During the weekend Tom took Harry to a newly opened restaurant and could see his boy's hope rise to have it crushed by the end of the date. 'No proposal tonight, love,' he chuckled as he led the Auror to a nearby fireplace. "We need to do this more often," he stated and the youngster forced a smile on his face.
"Yeah," a sigh followed, "it was nice," Harry admitted more to himself and the Dark Lord had to smile. They stepped through the green flames into their own hall and the youngster immediately removed his robe. "And no paparazzi, that must have been the first time!" the youngster suddenly called out and the smile grew.
"This restaurant is much sought out for the privacy it delivers," the politician answered.
"The security was good: private rooms, multiple fireplaces," the Auror summed as he handed his robe to an eager Dopper. Tom followed his example and joined his boy in the living room. "I'm so tired!" Harry dropped down on the couch and cuddled against the other as he took a seat beside him. The Dark Lord gladly let the youngster slip into his arms and lightly kissed his lips. His boy seemed to want to say something, but didn't as Dopper appeared again with a letter in his hands. Instead he straightened himself – the signal for the house-elf to come closer – and accepted the letter.
"It's from Walburga," the youngster said as he eyed the sender.
"Maybe the baby has been delivered?" Tom suggested and his boy quickly ripped it open.
"Yes, Sirius has been born!" Tom read the letter over the other's shoulder and smirked.
"How do you know his name?" The Auror glanced at him in confusion.
"It's…" his boy's voice quiet down as he re-read the letter, "not given? That's odd."
"Not necessarily," the Dark Lord retorted and received a frown. "Keeping the name secret until the formal announcement is the new thing to do," the Minister shrugged. He wasn't interested in such things, but could understand that Walburga was.
"Isn't this the formal announcement?" Tom had the hold in his chuckles at the look he was receiving.
"This is the invitation to the formal. Maybe it's clearer to say the formal introduction."
"Oh, the party!" Now the chuckles got released.
"Yes, the party," the politician smiled and got a playful glare from the youngster.
"Like I know how purebloods go about a birth," Harry huffed and threw the letter on the coffee table.
"They go about it oddly," Tom agreed and saw a smile pull at the Auror's lips as his green eyes glanced backwards.
"We're going to need a present," Harry said as he pressed his back against the other. He was going to meet Sirius again! The first one of the Marauders had been born! He couldn't stop smiling. "Doesn't our life seem to revolve around parties lately?" the youngster questioned as he shifted a little so his head could rest on the other's shoulder.
"Probably just the moment," Tom kissed the top of his head. "Rather parties than killing attempts." "That's true!" The Auror started playing with the politician's fingers resting on his lap. "That you haven't gotten any since you became Minister is actually really surprising," green eyes glanced upwards to be certain none had been received. Tom had avoided this topic for a while now, always coming up with reasons to postpone telling his boy. He shouldn't keep it secret any longer.
"I've received some worrisome letters," Harry pushed himself up to get a better look at him with the start of panic in his eyes, "but they have been investigated and the people who were really a thread have been taken care off." The panic lessened and a frown settled on the youngster's face.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't want to worry you," the Dark Lord answered as he pulled the Auror closer again.
"You do realize that you're interfering with my job!" Harry blocked the arms tightening around him and moved out of them.
"You haven't got Zanal giving me easy jobs, have you?" the accusing eyes made the Minister realize he would do just that in the future if necessary and get in so much trouble because of it.
"No, but I don't doubt that he might decide that for himself," he honestly answered and found his boy pouting a little. "You are a public figure and it would give the Aurors a bad reputation if something happened to you." Clearly the youngster wasn't happy to hear that.
"That's unfair to the others," he mumbled and Tom couldn't stop himself from patting his still pouting head. "You just have to proof you're ready for the dangerous jobs," even saying that sounded fake and Harry noticed.
"I know you don't like me getting in dangerous situations, but that's what I do now."
"Now? You've always done that," a sarcastic eyebrow rose and the youngster had to give him that.
