Chapter Summary: a couple of touch starved guys can't help but casually touch when allowed to do so

Beginning Notes: Happy Birthday, Tom! With this chapter, the fic word count is now over 40K!

Chapter Nine

January 4th, 1999 — Monday Morning

Harry woke up the next morning feeling more comfortable and well-rested than he had felt in years. He'd had nightmares or restless sleep, both made worse by the memories of the war, for as long as he could remember. But this time his mind had stayed blissfully blank throughout the night.

A cold feeling beside him told him that Tom was still in bed with him. As Harry raised his head from his pillow, he locked eyes with Tom, who was sitting up against the headboard, and smiled sleepily at him. Harry couldn't make out his expression without his glasses, but his voice was soft when he spoke.

"Good morning," Tom whispered into the dim lighting of the room. "Did you sleep well?"

Harry nodded as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes with the back of his hand. "Best sleep I've had in a long time," he admitted.

"You didn't have any nightmares, I assume?"

"None, thank Merlin," Harry said through a yawn. "It's a bloody miracle."

"Good," Tom said. He hesitated for a moment before he rested his hand in Harry's hair.

Harry froze in place as he stared at Tom with wide, disbelieving eyes. The hand was solid, despite Tom still being translucent, but it was freezing like he'd come inside after being outside in the snow without wearing gloves. Tom's thin, long fingers brushed through Harry's sleep-mussed hair, and he couldn't help but close his eyes with a happy sigh. It felt brilliant.

"You've done it then?" Harry breathed as he opened his eyes.

"Mm," Tom agreed as his eyes followed the path his fingers took. "I thought about where I went wrong in my earlier attempts to interact with the physical world. Concentration, of course, is important, but so is intent and visualisation. The size of the target and how much energy I put into my actions are both required in a successful attempt. I've managed to consistently levitate, hold, and touch items since adjusting my hypothesis."

"I'm glad, I know it must have been frustrating not being able to touch things like you used to."

"Indeed. Being able to feel touch in this form is astounding. I wasn't expecting it," Tom murmured, eyes intent on Harry's face as his nails lightly scratched Harry's scalp. Harry's eyes fluttered closed as he held back a groan. His hand was cold, but it was soothing, and Harry hoped he never stopped touching him.

"Though, to be fair, it is a muted, dull, sensation compared to when I lived. But, regardless, to be able to feel anything again is wondrous."

"Did the rest of your, er, rest go well?" Harry asked, trying not to blush as a long, cold finger inched closer to his ears, then down his neck. His skin was sensitive, and he had to fight down a shiver that threatened to creep up his spine.

It'd been ages since someone touched him so intimately. He'd cuddled with Ron and Hermione after the Battle when they stayed with him at Grimmauld, and before, he'd been close with Ginny when they were trying to see whether they could get back together or not, but that was back in the Summer. Before Ron went to Auror Training, Hermione went to Hogwarts, and Harry broke up with Ginny.

Tom's touch felt like coming home, and that? That scared Harry. It scared the part of him that yearned for a relationship, which yearned for touch, which yearned for companionship. That Tom felt like what he wanted; it scared him.

His mind pivoted to something else.

Harry didn't know how resting worked for Tom. Did he keep his eyes closed for eight or more hours, or did he lay there and stare up at the ceiling? It sounded awfully boring. Harry's certain he'd go mad if he were in Tom's shoes.

He once spent three hours trying to fall asleep and ended up having to go to the duelling room to exhaust himself further.

Harry wondered if Tom missed sleep, or if he even slept when he was Lord Voldemort. Tom wasn't entirely human after his resurrection in Harry's fourth year at Hogwarts, so perhaps not.

He didn't plan on asking him about it.

"Yes," Tom drawled. One of his hands now held the back of Harry's neck and played with the hair on his nape. "My mind feels much calmer. It's certainly more settled than before."

"Good," Harry squeaked. A calm mind was good. Tom's mind needed all the calming effects in the world. He could stand to share some of that newfound calm with Harry. "Then you're welcome to continue joining me here in the evenings."

Harry felt his cheeks heat as he pulled away from Tom's hand that had started to pet the side of Harry's face. He had to get ready for the day, Harry told himself sternly.

"I shall take you up on that most welcoming offer," Tom teased. "Lying next to you brought peace to my soul long enough to allow my mind to focus on my practice. Close proximity seems to bring a sense of clarity."

"Ah, yeah, 'course. Um. Great! Let me go get ready for the day." As he stood up, eager to shower and run away from the awkward feelings bubbling up in his gut, Harry blushed deeper as he realised that he went to sleep in only his pants.

