Of course, me being me, I got sick immediately following the surgery. So, I'm in slow recovery mode. Now might be an important time to do so, given the virus spreading so rampant. Which is the other reason I'm being kept out of work. The surgery is considered an underlying health issue at the moment, plus some surgery issues that I keep having that just can't be addressed at work. Plus, the asthma, etc. etc. Honestly, I was just told to stay home and not budge unless I have a follow up doctor's appointment. It's been about a month since I've had surgery. I'm still not fully put together. Some days are better than others.

Warnings: Harry Potter/ Tom Riddle. Alternate universe.

Notes: (X) is pov change and or time jump

Chapter, 8

"Hey." Harry heard the word, only he didn't want to. The bed was far too comfortable, and he was in terrible need of rest. Every bit of him protested the intrusion. His consciousness just needed a break from the world that seemed so determined to kill him or at least drive him mad. There was pressure on his arm then, his mind begging him to ignore it. "Harry."

"Don't wake him up, he's been through a lot," another voice whispered harshly.

"He's been asleep all day, he needs to eat," the first voice said.

"All things considered…."

With the conversation going on around him, Harry stood no chance at remaining asleep. He opened his eyes, his bedroom at his godparent's house coming into view as well as Sirius. His godfather was sitting on the edge of the bed, his hand on Harry's arm, but he was looking towards the door. When Harry followed his godfather's gaze, he saw Remus leaning against the doorframe, his arms folded, now clean shaven and wearing clean clothes.

The exhaustion Harry had been feeling the last few days evaporated. He bolted straight up in bed, Sirius and Remus both making surprised noises. Harry gripped Sirius into a tight embrace, refusing to let go. Sirius had come to check on him. Of course, he'd come to check on him. Remus must have let him know what was going on, and his godfather had come rushing home the second he could get away from work to make sure Harry was okay. He was doing exactly what a responsible and loving parent should be doing. His parents needed to take some notes.

"Glad to see you're okay," Sirius said. He'd wrapped his own arms around Harry.

"Sorry if we woke you up," Remus whispered.

Harry shook his head, his face hidden in Sirius' shirt. He was acting like a little kid, but he thought it was well-deserved behavior. He'd been kidnapped and held captive for days, walked miles through an unknown forest, and then got accused of being an escaped prisoner. If that didn't justify childish behavior, he didn't know what did.

"See, he doesn't care," Sirius said, his voice cheerful. "He'd have gotten mad if I hadn't woken him up and went back to work without making sure he was okay."

Why do my godparents understand me so much better than my own parents!?

Harry didn't want to move from Sirius' embrace, but he did want to talk to him. He'd finally made it to the safety of his godparents' home. He had Remus and Sirius with him, and they would somehow make the world right again. They always did.

"We have some Butterbeer and burgers downstairs if you're willing to get out of bed."

"Don't bribe him," Remus sighed.

"It's not a bribe if I already bought the stuff," Sirius said. Harry finally looked up. Even though Remus and Sirius were not quite in agreement, they were smiling at each other. "Come on." Sirius stood up and moved towards the door. Harry scrambled off the bed, chasing after his godfather. "Remus gave me an outline of what you've been through since the last novel you sent me."

Harry felt his face burn at that and nodded. The three of them went down the stairs.

"More than I've dealt with most of my life," Harry muttered.

"Well, Dumbledore's son caught two of the prisoners, so they let me come home for a bit." He pushed the door open, leading into the kitchen. He held it open for Remus and Harry. On the kitchen table was a white paper bag and three glass bottles of Butterbeer. "Not that I wouldn't have come after I read Remus' letter." He sat down at the table, the other two doing the same.

"Yeah, haven't you heard, he's perfect," Harry said, clearly annoyed. He grabbed one of the Butterbeer and popped the top off.

Sirius raised an eyebrow at that. He looked at Remus, then back at Harry.

"I don't think anyone can claim to be perfect," Remus said slowly. He seemed to be choosing his words carefully. Harry didn't think that was necessary. There was no use in denying how perfect Tom was. It was merely a fact.

"No, he isn't claiming to be, I'm telling you he is." He took a swig of the Butterbeer, all of his muscles relaxing. He mentally thanked whoever created this most wonderful of all beverages.

Sirius removed the burgers and chips from inside the bag and passed them to their respective owners.

"Well, I haven't talked to the guy. All I know is, you were mad at him at first, then you kissed him and suddenly he was great." The look on Harry's face must have been priceless, because Remus glared at Sirius, but his godfather just laughed. "I'm not saying he's wrong. Some people you have to kiss before you realize they're worth it." He redirected his grin at Harry. "So, how is he perfect?"

