Thank you for reading! I don't own any of Harry Potter! Please let me know if you enjoy! Updates every Saturday!
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"As soon as the Minister for Magic arrives, we can get started, Mrs. Riddle." The Clerk of Court nodded.
"My husband should be here soon…..And my name will be changed back to Harriet Potter once this is all settled, so you can call me that instead, if you like." Harriet shrugged.
"With all due respect, Mrs….erm, Harriet," The Clerk of Court nodded anxiously as he swallowed and gestured to the papers on the desk in front of himself, "Under Ministry law, I am obligated to address you by the name listed on these documents during our proceedings. Forgive me, I mean no harm or insult."
"Of course." Harriet nodded, "I understand, sir. I was only mentioning-"
A sharp knock fell on the office door before it swung open.
Harriet looked over as the Clerk of Court called out, "Ah! Minister Riddle! We've been waiting for you!"
"Please accept my sincerest apologies." Tom replied in his seductively smooth voice. He walked over, dressed in his elegant, dark suit and sat down in the chair next to Harriet. He purposely avoided eye contact with her while he addressed the Ministry official, "I was delayed in my office for longer than expected. Since my wife is here, let's begin, shall we? I have another meeting in a short while."
"Of course, Minister." The Clerk of Court nodded as he took one of the documents from his desk and began to read off the legal formalities.
Harriet sniffed as she shifted in her seat and tried to ignore her handsome, soon-to-be ex-husband.
While they sat side by side, she deduced that Tom had to have slyly rubbed a scent enhancer on his pulse points
The woody freshness of her alpha's intoxicating smell invoked a pleasant reminiscence of wild lavender, tanned leather, and smoked mint.
Harriet knew Tom's scent well enough.
Although she had separated from her mate, it frustrated her to be so near to him and yet unable to show him affection.
As the Clerk of Court spoke, Harriet could feel Tom's dark gaze flicker over her as he stole glances at her from his seat.
It did not escape Tom's notice that she had worn his favourite skirt to their mediation.
The slight slit that exposed a hint of her pantyhose-covered thigh intrigued him nearly as much as her white shirt, the first button of which closed just over the beginning of her cleavage.
As Tom gazed longingly at his omega, he ignored the Clerk of Court's words while he began to fantasize about ripping that button off of Harriet's shirt and exposing her curves to his hungry eyes.
A throb of arousal rushed through his groin as he imagined the look that would be on Harriet's face and the stifled cry of joy that would escape her pink lips if he planted his face between her breasts and took her nipples into…….
"Minister?...Mrs. Riddle?" The Clerk of Court blinked.
Tom and Harriet both felt a wave of embarrassment wash over themselves as they realized they had become so consumed with thoughts of each other that they had failed to notice they had been addressed.
"Sorry……can you repeat the question?" Harriet asked.
"Forgive me, my mind was elsewhere. It's been a very busy morning." Tom nodded.
"Do the two of you still wish to continue without an attorney?" The Clerk of Court repeated.
Harriet and Tom exchanged questioning glances.
"I am not seeking anything particular from my wife in these proceedings." Tom nodded, "I do not need another to speak for me. As Minister for Magic, I am already the head of the government. I hardly think an attorney would offer me any benefit."
"We've agreed on everything." Harriet shrugged, "I have no attorney and no plans to hire one either. We can continue."
The Clerk of Court glanced between Tom and Harriet.
He contemplated the unusual circumstances surrounding the powerful couple before he asked, "...And the both of you still wish to list 'irreconcilable differences' as the legal reason for the divorce?"
"My wife is the one seeking to dissolve our marriage." Tom replied with a shrug, "I'll allow her to name the reason."
"Yes, that's the correct wording." Harriet nodded at the official.
"Very well." The Clerk of Court replied.
He scribbled something down on the parchment he held in his hands before he looked up at the couple.
The Clerk of Court handed the document over as he offered his quill for Tom and Harriet's use.
