Chapter 35
Harry had never been so glad before that he had decided early on in the schoolyear to always keep his invisibility cloak and the Marauder's Map in his bag that he carried around pretty much all day. He swung the cloak over his head after quickly checking the map to make sure there wasn't anyone watching the doors in the entrance hall, and then he ran as fast as he could through the castle, down the stairs and out the door.
It rained buckets and he was soaked through in less than half a minute, but Harry hardly noticed it as he dashed through puddles, water splattering everywhere, across the wide lawn towards the whomping willow. He shot a spell at the knot to stop the willow from moving and all but threw himself down the dark hole, only remembering to light up his wand at the last second so he wouldn't brain himself on the low ceiling while he scrambled towards the shack. Getting a traumatic brain injury, again, wouldn't be in anyone's best interest, least of all his, but Harry was so elated he had trouble thinking rationally about anything right then.
Seeing Tom again…well, seeing him in the flesh, did things to Harry's heart and lungs and brain that went far beyond a simple physical attraction. And how weird was that? Harry saw Tom almost every evening when they talked on their mirrors, but seeing him face to face, being in the same room with him, was something else entirely.
With a loud bang Harry pushed open the trapdoor and launched himself through it, leaking water every step he took. And then he looked up. And up. And up some more.
"Sweet Merlin, were you always this tall?" Harry asked in astonishment as he had to throw practically his whole head back to look up at Tom. He now realized he'd barely seen Tom as a whole person, standing upright, since his resurrection. He only ever saw the man's face through their mirrors.
Tom, for his part, had to look down, which he did with a teasing smile. "And I don't really recall you being such a soppy miniature human." Before Harry could respond, Tom waved his wand around and a warm wind dried Harry in seconds.
Shivering, since he only now noticed how cold he'd been, Harry gave Tom his best unimpressed look. "Thanks. And I am only eleven. I will grow."
"Certainly," Tom agreed easily, tucking his wand away up his sleeve. "And this time you might actually grow to a decent size now that you've taken some nutrient potions to correct years of malnutrition."
"A decent size?" Harry sputtered, while really only feeling mildly offended. "I made it to just shy of 5 foot 10 in my first life. That's not exactly small. And what are you? 6 foot 5?"
"I'm just about 6 foot 6," Tom said with a nonchalant shrug. "And you might make it to 6 foot this time around, if you eat all your veggies."
Harry sighed and then shook his head in mild amusement. It would be nice to grow a little taller this life, certainly, but he wasn't about to agree with Tom on principle. Harry shook out his invisibility cloak, even though it was completely dry now thanks to his soulmate, and folded it before sliding it in his bag. "So what happened? And did Dumbledore really bring you before the Wizengamot?"
Tom's small smile grew into a sly smirk at once and he gestured towards the rickety table on which a grey, stone pensieve stood, with two simple, wooden chairs on either side of the table. "Have a look for yourself."
"Is this your memory?" Harry sat down on one chair, while Tom occupied the opposite one.
"Yes. I had expected Dumbledore to pull something like this, I just hadn't quite expected it to be this soon after your godfather's trial, since that put Dumbledore in such a bad light. But apparently Dumbledore was in such a state of shock over my return he'd forgotten that part and just went full steam ahead without considering all the possible consequences."
"Well, the man is a Gryffindor," Harry said, knowing full well he himself had similar qualities that often resulted in a severe lack of planning and an inability to foresee all potential ramifications. And without any further comment, since Harry was far too impatient to draw this out even more, he stuck his head into the silvery substance and after a dizzying moment full of flashing colours found himself standing in the entrance hall of Riddle Manor where memory Tom just opened the front door to be faced with a wall of Aurors.
The real Tom appeared beside Harry and gave him a quick smile before focussing on the events unfolding in front of them.
"Can I help you?" memory Tom asked politely, though with a slightly alarmed expression on his face at seeing such a huge number of Aurors on his doorstep.
"Arrest him," Moody barked while barging inside. "Everyone else, search the whole house, leave nothing untouched. And if you find the diadem, give it to me."
"Arrest me?" memory Tom asked in astonishment, while Robards and Dawlish grabbed his arms. "And search my house? Do you have an order for this?"
