Thank you for reading! I don't own any of Harry Potter! Please let me know if you enjoy! Updates every Saturday!
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Once the school year ended, Tom retreated to his mother's flat.
Although he looked forward to a summer filled with Harriet's occasional visits, he couldn't help but feel disheartened.
He had genuinely hoped that he would have received a reply from his uncle.
His thoughts remained consumed by Harriet and his goals, yet the mystery of his heritage never left his mind.
During the first week of a rainy June, Tom begrudged the uneventful hours that passed while his mother was away at work.
Work.
He scowled as he looked at the downpour that fell outside of his window.
Asherah contented herself with coiling on the floor of Tom's bedroom while he walked over to his desk, opened up the black diary he had bought from Hogsmeade a month earlier, and stared down at the intricate plans he had devised for his life.
It annoyed him that Harriet had gone on vacation with the Weasleys.
How many days would he waste sitting around the vacant flat and staring out the window?
The situation angered Tom more and more as countless minutes went by.
Eventually, he tossed the diary onto his desk and left his bedroom.
Tom wore a determined scowl as he walked out of his home and journeyed to a back alley where the muggle and magical worlds converged.
After a short ride on a bus designated for use by those with magical talent, Tom arrived in Hogsmeade and marched into his workplace.
"Tom!" The apothecary owner called fondly as he looked up and saw his favorite employee barge through the door, "What a pleasant surprise! I'm shocked to see you this time of year! Are you enjoying your holiday?"
"Not very much, I'm afraid, sir." Tom nodded with a solemn frown as he approached the counter, "I've come to ask if I could resume my duties before the academic term begins? I have much more availability in my schedule now."
The shop owner blinked for a moment and scratched his head as he thought, "Well…….business is much slower during the summer, but I suppose I could take you on…..if you really need the work, Tom……Shouldn't a young man your age be enjoying this time with his friends? You'll never get your youth back, I can tell you that!" He chuckled heartily.
"Please, sir…" Tom pleaded with a saddened frown, "My mother depends on the money I send her each week during the school year…..I can't possibly withhold those funds from her, but I desperately want to earn enough extra that I can further my education."
The man nodded as he smiled knowingly and replied, "Ah, well, I suppose I'd be a villain to deny a man the right to work for his schooling, eh?"
"Thank you, sir." Tom said with a charming smile, "I'll be forever grateful for your kindness."
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Without Harriet or his studies to distract him, Tom threw himself into his summer job.
He eagerly picked up every hour of work that the apothecary's owner agreed to allow him.
By the end of the season, Tom had earned more than enough money to pay for the things he wanted.
A smirk curled his lips when he entered the Chamber of Secrets again on the first night of the new school year and noticed that the stones had arranged themselves into a completely private side room that sat near the chamber's center, across from Salazar Slytherin's dramatic stature.
Tom opened the room's massive, stone door and stepped inside to inspect the Chamber of Secrets' offering.
His smirk widened as he gazed at the concealed space, which looked to be roughly the size of an average bedchamber, surrounded by four walls and a ceiling of dark stone.
Tom perused every shop in Hogsmeade until he found the goods that he sought.
He purchased a couple of lamps, a small table, a sturdy bed frame, a plush mattress, and a plethora of sheets, blankets, and pillows that were made from such fine fabrics they felt like butter underneath his fingers.
With a bit of stealth, patience, and a decent knowledge of Transfiguration techniques, Tom managed to smuggle the items into the castle.
After he had placed his purchases in the room that the Chamber of Secrets had made, he stepped back and admired his work with a satisfied grin.
The space looked comfortable, cozy, and welcoming, with the dark stone forming a protective background around the decadently soft bed.
Tom breathed a sigh of satisfaction.
Finally, he had a suitable, safe place to bring his darling when she went into heat.
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Tom sensed the long-awaited day was coming soon as he noticed that Harriet's scent had sweetened one morning while they met for a kiss and a cuddle in a hidden archway.
"Do you not feel well today, my darling?" He asked in a velvet coo.
Tom suppressed a smirk while he gently touched Harriet's cheek.
