To Live is the Rarest Thing

Chapter 16

“Of course,” Harry said with a smile while Tom pretended not to quietly laugh in Harry’s face. “I’ll be there.”

When they walked back to their own home later, Izzy bouncing by Harry’s side, Tom looked down at Harry with something that might have been an apologetic smile if it wasn’t for the clear amusement in his eyes.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to sit in on the choir again,” Tom said while Harry’s bullshit-meter went into high alert. “All that noise overstimulates me far too much. You wouldn’t want me to have a meltdown, now would you?”

“That is just…” Harry shook his head in clear exasperation. “You’re just abusing your disorder right now, aren’t you?”

Tom sniffed while looking away from Harry. “You’re being very ableist right now.”

“Oh fuck right off,” Harry muttered with a mock-glare directed at his soulmate, while Tom chuckled in response. Still, Harry dutifully played two hours of Andrew Lloyd Webber songs in the community centre that evening while Tom got to relax at home so his precious brain wouldn’t explode, even though Harry’s brain nearly did after the hundredth rendition of Jesus Christ Superstar.

During the rest of the week Tom received copies of his Masteries from the appropriate Guilds and filed them at the Ministry while Harry received a letter from the Guild of Potioneers to tell him to go-ahead with human trials with his improved Wolfsbane potion. Remus conveniently had a list ready with almost a dozen willing werewolves who were more than happy to receive Harry’s potion after hearing the rave reviews from Remus.

Life went on in a pleasant, quiet sort of way, which Harry very much appreciated. His mood had improved dramatically since his bout of mild depression in the autumn, and Harry wondered if he wasn’t simply suffering from seasonal mood changes. He’d have to keep an eye out what happened the next autumn.

Tom was also notably more relaxed, having figured himself out as Tom Riddle at last. Understanding why he did the things he did helped him come to terms with a few issues from his previous life as Voldemort, as well as his experiences in the orphanage.

Together they tentatively started creating a potion that might treat, or even cure, ADHD. Of course, creating a potion from scratch was a long and delicate process and for now Tom and Harry mostly exchanged ideas of where to even start on such a potion, often leading to spirited arguments about the addition of this ingredient or that.

In the first week of February, Tom booked a conference room at the Leaky Cauldron and invited the potential candidates for their new business for a meeting. Plenty of people had replied to Tom’s advertisements, but lots of them had passed on the opportunity once Tom sent them a small information package about what the business entailed exactly.

Four people showed up to their meeting. Two muggleborns, Jessica Beck and Madeline Vaughan, a half-blood named Niall Hammond, and Regulus Black.

“Why?” Harry asked in a whisper as he sidled close to Regulus while Tom explained a few practical things to the others.

Regulus sighed, a faint rosy hue appearing on his pale cheeks. “I’m…ever since I came back, I’m unsure what to do with my time. I didn’t have a job before…I left, and I don’t know what I want to do for work right now. I might join you at Hogwarts, but for now this seems like an interesting opportunity.”