"If you will sign here, Minister, and you will sign there, Mrs. Riddle," He instructed Tom and Harriet as they placed their signatures on the parchment, "We have one more mediation session four months from now, after which, you two will be legally divorced."
"Are we finished for the day, then?" Harriet asked as she hastily stood to her feet.
"Yes, Mrs. Riddle, we're finished for the day." The Clerk of Court nodded.
Harriet turned and quickly left the room but Tom only sighed.
"If I may say, Minister…." The Clerk of Court nodded at Tom once Harriet had gone, "I am quite surprised about what I witnessed today. It isn't like you to admit defeat."
An ominous scowl of pure menace clouded Tom Riddle's handsome features as he rose to his feet and towered over the Clerk of Court.
The Clerk of Court felt the colour drain from his face as Tom glowered down at him and hissed, "I have admitted nothing…..I'll thank you to remember that."
The Clerk of Court closed his eyes and took a deep breath as Tom swept out of the room.
Once he placed his terror aside, he thought about Tom's words and frowned as he noticed how true they already seemed.
Tom and Harriet could have had their divorce completed months ago.
The Minister for Magic had asked for extension after extension during the mediation sessions to purposely delay the finalization of his and Harriet's dissolved union.
Tom Riddle was a frightening wizard who ran the magical government with a firm hand.
Since he had taken office four years ago, Britain's wizarding society had slept peacefully, unworried about any threats as long as Tom Riddle remained their leader.
It was no secret that his great love for his mate brought out his best traits.
Harriet Riddle, wife to the Minister for Magic and head of the British Auror Office, worked with the people and for the people, whether they were young, old, rich, or poor.
She had established charities and had held frequent fundraising events in her free time.
Harriet Riddle's kindness balanced her husband's ferocity, which made magical Britain a better place for every witch and wizard.
The Clerk of Court did not know the couple's business intimately, but silently, he hoped that the Minister would win his battle and keep his mate.
Everyone feared how their leader would handle a broken heart.
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Tom Riddle had loved Harriet Potter ever since he had laid eyes on her during their first night at Hogwarts.
They had met while they had stood in line and waited to partake in the Sorting Hat ceremony.
Soon after, they had entered into a long love affair punctuated by the sweet innocence of youth before marrying six years later, the day after their graduation.
It had become a largely known fact that Harriet and Tom shared a love unlike any other seen that century, which made the news of their separation a tremendous shock to the inhabitants of Britain's magical world.
While gossiping whispers swirled through the public with one wild speculation after another, only Tom and Harriet knew the truth about their relationship and their feelings.
There had been no abuse, no infidelity, only estrangement from one another as a result of the humdrum generated from a tumultuous world and stressful, prestigious careers.
Harriet had fallen into the trap of believing that there was no way back to the vibrance of their romance, but Tom laughed at that notion.
If Tom Riddle lived for a thousand years, he would never stop loving Harriet Potter.
During their mediation session that morning, Tom had noticed the soft lines that had creased his darling's fair face.
She had been worried, but not about him, he had sensed that in her thoughts when he had used a single brush of Legilimency to skim the surface of her mind.
What was it that had bothered her?
Work, perhaps?
A difficult day at the office for Harriet presented Tom with the opportunity he had waited for, much to his delight.
At last, with their separation a few dangerous weeks away from becoming legally binding, his moment had finally arrived.
Fifteen minutes before the Auror Office closed for the day, the Minister for Magic swept through the lacquered hallway, glided past the reception desk, and knocked on the Head Auror's door.
"Come in!" Harriet called in a tense voice.
She glanced up when Tom opened her door and stepped into her office.
It pleased him to watch her emerald eyes widen behind her glasses as she leapt from her seat and scrambled to tame her messy, dark hair that had spilled over her shoulders after a hard day's work.
"Tom!" Harriet cried, "Sorry, I wasn't expecting you…..I'm just finishing up for the afternoon…..Is there some urgent matter that needs my attention?"
Harriet was too exhausted for any more overtime, but she took her work very seriously.
If the Minister for Magic had a task he wanted the Auror Office to complete, then she would stay and do what was needed.
