The annual Apparition exam took place on the 24th of April, of course, both Harry and Tom got their licenses without breaking a sweat. Tom owned up to the challenge of house-hunting and made the trip out of the Anti-Apparition wards almost every day to collect all sorts of wizarding and Muggle newspapers that had real-estate advertisements in them.

He skimmed through all of them, but he hadn't relayed any offers to Harry yet – naturally, he asked if Harry had any preference, but the time traveller couldn't come up on anything other than "nice" and "quiet". Tom apparently had a more specific idea, but he'd remained mysterious about it, silently dismissing one offer after another.

Harry left him to it, he had enough on his hands with the upcoming O.W.L. exams anyway. So much, in fact, that he'd almost forgotten the significance of the beginning of May until it hit him on the 1st of May afternoon.

"I can't believe it's only been a year… it feels like ages ago," he sighed, staring out of the library window, memories flashing before his eyes – all the horrible events seemed distant and surreal after finally spending most of a school year in peace.

"Or like a whole different reality?" Tom supplied lightly as he laid a comforting hand on Harry's his knee surreptitiously under the library table, though Harry could tell he wasn't completely comfortable with the topic.

He gave the younger wizard a small smile, "Yeah… Hey, would you go for a walk with me tonight? To the Forbidden Forest?"

There was a hesitant pause, barely there but long enough for Harry to catch it, before Tom said in his usual decisive baritone, "Alright."

xXx

They reached the edge of the Forest hand in hand a little after eleven o'clock, finding themselves at the beginning of the path featured in so many of Harry's nightmares, now also faded in his memory. When did they even stop? He couldn't determine the exact point.

He felt a bit silly for doing this and hoping it would help him make peace with the place, but simply ignoring the anniversary felt disrespectful to everyone who had died last year. The last time he walked this path, he had the spirits of his parents, Sirius and Remus to keep him company. Walking this path with Tom by his side today felt really symbolic.

Harry lead the way to the clearing in a solemn silence, too heavy and accentuated by the dark silhouettes of the trees looking over them – just when he thought he couldn't take it anymore, he remembered something he'd been wondering about.

"Why did you never ask to see my memories? I meant it when I offered."

"I know," was all Tom had said for long moment, only the rustle of the Forest resonating through the night. Tom was staring ahead with a conflicted expression, weighting his words.

"I didn't want to see you suffer because of me," he admitted finally, sounding resigned, as if it hurt him to say it.

Harry squeezed Tom's hand gently, even as his tone was firm when he said, "Voldemort from my time is not you."

Tom turned away completely, so Harry couldn't see his face, and muttered, "He had been until a few months ago."

"Tom! We've been over this!"

"And I understood your points, it's just difficult not to feel the guilt nevertheless."

They'd just emerged in the moonlit clearing. Harry overstepped Tom's path and took his other hand, too, to keep him turning away again.

"You've been feeling guilty? All this time?" He ran his thumbs across the skin of Tom's hands, his heart sank at the thought of his lover bearing such feelings in silence.

Tom met his eyes reluctantly, sighing. "Of course I have." His voice was dead serious as he said, "If you told me someone hurt you like that, I would murder him."

Harry felt his blood run cold, eyes widening in shock at the brutal statement. "You-"

"But then I'd die and hurt you as well, because, though I'll never understand how, you love me, so I'd have to Crucio the motherfucker out of his mind or something. Knowing I am him is…" Tom's hands were starting to shake against Harry's – he must have been bottling this in himself for a while. Shit, how had Harry not noticed?

"Why haven't you told me anything? I would-"

xXx

"Do what, Harry?" Tom all but snapped, his hands slipping from Harry's hold to fold his arms across his chest. "Voldemort – I – did nothing to deserve a second chance or your forgiveness, let alone your love. You can't change how I feel about that, but you're a goddamn angel, so you'll try anyway," he huffed, trying to reign his unusually misbehaved emotions under control.