"So you see that you can't stop me," the Auror said triumphantly. The Dark Lord just rolled his eyes as answer and his boy looked like he had won their discussion.
"You can't blame me for wanting to keep you save," he said eventually and the green eyes softened.
"I understand that and you must understand that this is my way of protecting you." Harry had him. He couldn't be the only one who could protect the one he loves.
"I understand," the politician sighed and glad with the result the youngster crawled back against him. Innocent green eyes made Tom wrap his arms around his boy again and satisfied Harry snuggled closer. 'But I will do everything in my power to protect you,' the Dark Lord promised silently.
-THTH-
The Dark Lord was writing another proposal for a change on the childrens safety protection law when suddenly sparks flew in the air beside him. Surprised he turned his head to see his wand releasing one spark after another. 'Zanal,' was the only thought in Tom's mind as he quickly got up and strode towards the door, pushing it open with one sharp movement. "There's an emergency," he stated as his feet carried him past Ms Grelyon, who looked up startled. She blinked at him before her hands started moving on their own. Knowing she would prepare what's needed, the Minister moved towards the lift. Entering, he quickly pushed the button to the Aurors' department and waited for the doors to open again. When they did, his feet continued their fast strode and he pushed past everyone until he stood in front of Zanal.
"Dern has made contact,' was the only thing the Head Auror said before turning back to the large glass orb, placed near the centre of the room. Brown eyes did the same and immediately zoomed in on the squib, who had just caught Duchestry's attention. The former Auror turned to Benjamin and seemed to hesitate.
"He's propositioning him," a woman said from behind him and a quick glanced showed she was listening to the conversation with help of a magical shell. Duchestry stepped closer to the squib and took the time to hear him out.
'He's taking the bait,' Tom smiled.
"Duchestry wants proof," the woman informed them and Dern took a folded paper from his pocket. He handed it over and the former Auror's eyes widened when he read it. The Dark Lord wondered what was going through the man's head as he found out that one of the head figures of their organization had been identified. It had been dumb luck for them to find a small dark shape on one of the security films when Duchestry had fled from the Ministry as his betrayal had become apparent. Even more luck to find a residue of the person's magic. The identification had been quick after that.
Lucian Stark was a rich pureblood old man, who had never denied his displeasure of the muggle society and had tried to get in the public eye multiple times to convey his beliefs, but had now been quiet for six months already. The former Auror fiercely stepped closer and grabbed hold of the squib's jacket to pull their faces together. Some clear warnings and glares were given and Benjamin fought just as hard back.
"He's good," Tom complemented him and Zanal smirked at him.
"That's why I chose him." The politician nodded at him in praise. Ten minutes passed before Duchestry seemed to calm down again and seemed more and more convinced the man before him hated the Ministry just as much as he did.
"Dern needs to proof himself to the organization," the woman stated before her face blanked a little.
"How?!" Zanal demanded her to continue and brown eyes narrowed.
"He needs to destroy the Aurors' Headquarters." The Head Auror frowned at that.
"We can't fake it, Duchestry would know," he eyed the Minister, who was going through different options in his head.
'Harry will be out on a mission on that day,' was the first thing he decided on. 'Speaking of the devil, where is he anyway? He should have been called back due the emergency,' a frown settled on his face. 'Unless,' his eyes zoomed in on the glass orb.
"Team Doyle is nearing the targets," a male voice announced as on cue and a growl escaped the Dark Lord's throat. Everyone chose to wisely ignore the sound and the person making it.
"Tell them to use a searching spell," Zanal ordered with his back to the Minister. The message was delivered as Tom glared at the back of the Head Auror's head. Minutes seemed to have passed by, when it were only seconds when Duchestry twirled around in alarm. Quick orders were giving to Dern and the men disappeared before Harold came into view. The older Potter inspected the area like the protocol indicated and got joined by his teammates immediately. The Dark Lord's eyes fixated on Harry's figure, not letting it out of his sight at any cost until Team Doyle informed them there was no sign of illegal magic. Zanal nodded to the woman delivering the message.
