"Basilisk?" Dorus asked, looking between Harry, Theo and Tom with a foreboding frown. "What basilisk?"
Tom ignored his friend and instead glared at Harry. "We're not killing Salazar Slytherin's basilisk. She's hibernating. That's all she does."
"Salazar Slytherin's basilisk?" Barty asked, visibly perking up at that revelation, while Dorus narrowed his eyes and said, "And where is Salazar Slytherin's basilisk currently?"
"Hogwarts," Harry said when it became apparent Tom wasn't quite so eager to answer that question.
"Hogwarts!" Dorus all but yelled, while Barty turned to look at Tom with an utterly betrayed look on his face.
"You mean to tell me there's been a basilisk at Hogwarts since Slytherin's time and you never even bothered to document this? Or to officially study it?" Barty demanded while Tom briefly looked down and rubbed a hand across his face in obvious frustration.
"Tom," Dorus said with all the menace of a mother dragon whose offspring was just threatened. "Tell me there isn't currently a basilisk at Hogwarts."
"She's hidden in the Chamber of Secrets," Tom said, both hands raised to ward off his friend's obvious fury. "She's asleep. She's old, Dorus, she's not interested in hunting or killing anyone."
"Tell that to Myrtle Warren," Harry felt compelled to point out because he knew from his previous life that the basilisk was more than willing to hunt and kill with the right person pulling her strings.
"That mudblood you killed?" Dorus said, eyes widening while he looked at Tom in utter disbelief. "You used a Merlin-be-damned basilisk to kill that mudblood? And it's still at Hogwarts even now?"
"And you never studied it?" Barty added in just as much disbelief.
"No one can enter the Chamber of Secrets," Tom valiantly tried to defend himself. "Unless they're a parselmouth."
"But she can get out of it," Harry said because he couldn't believe Tom wasn't taking this seriously. Now that he'd seen the memory of his 12-year-old self fighting the murder serpent, Harry himself wasn't as eager to return to Hogwarts knowing that thing was in the castle somewhere. "If she wanted to, she can leave that area through the pipes and explore the whole fucking castle."
"That thing needs to go," Dorus said with a calmness that seemed entirely unnatural.
"I'm not killing Salazar Slytherin's basilisk and that's that," Tom replied with a mulish look while he crossed his arms.
"Look at the memory!" Theo yelled all of a sudden. He'd been completely silent up until that point but now he was waving his hand frantically in the direction of the pensieve. "Just look at it!"
"Whose memory is this?" Barty asked as he eagerly stepped up to the pensieve.
"Mine," Harry said while leaning back in the couch. "You can all watch it as much as you like but I won't be joining you. Once was enough. Enjoy."
While they both glared at the other, Dorus and Tom shuffled up to the pensieve as well until they all surrounded the bowl and they lowered their faces until their bodies turned limp.
"Don't worry," Harry told Theo, who was trembling a bit again. "If Tom refused to take care of the problem, I will." Saying it like that made Harry seem far braver than he was, because in reality he really, really did not want to face the basilisk ever again. Why he'd ever done it as a 12-year-old was a mystery, though perhaps what had helped him along back then was the fact that he had no idea what a basilisk really was, except for a large snake. But 'large snake' did nothing to describe the true size, strength and ferocity of a basilisk.
Many quiet moments later, Tom resurfaced, his face suddenly a few shades paler than before. "Yes, fine, she needs to go."
Dorus gave Tom a very knowing look while he obviously tried not to smirk. Barty seemed rather disappointed by Tom's decision, however.
"Can't we place her elsewhere?" Barty asked while wringing his hands and giving Tom a pleading look. "It's a 1000-year-old basilisk. She should be preserved and studied, not euthanised."
"And where would you put her, knowing that a single look from the beast would kill anyone around her?" Dorus said, not unreasonably. Barty frowned and then shrugged, not able to come up with an answer for that dilemma.
"How are we getting into Hogwarts?" Harry asked, sitting up again while giving Theo a comforting pat on his knee.
"We?" Tom asked with a tilt of his head. "You're not coming, Harry."
Harry puffed up with irritation. Tom was out of his mind if he thought he could keep Harry out of this. "Of course I'm coming. You're not doing this alone."
"She knows me," Tom tried to say in a reasonable tone, but his tight features betrayed his frustration with the entire situation. "She'll be calm when I wake her and she won't attack me. I cannot guarantee she won't try to hurt you."
