With his newfound freedom, Harry was already planning another get together with Ron and Hermione, just the four of them this time; Tom wasn't too happy to hear that he would be leaving the house with Wynter again, but he didn't say anything. Harry was sure to remind Tom of how appreciative he was that he let him in the first place, so they were good. But with Ron and Hermione's busy schedules it wouldn't be for a while. But Harry was content to know that he would be able to go sometime soon.
Instead, he filled his time with taking care of Wynter and playing with her. And during that time, something miraculous happened; she crawled for the first time! Well, not all the way. She had gotten up onto her hands and knees, moved an arm out, and a leg and pulled herself forward, then promptly dropped herself onto the floor. She only moved about an inch, but it was something. Tom and Harry had been beside themselves with happiness, congratulating her and giving her kisses, so she knew she had done something right.
She continued to make progress after that, until finally one day, she did.
Tom was sitting in the entertainment area watching TV with Wynter on his lap, trying his best to get her to say 'daddy' while Harry made dinner.
"Dad-dy," he was saying.
"De?" Wynter said up at him, sticking her fingers into her mouth.
"Close, Dad-dy."
"De!"
"How about Da?" Tom asked.
Wynter seemed to consider it, "Da?"
"There you go, now say dee."
"Dee!" She exclaimed.
"Now say, Daddy."
"De!"
Tom sighed in defeat and dropped his head back against the couch. "You're never going to say it are you?"
Wynter giggled and reached for him, "Mama!"
"No, I'm not mama."
"De!" She said again and then said "Dedee!"
"So close!" Tom said with a smile, "It's Da-ddy."
"Dedee!" Wynter said again.
"Looks like that is all you're going to get. For now," Harry said.
"I'll take it," Tom said and kissed Wynter on the forehead.
She giggled again and grasped his shirt as he got up, "De?"
"Aaand back to square one," Tom said and put her down behind the couch where her toys were. She whined and reached for him as he walked away. "I'll be right back."
"Mama," Wynter said sadly.
"Daddy just went to the restroom, he'll be right back," Harry told her as she watched looked around for him. "Play with your toys for now."
Wynter looked around her and picked up one of her blocks, looked at it briefly, then dropped it before continuing to look around for her daddy. After a little bit, she looked up when she heard a door opening and saw her daddy come out of a room on the left. "DeDee!!" she yelled excitedly.
Tom glanced at her as walked out of the bathroom and headed toward Harry, "Dinner ready yet?"
Harry took his eyes off Wynter to look down at the pot he was stirring, "Just about, maybe about fi-" he gasped suddenly.
"What?" Tom asked and turned to look where Harry was staring, which was Wynter. And she was making her way over to Tom. Crawling. She was crawling!!
"Oh my god, oh my god!!" Harry exclaimed, frantically looking around, "Where's my camera?!"
Tom dropped down to his knees and egged her on as Wynter haltingly crawled toward him, "Come here, princess. You can do it."
"De!" Wynter said happily as she kept him in her sights and continued forward. It was slow going, and she had to stop a few times, but she started to get the hang of it.
"Look at her go!" Harry exclaimed, snapping picture after picture of her, before turning to video to capture the moment.
"Come on!" Tom said holding out his hands to her.
She picked up her pace, aiming right for him until she did, yelling, "Dedee!" as she did.
"You did it!" Harry exclaimed.
Tom scooped her up and gave her a big kiss on the cheek and Harry kissed the other. "I'm so proud of you Wynter," Tom told her and she babbled happily at him.
"Oh my god, she's crawling," Harry said as the fact sank in, "Soon she will be walking! Stop growing," he told her and Wynter giggled and clapped her hands. "I'm going to cry."
"Don't cry," Tom said simply, he didn't know what to do with tears.
"No promises."