"No, there's no urgent matter that needs your attention. I've come to bring you a gift, that's all." Tom said as a charming smile crossed his handsome lips.
Harriet pouted as she noticed he held a paper bag in his hands.
She recognized the logo of her favourite cafe immediately as Tom sat the bag down on her desk and slipped out his wand.
Wordlessly, he tapped the bag's top with the tip of his wand.
Harriet drew in a breath as the bag opened itself.
From the bag, a porcelain cup full of mint lemonade launched itself onto Harriet's desk, followed by a burst of lavender-scented fog that exploded and left a plate in its wake, piled high with the cinnamon pastries that Tom knew his beloved omega enjoyed so well.
"You remembered my favourites!" Harriet laughed as she smiled at Tom.
"How could I possibly forget?" He smirked.
Tom yearned to watch Harriet dig into her treats, but she hesitated as she threw him a suspicious grin, "I'm certain everyone in the process of a divorce wishes their spouse would show them such kindness…..Do you think that I don't know you after all these years, Tom? What is it that you want?"
Tom laughed and raised an eyebrow at Harriet, as if he knew he had been caught in some great crime yet amused by her shrewdness.
"Very well, my darling Harriet, I confess," He said as he raised his hands defensively, "I was hoping that you'd allow me to come by the house and collect a few more of my things."
"What more of your things?" Harriet asked as she narrowed her eyes.
"My cologne, specifically, and a few of my suits." Tom shrugged.
He watched Harriet bristle as she snapped irritably, "Why?"
"Because I'd like to wear them." He replied, "They won't do me much good in your possession….Besides, you have no use for them anyway."
Tom resisted the urge to sneer as he watched Harriet scowl.
She wouldn't dare admit that there had been many nights she had pulled Tom's clothes into her nest after she had sprayed his cologne over the pillows and blankets to pretend that he lay next to her.
No, Harriet wouldn't dare admit that to Tom.
"Fine." She huffed, "Come over tonight and be done with it, will you? I should be finished soon and I have no plans this evening, but I'm very busy the rest of the week." She lied.
"Excellent." Tom agreed with a debonair smile, "I won't rush you, Harriet, don't worry. Why don't you just come to my office once you're ready? I can collect my things quickly from the house and be on my way."
"Do you have a date?" Harriet blurted out.
She instantly hated herself for letting her emotions gain control.
The slip of her tongue had given her mate hope, but cast doubt in her mind.
If she truly wanted to be rid of Tom Riddle, then why did she care if he had a date or not?
The idea that Tom may even look at someone besides Harriet was comical, but he preferred to let her think otherwise while he wallowed in his own triumph.
He thought he had detected jealousy in his beloved's blazing emeralds after he had initially made his request…..
"I merely want to regain my possessions, Harriet Riddle." Tom answered as he leaned down towards his wife.
"Very well." She snapped coldly.
"Enjoy your morsels, my love." Tom replied with an arrogant smirk as he stood, turned, and walked towards the door. Before he left, he glanced behind himself and grinned, "...I'll be waiting~."
As he closed Harriet's office door, he walked down the hallway with a hopeful expression of glee on his face.
Tom had told his wife falsehoods.
He had no real need for his cologne or the clothes he had secretly left behind for Harriet to use as sources of comfort.
His supposed errand to the home they had shared was nothing more than an elaborate plot to worm his way back into his omega's nest and by doing so, remind her of the importance he knew he still held in her heart.
Tom Riddle did not lose his battles and he would certainly not lose his mate.
Harriet was brave and stubborn, but he knew her weaknesses.
If Tom could spend a moment alone with her in their bedchamber, then he felt certain he could melt her iciness with his dark gaze.
He would tease her with his gentle touches and passionate kisses until they reconciled.
While Harriet gobbled down the delicious treats her husband had given her, Tom resisted the urge to shiver in anticipation.
After he returned to his office, he groaned to himself as he greedily looked forward to the morsels of Harriet he would enjoy later that evening.