"Then I'll hang back," Harry insisted as he got up from the sofa and glared at Tom. "But you should have someone with you in case she turns on you should she figure out you're there to kill her."
Tom's expression went from deeply thoughtful to carefully blank within a few moments. "Very well. I believe I might be able to apparate into the Chamber, since the last time I checked out the Chamber the wards that encompass Hogwarts didn't extend that far underground."
"Then we shall proceed to the apparition point," Dorus said while gesturing at his office door. The moment Tom agreed to get rid of the basilisk he'd calmed down and now seemed entirely agreeable again to whatever plans Tom came up with. It was interesting to see, though, that Dorus felt safe and confident enough to disagree with Tom in such an obvious and aggressive way. It probably meant that as far as Dorus was concerned Voldemort was truly dead and gone and Tom really was just his old classmate and friend.
Barty wasn't quite there yet to argue so freely with his former Lord, if his disappointed silence was any indication.
They all followed Dorus and Tom out of the Manor and onto the grounds to the apparition point as dusk fell around them.
"I will examine the wards," Tom said with a tight little nod at Harry.
"And then you'll come back for me," Harry insisted, but all Tom did was give him a tight little nod again right before apparating away. Harry inhaled a deep breath, not liking Tom's response one bit but unsure exactly what it meant. Yes, he knew his soulmate better than anyone, probably, but that didn't mean that he was suddenly a psychic who knew exactly what went on in Tom's mind at all times.
After they'd been standing around staring at each other for what must at least be ten minutes, Harry realized what was happening.
"That bastard," Harry grumbled while his eyes widened in disbelief. "He's not coming back for me, is he?"
Dorus released a very amused chuckle. "I'm surprised you thought for one second he actually would. Tom cares far too much about you to put you in such danger again."
Harry opened and closed his mouth a few times, unsure how to respond to that because on the one hand he was ridiculously pissed off Tom had dumped him like that to continue the mission on his own, but on the other hand he was also really touched that apparently Tom just wanted to keep him safe because he cared. Still, Harry's anger won out soon enough and he tried to remember what the Chamber had looked like exactly and where inside of it he could apparate to without endangering himself or Tom.
But before Harry could decide on an exact location, the woosh of a portkey announced the arrival of Tom. And the basilisk.
"Wow," Barty said, eyes wide as he stared at the enormous beast.
"Tell me it's dead," Dorus replied, his own eyes closed tightly while he had his hand pressed against Theo's face to cover his son's eyes.
"It's dead," Tom said, obviously avoiding looking at Harry, even going so far as turning his back on him.
"You utter tosser," Harry hollered as he stormed up to his soulmate. "Have you completely lost the plot?"
"Not at all," Tom replied, cool as you please while he stared down at Harry with a blank face. "I do apologize for deceiving you, but as you can see it was genuinely easier and quicker for me to do it myself without endangering you in the process." And then Tom raised his hand and cupped Harry's cheek, rubbing his thumb up and down a few times, and just like that most of the wind left Harry's sails and he deflated where he stood.
"Still," Harry muttered, his cheeks heating under Tom's soft touch. "It would be nice if you just talked these things out instead of simply ignoring me."
"Fair enough. And the next time I'll do exactly that." Tom gave him a little smile, and damn it, Harry couldn't tell if Tom actually meant that or if he'd just do the exact same thing again in the future. Better to beg for forgiveness than to ask for permission and all that.
Stupid soulmate.
Then again, if Harry was honest with himself, which he really tried to be those days, if their roles were reversed and Harry wanted to keep Tom safe he'd probably do the same thing and just go about it alone.
"Fine," Harry sighed and then looked around at everyone else. Barty was staring at the basilisk the way Hagrid had once stared at a baby dragon. Dorus seemed mostly concerned about what the dead carcass would do to his pristine lawn and Theo was using his father's body as a pillar to hide behind, though he did sneak a peek every now and then. "Why did you bring it here?"
"It's worth a fortune," Tom said with a shrug, though he sounded utterly unapologetic. "I wasn't about to let something like that go to waste when it can fund us for probably the rest of our lives."
"Huh," Harry said, frowning as he stared at the dead body of his once adversary. He'd killed the stupid thing but he'd never realized it was actually worth money, and no one had thought to point this out to him. Now Harry felt incredibly stupid for not realizing any of this sooner, because he knew from his many Potions lessons that most any part of any magical animal could be used in one or more potions, so a basilisk probably wasn't an exception to that.
