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Now, it’s been five years, and unfortunately Harry hasn’t really made any friends in his house. He doesn’t really get to talk to the red headed boy he spoke to on the train on the first day of school, because Gryffindors and Slytherins aren’t really meant to be friends with each other.
Still, because of how shy Harry is and everything that has happened between all his four years, he’s not friends with a lot of the Slytherins, and no one’s really shown any interest in becoming Harry’s friend either. He kind of axed any opportunity of making friends anyways when he turned down Draco bloody Malfoy’s offer to be friends with him. Harry hates the blonde boy.
Until now.
Harry had just gotten back from doing homework at the library, and has just made it back to the Slytherin common room, where he’s quick to accidentally bump into none other than fifth year Tom Riddle, someone who has never acknowledged Harry’s existence.
“I- I’m sorry!” Harry instantly exclaims, looking up with wide eyes.
“Relax, Potter. It’s not a big deal,” Tom replies, shrugging his shoulders.
Harry can’t help the pink blush that forms on his cheeks. “Uh, right-” He tucks his books under his arms, and he goes to walk past Tom, but he stops when Tom grabs a hold of him. “Wha-?”
“What were you doing out late?” Tom asks, and he leads the way into the common room lounge.
“I-” Harry hesitates, and he’s a little confused because no one’s ever really talked to him, and he’s quite confused as to why Tom Riddle is suddenly showing interest in him.
Tom Riddle is popular, probably the most popular boy in the whole of Hogwarts. All the girls have stupid crushes on him, and all the boys desperately want to be his friend. Tom acts around like he owns the school. He’s not someone Harry ever saw himself being friends with.
Tom looks over when Harry doesn’t answer him right away, and is instead just standing there, looking a little confused, and he can’t help but raise his eyebrows at him. “Alright, Potter. Why do you look like you’ve just seen a ghost or something?”
Harry huffs, and places his books on one of the side tables by the couch. “You do know there are actually ghosts in the castles? It’s possible to see a ghost,” Harry is quick to retort.
Tom waves him off. “Whatever,” he says. He flops down on the couch, kicking his feet up. “Well, are you going to join me or not?” He looks up towards Harry, smiling sweetly.
“Sure, but… you never really wanted to talk to me before,” Harry says quietly.
“Well, it’s kind of hard to say anything to you when you’ve got your nose in a book, or you’re hiding upstairs in the dormitory,” Tom says. “Honestly, sit down. I’m not going to bite.”
Harry hesitates, before walking around and sitting at the end of the couch. He looks over at Tom, curiously. “Aren’t you worried people are going to judge you for hanging out with me?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Tom asks curiously.
“I- I just mean… uh, I’m kind of the outcast in this house,” Harry says, and he knows it, and he’s not afraid to admit. He’s kind of gotten used to it at this point.
“Believe it or not, nobody cares about that. I mean, if you don’t want me to talk to you, I can leave-” Tom sits up, and he’s getting ready to get up from the couch.
“No!” Harry exclaims, and his eyes widen as he looks over at Tom. “No, I uh… I’m sorry. I just… I’m not really used to talking to anyone. I appreciate you taking the time.”
Tom chuckles. “Taking the time? You make it sound so proper,”
Harry huffs, and crosses his arms against his chest.
Tom grins. “You’re not so bad, Potter. We should be friends,”
“Really?” Harry asks, and he looks over at Tom, shocked. “You want to be my friend?”
Tom nods. “I think you’re a lot better than half of these so-called Slytherins,” he says. “I’ve always wanted to talk to you. I just never was able to find the right time to.”
“I didn’t even want to be in Slytherin,” Harry reminds him.
“Hm,” Tom chuckles, and relaxes against the couch, crossing his arms. “Yeah, I remember in first year. You made a big deal about not wanting to be in Slytherin.”
“Well, can you blame me? I was younger then, and didn’t really know anything about the wizarding world, besides the fact that Slytherins were bad. That’s what I was told,”
“Slytherins aren’t bad. We’re just cunning sometimes, and misunderstood,”
“Cunning,” Harry grumbles. “I’m not cunning. I’ve never even been cunning once in my life, and I’m still not sure why the Sorting Hat put me in Slytherin in the first place.”
Tom chuckles. “The Sorting Hat knows what it’s doing. There was a reason, Potter,”
Harry looks over at Tom, curious what he means by that statement.
The rest of the night goes smoothly for Harry, but he doesn’t think Tom will actually talk to him again. He’s still not sure why Tom decided to talk to him in the first place. He’s pretty sure that Tom has never even taken a glance in his direction since he arrived at Hogwarts.