"I feel fine, I just have a headache." Harriet whispered.
Tom gazed down at her with a predatory glint of hopefulness in his dark eyes as he asked, "Do you have any cramps, sweetling? Cravings?...Warm flushes?"
"I'm not going into heat, Tom." Harriet sighed against him while he held her close.
He frowned as she added, "I don't think I'm ever going to go into heat! I'll probably end up stuck as an alpha and then we'll be mismatched for the rest of our lives."
A scowl passed over Tom's face before he wiped it away with a grin as he chuckled at Harriet and replied, "Sweetling, don't speak such ridiculous lies! You heard what we were told in class…….the more fertile an omega is, the longer it takes for one to develop cycles. Your body is trying to prepare you for bearing my pups, that's all."
"There was only one other sixth year girl in Gryffindor that hadn't presented yet, besides me……" Harriet began.
When she fell silent, Tom asked, "...And?"
"And she became an alpha last week." Harriet huffed as she narrowed her eyes.
"Well, she's not Harriet Potter, is she?" Tom quipped.
"No," Harriet replied.
"And she's not Tom Riddle's mate, either, is she?" Tom asked.
"No!" Harriet answered with a smile.
Tom hugged her tightly as he kissed the top of her head in a gesture of possessive affection.
"...I fear the fault may be mine." He whispered apologetically.
"...What do you mean?" She asked as she glanced up.
Tom moved his arms so that his school robes draped over Harriet as he laid his chin on her head and spoke, "Perhaps I've mentioned it too much….Perhaps I've pressured your body to perform…..I beg you to forgive me if that is what's happened, sweetling."
"Now who's being ridiculous?!" Harriet laughed as she raised her head to look at Tom.
"It is I..." Tom purred as he stared down at Harriet and brushed her face with the back of his index finger. His dark eyes smouldered as they bore into her, "...who should feel pressured to perform for you, Harriet Potter. My great hope is that when you warm my bed one day, you'll never want to leave."
His words were enough to ignite the passion of any teenager in love.
Tom had barely finished speaking before Harriet rushed forward and captured his lips in a deep kiss.
She whimpered as he pushed her back against the rough stone of the castle wall.
Tom's strong hands held Harriet's waist as she gripped the collar of his robes.
Both of them were impatient for her body to abandon its shyness.
As Tom snogged Harriet into a dreamy haze before the day's classes began, he resisted the urge to invite her to the Chamber of Secrets for a practice session.
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Tom Riddle largely believed in the value of practice.
He practiced his spells, charms, and enchantments over and over.
He practiced being polite.
He practiced what he would say in certain situations, hidden in the seclusion of his room before he expected an important interaction to occur, yet he could not practice for Harriet.
……..That didn't mean he couldn't learn.
Tom had told his employer the truth.
Although a portion of his extra earnings had been used to furnish Harriet's intended nest, he had saved an ample amount of his summer wages to further his education.
However, the classes Tom Riddle desired to take were not offered at Hogwarts.
After he walked through the soiled streets of Knockturn Alley one Saturday afternoon, he slipped into an establishment with a large group of entering wizards.
The sign hung outside the dilapidated building in an effort to discreetly announce the shop's true purpose:
Charming Contentments
The windows had been boarded shut to stop prying eyes from gaining free peeks at the services offered inside.
Seductive music blared from the center stage of the shop's main, dingy room.
Tom ignored the scantily clad witches that danced on the platform while wizards gathered to throw Galleons at their fishnet-covered legs.
Through the thick smog of cigar smoke and the odious smell of vomited Butterbeer, Tom ascended the rickety staircase and walked down the hallway towards the red door at its end.
Aria Adleshin had become known as a legendary omega in magical Britain.
Stories about her impressive sexual talents abounded.
At Hogwarts, many of Tom's fellow alphas fantasized about being able to pay their way into her arms, but he had no such aspirations as he raised a hand and knocked on her scarlet door.
Footsteps sounded from the other side before the door creaked open.
Tom slapped a bright smile on his handsome face as a witch stared out at him.
