Chapter 2

It had been a week since he had taken Riddle to the hospital. According to Martinez, he had been possessed for over a week with no one the wiser. The hospital had called the best exorcist and he was recuperating. Rumor around the Ministry was that he had dumped his girlfriend and was incensed with his friends. A lot of people had been fired. It had even made the papers. Thankfully Harry's part had been limited to a "brave ministry employee". The mysterious deaths were linked to demon activity and the case was now closed.

When Harry opened his office at nine on Monday morning he was not particularly surprised to see Tom Riddle sitting in his guest chair because he was expecting something, but he was surprised Riddle chose to have this confrontation during work hours since he was a renowned workaholic.

He prayed that this-Harry had no prior history with Riddle. The age difference between this-Harry and Tom Riddle was enough that they had probably never interacted. At least, he hoped so.

God, what if Riddle was the unknown ex-boyfriend? A part of Harry died at that moment. Riddle was handsome enough that if Harry didn't know he was Satan incarnated he might be tempted. Hell, even knowing that Riddle was not above a little genocide here and there did not stop Harry from admiring his broad shoulders. He was glad he eventually learned occlumency.

"Mr. Riddle, it is good to see you well." Harry held out his hand in greeting. After a perfunctory shake, Harry sat down. "How may I help you?" he asked as if this was a normal everyday occurrence.

He had a small voice screaming that this was NOT normal and he shouldn't be shaking Voldemort's hand and why wasn't his wand in his hand right the fuck now? But he did his best to ignore it. After three years of being perfectly normal and sailing comfortably below notice, he was not going to ruin it now. They will have this conversation. Riddle will be satisfied with his answers and leave to never speak with him again.

Riddle stared at him longer than was polite. Harry put his best placid smile. It screamed 'I'm good at customer service and I'm used to and trained to deal with unruly clients'. As excepted, Riddle broke first.

"I'm wondering, Mr. Potter, how out of everyone, it was you that noticed something was amiss."

"I'm sure someone would have noticed soon enough," Harry demurred. "I'm sorry that that happened to you," and strangely enough Harry did feel a bit sorry for the poor bastard. It had to be rough that no one could tell you have been possessed by an actual, literal demon for an entire week, even if it was a problem all of Riddle's own making. A lifetime of masks and keeping people at arm's lengths had consequences.

But then again, and Harry couldn't stress this enough, no one noticed the difference between an actual demon and Riddle. It blew the mind. And made perfect sense. He can just imagine an assistant interrupting DemonRiddle from eating the entrails of an intern and just apologizing and quietly closing the door.

"I'm glad that I could've helped and that you have recovered," Harry gave him his most brilliant smile, dimples and all, because this face had a cuteness that his face didn't have and hell if he wouldn't abuse that. Riddle looked from his clapped hands to Harry seriously, not at all moved by the dimples. The sociopath.

"Mr. Potter we have never talked." Harry mentally breathed a relieved sigh and his shoulders relaxed marginally. "I reviewed the memory from someone that was there. You only looked at me for seconds before you approached me. I want to know how you knew?"

Harry felt the push of magic wash over him like Imperio whispering tell the truth. Without warning the memory of the voice of a young Tom saying 'I can control animals, make them do as I like' flashed through his mind. That terrifying child grew up to be an even more terrifying man.

Harry relaxed back in his chair and thought about how to best respond. Riddle was paranoid and Harry didn't want to make him think he had been somehow involved. For once, Harry wasn't involved in a plot against Riddle. New world, new Harry.

"We saw you at lunch," he finally said, looking up to see Riddle looking at him intensely. "Pike mentioned how strange it was that you were eating at the cafeteria. I didn't think much of it until I saw you again on my way out. I'm not sure what stood out..." Harry brushed his curls back in frustration. It was difficult to explain a train of thought when there had been no thought.

"It's like you said," Harry shrugged, "I looked at you and I just knew. It was not you. Not your posture, not your smile, not your frown, not your gestures, not your mannerism. It was simply not you. I was thinking more along the lines of someone using polyjuice potion, but whatever it was, I knew St. Mungus would figure it out." It was the entire truth as Harry knew it.

Well, except the part that he had harbored Tom Marvolo Riddle's soul for close to seventeen years, talked to his Horcruxes, wore one like a collar for a bit, and had studied the man's life in a mad quest to take him down. Without even getting how he had been keeping an eye on him for the last three years, the first year out of suspicion and the last two out of curiosity.

But, details.

Riddle smiled his lopsided smile and Harry felt his stomach turn to ice and his expression brittle because Riddle looked interested. And the last thing Harry wanted was a Tom Riddle that was interested in him. Again.

It tended to end with his death.

Harry looked down at his papers for a second as if he was unable to stop himself from worrying about work and looked up at the clock. It was a perfectly obvious ploy, but thankfully Riddle bit the bullet and stood. "Thank you for indulging me, Mr. Potter."

Harry breathed out in relief. Almost over.

"I'll like to take you to lunch today, as gratitude," Riddle said with his hand on the door handle.

"No need, Mr. Riddle," Harry responded, pretending to be already absorbed with the papers in front of him.

"Just the same, I would like to," Riddle responded with enough force that Harry looked up from his papers to see Riddle's frown.

