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's dark robes billowed behind him as he confidently strolled back into Courtroom C26.
Although the court session had concluded, Ron and Percy lingered in the otherwise vacant room.
They both turned to look at Tom with sneers of disgust as he calmly walked down the courtroom's steep steps.
"What do you want, Riddle?" Ron snapped as he scowled over at his enemy, "The judge already gave his ruling.....It's over."
Tom decided to give Ron a small taste of what it meant to incur his wrath.
Without warning, Ron's eyes widened suddenly.
"Ronald?" Percy asked as a choking noise came from Ron's mouth while his hands flew to his throat.
"Pardon me, but I was wondering if you'd be kind enough to point me in the direction of the judge's private chambers?" Tom politely asked Percy while Ron gagged and gasped.
"Shove off, Riddle! I have no reason to speak with you!" Percy glared at Tom before he looked back over and watched Ron collapse onto the floor.
Ron clawed at his throat with his eyes bulging as Percy shouted, "RONALD!.....RONALD!"
"Ah, it seems you have a reason to speak with me after all." Tom chuckled darkly as he watched Percy fall to his knees and attempt to help his brother.
Percy grit his teeth as he looked up at Tom and hissed in accusation, "You've cursed him!"
"Such a lie can't be proven." Tom shrugged as he lifted his hands in a nonchalant gesture.
Casters of nonverbal spells, whether of dark origin or not, were incredibly hard to pinpoint.
"You're the Head Healer at St. Mungo's!" Percy snarled as he held Ron, who struggled to breathe, "If you didn't curse him, then help him, Riddle! Help him!"
".....And why should I do that?" Tom asked coldly.
"You're a healer!" Percy cried as his eyes narrowed, "He'll suffocate!"
"He may very well be choking on the truth." Tom suggested, "Perhaps if he spits it out....or if you were to cough up the information I require.....then he may breathe freely again......"
Ron's face began to turn colours as his quickly dissipating oxygen supply dwindled to a dangerously low level.
When Percy glanced down and saw his brother close to losing consciousness, he pointed a finger in the right direction and shouted, "There! The judge's chambers are through that hallway!"
Tom nodded at Percy before he turned and walked away.
As soon as Tom left, a horrible, wheezing gasp came from Ron's chest as his starving lungs filled with air at last.
Without any wounds or serious effects, Ron's rapid recovery allowed Tom to keep his word to Harriet.
Before he disappeared down the hallway that led to the judge's private rooms though, Percy called out to him as he held Ron in his arms while his brother's breathing steadied, "You're a sick bastard, Riddle!"
Tom stopped abruptly.
Slowly, he glanced over his shoulder at the Weasley brothers who lay defeated on the courtroom floor.
The evil smirk that curled Tom's lips sent a chill down Percy's spine as he spoke in his eerily calm voice, "Better a bastard than a weasel, I'll wager."
Percy scowled as Tom turned back around and vanished into the darkness of the hallway.
Tom's career didn't often allow him to use his favourite spells and curses the way he would have preferred.
He smirked to himself as he relished what great fun he had just enjoyed!
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The judge who had presided over Harriet's case sat in his damask chambers as he frowned and looked over a document on his desk until a knock fell on his door.
"Come in!" The judge called.
The door opened and Tom stepped inside the room.
The judge looked up and furrowed his brow at his unwanted visitor as he frowned, "Mr. Riddle.....how unexpected."
"May I sit, your honour?" Tom asked politely.
"..........You may." The judge replied as he eyed Tom suspiciously, "However, I must say that since you are not directly involved in the Weasley's case, we may not speak of it."
"Of course, sir." Tom nodded as he sat down, "I understand."
"Then may I ask the reason behind your visit, Mr. Riddle?" The judge scowled.
"I need a favor, you see." Tom explained with a charming smile.
As he spoke, he withdrew his wand from his pocket and slipped it into his hand, careful not to let the judge notice.
"And what favor can I possibly do for St. Mungo's Head Healer?" The judge sniffed.
A moment of tense silence passed before the atmosphere in the room became subtly ominous as a wicked smirk crept onto Tom's face.
The judge's mouth fell open in fright seconds before Tom brandished his wand at him and hissed, "Imperio!"
The judge's eyes dilated as his expression went slack while Tom rose from his chair with a mirthful cackle.
"Now then, your honour," Tom laughed mockingly, "I actually have several favors I need you to do for me.......Firstly, you are to finalize Harriet and Ronald Weasley's divorce immediately.....Go on! I'll wait while you complete the proper documentation."
The judge said nothing in response as he obediently took a quill into his hand, dipped its tip into the bottle of ink on his desk, and began to scribble frantically on the correct piece of parchment.
Once he handed Tom the completed document that legally declared Ron and Harriet no longer a married couple, Tom grinned and nodded, "Excellent.......next, you'll reverse the unwise decision you made...Harriet Potter will have sole custody of her children.....and Weasley will not be present for the upcoming birth......Write that down! Make it so!"
Unquestioningly, the judge calmly retrieved an entirely different parchment and hurriedly began to write.
Before he handed it to Tom, he took out two smaller blank pieces of parchment and penned letters bearing his signature.
Once those letters had been signed and sealed, he handed them back to the dark wizard in front of himself, along with the official, signed divorce decree.
As Tom reviewed the documents, a wide grin spread across his lips as a low chuckle of amusement issued from his throat.
"Thank you, your honour." He teased with a low bow, "......For your humble service."
Instead of ending his Unforgivable Curse immediately, Tom flourished his wrist with a great cry and kept it pointed at the judge's head while he performed a complex memory charm associated with the Dark Arts.
