Tomarry One Shots

Other People's Dreams

Ship: TomRiddlexHarryPotter

All credit goes to Queen_of_Awesomeness on Ao3

------------------

I never have the time to do the nothing that I want to do

I'm always rushing around being what other people want me to be

Well, the fabric of my soul is frayed and falling apart at the seams

I'm tied up and tied down by the strings of other people's dreams

---

There was very little time between finding out he was a wizard, fighting off crazy evil men, and graduating for Harry. It seemed that everything was always happening and finally in his moments after graduation and before starting his job as an auror he had about two weeks to calm down. Thankfully after sixth year everything that seemed to be happening with the wizard Voldemort calmed down so much that the real stressors in his life were NEWTS, as they should have been. Though, even after two years of not having to save the school from the dark fascist history of Wizarding Britain he still felt that there was something in him that said he had to be on the lookout for the next bad thing.

"I am so incredibly glad that graduation is over, Dobby. I couldn't even imagine trying to study for one more day." Harry fell back onto the sofa in the living room of his flat, groaning.

The elf had stuck with him after his second year, and though he knows now what a faux pas it was to free the elf, he and Dobby have worked out a magic-sharing system that works for them. It keeps Dobby alive and healthy and keeps Harry from feeling like he is owning someone. And of course, the galleons that he pays Dobby help even Hermoine from feeling bad about the arrangement.

"Yous will have to do the studying when you get to the aurors." Dobby points out, as he continues to wipe down the empty coffee table for the third time that day.

Harry thinks that him being around all the time is stressing Dobby out a little bit, but he hopes that they will get used to it. He doesn't have much for Dobby to do throughout the day, though the elf seems to find chores to keep himself occupied. And of course, Dobby has agreed to cook the meals. That's really the only thing that Harry has ever asked for him to do, and it works out for both of them.

"Don't bloody remind me, I think that I am going to take another few weeks off. Maybe start in the next training group." Harry says, "Though of course, that means I won't be in with Ron, but he's a big boy I think we could stand to have some separation."

Even just saying it made Harry a little anxious to think about, but it was the truth. They had no way of guaranteeing that they would even work together once they were trained, so better to be used to the separation from the beginning, right?

He rolls over so that his face is facing the back cushion. I think I'm going to take a nap. This is, of course, the second nap he's taken today. And the fifth nap he's taken this week. It is Thursday.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

I'm starting to see that that isn't me

My freedom isn't free

All I really want is some room to breathe

Who the fuck-

Harry flies off the couch and stands in the middle of the living room brandishing his wand. His heart rate jumps, and there is a moment where his brain jumps back to the Triwizard tournament like it does every time there is a scare like this. Loud sounds, unexpected movement, the nightmare he had whenever he got knocked out during the last game haunted him in a way that he never thought nightmares could.