Tom's gaze was a heavy, weighted thing. When Harry peeked over his shoulder, he saw the heat and appreciation in the man's eyes as they tracked down to his boxer-clad arse. Harry hastily turned his head back around and focused on getting dressed. He ignored the flush creeping up his ears and the warm smugness sitting in his belly.

He couldn't help the pleased, tiny smirk that crept across his face at the knowledge that Tom found him attractive.

There was something flattering knowing that a man as handsome and powerful and brilliant as Tom found him attractive. Could see his scars, his recovering body, and still desire him. It eased some of the insecurities he accumulated throughout his so-called childhood.

Harry shook his head free of the embarrassing thoughts and fled for his bathroom.

Later, at breakfast, Kreacher handed him a letter that arrived earlier in the morning.

"Thanks, Kreacher," Harry said as he opened the letter. "Oh! It's from Hermione!"

'Dear Harry,

Don't worry so much about me, Harry. Ginny and Luna make sure my head isn't always in a book. I'll be fine. Worry more about yourself, mister!

I do hope you're doing alright. Have the nightmares lessened at all? Are you getting enough sleep? How's Teddy and Andromeda? How are your studies going?

Hogwarts still feels eerie. More ghosts have appeared since we last talked. A few were Death Eaters, and they caused such a fright that Headmistress McGonagall had to hire an exorcist from the Ministry. Some students were afraid that Voldemort's ghost might show up too, but she assured us all that it's quite impossible. You don't think he will, do you?

By the way, I'm not sure if you already knew or not, but apparently Ginny, Luna, and Neville are together now. I didn't realise such a thing was accepted in the magical world! I've been reading through several books on Wixen Gender, Sexuality, and Relationships that Millie recommended and it's absolutely fascinating!

In case you'd like to read up on it as well, for whatever reason, I've included a list of books on the subject. If you do read them, I hope they're illuminating for you.

The next Hogsmeade weekend is from February 12th to the 14th. I've already spoken with Ron, and he'll be there that Saturday and Sunday. Ginny and Luna will be there as well. I'm sure they're already bringing Neville. We'll all meet up at the Three Broomsticks around noon on Saturday to hang out together. Sunday, I think, we'll all separate for Valentine's Day.

Do you wish for me to invite Draco, Astoria, Theo, and Millie? I'm sure they'd agree If we asked.

Also attached is a list of spells I recommend for you to use, including the text-to-speech spell. I've additionally included a list of books that also might be helpful in your academic pursuits. Let me know if you need any pointers!

For help searching through your library, I managed to weasel out a few tips from Mrs. Pince on library maintenance spells. Ones which will scan and catalogue books and allow the user to create an index of books currently in the library. I thought they were brilliant and could be useful for your library if it doesn't already have a catalogue available.

Hope to see you soon,

Hermione'

Harry laughed. Leave it to Hermione to go above and beyond. Merlin, he missed his friends.

Sometimes, he wished that he and Ron had joined Hermione at Hogwarts to get their N.E.W.T.s together. But he can't imagine going to school and having to deal with the ghosts that have shown up since the Battle.

The guilt curdling his stomach threatened to burn a hole through him. Harry doesn't know how he'll hide Tom— hide the ghost of Voldemort that McGonagall told the school was impossible for the man to form— from them.

Ron and Hermione may not recognise him, but Ginny? Harry doubted she could ever forget what Tom looked like.

Ginny would never forgive him if she found out what Harry was doing.

He wouldn't be surprised if he formed a stomach ulcer at the rate his stress increased when he thought about one of his friends showing up unannounced.

Harry knew he needed to come up with some sort of plan. Reviving Tom— getting him back into a human body— was one of his priorities even as a part of him panicked at the idea of it. He supposed they could resort to human transfiguration once they got to that point, but it'd be weird not seeing Tom's original face.

He shrugged. One thing at a time. With school in session, the only friends he had to worry about showing up unannounced were Ron and George. Neville was usually polite enough to owl first to check what time would be best.

Harry took a deep breath, held it, then exhaled long and slow. Calm. Just breathe. There was no use in working himself up.

Desperate to change the direction of his mind, Harry looked at the three extra pages which included the spells and book recommendations Hermione sent.

"Is that from your muggle-born friend?" Tom asked, startling Harry into looking up at him.

"Oh! Yeah, Hermione wrote back. She sent a few lists as well. One includes the spells she recommends, including that text-to-speech spell I told you about. She also wrote two more lists with book recommendations."