Harry's eyebrows arched up in compassion, then furrowed in determination and borderline anger – pretty much what Tom had expected. He was already regretting he'd told Harry at all.

"I would tell you you're being an idiot, for one. What did you do to not deserve the love every child should get? What did you do to deserve growing up in a Muggle orphanage? The circumstances made you who you were, made Voldemort who he was – it's not your fault," Harry said firmly, eyes ablaze.

Tom took a moment to process that, frowning sceptically. "…By that logic, nothing is ever anyone's fault."

"That's right! I've already forgiven Voldemort, all three generations of Malfoys, the Lestranges,… What I did is like eliminating a whole chain of misfortune in the future by cutting one loop now. Can't you just accept being that loop and enjoy life? Please?" Harry finished appeasingly, looking so sincere it hurt.

Tom had close his eyes and take a deep, shaky breath – beautiful, sweet, kind-hearted Harry, somehow always finding the right words when it mattered. Tom was momentarily overcome by the surge of affection he felt for the wizard.

He smiled, although it probably ended up a bit on the sad side, "I've been trying to."

He heard Harry's feet shuffle, and the next thing he knew, warm arms were enclosing his waist in an embrace.

"Try harder. I love you, you just said it – I hate it when you're not happy." Harry's warm breath caressed the side of Tom's neck as he spoke.

Tom felt himself relax in Harry's arms, resting his chin on his shoulder. "But I am happy."

Harry seemed to acknowledge the answer, but he wasn't done. "I also hate that I didn't know you were troubled – tell me everything from now on."

Tom smiled despite himself. He'd never known before Harry how good it felt to have someone truly care.

"Yes, my Lord," he returned lightly, attempting to change the atmosphere.

Harry snickered into the base of his neck and let his hands slide lower to Tom's arse.

"I just got an idea of a nice way to overwrite the memories of this place," he teased.

Tom caught the implication and dropped to one knee right away, bowing his head deferentially and biting back a laugh, too. This wasn't the change in atmosphere he'd been going for, but hell if it wasn't a welcome one. "Brilliant idea, my Lord."

"Indeed." Tom couldn't see Harry's face, but he could practically hear the grin from the tone of his voice. "Now tell me truthfully: have you been a faithful follower and deserve a reward… or have you been spying on me and deserve punishment?"

Even in such an inherently dominant role, Harry was letting Tom choose the course, the precious bean. Now, what should he choose? Naturally, he should say reward, no self-respecting spy would give themselves away like that, but… For once, Tom decided to let go and simply act on his current mood.

"I deserve… punishment, my Lord."

"I knew it!" Harry exclaimed triumphantly, "Petrificus Partialis!"

Tom felt his whole body freeze in place, only his head and neck had been spared of the spell's effect. He usually hated not being in control, yet it was somehow thrilling, not terrifying at all, to surrender to Harry.

A hand ran through his hair and down his jaw to push his chin upwards. Harry was using his other hand to undo the button and zipper on his trousers, letting them slide to the middle of his thighs together with his pants. His rapidly filling cock was now just inches from Tom's face.

"I shall punish your traitorous mouth now," Harry announced dramatically and pushed the tip of his thumb into Tom's mouth, prying it open – not that it was necessary, because that traitorous mouth was actually very willing and hungry for anything its Lord would give it.

The thumb was promptly replaced by the head Harry's cock, which Tom took it in just as eagerly, living for the gasped curse that escaped Harry's lips and the way his fingers dug into Tom's hair. He wished he could move, make Harry feel even better, but all he could do was relax his throat as much as possible and let Harry fuck it as he pleased.

He couldn't help but choke once on one especially hard thrust, and he couldn't help but love it – sparks of arousal shot straight to his aching cock, trapped uncomfortably under the tight fabric of his trousers.

His Dark Lord (or was Harry technically a Light Lord?) suddenly pulled out. When Tom looked up, there was a gleeful smirk on Harry's face – apparently, Tom wasn't the only one getting into character.