From her piles of thick, dark hair to her piercing blue eyes, all the way down to her shapely figure that could have given most wizards a heart attack at first sight, Aria Adleshin was unquestioningly beautiful.
Tom didn't notice as he greeted her politely, "Good afternoon, are you Aria Adleshin, madam?"
"I am." Aria responded as she eyed Tom suspiciously. "...And you're not of age."
She went to slam the door in his face, but he opened his hand and stopped her with a nonverbal charm of devastating force.
The door stood half open as Aria's eyes widened in shock.
"Please, allow me to explain….." Tom implored her.
Aria grimaced in irritation as she snapped, "Listen, you're a handsome one, I'll give you that, but I have no dealings with children! Come back and see me when you turn seventeen!"
"I'm not here to be your lover." Tom calmly stated.
Aria narrowed her eyes at him in disbelief.
"I've come to offer you a teaching job." Tom smiled.
She let out a mirthless chuckle before she asked, "...What are you on about, boy?"
"I'm a young alpha in love." Tom explained, "I'm waiting for my mate to have her first heat so that I can claim her. However, I need to ensure that I have the necessary skills to avoid disappointing her when she needs me most."
"Are…..Are you asking me to teach you how to lie with a woman?" Aria blinked incredulously.
Tom reached into his pocket and pulled out several small books as he shrugged, "I've read what I can, but I'm looking for some clarification on a few details. I need to speak with an omega like you who has experiences to share…..You are an omega, aren't you, Miss Adleshin?" He asked as he looked up.
Aria crossed her arms as she reiterated, "I don't…….touch children, Tom Riddle, and children do not touch me. We run a legal establishment here."
While Aria spoke, the floor shook and a scream rang out as someone fired a violent curse in a room down the hallway.
Tom ignored the noise and went on, "I have no interest in touching you or you touching me, Miss Adleshin. I merely wish to hear your instructions and I will pay handsomely…..Won't you consider my offer? I'm a model student, I assure you…it would be easy money to earn."
Aria glared at Tom but he kept his handsome smile as he promised, "If you assist me, I won't forget it. One day, after I become Minister for Magic, I'll repay you in ways beyond financial compensation."
"You honestly believe that a boy like you can become Minister for Magic?" Aria scoffed.
"I do not believe, Miss Adleshin, I know." Tom answered as a haughty grin of arrogance manifested on his handsome face.
Aria stuck a hand out towards Tom as she bargained, "One lesson, one hour a week, ten Galleons each time."
"Two lessons, two hours a week, for twenty Galleons?" Tom countered.
Aria sighed but as soon as she nodded in acceptance, her new student reached his hand out and shook on the deal.
Tom Riddle had decided that if a master of potions was the right person to teach him the art of brewing, then the magical world's most successful prostitute should be a suitable instructor on the art of making love.
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His first private lesson with his new tutor had to be abruptly rescheduled.
The following Friday night after Tom had enlisted Aria as his teacher, he left the castle undetected to complete a harrowing journey home.
After he arrived at Merope's flat, he sat at the dining table and glanced down at the letter he had received earlier that day:
Tom Riddle,
You must be his son, then? I suppose I can meet you at twilight a week from Saturday. Come to Little Hangleton's best pub.
Morfin Gaunt
Tom's dark eyes lifted from the parchment as he heard a key slide into the lock before the flat's front door opened.
Merope stepped inside and blinked when she saw her son seated at the dining table.
"Tom, love! What a surprise!" She exclaimed as her eyes widened, "Is everything alright? You don't usually visit on the weekends….."
"I've come to talk, Mother." Tom declared as he raised his chin and straightened his spine, "I've come to talk about my father."
A woeful frown of anguish danced across Merope's face as she looked at her son.
She moved with the solemnity of a person awaiting execution as she placed her purse on the floor and walked over to the table.
As she sat down across from Tom, she could tell by the look of determination in her son's dark eyes that she couldn't continue avoiding the matter.
"Very well." Merope sniffed as she glanced at the table, then up at her son, "...What do you want to know?"