Chapter Text
4. Harry Fourth Year, Tom Sixth Year.
It was blissfully warm where he was bundled under his blankets and covers. He was very reluctant to leave the pleasant warmth, something he happily realized he didn't have to do. It was the winter holidays, he was at home, no annoying friends could come and disturb his pea-
"Harry, get up! I have a date in three hours and you need to help me get ready."
Harry groaned miserably, he had spoken too soon! He clutched onto his blanket tighter and intended to ignore his friend but, of course, Sarah was not one to be ignored.
She pulled at one edge of the blanket, tugging at it harshly enough that his body moved along with the pulling motion. "Come ooooon!" she whined.
Harry whined right back at her, "Why meeeeeee?" he asked, voice still raspy with sleep. He jolted his body in the opposite direction of Sarah's pull, ripping the blanket away from her grasp. She huffed, then did something even worse.
She sat on his legs.
"Because you promiiiiiiised." she's not fat or anything, don't get Harry wrong. It's just that any sort of weight, significant or otherwise, on prone limbs resting upon solid objects get very uncomfortable very quick.
Harry groaned, "I plead momentary insanity?" he peeked out of his blanket to glance at his friend.
She looked at him, longer than what was comfortable, and then all of a sudden, her scotch brown eyes watered. She sniffed, "Fine, Harry, fine. Go back to your stupid precious sleep." then she got up (mercy for his legs!) and turned to walk out of the room.
Harry sighed, bollocks.
"Give me fifteen minutes to get ready."
She spun on her heels, mouth splitted by a wide smile. "Yay!!" She jumped about in place for a while, even going as far as doing a little victory jig.
Harry rolled his eyes at her, "No need to look so damn excited about it."
She rolled her eyes back at him. "Of course I need to, you're nigh on impossible to wake on a winter morning like this." she walked back to bed to pull him very reluctantly out of bed and his nest of warmness. She then shooed him into his own bathroom, in his room, in his parents' home.
The bloody cheek.
So about twenty minutes later, he was showered, dressed and already at the table eating his breakfast listening to his mom chat with Sarah amicably. Sometimes he intervened, but so what? Embarrassing stories don't need to leave this house by Sarah's ears.
His dad then walked in, "Honey, have you seen where I put my cuff links? The Potter ones?" he ruffled Harry's hair when he got close enough. "Going somewhere, Harry?" he asked when he saw how nicely dressed his son was. Not at all looking like he was planning to only stay at home snuggled under blanket upon blanket upon cover as he usually did.
It was Sarah who answered his father, "Harry promised to act as wingman with Lyra for my date today, sir. Think of it like a double date. "
The elder male raised an eyebrow, "Oh?" he looked quizically at Harry, opening his mouth as if to say something but didn't, then he turned back to Sarah, "Cody let you go on a date?" he looked amused as he asked her this.
Sarah rolled her eyes, "My big brother doesn't know. He'd probably drop everything he's doing in the US to hover or something."
Harry snorted, hover was an understatement. The guy was ridiculously protective of his baby sister.
"Oh, hello Mary! Did you sleep fine today?" his mom cooed when Mary walked in the dining room/kitchen.
Not that he didn't understand. He left his chair to pick up his little sister, his little Marigold. She giggled happily as she clung to his neck, "Hello my little flower! How are you today?"
"Hawwy! Hawwy look handsome today!"
Everyone at the table laughed, delighted by the three year old's honesty and intelligence.
Harry mock gasped, "I do?" he rested her on his hips, arm securely under her baby blue, starry trousers clad bottom and looked down at himself. Pretending to be surprised. "Well, so my lady says, it must be true." he sat her on the table (the unoccupied part), he took a step back and bowed to her. "Thank you for the compliment, my lady." he looked up and grinned when she giggled again. He didn't notice, but his father had just left the room having found out where the cufflinks were from his ever aware wife.
Mary pulled at a lock of his hair that she could reach, "Silly Hawwy." she looked around, then stopped when she saw Sarah. "Sawwah!"
Harry stepped away when said girl laughed and approached the toddler, tucked back stray red brown hair behind little ears before picking her up. "That little lisp of yours has to go quick, Mary. I'm not a paddy field." she jokingly adds.
