Thank you for reading! I don't own any of Harry Potter! Please let me know if you enjoy! Updates every Saturday!
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Tom charged towards his mother and her assailant.
The laws of the magical world vanished from his mind as he raised his wand to defend Merope, but his dark eyes widened as Asherah knocked him to the side in her haste to protect Slytherin's heir.
Tom saw everything as he stumbled into the living room.
The man assaulting Merope gasped in horror when he saw the huge snake coming straight towards him......
He screamed in pure terror as Asherah struck with her body outstretched and her mouth wide open.....
Merope shrieked as the formidable anaconda's sharp fangs extended.........
In his surprised horror, the man growled, raised the muggle gun that he held, and fired blindly into the dark, hoping that his bullets found the snake.
His ammunition missed Asherah as she slithered towards him in intricate, incomprehensible patterns, but the gunfire headed straight down the hallway.
As soon as Tom saw the man point his weapon in Harriet's direction, he raised his wand and shouted, "PROTEGO MAXIMA!"
Harriet screeched in surprise as the bullets hurtled towards her but were mercifully blocked by the enchanted shield that her quick-thinking lover threw into place.
The gunshots ended as quickly as they had begun.
Tom, Merope, and Harriet watched the weapon fall from the man's grasp as Asherah's fangs pierced through his throat before the sheer weight of her corpulent body knocked him to the floor.
An anguished cry left his lips, "AAAAGGGHHH!"
His shouting didn't last long as the wound on his throat turned his cries into strangled gurgles.
Between the loss of air and blood, Merope's assailant weakened quickly.
Asherah noticed that the man failed to put up much of a struggle against her as she wrapped around him and used her enormous muscles to constrict what bit of life he had left.
Tom stumbled back and watched with a wicked smirk as his new friend slowly swallowed the imbecile who had dared to attack his mother.
Merope and Harriet's eyes were wide.
A part of Harriet wanted to return to Hogwarts right then.
Merope was too startled to speak.
She raised her hand with a defensive whimper as Asherah looked over at her.
"Mother, this is Asherah." Tom introduced the anaconda with a nod, "Isn't she lovely? Harriet and I freed her from the zoo today."
"Tom......." Merope gasped as she laid a hand over her chest while the massive anaconda slithered towards her, "Oh, Tom! What have you done?! Why have you brought this thing into our home?!"
"This thing saved your life." Tom glowered at Merope. He narrowed his eyes while he went on, "What should I have done, Mother? Let the stupid blighter kill us all?"
Harriet raised a hand to her head as Merope spoke to Tom in hushed whispers until an owl appeared at the living room windowsill.
Asherah's tongue flickered while she watched Tom walk over, open the window, and take the letter from the bird.
Harriet crept from her place on the bed when she realized that Tom's conversation with his mother had quieted.
Merope felt too bewildered to ask why Harriet Potter had been in her son's room.
Tom blinked as the letter lifted itself from his hands, formed into the shape of a face, and began to read its own message:
To the household of Merope Gaunt and Tom Riddle,
Another bit of magic has been detected at these premises less than twenty-four hours from the first occurrence. The Ministry has not received any correspondence from an adult witch or wizard that stated they were responsible for the occurrence earlier today, therefore, it is the Ministry's procedure to hold a formal questioning to inquire about the caster of the magic involved. At the time of this letter, it is noted that Merope Gaunt, Tom Riddle, and Harriet Potter are currently inside the home. Those named in this message are required to report to the Ministry, room A12, at 10:30 am seven days from now.
Hoping you are well,
Mafalda Hopkirk, Office of Improper Use of Magic
Merope gaped at Tom.
Tom glanced from his mother to Harriet while Asherah slithered down the hallway, much slower than before as she carried her dinner in her belly.
"Tom........" Harriet whispered.
"Darling!......They're going to expel you!" Merope cried.