"Tell them to get back," he stated before finally daring to look at the Minister again. "Duchestry recognized the spell." Brown eyes shot him a warning glare.
"What if he didn't buy Dern's story?"
"The team would have made contact sooner before Duchestry could hurt him." The calm tone needed to make the Dark Lord see that no one had been in any danger the entire operation, but it wasn't working.
"Team Doyle has reached the extraction point," the woman interrupted and a minute later the Potters walked in with their leader.
"Great job!" Zanal congratulated them as the three walked towards them.
"Did he believe Benjamin?" Harold asked.
"It looks like it," his boss answered with a nod.
"Great," Martin said with a huff as he leaned against a desk.
"What's next?" Tom asked as he looked Harry over for any sign of discomfort and got a roll of the eye as reaction from his boy.
"We wait for Dern to contact us, which will probably only be tomorrow when he comes in for work. Duchestry's men will be watching him now," the Head Auror answered and the politician turned to him.
"Keep me posted on the developments and how you plan to blow up this entire department without anyone getting hurt," the Minister told him and got a nod in understanding. "Keep up the good work," Tom addressed everyone in the room before stepping in the direction of the lift. His eyes met Harry's for a moment and they shared a short look of acknowledgement as he passed him. They didn't need to talk about what was hanging between them as it would just be a repeat of their previous conversation, but still Tom didn't like it. 'Why did I ever let him become an Auror?' he briefly wondered as he eyed the back of his boy's head as the lift door closed. He could just see the youngster glance backwards at him before it closed completely. 'Because he set his heart on it,' Tom answered his own question with a shake of the head. 'I'm such a fool for him.'
-THTH-
Going through one box after the other, Tom got annoyed when he didn't find what he was looking for. The door to the attic opened and he knew Harry stood behind him. "Do you need some help?" came the unexpected question and the politician turned around. The good willed look in those green eyes made him certain of his decision.
"I'm looking for something I bought during our time in Hogwarts," he revealed and the youngster stepped towards him.
"The stuff of the last years should be in the boxes at the back." Brown eyes moved to the back of the attic and closed the box he had been rummaging around in. His wand rose and moved the boxes until the right ones stood before him. Harry simply watched him as he went through them, ordering and closing the boxes he had deemed useless. There were two boxes left when the Minister's hand found what he had been looking for. He pulled out two cases, a small one and one a little bigger. As he held the small one in his hand he suddenly realized that the timing was perfect.
'He'll never expect it here,' the Dark Lord decided as he rose. The Auror followed his example with curiosity written all over his face.
"What is it?" he questioned and Tom simply handed over the small case. Blinking Harry opened it without second thought and his eyes widened in surprise as he eyed the plain metal ring inside it. When he looked up again, the Dark Lord was kneeling before him and the eyes widened even more as a blush coloured his cheeks.
"Will you marry me, Harry Potter?" Tom hadn't expected it, but his heart was beating like mad. He knew the answer, but still was very eager to hear it and a small part of him was scared of it.
"Of course!" his boy released him from the pressure of uncertainty and the youngster's arms were around his neck before he could get up. His lips got claimed and he landed on his back in the dust with the other on top of him. As Harry's tongue asked permission he lost himself in the sensations his boy brought and dizzy he panted in ecstasy when they released for air. "You've had this since Hogwarts?" the Auror asked stunned as he put the case containing the ring on the other's chest.
"Yes," there was no way he was going to admit he had bought it for himself, "I'm sorry it isn't that fancy, but it has a second function." Green eyes blinked at him in wonder, clearly not caring it was a simple plain metal ring. "The second case," Tom felt around for it as he had dropped it when the other jumped him and Harry quickly grabbed it from above his head before handing it over. Opening it the Dark Lord revealed a silver ball covered with decorative lines. "When you open it, it Stuns everyone in a ten meter radius around you," the Minister explained before picking the ring from his case and gently taking hold of his boy's hand. "The ring protects you," he slipped the metal over the ring finger and noted the excitement grow in those green eyes.