"There isn't anything not perfect about him," Harry said, setting his Butterbeer down harder than he'd intended to. "He's a popular food critic, he's a genius researcher. He's only a year older than me, but he's already graduated from Hogwarts. He won the national dueling championship when he was twelve. He found a cure for Wizarding Flu. The Auror's office took one look at him and gave him temporary arrest powers, and he's a master manipulator! And to top it all off, he's a really good kisser."

Sirius whistle, setting his own Butterbeer down.

"What do you think, Remus?"

"I think someone may be in love," Remus said, smiling at Harry. "How does he feel about you?"

"He claims he likes me, but…"

"Can't figure out why," Sirius asked. Harry nodded.

"Don't even bother trying," Remus said, waving his hand. "I still don't know why I'm in love with this," he motioned to Sirius. "But I am and I'm very happy."

"Did you hear that, Harry? I've been upgraded from a thing to a this." He pulled a chip out and popped it into his mouth.

"Do I hear bragging? Perhaps you haven't earned the title of this," Remus said.

Sirius leaned over and kissed Remus on the lips before he could go on. Harry looked away, his face burning.

"I did mean what I said," Remus said a moment later when the two had parted. "Who a person falls in love with has no logic behind it. It just is. He's probably as confused as you are."

"Merlin knows I thought you and James were trying to prank me when you asked me out on Valentine's Day. I expected one of you to do something at Hogsmeade," Sirius said. "Never once believed someone as bright as Remus would take an interest in someone like me."

"James was too busy chasing after Lily," Remus said, moving closer to Sirius, so their bodies were touching. "Besides, he knew better than to get in my way. I told him months ago you were mine."

"Scary." Sirius took another chip and bit into it, a blush on his face.

"Thanks," Harry said, both his godfathers looking at him. "I wasn't really sure, but… I feel like my relationship with Tom is kind of like yours… only extreme."

"It won't always feel that way. Once you two have been together for a while you'll just feel peace," Remus said.

"Peace would be nice," Harry admitted. He wouldn't mind some comfort either. The few times they'd settled into a peaceful mood, Tom took it away seconds later.

"Sure, you could use it after the shite summer you've been having," Sirius muttered. "Listen, I don't know what's going on with your parents, but I intend to find out." He tousled Harry's hair, the Gryffindor grinning. "You're going to stay here with us until we get this mess sorted out. I won't be able to spend much time with you until those prisoners are all back in Azkaban, but we will get everything back to normal."

"I understand," Harry said. "I'd offer to help, but…" He was still embarrassed about everything that had happened. "My wand…" Harry said, his eyes widening. "Those tossers still have my wand!"

"I thought your boyfriend caught the two people who kidnapped you," Sirius said.

"No, those were two different prisoners," Harry said, thoroughly frustrated with himself. How could he have been so stupid? He should have had Tom go with him back to the castle to retrieve his wand, but he'd been so tired by the time Tom had found him…

"Wait, you know where two other prisoners are at," Sirius asked, dropping the small bag of chips he'd been holding onto the table.

"Yeah," Harry said. "It's a decaying castle in the middle of nowhere. Tom probably knows the village I stayed at overnight. It's a few days walk from there. Most of the floor is missing. The only reason I got out was, because the wall the chains were bolted into collapsed." He tried to think. "Tom said in the letter he wrote me I was on the border of France and Belgium."

"… Sirius, that's Chateau Miranda," Remus said, his face paling and eyes widening. That's where they found Milan torturing Muggles a few years back. Was there anyone else with you?"

"Not that I know of. Mather and Brian had me chained up in the kitchen, but I never saw anyone else and they never mentioned anyone named Milan."

"That makes sense. Mathew and Brian were working with Milan. He paid them and Alexandre to capture Muggles."

"They said they were the only two there… but the weird part was, Mather wanted my parents to know I was missing. He wanted to cause my dad panic, but there was an anti-mail charm on the castle." It didn't make any sense. "I mean, they were both stupid, but not that stupid."

There was a short pause before Sirius got up.

"We need to get everyone rounded up and storm that castle," Remus said, standing up.

"Yeah," Sirius agreed. "Harry, thank you for that information. We might be able to end this fiasco a lot sooner now." He tousled Harry's hair again, grabbed the white bag and dropped his and Remus' food into it. "Listen. I put some really strong protection charms on number twelve. Most of the prisoners that escaped from Azkaban are no big deal, but Alexandre and Milan are smart. They're good at what they do. So, I need you to do me a favor and stay put."