"Paddy field?" his mom asked from the stove, preparing pancakes for Mary no doubt.
Harry watched as Sarah tickled underneath Mary's jaw, both of them grinning when the toddler squirmed and laughed cutely. "Yeah, my family and I went to Indonesia and Malaysia for two weeks last summer. Visited lots of places, including some villages with agriculture as their main economic gain." she passed Mary back to Harry when she started wriggling in her hold and making grabby hands for her brother.
Harry nearly melted from the cuteness that was his little sister. "Paddy fields are called sawah padi there." she emphasized a little harder on the sawah part. The way she said it, all the "A's" in the words were like the "A" for the "Sar-" part of "sardonic".
Harry snorted, "So my sister's practically been calling you paddy?"
"Worse," she replied, "I'm just the field they use." she said that in such a despairing tone that everyone cracked up at it. Sarah turned to Mary, who was still in Harry's hold, taking her delicate little hands carefully in both her own larger ones, "Oh little lady, you don't know what the name you give me has subjected me to!" then she did a dramatic little swoon as if she was having a turn of the fits like those characters in classical books.
Harry thought it was ridiculous but it was definitely worth it for the burst of bright laughter from the pretty lady in his arms.
His mom walked back to the table with Mary's plate of animal shaped, chocolate chips, and strawberry slices pancakes. Seeing that, Mary made grabby hands for the plate. Harry passed Mary to his mother.
"Is my little Marigold hungry?" she cooed, laughing when the three year old whined out a "Yes, mama!" and tried reaching for the cutlery herself. Promptly she sat down with Mary in her lap so she could feed the toddler. She looked at Harry and Sarah after feeding her a bite, "So how long will this wingman duty last?"
Sarah smiled, "The whole day probab-"
"The whole day?" his dad interrupted, waking into the room again but this time dressed in his Head Auror uniform, black slacks and maroon long sleeved shirt, minus the robes.
"Harry," uh, oh, Harry thought. He sounded admonishing, "Did you forget that your mother and I have an event we need to attend at 2 o'clock later?"
Oh shit. Harry had totally forgotten about that.
"I... I may have?" he sheepishly answered, grinning just as sheepishly. It was not well received by anyone, unfortunately. If the unimpressed looks he received from both his parents and Sarah were any indication. Harry winced.
"Harry." his mother scolded, a small frown on her face, softened only when feeding more pancake bites to Mary, "That is very irresponsible of you. You know we need you to babysit Mary." his dad nodded along to what his mother said, looking sternly at him over the rim of his square glasses.
Sarah sighed, "It's alright Mrs Potter, I technically did force him to say yes anyway."
His dad looked at her with a small frown, "But now it's unfair for you too. Even if you cajoled him into saying yes, he still did promise to go."
Well, didn't that make him feel rather guiltier?
"Do you know the boy you're going on this date with?"
Sarah shrugged, "I know him, but... I don't know him to enough to trust him. Considering what happened last time, I don't really want to risk anything." she was referring to the time she and her date got abducted while on a date during third year. Such is the problem when one's father is the Head of Department of Law Enforcement, known for his ruthlessness in carrying out the law, and has many enemies because of it. Or at least, so Sarah says.
"And your other friends can't go?" his mum asked, cutting up another part of the elephant's ear for Mary.
Harry and Sarah both shook their heads, "The twins aren't allowed out because of their last prank during school term." Sarah said.
"Blaise and Malfoy have a pureblood thing they have to go to. Something about a presenting or whatever." Harry continued.
"Tom?" his dad asked.
Both Harry and Sarah rolled their eyes, "Tom would make the guy uncomfortable."
"Why?" he asked again, looking incredulously at the both of them.
"Mr Potter, it's common knowledge in school that Tom Riddle Jr. has the innate ability to make any male feel inadequate, if he so wishes." Sarah said it like it was common knowledge, and really, it was.
"I want company so I have backup in case of danger, I don't want to scare my date!"
His dad looked at the both of them alternately, as if contemplating their sanity. Then he sighed, "There's no helping it I guess." He turned to Harry, "Go message Tom, see if he would mind babysitting Mary. He'll be paid of course, 10 Galleons an hour." Harry nodded, glad for a solution and immediately got up to get to his room.