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On the Friday before classes at Hogwarts resumed, Tom Riddle walked through the Ministry of Magic with his mother and Harriet.
Harriet and Tom were in awe of magical Britain's government headquarters as they walked through the lacquered hallways, filled with people who bustled to and fro.
Tom protectively held Harriet's hand.
A calm grin danced across his lips.
He wasn't nervous about the questioning.
He would return to school, no matter what he had to say or do.
Merope had sacrificed too much for him to be denied a diploma.
Besides his mother's efforts, Tom knew he needed an education.
He wanted to learn, to finish building his connections, to ponder how he may gain more power and influence.......
As the trio passed by the main hallway where the Minister's office could be seen, Tom looked up at the engraved glass of the window with a greedy smirk.
One day, he knew that office would belong to him.
He would dress in fine robes and be the most respected wizard in magical Britain.
His mother would look after his sons and daughters during the day until his meetings concluded.
In the evenings, after he enjoyed a private hour with Harriet, who would be waiting for him nude, on his desk, he would go and visit with his little ones.....the living products of his love for his darling.
Tom felt Harriet squeeze his hand as they stepped into room A12.
Merope and Harriet were nervous, but Tom had already become bored.
He and Harriet could have played a game of chess that morning.
He saw the questioning as little more than a grand waste of his time.
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A few moments later, Tom, Merope, and Harriet sat across from an older, blonde witch, who blinked at them while her painted lips twisted into a disapproving frown.
"......Merope Gaunt?" She asked.
"Present." Merope nodded as she identified herself.
".......Harriet Potter?" The witch asked.
"Yes....that's me." Harriet nodded.
".........Tom Riddle?" The witch asked.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, madam." Tom said with a charming smile.
The blonde witch narrowed her eyes at Tom before she picked up a quill and scribbled a note on a piece of parchment.
The trio waited until she looked up and answered them, "Lovely to meet you all, I'm Ophelia Boarback....I understand each of you know why you've been called here today. While it is not the Ministry's normal procedure to hold a full criminal trial concerning potential underage magic, it is protocol to ask questions when unusual use of magic is detected within a household where underage witches or wizards reside."
"Unusual use of magic?" Merope laughed nervously, "Really......there's no need for this! As a witch, I for one find it difficult to determine what would define 'usual' or 'unusual' magic. Everyone applies their talents differently."
"It's a funny thing, Miss Gaunt," Ophelia sniffed as she looked at Merope, "You're registered as a witch, but the Ministry has no records of you using any magic at all for more than fifteen years."
Merope frowned nervously while Ophelia went on, "However, it seems the Legilimency Spell and the Shield Charm were performed at your residence within twenty-four hours......at a time when you happened to have an underage witch and wizard in your care."
Harriet glanced from Tom to Ophelia as she shifted in her seat.
"I should hardly think those enchantments are unusual!" Merope scoffed, "Legilimency has many uses......And if you were to visit the area of muggle London I live in, you'd hardly find the Shield Charm unusual or unnecessary."
As Tom sat and listened, he shrewdly determined how to weasel his way out of punishment while turning himself into a hero.
"We also have reports that the Shield Charm was used in the presence of an unidentified muggle man, Miss Gaunt." Ophelia frowned, "The Ministry sent a representative to alter his memory, but the man we detected cannot be found, even with our advanced tracking spells."
".....That's because he's dead." Tom interjected.
He skillfully hid his rage under a charismatic grin while he grappled with the urge to attack the woman who tormented his mother.
"I used the Legilimency Spell on Harriet Potter this morning after a terrible nightmare gripped her mind.......My mother had already left our flat for work......Please believe me, Miss Boarback, I had only intended to help." Tom lied with a sympathetic frown.
"But you were aware, Mr. Riddle, that magic under the age of seventeen is illegal?" Ophelia asked.
"I was, indeed." Tom said as he reached over and grasped Harriet's hand, ".....However, our love is truer than any law. I will face the consequences of my actions if that is what must happen. I just couldn't stand idly by and watch her suffer."