After her first attempt, Wynter got steadily better and faster at crawling and their little Haven was soon filled with running footsteps and shouts of "Don't touch that!" "Stay where I can see you," and "Wynter no!" as she got her hands on anything and everything as she explored around with her new found freedom and Harry chased after her. And she would think it was funny, giggling her little head off as she made Harry and Tom run after her. And, boy, did she move fast!
Gone were the quiet relaxing days when they didn't have to worry about her. And now? Now they had to keep an eye on her so she didn't get into anything. Or do something she shouldn't, which there was a lot of.
There was one time, a week after she started crawling. It was warm out and the doors and windows were open, Harry was barefoot with shorts and a light t-shirt and Wynter had forfeited clothes altogether and was crawling around with just a diaper on. Tom had gone upstairs to change after coming home from "work" and was just listening to Harry make dinner downstairs when suddenly...
"Wynter?! Where is your diaper?"
A pause.
"Uh oh."
"Uh oh? Why uh oh? Where did you put it?"
A murmur.
"What do you mean you don't know? You didn't pee everywhere did you?"
"O!" He could hear Wynter proclaim proudly, and Tom smiled as he buttoned up his shirt.
"You better not have. Come here," he heard Harry say. "I said come here, get back here!"
As Tom made his way down the stairs he passed by Harry with a butt naked Wynter in his arms.
"Aye, Dedee!" she greeted him with a smile.
"Keep an eye out for a diaper," Harry said in passing, "And maybe some wet spots."
"Got it."
Tom ended up finding her diaper halfway under the couch and no wet spots anywhere around the house, thankfully.
Other times it was just Wynter grabbing things, but thanks to Harry's quick reflexes, there was no lasting damage. Mostly she just followed Nagini around, who had decided to stay at Haven Hall instead of return back to the manor; Harry had a feeling it was to stay near Wynter and not to get away from the "smelly, pea-brained mice" that occupied the place as she said. Harry thought it was rather sweet of the big viper, she was almost like a loyal dog the way she watched out for her; curling up in front of her crib at night, which usually resulted in being awoken by a pillow to the face and a loud proclamation of "Gee-ni!"
To put it simply, it was now quite loud in their home; but neither Tom nor Harry minded, it kept them busy. But at night when Wynter went to bed, the time was theirs to unwind.
"I didn't know she could be so exhausting," Harry yawned as he fell back on the couch in front of the TV, his head lightly grazing Tom's leg.
"Mmm," Tom agreed, sliding his fingers into Harry's hair, "Is it just me, or is she getting faster?"
"Oh, she's getting faster and she thinks it's funny."
"Not funny," Tom replied. He had been chasing after her since he got home; he never chased after anyone. Ever. Now here he was breaking a sweat as Wynter crawled around getting into things she shouldn't. Now that she was mobile, Tom was starting to think of having to further baby proof the house.
"God, why is it so cold? It's summer!" Harry exclaimed turning toward the inside of the couch in the direction of the lit fireplace trying to get warm.
"Australia is in a different climate zone than England. It's actually the other way around, summer is winter here and winter is summer."
"It's weird," Harry said burrowing into the couch, "Where's the sun? It was here a few weeks ago. It's supposed to rain tomorrow! And not a warm rain either, a cold one."
"You're going to have to get used to it."
"I know. At least it will be warm at Ron's tomorrow," he murmured.
"What?"
"Don't 'what?' me. I told you. Or are you losing your memory?"
"I am not," Tom grumbled. He remembered Harry telling him of his upcoming visit back to his friend's house, not that he was happy about it.
"Then you do remember. Besides, you'll be at work anyway."
Tom grunted and they fell into a comfortable silence watching the television until it was time for bed.
xxx
The next morning saw Harry up early so he could do a load of laundry and clean up any toys left out. The house was straightened by the time Wynter woke up, so all he had to worry about was getting her ready. A lot easier said than done. But first, they had to get through breakfast, which was starting to become a chore. She was now on more solid foods and would put her hands into it and make a mess. While he finished feeding her, Tom went upstairs to get ready for work.