"How do you like your Lord's cock?" Harry asked, his voice deep and breathy. Had he not been Petrified, Tom was sure he'd physically shiver.

"I love it, my Lord."

Harry loosened his grip on Tom's hair and caressed it slowly instead. "Will you serve it dutifully tonight to repent?"

"Yes, my Lord."

Harry made a show of leisurely walking around Tom in a circle – when he reappeared in his field of vision, he was missing his outer robes. Before Tom had the time to wonder what happened to it, Harry cast a Finite on his body and simultaneously pushed him backwards. Tom landed on the soft pillow of grass covered by the dark cloth with a quiet yelp.

Harry was straddling him the next moment, attacking his lips and his clothes all at once – between the kisses, bites, strokes and muffled moans, Tom hardly knew how he'd wound up naked.

Then both of Harry's hands were sliding firmly up Tom's sides and eventually pushing his arms up. He inhaled sharply a magical rope coiled around his wrists and bound them to a nearby root protruding from the ground. He shot Harry a surprised look – the older wizard was looking entirely too pleased with himself for as long as he'd let Tom look before he bodily flipped him over.

Tom, now lying face-first on his stomach, was pressed even harder against the ground as Harry leant over his back.

"That guilt you told me about… We can even the score," Harry whispered in Tom's ear. His hand traced the depression of Tom's spine, all the way to his arse, but to the younger wizard's frustration, it slid back up and into the gap between his body and the black cloth, pinching his hard nipple lightly. More of Harry's arm disappeared beneath him and when it pulled up to lift his hips into the air, he let it.

He was rewarded by a number of firm strokes, and although he was bound, he never felt so free, moaning his approval… That is, until he heard a whispered incantation from behind and felt something wrap tightly around the base of his cock. He grunted, even as Harry continued:

"I'll make you die and come back again."

He pumped Tom's restrained cock again. There was a broken whine Tom would never admit to have come from himself, then a slightly more coherent "Fuck!"

"Tsk tsk, all in right time – we'll have to work on your patience." Harry admonished and removed the hand from the front in favour of the back. Two slick fingers slipped past the rim of Tom's arsehole and went straight for the kill. It was maddening how the contact with his prostate sent the usual waves of pleasure through his groin, but there was a perceptible ceiling now, a cap on his pleasure.

Harry was running his left hand across Tom's body while he worked it open with his fingers, thrusting, scissoring, occasionally returning to his cock to give it a few agonising strokes, showing no signs of stopping anytime soon.

Ten more minutes of this, and Tom felt like he'd go crazy with lust. He didn't care about pride, dignity, the sounds he was making or words he was saying anymore, he just wanted, needed,…

"My Lord… ahh, Harry… please."

"Begging for my cock already?" Tom heard him chuckle deeply from behind – the tosser was obviously having a blast watching him come undone. He didn't know if he'd been begging for Harry's cock or just his own orgasm, but he was in no state to think about it and happily went with the other wizard's choice. "Yes! … Please, fuck me!"

The intrusion was abrupt, and if it wasn't for the magical cock ring, he'd probably have come just from the force of it. Harry grabbed his hips and slammed inside in one go, groaning – Tom could tell from how hard Harry was inside him that he'd been on the edge, too, though not quite like himself. He'd been discovering that being kept on the verge of orgasm but unable to come while someone's fucking you hard in the arse is simultaneously one of the best and the worst experiences in existence. Despite his urgent need, his head was too much of a mess to string together an intelligible word, let alone a sentence or a spell – this was probably the most powerless he'd ever felt, completely at Harry's mercy…

Harry wasn't a merciful Lord, not at the moment. He was a cruel one who used and abused Tom's hole with a torturously high number of well-aimed thrusts, deaf to his pleas until the last moment.

… but what a moment it was.

Tom could feel the cock inside him twitching, unmistakably building up to a climax, and suddenly, without any warning or even an incantation, that blasted ring around Tom's own length was gone.