"Shut the fuck up," Travers said and shot a silencing charm at memory Tom while Shacklebolt cast a disarming charm at him, easily catching the wand that shot out from its holster on Tom's arm before handing it to Robards. It didn't look like Tom's actual yew wand, which was very light in colour. "We're going to feed you to the dementors before the day is over, mark my words," Travers snarled with an ugly sneer
"What the hell," Harry muttered, anxiety coiling in his belly and tightening his shoulders.
"It's already happened," Tom quickly assured him, his smile turning soft while his eyes crinkled as he looked down at Harry. "I'm alive and well. Just enjoy the show."
"Yeah, all right," Harry sighed, and inhaling deep breaths a few times to loosen his body. "Was that your wand?"
"Yes, but I used runes to disguise it. It now registers as fir wood with a phoenix feather core, made by a French wandmaker. Even Ollivander wouldn't be able to recognize it anymore."
Harry smiled briefly. "I love runes." Then he quickly focused back on the action where Moody was sending Aurors left and right into the manor while Travers, Dawlish and Robards hauled memory Tom away outside where they forced him to touch a portkey.
A quick, spinning ride later they found themselves in the ministry atrium where Travers, Dawlish and Robards hauled a silently protesting memory Tom straight into the elevators and down towards the courtrooms.
Harry wanted to ask Tom a million questions about what was happening and why, but he realized he'd probably get all the answers by simply watching the memory unfold, so he kept his mouth shut, though it wasn't easy.
"Ah," Dumbledore said from where he stood in his customary centre spot as the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot in the biggest of the ministry courtrooms, the same one they'd used to try to expel Harry from Hogwarts before his fifth year. "Here they are, the reason I called this emergency meeting." All around them witches and wizards were finding their seats, muttering complaints about the last-minute summons they'd received.
"What is the meaning of this?" Amelia Bones asked from her reserved spot as the Head of Magical Law Enforcement. She turned to look at Rufus Scrimgeour, who as the Head Auror sat beside her. "Rufus, did you order any arrests?"
Scrimgeour quickly shook his head but never had a chance to speak.
"I'm afraid that is my doing," Dumbledore said genially, as though he hadn't just broken a dozen laws. "I merely urged Alastor Moody to secure this very dangerous individual, and he must have taken some of his Auror friends along to do so."
Amelia Bones was staring at Dumbledore as if she was seeing the man's true nature for the very first time. "Dawlish, is this man silenced?"
"Yes, Ma'am," Dawlish said, no longer looking quite as confident as he'd done just moments before.
Amelia swished her wand to cancel the spell. "Release him at once. Sir, what is your name?"
"Now, Amelia, you have no idea who you are dealing with," Dumbledore said in clear warning, while glaring at Amelia.
"If you'd shut up, Dumbledore, I would, since I just asked for the man's name," Amelia snapped, which took Dumbledore aback so much he actually took a physical step back.
"Thank you, Ma'am," memory Tom said, while shuffling away from the Aurors who had just released their hold on his arms. "My name is Thomas Gaunt, and my home was just invaded by at least two dozen Aurors who told me they were there to arrest me and search my house, though when I asked to see an official order they denied me and simply silenced me before dragging me here while promising to feed me to the dementors before the day was over. That is all I know, but I'd be delighted to learn why I am being targeted and hauled in front of a court without the chance to arrange legal representation."
"Now what is this about another emergency meeting, all within the same week?" Fudge muttered as he finally arrived and took his customary spot as the Minister for Magic.
Dumbledore ignored the small interruption and raised his head as he looked down at memory Tom with narrowed eyes. "I do believe we both know why you are here, Tom. There is no need to continue this charade."
Memory Tom blinked large, disbelieving eyes at Dumbledore before turning towards Amelia, who looked about two seconds away from using an unforgivable on Dumbledore.
"Amelia?" Fudge asked while Pius Thicknesse joined him in his stand. "What on earth is going on?"
"That's the new Undersecretary after dear Dolores got sentenced to life in Azkaban," Tom whispered to Harry, who had just been about to ask what Thicknesse was doing there.
All around them, witches and wizards were sitting in silence, watching the whole spectacle unfold with bated breath, realizing that Dumbledore might very well have pushed things too far simply judging from Amelia and Scrimgeour's expressions of absolute fury.
"Cornelius, I have no idea what is happening," Amelia said while briefly glancing at the minister. "Aside from the fact that Dumbledore apparently hasn't learned a single thing from the trial of Sirius Black last Monday and still believes he is above the law."
