Before the Storm

Chapter 18

Things were easier in the morning.

Not easy. Not light and carefree by any means. But they didn't hurt as much as Harry thought they might. He hadn't given much thought to what he should say or do if ever presented with his friends again, and never in a million years would he have come up with the scenario that had unfolded. That he would be forced to choose. That he could not choose to return to them. And then, before he could really understand it, before he could think of what he should have said and done, they were gone.

It hurt.

But not as much as before. When he was alone. When there was nothing but him and a cold new world. It didn't even hurt like Sirius had hurt. He knew they were alive. That they were okay in their own time. And despite what Hermione might say, he knew in his heart that he had changed the future. He couldn't assure that there wouldn't be a war, though. That someone else might take up the mantle. Only that Tom wouldn't be the cause of it. That Voldemort would never rise. And who else could command such loyalty? Who else was strong enough to reign as he had? There wasn't another soul that could wind up so terrible.

Tom was already awake when Happy opened his eyes, which put the world a little bit more to rights. If there had been any aquatic onlookers this morning Tom had already taken care of it and gone back to his potion of trying to be a human blanket for Harry.

Who would have guessed that Tom Riddle, so stoic and dark and composed, was such a cuddler?

"They'll be fine." Tom assured him without asking what was wrong. It was nice that Harry could feel the sincerity there. The bond between them taking a lot of the guesswork out of reading each other.

Harry nodded, "and what about us, now that we have to live in a place where the twins aren't being restrained by their mother?"

He didn't need the connection between them to be aware of Tom's amusement, his eyes brightened, his lips twitched towards a smile, then he took a deep breath and said in a somber tone, "they may be...chaotic, and wild. But they do not wish to see destruction. I don't think we have much to worry about with them."

Harry snorted in disbelief. "I'll remind you you said that when they blow something up."

"Is that likely?"

Harry just laughed, wiggled out of Tom's arms and rolled out of bed. They had several more days before the end of break. Days in which there was nothing for them to do but bask in the warmth of the fire and each other. In the middle of the afternoon Harry received a letter from Fred saying that they finished their exams and would hear the results the next morning, but that they were assured a place in the school next term. Apparently they had created a story of running from the war after losing their family. If the ministry thought another set of orphans showing up without school records or identification was odd they didn't seem to show it.

Until they could be placed into a dorm the twins were instructed to stay in their rooms at the Hog's Head. Going to visit them was as good an excuse as any to leave the dorm and get a little fresh air, and it rounded out their days nicely. Not least of all because Tom actually seemed to enjoy their company. Telling them what he learned in his years of working on Knockturn Alley, helping them understand what might draw customers in this age.

And at night it was just the two of them. Uninterrupted. Uninhibited. They did their best to forget the rest of the world once the door shut behind them and they could fall, carefree and with vigor, into each other's arms.

All in all, it was the best winter break Harry had ever had.

~~~

Winter at Malfoy Manor was the same as always.