Summary: Harry and Tom/Voldemort married to end the war. Years later their marriage is actually going pretty well. However a dinner at the Weasleys doesn't turn out as expected.
Harry was staring into his reflection as he reflected on how his life came to where it was. How all out war was prevented when he was 17 through treaties galore. Some of the smaller points in the treaties made total sense to him, like how the dark demanded all the death eaters to be pardoned, while the light required the discrimination against muggleborns to cease. The dark's biggest stipulation, though, had him stumped.
It had been over a decade, and Harry still didn't understand why Tom demanded that Harry marry him. Maybe it would make more sense if Tom kept him naked and tied up, alwayss ready to be used as an object for anger and stress relief. Instead, his life has been very pleasant. He has not been hurt, starved, or mistreated in any way. He could come and go, as well as have visitors as he pleased. And Tom, well, Tom was wonderful. He would sit and actually listen when Harry had a bad day, like he somehow actually cared. How he looked at Harry, as if Harry was his entire world. How he noticed all the little things, like how he would make sure that the elves cooked his favorite foods when he had a bad day, like how he always made sure the fire was hot in the winter because he always got so cold (however, Harry also suspects that Tom gets cold easily too. Side effect from the resurrection ritual that never truly went away, even after Tom somehow gotten rid of the snake face. Still, Harry has never been able to figure out how Tom fixed it.). How Tom would always curl around him at night because he knew that Harry couldn't stand sleeping in open places, and similarly, the lengths he went to, to keep the cupboard empty of all except some pillows and blankets, because he knew Harry felt safest there. How Tom treated him, as if their marriage was one of love, rather than the peace treaty union it truly was.
"Darling, I'm hoooome!" Tom called in a sing-song voice, from right behind him, effectively startling Harry from out of his trance.
"I know your breathtakingly beautiful love, but I never took you as narcissistic." Tom teased.
"Just distracted. I missed you." This caused Tom's face to melt into the fondest expression. Harry didn't understand why Tom went to such lengths to act in love. He didn't get anything from acting like this, and he wouldn't lose anything from not. Acting this way in private would not help Tom's politics or outside life in anyway, and it wouldn't change how Harry thought of him either because Harry knew Tom did not care about him outside of any benefits Tom could wring out of him. Still, he didn't complain because his heart would do summersaults every time Tom called him one of those lovely pet names, or whenever Tom looked at him with adoration in his eyes.
"Beloved, it's only been a couple of hours since we met for tea earlier."
"I know, but it's still been too long!" Harry whined, causing Tom to emit a fond chuckle.
"Come, dear. Remember, we're having dinner with Molly and the rest of your Weasleys tonight." Tom said, reminding Harry why he was staring into the mirror in the first place. He was trying to fix his hair. He doesn't know why he bothers. It's not like his hair has changed any since he was 7. Not even scissors change his hair for more than a couple of seconds; it just grows back instantly after it's cut but never gets any longer outside of that.
With a sigh, Harry decides to give up and just go put his shoes on, leaving the mirror to someone who can actually tame his hair… even if said hair already looked like none of them were out of place.
Eventually, Harry and Tom joined again to floo to the burrow.
Harry always enjoyed dinner with the Weasleys; they were the closest thing he had to a family. This dinner was no different. Everything was going great… until Ginny picked up his cup, that Is.
"Harry, I saw Tom pour something in it earlier… it smells like Amortentia." Ginny said hesitantly but with an overwhelming edge of anger.
"Give it to me." Harry reached out to receive his drink, bringing it up to his lips to take a sip.
"HARRY! NO!" yelled all the Weasleys, desperate to stop him. Harry, though, ignored them all and took a swift drink from his cup before looking at Tom with a fond but exasperated expression.
"My dear, I did warn you to dose me at tea today rather than at dinner with the Weasleys."
"I know. I'm starting to think you were right, dearest." Tom responded.
"What else is new?" Harry joked.
Throughout this display, the rest of the room just looked on incredulously. That is, until Hermione finally gathered enough of her senses to attempt to beat some into Harry.
"Harry! That drink is laced with love potion! Probably from him!" She pointed at Tom. "Why are you just joking around? Do you not realize that he put Amortentia into your drink?"
Harry looked right into Hermione's eyes, now completely serious, and said
"Who do you think asked him to do it?"
Causing gasps to erupt from the rest of the room.
"But why? Why would you ask him to do that?" Ginny tentatively asked.
"I'm married to a man that killed my parents, attempted to murder me multiple times, and even crucioed me for minutes on end when I was no more than 14. However, he does actually have a moral line. You see, his mother dosed his father with love potion until she got knocked up. She thought her being pregnant was enough to keep his father around. Apparently, she was wrong. Which is why he ended up orphaned after his mother died in childbirth-Sorry for spilling all of that out, dear, but they do have to understand somehow."
Harry apologetically glanced towards Tom, suddenly realizing just how personal of a story he was sharing.
"I suppose so." Tom sighed in response.
"Well, anyway, it took me like a solid month to convince him to dose me. He even offered to let me out of the marriage! As if we could do that without risking the peace!... Though, I guess that doesn't really explain whyI asked him to dose me with Amortentia…"
"I'm married to a man, that by anyone else's standards, ruined my life, and now has ruined any chance I have at a normal marriage. The only way I cope is by the semblance of being in a normal marriage with someone I love. That's where the Amortentia comes in; it's the only way I can cope. I don't see anything wrong with having Tom dose me with the love potion. I think that after all I have been through, I deserve a little bit of happiness, and if I can achieve that happiness through the love potion, well, it doesn't hurt anyone!"
Looking around, he saw a room full of devastated faces, all shocked from his desperation filled outburst.
"Perhaps we should close this conversation and open up a lighter one. But first, a toast!" Standing up, Harry lifted up his glass before saying "To love" and drowning down the rest of his Amortentia-laced drink.
After that, the party went on smoothly, if a little strained. However, it only went on because everyone ignored the bitter, near hysterical laughter pouring from Harry's mouth after his ironic toast, as well as the crazed and pain filled look in his eyes
That night the Weasleys all laid awake in their beds, thinking about the tragedy of their adopted suffering enough that he would purposefully poison his own thoughts.
In another house, Harry laid awake, pondering how the Amortentia has become unneeded to create a spark in his heart for his husband. How the dose after dose of love potion: which started out as a way to cope with the reality of his life, was now nothing more than a ploy to prevent his husband from ever finding out just how far he has fallen.
Next to him, Tom lays, wondering if his beloved will ever know the real reason he was so hesitant to dose him with Amortentia: not that his parents succumbed to the potion, but because he wanted Harry's love to be real. He offered Harry his freedom from their marriage because he finally realized that Harry would never love him, that he would never be happy. But nonetheless, he eventually folded in and ignored his own suffering to make his dearest happy.
Because Harry's love might not be real, but Tom's certainly is.
By the way, this has a sequel called 'Toast to us' (it has a happy ending), so if you enjoyed this story, make sure to go check that out.