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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Over the next few days, Harriet and Tom stayed in the Chamber of Secrets, making love and eating what food the Basilisk managed to steal for them from the kitchens.

As the passionate flurry of hormones brought on by Harriet's heat finally began to cool, she and her new mate enjoyed the last bit of her cycle with more sweet cuddles and tender kisses than intense hours of exertive coupling.

Harriet knew the second she opened her eyes on the seventh morning that it had ended.

Her heat was over.

She sighed to herself as she contemplated the ugly truth of what her discovery meant for her and Tom……they would have to leave the Chamber of Secrets and rejoin the rest of the world.

With an unhappy frown, Harriet turned onto her side and nestled against Tom's shoulder as he slowly blinked his dark eyes open.

"Good morning, sweetling." He whispered as he bent his head and kissed Harriet's lips while his arms gave her a gentle squeeze.

"Good morning, Tom." Harriet answered as she returned his kiss with a sad pout.

"You know how much I've enjoyed the faces you've made during our time here~." Tom chuckled before his smile fell away as he asked Harriet, "Though I don't care for this one very much at all……What's the matter?"

"Nothing." Harriet fibbed.

Tom smirked as he placed two fingers under her chin and gently lifted her face towards his while he spoke, "Harriet Potter……I'm your alpha now, your mate, your partner……I can't help you if you don't tell me what troubles you so…..Lie to me and not only will I know it, but you'll force me to punish you."

Harriet frowned as she sat up and looked at Tom.

Other omegas may have been offended or even frightened by his words, but beyond her irritation, all his statement did for Harriet was conjure up ideas of more carnal explorations they could take together.

Harriet's cheeks tinted pink as her mind wandered through a few delicious ideas of how Tom could restrain her in her nest, climb on top of her and-

"We can do those things later, sweetling." Tom smirked as he drew her thoughts back to the present. His dark eyes scanned her face as he spoke, "For now, I need you to tell me what's upset you."

"Did you just read my thoughts?!" Harriet scoffed.

"Of course I did." He shrugged.

"Then why don't you tell me what I'm so bothered by?" She teased.

Tom blinked at his mate as he answered, "I just tried to learn that very fact, sweetling, but all I saw were images of you, naked, with restraints holding your legs in the air while I-"

"-If you keep talking about that, you and I won't be talking for long." Harriet snapped as she shifted on the bed.

Her heat had exhausted her to such an extent that arousal had nearly become painful.

"You just can't get me out of your mind, can you?" Tom asked with an arrogant grin as he let his fingers lazily drift through Harriet's dark tresses.

Harriet playfully threw him a glare before she yawned and explained, "Stop it, Tom…..I dunno……I suppose it makes me sad to think we have to leave…..go back to the others and all that."

He laughed darkly as he asked, "Haven't you fought me on this for years? Remember? There's no point in heats and we should focus on our careers and-"

"I haven't said we shouldn't focus on our careers." Harriet scowled at her alpha, "...Just that it'd be nice to linger here a little longer, that's all."

"Well, sweetling, I have no intention of destroying this place." Tom whispered as his hand moved from her hair to trace soothing circles across her back, "We can return whenever."

"Right…….sure." Harriet nodded in agreement.

"Look at it this way, my darling," Tom grinned, "Now that we've mated, we never have to spend another night apart."

Harriet blinked at Tom.

Tom blinked back.

"You seem a bit uncertain……" Tom pressed as he cast Harriet an incredulous look.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Harriet shrugged, "We still have months until we graduate, Tom. There'll be quite a few nights we'll have to spend apart, I believe."

Tom chuckled before he asked, "And why would that be, sweetling? When this welcoming place and your homey little nest is here waiting for us?"

Harriet's lips curled into a smile before she laughed and asked, "...You expect us to sleep here every night from now on?"

"Unless we're at Riddle Manor for a weekend…….Why would we resign ourselves to seperate beds in separate parts of the castle? It's not natural, my love. You and I are mates now, we should sleep beside one another every night for the rest of our lives." Tom scoffed.

"What if we get caught out of bed?" Harriet laughed, "There's other couples in our year that don't have private chambers in the castle to run to, you know."

"Yes, that's a real pity for them, isn't it?" Tom grinned, "Besides, there aren't as many mated pairs among us as you think, some have only lied for attention…….Anyway, sweetling, we won't be caught. You needn't worry about that…..After all this time and everything we've been through, you do trust me, don't you, Harriet?"

"Yes, Tom." Harriet promised very solemnly, "I do trust you."

"Excellent." Tom smirked, "Then we'll rise shortly and return to the world above, but later this evening, we'll meet back here…..You and I, Harriet Potter……….You and I."

Harriet smiled softly while Tom took one of her hands, raised it to his mouth, and pressed a gentle kiss to the back of her knuckles.

There was something enticing in his slow, deliberate movements, the purposeful pressure of his mouth against her hand, and the smouldering intensity in his dark eyes as he stared at Harriet that made the simple motion undeniably erotic.

