-Tom-

My hand arches against the cool stone that lines the hallways. I push my palm against the surface.

"Severus Snape," I growl.

His shoulders press against the wall and he wriggles beneath me.

"Why won't you leave me alone?" he asks desperately.

"I'm haunting you," I say.

I slide my knee into the slot between his legs and slam his hips backward.

"Why?" he asks.

"Just as Harry is haunted by the pain left over from what you did, scum, I will follow you," I say.

"Wouldn't it be easier to hit me?" he asks.

I chuckle darkly.

"And more fun, as well. I promised him I wouldn't hurt you," I say.

Severus's eyes grow hopeful. I slam his shoulders against the wall again.

"Doesn't want me sent to Azkaban for what I'd do to you," I add.

The light fades from his eyes.

"You belong there," he says defiantly.

I say nothing.

"Oh, look. It's Snivellus," a boy says from behind me.

"Maybe-" Black says.

"Oh, look," the other boy says harshly.

I back away with a smirk.

"Be seeing you, Snivellus," I say.

-Harry-

He waited a month before he came to talk to me about all the things he said.

"I want you to know that I wasn't lying to you, that they weren't my secrets to tell," I say.

He says, "I just came to apologize for the way that I did it."

"I'd like for us to be friends," I say.

He says, "I should've found a better way to tell you that's never going to happen."

I waited a month for him to say that. I waited a month, each day hurting more, each day hurting less. And every day I kept up hope, even though I knew it was useless.

"I never see you anymore," Bella says, "It's been a week."

"You wouldn't want to. It's mostly me pretending not to cry and Tom pretending not to care," I say.

"Maybe it would be easier to care," she says.

I just smile wryly at her because she doesn't understand. I lost more than a relationship. I lost Sirius.

Only Bal knows what that means.

That month had a thousand days and each one of them stung. I was assured that I was being silly. I was assured that it wouldn't last. I was told that I should be manlier and forget about Gryffindors.

But he's not a Gryffindor. He's Sirius.

They shouldn't write him off the way they do. I refused to listen to them. But he waited a month to tell me I should.

-Tom-

"Have you been terrorizing Severus Snape?" Bellatrix Black asks.

I lift my eyebrow and smirk.

"And if I am?" I say.

"Good." she says firmly.

I nod.

"Black-" I say.

"Bellatrix," she corrects.

I glare at her.

"Bellatrix, is there something you wanted?" I ask.

"I wanted to make sure you weren't just driving him insane. I..Harry," she says.

"Harry?" I ask.

Her nose wrinkles as she considers what she's going to say.

"He..last time.. when it was you," she attempts.

"Last time he was like this," she tries again, "it was because you- He doesn't deal well with things like this. He needs you to show you care about him. Or he won't get better."

She bites her lip and looks at me with renewed fervor.

"And if he doesn't get better, Riddle, and I have to write him letters again- I'll use your blood to write them," she says.

I nod once. I respect this girl, mostly because she cares about Harry with this intensity that I can believe in.

Ugh. Slytherin, Tom. You're a Slytherin.

"Whatever it takes," I say.

So much for that.

-Harry-

I sit in the corner of my bed sniffling occasionally and trying to decipher what happened yesterday. No more Sirius. Ever.

"Must you make that noise?" Tom asks.

Sirius doesn't want to be friends, he never wants to see me again.

"Sorry," I say.

He throws a handkerchief at me. T.M.R

"Don't bother, just stop crying," he grumbles.

"How?" I ask miserably while wiping my face.

Tom caught me when I fell from the shower and let me get tears and snot all over his robes. He's usually so cold. He's just horrid to anyone who even accidentally dirties his clothing. He removes himself from all emotion.

So why did he look so..caring when he sent me to the nurse? He saw me crying. I let him see me crying. What's wrong with me? Why am I so easy with him? Is that why Sirius hates me?

"Harry. Harry, stop that," Tom says.

What is wrong with me? I am going to die alone. Why? Why can't I ever be happy? Why do I lo- NO.

"That's it! That's it, we're done with this," Tom says.

He grabs my arm and hauls me to my feet. He shakes me slightly.

"For the love of Salazar, stop crying! I can't keep acting like I don't care if you don't- No, nevermind. We're going to a place where you can snivel all you want. But I'll leave you there if it gets ridiculous. I'm not a kind person, Harry. I don't make people feel better.

I smile in spite of myself.

"You're truly awful," I say.

He drags me off to the Room of Requirement. I pretend to be shocked when I'm pulled into a replica of our room at the orphanage.

"Tom?" I say.

"You won't stop sobbing. It's horrible...it's full of despair. It's like you want to drown in it. I.. it makes me want to hold you or something," he says.

He almost sounds tortured.

"Is this something you found in a Muggle book?" I ask.

He nods. I decidde that I need the contact too much to care where it comes from and pull off my shoes. I climb into the little bed and bury myself under the covers. Tom stands just in front of it.

