this. Which was insane because he wanted to the man to apologize so that he could be forgiven by the teen. This was a mess. But something had to be done, they needed to talk this all out. To get back on track with their 'relationship' again. And none of it could be done until Tom decided to sit down and listen.
(0,0)
Harry just needed to sit down and listen to him.
He was nervous about the teen touching him was no longer a good thing and Tom wanted to give him as much space as possible. It had been just after Harry had walked into his own room their first night in the castle. They were supposed to be mates, they were expecting a child. Was it really so bad that he wanted to share a bed with his little mate?!
Tom remembered that day in Severus' office. The man had been a big help to explain the problem with him and Harry. It definitely affected the way he approached it. Maybe not the extent to which he had gone but he had not wanted to hurt his little mate. Of course, it now seemed as though that was a hopeless cause.
Tom had come storming into Severus' office after Harry had refused to share his bed.
Ranting and raving about how his mate was being selfish. He just wanted to share a room. Harry could have his own bed if he really wanted. Was it really such a bad thing that Tom wanted to share a room with his mate? To touch him? To hold him? To wake up with him?
Finally Severus had enough and called the man's name. No response. He frowned at the man who was still pacing and waving his hands frantically through the air. This was not the man he was used to dealing with. If he could just get him to pay attention.
"Tom."
"Tom."
"RIDDLE!"
Finally, the man pulled to a stop. He glared at Severus and opened his mouth. Worried the man was about to rant again he spoke quickly.
"There may be a reason that Harry is nervous about spending a night in your bed."
"I assume there-" Tom blinked, "Did he tell you something?"
Snape looked at him and sent a locking and silencing charm at the door, "Harry is not to know that you heard this from me. Do you understand?"
Tom blinked but nodded slowly. Obviously skeptical as to whether or not he should even be hearing this. But Severus gave him no chance to think about what he should do. The man pulled a memory from the back of his mind and deposited it in the rune-covered bowl.
"This is a memory from earlier this summer. I promised Harry I wouldn't talk to you about it unless you asked. However what you do on your own is none of my concern."
Tom rolled his eyes, "Your Slytherin side is failing if that was your subtle hint."
"Yes but you are not listening to a Gryffindor's subtly so I decided to make it obvious. I'll be back in half an hour."
With that the Headmaster moved through a door to his own rooms. Tom shook his head but took the hint and moved towards the pensieve. He glanced down at the milky strands and took a deep breath whatever it was hopefully it would be a help. He just wanted his mate.
His face touched the liquid and he soon found himself standing in his library. Well at least he knew that this was relatively recent. He was in Riddle Manor and two familiar black heads were sitting on the couch in front of him. He moved closer and allowed the memory to take over his thoughts.
The library was empty but for the two black haired men who sat around their usual table.
At first glance the situation was one a person could have seen any other day, in fact Tom had walked in on just this many times. Harry was lounging on the couch. Laying on his side, facing a table of books, with hair falling over his face. Everyday a different assortment of books rested on the table as the boy pushed to learn the knowledge he had skimped on during school.
Today's topic appeared to be transfiguration. Diagrams of wand movements and step by step transformations decorated the pages. Cat's depicted shifting into caps. Rats turning to hats. Cups becoming cute little pups. Even monkeys into skeleton keys. Apparently these artists enjoyed the humor in their art. But that was not the point of Tom's observations. He remembered that the teen had been studying Transfiguration following their first date.
Which was coincidentally the week that Harry had been successfully ignoring him.
Across the table from the lounging teen sat a high back regal chair. Occupied, as usual, by a taller black haired male. The man had his own pile of books, albeit on slightly more advanced topics. Judging by the titles his books were specifically directed towards the teen. Potion stained fingers flipped through the pages of "Attributes of Curse Scars" searching for something.
"I still don't understand why you refused to tell him about this."