"O, okay."

"Don't open the door for anyone. For some reason they're targeting you to get to us."

"I'm not— "

"I know you're strong," Sirius said cutting Harry off, "but you don't have a wand right now and I don't want to risk them getting you."

Harry couldn't deny that reasoning if he wanted to. A wizard was next to useless without a wand and his was lost somewhere in a decaying castle, alone with Brian and Mather of all people.

My wand is never going to forgive me. He'd be lucky if they managed to locate his wand at all, more so if it ever let Harry use it again. He'd practically abandoned it. Would any other wand accept him after performing such a heinous act?

"Fine…."

"I'll bring your wand back and then you're going to tell me how Mather and Brian of all people managed to grab you," Sirius said.

"… Tom and I got into an argument and I thought it was him coming up behind me," Harry admitted.

Sirius studied him for a second before shaking his head.

"You are definitely in love." He gave Harry a quick hug. "Don't worry; I've made a few mistakes like that myself."

"A few," Remus asked, raising an eyebrow. "Are we just acknowledging your minor hiccups?"

"Belt it," Sirius said.

"No one expects you to think like an Auror," Remus said. Sirius released him, Remus giving him a hug now. "That's something that comes with experience and training."

"But Tom…"

"Tom spent half his childhood as a target," Sirius said. "Being Dumbledore's son is no easy feat. People were constantly after him to get to his father. He knows to attack first and ask questions later."

"Oh…" That made sense. Harry hadn't even considered the implications that came with being Dumbledore's son, adopted or not. He'd thought Tom had grown up in complete luxury without a care in the world, but it seemed his life had not been so easy.

"We'll be back as soon as we can, but it probably won't be until morning. There's more food in the fridge," Remus said as the two walked towards the kitchen door. Harry followed them out into the hall and to the entranceway. They pulled their shoes on, Harry watching them silently. He wanted to go with, to prove he could fight and that he wasn't an idiot. That he could help the Aurors just as much as Tom could. More than that, he didn't want to be left alone. Protection charms did not keep you safe from your thoughts and he had plenty of them he wanted to avoid for the time being.

"See you later, Harry," Remus said. Sirius opened the door and stopped, his entire body going rigid. Remus gave Harry a quick look and ran next to Sirius, his body visibly relaxing when he caught sight of the open doorway. "Oh…"

"How did you find my house," Sirius asked. He didn't sound happy at all.

Harry didn't like Sirius' tone, but he wasn't about to back down. He wasn't sure what he could do without a wand, but he'd help his godparents fight. Whoever was standing outside the front door would have to take all three of them down if they tried anything.

"The Auror office," the voice said.

Harry pushed past his godparents, his eyes falling on Tom. He smiled, his heart dancing just at the sight of the other teen.

Why am I only slightly surprised? It would have been more surprising if Tom hadn't found him at his godparents' place, because he always found him.

"They're not supposed to tell anyone," Sirius muttered, glaring at Tom.

Tom's gaze fell on Harry, and he wasn't sure what he should do. Tom was smiling ever so slightly at him, but the look in his eyes promised a slow death, something Harry was growing accustomed to.

"Harry gave us the location of two more prisoners," Remus explained. "So, we're heading back to the Ministry. If you'd come back later—"

"He can stay," Harry said quickly. "If you don't mind," he added.

"Are you sure," Remus asked.

"Yeah."

Sirius and Remus exchanged looks. They didn't seem to come up with any reason to keep Tom from staying.

"Don't do anything stupid," Sirius muttered. "Stay inside."

"Okay." Harry watched his godparents walk a short distance from the door before they both Apparated. With the two of them gone, Harry and Tom slipped into a staring match. Harry waited for him to come in or at least say something, but the other teen wasn't budging at all. "Aren't you coming in," Harry asked.

Tom looked mildly surprised before he hesitantly stepped into the house.

Harry closed the door behind him, wondering where to start. He was glad that Tom had found him, even if he was safe at his godparents' house. He hadn't realized it until Tom had shown up that he'd been missing him so badly. He grabbed Tom's hand and led him into the sitting room. Once they were there, Harry went over to the overstuffed sofa and sat down, Tom sitting down beside him.

"Did Sirius magically make everything in your life better," Tom asked bitterly.

"Kind of," Harry admitted. "I mean Remus brought me here, and I was able to shower. I got to sleep in a real bed. Sirius brought me food and said he'd help straighten my parents out." He owed both his godparents so much for just the last few hours. His life had shifted into the right direction, now he just needed to follow that path. Why did Tom seem angry about that?