"Why are you such a messy eater?" Harry asked her as she grabbed a fist full of mashed cereal and put it into her mouth, most of it oozing through her fingers. "Well, at least you're trying," he added with a sigh and she gave him a toothy smile.
"Mama?" she asked him, holding out a hand.
"No, I'm good. Thank you," he said and watched as she fed herself with a weariness he felt deep down; her spoon abandoned on the tray beside her. "Do you want to use your spoon at all?"
"Ooon?" she asked curiously. Harry pointed to it and she gave the spoon a cursory glance then grabbed another handful of cereal.
"How's it going?" Tom asked coming up behind him.
"Other than the fact that she has half her food all over her face. Perfect," Harry responded dully.
"Mmm. Well, I'm going to get going."
"Getting out of here, huh?"
"Yes," Tom said eying Wynter's disheveled appearance.
"Okay. Wynter, Daddy's leaving. Say bye-bye."
"Aye, Dedee!" Wynter said waving her dirty fingers at him.
"Bye, sweetheart," Tom said and kissed her on top of the head, careful to not get in the way of her dirty fingers.
"I'll see you later," Harry said, getting up and giving him a kiss, "Don't miss me too much," he said with a teasing smile.
Tom glared at him, but it had no bite, "I'll manage."
-I will come with you master- Nagini hissed coming toward him.
-Aw, you're leaving Nagini? - Harry asked.
-Yes. With Master, you and the Wynter-hatchling gone, there is no point- she hissed, her tongue flickering out.
-Well, your patch of sunlight will be here when you get back- Harry hissed to her with a smile.
-Thank you-
With that, Tom and Nagini left leaving Harry with a food covered baby.
He turned to Wynter with a sigh, "Are you done?"
"Un, Mama!"
"Okay, time for a bath then." And he took her upstairs to get her cleaned up, which took time because she wouldn't sit still until finally she was dressed and ready to go. But then Harry looked down at himself and saw that he was covered in cereal and all wet from her bath, so he had to change. By the time he was done, they were late for their agreed-upon time with Ron and Hermione.
But they were going to be even later because when he got downstairs Harry realized he hadn't cleaned up Wynter's high chair and it was just a big mess. With a groan, he placed Wynter on the floor and telling her to stay put, then used his magic to clean up. He was going through her diaper bag to make sure he had everything when the phone rang.
"Hello?" He answered.
"Harry?" Hermione's voice came to him.
"I know, I know."
"Okay, I wasn't sure if you were coming."
"I am, it's just," he sighed, "It's been a hectic morning."
"It sounds like it."
"No kidding. With her crawling around, it's like she has a new found confidence, which is fine, but she's just – Wynter! Don't touch that!" he suddenly shouted as she reached for her box of blocks that were neatly stacked inside.
"Is she getting into something?"
"Yes. But anyway, I just have to get her bag together and we'll be along in a minute-" the sound of wood hitting the ground suddenly echoed around the room and Harry closed his eyes in weariness, then turned to look at Wynter who was looking at him innocently from amidst the fallen blocks. "Make that two."
"Okay, take your time," Hermione said; he could hear the smile in her voice.
He hung up with her and turned to Wynter, hands on his hips.
She only gave him a bright, sunny smile.
xxx
The door opened and Hermione's smile greeted him, "Hi," Harry said with a tired smile.
"You made it! Come in," she told them, pulling the door open to emit them.
"Oh it's so warm," Harry exclaimed shifting Wynter over and placing her bag by the couch.
"Is it not where you are?" Hermione asked casually.
"No. It's getting so cold! The rain was not helping either."
"Anie!" Wynter exclaimed interrupting him.
"Hi, Wynter!" Hermione said getting distracted, but she filed the information for later. She took Wynter from Harry's arms and returned the hug she gave her. "Oof. You're so heavy!" she commented.
"Every day," Harry stated.
"Hey mate," Ron greeted, "You look like crap."