He took out the diary from under his pillow and wrote: Tom, I need help. He then took out his wand and quickly tapped three times on the words he wrote, imagining himself saying it. The words burned red for a second or two, before dying down to to a faded red. He knew on Tom's end, the diary would play out his voice instead of just displaying the message. Like an audio message, except, it's automatically played. Harry hoped Tom was in the vicinity of the dia-
The book vibrated in his hand, What is it? What's wrong?
Can we Floo call? Harry asked.
It took a few minutes, the reply came back positive. So off Harry went to the Floo Fireplace, threw in the Floo Powder and with a precise 'Tom Riddle Jr.', he was speaking to Tom and explaining the situation.
Tom was reluctant to agree, but hey, Harry has awesome persuasion skills, and this is his best friend he was talking to. (The offer for pay was a good bargaining chip too)
He rolled his eyes at Harry, "I'll be there at one fifty."
Harry cheered very loudly at that, "Thank you, thank you, thank you. I looove youuu Tooom!"
Tom scoffed, "Says the brat going on a date and leaving his best friend with his little sister."
Harry laughed, "Not a date, Tom. Bodyguard duty."
He rolled his eyes again, "Whatever, Potter. Now go, before I change my mind."
Harry smiled wide at Tom, then the smile disappeared and he looked up at the older wizard and earnestly, most sincerely said, "Seriously Tom, thanks." he smiled again. "Bye!"
Pulling his head out of the fireplace, Harry quickly got up and magically removed any soot that got into his hair.
He hurriedly went to tell his father of Tom's answer. Harry noted that Mary and his mom were no longer at the table, having long since been done with eating, he guessed.
"Well, that's good. You can go."
Sarah looked happy about this, and Harry was smiling back. He was really-
"And your punishment for this mishap, Harry, is that Tom's pay is coming out of each of your monthly allowance. So you'll have ten galleons less than normal."
Which would leave him with thirty galleons each month, okay. That was fair.
"I don't want any repeat performances of this irresponsibility. It might look like nothing now, but it could be very bad for you if someone with bad intentions takes advantage of you carelesly making promises. Is that understood?"
Harry nodded, expression regretful and contrite. "Yes, dad."
"Good," he said, "Now say sorry to Sarah."
He did as he was told, sincerely of course. It was easilly waved off by Sarah.
They both turned to his dad.
Satisfied, he nodded to them both. "Alright," he said, "you can go."
Harry smiled at his dad and went to hug him. "Thanks dad." he said, "See you later."
After saying goodbye to both his mother and his little sister, (she had been bathed and dressed in a sunflower yellow dress) he and Sarah went to the agreed rendezvous, the Leaky Cauldron. There, they met Lyra and Sarah's date. All Harry knew was that the boy was a Seventh Year Ravenclaw Prefect, and Chaser.
"Hey Michael," Sarah warmly greeted.
Michael smiled back at her, "Hello."
Let the date begin, Harry mentally announced.
******
Hours have passed since the Floo call, and now Tom was seeing the Potter parents leaving for the event they needed to be at.
"So any medications she might need is in the medicine cupboard in the kitchen, I've labelled all of them, no worries." said Mrs Potter as she put on her outer robes, and slid on her gloves. "Emergency contact Flo. Addresses are stuck on the fireplace mantle, it's the-"
"It's the blue paper in red ink. Mary likes to have rice with carrots and chicken for lunch, dinner is free game and any snacks in between is up to her. She knows to ask when she wants the toilet." Tom smoothly interrupted and smiled at her reassuringly, "Nap time is at five, if she doesn't want to, it's best to play pretend sleep; watch out for nuts and shellfishes in any food I give her since she's allergic to them. She also has a slight asthma, so her asthma medication is a must too."
He smiles wider at her lightly, pleasantly surprised face, "I know." He refrained from mentioning that he was used to it as time spent with Harry at the Potter house usually meant time spent with Mary as well. There was a fine line between actually knowing it all and sounding like a know-it-all. It was a line he refused to cross-unless with it's Harry as irritating him is always fun, it was unbecoming and pretentious in his opinion.
Mr Potter walked in then laughing amusedly, carrying Mary in his arms, "Well, sweetheart, Mary's definitely in good hands." he happily said to his wife.
