I, uh, would appreciate it if you didn't murder me for this chapter? It didn't want to be written. It was a stubborn, stubborn sod and just wouldn't let me write it properly. I'm sorry.
Once again, thanks a ton to everyone who favourited, followed, or reviewed :)It might be the first time I'm actually anxious at the idea of checking my email and not appalled, because I know there's notifications from you guys.
To kzdsvjnwe: Thank you :)
To yngoldfogee: Jealous Tom ftw. Everyone likes jealous Tom. Thanks!
Berlin: I might have to show up at your door to tackle hug you, so that's not paranoid. I can't just for the rest. I might use Nocturne for another Tomarry idea I have in mind. Also, please do make an account, your reviews are just so amazing, I want to spam you with PMs.
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter and never will, full stop.
"Do you...do you think we're related?"
Harry hadn't meant to ask that- it was completely irrational, because whenever the subject of relatives had breen brought up until now he'd cringed away, and suddenly at the prospect of Tom being one, his viewpoint got turned upside down.
Charlus' revelations on Parseltongue- that it was heridatory, and there hadn't been a largely know parselmouth for centuries- lead up to a lot of conclusions. It made both of them descendants of Salazar freaking Slytherin, for one, and effectively nulled the point their dear friends from Halloween were trying to make. Not that blood purity really had a valid point to begin with.
And yet, what came to him first, the thing that got stuck in his mind, twisting and poking and making him think about it and ask right after Charlus bid them goodbye, even when there were several more significant issues to discuss, was the possibility of being related to Tom.
If he wanted to look at it logically, of course, it would help with his friend's research, and that was obviously something to be glad about. He wasn't looking at it logically. He just knew that the thought made him feel very cozy and warm.
"Well, of course," Tom replied, blinking at him in actual confusion. "I thought we established that a while ago. If you mean related by blood- it could be a few generations back, but even if distantly, yes, I think we are."
I thought we established that a while ago.
Harry couldn't- and didn't really care to try- to fight back his grin at that. "And makes Slytherin our great-great-great-great-grandfather. With some dozen more greats. Smug, are you, o Great Descendant of a Hogwarts Founder?"
"Quite," Tom agreed, easily. Satisfaction was written all over his face. "I like how that sounds, I think."
"That was sarcasm, you conceited asshole."
Tom just shrugged at him, maddeningly unfazed.
"It gives us a new lead for our other research, too," he murmured, "and proves our friends' claims wrong. Speaking of them-"
Harry frowned, and promptly threw the thing nearest to him- an ink pot- at the other.
"If you develop blood purity ideas, I'll hex you," he warned, and Tom snorted.
"It's not a matter of ideas. It's simply inconvenient to be anything but a pureblood."
That wasn't exactly innacurate, even if him wasn't happy to admit it, and Harry could accept it.
"Speaking of them," Tom continued, as if there hadn't been an interruption, "I think it's time we give them a reminder of why they keep away from us. It's been a while since Halloween, and they may be growing daring again."
Harry hesitated. His feelings with tfor the would-be-bullies hadn't changed since their encounter, but to strike without being provoked, this time, didn't sit well with him. Then again, they couldn't wait until the others decided to attack them again- they had to be in complete control of the situation, if they wanted to do it right.
"Or, of course, we could do nothing, and regret it when we're once again cornered in a dark, empty corridor. Which option do you prefer, Harry?"
Damn Tom for reflecting his own thoughts. Damn Tom for actually being right. Damn Tom for the fact that the mere memory of his scared and hurt was enough to make Harry want to utterly destroy those measley, pathetic creatures.
"You pick only one of them, no permanent damage done, no more than two weeks in the Hospital Wing," he said finally.
Tom made an annoyed sound in the back of his throat. "You're far too merciful."
"It's enough," Harry insisted, stubbornly, no room of argument in his voice. "We're just trying to give them a reminder, no? It doesn't have to be actively harmful. It could be symbolic. Something to get the message across."
His friend gave a sigh of resignation- which Harry found quite funny, actually, considering that he was th e one putting up with all sorts of unimaginable bullshit.
Still. He wouldn't have it any other way.
Dorea Black was amused.
Her lips twitched faintly, and she tilted her head to the side, observing the pale, glaring girl in the Hospital Wing's bed.
"However did she end up like this, Ma'am?" she inquired, adding the stereotypically necessary hint of concern in her tone.
She could care less, to be honest; the girl was a vaguely liked acquaintance, she had it coming, and she didn't appear to be in too much pain. Dorea wanted to see if the brats had been clever enough to cover up their tracks.
"Snake bite," the nurse grumbled, exasperated. "Though it was thankfully not venomous, and a conjurations, as far as I can tell. Reckon some kid was practising a conjuring charm and the product ran off. Of course, they didn't think to inform the professors that there was a snake on the loose."