"I was fine, then she woke up," Harry said and gave him a hug, "I'm so tired," he groaned clinging to him.
Ron laughed, patted him on the back, and released him, "So glad I am not you."
"You will someday and you will feel my pain," Harry said, and looked around the empty living room, "No one else?"
"Nah, we didn't tell anyone you were coming this time," Ron said.
"Good, I don't think I would be able to take it right now."
"Aw! She has another tooth," Hermione exclaimed as she made Wynter smile.
"Yeah, they are suddenly popping up," Harry said taking a seat on the couch, "She has another one coming up on the bottom."
"Uca!" Wynter said and waved her arms to Ron.
"Is the saying Uncle?" At Harry's nod, Ron smiled, "Hey," he said and took her when Hermione handed her over. "How are you doing?"
"Oke," Wynter said.
"Okay. You causing your mom any trouble?"
"O."
"Ha!" Harry said, "Yeah right."
"Oown," Wynter said looking up at Ron.
"What?"
"She wants down," Harry said.
"Oh," Ron said and placed her on the floor.
"Mama, edy?"
"Teddy is right there," Harry said pointing over to his bag where it was poking out. She saw it and crawled over to get it.
"Ahh! She's crawling!" Hermione cried, "I know you said she was but wow!"
"Geez, she's fast," Ron commented.
"And now you see my problem," Harry said, but for now she was behaving, "So how's everything going with you guys? House Elf campaign going well?" he asked Hermione.
"Ugh. Slow," she responded, "People are starting to listen and understand the issue with how house elves are treated, but they don't want to do anything!"
"Well, you know it was going to be a challenge, but that never stopped you," Harry said with a smile.
"Yes. I will not stop," she said firmly.
"What about you Ron?"
"Busy. Mostly with the usual, break-ins, arguments getting out of hand, you know." Harry nodded. "Then with the raid-"
"Raid?" Harry asked sitting up.
"Didn't you hear?" Ron asked.
Harry shook his head, "I don't really keep up with what is happening here anymore."
"Voldemort conducted a raid on a town outside of Glasgow last week. We are still cleaning up the mess."
"I see," Harry said quietly. He hadn't known Tom had done anything like that, then again they had agreed not to talk about any of the things that he did while he was Voldemort. But it didn't stop some of the guilt to trickle in since the man behind all of it, was sleeping in his bed.
"Ah, not that you have to worry about any of that," Ron quickly said, misunderstanding his silence. "Just leave the fighting to us. We'll find out a way to beat Voldemort. I mean, with you no longer fighting with us, it's going to be hard, but there has to be another way. Not that we are blaming you! Well, some are, but-"
"What Ron means to say," Hermione butted in glaring at Ron, "Is that you should just focus on Wynter. That's all that matters."
"R-Right, Voldemort has nothing to do with you anymore," Ron added.
Hermione turned to him and hissed, "You are not helping!"
Harry laughed at their bickering, yet he was still a bit uneasy. Oh, Ron, you have no idea...
"Well," Hermione said clapping her hands and turning toward Harry, "How have you been?"
"Oh, where do I start...?"
xxx
Harry, Ron, and Hermione were laughing and catching up with each other, eating a late dinner or breakfast for Harry, and keeping a strict eye on Wynter. With her in the house, Ron and Hermione got firsthand experience in what she was like with Wynter's grabby hands. They chased after her when she got a hold of something she shouldn't and when she was about to. Harry enjoyed it.
"You're enjoying this, aren't you," Ron said dropping back down into his chair.
"Immensely," Harry said, "Now you see what I was talking about."
"Yes. I don't know how you do it," Hermione said.
"Honestly, I have no idea. What?" he asked as Wynter crawled up to him.
"Mama? Dedee?" She asked blinking innocently up at him.
Harry felt his heart seize, Oh Shit! "He's not here sweetheart," he told her hoping they didn't catch it. But of course...
"Did she just say, daddy?" Hermione asked.