Harry handed the lists to Tom, and grinned when the man was able to hold the pieces of parchment.

Tom hummed in interest. "There's several of these spells that I'm unaware of. The library maintenance spells will surely be of help, especially once we visit Black Manor."

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking. I've never been more grateful for 'Mione's Ravenclaw tendencies," Harry laughed.

He watched as Tom's eyebrows raised in surprise.

"Books on Wixen gender, sexuality, and relationships?"

"Oh. That." Harry rubbed the back of his head. "Apparently, Ginny, Neville, and Luna are together. Hermione was surprised that that sort of thing was okay here. She said she's been reading up on it and thought I'd like to look into it too."

Tom's eyes darted up from the parchment in his hands. "Are you sure your little friend isn't already aware of your inclination?"

"Knowing Hermione, she's probably known for years," Harry joked, even as his guts churned at the thought of others knowing anything about his sexuality. "Honestly, this is probably her way of letting me know that she knows I'm not straight but that she supports me anyway."

Harry busied himself by gathering up the dishes on the table and taking them to the sink to clean.

He grimaced as he thought about it. Harry knew that Hermione and Ron and the rest of the Weasley family would be fine with him being queer. It was just difficult to even talk about. He'd been clutching so fiercely to his privacy that to be vulnerable for a moment about something like this was terrifying.

"I'll… I think I'll come out to my friends when I meet up with them," Harry whispered.

Sometimes it was okay to be vulnerable, Harry reminded himself. He wasn't a Gryffindor for nothing. Being vulnerable was certainly brave, wasn't it?

"From what you've told me, and from what I know of them, I don't think you have anything to worry about, Harry," Tom said matter-of-factly. "They were beside you and followed you into battle, surely they would support you in this as well."

Harry turned his head towards Tom and smiled. "Thanks, Tom," he said before turning back around to finish washing and drying the dishes.

Harry had just sat down in the library in the reading nook with a couch, with Tom— sitting as close as he could get away with— when Andy dropped by after her clinic closed for the night.

"Here's a list of my proxy suggestions, their specialties, what they're known for, where they lean in politics, and what they did during the war," she said, after exchanging greetings with Tom and him, as she pulled out a folder with several sheets of parchment and newspaper articles.

Harry looked through the folder and noted a list of familiar names, two of which were also Tom's suggestions— Elspeth MacDougal and Pravin Patil. Also on the list were Aziz Shafiq, Lord Walter Abbott, and Priscilla Rosier-Archambault-Börroth.

She first listed off Pravin Patil and Elspeth MacDougal and listed nearly the same points as Tom.

Patil was a barrister, known for his fairness and impartiality, looking to reform the justice system and make changes to Azkaban to make it more humane.

MacDougal was a retired tutor of wixen and squibs alike, and current activist in trying to set up earlier, more inclusive, education options.

"Aziz Shafiq is a colleague of mine. He is a reputable Mind Healer who has worked extensively to help victims of both wars cope with their various traumas. Since the end of the war, Aziz has worked with Pravin Patil in lobbying for changes to be made to Azkaban, as he's seen the damage done to Dementor's victims, some of whom were muggle-born wixen wrongly imprisoned after the Ministry fell," Andromeda paused, looking worried.

"Even if you don't choose him to be your proxy, I recommend you see him anyway, Harry. Of everyone who has been affected by the wars, you've been through more than most can say. I think it would do you some good. I only wish Sirius were alive to receive the same help."

Harry swallowed down his instinctive reaction to deny, deny, deny that anything was wrong with him. There was obviously a lot wrong with him. These last seven months, no, the last eight years were various levels of Hell. Not to mention his early childhood. He had trauma for days, and he knew it.

Tom gently held his hand and squeezed, and Harry breathed deeply to try to avoid crying right then and there.

Andy cared about him enough to try and help him, and that meant a lot to him. "Thank you, Andy. I'll think about it, I promise."

She nodded, then continued from where she left off.

"Lord Walter Abbott is an advocate for muggle-born rights and inclusion. His wife, Charlotte, was a muggle-born and she was an outspoken activist. The Death Eaters killed her for it," she said.

"I believe they are the parents of your former classmate Hannah Abbott. Walter has taken up the torch in Charlotte's name, fighting for what she fought for."

Harry remembered when Mrs. Abbott was found dead. Hannah was pulled out of Hogwarts and didn't return for the rest of the school year. If he didn't choose Mr. Abbott as his proxy, Harry figured he'd tell Hermione about the man. Maybe the two of them could work together after Hermione graduated.