Said toddler looked happy to see him, and made grabbing motions to him. Tom complied, there was no saying no to the girl. Besides, it's not like he has siblings of his own to indulge in. "Tommy." she called gleefully.
This particular creature and another were the only two allowed to hideously butcher his name in such a way, so he lets it slide as he pulls her into his arms. She pats his cheeks with her chubby little hands, "Tommy, where's Hawwy?"
He hums at her, "He's out helping Sarah," he tickles her side lightly, "He'll be back soon."
"Okay." she says, before turning to her parents. "Are-" the lisp she has for all the "R" letters making it sound like she was saying "Au", "-you going now, daddy, mama?"
Mrs Potter smiled and ran her fingers lovingly through her daughter's hair, "Yes, honey, so you'll he staying with Tom until we come back." she bowed a bit low to kiss her daughter's forehead, inciting a giggle from Mary, then she pulled back. "So you be good for Tom, okay?"
She smiled brightly, "Okay!"
"Good," she said, then it was Mr Potter saying goodbye to his daughter with a kiss to the back of her hand and soon they were both ready to leave.
"Have a good evening, Mr Potter, Mrs Potter." he bid adieu to both with a nod each.
Mr Potter smiled a little wryly at him, "There's just no convincing you to call us James and Lily is there?"
Tom smiled, a little sheepish as this request was often repeated by the couple. "I'll try to remember, sir."
Lily sighs heavily, "There he goes again, James. It's like he doesn't realize he's practically family."
"Maybe Harry could get him to remember it someday, Lily." James confidently said, then winked conspiratorily at Tom, making Lily giggle rather uncharacteristically. Tom staunchly ignored the implications of his sentence, even if they give him a pleasant feeling.
"Well then, let's go Lily." he gestures for her to use the Floo first, "We don't want to be late."
Lily nodded, agreeing then turned to Tom, "Thanks again for this, Tom," she sighed. "You wouldn't have been called if Harry hadn't forgotten his promise to us before he promised to help Sarah."
Tom snorts lightly, typical Harry, he thought. "It's really alright Lily, I have finished my revisions and school assignments anyway. Plus," he adds, "Mother's not home, so. It's a little quiet in the house. The company's not bad either." he shrugged his shoulders, the movement slightly jostling the toddler in his arms, causing her to giggle a little. It helped prove his point of good company. Little Mary sat in his his arms quietly playing with the hem of his cashmere jumper or her dress.
Lily and James hummed in understanding, "Okay then," James said, "We'll be back around eight, maybe slightly earlier or later."
"Harry will be back sometime after six; maybe earlier, depends on the date. Plase, please stay for dinner okay?" Lily pleaded, her hand already clutching a handful of Floo Powder, "If there's anything I successfully taught that boy, it's cooking."
Not waiting for a reply, or rather expecting no rejection to her request (order), she threw the powder into the fireplace. "Ministry Of Magic, Greecian Ballroom Entrance." was clearly enunciated, and with a quick "Bye" to Tom and Mary she stepped into the green fire.
James turned to Tom and Mary, kissing her forehead, and then faced the still roaring fire. He said the same Floo Address and then he too disappeared into the flame.
Tom sighed as he extinguished the fire. "Well Mary, it's just you and I now." the three year old looked up expectantly at him, her green but brown flecked eyes curiously glanced at him. "What do you want to do?"
She brightened up more then said, "Let's play Princess! You're my Prince!"
Tom sighed.
As he listened to Mary's plot for this round's Princess, he idly wondered when he'd be able to deny Harry something.
He was pretending to battle Kol -the Potter's pet Kneazle- who is apparently the dragon holding Princess Mary captive.
It seems not anytime soon, Riddle.
"Release the Princess, you foul beast!" he pretend bellowed to the "dragon". Much to the "terrified" Princess's amusement.
Not anytime soon.
He then "slayed" the dragon.
******
"That movie was great!" Sarah cheered as they exited the cinema, "I can't believe he survived that fall." she continued to gush as they enter the lobby of the cinema.
She self-congratulated in her idea in having a date in the Muggle world, much more fun, she thought.
Michael laughed good naturedly at her antics, "The fall wasn't that high, I think, and the breathing device must've helped him some. Personally, I like the scene in the train." he snorted, Harry thought somewhat unattractively, "Can't believe he dressed up as a woman."