Well, a prior incantato could potentionally reveal the culprits- she called bullshit to the nurse's theory of it being an acccident- but that could be easily solved by using another's wand. Or even just using another spell right after, so the charm would find that. And the way it was all set up, no one would even think of checking the students' wands.
Nothing all too impressive, quite simple actually, but effective.
Dorea decided she was interested in both brats- Potter and Riddle- and her thoughts flew to her rather large book collection. Maybe she'd get them a little something for Christmas, if they continued being so amusing.
The only reason they'd caught her attention initially was because of Potter's resemblance and relation to Charlus. A silly reason to notice someone, of course, but it turned out to be a good thing that she did, so she wouldn't dwell on it too much.
"Shit, Black," she hissed, once hissed with no amounts of subtlety whatsoever, once the nurse prowled away, and out of hearing distance, "what I told you Halloween night, you don't speak a word about it, is that clear?"
Dorea offered the girl a mockingly sweet smile. "I don't like your tone, dear. You're not in much of a condition to threaten me, no offence. You'll have to try something else."
Of course, she had no intention of going around telling tales about the kids' rather unique talent- she was rather curious to see when they would reveal it themselves. Soon, if they had any common sense. Of course, they didn't know that she knew, but they couldn't hope that intimidation would keep the other girl's and her friends' mouths shut forever.
"He's a mudblood, Riddle," the girl snarled, wrinkling her nose in disgust. "No one will believe you if you tell them. It should be impossible!"
Obviously, he wasn't, his ability was enough to make that certain. But she figured it would be too big of a stab to the girl's ego to admit she'd assumed wrong.
"And yet, you're concerned. Afraid they'll do you in if they find their secret isn't revealed in their own terms?" Dorea suggested, raising a brow.
"They did this because I stood there while an idiot taunted them! You're an idiot too, if you're not afraid."
Of the firsties? As if.
Really, they had potential, and they may make considerable enemies in a few years, but to fear scrawny eleven year olds? She was better than that. And she really didn't like the way this girl was talking to her.
"Would it make you feel better?" Dorea sneered, eyes narrowed. "Will it make it any easier to deal with that you got beaten by children, if I pretend to cower in fear as well?"
The girl glowered.
Dorea decided her newest acquaintance was incredibly dull, for all the useful information she provided her with.
Casting a Disillusionment Charm on themselves and taking shifts outside the Hospital Wing was easy, if not laughably so, at least enough to boost Tom's already unusually good mood even more.
They'd purposedly picked a day when no one else was bedridden, so they would know with absolute certainty who all the visitors came for, and they'd picked a Sunday, so they'd be relatively free to monitor the area all day long.
They would have actually gone inside the Hospital Wing, but their charms tended to wear off after around an hour, and they just couldn't risk being seen, even for a brief second. Changing shifts eah hour, as a result of that, was practical despite the irritation it caused.
Tom cast a glance at the corridor ahead of him, to ensure it was empty, and then walked on towards the corner where he knew Harry would be standing, even if he couldn't see his friend. If he squinted his eyes, he could catch a glimpse of an intangible blur, like a thin line of smoke fading in the air.
He folded his arms and leaned against the chilly wall, inclining his head in greeting when Harry appeared next to him a moment later.
"The two from Halloween, the ones you said came earlier, left about fifteen minutes into the shift," the boy reported. Not too much closeness between them and their victim of choice, then, if they'd stayed with her for less than half an hour. He wondered if the fourth member of the group would show up at all. "A Slytherin prefect, sixth year, came a while later. She's still inside."
"Did you get a name?"
"No, but it shouldn't be too hard to find out who's the sixth year female prefect. Besides that, I think she's a Black- she looks like Alphard and his creepy sister-" Who had developed a habit of trying to glare holes into Harry and Tom occasionally, thus earning the title of creepy, "-quite a lot. I could ask."
"Do that," Tom agreed, pulling out his wand to cast the charm, twirling it around as though trying to wrap himself in rope. He grimaced at the feeling as it took effect. "Last shift for today. It's late, and it would be pointless to stay up spying on our friend's nearly nonexistent associates all night long."
Harry nodded absently, poking the air in front of him to determine where Tom was. "Okay. Don't scare too many kiddies passing by, while you? See you up in the dorm."
No faith in him whatsoever. Not that it wouldn't have been entertaining to boo at the children and watch them panic and try to figure out where the sound came from, but really, he couldn't be bothered. And it wouldn't do good to attract attention to his hiding spot.
"Yes, yes, I'll play nice," he confirmed, and Harry went on him merry way.
The prefect left the Hospital Wing about ten minutes before the hour was up, and Tom followed her back to the Slytherin dorms shortly.
Right after casting a hex on door, blocking the way of whomever may try to go visiting at night.
I will go to a dark corner and laugh awkwardly now.
Buuut...I've made a deviantart account, and I'll be probably posting a lot of Tomarry stuff as apologies for chapters like this one, or, well, just because the urge to draw fluff is too strong. I cannot resist. Link's on my profile if anyone's interested in seeing the nightmares I call drawings :)