Merope narrowed her eyes at her son.
Harriet beamed at Tom while Ophelia frowned.
The trio watched her scribble another note down before she looked up again and asked Tom, "And the Shield Charm, Mr. Riddle?"
"I cast the Shield Charm as well." Tom confessed, ".....In an effort to defend my mother and Harriet Potter. A muggle man forced his way into my home and used a deadly, muggle weapon. I cast the charm to keep my loved ones safe."
Opehlia scribbled down Tom's truthful words before she looked up again and asked, ".......You say the muggle man is....dead......Mr. Riddle?"
"Yes." Tom nodded with a serious frown, "My mother called the muggle law enforcement officers and they came quickly to our flat. They confronted the man, but he wouldn't lay down his weapon....I'm afraid the confrontation brought about his end."
Tom's dark gaze, handsome face, and dangerously smooth voice could easily hypnotize.
He had spoken with such complete confidence that his statements seemed undoubtedly believable.
By the time he finished his story, Ophelia's distrustful frown had melted into an empathetic pout as she answered, "........I'm very sorry to hear what you three had to endure."
Merope, Tom, and Harriet watched as Ophelia stood from her desk and added, "My notes seem to be complete....If you three wait here, I'll ask the Minister to review."
"We're very grateful for your assistance, Miss Boarback." Tom nodded with an adorable smile.
Harriet thought she noticed the hint of a blush on Ophelia's cheeks as she watched her leave the room.
Merope, Tom, and Harriet chatted with each other while they waited for the next hour.
Harriet didn't ask him why, but she secretly mused over the fact that Tom had completely neglected to mention Asherah, or the truth about the muggle man's fate.
Sometime later, the door to Ophelia's office swung open as she stood by it, held it open, and declared with a happy smile, "Merope Gaunt, Harriet Potter, Tom Riddle, you three can go on with your day now! The Minister reviewed the case and he's decided the testimony provided was satisfactory.....However, Mr. Riddle..." Ophelia trailed off as she stared down at Tom.
"Yes, Miss Boarback?" He asked with an eager smile.
"Per the Minister's words, don't let it happen again." Opehlia finished with a sugary sweet grin.
"Of course." Tom nodded.
He stood with Harriet's hand still in his as he led her and Merope out of the room
As they made their way through the Ministry, Harriet and Merope breathed sighs of relief, but Tom only smirked.
The questioning had been exactly what he had expected, a marvelous waste of his time.
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The next morning, while Harriet chatted with Merope in the kitchen, Tom stood in his bedroom and whispered to Asherah in Parseltongue, "My family owes you a great debt."
"No, it is my kind that owes you a debt, heir of Slytherin." Asherah hissed.
A concern had weighed on Tom since the night of the attack.
Merope couldn't afford to live in a safer section of the city and he had noticed during his outings with Harriet how severe the local crime levels had grown in the mere spanse of the last two years.
"Where will you go?" Tom asked the anaconda.
Asherah flicked her tongue at him in thought.
"......In two years, I'll be able to take you anywhere in the world." Tom mentioned as he alluded to obtaining his apparition licence, "I would be very grateful if you'd agree to stay and look after my mother. There'll be enough food for you to eat and you can hide in this room."
As a silent response of acceptance, Asherah turned away from him and wound herself in tight coils under his bed.
Tom sighed with relief.
He would sleep easier at night knowing that he had a gargantuan anaconda guarding Merope and his home.
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That afternoon, while Tom cuddled with Harriet in a compartment on the Hogwarts Express, he let his fingers drift through her dark, messy hair with a pleased smile on his face.
As she laid on his shoulder, he didn't notice the frown that had planted itself on her lips.
Harriet's affectionate feelings for Tom hadn't changed, but the time they had shared during Hogwarts' winter recess had given her more questions than answers.