"No, it's uh a toy. She left it at home."
"No... It sounded like Daddy."
"Dedee?" Wynter said again.
"It's not, how can that be? Ron's the only other man in her life," Harry laughed, but it sounded fake to his ears, "Right?" he said to Wynter. Pleading with his eyes for her not to say it again.
"Dedee!" Wynter insisted.
"Wait..." Hermione said slowly, a smile creeping across her face, "Speaking of men..."
"Oh god," Harry moaned leaning forward so his head was resting on his arms. He felt a small hand pat his head and looked up to Wynter's concerned green eyes.
"I had completely forgotten about the man you've been seeing."
"Oh yeah," Ron said perking up, "You've been keeping it from us the whole time. So? Spill."
"What's his name?" Hermione asked her eyes sparkling at the prospect of information.
"N-Name? It's-" Harry froze. Shit! What do I call him? Tom is too obvious. "Mar-" No still obvious! "k..."
"Mark?"
"Yes, he's French," Harry closed his eyes briefly, cursing himself. French? Really? Is Mark even a French name? Why didn't I come with some sort of story? But that was him alright, making up things on the spot.
"French?" Hermione asked with a wide smile.
"Ooh la la," Ron teased.
"I bet he's good in bed."
"Hermione?!" Harry gasped, his cheeks turning pink.
"I'll take that as a yes," she giggled.
"Where did you meet this Mark?" Ron asked.
"At the...store?" Harry said hesitantly. "I went there every week, and he was always there at the same time, so we got to talking and it went from there," Harry finished lamely.
"And he's a wizard?" Hermione asked.
"Yeah, there are a few of them around the area. You can tell because they dress a little funny."
"Did he dress funny?" Ron asked.
"No. He knew how to dress," Harry smiled.
Hermione gasped excitedly, "Does he have an accent?"
"Kind of?" Harry said uncertainly.
"Does he speak French to you? That is so hot."
"Maybe I should learn," Ron commented lightly.
"Maybe you should," Hermione said back. Harry laughed and shook his head. They were too much sometimes. "How is he with Wynter?"
"He's...fantastic. I really couldn't ask for more; he's just so...gentle with her and treats her like she's his daughter," Which she is... Harry thought, "When they first met, she would just stare at him, unsure like I was, but she warmed up to him. And now she's starting to call him Daddy and Mark doesn't seem to mind. If anything he's overjoyed," Harry said with a fond smile.
"And you?"
"Me? I don't mind. Wynter needs a father, and Mark is more than up to the task. I wasn't...sure, at first, what with our situation, I didn't want to put us in any danger. Mark didn't mind that either, he knew who I was, it's obvious," Harry said gesturing to his scar, "As was why I was in hiding," he added, caressing Wynter's hair, who had sat at his feet playing with her Teddy. "Plus, I don't really have any, uh, experience with men, and with Wynter, I wasn't sure if he would be...interested? I guess. But we started as just friends; it was gradual. We would just talk, about anything and everything. Wynter mainly. But mostly it's..."
"Physical?" Ron put in.
Harry felt his face heat up, "Y-Yes. That."
"So he's good to both of you?" Hermione inquired.
"Yes. He is," Harry said thinking of Tom, "He treats Wynter wonderfully, like a princess and she adores him. Watching him with her I can see that he loves her and he's so careful because she's so small. And he's just as ecstatic when she learns something, like when she started crawling and got her first tooth. Right away, Mark was very receptive of Wynter, she is his whole world now."
"And you?" Hermione softly asked so to not disrupt his thoughts.
"Me? Well, it's...I mean..." he floundered, trying to find the words. "I don't know. We are so completely different, yet we get along really well. We buttheads at times, but that's to be expected. I'm more...open? I guess would be it and he - Mark - can be a little...distant and standoffish at times and kind of...rude, I guess. It's just the way he is, it's like he doesn't understand how to..." he shrugged, "be emotionally there?"