A dark look crossed Tom's face.

"Just tell me the truth," Tom said, his voice harsh. "Do you even like me?"

"Wh, what? Of course, I do!" Harry said giving Tom his full attention. Why would Tom even think such a thing? He didn't want to admit it, but he'd do anything for him. Anything at all to keep Tom by his side and happy. It wasn't practical at all and he wasn't capable of doing even a fraction of what Tom could or most of the Wizarding World if he was being honest, but he'd try.

"You have a real funny way of showing it."

For the first time Harry saw clear emotion besides anger on Tom's face, and to his horror, it was one of pain. He could hardly believe that he of all people could cause Tom pain. He hadn't thought he could cause Tom anything besides annoyance and anger.

"I'm sorry," Harry said, realizing he'd been apologizing to Tom quite a lot lately. In fact, he'd been really cruel to him if he thought about it. He leaned forward and kissed Tom on the lips. "I've been so caught up in my horrible summer, it never even occurred to me all the hell I've been putting you through." He offered Tom a smile. "Thanks for coming to me. Not just here, but for each time I've been stupid enough not to wait for you." His words weren't enough, he knew that, but he wasn't sure what else to say. He needed Tom to know that he was sorry, that he'd never meant to cause him any sort of sadness.

Tom studied him and finally nodded.

"You need to realize your actions have consequences," he said, his voice neutral.

"I know they do," Harry said. He sagged into the couch, deflated. "Not studying hard enough for my O.W.L.S. has my mum worried. She'll make me retake all the classes I didn't pass with high enough marks, because for some reason being an Auror is the worst job in the world to her, even though dad and Sirius are Aurors. Dad and her are fighting, because I want to be an Auror instead of a healer or some other job she and society has deemed prestigious. Walking out of the restaurant got me kidnapped and inconvenienced you. Everything I've done, every reaction I've had this summer was wrong."

"Inconvenienced," Tom asked, repeating the word, his eyes flashing. "Harry, I was terrified I wouldn't make it in time and never see you again! And I was almost right," he said, his eyes darkening. "Every time I tracked you down, you were gone before I got there."

"Well, you never once said you were coming to get me," Harry pointed out trying to deflect some of the blame. "I waited all day inside the forest and then you sent a reply telling me you didn't believe me."

Tom let out a frustrated sigh.

"I did apologize for that."

"I know…" That didn't make the lack of trust Tom had in him hurt any less. He knew he didn't deserve Tom's trust, but even so….

"And I wouldn't say all of your actions were wrong," Tom admitted as he wrapped his arm around Harry's waist. He pulled Harry against him, "You are entitled to pursue any goal you deem worthy of your time. You have to live your life; your mother can't do it for you."

"I know," Harry said, resting against Tom, "I just hate the fighting."

"My father and I haven't always agreed on everything either."

Harry nodded. He'd seen the looks of distrust and stress on Dumbledore's face at the awards ceremony. That seemed so long ago now.

"How did you fix it?"

"I did it anyway," Tom said, smirking. "Eventually he realized even if I was making a mistake, that I had to do it before I could move on." He seemed to consider his words. "With most things."

"So, there are still some things he refuses to let you fail at," Harry asked.

"Not exactly… when we don't agree, we sit down and talk through all of it. He explains exactly why he's against or for something, and I do the same. We match notes. If I can understand the flaws in something, I don't do it."

"That's not a bad idea," Harry said. Could he convince his mother to engage in the same way? Maybe he could show her why being an Auror was so important to him. "Do you think you could…" He stopped when he noticed a small weight on his shoulder. Tom had fallen asleep and decided to use him as a pillow. There's no telling when he slept last. He brought his free arm up and stroked Tom's hair with his hand. It was softer than he'd thought it would be. "Sorry I ruined your summer," he whispered. "I'll try to do whatever I can to make it up to you."

(X)

Harry stirred, his eyes slowly opening. It was dark outside, and someone had thrown a blanket on both Tom and him as well as lit the candles inside the sitting room. In front of him on the coffee table was a piece of paper. Tom had removed himself from Harry's shoulder and stretched out on the couch, his head now on the armrest, his feet in Harry's lap. Harry leaned forward and grabbed the note.

Harry,

I came in to check on you and found you and Tom together. I whistled at the sight, but neither of you woke up. Sirius told me he had you when he got back to the Ministry. We caught Brian and Mather, but Alexandre and Milan are still out there. Stay inside. I'll come check on you again soon.

