Ever since Harry had screamed at Tom, nearly four months ago, Tom had been slightly colder towards him. Harry didn't know kids this young could hold a grudge this long, but then again, Tom was very advanced for his age. Which he was. His age. Of six.
Harry was still pushing down feelings of guilt for everything he'd ever done to him. Whoever this boy was. He looked like Voldemort. He acted, sometimes, just as Voldemort would. They shared the same look when a new puzzle arose, eyes narrowing as cogs visibly turned. The same laugh, though lighter, childish. Because that's what Tom was. A child.
Ever since he'd realised this, he had been trying to make it up to Tom. Everything he possibly could, holding hands, even initiating the contact, helping him with everything he could. He' even been letting him win in quidditch. Through all this, Tom seemed delighted at each turn, but something was different now. There was less of a childishness to him now.
Whatever Harry had broken, may never come back. No matter how many times Tom smiled at him, or laughed, or acted like everything was normal, Harry knew there was something wrong.
Harry had a plan. He was going to meet Hermione.
He'd been planning this for months now, turning it over in his mind, because it was now, or never.
When Harry was at Hogwarts, they had celebrated Hermione's birthday each year with a full day in the library, weekend or not. She told them once about the best birthday she'd ever had, when she turned seven.
In a week.
Her parents had taken her to the natural history museum. Apparently she'd gotten a postcard from the gift-shop. This was where she was going to be the day after her seventh birthday. September 20th.
In a week.
All he needed to do was convince his parents to take him. If he messed this up, that was it. He had no idea how he'd get to see her again until Hogwarts. He just couldn't wait that long, especially now he had Ron.
Ron had been visiting almost as constantly as Neville, Molly clearly enjoying one less child on her hands at any given time. Tom had maintained his weird, observatory stance towards Ron, preferring to go practice Quidditch, or read a book. As lovely as having Ron around was, it emphasized the Hermione-shaped hole in his life.
He was walking to the living room now, the key to his plan clutched in his slightly sweaty palms.
A few months back, he had suggested Neville go to the Natural history museum for his Birthday, since it had so much about plants. Neville had been quickly thrilled by the suggestion.
He had asked Neville to pick this up for him.
"Harry, my parents said they'd take me!" Neville bounced excitedly.
"That's great, Neville, I hope you have fun, when are you going?" Harry replied, grinning in relief. His plan had a chance.
"We're going next week, mum said there's an exhibit on then, and we might as well wait to see it. It's about pre-historic habi-habitats." He answered, struggling slightly over the unfamiliar words. This was a perfect segue into what he wanted!"
"Wow, that's cool. Hey, could you get a bunch of pamphlets for me? About all the different exhibits, so me and Tom can go see one we like!"
"Sure, I'll get as many leaflets as I can, then you can decide out of all of them!" He smiled, very pleased with his own idea.
"Thanks, Neville!"
"What are friends for?"
He paused outside the door, taking a deep breath to steel himself. Pushing open the door, he changed his face to show the air of a nervous child.
"Dad?" He asked, inserting as much of his very real nerves into his voice.
"Yes, Harry?" James smiled at him, turning away from his conversation with Sirius and Remus, all of them going quiet to listen to the him.
"Well, you know how Neville went to the museum for his birthday?" After a questioning look from James he continued. "Well, when he was there, he got this, because he thought we'd like it, and I was just wondering if maybe we could go?" He finished, reaching out the pamphlet.
"Oh, 'Reptiles Now and Then', huh?" James looked over the pamphlet. "Well, I'll have to speak with your mother, it says here there'll be live animals." Well, time to go for the kill.
"Well, it's just that Tom's been really weird lately. He seems really sad. But I thought maybe this would cheer him up."
James pondered this for a moment.
"That's very considerate of you, Harry." Remus interjected approvingly.
"I uh, was thinking we could go on the 20th, that's when they're doing the main event with the live reptiles. I just thought that because Tom loves Snappy so much, maybe he could meet a real lizard." Harry asked again, barely daring to breathe.
"Yes, Tom does love that dragon. Well, that should be fine, after all, who'd want to miss the main event? I'll have a word with mum." James smiled, ruffling Harry's hair in a usual manner.