"Priscilla Rosier-Archambault-Börroth is a cousin through my mother's side. She moved to France with my uncle and his wife during the first and second war," Andy said as she sat on the opposite couch, placing her purse on the cushion beside her.

"Priscilla moved back a few months ago and has begun lobbying for Creature and Beings Rights. Her mother is half-Veela, making her a quarter-veela, and her partners are a vampire and a werewolf. She has children with both partners and worries for them and their education and for their rights."

Harry also worried about Teddy. No one knew for sure whether the boy would turn into a werewolf as he got older, or if he'd just be a metamorphmagus. Harry worried about the future and what it'd bring for the boy. According to the Ministry, what rights did he have as the child of a werewolf? Harry would have to look into it.

He'd support Priscilla in her endeavours whether he chose her as his proxy or not.

"Thanks for this, Andy, I appreciate your help. Have you talked to them already?"

"Only about the basics. That you're looking for someone to sit as Proxy. These are the ones who agreed to meet with you. There were others, such as Malcolm McGonagall, Frances Goldstein, and Harvey Brown, who had prior commitments and wouldn't be able to help in time."

"Brilliant, I'll go ahead and write letters to them to set up meetings. Thank you for reaching out to them all for me."

"Of course, I'm glad I could be of help. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've had a rather long day," she said as she stood.

Harry stood up with her and accepted her hug before sending her on her way.

He had a lot to do, and so little time to do it.

Wednesday, January 6th, 1999 — Early Evening

By the time Wednesday evening rolled around Harry was exhausted. He'd had meetings all day with four out of five of Andy's suggestions and while he respected them all and hoped to work with them in the future, he didn't exactly click with any of them on a personal level.

It didn't help that being away from Tom for hours was deeply uncomfortable. Harry thought their bond— or their souls— would have settled in the near week they'd been living together, but apparently not.

Harry made a note to visit Black Manor as soon as possible. They needed more concrete answers than what they've assumed so far.

As was the case with his earlier meetings, Harry waited in the private parlour of the Leaky Cauldron which he'd reserved for the day to conduct his business in private. The parlour had runes inscribed on both sides of the door and windows to ensure privacy, safety, and security. It was something that Tom the Barman implemented with the help of Hannah Abbott who was training under him to become the next landlady of the Leaky Cauldron.

Harry appreciated the privacy — he'd had to spend at least twenty minutes earlier in the day just trying to get through the crowd towards the elderly man and confirm his reservation of the parlour.

Again, he was exhausted. Harry hated being a public figure— he constantly doubted his decision to eventually take up his Lordships, but he knew how much good he could do and that often outweighed his doubts.

Harry sighed as he looked through his notes from his earlier meetings.

His first meeting was early in the day. Aziz Shafiq was an older gentleman, in his sixties. He was a quiet-spoken, compassionate man but he had a spine of steel and a wicked sense of humour. Harry liked him a lot, but he'd rather see him as a Mind Healer than as his proxy, and he told the man that. They ended their meeting with Harry setting up an appointment later in the month.

He couldn't deny that he was anxious about that appointment, but he liked the man well enough that he wasn't too worried about it.

The next meeting, set mid-morning, was Elspeth MacDougal. She was an older woman and reminded him of Professor McGonagall. She was a no-nonsense kind of lady, but she was kind and passionate about education. Harry didn't think he'd want her as his proxy, but he talked about his plans for a Magical Orphanage and Elspeth was very much interested. He promised to contact her once he moved to implement his plans.

After her, Harry met with Lord Abbott around noon.

Walter Abbott had an air of humbleness about him, but his eyes were sharp and missed nothing. He was an advocate, yes, but Walter was also a politician at heart. And while one would think that'd be what Harry was looking for in his proxy, it wasn't.

He had a sense that Walter was a good man, but the man already had a Lordship of his own. Harry didn't think it wise to give another career politician leave to use his seats as they wanted. But he and Walter had similar thoughts about muggle-born rights and so while Harry didn't choose him as his proxy, he did tentatively agree to think about becoming political allies.

After him, Harry met with Priscilla Rosier-Archambault-Börroth around three in the afternoon after having a light lunch.

Priscilla looked so much like Narcissa Malfoy, more like sisters than first cousins. Tall, slim, and pale, with blonde hair and an upturned nose. They must both take after their Rosier parents.

