AN: As I'm starting to write this chapter there is another story in the process of being outlined (at its own insistence!). I'm telling myself that I will not start another story while this one isn't finished. As I don't want to make this story into a Behemoth again (I'm looking at you "Benefits of old Laws"!) that shouldn't take too long.
But for the time being enjoy this chapter!
oooOOooo
Storm
Once more they had settled into a familiar routine. Harry was learning more and more words, and to control his magic, which had led to quite a few near-accidence. Breakfast one day brought a bunch of letters for Lily – requests from potential clients – and an oddly shaped package with a letter attached addressed to Harry.
"What's that?" Tom asked where he ruffled through his own pile of letters.
Plucking the letter from the package, Lily took one look at the address and groaned. "As it's from Sirius, I would assume it's some inane toy for Harry." As the elves would never let something with truly dangerous magic on it into the house after they had instructed them to destroy everything which even had just a tracker on them, Lily broke the simple seal and unfurled the small scroll.
She sighed. "He complains that his presents didn't make it to his godson for his birthday. Seems as if he tried different spells, from actual trackers to those that simply indicate that the mail has been opened by the intended recipient. Seems that he finally sent one without any spells on it." Lily rubbed the bridge of her nose, closing her eyes in exasperation.
"And what did he pick as a present?" Tom wanted to know, diverting his attention from his letters to Lily and the oddly shaped present.
"Judging by the shape, size, and number of enchantments I can feel even through the wrapping… A broom." Lily held firmly onto the package when Harry extended his arms and made grabby motions, like he always did to summon objects to himself.
"One of those that only hover a bit above the ground, and go no faster than Harry could run?" Tom looked curious and Lily felt a pang, thinking of the last toy broom Harry had received from James for his first birthday when he had just been able to stand up and toddle a few steps.
"Exactly." She had left that broom behind at Potter Manor for various reasons.
"It's clean or it wouldn't be here. Do you intent to allow our little boy to play with it?"
"What do you think? I know that there are some toys in the muggle world that are similar. Still, I don't feel comfortable with letting Harry move so fast." Lily sighed again, and looked over to Harry who still was trying to summon the package to himself. She could see the signs of an impending tantrum. A wobbling lip and angry eyes. A dead giveaway.
"I would let him use it under supervision," Tom said. "I was given to understand that it is a common toy among those families that have the means to buy them." He was studying her with clear eyes, tilting his head to the side as he would do in his animagus form. "There was more to the letter."
Lily didn't react to that statement, turning to her little boy. "Are you finished with breakfast, Harry?" He nodded, stopping his attempts to summon the tiny broom to himself. "Then let's see what is in here. Shall we?"
Harry was eager to get out of his high chair and onto the floor, where Lily didn't need to help him much to get the broom unwrapped. Once Harry sat on it and zoomed around the table with shouts of glee, Tom spoke once more.
"Something in that letter is troubling you, Lily. If I can help, and if it is by simply listening, I would really want to do it."
"You can read the letter." Lily waved, a tentative smile on her face as she watched her little boy being this carefree. Simply being a small child, learning about the world with all its wonders.
She listened to the almost inaudible sounds of the scroll being unrolled.
After some time, Tom let the scroll fall onto the table and sighed. "Well that certainly is not a friendly letter. How can he assume that you are willing to live a life on the run? How can he even entertain the thought that such a life would be the right one for Harry?"
"All I can offer as an answer is that he is really adamant in his belief that your aim is dangerous and wrong. That not opposing the changes you're trying to implement is evil. Everything is better than accepting them and living with you." It was devastating how big the chasm between them had become. There was no way that they could reconnect ever again. "I wish it was different."
Tom stayed silent rather than offering some meaningless platitudes. Another thing about him that she loved.
And yes, she did love him, truly love him. They hadn't said as much out loud quite that clearly, yet, but she knew it to be true. She sighed again – she was doing that a lot this morning – and left that problem at the back of her mind. She changed the topic. "I was thinking that it would be a good idea to find a way to expand Harry's circle of friends. Or rather, possible friends. If we were not more or less in hiding, I would try to find some kind of gathering of mothers with kids the same age. It's nice to meet up with Draco. But it is a rather limited number of children, and I think more would be better."