Harry grinned, leaving the room with a spring in his step. He had a chance of seeing someone he had missed so dearly for so long.
They wandered around the museum for a short time, Harry had insisted they go early, so they could have the best chance of 'seeing everything'. So far, there had been no luck in spotting Hermione. Every time he walked into another room he grew more desperate to find her.
Soon enough, the time came for the main event, the whole pretence for this day out. They made their way into a large, warm room, with an amphitheatre set-up. Harry sat in the first row, having arrived so early. The tickets seemed to be a bit pointless, since no-one checked them. He pocketed all four of them anyhow, just in case, maybe for a souvenir.
Tom seemed just as eager for the event to start as him. He kept smiling at Harry all day, something that had become quite calming for Harry now. Even then, as more families filed into the hall, he grinned, tucking his hand in Harry's.
The event was comprised of a talk about the history of reptiles, and then separate talks of different reptiles, explanations about a few species of snake, a bearded dragon, and several other reptiles. It was then that things got interesting or Harry, as the aforementioned animals were brought out.
There was a beautiful white and yellow ball python, described as 'banana pastel', a dark, spotted, western hognose, several bearded dragons, an iguana, a leopard gecko, a turtle and the most exciting one, a baby alligator. The guest speaker showed each one, before placing it back in its crate.
"Now, for the bit you probably all came for, if you'll follow us to Hall A, you'll be able to handle the animals. Please wait until after the intermission."
Everyone bounced in their seat slightly, excited at the prospect. Luckily, there were only about fifty people in the audience, only those that had come for the first show early on a Saturday were present. Soon enough everyone was pouring into the room with small enclosures, each attended by a smiling adult.
That was where things slightly went to hell.
Over the awed sounds of the audience, Harry could hear the animals. He could hear them speaking. He shouldn't be able to hear them speak. He didn't have Voldemort's soul inside him, right? So he really shouldn't be able to hear them speak. Not the squashed voice of the Hognose, or the strangled resignation of the alligator.
He felt Tom squeeze his hand, suddenly much tighter than before. Turning to look at him, he knew Tom could hear them too. They shared a scared look, Harry not having to lie for once, as genuine fear entered him.
What did this mean? This should be impossible, right? No-one had died that night, Voldemort couldn't have made a horcrux. Right? And now, Tom, whatever the fuck he was, was the same as Harry somehow, they could both hear the disgusted whine of the snakes complaining about the sticky hands of the children.
"Harry…" Tom whispered to him, sparing a paranoid glance to their parents, who were consumed in their own conversation.
"I know, Tom. I know."
"What's happening?" He sounded panicked now.
"Look, I think I know, but you have to promise to calm down."
"Ok, " Tom breathed slowly, "What do we do, is this normal?" He asked, watching the other children around them, all oblivious to the very rude comments being made by the reptiles.
"No, look, it's ok." Harry struggled to calm the other boy now, he was turning slightly red, preparing to cry, and that was when he said something he wish he hadn't.
"It's because we're special." He gasped out.
"We're what?"
"Special, see, no one else can do the things we can do. I bet we could even talk to the snakes if we wanted."
"Harry, I already know they're muggles." Tom looked at him confused now, but much calmer than before.
"No, even magical people can't do this, only we can, I promise. It's our special thing."
"How do YOU know?"
"I just do, ok? I mean, have any of our friends ever said they can do this?"
"No…"
"Exactly, because only we can. But that means we have to keep it secret, ok? It has to be our special, secret, thing."
Tom immediately seemed to like that idea, nodding quickly.
"So," explained Harry, "When you look at the snakes to pet them, don't speak, ok? Only speak when you look at mum or dad, or me."
"Why?"
"Because if you speak to them, you'll be speaking snake, and then everyone will know, and the secret will be ruined, won't it?" Harry explained it as if it was obvious.
"Oh. Yeah. Ok then." Then he smiled, and for a second, Harry had forgotten how, just a few months ago, he could have sworn this boy was a murderer.
They finally reached the Ball-nosed python. They both had a turn at holding it, keeping their faces as straight as they could as it screamed obscenities at them. When it was Harry's turn, Tom turned to speak to their parents, and Harry took the distraction the whisper to the snake.