Moments later, Tom walked towards the Ministry's Owlery to mail Ron's letter.
The judge opened his eyes from his brief, magically-induced nap and peered around his office.
He had no memory of Tom's visit whatsoever.
With a snort, he looked back down at his work and resumed his day.
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Harriet knew that something had been wrong with Isabelle as soon as she had collected her daughter from the Burrow after her court battle with Ron had concluded.
Molly and Arthur had offered for Harriet to stay there with her unwell child, but she had politely declined.
As Tom finished his business at the Ministry, Harriet frowned as she took Isabelle back to the cottage they shared.
"Isabelle, love, what's the matter?" Harriet asked with a frown as her daughter lifted a hand and rubbed her eyes.
"Nothing, Mummy." The little girl answered while a pout formed on her small lips.
Harriet kept her frown as she worriedly pressed the back of her hand to her child's forehead and flushed cheeks.
"You're warm to the touch." Harriet concluded as she scowled in concern, "Do you feel alright, sweetheart?"
"I feel tired, Mummy." Isabelle admitted as Harriet walked her into their cottage and shut the door behind them.
"Why don't you let me put you to bed for a bit?" Harriet asked as she tucked a stray piece of Isabelle's dark hair behind her ear.
Isabelle rubbed her eyes again as she nodded.
Harriet worriedly held her daughter's hand as she led her through the living room and back to her bedroom as she smiled, "It's alright, you probably just played with your cousins too much.....It's tired you out, darling, that's all."
Constant playmates had been one benefit that Harriet had known her children would enjoy with Ron as their father.
Between all of the Weasley children, there were plenty of little ones at the Burrow most days.
All of the young cousins enjoyed spending time together for the most part.
"Alright, Mummy." Isabelle quietly agreed as Harriet helped her change into her nightdress before she pulled the covers back for her little girl to crawl into bed.
Isabelle held her head as she laid against her pillows and let Harriet pull the blankets up to her chest.
Although Isabelle soon drifted off into a fitful sleep, Harriet stayed wide awake beside her little girl.
It frightened her to watch Isabelle's complexion become alarmingly pale.
An hour or so later, Harriet heard a loud pop ring out from the living room.
She blinked before she struggled to her feet.
Once she had managed to stand, she left her little girl's bedroom and poked her head out into the hallway.
"Tom!" She cried in a hushed whisper as soon as she saw him standing in the living room, "Tom!"
"Hello, Harriet." He smiled as he greeted his beautiful, soon-to-be mate, though his smile faded when he noticed her tense expression, ".........What's the matter?"
"Isabelle's not well!" Harriet announced as she rushed up to him and gestured towards her daughter's room, "I think she has a fever! Should we-"
"-I'll have a look at her first." Tom firmly stated as he boldly brushed past Harriet and charged into Isabelle's room.
Harriet followed closely behind him.
It gave her great reassurance that a skilled healer was readily available to examine her daughter.
As Harriet watched Tom carefully run a diagnostic charm over Isabelle while she slept, her admiration for the alpha only grew.
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"I'm not sure how I can properly thank you." Harriet sighed in relief as she sat on one side of Isabelle's bed while Tom sat on the other.
Becoming my wife and mate would make for a good start. Tom thought to himself as he stared at Harriet and tried not to fantasize about kissing her plump lips.
Isabelle enjoyed her nap.
Her expression had become peaceful and her cheeks had resumed their healthy colour, as a result of Tom's quick treatment, which he finished as he pointed his wand at the little girl.
In front of his wand's tip, a bright, white light danced and intertwined with what looked like a tangible string of floating, black ink.
"They thought I was mad the first time I used a hybrid healing spell." Tom chuckled as he glanced at Isabelle, then back at Harriet, "At least until the sick began to recover in a matter of hours......They always think someone's mad until something achieves enviable results."
Harriet smiled softly at Tom before she reached out and grasped her little girl's hand as she sighed, ".......I don't think I'll be able to bear being apart from her. I may need one of those hybrid spells to hold onto my sanity once Ron takes her and this baby away from me."
Harriet put her free hand on her belly as she frowned, but Tom grinned, ".......Or perhaps not."
"What do you mean?" Harriet blinked.
Tom reached into his pocket and pulled out the judge's letter, which had been signed, sealed, and addressed to Harriet.
"........You didn't hurt anyone, did you?" She questioned as she glanced up at Tom suspiciously while she opened the letter.
"Not a single soul." He promised as he lifted his free hand.
Harriet pulled out the parchment and hurriedly read over its lines:
To Mrs. Harriet Weasley,
Effective today, your union to Ronald Weasley is officially declared null and void, please reference the documentation submitted to the records office. It is the court's decision to award full custody of both children produced by this match to you, Harriet Weasley, also known as Harriet Potter. Visitation with Ronald Weasley will be at your discretion. Please note that Mr. Weasley is no longer mandated to attend the birth of his second child unless you grant him permission.
Sheldon V. Rellington, Ministry for Magic, Civil Court Proceedings
Harriet looked up at Tom with wide eyes as a gasp of happy disbelief left her lips.
He watched her rise from her seat as hastily as she could before she rushed over to him, threw her arms around his neck in a fond embrace, and kissed him deeply.
Tom compartmentalized his thoughts to split his focus between Isabelle's spell and Harriet's kiss.
He reveled in his darling's affection as his chest swelled with pride.
It made him smirk against Harriet's lips to imagine the look that would surely be on Ron's face when he received his own letter about the court's latest decisions.....