The boy on the couch side and turned unfocused eyes towards the ceiling. He shifted onto his back and stretched. The motion shifting unruly strands back from his forehead. Tom gasped at the sight that the motion allowed him. He watched the revealing of a pasty face. The only color coming from bright green eyes and pulsing red scar. A shaky hand moved to rub at the throbbing red line and he somehow managed not to flinch at the contact.
"It's not that bad." Tom glared at the teen and hoped Severus would knock some sense into him.
Snape snorted, "Of course not. After all, it's not as if you've been avoiding the man all week because you're terrified he'll notice something's wrong. Or worse, become angry while you're in the room."
"It's just worse because I'm closer. It was the same when he was at Hogwarts my first year."
"Just admit you're worried what his reaction will be."
"I'm not." The teen wilted under the older man's patented glare, "Fine. I am a little. You've seen how he is though. He's going to feel absolutely miserable if he finds out."
"But then you won't be in pain. He is your dominant mate, Harry. If Tom finds out there's a way to keep you from hurting and he didn't do it… Let's just say he's going to think you don't think he can protect you."
"That's absurd. This entire conversation is pointless. I mean my scar is not even bleeding this time!"
Red eyes narrowed as the potion master's rolled in exasperation, "I believe the key words are 'this time' in that particular sentence."
"It rarely does, anyway."
"Yet it's been bleeding almost every day this last week. What are you going to do if he gets mad at someone during dinner?"
'Bleeding? Seriously. Did he know anything about Harry? What was causing this? Why did it sound as if Harry was avoiding Tom?'
"Deal with it then, probably by pleading something about my baby and being nauseous."
"What happens when he see the dried blood?"
"He won't because it's not-" A drop of blood rolled into Harry's eyes, "Never mind."
The potion master cursed the scar on the teen's head. A sentiment that Tom shared. The black eyes were filled with worry as he moved around the table and summoned the medical supplies from his office.
"This is much easier to deal with in my office."
The teen winced when the older placed the cloth against his forehead. "Sorry."
"Don't apologize. Tell the Dark Lord. This scar has been acting up ever since you moved in."
The raven brushed it off, "It's not always a problem. Lately, Tom has just been worried about everything. Which means he gets frustrated. So he gets angry and the horcrux doesn't like it."
Translation: Harry had a never ending headache. Tom frowned at that thought. Did Harry really feel his emotions? And it was painful?
"You do realize you're probably the only one who can get him to relax, right?"
The teen shrugged as best he could while lying on the couch.
Harry bit his lip as the older man brushed the cloth across the scar. It looked like it hurt, but less so than some of the things he had seen Harry do. A blast of searing pain crossed the teen's face.
"Dammit! I thought we agreed on no magic. It only makes it worse."
Severus froze in his ministrations, "I'm not using magic. I believe your mate is coming."
"Oh no. Quick clean the rest of it up, use magic, Tom can't see this." Green eyes were wide with panic."
Severus hesitated but Tom knew how hard it was to resist those eyes when they were pleading with you. The man muttered the gentlest cleaning charm that he could think of, which Tom greatly appreciated. Even then the teen flinched away and lunged for the blood replenishers sitting on the table. Seconds later he was lounging with a book once again with a healthier complexion than before.
"Maybe we should have let him notice."
Harry's eyes widened, "No. Please, promise me you won't tell him."
"Harry he needs to know."
"Please. I'll tell him when I have to right now it is all fine."
"Until he touches you."
Then the door opened and in walked Tom. The memory fading with a whisper so soft that Tom never would have heard as he passed through the doors.
"Then I just won't let him touch me."
Tom had pulled out of the memory and sat on the floor. As undignified as it was he did not think that there was any other way for him to handle the situation. He was still there when Severus once again walked through the door, stepping into his office once more.
The potion master said nothing merely cleaning up the pensieve until Tom spoke.
"I've been hurting him."
"If it hurt too much he would have told you, I just don't think he would be able to sleep through it."
"But I've been hurting him."
