Harry's hand hung uncertainly in the air between them, wanting to follow the path it had originally set about but not sure of it at the same time. Uncertainly prevailed as he stared blankly at his previously outreaching hand.
It wasn't just anyone who was able to lay a hand on Tom Riddle without his explicit permission, after all. Without being cursed into oblivion, that was. Everyone knew the unspoken rule, and everyone knew that the only exception had been him.
Whether it still was remained to be seen, but Harry didn't want to test it. Not after he had somehow managed to infuriate Tom and had almost all of the Slytherins against him. What he had done (and Harry didn't even know what he had done to incise Tom's anger) must have been bad, but without knowing what he had done, Harry couldn't ask for forgiveness.
Harry didn't know how he had gotten this close to Tom without one of the Slytherins jinxing him, but he knew that he wouldn't be able to remain unharmed if he continued to stay here. The Slytherins would find Tom eventually.
Hand now closed into a fist and hunched into himself, Harry quickly disappeared from the room, hoping that his presence had gone unnoticed and the other boy was still gazing into the fire.
…oOo…
It was their first summer since they had received their Hogwarts letters and it was obvious to anyone who looked that things between Harry and Tom had changed. Despite sharing the same room, Harry noticed that Tom left him alone for as long as he could, often waiting until curfew to return to their shared room.
Harry didn't comment. He couldn't. It wasn't supposed to matter to him anymore.
The fact that the other children had only left him alone because Tom was scary, and were back to bullying him already didn't matter. The fact that Tom was long gone before Harry even woke, wasn't supposed to matter. None of it was supposed to matter, but how to you just stop caring about someone whom you've cared about for your whole life?
Perhaps Tom could, but Harry definitely couldn't. Or it was going to take some time for Harry to get to that point, and he supposed that he may as well start. Tom's mind wasn't going to change, Harry knew this from past experience, and Harry was going to have to learn to fend for himself.
…oOo…
Tom didn't know what he had expected, but it was going all wrong.
He had wanted Harry to become stronger than he was, and the only way Tom knew for that to happen was to be pushed into it. Harry couldn't be strong if Tom kept saving him.
Tom hadn't thought that Harry would give up on him that quickly. They had been friends for as long as Tom could remember, and he hadn't been spared a glance in weeks. People didn't just give up on their friends…
Harry would come back, surely?
…oOo…
Written for If You Dare Challenge: blankly
Written for OTP Boot Camp: Into the Fire