Understand

Tom Has A Great Idea

This is an au where Tom and Harry are in the same year at Hogwarts. Their backstories are basically the same, except it was Grindelwald that killed Harrys parents, and he never comes back after that.

....

Harry listened to another one of Tom's long spiels as they sat together in an abandoned classroom. It was less dusty than the other abandoned classrooms in the castle, mostly because Harry and Tom had been using it as their meeting place for almost two years. Tom was talking animatedly, waving his hands and speaking loudly, trying to get his point across to Harry.

Harry, on the other hand, had heard this speech before, and already had his reasons for his disagreement with it. He let Tom go on for a while, but eventually cut him off, "No, Tom, we can't." He felt like they were having the same argument over and over, as he shot down Tom's suggestion once again.

Tom just scowled and continued on. "I really think we should-" Harry sighed rather loudly, cutting him off and repeated once more, "No, we can't. You know why."

Harry turned away, back to his essay trying to signify the end of their conversation so they could put the touchy subject behind them, but Tom ignored that and scooted closer, "Harry, come on, you know that's a stupid excuse. They're your friends. They won't care. Or, well, if they're your friends they shouldn't care."

Harry frowned, looking back at Tom. They'd had this conversation too many times before, but Tom never seemed to understand. "You don't know what they're like, they really do hate you."

Tom scoffed, "Hate me? Why would they hate me?" Harry rolled his eyes and then looked pointedly at Tom's Slytherin tie. "Oh, I don't know... according to Ron, you're 'a stupid, pompous little git' and that's just Ron's opinion... Hermione isn't very impressed by you either."

The Slytherin just waved a hand dismissively, "Oh, you know Granger only dislikes me because I'm above her in all our classes. And Weasley is just an idiot, why are you even friends with him?"

Harry rolled his eyes at that comment. "Ron is not-" he was cut off when Tom put a hand over his mouth and used his other hand to pull Harry closer to him in the small bench they were seated on.

"Ah, don't, I know what you're going to say..." Tom's hand slid off his mouth, as the Slytherin scrunched up his face in an unflattering manner and attempted to imitate Harry. "Ron is not an idiot! He's wonderful and he is my best friend!"

Harry gaped at Tom's playful and mocking demeanor, "You got it all right, but, I do not sound like that!" He said, pretending to be offended even as he laughed.

Tom smiled at his reaction and then gasped, "Wait a second, somethings not right here..." Tom narrowed his eyes at him suspiciously and Harry did his best to look innocent. "I call Weasley an idiot and you immediately defend him? What did you do when he called me a pompous git?"

Harry grinned at this, moving slightly farther away as he responded, "Oh, I agreed with him. You definitely are a pompous git."

Tom let out an exaggerated gasp and grasped his chest, "Choosing your friends over your lover! You wound me Harry!" Harry laughed as Tom pretended to look devastated at his 'betrayal'.

"Shut up, you know you're a pompous git, and you're proud of it, stop pretending." Even as he said it he couldn't stop the small laughs from coming out as Tom gave him a wide smile. He always loved seeing Tom so carefree and happy, and he liked to think he was more of those moments since they had gotten together.

"Hmm, yes, I am rather...egotistical, but I'm also Head Boy, and I'm at the top of all my classes, and I've been told that I'm very good looking...so I think I'm entitled...You know what? You're lucky to have me, Harry Potter." Tom paused in his shameless gloating and reached his arms out to drag Harry closer again.