"Tom….." Harriet whispered breathlessly as he let go of her hand.

A knowing smirk graced his handsome face before he closed his eyes and pulled her into his arms.

Harriet sighed softly as their lips met for another slow, sweet kiss.

While the annoying prospect of leaving Harriet's cozy nest loomed over them, the couple shared another hour of private bliss before Tom reluctantly led Harriet away from the Chamber of Secrets and back to the world above.

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Some alphas would have been a bit less forward, but Tom showed no shame or qualms at all about proudly revealing the unspoken truth of where he and Harriet had been and why to everyone in the castle all at once.

While Hogwarts' students and staff ate their breakfast in the Great Hall that morning, Tom strode into the room with a content smile of wicked bravado on his face and Harriet's hand firmly held in his.

A hush fell over the crowd as the couple parted only to go to their respective house tables.

Every student stared at Tom and Harriet with wide eyes.

Tom's many friends in Slytherin smirked and patted him proudly on the back as he took his seat.

Hermione and Ron began to whisper their hurried, urgent questions to Harriet after she sat at Gryffindor's table.

At the High Table, Dumbledore rose from his seat and quickly approached the podium before he called out, "Mr. Riddle……Miss Potter?"

Harriet and Tom both looked up.

Harriet frowned but Tom grinned as if he looked forward to the challenge Dumbledore would surely present to him.

Behind Dumbledore, Professor Snape, Professor McGonagall, Hagrid, and the rest of Hogwarts' staff all wore serious frowns on their tired faces, exhausted by a week of tireless searching.

Dumbledore scowled as he stared at Tom, then Harriet, while he spoke, "...I'll see you both in my office immediately after breakfast."

Harriet nodded in silent understanding.

Tom nodded too, but as he bent his head, his grin widened.

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An hour later, Tom and Harriet stood in front of Dumbledore's desk while their angry headmaster frowned at them.

On Dumbledore's left stood a frowning Professor McGonagall.

On Dumbledore's right stood a scowling Professor Snape.

"Do you have any idea what you two have done?!" Dumbledore snapped.

"Yes, sir." Tom nodded politely, "Despite the wrongs we've committed, we humbly throw ourselves at your mercy……Harriet and I are very much in love. Her time of need came and I only sought to make her comfortable."

Professor McGonagall cleared her throat.

Professor Snape's lips twisted in disgust.

"Where have you two been?!" Dumbledore demanded, "Do you have any idea how worried you've made everyone? I'll be writing to both of your families immediately! Have you two even considered how much time and energy has been spent looking for you?!"

"Sir, I-" Harriet started to reply but Tom cut her off.

"-Forgive me, Headmaster." Tom nodded, "It was my idea to take Harriet Potter where she could not be found……Deep into the chamber of this castle that was constructed by my ancestor."

Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape's eyes widened.

"The chamber constructed by your ancestor, Tom?" Dumbledore blinked, "Are you telling us that you took Harriet Potter into the Chamber of Secrets?"

"I am, indeed, sir." Tom nodded, "Though I'll gladly give you or any of our esteemed staff members a tour anytime."

"So, it's true, then?" Dumbledore asked Tom with an unusual gruffness in his voice, "You are the heir of Slytherin?"

"Yes, Headmaster." Tom nodded, "I am."

Professor Snape and Professor McGonagall exchanged worried glances as Dumbledore straightened his spine and replied, "In that case….I'll need you to take me there, straight away, Tom, and turn over the monster for faculty monitoring."

A low, evil chuckle issued from Tom's throat as he spoke, "The Basilisk is hardly a monster, sir. It's merely a misunderstood creature of great power and beauty. Still, I'd be happy to, as long as you can….of course……..promise not to harm the creature in addition to aiding Harriet and I."

"I have no intention of harming the Basilisk, Tom…...But what aid do you seek?" Dumbledore asked as he furrowed his brow.

"You can write to our families, that's all well and good." Tom laughed with a dismissive wave of his hand, "But I fully expect you to let Harriet and I complete our education and participate in the graduation ceremony. I understand that we allowed nature to get the better of us and that we've broken a few school rules, but we're both model students…..Can't you forgive us in exchange for knowledge about the Chamber of Secrets and the whereabouts of the Basilisk?"

All three staff members glanced at each other in silent, awed horror.

It was unimaginable to think they were negotiating with a student, let alone on such dangerous terms.

Severus gave Dumbledore the slightest of nods before McGonagall did the same.

Dumbledore added an additional stipulation as he stretched a hand towards Tom and nodded, "Very well……but a month's detention for you both, served under your Head of House."

Harriet frowned as Tom stepped forward, clasped Dumbledore's hand, and gave it an eager shake.

"Thank you, Headmaster." Tom smiled humbly with all of the charming suaveness in his voice that he could manage, "...For your considerate kindness."