"Well, now, Dumbledore," Fudge said, squaring his shoulders as he glared at the old man, who was looking back in polite bewilderment, as though he couldn't possibly understand why anyone would be mad at him, ever. "Explain yourself!"
"I most certainly will, Cornelius," Dumbledore said and took his time looking around the whole courtroom, making sure all eyes were on him before continuing. "This man," and he emphasized his words by pointing a steady finger at memory Tom, who was still looking mostly confused, "Is Lord Voldemort."
If Dumbledore was expecting some sort of dramatic reaction from the people around him, he didn't get it.
Amelia ran a very tired hand across her face while Fudge puffed up in outrage. "Preposterous!"
Several witches and wizards looked around in disbelief, murmuring amongst each other about this ridiculous accusation. Not a single person in the entire room looked as though they believed Dumbledore, not even those that usually supported the headmaster.
Meanwhile, memory Tom stood gaping up at Dumbledore with his mouth hanging open. "Pardon?" he finally said while closing his mouth and swallowing a few times.
"You may believe you can fool the whole world, Tom," Dumbledore said in a thundering voice. "But you do not fool me. You never have and you never will."
"He's finally gone senile," a wizard Harry didn't know said loudly in the dead silence that followed Dumbledore's dramatic response.
The door to the courtroom banged open and a witch in her late thirties marched in, briefcase in hand. "Now what is this I hear about the ministry arresting my client without just cause while illegally searching his home?"
"Merlin's buggering balls, it's her!" Fudge said, his voice echoing around the whole room before he quickly clapped a hand over his mouth.
"Sybil Post, solicitor for Thomas Gaunt," the woman introduced herself to the room, confirming Harry's suspicions she was the same solicitor who had helped get Sirius freed. She had long, curly brown hair she wore in a low bun and large glassed were perched on her pointy nose. At first glance she looked like a friendly school teacher but there was an incredibly determined glint in her brown eyes. "I will now hear the charges filed against my client, please."
"There are no charges," Amelia said with a resigned sigh.
"Now see here, Amelia," Dumbledore said at once. "I just told you, this is Lord Voldemort, who has tortured and killed dozens of fine witches and wizards over many years and who should face justice for every single crime he has committed."
"I can't believe Dumbledore is acting so wilfully blind," Harry whispered with a quick glance to the side, where Tom raised his hand and snapped his fingers so the images around them stopped moving, like a paused movie on a screen. Harry turned to look at Tom in confusion until he noticed Tom's positively smug smile that lit up his entire face. "Tom…what did you do?"
Tom actually cackled, which was such a delightful sound that Harry started laughing, too, though he had no idea why since nothing funny had happened yet. "I had Dobby spy on Dumbledore for over a week, and that eager little elf informed me Dumbledore likes to drink herbal tea in the evening. He even gave me the exact brand and blend he prefers."
"Oh no," Harry said, having a vague idea where this was going. "You did something to the tea."
Tom briefly ran his tongue across his teeth while still grinning madly, which was oddly distracting to Harry. "I bought a few bags of this specific herbal blend and mixed in finally ground dried petals of a night orchid known as Lady of the Night. The flavour and scent are slightly sweet and citrusy so you won't notice them in a herbal tea, especially not since Dumbledore drinks his with lots of honey. Then I had Dobby replace Dumbledore's batch with this new version and he's been drinking it all week."
"What does it do?" Harry asked, almost forgetting to breathe in anticipation of the answer.
Tom looked as eager as Harry felt. "It lowers inhibitions, but in such a way that it's very mild and almost undetectable. It merely takes away a person's ability to question their actions and foresee consequences."
"That is fucking brilliant," Harry breathed, eyes widening in sheer awe at that simply yet highly effective plan. "That is absolutely genius. It's like magically giving Dumbledore the slightest push he needs to hang himself."
"Exactly," Tom agreed with a proud nod at Harry. "Dumbledore is a very clever and cautious man who by himself would never accuse me openly of being Voldemort, not without very believable evidence."
"He certainly never did so in our past lives. Call you out publicly, I mean," Harry said while thinking back at how Dumbledore had acted then. "After you'd returned he talked to lots of people telling them you were back, but he never tried to force you out like this."
"Because he knew that wouldn't work," Tom said, eyes gazing off into the distance as he was obviously also remembering those events. "I knew then that keeping myself hidden in the shadows for a time was needed to set up my Death Eaters in key positions so we could eventually take over the ministry in one coup."