Your father;

James

"My father," Harry said, rolling his eyes at the note and dropping it onto the floor. Until he got proper answers from his family, Sirius and Remus were the only parents he had. How could his dad not wake him up to check on him? Even if Sirius had told his dad he was okay, he still could have made sure...

Harry caught a glimpse of something still on the table in the corner of his eye. Did he…? He dared to believe it and looked at the coffee table again. The note had been covering his wand. He snatched it from the table, looking it over.

"I'm so sorry I left you behind," he said. He looked it over, his fingers trailing over its entirety to make sure there were no nicks or scratches. Somehow his wand was okay. No matter how many times he examined it, he couldn't find a single blemish on it. He let out a sigh of relief.

"What are you going on about," Tom muttered from his side of the couch.

"My dad stopped by while we were asleep," Harry said. "They got the two who kidnapped me from the restaurant, and he brought back my wand."

"That's a good thing, isn't it?" The other teen had sat up and began rubbing his eyes.

"If my wand forgives me for abandoning it." He also felt conflicted about his father. He wanted to stay mad at him for everything he'd done and hadn't done the last few days, but he couldn't deny how happy he was to have his wand back.

"If I can forgive you for all the times you've abandoned me, your wand will be simple." He kissed Harry on the cheek and stood up. "Does your saint of a godfather keep any food in this house?"

"Don't call him that," Harry said, slipping his wand into his pocket. "But he keeps it in the same place as everyone else, the kitchen."

Tom stood there watching Harry until the Gryffindor sighed and got up himself. He started down the hall towards the kitchen, Tom following him.

"So, what should I consider him," Tom asked.

"You know, Remus and Sirius helped me with our relationship earlier, so you should probably be a little more grateful to them," Harry snapped.

"Did they now," Tom asked. He walked past Harry to the fridge and opened it. He pulled out a bottle of Gillywater and shut the door. "And what exactly did they help with, besides managing to keep you in a single location for more than an hour?"

Harry wanted to strangle Tom for that comment, true as it might be.

"I'm serious. They explained to me why our differences don't really matter…." He leaned against the counter, his face heating up. He'd been ready to have this conversation earlier. Why did it seem so hard to have now?

"And what was the amazing answer they gave you?" He removed the lid from the Gillywater and took a drink from it.

"Stop being an arse," Harry said, finally meeting Tom's eyes. "They said who a person falls in love with has no reason whatsoever. That you're probably just as confused as I am. You don't understand how you could have possibly fallen for someone like me."

Tom seemed to consider that for a moment. He stood next to Harry and took another drink from the bottle.

"I suppose that's one way to look at it," he said. "I cannot for the life of me comprehend why someone as brilliant as myself developed a crush in such a short meeting, on someone as dull witted as you." Harry glared at him and was about to storm off when Tom wrapped a hand around his wrist. "But I have." He placed the Gillywater onto the counter and grabbed Harry's other wrist. "And I would not trade you for anyone. There is never a dull minute around you and every bit of me is constantly put to the test with you." He pulled Harry towards him until their bodies were touching. "Who else could I possibly be with? You need every bit of my intelligence and strength to help keep you out of trouble." He kissed Harry gently at first, then harder.

"Tom…"

"I mean it Harry. Your godparents are right. I don't understand, but I have loved every second of this relationship, of just being with you. You make me work so hard for everything that even I began doubting myself at times, me."

"That must be new for you," Harry laughed.

"I feel like everything I've learnt until now has been to prepare me to be with you and to keep you safe."

"I swear my life is usually normal." And he prayed it would be normal again soon. So far arriving at Sirius's house seemed to have fixed everything. He'd gotten everything he'd wanted as soon as he'd gotten there. Food, clean clothes, a warm bed, his wand, and most important, Tom.

"Well, even if it no longer is, I accept all challenges that comes with being with you." He chuckled, releasing Harry's wrist and grabbing his Gillywater.

Harry watched Tom, his heart pounding. He was sure of it; he was in love with Tom. The rest of the world was as well, it'd just taken him longer, but he actually had a chance. Should he blurt his feelings out? He'd been the one yelling at Tom not to take things too fast and yet here he was, watching Tom's every move inside his godfather's kitchen, and wanting to throw the other teen to the floor. He wanted to yell at him his feelings and beg forgiveness for everything, to ask him if they could start over.

"Pretty sure I'm in love with you," Harry whispered before burying his head into the nearest cabinet. He started going through the bags of snacks inside with every intention of distracting himself from what he'd just admitted. The words had come out so easily.

"Hmm?" Tom stopped behind him.

