Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

The next few days saw them falling into a routine. Tom and Harry would go over potions and the theory behind controlling your own magic throughout the days and in the evenings Tom would lay on Harry's bed while Harry did whatever he wanted. The night before Harry had gotten Tom's shirt off completely while he just watched himself touch Tom's neck, chest and stomach. He had even brushed his fingertips over a pert nipple-although it was just once. Tom's sudden gasp had startled him and he had stuck to safer areas the rest of the evening after that.

An owl had woken them up, pecking at the window so persistently that Harry could no longer ignore it. He opened the window and the tawny owl dropped a letter on the floor and took off once more. Breaking the seal, Harry started reading.

"Mr. Potter,

"It has come to the Ministry's attention that you wish to have a paternity test done in front of witnesses to legally verify if Severus Snape is your father. Please arrive to the Ministry of Magic at 8AM on Halloween to have your paternity test and to discuss the next legal steps for you and your situation.

"Pius Thicknesse,

"Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Ministry of Magic"

"Well, it seems as though Thicknesse does have his moments of acting on his own in my favor. Halloween isn't that far away. Did you wish to do anything before then?"

In response, Harry pushed Tom back against the bed and spent his time doodling nonsensical patterns on Tom's chest.

Having to practically bite back moans was going to eventually wear a hole in Tom's bottom lip. When he first realized what was happening, he had been reading a novel when the words Harry started writing on his chest began to make sense. He had first only recognized every few words, but now he was getting better at making sense of them. He was sure that Harry didn't know he was writing either, as everything was in parseltongue.

Care...kiss...muscle...pale...attractive...mine… His focus was cut off when he felt Harry's weight shift. It wasn't abnormal for Harry to shift around so his legs didn't fall asleep, but it was abnormal for it to result in Harry straddling Tom.

His eyes flew opened and shock colored his face as he saw that Harry was, indeed, straddling him as he wrote. The movements kept their steady pace when Harry's eyes caught his and the words instantly became more heated. Hot...empty...fuck...pleasure...attraction… Tom could see the realization as the words wrote themselves on his chest. I'm basically sitting on his dick…

The internal conflict in Harry's eyes was amusing to watch. He could practically hear Harry shouting at himself, wondering what he was going to do. Should he move and admit he realized what he had just been thinking or should he stay put and act like he meant to put himself here?

Apparently his Gryffindor courage decided to step in and Harry relaxed.

Harry wasn't sure what to do now. He was determined not to let this get to him, but he wasn't sure he could do anything other than just sit still. He didn't want to let the horrors of what he had endured stop him from living his life but he found that he was having a hard time doing anything intimate.

"Harry," Tom's voice broke him out of his mental debate. "What you have to realize, is that what you have gone through won't rule your life. Think of it as an injury to your mind, your instincts. You have to heal before you can continue to live as you would have otherwise. For instance, don't muggles have to wait to let a broken leg heal?" Harry nodded. "Well, think of it this way. When you break a leg, it must have time and accommodation to heal and then you can go back to life as usual once it has been properly mended."

"But I don't want to admit they broke me. Everyone else is depending on me-"

"To what, Harry? What are they depending on you for? They were putting their faith into a child to murder someone who is far more powerful and much older. They lied to you, disregarded your mother's will, put you with abusers and then ignored the blatant signs of said abuse. They manipulated you into doing their jobs. You're going to a hearing to prove that Severus Snape is your father. Dumbledore is trying to rally troops for an all out war. You've said so yourself, you prefer the way I want to do things this time. They are depending on you to proactively support war and then they want you to support the idea that it is okay for a child to murder a man."

"Y-you're right." The realization practically struck Harry in the face. "You're right. Why should I care what they think when they were pushing me towards my own death? Dumbledore didn't care I was being broken and-" He cut himself off. A dark truth was suddenly creeping up into his mind. "I bet Dumbledore wanted them to break me. So I would be more pliable and play into whatever he wanted me to do for a little praise. So he could have the perfect weapon. He thought they would fracture my mind as I got older so I wouldn't question things, but what he didn't think about was them breaking my mind completely. If you hadn't reached out to me to show me kindness in the worst sort of darkness..." Tom sat up, gently readjusting them so Harry was on Tom's lap with his legs wrapped around Tom's back and Tom's arms around Harry's waist.

