When We Were Young

C H A P T E R T W E N T Y - E I G H T

September 2nd, 1944

Tom and Harry stared at each other for a solid minute, unblinking, waiting for the other to speak first, before Harry sighed and glared lightly at Tom, squinting his eyes.

"Do you expect me to apologize first, Tom?"

Tom's expression didn't stray from neutrality. "If you wish."

Harry exhaled sharply through his nose. "Why are you being so difficult?"

"I think I'm perfectly cooperative."

Harry tisked, "It looks like I came too early." Harry turned around to walk away. He was getting tired of being the one to initiate the confrontations.

"Wait!" Tom called, stepping out of his doorway to grab onto Harry's hand. "I'm sorry. . ."

"For?" Harry drawled, not looking back at Tom.

"Tsk. You make me sound like a child when you say that."

Harry wanted to say that Tom certainly was behaving like one, but bit back the harsh words.

"I'm waiting, or do you not know what you should be sorry for?" Harry asked as Tom failed to generate a response after another few, silent seconds.

Tom sighed, squirming in his place. "I know you well enough to know that you think I'm doubting you---"

"You are!" Harry snapping, throwing an annoyed glance over his shoulder.

"I'm not, I promise," Tom said softly, pulling at Harry's hand to make him turn around. Once Harry was facing Tom, he pursed his lips and unclasped their hands to cross his arms over his chest.

"Then what are you doing, Tom?"

"Harry. . ." Tom sighed again, and Harry watched in bafflement as a blush rose on his face. Tom Riddle? Blushing? Well, if that isn't the cutest thing, Harry didn't know what was. If Harry wasn't supposed to be mad at Tom, he would've squished Tom's cheeks and cooed at how cute he was being. "I might have a. . . I--- erm---"

Why was Tom stuttering so much?

"As. . . let's say possessive, I am of you, I. . . think---just sometimes---that you will find someone else, less possessive, a little nicer---"

Harry snorted, his shoulders sagging in lost tension. "I like your flaws, Tom."

"Flaws? They are not flaws! Just characteristics---"

"Your characteristics then," Harry teased, smirking cheekily up at Tom. "Who knew that the top student of the school was secretly so insecure."

"I'm not insecure! Just worried---"

"Same thing~" Harry sung, smiling widly while Tom huffed. "Don't worry, Tom. I doubt there will ever be someone as perfect for me as you."

Tom huffed again, his a smile twitching at his lips. "You're too corny. This was supposed to be a serious conversation."

"If that's how you want it, then kneel and beg for my forgiveness," Harry said coldly, struggling not to break his icy façade as Tom sweat-dropped, a confused glint in his eyes from Harry's sudden shift in mood.

"Pardon?"

"You heard me. On your knees."

Tom stood frozen for a second before dropping down to one knee, a knowing, teasing glint in his eyes. Tom grabbed one of Harry's hands and caressed it to his cheek, curling his other hand around one of Harry's calves.

"Forgive me, my love, for I have sinned," Tom breathed out, failing to keep a slight smirk off his face.

A blush creeped up Harry's face, his cold façade finally cracking. "What a terrible biblical allusion."

"Do you not want me to worship you?"

Now with his entire face gleaming red, Harry pushed Tom's face away from him and tried to scurry away back to the Slytherin common room, calling out a hasty good-night, but Tom held tightly onto his leg, keeping him back with amused chuckles.

"Why go that way when there's a short cut through my dorm?"

Harry stopped struggling to get away, his eyes widening and his jaw dropping slightly. "But---"

"You heard Orion and the others. Wizards don't mind same-sex relationships like muggles do. What's holding us back?"

Harry studied Tom's face carefully. "And you're sure about this?"

"Definantly. Are you?"

There was a beat of silence.

And another one.

And another one.

One more until Harry nodded.

Tom grinned, standing up from his kneeling position. "I'll take you inside then. Just a fair warning, you might feel a little weird getting the marks."

"A little weird" was an understatement. It felt like being put under a microscope and watched carefully. Forgein magic was poking and prodding at him, running over his body, touching his own magic. It was only until Harry started feeling invaded instead of evaluated that he used his own magic to metaphorically smack the hand of the forgein magic. At that, the forgein magic slowly receded, and Harry felt a tickling sensation on his forearm. Pulling up his sleeve, Harry saw that he had the same mark as Tom. His magic did seem a little more noticeable in presence than before, but that was all that Harry felt at the moment.

Glancing up at Tom, Harry saw the older boy smiling down at him in pride.

"Good-night, Tom," Harry said quietly, feeling a bit shy.

"Good-night, Harry," Tom replied, leading Harry over to the door that lead to the Slytherin Common Room.

Once Harry got to the common room, he ignored the startled, awed look on the single Slytherin that was still awake and hurried to bed, burrowing himself under his fluffy blanket.

If Harry squealed into his pillow, no one was awake know in his dorm.

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Character Guide:

First Years:
Eileen Prince
Lyle Lupin
Ester Lovegood

Second Years:
Harrison Peverell
Druella Rosier
Myrtle Warren

Third Years:
Dorea Black
Tom Riddle
Thaddeus Nott
Aurleus Avery

Fourth Years:
Charlus Potter
Orion Black
Corvus Lestrange

Fifth Years:
Abraxas Malfoy
Lucritia Black

Sixth Years:
Septimus Weasley
Fleamont Potter

Seventh Years:
Walburga Black
Eliza Prewitt