However, he’s once again proven wrong when Harry is walking towards the Great Hall the next morning by himself for breakfast. Tom had asked him to wait for him in the morning so they could walk together, but Harry didn’t take him seriously and decided to walk by himself.
“Hey, Potter!”
Harry instantly stops when he hears someone calling his name, and he looks over at Tom, looking surprised when he sees Tom rushing up towards him.
“I thought you were going to wait for me?” Tom asks, raising his eyebrows.
“I didn’t think you were serious about that?” Harry asks as they start walking again.
“Of course I was serious. We really need to work on your self-esteem issues,”
“I don’t have-”
Tom chuckles. “Please. You reek of self-esteem issues, which is surprising considering that you’re Harry Potter and all,”
Harry scowls at him. “You ever think that maybe that’s why I’m low on self-esteem issues?”
“Fair enough,” Tom says. They’re getting closer to the Great Hall, thankfully. Harry’s starving.
When Harry looks up as he’s walking down the stairs, he looks up and he can’t help but feel a little bit sad when he sees the red headed boy and curly haired girl. He knows they’re friends, and he can’t help but feel like they would be friends as well had he not been in Slytherin.
“So, Potter. Got any interesting plans this weekend?” Tom asks as they head towards the Slytherin table. “I mean, I was thinking about heading to Hogsmeade for the day tomorrow.”
“No. I’m not allowed to go to Hogsmeade Tom,” Harry says bitterly, instantly remembering in his third year when he basically begged Professor McGonagall to sign his papers in front of everyone, and she still told him no because it was against the rules. He knew his aunt and uncle would never sign the papers, and then Aunt Marge happened, and that was a whole other disaster in itself. There was no one else who could sign his papers for him.
“And why not?” Tom asks, looking over at Harry once they’re sat down.
Harry sighs sadly. “My aunt and uncle refused to sign the papers,” he says, hoping Tom wouldn’t ask more questions. His family is a bit of a sore subject. He doesn’t like talking about them.
“Ridiculous. Every student should be able to enjoy Hogsmeade,” Tom scoffs.
“Sure, but… it’s really not a big deal-”
Tom waves him off. “Nonsense. I’m having a talk with Professor McGonagall. I’m sure I can work something out with her,” he leans closer to Harry. “She loves me. Adores me, really.”
Harry chuckles. “Good luck with that,” he says, grabbing a fork and stabbing his pancakes.
“Oh, Tom! What are you doing over there? We usually sit over here,”
Both Tom and Harry look over and see Pansy Parkinson, as well as a few other Slytherin girls, who don't seem very happy. “That’s quite alright, ladies. I chose where I sit for myself,”
“Tom, really. It’s alright. I’m used to sitting by myself anyways,” Harry whispers.
“No. You’d be doing me a favor, honestly,” Tom whispers.
“You’ll sit with us tomorrow?” Pansy asks.
“Uh, yeah. Sure,” Tom nods, and he turns towards Harry. “They’re so bloody annoying. Honestly. Say you’ll hang out with me for a couple days? Maybe they’ll leave me alone?”
“How will that get them to leave you alone? I’m not very…”
“I don’t know. Maybe they’ll think we’re dating or something,” Tom suggests.
“You want them to think we’re dating?” Harry asks, his eyes widening. “Alright, that’s it, Riddle. You’ve officially lost your mind!”
“Come on, you’ve got to admit. It’s not that bad of an idea,” Tom presses on.
“What are you-? It’s a terrible idea,” Harry retorts, and looks over at Tom with raised eyebrows.
“Now, come on, Potter. Hear me out. We start hanging out with each other, and those bloody annoying girls will finally leave me alone, and you’ll start gaining more popularity in school after hanging out with me. See? Brilliant. We both get something out of it,”
Harry shakes his head. “You think really highly of yourself, don’t you?”
“No. Not really. I just know the facts,” Tom says, and then he gently nudges Harry’s arm. “So, come on, what do you say then, Potter? Wanna be my fake boyfriend?”
Harry rolls his eyes at that, but he doesn’t even bother to argue, because he can’t help but admit that Tom’s got a point. Harry’s never been popular in school. All he’s wanted is to have a bit of friends. Maybe hanging out with Tom will help that. Harry sighs in defeat. “Alright, Tom. We’ll go with your stupid plan. Only for a week, then we fake breakup,”
Tom grins. “Brilliant,” he says, and he reaches over and kisses Harry’s cheeks, which instantly causes some students sitting around them to gasp. Tom blinks, and he looks over at the girls who had gasped. “What?”
“You just kissed Potter’s cheek!” She exclaims.
“Relax, Greengrass. That’s what boyfriends do, isn’t it?” Tom asks.