"Yes Harry. Dumbledore decided to use the worst sorts of people to break you. He only ever put up anti-magic wards, which would prevent even magic that could heal you while you were at that house. I'm glad you're realizing all this in its entirety but Harry, you can't let them dictate how you feel. You can't let your image get in the way of asking for help. This? What we've been doing? You just running your hands across my body-that's a part of healing. You didn't want me to even look at you when you first came here and gathered your strength back, and now look. You're quite nicely straddling me as we sit in bed while I'm half naked. This is amazing progress! You were broken by them, yes. But now you are healing. Don't let the Gryffindor foolishness in you make you think that you're inadequate if you have to stop or can't continue."

Tears were rolling down Harry's face. No one had ever bothered to tell him he was progressing when he felt like he was failing before. Soft hands that weren't his own wiped the tears from his cheeks and he opened his eyes to look at Tom. There was an emotion there that he couldn't quite place. He felt his head being guided down and Tom placed a soft kiss to his forehead, right on top of his scar.

Warmth practically exploded in him as a light tingly sensation passed over the lightning bolt of white skin. He vaguely recalled hearing Tom gasp, or maybe that had been him.

"Tom," Harry couldn't help the transition into parseltongue, it just felt right. "What was that?"

"I don't know. Are you okay?"

"Whatever it was, I liked it. Does that make me strange?"

"No," Tom's voice was still slightly breathless. "No, I liked it too."

"Tom…" Their eyes met and before Harry knew what was happening, he could practically feel Tom's lips against his. They were only a hair's breadth away from touching, and Harry's breathing hitched the slightest amount.

Tom most certainly didn't give himself permission to kiss Harry, it just sort of happened. His lips were warm and tasted the way he smelled. Apples and cinnamon might just be his new addiction. It was a brief kiss, very soft and light, but then Harry moved his lips in an experimental sort of way. It may have only been a kiss, but to Tom it was everything. It was cautious, curious, hesitant and eager all at the same time. Forgetting that he promised himself Harry would always lead the way, he took the lead and ran his tongue lightly over Harry's lower lip.

Although Harry's lips parted, he didn't immediately plunge in like he wanted to. He continued to edge his way in slowly, giving Harry ample time to pull away if he wanted to. Upon hearing Harry moan deep in his throat, his resolve waived and he pulled Harry's body closer to him. He could feel Harry's hands wander over his stomach and chest as they kissed, but he wasn't really paying that much attention until he felt Harry's fingertips gently graze over his clothed erection. Unsure of how far Harry would be able to push his limits, he pulled Harry so the teen's head was on his shoulder and he let his breath lightly whisper across his ear.

"Harry…"

"Tom."

"You don't...you can tell me to stop at any point Harry. I promise you, I will st-"

"Oh shut up Tom!" Harry sat up and faced Tom, passion blazing behind his eyes. "I get it. You won't force me. I know." His voice softened as he caressed Tom's cheek lightly. "I know. I don't exactly feel the most...comfortable in these sorts of positions but I have grown more comfortable with you. I can touch you without fearing you will suddenly start yelling at me, I can talk to you without the fear of judgement and I have shared my mind with you. I know all I have to do is say stop. Even hesitating will make you cease whatever you are doing. Either this is some twisted game and you are trying to break me completely or you care enough about me that your own needs are superseded by my own. In the former, I wouldn't care as I had fun for the first time in my life. The latter, well only time will tell what will happen to us. Halloween is just around the corner, let us enjoy the moments of peace until then." Tom's eyebrows had practically risen into his hairline by the end of Harry's small tirade.

"Besides," the boy continued in English. "Being a Gryffindor has its advantages. I've learned to just go with the flow and see where it takes me because of it. So let's just go with the flow, shall we?" Soft lips gently caressed his own before he completely lost himself in the sweet taste that was uniquely Harry.

Harry was nervous as he had never initiated anything like this before and he had certainly never enjoyed it. But somehow with Tom it was different. He was comfortable and suddenly he felt his lips curl up in a small smile before a breathy laugh escaped. Tom's hand gently lifted his chin up and suddenly he was caught in the red pools of crimson.

"My newest goal is to see you smile and laugh as often as possible, Harry. It is quite breathtaking on you." A slow blush crept its way up Harry's cheeks before he was lost to the gentle lips once more.

Before long, Harry had gathered enough courage to run his hands down Tom's chest and grazed over his clothed groin. He suspected Tom took particular care in not bucking into his hand and he appreciated the amount of effort the man had gone through to not scare him. Suddenly, a thought made its way into his mind and he couldn't shake it.