"And I would prefer not to," Harry responded with an equally displeased frown. "Have a good day, Mr. Riddle," he dismissed.

He heard the door close and dropped his head to his hands. He should have sucked it up and went to lunch, but middle age gave him no tolerance for bullshit and he felt no need to do things he didn't want to do. The time of dancing to other people's tune had stopped after he died and nothing changed.

Fuck, he thought as he realized his mistake. He hadn't even pretended to have felt the Imperio-like magic. He should have opened his eyes and slacked his mouth or something. Whatever. It didn't matter. Besides, it was too late to do anything about it now. He moved more papers around, not even knowing what he was doing with them. It's been more than two years that he didn't have to manually do the job. He activated the spell he had created and the office came to life with papers flying to their places.

It was unjust how older Tom Riddle was even more handsome than younger Tom Riddle. He grew into his bone structure like perfectly aged wine and the white of his temples... Harry groaned. He felt no shame in admitting it. Not admitting it was trying to deny reality. It was perfectly reasonable to hate someone and find them attractive. It's not like he would ever do something about it.

He needed to start dating.

He was somewhat nervous going to the cafeteria. Which was rich because he had walked to his death with more confidence than this. But he still made sure to take the long way and used stairs and hallways Riddle had no business being. He made it to their lunch table without trouble and finally relaxed. Maybe that was it. A brief meeting and they will continue their separate ways.

He dropped his plate to the table and sat down, "So you wouldn't believe what happened," he started with a shit-eating grin.

"Riddle?" Pike croons, "tell me!" he pushed forward on the table, almost on top of Harry. "Did he push you against a wall all tall and sexy demanding for answers?"

Harry tilted his head and looked a Pike suspiciously, "that's oddly specific."

Pike shrugs, shameless. "Can you blame me? Two handsome men with all that tension," he cackles. Martinez slaps the back of Pike's head but looks at Harry expectantly.

"Nah, nothing out of a porno." Sadly. "There was a bit of posturing, some strongly worded suggestions but it was over without wands being drawn or bloodshed."

"Man, I miss high-speed internet porn," Pike went on a tangent, as was normal for him. "Now is all shit magazines with girls in frilly swimsuits," Pike lamented. Martinez grunted in agreement and Harry nodded. Lack of quality porn was indeed a problem when they been single the three years they been here.

"At least we have TV and telephones," Martinez said. The lack of war had permitted the Wizarding World to catch up with modern times. So at least there was that.

"Going back to me; he invited me for lunch."

"Shit man, what did you say?"

"No. Obviously."

Pike cackled. "No way! I'm betting his face was like a sour lemon."

Harry nodded smugly. "It was like he was hearing no for the first time. Glorious."

"Be careful, Harry," Martinez warned. "You know that this isn't like our you-know-what. Here it's only democracy on paper." Riddle was The Government. He was behind every Minister and the Ministry danced to his tune.

"Spoilsport," Pike grumbled.

"It's going to be fine. He's going to forget I exist soon enough." Even Pike looked unconvinced, which Harry thought was unfair. He was perfectly forgettable when he was just Harry and not the Boy-who-lived.

It was as he was leaving work that it happened. Riddle and his usual crew were by the floo. Harry never saw Riddle on his way out of work. First of all, because the man seemed to live in the ministry. And second, because he had a private connection in his office that he used. So this was clearly planned.

Most worrying of all was that Riddle's gaze reminded Harry of the time he had been the center of attention of a nesting dragon. Clearly, he was Riddle's newest victim. Fucking hell. It goes to show that no good deed ever goes unpunished. He should have left the wanker possessed. It had been none of his goddammed business. He should have walked away and left it at that. It would have probably been fine if no one could even tell the difference. The demon had it handled. And the demon wouldn't have stalked Harry. He obviously traded down.

"Mr. Potter," Riddle called when Harry was close enough.

Harry's eyes shifted towards the closest floo. He wondered if he could somersault to it before Riddle caught up to him. He gave the odds 50/50. The odds of not cracking his head on the fireplace mantle were significantly less. A witch stepped in front of the fireplace Harry had been eyeing giving Riddle the extra second he needed to catch up to him.

"Hello again, Mr. Riddle," Harry responded with a tense smile. His lackeys surrounded Harry. There were many familiar faces of Death Eaters that made his fingers twitch but also new faces. The human wall made a break for it considerably more difficult but not impossible, Harry was nothing if not an escape artist. He kept walking forward without slowing down, forcing the circle to follow to continue the mimicry of normalcy.

"We are going to the bar to celebrate Crabbe's promotion. You should come with us," Riddle said putting his arm around Harry's shoulders. What? Did Riddle think he could pressure Harry into going because there was a crowd? Ha! Joke's on him. Harry didn't give a fuck. He shrugged off the arm without even bothering to pretend he wasn't because who the hell touches people they don't know? A sociopath, that's who.

(Would it be weird to ask what cologne Riddle used? Because wow.)

Still walking, Harry looked over his shoulder to Crabbe and smiled, big and fake. "Congratulations on your promotion, Mr. Crabbe. I'm sorry to say I won't be able to join you, but have fun!"

Harry was close enough to a floo that he was able to step forward, wave goodbye, and floo out.

Fuck them.