Harriet Potter: Tom Riddle's Obsession

Chapter 17 - Tom's Exquisite Gift

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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The midwife's visit was alarmingly brief.

After determining Harriet was not yet in active labour based on the charm she performed, Tom had been furious that the midwife had the audacity to hand them a potion and go on her way.

Harriet did find some relief and settle down after her dose of magical medicine.

As night fell and she remained asleep, he yawned while he laid down to join her after hours of careful observation.

Foolishly relying on Harriet's slumber as validity for the midwife's determination, Tom curled around Harriet and gradually drifted off to sleep himself.

His rest was unmercifully anxious as he tumbled through one nightmare after another.

Harriet had been abducted.

Something terrible had happened.

The babies had been ripped from her and scattered.

She was screaming.

In Tom's nightmares, his darling's wail wrenched his insides as he listened to her long, primal cry of misery.

As he opened his eyes with a gasp and the noise continued, he slowly realized Harriet's scream had been real.

"AAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHHH!"

Tom leapt from the bed and pounded into the bathroom towards the sound of his lover's shout.

He blasted the door open with a hateful burst of nonverbal magic before he dashed inside and found Harriet clutching the sink while she hunched over her rounded belly.

"HARRIET!" Tom shouted as he rushed towards her.

"TTTOOMMM!" Harriet called through the pain.

The raw desperation in her voice startled him as a guttural groan came from her chest.

Before he reached his suffering beloved, he nearly slept and fell as he skidded on the clear fluid that had puddled around her feet.

Harriet ended her groan with a dry, gasping grunt as her body finally gave her a break between the pains.

"My-My waters went!" She cried while Tom steadied himself and made it to her, "It's.....It's time! They're coming!"

Tom hurriedly glanced over her in a hasty search for any alternative explanation before he hissed, "That can't be! The midwife said it would take another week to-"

Harriet didn't allow him time to finish as another strong contraction washed over her.

"-OOOOOOOHHHHHHHH!" She groaned as she widened her feet and sunk her hips towards the floor while she gripped the counter.

Tom braced himself for the challenge as he swallowed thickly and nodded.

He abandoned his dedication to not using Legilimency on Harriet without her permission.

In the throes of labour, he realized his mate lacked the ability to communicate, much less agree to anything.

"Legilimens." He murmured under his breath.

Without the need for a wand, Tom found himself delving into Harriet's mind and grimacing at the pain that had overtaken her logical thoughts.

Helpful beyond understanding, Tom's adeptness at mentally reading her did guide his hand to where low circles and counterpressure would be best rubbed into Harriet's back.