Tom's look was slowly becoming sympathetic as apparently Harry's revelations were obvious for others to see. "Dumbledore probably didn't want you to get your hands on a small fortune so young. It might have given you ideas of independence that were inconvenient to Dumbledore's plans for you."
"Hm." Harry nodded slowly, though his chest still burned with a mild case of betrayal. "One more thing the old bastard kept from me. I'll just add it to the list."
"That's the spirit." Tom's smile was a teasing one, and Harry snorted in return but his mood did improve.
"Can I at least document it before you cut it up?" Barty asked, voice hitching with worry. "Maybe take some pictures? Dorus, you have a camera?"
"Yes, fine," Tom said with an airy gesture.
"How about we retire for dinner now, since it's getting dark and breaking down a beast like this is probably best done in daylight," Dorus said while softly pushing Theo towards the Manor. "The body will keep for one night, I'm sure."
"I suppose that's acceptable," Tom said while Barty crowed in triumph and looked like he wanted to camp out beside the carcass all night.
Once they were all seated around the dining table in the conservatory and Nestor served them some excellent Beef Wellington with mashed potatoes and gravy and several roasted root vegetables, Barty gave Tom an utterly serious look.
"What else is hidden in the Chamber of Secrets?" Barty asked, fork forgotten in his mash.
Tom frowned in response while he glanced at Barty. "Nothing. I thoroughly explored the place when I first found it. What else should there be?"
Barty released a quiet, disbelieving sound. "What else? Anything! Artefacts, jewellery, books."
"Books?" Tom now looked as though Barty had just said an utterly hilarious thing. "Who on earth would store books in what is essentially a damp basement?"
"Didn't Slytherin have heirs?" Dorus interjected while cutting his Beef Wellington in more manageable pieces. "To leave his fortune to."
"Yes," Tom replied with a nod. "Slytherin had at least four children that we know of and it stands to reason that he left all his worldly goods to them upon his death."
"Then why did he build the chamber in the first place?" Theo asked quietly, the first thing he'd said in ages. "It looked rather elaborate for a mere basement."
"Excellent question," Tom said with an approving nod in Theo's direction. Then he sighed, long and deep. "Once upon a time I would have parroted the belief that Slytherin left the basilisk behind because he strongly believed in pureblood supremacy and wanted his descendants to use it to get rid of muggleborns. But I no longer believe that."
Harry swallowed his mouthful of parsnips and carrots and stared at Tom in disbelief. This was news to him.
"Then what happened?" Barty all but demanded, leaning forward in anticipation.
"The diary that Harry gave me for Yule was written by an earlier descendant of Slytherin and it proposed a most intriguing hypothesis." Tom took the time to take a sip of his glass of red wine while he glanced around the table. "Slytherin was a Potions Master and spent much of his time experimenting with potions ingredients whenever he wasn't teaching. He hatched the basilisk for this reason and this reason alone, to use the accessible parts in his potions. But a thousand years ago it wasn't well understood yet that spending so much time hovering over a cauldron containing experimental ingredients with unknown properties while inhaling the fumes usually results in senile dementia after some decades."
"That does sound entirely plausible," Dorus agreed quickly before taking a bite of beef. He chewed thoroughly while everyone stared at him until he swallowed and continued to explain. "Even to this day potions-induced dementia is a real problem, no matter people use shield charms and bubblehead charms and make sure there is adequate ventilation while brewing, because even with all those precautions Potioneers still are four times as likely to develop dementia and the normal potions used to treat it don't work on potions-induced dementia."
"And potions-induced dementia leads to aggression and paranoia and the inability to reason or to use common sense," Tom agreed with a few nods. "It explains perfectly what happened to Slytherin, why he had a falling out with the other Founders over something that had never been a problem before. By all accounts, Slytherin was an elitist who firmly believed those born to magical parents deserved better treatment but he never advocated for a muggleborn genocide until much, much later in his life."
"It certainly explains why he'd leave a basilisk of all things in a school full of children, the majority being the kind of children Slytherin actually wanted to preserve," Dorus added when everyone else around the table sat in utter silence, absorbing all this new information.
Harry wasn't sure what to make of any of this and at once he felt his very young age though he hated to admit it. He never even knew brewing potions could cause you to lose your mind in the most literal sense of the word. "Why is no one making a fuss about this?" he wondered out loud. "If potions hurt that many people who brew them, I mean."
Dorus sniffed and shook his head as though he found what he was about to say utterly distasteful. "Because our society depends on potions and what is the loss of a few minds compared to the common good of wizards and witches everywhere?"