"Now what?" I ask.

"I don't know," he admits.

But I do. If he thinks it works the way it does in romance novels..

"Is it because I'm not crying anymore?" I ask.

He runs a hand through his hair.

"No. It's because you aren't crying anymore, but not because I want you to cry. I wanted you to stop. I-" he says.

"It's okay," I say.

I flash him a watery smile.

"I know you're still upset. I don't-" he says.

"Sometimes it hurts too much to cry," I say.

He gets into the bed behind me and lowers his hands slowly. I grab them and wrap them around my back. I point my face towards his chest and close my eyes. His breath hitches and then rustles my hair gently.

"You're a good friend," I say.

I can remember a few nights with Hermione like this while Ron was dating Lavender and after I had to tell Ginny I was gay. There might've even been some after low grades or embarrassing moments. It's the easiest for comfort. I quickly fall asleep.

We used the RoR for many nights, me and Tom. It chased nightmares away.

It took two months for him to come running back. The best of all friends actually treated me like that.

"What do you want?" I ask.

He says, "Harry, I'm sorry. I can't possibly explain how sorry. I thought I knew best."

"You were wrong," I say.

"Is this necessary, Tom?" I ask, my hands over my eyes.

"I want to surprise you," he says.

"Muggle notion," I say.

"Those are your favorite," he replies.

He taps my hands and I move them away from my face. A white table sits in the middle of the room surrounded by twinkling lights draped through the rafters. Soft music plays along with trickling water from a fountain. Voldemort's hands, what is this? I turn around to look at him.

"What is this?" I ask.

"A place to eat," he says.

"It's been three months. I can handle the Great Hall. I've been handling the Great Hall," I say.

"Doesn't matter. I made food," he says.

He pushes me to a chair and sits in the other one.

"Is this a lesson on poison?" I ask.

He smiles and wiggles his eyebrows.

"You're a very odd person, Tom Riddle," I say.

"It's not a lesson on poison," he says.

I eat a meatball.

"I don't get it," I say.

"It's my job to understand things and explain them to you," he says.

I shrug my shoulders.

More of the same, then. Not a lesson, but a proposition.

"Harry, I cannot begin this without you. I have great plans. I will become great. We will, together," he says.

I sigh deeply and poke at my salad. This beautiful room was a distraction, the food was a bribe.

"Tom," I say.

He grabs my arm. I look at him.

"You used to follow my every order and I liked it too much," he says, "I thought, almost all the time, how easy it would be to order you to kiss me."

I try to remove my arm from his grip. Not hard enough. Not enough to be taken seriously.

"I denied it. I dated that idiot, Macnair, and I stayed away from you. It worked until.."he says.

"Until you decided sexual contact might fix anything?" I supply helpfully.

"..yes, until that," Tom says.

"I shouldn't have stayed away from you," he says after I don't respond.

You should've, I don't say, I was alright without you. I had Severus and Sirius without you.

I do say, "I'm glad you came back."

He nods and pushes his fork around his plate.

"Be my lover," he says abruptly.

My eyes fly open. Is he insane? Of course he is. He must be. I look at him helplessly. He has to be. I just…

I just agreed to be friends again. It ruins a friendship.

I-

I'm here for a reason.

What are you taking? How dare he ask me that? I lost Sirius because of this! I assured him Tom was sane and our friendship was simply that and Tom would never, never , never-

He didn't believe me. Why would he believe me? Tom is absolutely bonkers. What other explanation is there? He's raving.

The word 'lover' brings about the image of stolen kisses and forbidden trysts. It's ancient. It's...intimate. How could I ever?

"No," I whisper.

The sound hardly escapes my lips. I stare down at my noodles, begging them to make sense. This isn't for me, but could I do it? Tom watches me, his eyes narrowed. How could I, even three months later, prove Sirius right? It would take away my right to mourn our relationship.

I-

"I can't," I say a bit louder, "It's too… Sirius and Severus."

"What do they have to do with anything?" he asks.

They are everything.

"They'll never come back if they think they were right! If he thinks I want you- no," I say.

I rush out of the room. I must remember this day. I must remember I said no.

-Tom-

"Lucius," I say.

"Yes, Tom?" he responds quickly.

I let my fury boil into something useful: revenge. Clearly that boy hasn't gotten the message yet. Half assed apologies are not enough. Not for me.

"Do you remember the plan for Severus Snape?" I ask.

"I do," he says.

I rotate my wand in my fingers. He steps back, not at all eager to be anywhere near me when I have been denied something I want. Someone I want more than power, more than to be a master of time. But he did give a reason. He said he's worried about appearances. I smile to myself. I can fix that. I can respect that.

"Do it. Spare no mercy or expense," I say.

He nods his head and begins to step away.

"And Lucius?" I add, "Make it hurt."