Despite her appearance and blood status, Harry could tell that she was sincere in her fight for Creature Rights. She was passionate about the future of her creature partners and their children, not even talking about herself as a quarter-veela.

He commiserated with her about it, and he learned from her that her daughter with her werewolf partner had recently turned on the first full moon after her seventh birthday.

Harry was terrified for Teddy. The boy would turn one in April. They had six years to prepare, if he didn't turn before his seventh birthday.

Priscilla promised to contact her cousin and share her advice with her. In turn, Harry promised to help her fight for creature rights.

But, again, he didn't feel like she was a good fit as his proxy. He told himself that if Mr. Patil wasn't what he was looking for either, then he'd reevaluate his personal requirements for his proxy and go from there.

A quick cast of tempus told him it was almost half past five.

A knock on the door alerted him to the arrival of the man himself.

"Come in," Harry called as he tidied his notes and put them away in his folder.

The door opened to reveal an older man, in his mid-forties, with thick, long black hair that was worn in one long braid with silver rings woven into it that sat over the man's shoulder and ended just below the man's chest.

Patil was tall, though not as tall as Tom, and wore a set of burnished orange robes made from brocade that had a high Mandarin-style collar, long flowy sleeves, and intricate embroidery woven throughout the robes, with a pair of brown loafers.

He had golden brown skin one or two shades darker than Harry's, and he had a neatly trimmed ducktail beard with a slightly curled moustache. He had high cheekbones, an aquiline nose, and a wide jaw. His eyes were deep-set and black, with crows-eyes in the outer corners, and he had thick, close-set eyebrows.

"Mr. Patil, thank you for meeting with me," Harry said, and stood to offer his hand to the man to shake.

"Lord Potter-Black, thank you for considering me for the role of your proxy," the man replied in a deep, slightly accented voice. He grabbed Harry's hand with a firm grip, shook it once, then dropped it before sitting down in the seat opposite Harry's.

"Please, feel free to call me Harry," he said, uncomfortable with the formality.

"Harry, then. Please call me Pravin."

Wednesday, January 6th, 1999 — Late Evening

Tom was waiting in the entryway when Harry arrived home that night.

Harry exhaled roughly and closed his eyes in relief as their bond abruptly settled, but nearly startled when he felt a cold hand cup his face. He blinked his eyes open, half-lidded as he took in the hungry expression on Tom's face.

He couldn't help but lean into Tom's hand, the cool touch soothing away the headache that had formed halfway through the day.

They stood there, basking in each other's presence for several long minutes. The longer they touched, the more Harry felt at ease.

"I'm home," Harry whispered, his voice choked up a little from the overwhelming emotions roiling within him.

How was Harry supposed to handle extended periods of time away from Tom? He'd been distracted all day, longing to be back in the comfort of his house and sitting with Tom in the library again.

How soon could he bring Tom back to life? Would the bond settle completely if Tom were alive again?

Right, a trip to Black Manor sooner rather than later. He had a library to raid.

"Welcome home," Tom replied quietly, but his voice was just as rough and desperate, his other hand wrapping around Harry's waist to drag him close enough to lean down and press his lips against the scar on Harry's forehead.

Harry swallowed as the cold of Tom's body seeped into his own. A shiver ran up his spine and his ears turned red. He imagined what the warmth of his body would feel like, the proximity of it. What would he smell like? Taste like? How would it feel for Tom to press Harry into the mattress and—

He swallowed again to steady himself then gently pressed a kiss to the underside of Tom's jaw— solid, strong, and smooth, though translucent he may be— before he quickly pulled away, his face surely turning as red as his old Gryffindor tie as he retreated.

Tom let him go, but Harry could feel his hungry eyes following him as he fled upstairs.

After Harry took a long shower and got whatever that was out of his system with a quick wank— Why did I kiss him, why did he kiss my forehead? Why did he let me? Why didn't I kiss him on the mouth? How would the cold temperature feel against my lips? Against my skin?— then ate the last of his curry leftovers, he joined Tom in the library.

Tom already had piles of books at their table, his head deep in a book he'd been eying the other day.

Harry decided not to disturb him, instead he summoned his schoolwork and textbooks and sat across from him. He would catch Tom up later about how his meetings went. For now, he had homework to finish and prepare to mail out for grading.

For now, Harry was focused on getting his N.E.W.T.s in the core subjects of Potions, Herbology, Transfiguration, Charms, and Defence Against the Dark Arts. He was also catching up in sixth- and seventh-year studies for Care for Magical Creatures and Divination, as he'd dropped those classes after he got his O.W.L.s for them. They weren't a high priority to him though.