"He knows you do not mean to. He does not blame you."
"Can you make a potion for it? A block or something?"
"The only potions I know of would quite probably end up killing one of you." The Dark Lord looked down and Severus shifted uncomfortably unsure how to help his distraught leader, "I will look into it though. I'm sure there is something we can work with."
Tom nodded but said nothing in reply knowing that the words were hopeful and not necessarily true. Without acknowledging the headmaster he rose to his feet and strode from the room. If keeping from touching the teen helped with the pain then Tom would just avoid touching him. Even if the contact was something Tom was aching for.
He would do anything to help his mate.
Tom cleared his head of the past and looked at the warded door that separated him from his mate. He had never thought that avoiding wrapping his arms tightly around the teen every second would result in him not noticing the raven's health. He did not want Harry to be sick. He wanted his mate to be healthy.
He just wanted his mate.
"I swear, Harry. I had no idea that you were sick. I never would have left your side if I had known. You mentioned wanting to make your own decisions, I just wanted to give you some space. I'm so sorry. Please, just… Let me tell you. Let me tell you I'm sorry."
(0,0)
Harry was woken by a hand soothingly stroking up and down his back.
The teen sighed and stretched pressing back into the hand. Suddenly the pressure disappeared, a mewl of disappointment slid from between pink lips. Familiar magic was cresting over him and he settled into the gentle embrace. One that shifted and caused a resulting dip in the bed behind him.
"You better not be thinking of leaving." He mumbled the words into his pillow before turning with wide eyes to look at Tom.
The man was frowning as he looked down at his hand then at his younger mate. He said nothing apparently trying to sort something out in his mind. But Harry was far from patient.
"What is it?"
"I thought you said my touch hurt you. Why would you want something that hurts?"
"How did you find out about that?"
Tom quickly formed a truthful yet vague answer, "I… I heard you talking with Severus. You said that the horcrux was hurting you. That my emotions were painful. That-" the older man swallowed, "-my touch made it worse."
"Yes. But-"
"And that is why I've been avoiding you as much as possible. You said you wanted space, then I remembered your scar and I didn't want to hurt you."
Harry pushed up from the bed and glared at Tom, "This is why you need to talk to me instead of jumping to all of these horrible conclusions and trying to be all manly and protect me."
"Fine." The Dark Lord scowled and made sure sarcasm was clear in his voice, "I apologize for not talking to you. Now explain."
"Just listen, okay?" A sharp nod and an eye roll that the teen ignored, "The bond needs you."
"But my-"
"I thought we agreed that this was you listening to me talk?"
Tom's jaw clenched shut and he glared at the teen, "Continue."
"The horcrux is a part of you. Your soul and the bond are two different things. The horcrux is what I'm ninety percent sure causes the pain. It's when you get angry or the psychotic happiness. It feels like I'm trying to experience too much. When that happens I get headaches, no one can touch me. Even Snape is super careful not to touch me too much, it's also why we were using muggle methods. Magic hurts as well."
"So then, how is it my touch doesn't bother you now?"
"How are you feeling?"
Tom paused and struggled to put a word to his emotions, "I'm not sure… I think it may be…Concerned." The word was mumbled as the Dark Lord struggled to drop his mask of indifference.
"That's why. It's not an overwhelming emotion. You feel anger and excitement and it's enough to flow over the link. I'm sure there are other ones that will come over, but those are the only ones that I know."
"Why did you show up?"
"What do you mean?"
"Earlier this week. In my office, why did you show up?"
"I was… worried, I guess. You weren't talking to me. And I…" Harry turned to watch the barren walls crawling with shadows, "…I kind of needed you."
"I know, Healer Jaywing said my magic is necessary through the pregnancy."
"I needed you, not just your magic."
"What?"
"You're supposed to be the smart, crafty, cunning one here. I'm the oblivious Gryffindor. Don't go getting our roles mixed up or no one will be able to tell up from down any longer."