"Yeah, and back then Dumbledore understood that. But now he can no longer rationalize those consequences and he makes a fool of himself in front of the whole world, got it." Harry started laughing again in sheer glee. "This is so diabolical. I love it."
"Thank you, my dear," Tom said with one of the most self-satisfied smiles Harry had ever seen. "I'm so glad you approve of my little scheme to force Dumbledore into some kind of action. If I hadn't applied the orchid, I doubt he would have acted like this. He'd just been hiding away with his Order while whispering into people's ears I was a person they needed to avoid while he took his time gathering evidence."
"And now he's making a public spectacle of himself instead and no one will believe a word that man says about you ever again. Brilliant. And aren't house-elves amazing?" Harry felt compelled to say, since he'd heard Tom complain about them a few times over their many conversations, how he'd always looked down on his pureblooded friends for relying on the damned things so much.
"I'm starting to understand their appeal a bit better, I suppose," Tom said, though he looked like that wasn't easy to admit. Then he snapped his fingers again and the images around them started moving once more.
"Be silent," Fudge hissed at Dumbledore. "You've gotten the ministry in enough trouble as is last Monday."
"Is my client free to go?" Sybil Post asked while looking around the room.
Before anyone could answer the doors banged open again and Alastor Moody came clunking in, Ravenclaw's diadem clutched in his hand. "Found it! It can now go back where it belongs."
"That is my client's property," Sybil pointed out at once.
"It belongs to Hogwarts," Dumbledore said in a frankly off-putting tone that was far too pompous.
"No, it doesn't," memory Tom said, looking like he'd finally gathered enough courage to speak up for himself. "It belonged to Rowena Ravenclaw personally before it got lost. As per the Treasure Act of 1751, if a magical item has been lost for more than two hundred years and no living descendants exist to claim said magical item, it belongs to the person recovering it."
"Moody, give the diadem to Mr Gaunt," Amelia said, her eyes blazing with so much fury Harry was genuinely surprised they weren't shooting flames across the room yet. "Also, Moody, you're suspended without pay for at least a month for illegally conducting a search and arrest without going through the proper, legal channels. An investigation will be started into you professional behaviour and it may lead to your permanent dismissal from the Auror force."
"Amelia," Moody barked, his magical eye rolling around in its socket while he glared up at her. "You're letting You Know Who off the hook?"
"Enough!" Surprisingly, it wasn't Amelia who shouted this, but Tiberius Ogden, who rose to his feet from his seat in between the many Wizengamot members. As far as Harry knew, Tiberius Ogden was a staunch supporter of the light and had been for his entire, very long life, so to see him lose his shit like this was memorable, to say the least.
"Just this past Monday we all had to sit through a travesty of justice," Tiberius Ogden said while taking his time to gaze around the room before pointing a finger at Dumbledore. "This man was partially responsible for the illegal imprisonment without a trial of an heir of a prominent family. We all heard his excuses and I bought none of them. And now, not even a week later, this man believes he can ignore the law again to accost yet another young man without evidence."
"Hufflepuff?" Harry guessed, which earned him a chuckle from Tom.
"Yes, the Ogdens are known for sorting primarily into Hufflepuff."
Harry nodded wisely. "Yeah, I have Hufflepuff friends now. I recognize the signs."
Ogden paused for a brief moment. "No more! I propose a vote of no-confidence for the Chief Warlock."
"Seconded," Dorus called while remaining seated. Around them more witches and wizards called out their agreement, some Harry knew, like Augusta Longbottom and Lucius Malfoy, but there were also a handful of people Harry had never seen before.
Fudge banged a hammer against the wooden bench in front of him. "The motion is heard. We shall now vote on the removal of Albus Dumbledore as the Chief Warlock. All in favour, raise your wands." And Fudge was the first to do so, but quickly more and more people around the room followed his example until it was obvious more than half had their wands up.
Meanwhile, Dumbledore was gaping as he looked like he had no clue how it had come to this. Which he probably didn't, since he was drugged to the gills with an inhibition loosening orchid and he was unable to rationalize things like usual.
"Motion carried. Dumbledore, step down," Fudge said in obvious delight as he banged his hammer again. "Since you have no Wizengamot seat of your own and this is a closed meeting, you are hereby dismissed. Aurors, escort him out."