"I had never thought of that before," Barty muttered to himself while he seemed lost in thought.
"Few do. Fewer still ever talk about it," Tom agreed in a whisper before turning his attention back to his meal.
The rest of the meal progressed in thoughtful silence as everyone processed all they'd learned. Afterwards, Harry followed Tom up the stairs towards their rooms with no real plan in his mind other than that he was exhausted and should probably retire early if they were to break down an enormous basilisk the next day.
"Are you all right?" Harry thought to ask when they both reached their respective bedroom doors. It couldn't have been easy for Tom to kill the basilisk one way or the other.
Tom stared at the door in front of him for a moment, hand on the doorknob, before he glanced sideways at Harry. "Want some tea?"
"Sure." And with that Harry joined Tom in his sitting room while Dobby served them some steaming cups of tea. "How did you...er..." Harry asked, unsure how to formulate that question without sounding rude or uncaring.
"Euthanise her?" Tom guessed with a tilt of his head. Thankfully he didn't seem offended in the slightest. "I transfigured a rock into a rooster. I did talk to her briefly, but she barely woke up, said she only wanted to sleep and to leave her be."
"And so you gave her that, really," Harry said with a thoughtful nod.
"She was very old and very tired." Tom's eyes narrowed for a second. "And very lonely."
"Then you really did do her a kindness."
"I suppose I did." It seemed that it cost Tom more than usual to smile, but he did manage it. "I haven't even asked about your day yet. Are you enjoying your final days of your holiday?"
Harry stared at Tom while a quiet sense of horror washed over him. Tom just reminded him that the winter holidays were almost over, which meant that New Year's was just around the corner, which meant that Tom's birthday was soon.
The day after tomorrow.
And Harry didn't have a gift.
Fuck.
"Er...yeah...I've been flying with Theo today, before we accidentally traumatized ourselves by watching my memory of the murder serpent," Harry finally managed to say when he realized Tom was waiting for some sort of reply. Harry's mind was otherwise drawing a complete blank because Tom's birthday was in two days and he didn't have a fucking gift.
"I'm sorry," Tom said, much to Harry's surprise. "I should have realized the basilisk posed a very real risk and I brushed off your concerns. I am sorry for that, my dear."
"It's fine," Harry blurted, barely able to process what Tom had just said. "I mean, yeah, you brushed me off, but eventually you came around. It's fine."
"Thank you." Tom covered his mouth with a hand to hide his yawn. "Barty and I have been busy today at one of the vacant Selwyn properties, renewing the wards."
"I should probably let you get some sleep," Harry said and quickly finished his tea before bidding Tom a good night.
But once Harry was washed and dressed in his pyjamas and snugly ensconced in his bed, sleep refused to come, because Tom's birthday was in two days and he didn't have a fucking gift.
Worse yet, he didn't have a clue what to get Tom, either. He didn't have any more family heirlooms or interesting diaries lying around to wrap up and Tom was the kind of man who cared little for meaningless trinkets, at least as far as Harry knew.
Harry barely got any sleep that night.
To the surprise of no one, Barty was up at the crack of dawn and armed with rolls of parchment, several self-inking quills and Dorus' camera, he spent hours documenting and measuring and photographing the basilisk until Tom finally shooed him off to start cutting up the carcass.
"We can spin it so that Thomas Gaunt and Barty Crouch killed the beast at some exotic location," Tom said to a bleary-eyed Harry who felt barely awake even if it was approaching noon already. "That would help getting even more attention from potential future clients."
"Sure," Harry agreed while he quietly watched Tom skin the basilisk with slow, steady waves of his wand.
Tom deserved to have his birthday celebrated properly and in Harry's mind that meant that he deserved a proper birthday gift, but Harry had no clue what to get him.
And here Tom had opened up his home to Harry, which he kept secret from everyone save for his adopted sister-snake.
Frowning, something dawned on Harry. He had no home to show Tom, but perhaps he didn't need one. Perhaps he could do something else to give Tom a memorable birthday.
"I have to go," Harry said, just as Tom got ready to carve out the venom glands. "Urgent business." And without giving Tom a chance to respond Harry turned on his heels and hurried inside the Manor to the public fireplace to floo to Diagon Alley.
A few hours later he returned with lots of packages, which he immediately stored away in his rooms before joining the rest outside. They'd made good progress and most of the carcass had been broken down and stored away in boxes under plenty of preservation charms to be sold later in small batches around the world.
"Tom," Harry said, suddenly feeling surprisingly nervous. "Keep tomorrow evening free."