In addition, he was self-studying in Arithmancy and Ancient Runes. These would take Harry longer since he never took those electives, but the two subjects had become more interesting to him as he got older. He intended to eventually get his O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s in them.

He spent around two hours completing the homework his correspondence professors sent him the other day when Tom spoke up.

"How did your meetings go today?" He asked as he closed the book in his hands and placed it on a different pile.

Harry glanced at him from under his eyelashes. "Most of them went well," he said as he carefully closed his notebook. "Though, I'd rather work alongside them than have them manage my seats. Pravin Patil, however, was brilliant. I want to think about it a little more, but I think I'll choose him as my proxy."

Tom's face twisted a little as Harry complimented Pravin, but his face quickly smoothed back out. "I see."

Harry looked back down to his notebook, fiddling with the biro next to it. "I want to ask him about cultural stuff as well. I looked into it a little the other day, y'know? As a child, I was never sure about where in the family my brown skin and hair texture came from. The Dursley's sure as Hell never brought it up, racist and xenophobic as they were."

He peeked at Tom and saw that the man had relaxed and was watching him intently.

"I never thought to ask Sirius or Remus when they were alive, but I knew from photos that my father had brown skin as well and the same hair. So, I knew it had to be from one or both of his parents and, well, it turns out that my grandmother Euphemia's mother, Savitri Anand, was Indian."

Harry's chest clenched as he thought about all he missed out on growing up without his parents and grandparents. The history of his family that he's only now uncovering. He looked away from Tom again, conflicted once more at the sight of him.

"I… I never knew before. There's so much I still don't know. Like, where in India was she born? Did she follow any religious practices? Did my dad? I know some wixen follow different religions according to their culture. When and why did she come to England? Pravin won't have all the answers, he didn't even know my father, but he might be able to point me in the right direction. It helps that he really is brilliant, and I think he'd represent my interests to the best of his ability."

Tom gently grabbed Harry's hand, stopping the anxious fidgeting, and spread his cool temperature through his body. Harry barely held back a shiver.

"Learning more about your family and culture is a worthwhile thing, isn't it? I hope he's able to provide you the information you're looking for. I, of course, am willing to help you in these endeavours as well. I… I have wronged you irreparably and I cannot change the past, but I will offer what aid I can in helping you learn more about your family, should you wish it from me."

Harry's chest unclenched as he couldn't help but smile sadly at the man and squeezed Tom's hand back. "Thank you, Tom, I…I don't know if it would help ease the past, but I do appreciate your offer. I wouldn't say no to your help."

The two of them had a ton of baggage, to be sure, but Harry felt hopeful about the future even as his anxiety about the situation ate at him— there was still so much he had to prepare for. So many lies he'll end up telling his friends. But he refused to give Tom up, so Harry had to make peace with the decisions and actions to come.

If Tom were beside him, Harry thought he'd be able to do anything.

End Notes: Sorry for the long wait! Another death close in the family happened in September and I've been sticking my head in the sand and distracting myself with video games and reading fanfiction.

But we finally have a bit more intimacy between Harry and Tom. Harry was 100% touch starved growing up, and then he and Ron and Hermione coped post-war with a lot of close contact, sleeping in cuddle piles together, always touching and making sure they were still there. When Ron and Hermione left, Harry struggled a bit because he'd FINALLY received the kind touches he longed for growing up and now he was alone again. With Tom able to touch him, and him be able to touch back, Harry is 100% eager to do so. And he can't help but fantasize about how these same touches would feel when Tom is resurrected.

Tom has pretty much been touch starved his entire life. Then more than a decade he spent as a wraith without his body, then reviving left him hungry for touch of any kind. 100% had a lot of soft textures in his bedroom, expertly crafted silk robes and undergarments, walking around barefoot just to feel the ground under his feet, luxurious bath supplies, slept with Nagini curled alongside him and absentmindedly touched her scales. Now that he's able to touch again, he'll take the dull sensations over no sensations, and of course immediately wants to touch Harry just to prove he can.

And we briefly meet Pravin Patil. He'll show up more in later chapters. I was originally going to have separate scenes for each meeting with the other proxy contenders but that was overwhelming to me so I decided to briefly summarize. Also meant for the meeting with Pravin to be longer, but there's a lot I'm still thinking about when it comes to his characterization so I cut that scene short.

Let me know what y'all thought about it all! I love to read everyone's comments and theories.

Thank you all so much for reading and leaving faves, reviews, and/or alerts. I appreciate all the support!