"I…" He took a deep breath and released it. He couldn't lie about this. If he didn't tell Tom how he felt, there was always the chance someone else would, and then he'd lose Tom. "At the risk of sounding like a hypocrite. I think I'm in love with you," Harry said facing him, his face bright red.

"I know," Tom said, nonchalantly. He reached over Harry and grabbed a container of Cadbury chocolate biscuits. When he saw the glare Harry was giving him, he smiled and kissed him. "If you didn't understand my previous speech, I'm "pretty sure" I just confessed my love to a moment ago."

"Oh…"

"You won't be satisfied unless I say the words outright, will you?"

"I mean—"

"" Pretty sure" I love you as well." He opened the container of biscuits and bit down on one.

"I'm surprised a sweet connoisseur such as yourself would eat a store-bought pudding." He'd wanted to tell Tom he was happy about his words, but the pudding comment came out instead. He was so pathetic. He'd just declared his love for him, why was the follow up conversation so hard? He was sure things would somehow be different once two people had admitted their love for one another, but Harry felt no different. Perhaps a little disappointed, but mostly, he just wanted to poke at his boyfriend and get a slight rise out of him.

Tom looked at him curiously as he finished the first biscuit.

"I'm not that stingy. Besides, Cadbury is good," he said, holding the container out to Harry.

Harry took one and sat down at the table.

"Should we talk about this?"

"What's there to talk about? We are both "pretty sure" we love one another." He sat down next to Harry. "Is there some sort of hidden problem with that?"

"No, I just expected a confession to be more…"

"Romantic?"

Harry shrugged. Was romance what he was looking for? He didn't quite think so. It was more…

"I feel like we're joking about it," he said.

"We could try again in the sitting room," Tom suggested.

Harry took one look at the serious look on Tom's face and the biscuit in between his teeth and started laughing.

"No, I'm good."

"Then maybe…" He set the biscuit down and grabbed Harry's chin, so he had no choice but to look into Tom's eyes. "I love you." He released Harry then, smirking at him. "Better?"

Harry looked away, unable to respond. He felt like his body was going to burst into flames, his stomach was swirling in the oddest of ways, not quite like he was sick, it was the same way he'd felt when Cho had said hi to him the first time, only hundreds of times more intense. A feeling of bliss swept any more thoughts away, and he began to laugh.

"… Are you okay?" Tom was looking at him with concern.

"F, fine," Harry managed. He stole a look for his boyfriend, another fit of laughter overtaking him. Perhaps joking had been better.

"You sure about that," he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"This is the best thing that's happened all summer, all year," he explained, grinning. Tom's words had made him happier than when he'd received his award for Best Seeker at Hogwarts. More than when he'd managed to produce a Patronus charm when he was only thirteen. I bet I could cast a ton of Patronus with this memory. For some reason the thought had him laughing again.

"Did my direct confession destroy what little sanity you had left?" He moved a tuft of Harry's hair away from his eyes.

"Excuse me for being happy about this," Harry said.

"I'm happy too," Tom admitted. "I didn't quite know where I stood with you until we were in that sitting room. When I came here this afternoon, I was sure you were going to send me away or break it off with me."

"Huh?" Harry stopped laughing. Was that why Tom had had such a pained look on his face? Was that why he'd sounded so angry when they first started talking?

"You kept leaving me, every chance you got. The hotel, the restaurant, the forest, the Ministry. I thought you were trying to stay away from me. I came here thinking our relationship was going to end today, but it didn't. You invited me inside into your godparents' house. Your safe zone."

"I never considered any of that until you brought it up earlier," Harry said. "But really? You were going to break it off?"

"I thought you were, but… Mentally, I could not bring myself to chase you anymore. Not with the way I felt each time after you vanished from my sight."

Harry had never felt so guilty in his life. He'd brought down the great Tom Riddle without even trying. His legion of fans would kill him if they ever found out. He'd been trying so hard not to get hurt himself and as a result, he'd hurt Tom, badly.

"Sorry."

"And then I find out, you weren't even intentionally trying to dodge me," Tom said with a laugh. "You were simply blindly running." He set the container of biscuits down and wrapped his arms around Harry.

The simple gesture had Harry's guilt melting away. He relaxed in Tom's arms, wondering what he could do to make it up to him. He owed Tom as much as he owed his godfathers.

"I'll try and remind myself not to walk off without talking to you first."

"It would be better if you just stopped walking off," Tom whispered into his ear. Harry's entire body jolted at the unexpected action. Tom chuckled, his grip around Harry tightening. "Because I won't forgive you if you walk off during one of our dates."

"I wouldn't do that," Harry protested, trying to turn around in Tom's arms. The action proved harder to do than he'd thought, and instead he got nowhere. "So now what?"