Harry silently agreed, he wouldn't have the balls to do it.
Lyra cleared her throat, distracting the main couple from their conversation. "So, where to next?"
The two looked questioningly at each other, "Grab a bite for-" Sarah checked her watch, "-tea? It's a quarter past four." she suggested. "Unless you all wanna have a look at the shops up here too." She grinned, they had spent some money and time at the shops downstairs, only getting in the cinema a little after two. Harry grinned at the thought of the gift he picked up for Tom for Yuletide and his birthday.
Michael nodded, "I am feeling a little hungry."
Lyra agreed as well, "I saw a nice looking cafe before we entered the cineplex."
Sarah nodded, "We'll go there then." she turned to Harry, "Harry?"
Harry shrugged, grinned a little to show he's not being a prick, "I could eat."
"Alright," Sarah quipped, "Let's go!"
******
"Tommy, can I have a snack?" Mary asked him, looking up from her colouring book. She scolded the ladybug when it moved again, softly telling it to "Don't move, please. I want to colour you."
"Sure." Tom answered, getting up from where he sat with the novel he had picked up from Harry's room. "What sort of snack do you want?" he gestured for her to follow him to the kitchen so she could choose.
Tom looked around, there were some apples, oranges and pears in the fruit bowl on the counter. Some rummaging in the refrigerator revealed that they have some selection of vegetables and other fruits, some types of fish Tom doesn't recognize, and cheese.
He turned to face the toddler, "What do you think you want to eat?"
"What can I has?"
"Have. It's said, what can I have." Tom corrected.
"Okay, what can I have?" she repeated.
Tom explained, but excluded the fish. He had no idea how to deal with those.
"Umm..." she intoned looking rather serious for a three year choosing what food to eat. "Can I have cheese and fruits?"
Tom smiled, that was simple and clean. He brought out said cheese, edam, and the fruits in the fridge, cherries, apricots and peaches.
He considered the thickness of the cheese, and remembered that Mary loved shapes in her foods. He looked around in the drawers for those particular things and- yes. There they are.
Tom turned to Mary, "What do you think of cheesy stars, dear Marigold?"
She smiled widely.
******
"He seems like a decent bloke," Harry told Sarah as they both watched Lyra and Michael get a table from where they stood in line. "All gentlemanly and all that."
"He does seem like it," Sarah agreed, "But..." she bit her lips, looking agitated. "I feel like there's something not right about him."
"Like what?" Harry asked, moving a step forward in line.
"That's just it, I don't know."
Harry frowned worriedly.
******
Snacks (Fruits and Cheesy Stars Shish Kebabs, not grilled though) consumed, Mary looked like she was almost ready for a nap. Tom figured if he just let her play around for a while longer, she'd tire herself out.
He watched her play from the dinner table, taking a sip of the coffee he brewed on the French Press the Potters had. He and Mrs- Lily shared the same love for coffee. It's actually a very delicate proces-
"I want some!"
"Huh?"
Mary pointed at the mug he was holding. Rather suddenly appearing out of nowhere. "That, I want what you're drinking too!"
Tom shook his head, "I don't think that's a good idea, Mary. It's hot."
She stomped her little feet and generally acted like a brat she rarely ever was, "I want it!"
More reasoning with her failed rather terribly as the toddler refused to hear anything other than yes. Tom sighed, and offered her his mug to drink.
She crossed her arms and shook her head, "No! I wants it in my cup!"
Tom refused. A sip, considering the size of her mouth, was fine. A whole cup? As far as Tom knew (limited though it may be) coffee wasn't good for three year olds. Especially not his kind of coffee.
Then she started tearing up. She looked up at Tom with eyes so wide and looking so heartbroken and so, so, betrayed. It would be cute, if Tom didn't draw parallels to her older brother. It made him wonder if Harry taught his little sister the disarming stare.
He growled in irritation at the thought, "Merlin save me from this kind of Potter eyes!" (He had a strong suspicion that would never come true.)
After several failed attempts at convincing Mary coffee not being good for her-"Why is it good fow you? Why is it bad fow me?"she asked and Tom couldn't find a good answer to that-he gave up and gave in.
