Second Lieutenant Tom Riddle and the Dursleys' Girl

Chapter 3 - Tom, the Hero

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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Tom kept Harriet clutched safely in his arms until he was certain the enemy's gunfire had ended.

Shouts were heard in the distance as the last-remaining enemy soldiers fled.

Tom had few concerns with his wand tucked in his glove, but Harriet had no idea about her rescuer's impressive abilities.

She gasped for breath as she held onto Tom until he reassured her with a confident smile, "It's alright. They're gone now.....They're gone.....Don't fret, no one can hurt you as long as I am near your side."

His words seemed incredibly intimate for a stranger.

Harriet blinked in disbelief.

Haughtily sure of himself, Tom propped his head up under one fist as they lay in the dirt and gravel.

Through the smoke and dust, he grinned as he reached his other hand forward and introduced himself, "Second Lieutenant Tom Riddle at your service, Miss......?."

"I......My name is Harriet Potter." Harriet managed to stammer as she boldly reached a hand out and shook Tom's, "You're Second Lieutenant Riddle? The man my aunt and uncle read about in the paper?"

"Well, I don't know much about the paper." Tom shrugged, "But yes, that is my name. You have quite a bit of courage, Harriet Potter." He smirked, "There aren't many women who would have braved an onslaught of bullets to bring a cup of tea to a thirsty soldier."

"There aren't many soldiers who would have defended our street.....It's rather ugly." Harriet frowned.

The smirk on Tom's face widened as he noticed the blush on her cheeks.

Adrenaline raced through Harriet's system in the wake of the peril she had overcome.

Besides the thrill of avoiding death, she realized Tom Riddle was the most handsome man she had ever seen.

Chiseled features, with deep, dark eyes and darker curls to frame his angular face, Harriet wanted more than anything for Second Lieutenant Riddle to take her away.

Perhaps she could make food for the soldiers each evening while they rested around a campfire?

Perhaps she could polish their boots?

Perhaps she could do anything to go with Tom and stay far from-

"Harriet!"

"Harriet!"

"HARRIET!"

Harriet and Tom both looked over to see the door of the Dursleys' house open as Petunia and Vernon rushed into the street.

To Harriet, their cries sounded like the screeching of vultures as they marched towards her.

Tom watched curiously before he asked, "........Your parents?"

"No, I'm an orphan." Harriet said immediately before she nodded at the Dursleys. "That's my aunt and uncle."

Before Petunia and Vernon reached them, Tom smiled as he commiserated with Harriet by revealing, "Ah, I'm terribly sorry to hear that......Though I do understand. I'm an orphan too."

Harriet's emerald eyes widened as a weary smile danced across her lips.

Her aunt and uncle's shouts melted into the background while she drowned in her rescuer's smouldering stare.

After being locked up in the Dursleys' house like the unfortunate princess of some long forgotten fairytale, Harriet Potter wondered if she had finally met her prince.