Title: Crystal
Rating: PG-13/R
Genre: Romance/Angst/Humor
Summary: AU; "He's as… fragile as crystal…" To wear matching rings is believed to be the ultimate expression of love… complete detail inside
Pairing(s): Harry/Tom R.
Warnings: AU Yaoi, slash, Boy/Boy
Disclaimer: Don't own fandom. Concept behind story doesn't belong to me either. Story itself does. So does Moorinto… and various cameo characters. So don't sue me or have me erased because I'm not going to lose my very first-ever paycheck to people who don't know how to read a disclaimer.

Summary: The ultimate expression of love… In the small town of Moorinto, it is believed the ultimate expression of love is to wear a matching ring with the one you love. It could also be the deepest sign of friendship, depending on which finger you wear it on. When the semi-loner Harry Potter suddenly finds his matching ring with the person he least expects, it's an up and down coaster ride to discovering if this person could be his worst enemy… or his greatest love.

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AN: Well, that's not how I wanted it to come out at all. :sigh: Oh well. C'est la vie. I changed the genre from humor to angst because, as someone pointed out, there's not much funny in it. -.- I tried, really, but it seemed not to like my original plans. :goes off to sulk:

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"Harry! Ooh! I could kill you, I really could!" Harry was right to assume Nadi wouldn't be pleased. She was furious. "Darn it! What am I supposed to tell my friend? I'm seriously going to lose rep over this!" She stomped around the kitchen banging pots onto the counters.

"You know, I don't think I should be surprised," she continued scathingly. "You've always been like this… like there's this cold side of you, you use as a mask. Which, may I say, is totally not healthy, Harry! I mean think of that whole thing with poor Cho. You broke up with her so suddenly, saying you 'weren't sure you seriously loved her.' I bet you've never seriously loved anyone who wasn't family before!"

"Now, Nadi, that may be a little harsh on Harry, don't you think?" Nadi turned and glared at the new voice.

"But just think about it, Uncle Sirius! He broke up with her the day she bought matching rings for them. Broke her heart and it was like he didn't feel anything from it."

Sirius sat down on the stool next to Harry, throwing his briefcase atop the counter. "I'm sure that's not true," he said, leaning back to toe off his shoes. "Everyone feels something from breaking up, whether the rejected or the rejecter."

"If you ask me, he's just indifferent to everyone!" Nadi sniffed and turned to slice up the carrots.

"I don't know why you're getting so worked up over this, Nadi," Harry said, reminding them he was still there. "That guy… he's not really as great as everyone thinks he is, you know."

"Stop trying to make him into the Big Bad Evil just because you don't like him!"

"I never said…!"

"What guy is this?" Sirius interrupted, looking between them curiously.

"Only the single hottest high school senior in town, Tom Riddle. He goes to Harry's school."

"Riddle? You mean from that large bank chain up north?" Nadi blinked at him in surprise.

"Yeah, how'd you know?" Sirius shrugged and grinned.

"I defended his father in a case last year. You must be talking bout Tom Riddle Junior. I met the kid. He's not so bad. A little quiet, but polite." He sent a dirty look towards the kitchen "Which is more than I hope for with some kids." Nadi blew him a raspberry. "So what happened anyway?" Harry explained about the gift.

Huh." Sirius looked surprised. " I didn't picture you the type of guy who sulks with his tail between his legs after being rejected like that." Harry scowled at him.

"The gift wasn't from me, Sirius."

"He threw the gift right back in his face," Nadi said loudly, as though he hadn't spoken. "If Tom riddle had done that to me, I'd have thrown it right back at him."

"No." Harry fiddled with an onion to delay peeling it. "You should never force a gift onto someone who doesn't want it. It's rude, not to mention insulting to the gift."

"Harry does have a point, Nadia. Maybe it's not as bad as you think." Smiling softly, he took the onion and began to peel it himself.

"Yeah," Nadi sighed, "I guess you're right. But still… I hate to say it, Harry, but do you think… maybe Tom Riddle just really hates you? That's the impression I get from your stories."

"Harry stared silently at the counter before closing his eyes and sighing. "Yeah. I get that impression too." He stood. "Do you think you can finish without me? I'm not really hungry tonight."

"Sure, Harry." They watched him go upstairs with mixed expressions.

"Siri…" Nadi said hesitantly. "Do you think, maybe, that there's something… wrong with Harry?" Sirius sighed softly and rubbed his face, glancing back at the stairs.

"No. I don't think there's something wrong with him, really."

"But he's been like that since… well, since I could remember." She bit her lip, slowly chopping up the rest of the potatoes.

"He wasn't always like this… as though nothing could make him happy." He gazed sadly at the wall, propping his chin in one of his palms. "You were too young to remember, to know what was going on, but Harry knew. He didn't talk for three weeks after your parents died, and we could barely get him to eat. That's why we moved here. I had hoped that if we lived in a small town he could heal."

"Harry's real fragile," Nadi said softly. "You can't tell from the outside, but it's there in his heart. It's like his heart is a piece of fine crystal that he keeps locked away so it won't ever shatter. But, Siri, he needs more than peaceful surroundings to heal him. He needs someone to help it along."

Sirius sighed. "You're right, of course. But it will be hard for him. Even before the accident he wasn't much of a people person." He crossed the room to the fridge, retrieving a can of soda. He leaned against the wall looking thoughtful.

"I wonder…" he said slowly. "You know, this Tom Riddle boy Harry's always complaining about. I don't think Riddle hates Harry at all. It reminds me of something your mother used to say a lot: 'The more you care about someone, the more you hurt them.' You know, it could be… Maybe Tom Riddle really likes him…"