Tomarry - Who are you?

15

Orion banged on the door, hoping maybe the noise will startle Harry.

Harry on the other side, frantically tossed and turned in his sleep as his old friend haunted his dreams. Suddenly, he shot up, sweat trickling down his temple and a sob escaping from his trembling body. "I'm getting too comfortable. I can't get too comfortable. Betrayal, I'm betraying Cedric. Stop Harry" Harry mumbled as he starting seeping into insanity.

Orion sighed as he continued to get no response, thinking of ideas to get through to Harry. Bingo! Orion muttered under his breath about how awesome and clever he was, as he walked to the owlery. Tom would not pay attention to any old bird but if I convinced Harry's owl Hedwig to take the message, that would definitely send alarms to Tom.

Orion saw Hedwig perched slightly above the door " Hedwig". He watched as she flew down, looking confused. What a clever bird. " Please go to Tom and make him go to Harry. Harry needs help. Don't leave till he starts going.". Hedwig didn't move, making Orion sign. All of sudden, Hedwig flew out, making Orion smile.

Tom was still marking out plans when suddenly Hedwig came to the window, tapping on the window with her beak. Tom raised his eyebrow, confused at why the bird would be here, thinking it was Harry's message he dismissed the group. "Hedwig I'm going" Tom exclaimed after noticing the bird was rather persistent.

Tom walked out of the classroom and back to the Slytherin common room, before going to his room.

"Harry!" Tom rushed to the bed in a panicked manner. "Breathe, stop, look at me. Hey. Harry!" Tom put his arms around Harry, leading Harry to launch himself at Tom, curling in his lap, whilst mumbling the same chant as before.

"Tom. I'm weak. I'm sorry." Harry mumbled in Tom's chest. Tom ran his fingers through Harry's hair. " No" Tom whispered. "Look at me, you are strong. Ok. What happened?" Tom added. Harry whispered two words nightmare and Cedric. Tom sighed.

"We'll get through this, Harry. You don't have to face it alone when you wake up, I'm here. Next time, find me." Tom said softly, tightening his embrace. "Cedric wouldn't want you to suffer like this. It's all in you head Harry".

Harry's sobs began to quiet as he clung to Tom. "I miss him so much," he confessed. Tom stiffened but brushed his jealousy off, focusing on Harry only.

"I know," Tom replied gently. "But punishing yourself won't bring him back. He'd want you to keep fighting, to keep living."

Harry nodded, trying to absorb Tom's words. The guilt still gnawed at him, but Tom's presence provided a small, much-needed comfort.

"Stay" Harry whispered. "I don't want to be alone.".

Tom nodded without hesitation. "Of course. I'll be right here." Tom replied, getting comfortable and forgetting about the last lesson of the day.

As Harry settled back against the pillows, Tom stayed close, holding his hand. The room grew quiet, the only sound being Harry's steadying breaths. Tom's presence was a solid anchor, helping Harry feel a little less adrift.

"Thank you," Harry murmured, his eyes heavy with exhaustion but a bit of peace creeping in.

"Anytime, Harry," Tom replied. "We'll get through this. Together."

With that promise lingering in the air, Harry started to drift off into a calmer sleep, feeling safe and supported, a little bubble he made around his fears. A pretence to help him stay sane. Tom stayed vigilant, ready to chase away any more nightmares that dared to haunt his Harry.

Before he fell asleep, Harry whispered, "what do you do when you are your own hostage?". Tom tensed up as Harry fell asleep.

Tom's heart pounded in his chest as he pondered Harry's question. The darkness of the room seemed to press in on him, suffocating him with its silence. What did Harry mean by being his own hostage? Was he only struggling with inner demons, trapped within his own mind? Or was there something more sinister at play?

Images flickered through Tom's mind: Harry, bound by invisible chains of fear and doubt, held captive by his own insecurities. Deep emotions was new to him, before Harry he tried to think of the world in a cold way, a black and white painting.

Unable to shake off the weight of Harry's words, Tom resolved to unravel the mystery later. For now, all he could do was watch over Harry as he slept. But as the time stretched on, Tom couldn't shake the feeling that perhaps Harry was a prisoner of a darkness far deeper than either of them could fathom. Even though he was anchored to this world now, Harry was struggling, insanity coming out to play. However, Tom swore, that Harry will never be taken away from him, he will find a way to help Harry escape from the webs of time, which did not forgive Cedric.

Orion waited for Hedwig to return. Once on her arrival, he left satisfied that his idea worked.

Thank you so much for reading. I'll be back soon hopefully with another update. Sorry about the super long delays.