"You've always thought about my safety, didn't you?" A radiating smile beamed at him and he slightly felt guilty for lying, but his happiness at the acceptance of his proposal transcended that.
"Naturally," he wasn't lying, "and if you'll let me, I'll have it covered with gold," he quickly added as he was watching the ringed finger. It didn't do his boy any justice.
"You were planning on doing that first, weren't you?" Harry joked and the Minister smiled at him.
"The timing was just perfect." The youngster glowed. "And finding the right timing wasn't easy, thanks to Abraxas," he grumbled a little, making the other laugh.
"Yeah, he just had to reveal your intentions." They chuckled a little and Tom just stared at his boy. He loved the way those green eyes glowing in happiness and the small blush just gave the face a cuter look. His hand rose and softly caressed the reddish cheek. The Auror's smile turned gentle and he leaned into the touch.
"I love you," Tom surprised himself with the words, but didn't regret saying them. Harry's eyes widened and he seemed to want to say something but instead suddenly claimed his lips again. Enjoying the kiss the Dark Lord got a shock when he felt wet drops on the side of his face. Pushing the youngster upwards he noted the tears falling from those green eyes and ferociously the Auror tried to wipe them away.
"Sorry," he mumbled as his cheeks coloured even more. "I just didn't think…" he didn't have to continue.
"I would ever say it." Tom's guilt grew. "Love," he gently stopped his boy's hands from blocking his face to him, "I love you." Even with tears staining his cheeks and red puffed eyes, Harry had never looked more beautiful to him. "You're the only one I'll ever love and I'll love you until I die." Gently he kissed the wet lips above him and pulled the youngster's body against him. During the kiss he started patting his pockets for his wand and pulled it out when he found it. "I suggest we continue in a more proper setting," he suggested when they broke for air and Harry's nod was all he needed to Apparate them to their bedroom.
As the room settled around them he gently kissed his boy's cheek and neck to give the youngster a little time to calm down from the teleportation. As his lips reached the other's collarbone, fingers slipped underneath his sweater and shirt just above his buttocks and he pulled back as his clothes rose. Repeating the same gesture on the other they were now both half naked and his hands automatically moved to the Auror's pants. Opening the belt, he stopped his ministrations when his boy demanded kisses and suddenly felt his own pants pool around his feet. Harry grinned at him before pulling him closer to the bed by his underwear, which couldn't hide the clear bump forming inside. The Dark Lord's hands almost automatically found itself between the fabric of the youngster's pants and his perky buttocks when their bodies met again. Kneading his boy's ass, the Auror pushed his body flush against him again, letting their arousals greedily meet as their tongues were insatiable coiling inside their mouths. Finally Tom succeeded in removing the other's pants and picked his boy up before laying him down on the bed. Gently he let his lips move from the other's pinkish ones to the neck, the collarbone and licked his way down the chest. Harry's bellybutton got an extra lick before the tongue descended even more. Reaching the underwear, he kissed the wet spot that had formed before sucking at the still clothed penis.
His boy mewled underneath him, encouraging him to continue, but instead he pulled back. Green lustful eyes looked down at him, begging him to continue and without releasing the other's eyes the Minister slowly pulled back the underwear, licking the puckering head when it met the air. Moans fell from the Auror's lips, announcing he wouldn't last long and Tom rapidly took him in his mouth as his orgasm hit him. Panting Harry looked down at the Dark Lord and invitingly opened his legs. Clearly they both wanted more. Way too eagerly Tom removed both their underwear completely before gently starting to prepare his boy's waiting hole. Taking his time, the youngster was rock hard again when he finally deemed the sphincter soft enough and a groan of his name made him align his length hastily. Rubbing the lube over his penis a last time, he pushed his head inside and noted his boy biting his lip in ecstasy as legs wrapped around his ass, urging him on. Completely sheathed a moan escaped from deep inside his throat and Harry wrapped his arms around his neck before kissing his jawline.
A quiet "Move," was all he needed to get into action and quickly lost complete control as he was driving them both to their brink. Only with a split second between them, they released and satisfied crawled against each other, enjoying the afterglow filled with gentle kisses.