"If you don't stop swearing, I'll break you in half." The snake went completely still in his hands. As the handler took it back, it started thrashing in his arms.
"Speaker! A speaker! Here with us!" all of the other animals turned to see the commotion.
Tom looked at Harry nervously, as Harry shot him a reassuring smile. They wandered to each animal, one by one, each giving a quick speech about its own importance, and why Harry and Tom should take it home. Tom looked convinced at one point, but Harry shook his head no each time.
It was strange, how each animal was just barely understandable, only just. The reptiles sounded the same as a dog that had learned to screech one word. The alligator was the nearest to the snakes in comprehensibility, but it still sounded pained and strangled.
All in all, Harry and Tom left behind an angry cohort of arguing animals as they left the Hall for lunch.
As they sat in the canteen Tom and Harry shared conspiratorial glances as Harry tried to wrap his head around what was going on.
"This has been a lovely day so far, hasn't it boys?" Asked Lily over their sandwiches.
"Yeah, my favourite was the hognose!" Tom laughed, probably remembering its very nasally, squashed, speech about how he was the most superior animal in the room, and how he would make for an excellent familiar.
"I liked the gecko." Harry added, remembering the filthy-mouthed animal. It was a more profuse swearer than Dudley's nasty friend Scott, and that was saying something.
"It was Harry's idea to come today, he noticed you've been a little down lately, Tom." Lily explained.
Tom turned his gaze onto the reddening Harry.
"Thanks Harry." And it really sounded like he meant it.
They were going through the dinosaur exhibit when Harry caught sight of a familiar brown nest of hair. This was it. What he came for.
He walked over towards the girl who was standing away from her parents, on the other side of the stegosaurus.
"It's amazing, isn't it?" He asked her. She jumped slightly, having been staring at the bones.
"Yes, it's really amazing. I love stegosauruses, they're my favourite dinosaur. A lot of people prefer T-rexes, or Pterodactyls, but these are my favourite, what's your favourite dinosaur?" She said this one breath. Merlin, Harry had missed her.
"They're my favourite too! Do you like all reptiles?" He asked her.
"Yes, I suppose, they're very interesting. I like most animals, especially otters, you know they're actually very intelligent, Asian short-clawed otters have been known to use rocks and pebbles as both a toy and a tool, did you know that?" She replied, curious now.
"No, I didn't. Did YOU know that there's an event about reptiles going on right now in the amphitheatre?" He asked her in turn.
"No! I had no idea, is it on all day?"
"Yeah, but you need tickets." He said, sounding put out. She mirrored him, until he produced his own tickets from his pockets.
Her face lit up.
"Who's this?" Asked Tom, having caught up with Harry.
"Oh, this is uh…" He trailed off.
"Hermione Granger. Pleasure." She reached out to shake each boy's hand.
"I'm Harry, and this is Tom." Harry smiled back at her.
"Can I really have those tickets?" She asked, seeming unsure of herself.
"Yeah, they didn't even check them, and they last all day. It's great! They tell you all about reptiles, and then you get to hold and touch them!" Harry smiled.
By this point, both sets of parents had moved round to see the children getting on.
"Mum, Dad, this is Harry, and Tom," She pointed to each boy in turn. "They said we can have these tickets to a reptile event, please can we go?" She asked with begging eyes.
"Well, if Tom and Harry's parents are ok with it?" Her mother looked to James and Lily meaningfully.
"Oh, yes, of course! We don't need them anymore, and I'm sure you'll love it." James replied.
"Mum, can Hermione come over to play some time?" Harry asked, boldly. He was sweating slightly.
"Oh, well I'm not sure if Hermione's parents would be…" James started.
"Oh, no, that would be great. Hermione's been having a bit of difficulty with friends at school, and she seems to get on so well with your boys." Her mother mock-whispered to them. As she said this, Hermione turned slightly red, but Harry sent her a reassuring look, which seemed to quell her self-conscious worry.
After arrangements were made for an adult-tea and child-play meet up, the two families parted. Harry seeming very happy with himself, clutching Tom's hand. They both smiled at each other. On the way home, Tom fell asleep against Harry's shoulder, and Harry couldn't help but fall asleep too, with the wonderful day he'd had.