He'd regret that.
******
Harry sighed as he righted himself after stumbling out of the Floo Network. A quick check of his watch revealed it was fifteen minutes to five. He lightly rubbed at his forehead and groaned at the subtle buildup of an ache behind his eyes. He dreaded the thought that the not so nasty pain could easily evolve into the kind of torture that would make him bang his head open on the wall without the headache reliever.
He sighed. He wanted to blame the coming pain on Sarah and her bloody violent, volcanic-like temper but he couldn't. He absolutely understood why she blew up the way she did.
Michael was a bastard.
No really, he's a bastard. A Pureblood one at that. Why that mattered? It's a simple and clichè answer: money. You see, Pureblood Laws are a very fickle, sexist, bigotry riddled, bullshit a plenty, and archaic compilation of things. Harry dared to say that they are a mess and sometimes awful. Some of the laws, like Michael's case, pertained to illegitimate offsprings; child born to kept mistress(es), concubine(s), courtesan(s) and whore(s).
(It was written exactly like that, Harry shits you not)
They don't get to inherit anything, not even the Pureblood's name. The only reason Michael even has a family name is because he claimed his mother's maiden name at Gringotts. Otherwise, he'd just be Michael and not Michael Kaelin.
Harry shook his head, he digressed far too much sometimes. Anyway, Michael's case was handled by one of Sarah's sisters, Laurell, one of the best magical lawyers to be found these days but they lost the case. No this is not a slight to Laurell, it highlighted her excellence actually, since she figured out that Michael brought fake evidence or something. It would have tipped the the balance in Michael's favour and take Cedric Diggory's (Amos's legitimate son) claim as Heir.
Long story short, Michael wanted revenge on the sister (and the dad since they were both on the case) by getting any sort of dirt he can get via Veritaserum on Sarah. One would think tiny little bad habbits wouldn't mean much to people and usually, it doesn't. Unless you were someone prominent like a well known lawyer, and the daughter of the best Head of DMLE The British Ministry had seen in decades. Sometimes things like that can destroy your good reputation.
(Harry would tell you what it was but he'd been sworn to secrecy on pain of death by Laurell)
Pureblood politics, Harry shuddered, they were a nightmare.
He shook himself out of the reverie he was in, feeling grateful that Michael didn't manage to do anything to Sarah. Harry hoped he would enjoy his stay in lockup. (Said Ravenclaw was lucky Sarah had no brothers in the British Auror Department)
He spelled the soot away and walked out of the Floo room, "I'm back!" he hollered out, "Tom? Mary? Where are you?" he walked down the hallway, "Guy-"
A loud and long, gurgling, laughing shriek was the only thing he heard before he was knocked clean off his feet. The air was forced out of his lungs by the crush of a three year old's full weight on his chest.
He groaned and coughed, not quite able to life his body from the ground. Pain radiated from the back of his head, and his back. He moaned a little in pain.
The little anvil, on the other hand, was happily giggling on his chest. Tiny fists banging on his ribs lightly, and very much not helping him get the air he needed.
"Hawwy!!" she shrieked, "Hawwy's back!! Where's Sawwah, Hawwy? Is she coming back here? Why were you gone so long? What did you help her with? Did you have fun? I runned a lot today! Tommy maded me kibobs and it was-"
"Woah, woah, woah," Harry interjected, "Slow down, I can't answer all your questions that fast." She looked at him disappointedly, as if she had fully expected him to be able to answer them.
Harry held her around her waist, made sure he had a strong hold on her, before he gingerly sat up. He looked at her, assessing. She looked back, expectant. Her whole body jittering with some unknown energy and bouncing in place. It was very uncomfortable, and he lightly beared down on her shoulders to have her stay still because the lack of comfort could just as easily turn into a quick crippling pain for him if the toddler falls.
Harry took a deep breath, and the toddler huffed impatiently. "Before I answer any of your questions little lady," he cupped her chubby face in his hands, "why are you so hyper? Like you're on...." Harry couldn't find the right word for it. It was on the tip of his tongue, it was..
"Sugar rush?" Tom wryly continued as he walked towards Harry.
Harry raised a questioning eyebrow at the taller brunette, "Is she?" Harry thought Tom would know better than to feed his sister too much sugar.