Tom crossed his legs and took on a contemplative mien. "Some kind of regular meeting? A kindergarten of sorts? A nursery school? Who would you invite and where should it be?"
"Good questions, but they will have to wait for after I'm back from the small party I was invited to."
"Ah, the blessing for Bellatrix. I'm a little bit surprised that she was able to change her views on the world that drastically in such a short amount of time." Tom seemed pleased, but Lily felt confused. A blessing?
"If this is a blessing of sorts, I assume that it's another tradition honouring Magic?" Why was she not surprised? Somehow almost everything came back to a little titbit connected to the honouring of Magic and her supposed gift to human magicals.
"It is. A blessing for the good health of both baby and mother-to-be, which is held around the time the parents would usually deem it appropriate to announce the pregnancy." Lily supposed it made sense. It was another of those important moments in a person's life, when guidance would be needed and wished for.
"Why are you not invited then? You do have a rather prominent role in the movement to re-establish those old traditions."
Tom snorted at her phrasing and rolled his eyes but answered anyway. "While that is true, this blessing requires the attendance of only those who have carried a child to term, besides the one who is going to be blessed, of course."
"So that's why Andromeda, Narcissa, and I were invited," Lily concluded, wondering if the number of attendees was of importance. Three was a number not insignificant in magic, practically everywhere. "Are there any traditional gifts, one would bring?"
After changing into some nicer robes, over a dress in her favourite colour, leaving Harry in Tom's care, and picking up a small basket filled with fresh fruits from the garden, recommended by Tom as an appropriate gift, Lily apparated to Malfoy Manor, where the blessing would take place.
One of the elves was waiting for her and walked down the lavish corridors of the Manor to lead her to the sun room. When they walked past the library Abraxas was leaving it, spotting her and her small guide.
"Hello, Lily! I heard that you would be here today. How are you?" He did look good, even though he was a little older than Tom. Not surprising considering the average life expectancy of wizards.
"I'm well, thank you. How are you? Much to do in the Ministry?"
Abraxas fell into step with her, dismissing the elf with a casual wave of his hand. "There is a lot to do. Even just supporting Lucius in a consulting position is taking up a lot of my time. Not something that I had expected."
The others were already there when Abraxas left her at the entrance to the sun room, which was flooded with sunlight and filled with the scents of summer flowers and baked goods.
"Lily!" Narcissa greeted, standing up from her wicker chair to walk over to her, extending both her hands. Bellatrix was sitting in another wicker chair, right next to Andromeda who was smiling and relaxed. "It's so nice that you could make it. Where is Harry?"
"Tom is minding him. What about Nymphadora and Draco?"
"Nymphadora is at home with Ted," Andromeda answered, filling a fourth cup with tea.
"And Draco is in his playroom with the nanny elf," Narcissa added, leading the way over to the small table.
Lily followed and offered the basket to Bellatrix, who smiled and accepted it. "Thank you very much. I'm glad you are willing to be here." It was one of the stranger things that Lily had done of late. Participating in a tradition honouring an entity she didn't believe in, and being polite to a witch she had crossed wands with on a few occasions.
"I was surprised that I was invited." Honesty was probably the best bet here. When she sat down in the last empty chair she accepted the tea cup and then picked a pastry to place on her plate.
From there they started to talk, about the happenings in their society, general baby and toddler things, especially about their three children which brought the topic around to a discussion of possible regular playdates for the children.
"I think that would be a great idea. Nymphadora didn't meet many children before she started school. I think it would be beneficial if she had more magical children among her friends." Andromeda seemed especially fond of the idea.
"We certainly can organise something here at the manor." Narcissa leaned forward in her chair. "There are a number of children who are around Harry and Draco's age."
Bellatrix chimed in, leaning back and fidgeting with a small pear. "There is the Greengrass girl. Daphne, I think. Then Theodore Nott, of course. I think his father would be happy to have him out of the house and interacting with other children from time to time."