Tom blinked at him, stilling his hand before cutting up more enormous ribs. "Tomorrow's New Year's. Did you make plans for us?"
"Something like that," Harry replied with a giddy little smile, nerves still coiling around his stomach. What if Tom hated his plans? No, Harry couldn't afford to go down that slippery mental slope. He had a plan and he was going to make Tom's birthday memorable.
And Tom was going to enjoy himself. He hoped.
Anyway, Harry had to go see an elf about a kitchen.
For the rest of the day, Harry was busy executing his birthday plans. Whenever he saw Tom he couldn't help that giddy little smile from forming and Harry was by now well aware that Tom must be wondering if his soulmate had spontaneously lost his damned mind, but Harry didn't care.
The morning of Tom's birthday, Harry was busy as well with finishing up all his birthday projects and it wasn't until after lunch that Harry spoke to his soulmate again.
"Be ready around five this afternoon. And bring a coat," Harry said, while Tom merely quirked an eyebrow in response before giving Harry a slow nod, his face giving nothing away what he thought of Harry's demands on his time.
Barty was in basilisk heaven, going over all his notes and writing an elaborate article about the beast that he hoped to publish somewhere soon, and Harry didn't think he even realized it was New Year's. And Dorus and Theo wouldn't mind spending the evening together as a small family, so Harry didn't feel too bad about abandoning them so he could run off with Tom for the evening.
Tom met him in the foyer at five on the dot, dressed in black trousers and a green jumper with a thick wool cloak draped over his shoulders. Harry smiled up at him and guided him to the apparition point.
Holding onto Tom's hand, Harry apparated them both to the site he'd been preparing over the last day.
They landed on the rocky shores of an inlet on the Scottish coast, dusk darkening everything around them. A tent stood to the side, small on the outside but magically expanded inside.
Tom took everything in with a slight frown before giving Harry a questioning look.
Clearing his throat, Harry briefly looked down, scuffing his shoe against the rocks. "It's your birthday, so I wanted to do something special. Happy birthday, by the way."
Tom's face broke out in a smile with dimples and Harry was so immensely pleased to see them that he promptly forget what else he wanted to say. "Thank you, my dear," Tom said, dimples slowly fading away again. "Though I'm a little unsure what to make of a beautiful ocean view and a tent as far as birthday celebrations go."
"Oh. Yeah." Harry swallowed and inhaled a deep breath. "Hear me out. I wanted to give you something to make your birthday memorable, but I didn't have a gift and I couldn't come up with something, and you showed me your house, but I don't have a house yet, but I did spend a lot of time in a tent, which sort of became my house." Harry paused to inhale a deep, deep breath before he rambled on while Tom's dimples had made a quick return as he stared down at Harry. "So I figured I'd share one of my favourite camping spots with you. This is Scotland, by the way, in case you were wondering."
"I was, thank you."
"There's more." Harry gently pulled on Tom's hand and led him inside the tent, where a large dining table filled with an elaborate dinner waited for them. "I cooked."
Tom stopped in his tracks and looked from the feast before them to Harry and back. "Really? You made all this?"
"Yep." Some nervous tension left Harry's chest now that he'd given his unorthodox present to Tom, who seemed to like it all well enough. "You mentioned once that you'd never had beef until you came to Hogwarts, so I made a nice prime rib roast with all the fixings." Harry gestured towards a side table where a decorated cake stood waiting. "And I baked you a birthday cake, for afters."
"This is..." Tom seemed at a loss for words as he took everything in. Eventually he settled on pulling Harry a bit closer and giving him a soft kiss on his cheek. "Thank you, my dear. This is truly the finest birthday gift I've ever received."
"I'm so glad you like it," Harry said, sighing in utter relief. He waved his wand around at the woodstove in the corner, getting the flames going to heat the tent.
"Where did you even get this tent?" Tom asked after they slipped out of their cloaks and sat on opposite sides of the table, the food spread out between them.
"Bought it. Just got the first tent I found in Diagon Alley," Harry said with a sheepish smile. "I guess we can go camping now anytime we want to." The tent was quite big on the inside, with three separate sleeping areas, a complete kitchen area and a living area that came with comfortable furniture. There was even a clawfoot tub in the bathroom.
Tom's grin was wide and teasing as he looked at Harry. "You keep surprising me, my dear. I don't know if it's your inner Gryffindor or your youthfulness, but you always keep me on my toes one way or the other."