"Are you pouting," Tom asked, taunted really.

"No," Harry said, but he could hear it in his own voice. "Maybe."

"What am I supposed to do with that," Tom asked, laughing hard.

Harry flushed, a smile on his face, and placed his head on Tom's shoulder. He couldn't believe how beautiful Tom's laugh was. At least he'd managed to do something right. He wrapped his arms around Tom's shoulders, his eyes closing. Not once had he ever dreamed of happiness like this. Perhaps long ago when he was young, too young to remember now, when Sirius threw him into the air when playing with him, or the first time he'd tried his toy Quidditch broom, but not within his current recollection.

"Don't fall asleep on me," he said, caressing Harry's hair. "I'm not done with you yet."

"I wished I would have realized it sooner," Harry said.

"Realized what?"

"How much I care about you."

The laughter stopped, and when Harry glanced up, he could see Tom struggling to regain his composure. His face was bright red, and Harry loved it. The look on his boyfriend's face proved just how much he cared for Harry. That his words held just as much impact for Tom as Tom's did for Harry.

"So, about that date you promised," Harry said, taking pity on the other teen. "What exactly did you have in mind?" He moved a step back, Tom matching his step and kissing him.

"Wherever you want," he said. "After the prisoners from Azkaban are captured, because I cannot risk you getting kidnapped again."

"You always have conditions for our get-togethers. In the morning, once we get back…"

Tom pushed him gently against the counter. He placed one hand behind Harry on the bottom cabinet and kissed him again.

"I wouldn't have to add stipulations if someone could have a normal life for a few seconds." He kissed Harry again, deeper this time. Harry placed his hands on Tom's hips.

"Oh, Merlin!"

The two teens looked up just as the kitchen door swung shut. They watched it swing, waiting to see if the person who'd caught them making out would return, but no one reappeared. Instead, the door kept swinging each time a little slower until it stopped altogether.

"Who was that," Tom asked.

"Not sure," Harry said. He walked towards the door and opened it a crack. A figure was sitting on the steps, their head in their hands. The bushy brown hair gave the person in question away immediately, "Hermione?" He pushed the door open and stepped out into the hall.

"I am so sorry," she said, her face buried into her hands. "No one told me that…" She lifted her face up and choked on her words as Tom came towards them. "Who is he?!"

"Right. Hermione, this is Tom. Tom, this is Hermione."

"I see your ability to introduce people hasn't improved in the last week," Tom said, shaking his head. He held his hand out. "I'm Tom Riddle, otherwise considered Dumbledore's adoptive son, and currently Harry's boyfriend. You are?"

"What do you mean currently," Harry demanded.

"O, oh!" Suddenly Hermione was standing, and she took Tom's hand into her own. "Hermione Granger, Harry's friend from Hogwarts," she said, her eyes focused on Tom. "I had no idea you were so young."

Tom blinked at that. Hermione's reaction did not seem to be what he'd expected.

"Do you and all of your friends live under a rock," he asked Harry, looking genuinely confused. "That guy you were hanging out with, this girl, you. How do none of you know who I am? I can't even walk into Diagon Alley without an anti glamour charm!"

"I know who you are and all the accomplishments you've made," Hermione said quickly. "I just didn't know you were him."

"Has no one put my picture next to the articles they write about me," Tom asked surprised. "They always take pictures during the interviews."

"Isn't that a good thing since you got kidnapped when you were younger," Harry asked. He had a feeling Dumbledore was refusing to let the reporters print the photos, or more likely. The reporters were keeping the photos for themselves.

Tom gave him a rather dark look.

"And pray tell, who told you that?"

"Sirius," Harry said.

"Of course, the saint would know that," Tom said, scowling. "What else did he mention?" He removed his hand from Hermione and folded his arms across his chest.

Hermione bit her lip, watching the two of them. Harry wished she'd come at a better time. Perhaps after their make-out session had finished, and Tom's energy levels had been somewhat depleted.

"Stop calling him that. You're just mad none of us are Die-hard fans," Harry said. Were these the kind of fights people had in relationships? Only if one of them are famous, Harry thought bitterly.

"I am," Hermione said. "Especially on your discovery of the elements of…" her voice trailed off when she noticed the look on Harry's face.

"Not helping Hermione," Harry said flatly.

"No, she is," Tom said, waving Harry's words away. "Don't listen to a word he says. He doesn't care about any of my accomplishments, my studies, nothing." He sighed, and showed Hermione a pained expression. "I'm nothing more than a commoner to him."