Narcissa seamlessly picked up the list of names. "I think the Patils have twins, girls. Then there are the sons of Goyle and Crabbe. Their parents are not that influential, but part of some important circles nonetheless."
Lily held in the eye roll she wanted to express her feelings with. "Do you think we can get a more diverse group?
"You're right that it's a little unbalanced with more boys. I don't think that there are more girls in that age group, though." Narcissa seemed confused.
Lily looked around the table, finding Bellatrix in a similar state of confusion. When she met Andromeda's eyes, though, she found understanding. "She isn't talking about the ratio of boys to girls. Sometimes, my dear sisters, you're blinded by your own expectations." She snorted, and shook her head with a fond smile. "What about so-called half-bloods, those from less well-off families? I guess newly gifted are missing too, but it is certainly harder to find them or even convince their parents to send them to a home they know nothing about. That's if we disregard the Statute of Secrecy in the first place."
If Lily wasn't so stumped over the two other sisters simply not thinking outside their box, it would have been almost comical.
"There are the Wealseys," Narcissa offered hesitantly, "They have a boy who is the right age. Not that they are likely to agree to a play date organised by any of us." Bellatrix interrupted her sister to throw a short statement in. "Lily might be able to convince them. If we're to approach them, she should go."
"I guess…" Lily was unsure if she would be able to talk them around. As far as she knew, there was quite the history between the two families.
By the time they finally finished their tea, a rough plan had been hatched. It still had a few loose ends, but there were plans to get those sorted in the next weeks. When Lily stepped into her rooms back home to take a shower and change, she thought about how this so-called blessing had been remarkably like a simple afternoon tea of women with common interests. If Tom hadn't told her that this was a blessing, she would never have guessed.
oooOOooo
The letter from the Office of Inheritance was lying open on the small desk in his bedroom. This morning it had finally arrived, and Tom was now trying to decide what to wear. He needed to look comfortable in his own skin, and at the same time appear to be humble, confident, and reliable. Simply put, he needed to make a good impression on basically everyone he might meet while he was at the Ministry today.
He huffed a breath and picked a few options to lay out on the bed and reduce the possibilities. In the end he picked a nice pair of dark grey slacks and an off-white dress shirt, over which he put a sleeveless tunic in a rich earthen green. The last layer was a flowing robe with closely fitting sleeves, understated embroidery, and an expanded inner pocket that would hold all the papers he wanted to take.
Lily and Harry were in the room where guests arrived and left, waiting for him. "Dad!" Harry called out, running over to stand right before Tom, holding his arms over his head, demanding he be picked up. "Bird!"
Lily chuckled as Tom smiled. "When I'm back, little one. Then I'll transform and you and I can play together."
Harry pouted but let Lily take him back. "Fingers crossed that they don't ask for more information, but tell you that your claim is valid."
Tom leaned over to give her a kiss, getting into grabbing distance of Harry and earning himself a sharp tug on his hair.
With the kiss cut short but laughter in both their eyes, Tom parted from Lily and his son to floo to the Ministry.
Striding confidently through the crowd of arriving and departing people in the atrium with its ridiculous display of questionable art, Tom made his way into the warren of halls, corridors, and rooms that was the heart of the bureaucratic centre of Wizarding Britain. And even there the office that was his destination was out of the way.
He knocked and already felt the sluggish atmosphere and magic seeping through the door before he was called in.
"You are?" Tom controlled his reaction with an iron will. Otherwise he might have snorted and rolled his eyes. That was the exact question he had been asked before, and he had a feeling that this was exactly the same question everyone was asked when entering this office.
"Tom Marvolo Riddle, Junior." Tom answered as politely as he had in every other interaction with this office before. "You sent me a letter asking for my presence." The letter hadn't worded it quite that politely, but calling them out on that probably was not a good idea.
The wizard behind the counter held out a hand, clearly demanding that the letter be handed over. Tom did exactly that, retrieving the letter from the expanded pocket, and then waited. The wizard, still as grey as ever, took his time reading the letter, and Tom passed that time with watching a few specks of dust floating in the updraught of air over the candles illuminating a desk further into the office.
