"There's no need to be nervous, darling," Tom whispered against Harry's hair as he pulled him close. The vote was today and Harry had taken to pacing restlessly in the time before they had to leave.

"What if they shoot it down?"

"Then we'll try again." He pressed a kiss against the faded scar. "Why don't you go read or whatever it was you were doing?"

Tom eyed the books left out on the desk and the corpse of the bird beside them. Harry had resurrected it no less than five times in the last day and even Tom was starting to feel bad for the poor thing. Each time it woke up, it looked more and more terrified. The thought that he would soon be doing the same to Nagini made his stomach twist. Harry had spent the past several days practicing on everything from snakes to birds to cats and Tom was sure it was only a matter of time before he practiced on a human.

"You're right. There's no use worrying about it."

Tom rolled his eyes at Harry's obvious lie. He knew that Harry would do nothing but sit there and worry about it, but there was very little he could do. At least, nothing that would make him stop until the vote was over.

Tonight, they would celebrate. Tom was confident that despite the misgivings many of the Wizengamot had about the bill, it would pass.

"It'll be fine, darling," Tom whispered as they filed into the Wizengamot room. He hated the purple robes. They clashed hideously with the red flecks in his eyes, but he appreciated what the traditions they represented.

"Are you a seer now?" Harry asked, no small bit of amusement in his voice.

Tom rolled his eyes.

"Go take your seat."

"This is the most nervous I've seen him," Alexander hissed as Tom took his seat beside his friend in the section with the other Traditionalists. Harry was across the room with the Moderates. To Tom's surprise, Dumbledore was glaring at Harry instead of Tom. Quite a change from his school days.

"He's got it in his head that if the bill doesn't pass, he's failed."

Alexander snorted. "That doesn't sound familiar at all."

The words dripped with sarcasm and Tom glared. So what if he and Harry were quite similar? They were well-suited to each other.

He zoned out as he watched the room. The opening was the same as the last several sittings with the same pointless argument to go with it.

And then, Tom heard the words, "Muggleborn and Muggle-Raised Advocacy Bill."

He noticed the grimace on several faces and knew they couldn't count on their votes. Dumbledore would vote against it on principle, and many would follow him as blind sheep.

"Before the bill goes to a vote," Harry said, and Tom could see how nervous he was from his seat. "I have one amendment to make."

"Oh, do you, Lord Peverell?" Elphias Doge sneered. "That's hardly a surprise."

"Lord Peverell is recognized," the Minister said, glaring sharply at Doge.

"Thank you, Minister. I would like to propose a change to the name of the bill, from the Muggleborn and Muggle-Raised Advocacy Bill to the Magical Child Advocacy Bill." He swallowed. "After all, shouldn't we be fighting for all magical children?"

"I second the change," Alexander said, almost before Harry could finish speaking.

Tom's breath caught in his throat. Harry hadn't mentioned that. How many would they lose from a change? How many would they gain?

A change like that would affect the students at Hogwarts… not just the Muggleborns and Half-Bloods and those with Muggle guardians, but all the students. How different would things have been if he had been able to simply tell someone about the boy that kept the Acromantula and werewolf cubs and other creatures in his dorm and hidden around the school rather than having to find an excuse to have him expelled? The pointless bullying between houses that bordered on torture. The actual torture that did occur between housemates. Perhaps he wouldn't have been so quick to release the basilisk on the school.

The main focus of the act established the Department of Magical Children and Families within the Ministry, which, with a proper oversight committee, would help ensure children could actually be removed from horrible home life situations and have a safer schooling experience. It would give them somewhere to turn to before resorting to murdering their abusive parent, like Alexander did.

Would his mother have still drugged his father with Amortentia if the Ministry had the power to remove her from the Gaunt home? Would Morfin still have tortured Muggles and killed snakes? Or would they have had the chance to actually be happy and healthy and still alive?

"Such a change is hardly necessary," Dumbledore argued.

"So you don't believe all magical children are entitled to protection, Chief Warlock?" Lord Black, of all people, asked. For a moment, Tom had worried the Purebloods would be against such a change in wording, a suggestion that they were incapable of taking care of their children. But then, he remembered that Harry said that in the future, Lord Black refused to disown his grandson when Walburga turned out to be an abusive mother to her children and Orion was neglectful at best.

"Of course, that's not what I'm saying—"

"Magical children are a gift," Lord Shacklebolt said. A Progressive. Tom grinned. Dumbledore's own side was turning against him.

"They are—"

"I propose we move to vote," Lord Greengrass, a Moderate.

"Seconded," a voice called out.

"Those in favor of passing the Magical Child Advocacy Bill?" the Minister asked.

Tom raised his hand, and watched as several hands raised around him. He tried to count, and, while there were quite a few, was it enough?

"And those opposed?"

He saw Doge and Dumbledore both raise their hands, but that wasn't much of a surprise. Lord Prewitt as well as Lord Crouch. It was less by far.

"It's passed," he breathed.

Alexander looked over at him and smiled.

"Let the record show that the Magical Child Advocacy Bill has passed," the Minister's voice boomed. "Next order of business."

"We won," Harry greeted him as he fell through the floo, flinging his arms around Tom and kissing him.

"We did." He rested his forehead against Harry's. He hadn't doubted for a second that it would pass. The Traditionalists always proclaimed that magical children were sacred, and despite the Progressives outnumbering them, he figured at least a few would vote for it. "I'm proud of you, darling."

The floo flared behind them and Alexander stepped out. "There was less fighting than I expected. And more in favor than I thought there would be."

"I take it you won," Nagini said as she stood in the doorway watching them.

Harry released his hold on Tom and bounded up to her, looking rather like an overexcited puppy. "We won."

She grinned.

"We were doing some research last night and we found a proper ritual to help you." He took her hands. "It's risky though."

"Will it work?" Nagini looked past Harry, to Tom.

He nodded. "It should."

Nagini nodded.

"There's a chance you'll stay dead instead, though." His heart twisted at that. The idea of losing her felt more painful than splitting his soul.

"It's a risk I'm willing to take."

A/N: So this is the last chapter I have written. The next chapter is like pulling teeth to write and I haven't had time to really sit down and force it out (which is not a great way to write anyway). It will be continued eventually, but I'm not sure when that will be.