Work Text:
Drink now, think later:
It was a crazy idea one that he is coming to regret with every step he is taking.
to be fair he didn't think this through ok he was drunk and a bit brave at the time when he decided to do this sure he is Gryffindor all through but even for him this was a bit batshit. "You killed a basilisk when you were twelve," he told himself encouragingly, but he wasn't prepared hell he didn't even know what he was doing.
It all started with a couple of awful nights at Grimmauld after the battle and an endless stash of whisky Merlin blessed Sirius for his addiction he kept quite the variety.
He made use of the finest bottles with names he couldn't even spell drinking away as he consumed the contents of the Blacks library wasting away from everyone else after the thrill of the battle subsided and his friends to go on with their lives encouraging him to do the same except he couldn't just call it a day.
Hermione and Ron got married while he and Ginny broke up, Draco Malfoy had his first child while Andromeda packed her bags and took Teddy to America forbidding him from visiting claiming him too unstable and unsuitable.
people seemed to fall in love, make families, advancing in life while he was just sitting there left out and fed up with everything.
it was like that drinking and reading, reading and drinking until he stumbled upon interesting books.
Let it be noticed he thought the library consisted of gory ritualistic books, blood-eating animals' history, and how to kill using glares plus haughty grimaces, except that wasn't entirely true.
sure the library had some books on how to behead your enemies from afar which he found pretty interesting if it wasn't for the book, but the book that led him to his current position in the middle of a ritual circle was the book of change.
He thought it was some divination bullshit when he first read the title but cracked it open thinking it was some beauty spells book he found plenty of those lying around, but as he read the book carefully it talked about reversing actions to shape your destiny to undone the past to your design the more he read the more he was engrossed into the contents leaving caution as he read warning upon warning that time is not to be meddled with and to be utmost left alone except in severe cases with no reversible solution.
preventing war and stopping a crazed dark lord from ever making it into the picture is a pretty good cause, right?
All of his reading led to this moment him surrounded by a circle made of grave dirt, ashes, Egyptian sand which cost a lost, shredded gold, and powder of diced apricots, holding a clock made of silver and quartz aiming for 50 years in the past.
He held his breath as he revised the plan it was only minutes separating him from changing the world as he knew it.
The plan was pretty straightforward forward go to the past make yourself rich by selling the basilisk skin he has in his bag, make a business at potions and release some potions of today get rich but not famous except your name no pictures of you, build a reputation of a secluded genius then go and seduce tom riddle pretty easy.
Revising the plan in his head it didn't seem too easy now, but he already made the preparation he stole the basilisk fangs, skin, and eyes, packed books that he would need, and made use of the endless beauty charms he found.
Harry officially can say he is HOOOOOOT he would ravish himself if he was able to the whole thing took so much work one can't be a twink/ trophy husband material if they were lazy.
First things first he got rid of his glasses, and his body hair, and made his skin free of scars except for his forehead scar that seemed to stick through it all, trimmed his hair and found a style that would suit the 40s but still make him stand out, used endless skincare potions that his skin now glowed and if one looked closely they might see their reflection and most importantly his horrendous wardrobe as madam Malkin described it.
Do not get him wrong he knew he wasn't a Malfoy but that did not mean he had no sense of style at all he did choose some pretty killer outfits to pack that even Madam malkin couldn't complain about.
Harry took a deep breath as the moonlight reflected on the circle making the gold shine in the night reflecting on the clock in harry hands that seemed to glow and heaten before awful drumming filled harry ear making him flinch before vanishing into nothingness.
The first three months of Harry's arrival into the past went exactly as he planned if not better he made his identity as Hadrian Jevans an estranged scholar who was born in India from an English woman and an Indian man who left India and lived in the secluded parts of the Russian countryside they taught him everything before they passed away when he turned 12.
The issue of the language got solved easily by Harry taking a language fluidity potion and he already had to learn some while reading in the Black library since some of the books he used and packed were in Russian, his parent's death at 12 will explain the absence of school records and why he took his O.W.L.S and N.E.W.T at Britain upon his arrival the second he turned 19 to connect with his mother heritage.
In those three months, he made a fake identity with the help of Gringotts sold the basilisk to some shady European merchants to large some of the money, bought a house in Edinburgh and a manor in London released a line of potions, and became the inventor of the skletogrowt potion along with the wound knitting potion and magical kit.
To be honest he felt more successful than he ever was in what he liked to call his first life and being potion master is a major suck to Snape even if he turned out to be one of the good guys.
The real challenge was facing him now as in him standing in front of Borgin and Burkes's shop where the future dark lord was now apparently dusting yes dusting the books in the shop making Harry want to break into a fit of Bellatrix-like giggles, but no, no he was a man in a mission he needed to collect himself "you can't laugh yet you have to hold it" he reprimanding himself before entering the shop.
he thought much about what to wear but decided to go with a simple black clock and similar robes it was his face that he took extra time to make sure that he looked perfect that his hair was styled nicely, and he made sure that he smelt clean soap and powder knowing that tom riddle was a neat freak nerd that despised the smell of stench.
"good afternoon, how can I help you?" the voice of Riddle carried the second that he entered the shop riddle was scanning him up and down his eyes glinting with something akin to maniacal greed before it left as soon as it appeared "Thank you Mr." harry said as he leaned to read the name tag making sure to let riddle have the time to assess him closely to smell the perfectly selected cologne "riddle but I would like to browse the shop if that wasn't a hassle and if I needed anything I will ask for your insight," harry said velvety making sure that his voice remained calm and confident.
Tom smiled at him before nodding "Of course. mr.?" he asked "Hadrian Jevans pleased to meet you" Harry said lifting his hand for a shake, recognition crossed Riddle's features before he masked it with feigned interest.
Instead of shaking his hand riddle took it and lifted it to place a kiss on top of his hand as soon as he lifted his hand magic in the air thrummed, green tendrils extended from their hands circling their wrists leaving a soft heat there, of course, harry knew this would happen since he engineered this interaction he made sure that riddle would touch his hand not kiss it like the unnatural creep he was well maybe harry was the creep in this situation but he had a good reason after all.
"What is that what? " Riddle asked perplexed
"You are my soulmate!" Harry whispered looking between the green writing on his wrist and riddle face. "Your what?" Tom repeated face scrunched in a frown and brows knitted together.
"Soulmate. I know this sounds crazy but look at your wrist" Harry said pointing at their entwined hands "A stag?" Tom asked confused
"My patronus is a stag and I assume you were a Slytherin when you were at school," Harry said looking at the tom and the basilisk beside the name.
"I was but how did you know that meant we are soulmates what kind of magic is that," Tom said still not letting Harry's hand go
"I can see snippets sometimes and... " he said a bit shy "You are a seer?" Tom said his greed palpable " Not a seer I don't know the name but I can see pits of the past and the future of people but not me rarely me, but I remember a memory since I was eleven that the king of snakes is my soulmate I got dreams of this soulmate"
"dreams?" "yes, about his life did you by any chance grow up in an orphanage where there was a white rabbit and mean kids," Harry said
" Yes" Tom breathed out "Merlin you are," Harry said trying to leave "I need to go this is not right I am sorry to disturb you " he added hastily.
"YOu are my soulmate you aren't going anywhere matter of fact Hadrian Jevans will you give me the honor of marrying me?"