"Good." Harry felt entirely satisfied with that response. "Now, would you like some beef? And some Yorkshire pudding?" And with that they started on all the excellent food Harry had prepared while talking about this and that.
"This is truly delicious," Tom said about halfway through the meal. "I didn't even realize you could cook like this."
Harry shrugged, not meeting Tom's gaze. "Aunt Petunia made sure I learned. She had very high standards for her dinner parties."
Tom's gaze softened, but Harry quickly waved his concerns away. "Yeah, I shouldn't have had to learn all this as young as I was, but I am glad I know how to cook. And I really enjoyed cooking for you, so..." Harry shrugged again and no more was said on that particular painful part of Harry's previous life.
After they'd each finished a generous serving of birthday cake, Harry indicated the bottle of champagne sitting in a champagne cooler on the kitchen counter. "Kreacher insisted," he said by way of explanation.
Tom got up from the dining table and grabbed the bottle of champagne, while with his other hand he summoned his cloak and wrapped it around himself. Harry got up as well and manually put on his own cloak, not quite sure what fancy wandless magic Tom had just used but determined to learn it himself sooner or later.
They left the tent and a sharp gust of icy air greeted them in the darkness outside. There was hardly any wind and the skies were crystal clear but it was freezing cold. Harry's breath fogged up the air around him with every breath he took.
Tom transfigured a large rock into a comfortable stone bench and Harry sat down beside him while Tom conjured two champagne glasses. There was enough light from the moon, which was almost full, to see what they were doing, and Harry watched silently as Tom popped the cork and poured them both a glass of bubbles.
"Yeah, all right," Harry said as he accepted the full glass Tom offered him. "I guess your birthday is a good excuse to have a proper drink."
"Sometimes I forget you are little more than a child," Tom said, but not unkindly, while sipping his own glass.
Harry still bristled a little, because he really didn't like being reminded of his youth. "I am eighteen, an adult."
"Compared to me you really aren't though," Tom pointed out quietly. "I may not look it, but I just turned 65." When Harry had nothing to say to that, Tom looked at him for a long moment. "I just want you to be sure, my dear."
"Sure about what?" Harry asked, but he got the answer to that soon enough when Tom pressed his lips to his in a soft kiss.
The first thing Harry noticed was that Tom's lips tasted like sweet champagne, and then Harry's mind slowly melted into a puddle when Tom deepened their kiss, his tongue teasing Harry's own.
Harry wouldn't be surprised if they'd kissed for hours, because it certainly felt like that, but eventually Tom did pull back with a dimpled smile.
"I have given us some thought," Tom said quietly while Harry blinked at him, lost in a warm, tingly daze. "And I realized that it seems silly to deny our relationship when we act like a couple already anyway."
"Wait," Harry said, inhaling a few deep, chilly breaths to snap himself out of the glowing cloud that had slowly engulfed him by way of Tom's lips. "Do you mean that we're now together?"
Tom chuckled at Harry's wide-eyed expression. "Were we ever not, my dear?"
Snorting, Harry shook his head and sipped his champagne, cheeks heating as reality slowly sank in. Tom had just acknowledged they were in a relationship, Harry was pretty sure. "Well," Harry eventually replied, because he couldn't help tease his soulmate a little. "There were times when you seemed to have trouble communicating your intensions. I never got the impression that our relationship was going anywhere when you were stuck on Quirrell's head. Or that time you introduced me to your Death Eaters in the cemetery."
Tom rolled his eyes and in response kissed Harry again, which Harry thought was an excellent way to shut him up, really, Tom should try that more often. Their lips moved together and their tongues danced slowly and they didn't pull back this time until fireworks erupted high in the sky above the dark inlet, coming from the muggle town on the opposite shore.
"Happy new year, my dear," Tom whispered against Harry's lips.
"Happy new year." Harry held up his glass of champagne until Tom clinked his own glass against it and they both took a few sips.
Releasing a deep, contented sigh, Harry looked from the fireworks to Tom and back. He didn't think he'd ever felt this happy before. It wasn't even a complicated feeling. Just quiet and warm happiness from sitting beside the person he loved most in the world while they shared a lovely evening of good food and even better company.
"Ugh," Harry sighed as he just realized this night wouldn't last. "I have to go back to Hogwarts in two days."
"You don't have to," Tom said softly in between sipping his glass.
"Huh?" Harry glanced at him, wondering what Tom was trying to say.
"You don't have to go back." Tom pressed a soft kiss to Harry's lips before looking him in the eyes. "Stay."