After some time the letter was held out back to Tom. After he had taken it back, the wizard stood, walking deeper into the office, vanishing between the filing cabinets without explanation. When he came back he was carrying a stack of paper and parchment of a worrying height. He put it down right before Tom, disturbing the dust, which made Tom cough. Didn't the man know about cleaning charms? "I need you to sign those."
Tom looked down at the stack, making out a lot of writing, small at that, and a line with a cross indicating where his signature was required.
Starting to read, Tom moved the quill and inkwell sitting within arm's reach closer to himself. "What are these?" He had to ask because obviously there was no reason for the one working here to explain. This whole process certainly was designed to frustrate everyone needing to go through it.
"Documents to claim your inheritance. You did want to claim the Gaunt seat on the Wizengamot, didn't you?" Even the wizard's speaking pattern was making Tom sleepy. What he had said though brought him right back out of the drowsy state of mind.
"You're not mistaken." More interaction was neither wanted nor needed and the next hour and a bit was filled with little noise but the scratching of the quill on parchment and paper. It was a tall stack and a lot to read. Some was muggle paperwork to make a claim on what was left of the Riddle estate, as he was the legitimate son of the late Tom Riddle and the last of that family as well as the Gaunts. Those had no money left to their name, just that plot of land where a shack had once stood, but nonetheless it was Tom's to claim, so he did fill in the paperwork for that too.
When he was finally finished, his hand cramping, he handed the stack over, and was informed that everything should be filed before the next regular session of the Wizengamot. Hopeful that this claim would prove to be true, Tom made his way back out of the office and up to the atrium.
The moment Tom stepped out of the elevator, the one next to it opened, and Lucius stepped out of it, talking with his secretary. Barty was taking notes, and the two of them paid just enough attention not to run into anyone.
"Minister," Tom greeted, grinning internally as the blond man almost jumped in surprise, stopped a deep bow at the last second, and settled for a polite nod.
"Mr. Riddle. What brings you to the Ministry today?"
As Tom was known as a friend of Abraxas Malfoy, Lucius didn't need to pretend that he didn't know Tom at all. But the gestures of respect that Tom expected from his followers would be inappropriate in the Ministry atrium.
"I got a letter from the Inheritance Office. I was surprised, but they actually confirmed my claim on the Gaunt seat. There was a lot of paperwork to sign. I'm glad that I will not have to deal with them again."
"I have heard that they are a challenging office to work with."
Tom never heard what Lucius would have said next and later wouldn't be able to recall what happened in more than snatches, bits and pieces.
All the floos flared green at the same time. Something heavy flew through them and fell to the floor. Then there were several explosions. Screams.
Tom's reflexes brought his wand to hand and a conjured wall of stone up between him and the explosions.
The moment he came back to himself, breathing hard, his arms wrapped around his head, there was dust in the air, the smell of burning hair and gunpowder thick in his nose. The human mind was a strange thing, Tom contemplated while he slowly unwound his trembling limbs. A Bombarda and similar spells never had caused this reaction, but actual bombs? That was a totally different situation.
"Are you all right, my Lord?" Lucius was crouched low to the ground, right behind Tom and next to his secretary.
Tom took a moment to take stock of his body. "I'm sure I sustained no bodily harm." Was the danger over? Tom checked his wand and wand hand, before carefully peering around the wall he had conjured.
"That's not the point, if I might be so bold, my Lord." Lucius demanded a more helpful answer.
He rolled his eyes. "Once the adrenaline runs out I probably will go into shock. But until then, we need to get the Minister out of here." He looked back over his shoulder, throwing the young man an admonishing look, "and after that we should check if there are injured people, help as much as we can."
"That's not our job, my Lord." Lucius tried to sound reasonable. And even covered in dust he managed to be an imposing figure.
"Either way, you need to be not here, but in a safe place."
They carefully came out of their hiding spot, and Tom tried not to look too closely at the leg that was the only thing he could see belonging to a person stuck under rubble, or the blood on the floor, the ridiculous statue of the Wizard and the magical beings around him.