-THTH-
Dern entered the Ministry like usual, giving greeting here and there before settling behind his desk. Starting his job like he always did the hours passed until his boss stopped in front of his bureau. "You've got that report ready?" Benjamin looked up at the man standing in front of him and nodded. "Inform me in my office," his boss decided as his feet already stepped away from him. "Tessa." The secretary got called the last minute and she quickly entered the room. Gathering his files, Dern quickly followed the wizard into his office and the secretary closed the door behind them. The stern look the boss gave his male subordinate gave said squib the chills. It was a look the wizard had never worn before and something also seemed odd about the secretary as the woman moved with her legs seemly glued to each other. Red painted nails pushed her skirt downwards in an uncomfortable manner.
"As you must already have guessed, we're not the real ones," the man looking like his boss stated and the grip on his files lessened. "I'm Cornelius Zanal, Head Auror and she's a he, Marvolo Remus, Auror," Zanal quickly revealed and Harry gave the squib an uncomfortable grin. "We've swapped places with Mr Donnelley and Mrs Trulan," the Head Auror continued, "to get a full report from you on yesterday's happenings without anyone noticing." Benjamin nodded while eyeing both of them before Zanal started his interrogation. Fifteen minutes later the squib had gone through all the aspects that had happened yesterday and Cornelius and Harry shared a look.
"Duchestry seemed to have believed you as he made contact later on," the youngster stated and his boss agreed.
"We can move to the next stage," Zanal taped a finger against chin. "A plan is being formed to blow up the Headquarters, with my supposed death as consequence, but without any real victims," he continued and Dern fiercely nodded, wanting to help.
"It will be dangerous," the youngster emphasized as Benjamin just seemed too eager to please.
"I understand," Dern reassured him with a serious expression.
"We'll be in touch when further information needs to be shared," Zanal decided their little meeting had taken long enough. "Please leave first," he indicated to the door before stopping his arm mid air, "but leave your files here." Benjamin nodded in understanding and released his hold on the papers. Neatly he laid them down on the corner of his boss' desk, re-angling them to make sure they were all parallel, before taking a step backwards. He nodded politely at the two other presences and turned around, leaving them alone. Harry watched the door close behind him before facing his boss.
"I hope he survives…" the Auror mumbled and got an understanding look from his boss. "You go back to Tessa and inform the Minister about our findings when you get home," Zanal decided and the youngster nodded before leaving, pulling at his skirt again.
-THTH-
"Thanks again, Tessa," Harry smiled at the woman before him and she grinned at him.
"Anything to help the greater good." Giving him a small wave, she left the copy room first with arms full of copied papers. The youngster waited another ten minutes before leaving himself with just two papers in his hands. Walking towards the Auror's department, he noted Zanal leaving the bathroom and moved after him. The Head Auror stepped towards his office, disappearing into it as Harry dropped down on a free chair by Harold's desk.
"You copied it?" his grandfather asked him and got handed the two sheets. The oldest Potter accepted them and put them in a file without looking at them. As the papers were only an excuse for Harry to visit the copy room, the youngster wasn't surprised by his action. "How's Tom?" Harold nonchalantly asked while meeting his eyes.
"Good, tonight I'll tell him that I don't want a public ceremony." 'Translation: Dern told us useful information and I'll tell the Minister tonight.' The coded language seemed to come to them as second nature and somehow they actually understood the other's meaning.
"Good, it's important that you can both come to a mutual understanding," his grandfather nodded.
'We - the Aurors - and Tom must work together to bring this to a good end,' Harry translated. "We will," he assured his grandfather before getting up. "Let's get some lunch. I heard they are serving something called spaghetti." The older Potter gave the younger an odd look.
"Spag-hetti?"
"Yeah, something Italian," Harry smiled mischievously. It was so fun to see to the others' reactions to 'new' food that he knew all too well and liked. Shaking his head at the youngster's odd behaviour, Harold simply followed him out of the room.
R&R