Tom went to futilely pick up the excited toddler, which earned him bats to the arms, hand and slight graze to his cheek. Dear Merlin the girl is vicious. "No." he said, as he knelt beside them, "But..." he trailed off, looking carefully at Harry. He mentally calculated how much of his ego would be chipped off for this coming explanation.
Harry raised the other eyebrow, "But...?"
Tom sighed. "She asked for coffee."
While for most people this would explain nothing, for Tom it explained many things. First, the elder wizard was almost a pushover when it came to Mary! Almost anything she wanted (within reason) was given. Second, Mary is an impressionable child, and therefore was more likely to ask for something if someone in the room (or if she saw it beforehand) was having it. Which meant, Tom drank coffee with Mary in sight.
But... Mum had given Mary sips of coffee before, why was she so- Harry smacked his forehead lightly.
He rolled his eyes very obviously at Tom.
"You gave her a whole sippy cup's worth of coffee didn't you?"
Tom glared at Harry, then crossed his arms, "You try denying her when she blasts you with The Eyes."
"Yes, well you could have hewed and hemmed at it until she-" Harry paused, quirked his eyebrows at the Slytherin, "Did you just capitalize The Eyes?" Don't bother doubting whether this question was asked with saturated amounts of amusement, it was.
Tom quirkerd right back, "Did you just recognize her expression with which I relate The Eyes to?"
Harry shrugged, "I am her brother, Tom."
Tom rolled his eyes, "Not important at the moment, Harry."
Harry hummed, squeezed Mary's hand lightly in warming when she tried to pull away, stay still, was what he meant.
What the three year old apparently understood though, was this: Escape challenge, yay! I'll just wriggle and squirm uncontrollably until- YES, big brother you lose. I RUN NOW!
"Mary, don't run in the hallway!" he tried but, of course, she was already a giggling toddler dust by the time the last word left his mouth. Great Merlin, she runs fast.
Harry rounded on Tom, "How much coffee beans were in the coffee you gave her?"
Tom winced, and he guiltily answered, "About as much as mine has."
Harry was taken aback, it was like Tom's sanity had been spent.
"What?" Tom said defensively, "She asked for coffee that smelled and looked like mine!"
Harry pinched the bridge of his nose, the headache definitely present now. "And you didn't think to just transfigure the coffee into the same colour and smell as your coffee?"
It was infinitely satisfying to watch Tom smack his own forehead over his far too rare bouts of stupidity. Especially since this was something he would never do anywhere or with someone else.
Tom glanced at Harry from underneath his lashes, "Uh... It was a moment of insanity?"
CRASH! CLANG!
Both of them jumped at the sound of something falling and breaking. What the hell was that?
"Mary?!" Harry yelled, concerned and slightly terrified. "Are you alright?!"
It was silent far too long for either Harry's or Tom's liking, and they were dashing in the direction of the crashing sound when "I'm alright!" was answered before mad giggling started again.
They both let loose a breath of relief but didn't slow down until they reached the living room. Said currently hyper little girl was bouncing up and down on the couch with a bright smile on her face. One of the end tables were turned over, the potted plant that used to be on it was in a thousand pieces close by.
Harry stopped close by and fisted his hands, resting them on the his hips. He looked disapprovingly at the mischievous toddler he didn't quite recognize to be his sister. His sister was always so calm and quiet! He was definitely surprised by this display of almost manic energy.
The frown on his face was willing the girl to stop jumping up and down. It worked, she slowly stopped. Hands tucked close to the side, as if realizing she did something wrong, but the curious expression on her face clearly meant that she was unsure of why exactly her big brother seemed to be upset.
"Hawwy, Hawwy, why are you frowning?" Harry had to bite his cheeks to stop the upward twitch of his lips at her cute "R" to "Au" lisp. He kept up the stern facade.
He then proceeded to explain why all the running about and jumping around knocking things down was bad. Tom sometimes piqued up with his own two knuts of why it was bad as he repaired the potted plant's container with a quick reparo. A small sweep of his wand had the sand and plant; a nemesia, if Harry wasn't mistaken, back into the pot and the pot back on the uprighted end table.