For a moment, Dawlish, Travers and Robards seemed confused about this sudden turn of events, but Amelia gestured harshly at them to get going and they rushed towards Dumbledore to lead him to the doors.
"You are making a grave mistake!" Dumbledore called over his shoulder as he was forced to leave. "Voldemort is back! Mark my words!"
"Wow." Harry stared at the happenings full of disbelief. "You actually got Dumbledore fired as Chief Warlock. That is something else."
Tom cackled again, much to Harry's secret pleasure. "Last Monday, during your godfather's trial, Lucius called for a vote of no-confidence, but Dumbledore managed to make it through that, if only just. But even I hadn't seen it coming that he still would be sacked within a week, though I am delighted by the results."
"I bet. Dumbledore's reputation is really taking a few enormous hits right now, isn't it?" Harry shared a knowing look with his soulmate.
Tom nodded with a grin that was all teeth. "Oh yes, and we've only just started."
"Mr Gaunt, you are free to go with the ministry's sincerest apologies," Amelia said with a firm nod.
"Do you wish to lodge a formal complaint or press for financial compensation?" Sybil asked memory Tom, looking rather eager for Tom to say yes.
"I think we can let it slide, this time," memory Tom said while looking between Amelia and Fudge. "It was clear to me Mr Dumbledore seems to be suffering from at least a few mental maladies. But if such illegal acts occur again, I will have Miss Post take action."
"Duly noted. Thank you, Mr Gaunt," Fudge said in obvious relief. The large compensation the ministry was forced to pay Sirius not even a week prior was probably still bothering the minister.
"Aurors, return Mr Gaunt's wand," Amelia shouted at Travers, Dawlish and Robards, who had just returned from throwing Dumbledore out. Robards quickly did so, and memory Tom accepted it with a cool, short nod before turning around and following Sybil out of the courtroom.
"This is the end of the memory," Tom said and at once they found themselves back in the Shrieking Shack.
"That was awesome," Harry sighed, leaning back in the chair. "Truly well worth getting soaked to the bone for."
"We're not done yet." Tom scooped up the silvery substance with his wand and pressed it to his temple to put the memory back in his head. Then he produced a vial with a different memory. "Severus gave this to me just before I came here. It's his memory of the Order meeting from earlier this evening. Do you want to see it?"
"Are you kidding me?" Harry bounced in his chair, he was so excited. "Tom, you're absolutely spoiling me. Yes, I want to see it!"
"I haven't even seen it myself," Tom said as he emptied the vial into the pensieve. "Let's have a look, shall we?"
Together, they lowered their faces into the memory and within moments found themselves standing behind Snape who pushed open the backdoor of the Burrow and stepped inside. The Burrow's kitchen was packed with lots of people all talking over each other. Most Harry knew, though some he couldn't recall ever seeing before.
Molly Weasley levitated pots of coffee and tea onto the table, alongside plates of biscuits and slices of cake, but most people seemed to ignore the offerings in favour of arguing.
"Ah, Severus, you're here," Dumbledore said while waving his hands around to calm everyone down so he could be heard. "Let's get started."
Harry was happy to see that Sirius and Lupin weren't there. Sirius was still in the hospital, at least according to the last letter his godfather had sent him and Harry imagined Lupin was staying by his side for now.
"Lord Voldemort has returned," Dumbledore said, and this time he got a much more dramatic response from the people around him, though a few did look sceptical at that bit of news.
"How did this happen?" Arthur Weasley asked, face pale while his wife was dabbing at her eyes with a patched handkerchief she pulled out of her sleeve.
"I'm not sure how exactly he has managed to return or who specifically has helped him," Dumbledore said while gesturing again for everyone to remain calm as a lot of people were muttering amongst themselves again. "Unfortunately the ministry has been less than helpful so far. They have sided with Voldemort for now."
"No, they haven't," Moody spat, stepping out of the shadowy corner he'd been lurking in. "They merely didn't believe you on your word because after the whole Sirius Black debacle they weren't eager to ignore a whole bunch of laws again merely on your say so. And it cost us both our jobs."
"Now, now, Alastor," Dumbledore said optimistically, still gesturing all around since now people were demanding answers left and right. "I lost my position as the Chief Warlock, that is true, but you merely got suspended for a month, for which I am truly sorry. I had not foreseen the Wizengamot's unwillingness to see the truth before their eyes."