Harry can’t help but laugh at that, because it did not take Tom very long at all to start playing into the role of his fake boyfriend. He’s never even had a real boyfriend before, so Harry’s not really sure how he’s meant to act like a fake boyfriend.
Harry has a feeling this is going to end in disaster.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t take very long before word starts getting around the school that Harry and Tom are dating. Harry kind of hates it, because he can’t really go anywhere without people either staring or whispering at him as he walks through the school. He’s not used to getting this kind of attention, and he’s not sure he likes it. He should have expected it.
It’s Tom Riddle, after all.
Harry doesn’t really see Tom again until dinner. But before he sees him, he surprisingly runs into Ron Weasley of all people. “Sorry mate. I wasn’t paying attention-”
“No worries, mate,” Ron says, taking a step back, and he looks up at Harry, raising his eyebrows at him. “Wow. You’ve been the talk of the day, haven’t you, Potter?”
Harry can’t help but roll his eyes. “Yeah, unfortunately. It’s not something I want,”
“Well, it’s bound to happen when you start dating someone like Tom Riddle,” Ron retorts.
Harry looks up at him. “Is that why you’re talking to me right now?”
“No. I’m talking to you because you clumsily ran into me,” Ron chuckles. “I couldn’t care less about you and Riddle dating. Though personally, I don’t think it’s a smart move.”
“Can I ask why you think that?” Harry asks, crossing his arms against his chest.
“It’s Tom Riddle, mate. He’s bad news. Didn’t you hear how he treated his last girlfriend?”
Harry blinks when Ron mentions Tom’s exes. “Well, no, I-”
“Harry! There you are!”
Harry looks over and sees Tom rushing up to him. “Sorry I’m a little late,” he says, throwing his arm around Harry’s shoulder. “I was talking to McGonagall about what we talked about earlier. You’re cleared for Hogsmeade tomorrow.” He grins at Harry.
Harry’s eyes widen, and he turns to face Tom. “How the hell’d you manage that?”
“I told you, babe, I have my ways,” Tom grins. He looks over, and raises his eyebrows when he sees Ron standing there. “What are you doing here, Weasley?”
“Relax. We were just talking. I actually ran into him by accident,” Harry explains.
Tom looks over at him. “You got a habit of running into people, or something?”
Harry huffs, and he looks over at Ron. “I’ll talk to you later,” he says, and he grabs Tom’s hand, thinking that’s something that couples do with each other. “Come on, let’s go find a spot.”
“Yeah, let’s. It’s been a busy day and I’m starving,” Tom says, and he starts leading the way towards the Great Hall. But they’re quickly stopped by Pansy Parkinson, who storms up to them, crossing her arms against her chest angrily. Tom sighs as he stares at her. “Pansy.”
“You can’t be serious! You’re dating him?” Pansy demands.
Tom blinks, and he looks over at Harry, before looking back at Pansy. “Well… yes?”
“How could you date him out of all people? I’m literally right here!” Pansy exclaims.
Tom rolls his eyes. “Honestly, Pansy. Did you ever think there was a reason why I never wanted to date you? Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’d like to have dinner with my boyfriend,”
Harry tugs on Tom’s hand, and leads the way over to the table. “Well, that was awkward,”
Tom scoffs. “She’s so annoying. Why can’t she annoy Malfoy instead of me?”
“Pretty sure she tried that in year three and he turned her down pretty harshly,” Harry says, and places himself down on the bench at the Slytherin. He watches as Tom sits down as well.
“What were you and Weasley talking about?” Tom asks, looking over at Harry.
“Nothing really,” Harry says, and he’s certainly not going to bring up what Ron said about Tom, even though Harry has so many questions about what he meant. They’re not really dating, but Harry would like to know if he’s in any danger. “Just about how people are talking about us.”
“Ah, yes. No one’s given you any shit, have they?” Tom asks, and looks over at Harry.
“Not really, no. Just the typical staring and whispering,” Harry shrugs.
“Well, you let me know if anyone gives you any trouble and I’ll take care of them,” Tom says.
Harry rolls his eyes at that. He hadn’t expected Tom to be the protective type of boyfriend. “Tom, it’s fine. You don’t have to take care of anyone for me. I can take care of myself,”
“I know. I’m just being a good boyfriend,” Tom argues.
You’re not my real boyfriend, Harry wants to say, but he holds his tongue. Tom’s being nice, so there’s no real reason why Harry should say something mean to him.
Things settle down once they start eating.
“Are you excited for Hogsmeade tomorrow?” Tom asks, taking a bite of his chicken.
“I am,” Harry responds, and nods. “I’m still not sure how you got her to say yes, Tom.”