Tom blinked and the older wizard shifted away. Harry started to protest until he realized that Tom was actually shifting to sit more comfortably on the bed. Harry moved slightly. Tom ended up sitting up against the head board, his legs stretched out. Socks and shoes must have been kicked off as the teen was now looking at the graceful arches and long toes.
Harry settled in so that he was quite literally laying on Tom. Or rather he was sitting next to the older man. His chin was tucked into Tom's chest where he got to appreciate the softness of Tom's teaching robes for the first time.
"You do realize that you're hopeless at this relationship thing, right?"
Harry rolled his eyes at Tom's way of breaking the silence, "Of course, it's the fault of the person who has been trying to corner you ever since you made a hasty decision."
"Who else could possibly be at fault?"
Harry laughed lightly and shook his head, "Obviously me. Were those papers really that important?"
"I guess not. But I wanted to spend time with you without them hanging over my head. And I wanted to get myself under control so I didn't attack you when I saw you."
"Mmmm… And what exactly had you so upset that you decided to destroy your classroom?"
"How did you-?"
Harry tapped his scar, "You actually pulled me into your mind, that's the first time it's happened since I moved into the Manor."
"Ah. Well it was either because your school is full of idiots or all of your teachers were one hundred percent clueless. I'm not quite sure but I'm going with the latter because I cannot tell you how many of the students wrote that grims were dementors who possessed the power to shape shift or that…"
Tom's words were drifting around the teen. He tried to listen and thought he succeeded really well until he found his eyes sliding closed. Green eyes blinked slowly. Once. Twice.
By the time Tom finished his description of the final idiocy of the fourth years he found a passed out teenager slowly sliding down his chest. He let out a light chuckle and tried to slide out from under the unconscious body. Before he had even moved an inch the small hands on his chest had achieved a death grip on his robes.
When he realized that the teen wasn't going to let go he shook his head fondly. He brushed hairs out of the sleeping face and decided to wait a little before heading to his room.
Five minutes later both dark haired males were sleeping peacefully to the echoing chorus of their breaths.
(0,0)
"Do the Masters be wishing for Minsy to bes brings them theirs food?"
"Minsy. Go take care of Harry. I'll get something later."
"But Master Harry's still be sleepings master."
"How can you be sure?"
That was when Tom noticed that his face was hidden in a loose mess of curls and run-away strands. Trying to mask his surprise the older man pulled back slightly to see a small figure wrapped in his arms.
Trying to figure out how they had gotten to that position seemed to be a lost cause. He decided it wasn't worth it. He let a small smile curl his mouth and brushed a stray strand back from his mate's forehead.
Hopefully this would become a more common way to wake-up. The teen didn't even stir as his mate shifted beneath him.
"Maybe I should call you 'Sleeping Beauty'." Tom smirked to himself.
Glancing at the teen then at the elf he placed a light kiss on his little mate's forehead.
"Wake us before lunch, Minsy."
The elf smiled and shook her head at her masters' antics before popping away with a quick curtsy. Tom rolled his eyes and tried to settle back for a little more sleep. He tightened his hold on the teen before relaxing.
Sleep clouded brown eyes missed the smirk and snuggle from his younger mate as he too drifted back to dreams.
I'm sooooo sorry that this took so long. You were all wonderful and sent in the 20 reviews but I was attempting to skim my entire story because I found a plot line that I wasn't sure whether it was closed or not and I didn't think it was so I decided to put it in. If I've already done this I'm sorry again let me know!
I'm going to try and get out another chapter in early November but I'm doing NaNoWriMo so I'm really sorry still if it doesn't get out soon enough. You guys are all amazing and I loved all of your reviews, I'm sorry I haven't responded to those either. I'll be better this next month hopefully.
I really hope you guys enjoyed this and I can't wait to hear what you all think! Any questions/ story lines you want cleared up review or send me a message. I'll be better, promise!