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: Sorry, sorry, sorry! But it's finally here now, be happy. There are only two more chapters left, including the epilogue if I decide to write it. Otherwise there's only one left.
Happy Holidays everyone!
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"Harry, wake up already." The loud and rather demanding voice pervaded sharply into the hazy, colourless landscape of his dreams, jerking him slowly but surely into wakefulness. "I know it's the weekend, but it's nearly ten already." He opened his eyes half way and looked toward the door to his room.
Nadi's blurry outline tapped her foot impatiently, looking down at him with her hands fisted on her hips and a scolding frown. Harry was struck by how much she looked like their mother, standing like that.
"Come on, please?" Her scolding look turned pleading. "Remus was called in on an emergency and Siri refuses to get dressed before noon. I really need you to go to the store for me. I'd go myself, but I'm trying a new recipe and it'll get ruined if I leave it for too long. Please?" She pulled out her does eyes and gave him such a pitiful look that they both knew he'd never say no.
He glared at her balefully and drew the covers down.
"I hate you. I abhor you with my very being." She cheered and did a small victory dance before flouncing out of the room to let him dress.
"I love you too, big brother!" Harry grumbled halfheartedly as he dressed, releasing a few jaw-cracking yawns along the way. He descended the stairs into the living room and noticed Sirius in his usual weekend position: slouching on the couch in his pajamas watching cartoons. Harry rolled his eyes and went to the kitchen to grab a bite to eat.
"So what was it you wanted me to get, anyway?" Harry asked, munching softly on a jam bun. He looked over her shoulder at the stove; all of the burners were covered with a pot of some kind and there was something baking in the oven. It smelled good, but he didn't exactly like the look of the brown sludge boiling over in one of the pots. He cringed and backed away.
"I need eggs, milk, brown sugar, pancake mix…." She listed several more things, each item getting stranger and stranger. When she listed nutmeg and pickles, he put up his hands and shook his head.
"Hang on a second, let me write this down. It'll be lucky if I can carry all of this stuff home." She grinned and produced a pre-written list from her apron pocket. He gave her a blank stare and then growled at her.
"You were stringing me up," he accused, shaking a finger in her face. She laughed.
"Like a fishing pole." He opened his mouth, thought about it, then closed it again.
"I'm not even going to ask." He sighed and took the list from her.
"Don't take too long, okay brother?" Harry gave her a small smile.
"Promise." As he passed the living room on his way out, he gave Sirius a glare. "She's turning into you, you realize." Sirius gave him an innocent look.
"What, that's a bad thing?" Harry rolled his eyes and held out his hand. Sirius blinked at him for a moment. "Oh, right. Here you go." He handed over his credit card. "Don't max it out." Harry pocketed it and opened the front door.
"I'm not Nadi," he called back, chuckling softly as he heard her affronted 'Hey!' from within. He glanced once more at the list once outside and sighed again.
'Might as well get going.'
The walk toward the store was rather quiet. He took the opportunity to evaluate his newfound revelation. There was no way it could be possible. How could he love Tom Riddle? He was cold, rude, overbearing… cute, self-sacrificing, humble…. There certainly wasn't anything to say that he was a bad guy. At least, not to anyone but Harry.
'How can I be in love with him? I don't even know him… not really. Aside from our encounters, I only know what I've heard from others. Rumors are rarely true anyway.' He frowned and turned to take the shortcut through the park. 'I'll admit he's not too bad to look at, but looks are nothing to fall in love with. If that were true I'd still be with Cho.'
He scowled and rubbed his forehead, disgusted with himself.
'Look at me! I sound like a star-struck girl. Must be this heat.' Spying a water fountain nearby, almost hidden by tall bushes, he made his way over. As he bent down for a drink, he heard voices coming from the park entrance. He would have ignored them if it wasn't for something that caught his attention.
"Oh, just look at those trees! This is such a beautiful time of year, don't you think so Tom? And the sky's so clear today."