The little girl just sat quietly and listened to them rather unnervingly still. (It was unnerving like that because Mary had been moving without stop, and now she's barely twitching!) Harry felt a gentle brush on his right side, Tom had sidled up next to him without Harry noticing.
Both of them turned to Mary. She looked up at them innocently.
"So do you get why you shouldn't run around inside the house?" Tom asked.
She nodded.
"Great!" Harry exclaimed, "So." he approached her, she jumped/slid off the back of the couch.
"Um, Mary. Let's go nap time okay?" he carefully said and he took small steps toward her.
The little girl grinned toothily at them. (Rather literally, as only her two front teeth were visible) Then she took off into the direction of the unlocked backyard door, screaming and shrieking excitedly, her most boisterous laughter could be intermittently heard as well.
Harry sighed.
Tom lightly punched Harry's shoulder, "Did you have to mention naptime?"
Harry punched back, "Did you have to give her a sippy cup full of coffee?"
"Touchè."
Harry rolled his eyes at him.
They heard more laughter/shrieking from the toddler.
"Well, come on." Harry pulled Tom in the direction of the side door, "We've got a toddler to tire out."
Tom groaned.
"Your fault." Harry said, "Oh, it's snowing."
Tom groaned again.
******
Half past seven saw to the arrival of the elder Potters with an almost loud crack! at the house entrance. When their cheery greetings were unreturned, they were slightly on edge (remnants of paranoia from the days of Grindelwald) but they kept themselves in check.
They walked further inside the house with the quietest steps they could manage. They entered the living room.
Lily positively squealed, but managed to cut it off just in time before she woke any of them up. "James," she whispered in his ear, "Go get the camera now, quietly!"
James rolled his eyes, "Accio Lily's camera" he intoned, then as quick as it was quiet, the camera dropped itself into James's hand. He quietly gave her the object. Even he couldn't deny the sight before him was one that could melt the coldest of hearts. Both agreed to just let them sleep, not having the heart to do otherwise. Lily held up the camera.
With a small CLICK, a bright flash filled t'he room and the moment that was currently warming their hearts were forever captured in a simple photo.
Lily squealed quietly again as she looked at the developed photo. James marvelled at this piece of copied muggle technology. It immediately developed the photos taken, he believed it was called a Polaroid Camera or something; it was very useful and quick! He was impressed at the ingenuity of muggles; they always improved their ways. Made things easier for themselves with contraptions inconceivable by his mind. Muggles, stupid? James snorted at the thought. We're lucky the idea of magic is too ridiculous for them to even consider as a possible answer.
She showed the photo to him, he grinned at it. His son sure looked happy being where he was! He chuckle lightly and took the photo from Lily to walk to the bookcase with their collection of photo albums. Hogwarts, Pre-Harry, Harry-yes, but another one too... Marigold... Ah. There. Family.
"Geminio" he non-verbally spelled, and watched as the photo made a duplicate of itself. He stuck one photo into Harry's album (from tummy age to present time, the album magically adds a page each time one is fully used up as dictated by owner) and one into the Family album.
As he closed the album and quietly walled back to Lily, photo Harry had rolled over. It made him move away from the gentle hold photo Tom had him in, but not for long though. Photo Tom seemed to wake up and pull photo Harry back into his hold with an arm wrapped around the smaller teen's waist. Both of them curled up in a way that bracketed little Mary in between them in their nest of pillows and blankets; the remnants of their blanket fort.
They didn't know this as they left, but they didn't need to see the photo. Their alive counterparts were doing the same thing, if just a little bit closer.
"I have a feeling we're gonna have to talk to Merope about wedding plans come Harry's graduation." said Lily as they walked up the stairs to their bedroom.
James merely nodded, they can plan as much as they wanted. He had a feeling that whatever happens will happen because the boys wanted it that way, nothing more nothing less.
Potters and guest slept wonderfully that night.
******
The following morning after Tom had left however, found the Potter heir facing an unhappy mother questioning why her baby girl was asking for coffee instead of her usual apple juice.
Said Potter heir had also caught a cold from running around in snow yesterday. That was something he didn't share in common with Tom. He was sick, amd Tom wasn't.
As he listened to his mother's scolding he came to the conclusion that Tom's coffee was definitely bad for him. The coffee's propensity to cause him trouble when Tom was factored in was becoming ridiculous.