"Sounds like a lot of work," Ron commented.
"Yeah, but he tries. He can be so...sweet and gentle and kind; a little rough around the edges sure and sometimes a pain in the ass. He doesn't...sugar coat anything, he just tells it like it is. One moment he can be kind of rude and condescending and the next he's really sweet and attentive. He's actually very playful in a way that is borderline dirty and logical. He's really smart too, so his humor is kind of...out there, but...he makes me laugh. And he's softened up since he's been with Wynter. Watching them together..." he just shook his head, unable to put it into words.
Ron and Hermione shared a look and a knowing smile. "You're in love with him," Hermione said.
Harry felt like he had just been doused with ice water and he stared at Hermione in disbelief. "...W-What?! No!" Harry said incredulously, eyes wide. "No. There's no way."
"Really? It's just, the way you talk about him...it sounds like-"
"No!" Harry said, not wanting to hear it. It wasn't possible. He was not- He couldn't be...
"Harry," Hermione said gently, seeing the panic on his face, "There's nothing wrong with falling in love."
"Yes, but..." he trailed off. "Not with him," he whispered to himself and pressed his hands against his eyes.
Hermione frowned when she heard, but said nothing. She was not expecting this type of reaction to this new information. She thought it was a good thing, Harry was not one to give up his heart easily; Wynter was the exception.
Harry was having what felt like a mini-panic attack when he felt a small tap on his leg and he removed his hands to looked down to see Wynter sitting at his feet.
"Mama, oke?" Wynter asked him, her eyes concerned.
"I'm okay sweetheart," Harry said and picked her up. She placed her hands on his face and looked at him as if to make sure, then wrapped her arms around his neck in a hug and he hugged her back.
"Harry..." Hermione said uncertainly.
"I don't want to talk about it anymore. Please," Harry said rubbing his forehead where he felt a headache coming on.
And as if to confirm that the conversation was over, Wynter exclaimed "O!" Effectively scolding both of them.
They finally dropped it and they moved on to lighter topics, but the words kept floating around in his head for the rest of the visit.
xxx
Harry walked in with Wynter at his hip and Tom was there waiting in the sitting area reading the paper. He looked up when he came in and he relaxed, yet he frowned when Harry looked quickly away.
"De!" Wynter exclaimed when she saw him and wiggled around to be let free, so Harry put her down and she crawled to him, "Dedee!"
"Hi sweetheart," Tom murmured to her as he picked her up, "Did you have fun today?"
"Ah!"
"Yeah?" He walked over to where Harry had put his stuff down, "You're back early."
"Well, it's late over there. They have to sleep, you know."
"Hmm," Tom hummed in agreement, walking up beside Harry, "Did you go shopping?"
"W-What?" Harry asked, startled by his closeness, "No, no their gifts for Wynter. Hermione got her an outfit and Mrs. Weasley made her something, and Tonks sent a shirt...it's crazy."
"Were they there again?"
"No. Just Ron and Hermione. They sent it to them and Hermione gave it to me."
"I see...so everything went okay?"
"Yeah, why do you ask?" Harry said quickly, wincing at the crack in his voice and he turned to busy himself with the bags.
"You seem...distracted," Tom said cautiously.
"No, no. I'm fine. You know, you're here early too."
"Didn't have much to do yet, I have to go back later...you sure you're okay?"
"Yeah."
"Harry..." Tom said and put Wynter down so she could play with her toys and took hold of Harry's arm to turn him around.
Harry stiffened at Tom's touch, all too aware of him, and turned to look at his chest then up at his face. He saw the concern there, but all he could think of was what Hermione had said – that he...with Tom - it had all he had been thinking about for the past few hours. So when he looked up at Tom he had no idea what to say and his heart was beating so fast and he felt like everything he was feeling was all over his face, so he blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "I had to tell them who you were!"