"The wards are still up. We'll have to see if we can get you to the emergency exit up in the Auror Department." It was a good thing that Tom had once toyed with the idea of infiltrating the Ministry to take the administration hostage. He had abandoned that plan pretty quickly, but now he had a good knowledge of the most important ways into and out of the Ministry.
With that plan being their best bet, they picked their way over to the staircase. There were a lot of tripping hazards all around.
The sound of feet on stone made them hesitate and duck behind a mound of rubble. The moment the deep red robes of the Auror Corps came into view, Tom carefully stood tall, waving Barty and Lucius to stay low, and held his hands up in the universal sign of I'm harmless.
"What happened here!?" Several wands were trained on Tom, and a few Aurors were turned to have a good overview over the whole atrium, or what was left of it anyway, so he tried to stay relaxed.
"There was an attack with what I suspect were muggle exploding devices. Bombs. The Minister had just arrived and I was getting out of he elevator when it happend, we're trying to get him out."
Before Tom really had time to wrap his head around it, the Aurors had taken Lucius off his hands, making sure he would reach a safe place, and healers as well as others were pouring into the atrium, looking for the injured, moving the dead over to one wall, covering them all with conjured shrouds.
He probably was going into shock. The moment a Healer in their easy-to-spot lime green robes came over and spoke to him, Tom blinked sluggishly and turned to the figure already covered in dust.
"What's your name?" A gentle but firm hand was placed onto his shoulder and started to steer him gently but firmly into the direction of one of the floos.
"Tom Riddle." He shook his head. "I'm fine. I need to contact my…" what should he, could he, call Lily in a situation like this? "...partner. So she won't worry. I'm sure she'll hear about the attack, and she knows I wanted to come here."
"You can contact here once we have checked you over, Mr. Riddle." Was that voice, demanding to be followed and yet so gentle and reassuring, something healers were taught? Somehow it seemed to be a common trait among them. Regardless of where they had learned or what political stances they had.
In the end, Tom was given a calming draught, subjected to a slew of diagnostic charms, and treated with a few episkey cast on the shallow abrasions and cuts which were littering his hands and face. After that a volunteer brought him to the floo and made sure he made it safely to Malfoy Manor. A place that was reachable from the Ministry that Tom didn't mind bringing an outsider into.
The healers would have preferred to transfer everyone to St. Mungo's, but Tom got the impression that there had been other attacks and the hospital wasn't able to handle those who were not critically injured on top of those with more severe problems.
Narcissa was quick to greet him in the floo room. "My Lord! Lucius informed me of what happened. I hope you're well?"
"I'm well enough." Tom felt shaky and unsettled about his reaction to those bombs, but at least his injuries had been easily treated. "Lily will be waiting for me. You'll hear from me." Narcissa gave some appropriate comment to that, some empty, polite phrases of goodbye, and then gave a low curtsey just before Tom vanished through the floo.
"Tom!" before he could even take one step away from the floo, Lily had enveloped him in a tight embrace. "I was so worried. The wireless gave a warning for everyone to either return home or stay there. A few moments ago they started to actually report on what happened. Are you well?"
Tom closed his own arms around Lily, so very glad that she was safe, that he was still alive and that Harry was safe as well. "I'm fine, Lily, I'm fine. I was there in the atrium, but I managed to conjure a wall. The healers already checked me over and let me go home." He tightened the embrace. "I'm sure there will be an investigation and lots of questions, but not today."
"The Order is really out of control." Lily almost whispered and then turned her head so they could kiss.
Pretty quickly the relief that they were alive, well, and together took over the fear and shock, and they got pretty intense.
"Harry?" Tom asked between kisses.
"The elves are minding him."
They started moving without really stopping to kiss and caress each other, clearly on their way to Tom's rooms.
"You sure?" Tom needed her to be sure, but he did want this, so very much, and for so long already.
"Yes. Don't forget the charm. We can talk later."
Not many words were exchanged after that.
oooOOooo
AN: Just as promised I'll cut it here. There is no reason for the progression of the story to go into more detail. Some may be sad, some probably not. I want to stick to the rating I decided on when I started. ;)
First published 9thof June 2021
next chapter scheduled for the 13thof August 2021
Thanks to Jordre and Jake for helping to improve my spelling!