"All of us are commoners," Harry said, not buying Tom's act for a second. "So, stop messing with her."

"Her? After all you've put me through, I was trying to screw with you." He moved away from Hermione and smirked when Harry's eyes met his.

"I am so sorry Hermione," Harry said tiredly. "Why are you here, anyway?"

"Right…" She gave her head a firm shake. "I was supposed to come over and check up on you, but I guess that wasn't needed." Her words were forced towards the end of her sentence.

"By who? My family knows I'm here and with Tom," Harry said.

"Your mother," Hermione said.

"Right." Harry had to stop himself from lashing out at Hermione. She was just trying to be a good friend. She had no idea what was going on, because he hadn't told her anything after his first letter about running into a jerk at a bookstore and asking her to tutor him. What was his mother trying to get at? Was she suddenly against him dating Tom? Hoping that if he saw Hermione, he might remember there were females living in his world? Or was she hoping that Tom would fall for Hermione? "Whatever she told you, ignore it."

"Why?" It was a reasonable question and Harry wished he had a reasonable answer. His mother no longer seemed to be someone he could trust with anything. Maybe he was just naïve. Maybe his mother, or either of his parents really, had ever been trustworthy. He'd just thought so because they were his family.

"A lot of stuff has happened since the last time I've written you," he said, staring at the wall in front of him. The mirror with its ornament silver frame was still hanging in the same spot it had for years, the wooden side table beneath it that housed many of Sirius' smaller joke items so he could grab them on at the last second so Remus wouldn't find out. Of course, Remus always did. Can I trust my godparents? He shook his head, dislodging the thought immediately. His godparents were the only adults he could trust.

"Obviously," Hermione said, her eyes flicking to Tom.

"Not just him," Harry said, though he would need to explain to her how that had happened. "I managed to get kidnapped by the prisoners that escaped Azkaban. Sirius told me to stay here." He sat down on the steps, Tom sitting down beside him immediately on the same step. He wasted no time in wrapping his arm around Harry's waist. "Pretty sure she knows where I stand after seeing us in the kitchen," Harry said.

"Why risk it," Tom asked coldly.

"I'm not after Harry," Hermione said, her voice even. "He's not my type."

"But Tom is," Harry said, the other two teens looking surprised. "I don't know what's gotten into my mother, but lately she's been driving me mad. She's against me being an Auror, she's starting fights with my dad. I have a feeling she was hoping Tom would take an interest in you over me once he met you."

"Why do you think that," Tom asked.

"Because Hermione's a genius and Ron's from a wizarding family. He could have used Floo powder," Harry said frowning.

"I'm not a genius," Hermione said, her cheeks bright pink. "But that does sound rather odd. Usually your parents are quite open to your choices." She sat down on the step just below the other two. "Has she been doing anything else odd?"

"No… maybe," Harry said, frowning as he tried to think. He didn't know his parents as well as he'd thought that much he had learned, so what was odd for her? "She made us have dinner with the Dursleys, but that's not really odd, just annoying."

"I believe I made up for that," Tom said, giving Harry a quick kiss on the cheek.

"You only got away with it, because you spoke French," Harry said. "Which you better teach me while you're tutoring me in everything else. I could have been saved a lot of trouble in that village if I had known French."

"Harry… isn't your mother fluent in French," Hermione asked uneasily.

Come to think of it…

"Yeah, she is," Harry said, frowning.

"If she knew any French at all, she would have known what I was doing," Tom said. "The waiter specifically asked if I hated your family, and I told him I hated the giraffe and the two pigs. There is no way she wouldn't have known who I was talking about."

"So… either she knew," Hermione started.

"There's no way she knew," Harry said. "She didn't react at all when Tom said anything in French, and she ran out in tears after everything happened."

"Your father liked my work," Tom said, smirking.

"My father likes anything that ruins the Dursleys life," Harry sighed. He did too, but that wasn't the point right now.

"You're both missing the point," Hermione said, impatiently. "Your mother, who is fluent in French, didn't understand Tom's conversation."

"Maybe she's just rusty," Harry said. "I doubt she speaks it every day."

"Harry, she'd have to speak it at her job," Hermione said. "You have to be fluent in at least two languages to work at St. Mungo's. Don't you know anything about your mother's job?"

"So, it wasn't really Harry's mother," Tom said.

"What," Harry asked.

"No, I don't think it was," Hermione said, frowning.

(TBC)

I… I don't even know what's going on anymore. This story just keeps evolving and I swear it was supposed to be a one shot of Tom and Harry getting together. It's still more comedy than anything, but what it's turning into, I don't even know anymore.