The sheer power of his orgasm took him by a storm. Everything went dark, there was only him and the explosion of pure bliss in his whole being, like nothing else mattered and never would.

When he came to, it was to find his head resting on Harry's warm shoulder, Harry's fingers playing absently with his hair – he must have been out of it for a while, because didn't remember Harry spelling them clean and manoeuvring him into this position. A heavy dark cloth, presumably Tom's robe, was thrown over them.

For a while, they just laid there in the moonlit Forbidden Forest clearing, basking in each other's body heat and presence. Tom didn't think himself the sort to appreciate stargazing and other romantic frivolities, but he supposed Harry might prove him wrong yet again. At one moment, he could feel Harry's abs flex as the other wizard chuckled.

"Sorry, I just thought I'll definitely have a different sort of dreams about this place after today," he explained. It made Tom smile, too – the idea of Harry having dirty dreams about him was always a nice one.

It was an exceptionally warm night for May, and with Harry by his side, the Forest didn't seem so menacing at all… Maybe he was still under the spell of that mindblowing orgasm, but he felt like there was no place he'd rather be.

He sighed contently, running his fingers over Harry's chest, "Seriously, Harry, it can't be natural what you do to me. I feel like I could spend every day with you and never get tired of it… like you're turning me domestic or something."

Harry gave him that soft smile Tom loved, but then his eyes acquired an impish glint.

Oh, no.

"I guess that makes you my tomcat," he said and promptly burst into snickers.

Tom shot him his best death glare, which only seemed to make him laugh harder. "Call me that again and I swear I'll hex you," he warned.

"Ooh, kitty has claws!"

Harry yelped and jolted away from Tom, rubbing his left nipple protectively to sooth the pain of the mild Stinging Hex.

"Oi, I didn't say 'tomcat' again!" he whined.

Tom sported a self-satisfied smirk. "You did now."

Harry was mock-sulking, so Tom wrapped a hand around his waist and pulled him close. For a couple of minutes, they remained left to their thoughts. It was Harry who finally broke the silence.

"I'd love to, um, be domestic with you. I guess all I ever wanted was a family."

That brought a frown to Tom's face and a renewed pang of guilt to his chest. "Harry, we're both men."

But Harry kept smiling. "So? Two can be a family, too. Besides, family isn't about blood."

Tom hadn't thought that far, but it was true that they'd been looking for a home together already. A family with Harry – it had a lovely ring to it, brought out that warm fuzzy feeling distinctly associated with his love for the wizard…

But the implied possibility of, what, adoption? Harry was the only person Tom had ever genuinely liked, could he honestly commit to raising a child? Well, he had been planning to raise an army, there was no way he'd be intimidated by some kid… was there?

He tried to imagine himself as a father. He reckoned he'd be the strict type, one you could ask to teach you a spell but not much fun to play with… If his feelings for Harry were anything to go by, he could be the protective type. That was all well and good, but properly raising a child presumably required kindness, affection… He wasn't exactly the best at those.

Harry was, though. Harry was every inch the kind of person kids liked; funny, caring, accepting, high-principled,… He could get a little clueless at times, but he always found a way for things to work out.

Shit, now that he thought about it, imagining Harry as a dad seemed like the easiest thing in the world. Making silly faces at a toddler, teaching a child to fly a broom, seeing a teenager off to King's Cross Station… The Harry in his mental image looked so happy. Knowing him, he wouldn't even care that the child wasn't biologically his, he'd just be glad to be helping an orphan… helping…

"Harry," Tom breathed out, watching the other wizard with suddenly wide eyes. "This might be a completely loony suggestion, so excuse me if it is, but… how would you like the idea of opening an orphanage?"

xXx

Unbeknownst to the two merry wizards, their shenanigans in the Forbidden Forest hadn't gone unnoticed.

Teodian the Centaur would never again choose this particular clearing for his stargazing… In fact, he was quite upset with the stars for not having had warned him off.