"Because you didn't give them a shred of evidence!" Moody all but snarled. "Just had him hauled in front of the whole Wizengamot without even informing Fudge and Bones and Scrimgeour beforehand."
"What is done is done," Dumbledore said with a tired sigh, turning away from Moody to look at Snape, who simply stood quietly to the side, observing all that was happening. "Severus, what news do you have?"
"None," Snape said at once while crossing his arms as most people turned to look at him. "I have checked with all my contacts, Lucius, Macnair, Yaxley, the Carrows and more, and none of them have received a summons. The Dark Lord, if that man is indeed the Dark Lord, hasn't had contact with any of his followers as far as I am aware."
"That is odd," Dumbledore conceded with a small nod.
"Albus," McGonagall said, looking incredibly dubious about all she was hearing. "Are you sure this is Voldemort reborn? I agree the man looks the spitting image of Tom Riddle, but there are differences in their appearance."
"How so?" Molly Weasley asked, looking between Dumbledore and McGonagall in confusion.
"Tom Riddle had brown eyes, and this man's eyes are blue, for one. Not the mention their hair colour is different," McGonagall said.
"None of this matters," Dumbledore tried to assure everyone quickly. "Voldemort is the only remaining descendant of Slytherin and therefore of the Gaunt name. And this man calls himself Thomas Gaunt."
"That might not be entirely true," Snape said quietly, yet plenty of arguing people heard him and stopped talking to see what he had to say.
"Severus, what do you mean?" Dumbledore widened his eyes as he stared at Snape.
"There were rumours, no, mere whispers, of a child being fathered by the Dark Lord," Snape said carefully, delicately while every eye in the room was on him. "It is possible this man is that child, all grown up and now aware of his heritage enough that he claimed the Gaunt name."
"What the hell?" Harry stared daggers at Snape, but before he could voice his anger, Tom snapped his fingers and the images stopped moving.
"I instructed Severus to spread the rumour of my heritage if he got the chance," Tom explained, causing Harry to release a deep breath. "I need to somehow spread this story around, since it would be odd for me to happily claim to be Voldemort's son while also being opposed to Voldemort's actions and politics."
"Yeah, I get it. This way you can eventually tearfully yet bravely confess that you are Voldemort's bastard child but that you never knew him, blah, blah, blah," Harry said while grinning up at Tom.
"Well, perhaps not tearfully, but that is the gist of that plan, yes." Tom snapped his fingers again and the memories continued playing around them.
"Voldemort fathering a child?" Moody wondered out loud with a harsh chuckle. "Who would even have him?"
Snape's expression was utterly blank. "I do not believe the Dark Lord ever asked for consent from the eventual mother of his child."
Moody didn't seem very apologetic for his remarks, but he did shut up.
"There is no evidence of Voldemort fathering a child," Dumbledore pointed out loudly, since the whole room was filled with many voices speculating on this new turn of events.
"But it makes a heck of a lot more sense than your theory of Voldemort being reborn out of the blue, without any help of his followers," McGonagall replied with an impatient look. "Perhaps we should gather evidence, real evidence, of this man's heritage before drawing any conclusions that might cost more people their jobs, or worse."
"I agree with Minerva," Arthur Weasley said while Molly looked like she wasn't sure what to believe anymore. More and more Order members voiced their agreement of McGonagall's plan and Dumbledore released a resigned sigh.
"Very well. Let's make it a priority to discover Thomas Gaunt's real identity," Dumbledore finally conceded. "Severus, ask your contacts what they know of this."
Snape nodded once and turned on his heels to rush out the door. The memory ended there and a dazed Harry sat up in the main room of the Shrieking Shack, staring at Tom opposite him.
"Even Dumbledore's Order doesn't believe him on his word anymore," Harry couldn't help but say while his whole body filled with gleeful excitement. He suddenly had too much energy and he jumped up from his chair to dart around the table towards Tom. "That is the best news I've heard in ages."
"It is indeed most welcome," Tom agreed with a smile that lit up his eyes.
Harry laughed, head thrown back in sheer joy at their success and without even knowing what he was doing, he lunged forward and wrapped his arms around Tom's neck and tightened them into an embrace. Tom, for his part, stiffened in his chair, sitting as still as a statue as Harry's brain slowly came back down from its brief moment of overwhelming euphoria.
Fucking hell. He was hugging Tom.
Now what?