"Tom? I'm afraid that...well given my past...I'm experienced in speed, not...well…" To his amazement, Tom nodded. He seemed to know what Harry was getting at.

"Carnal pleasures are supposed to be that-pleasurable. While speed is occasionally called for, it is often not the goal. Forgive my brashness, but you are far more inexperienced than most typical virgins. You have been trained to do exactly the opposite of what makes these situations fun and enjoyable. Just take your time, Harry. Don't forget you can stop at any point with or without an explanation. I will understand. It's like how you touch me at night, just do what you feel comfortable with." Relief flooded Harry's system and he pushed Tom to lay down properly while he sat up and traced around the clothed bulge. His touch was featherlight, just enough to test the waters so to speak. He didn't want to dive in and cause himself more harm than good.

As he watched Tom's face, he realized the man was putting considerable effort behind not scaring him off. The intakes of breath were sharp, but borderline silent. He was gripping the pillow above his head, farthest away from Harry, to help reign himself in. He traced over the bulge once more and saw leg muscles tense when he unbuttoned Tom's pants. Suddenly, he didn't care about pushing his boundaries or making himself more comfortable around his companion. His newest goal was making Tom break his self control. For reasons he couldn't fathom, he wanted to see Tom arch up under his ministrations.

He ever so slowly unzipped the trousers Tom was wearing and managed to pull them down over Tom's hips. The man started to protest, but Harry sent a glare his way. Wisely, Tom silenced himself and relaxed once more.

The relaxing wasn't to last as Harry let his fingers skim over the silky boxers Tom was wearing. They were a deep shade of sapphire and did little to hide the obvious erection beneath them. Not letting himself think for too long, he wrapped his hand around the package and firmly, yet gently, stroked the length a few times. The strain Tom was putting on himself was incredible, he could practically feel the man's frustration as he tried to keep himself still.

All at once, he felt his heart rate rise. He was able to keep the memories at bay, but he was having a difficult time controlling his body's reactions. He loosened his grip and went back to the barely-there touches. This seemed to allow Harry's body to relax.

A little while later, he looked up at Tom. Burgundy eyes with dilated pupils burned into his soul before they closed once more. His voice was breathy, nearly silent when he spoke.

"H-Harry...I...Please, I'm…"

"You're what?"

"God Harry, if you don't stop right now I'm going to come with just your touch alone." Harry's cheeks turned bright red but he continued with his ministrations. He had wanted to see Tom lose his composure, and this was the ultimate surrender of self control.

He allowed his strokes to lengthen from the base of Tom's erection to the very tip and he decided to test his limits before adding a bit more pressure to his touches.

Tom shuddered and small jerky movements rocked his body as the damp spot on his boxers became increasingly less damp and more wet. Harry couldn't tear his eyes off of Tom, he watched as the beautiful man completely let go of reality and came undone under his hand. A heady feeling of power came over him when he realized he had done this. He had turned the greatest wizard of all time into a shivering pile of half formed pleas and pure bliss.

Vernon had always been in control of his own orgasms, but this was different. Harry was in control of Tom's orgasm. He was the one dictating how fast or slow things would go. He was in control of if he wanted Tom to experience this sort of pleasure or not. It was a heady feeling, the feeling of not being afraid of the person he was bringing to the brink. He wasn't afraid because he was the one in control; he could stop any time he wanted and he had the added satisfaction that Tom had done everything in his power to not come in his pants and yet Harry had made him feel so good he did just that.

Tom cast a quick cleaning charm and opened his eyes, an apology already forming on his lips. He expected to see Harry upset and curled in on himself. What he found was Harry leaning over him with a hungry look in his eyes and a self-satisfied sort of air hung about him.

"Harry, I'm s-"

"If you continue with that sentence, you really will be sorry Tom. I wanted to make you lose control like that. I think I needed it. To have control over someone else's pleasure like that. I...I liked it."

Tom sat up and stroked Harry's cheek.

"I liked it too, Harry. You know you can do anything you want to me, even leave me on the brink for days and I won't be upset or angry. If this is what you need to help you heal, then I'm willing to endure anything you want. Come lay with me, I'm very tired now." He leaned back down and held his arms open. Harry hesitantly laid down with him, his head resting upon Tom's arm and his arm resting on his chest. Tom covered them with a light blanket and they both drifted off to sleep.