''Tom?' As in Tom Riddle?' Harry leaned forward to peek around the bushes. Sure enough, it was Tom Riddle. Walking at his side was a woman, looking at the trees with a large, beautiful smile. Despite himself, Harry couldn't look away.
Tom smiled, looking down at her a little. "Yeah, it is a nice day. I guess we're lucky." She laughed.
"Well, it is my favorite guy's special day. I'd hate for it to be raining." Tom shrugged, still with that soft smile.
Harry envied her. He'd never given him a look even half that warm. He couldn't help but notice how beautiful the woman was. She was definitely older than him. She couldn't have been his sister, Tom only had brothers. As they walked closer, he pulled himself more and more behind the bushes, still unable to tear himself away.
"I guess so. Father's going to be happy to see you. He says you visit far less than he'd like, considering we live in the same city." She smiled.
"I get so busy with my work that sometimes I loose track of time. But enough about me. How'd it go? You know, that special project you told me about?" Tom looked up at the sky for a moment before looking back down at her.
"It's going alright. By the way, the ring fits perfectly. I'm really glad you made it for me." She smiled beautifully.
"I noticed you were wearing it. So it really fits okay? I'm glad you like it. I put my love into it."
"Of course I like it." Tom put an arm around her shoulders, his voice fading as they walked farther away. "After all, it was a gift from my dear Miss Pansy."
They turned around the corner and disappeared from view.
Harry's fingers tightened their hold on the fountain. He stared blankly ahead, the conversation between Riddle and the unknown woman ringing in his mind. The way he had looked at her, the gentle way he put his arms around her shoulders…. It must be that she was the one he loved. She was the one who gave him the ring he cherished so much. No wonder Tom thought sharing a ring with Harry was so troublesome.
'How can I compete with that? I'm in love with him, I admit that now. How can I not? My heart feels like it's been ripped from my chest. And now I know…. Our rings really are different. Mine was bought from a petty wish to keep people asking me about Cho. His was given to him with love.'
Harry lifted his right hand up, looking at his ring. It really was such a simple looking thing. Not really that handsome, and really scuffed and used. Riddle's ring looked almost new, it was so cared for. Now that he thought about it, they were too different. Besides… it's not like Tom would ever like him like that anyway. With a sigh, he slipped the ring off. He held it tightly in his fist for a moment before placing it gently on the water fountain and walking away to finish his errand.
When he passed the water fountain on his way home, the ring was gone.
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IMPORTANT!! READ BELOW!!
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Post AN: By the way, I won't be finishing or continuing Easier to Run. I've simply run out of ideas and I can't write it anymore. I'm also not writing a sequel to Crystal, but there might be a few one-shots from the Crystal Universe. And maybe a cameo appearance in my new series out sometime in '07 called Alter World Complex. Here's a little teaser:
Alter World Complex (MA) (A/A/Suspense/Drama/Mystery)
"You may have won this battle, Potter, but I have not yet been defeated." Voldemort laughed insanely even as his eyes glossed over. "You will forever roam worlds that are not yours, eternally seeking a way home yet never to reach it," he rasped. "You think yourself such a hero, Potter? Then you must fix the wrongs of each world before you can move onto the next and you have one week in each to do it." He chuckled, a sound that was more like wheezing than laughter. "And while you are playing hero, I will be here, gaining strength… and destroying all you love. This curse I place upon you. Novo Mundus Vir."
Even as his last breath escaped the fallen Dark Lord, with a final beat of his heart what remained of his magic left him, surrounding Harry before he could do more than gasp and look up in horror. Then, with nothing more than a wisp of wind to even hint he was ever there, all that remained was a field of the dead and dieing and the sunken carcass of a once great, but evil, man.
To know more, go to my Bio. There will be some information there that may interest all of you authors and plug some of your stories. But you have to go read it!! (Besides, then you can also read the song I wrote. )
Bye!