At Tom's lifted brow, he elaborated. "Well, not about you, but you as my..." he gestured not able to say it, but Tom got it. "They wanted to know your name, how we met...I had no idea what to say, I panicked."
"What did you say?" Tom asked.
Harry shrugged and lifted his arms and dropped them in defeat, "I said your name was Mark, you were French and we met at the market."
"Mark?" Tom questioned.
"Yes. Mark. Is that even French!?" Harry exclaimed tugging at his hair and pacing, now really panicking. "I couldn't think of anything else, they put me on the spot. I couldn't say Tom because there is only one Tom that we know, Tom Riddle. And I was going to say Marvolo, but that's even more obvious!"
"Is that M-a-r-c or M-a-r-q-u-e?" Tom asked thoughtfully.
"I don't care how it's spelled! Why aren't you panicking?"
"They already knew that you were seeing someone, right?"
"Yeah. But still!"
Tom nodded to himself, "I think M-a-r-q-u-e will do. God of War suits me."
"Ugh! I feel so stupid!" Harry groaned loudly.
"Calm down," Tom said and pulled Harry to him, "Tout ira bien, mon coeur," (Everything will be alright, my heart) and pulled him in for a kiss.
They broke away and Harry gazed up at him, "Of course you speak French."
"Of course," Tom said with a grin and kissed him again. He pulled away again and added, "Besides, all you did was give me a name and where I came from and how we met. You didn't lie about anything else did you?"
"...No," Harry said shifting his eyes away, in embarrassment at the things he had said.
"Alors il n'y a rien à craindre." (Then there's nothing to worry about)
"I have no idea what you are saying. But Hermione was right," Harry murmured, "It's hot."
"Oh? Aimes-tu ça, Harry?" Tom said with a smirk, feeling the shiver that went down Harry's spine. (Do you like it, Harry?)
Harry gazed up at Tom's blue eyes and felt his heartbeat skip as the whispered words he didn't understand caressed his ears, yet made him feel butterflies in his stomach. You love him, don't you? Harry suddenly jerked and turned away, his heart hammering now for a different reason, "I-I have to make lunch and get Wynter down for her nap," he said and quickly headed to the kitchen where he banged pots and pans around looking busy, so he missed Tom's frown and suspicious look.
Yet despite his curiosity as to why Harry was acting that way, he didn't push, instead, Tom set his sights on keeping Wynter busy and out of trouble; a job in itself.
Harry, on the other hand, tried to push those forbidden thoughts away as he focused on lunch. He just couldn't be in love with Tom. He was a Dark Lord, he killed and tortured people! He was heartless and unforgiving. He had killed his parents! It was just impossible and wrong, so wrong!
Harry glanced up as he heard Wynter's bubbly little laugh and felt his heart melt as he watched Tom raise her up in the air, letting her wave her arms and legs about, then pulled her in for several kisses and then raised her back up again, only to bring her back in for more kisses.
He looked down at the pan he was stirring and frowned. And yet, despite all that. Here he was living with said Dark Lord, having made a child with him. And he was happy. He no longer had to watch his back, he had a very nice roof over his head and had a beautiful little family. Harry even got to see a side of Tom, this smiling, playful side that no one had seen before. Hell, even Tom had never seen it, it was that rare or had been non-existent. But Tom was trying and he liked seeing the change in him, it was so special and enlightening to see Tom light up when he was with his daughter.
Things between them were fine too. He wasn't treated like dirt or any less than a human being, he wasn't being tortured; he was well cared for. And they got along pretty well and spent time together – had dinner together and movie night, or generally just sitting in comforting silence – but that didn't mean anything. It was just what people did, what else were they going to do? Sure he liked Tom well enough, he was kind, the sex was fantastic and he was sweet with Wynter, but he wasn't in love with him.
Was he?
AN: Just so you guys know, I did look up the french meaning of Marque on a name dictionary and it says "god of war" I've had people commenting before that it doesn't...but from what I researched, it does. So there. Not going to change it anyway.