Tom chuckles. “I just asked really nicely. That’s all,”
Harry chuckles, and he shakes his head. “I don’t think that’s all it took, but I’ll take it for now. Thank you. I’ve never gotten to go to before, but I’ve always wanted to,”
“You’re welcome. Does this count as our first date?” Tom asks, looking over at Harry.
“Do you want it to count as our first date?” Harry asks.
“We should,” Tom says. “I’ll take you to Honeydukes and we’ll get some sweets.”
“Sounds delicious,” Harry says, and he has to hide the blush on his cheeks. He looks over, and sighs to himself when he sees a group of Slytherin girls looking their way, and it’s obvious they’ve been talking about him again, but Tom’s right beside him, so he knows that he doesn’t need to worry. Tom’s proven to be protective so far, and it’s barely been a full day.
They finish eating dinner, and the two Slytherin boys make their way down to the dungeons. Harry still thinks it’s unfair how the Slytherin common room is in the dungeons, and he knows other Slytherin students feel the same way. But, what can they do about it?
Tom pulls Harry aside before they can make it to the door. Harry blinks, and he looks over at Tom, a little confused. “What are you doing?” Harry asks.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Tom asks, pulling Harry closer, whispering.
“Do what?” Harry asks quietly.
“This,” Tom asks, gesturing between the two.
Harry chuckles. “It’s a little bit late for that, don’t you think?” He asks, raising his eyebrows.
“It’s not too late to fake a breakup. I mean, if you want to back out… you can,” Tom says.
“Where’s all this coming from?” Harry asks, frowning. “You really wanted to do this earlier.”
“I know. But I saw how people were treating you earlier at dinner. This is what you’re gonna have to deal with when it comes to dating me. I just don’t want you to-” Tom stops talking when Harry leans forward and presses a kiss to his lips. Tom looks up when Harry pulls away.
“Does that answer your question?” Harry asks, smiling shyly.
“I-”
“Tom Riddle… speechless?” Harry asks, suddenly feeling a bit more confident.
Tom huffs, and crosses his arms against his chest. “You didn’t have to do that,”
“Please. Don’t act like you didn’t enjoy it,” Harry replies sassily. “Besides, we got the kissing part out of the way. It was bound to happen eventually.”
Tom raises his eyebrows as he stares at Harry. “You really are something, aren’t you?”
Harry smirks. “And that’s a bad thing?”
“Oh for the love of Salazar. Get a room!”
Harry looks over and is surprised when he sees Malfoy and his goonies walking towards the Slytherin common room door, with a rather disgusting look on his face. Malfoy isn’t someone he’s had to deal with yet since people started talking about him and Tom dating, but he knew that it was only a matter of time before he said something.
Tom instantly glares at the blonde boy, and he quickly grabs a hold of Harry’s arm, pulling Harry closer to him. “Shove off Malfoy. Mind your own fucking business,”
“Tom,” Harry whispers, glaring at his fake boyfriend. “Come on. Don’t get involved.”
“You should really listen to your little boyfriend Riddle,” Draco adds, smirking.
“I told you to fuck off, Malfoy,” Tom snaps.
“Both of you knock it off. We’re not bloody children,” Harry snaps. He looks over at Malfoy and glares at him. “Seriously. We weren’t bothering you. So leave us alone.”
“Malfoy,” Malfoy looks over and sees Goyle waiting for him at the door entrance, with his arms crossed against his chest, looking unamused. “Let’s go, mate.”
Malfoy looks at Harry and Tom one last time. “You two got lucky this time,” he says, before storming into the common room, grumbling to himself.
Tom scoffs, and he shakes his head. “Don’t worry. Malfoy’s all talk. He acts tougher than he is,” he says. “He thinks he’s all that because of who his father is.”
Harry looks over at Tom. “Malfoy hates me already. I don’t need him hating me more,”
“Why does Malfoy hate you?” Tom asks curiously, raising his eyebrows.
“I turned down his friendship offer on our first day of school during first year,” Harry admits. “Needless to say, he wasn’t very happy about that, and took it personally.”
Tom rolls his eyes, and shakes his head. “What a loser. Honestly, he thinks he can get whatever he wants because of how his parents raised him,” he scoffs.
Harry sighs softly as he stares at Tom. “Anyways. Shall we go inside?”
“Let’s,” Tom says, and leads the way to the entrance. He whispers the password, and walks in as they are granted access to the Slytherin common room. He looks over at Harry, and turns to look at Harry. “Well, are you heading to bed, then?”
“I’m not sure. I’m not feeling tired yet. Are you?” Harry asks.
“Well, well, well-”
Tom looks over when he hears a voice, and rolls his eyes when he sees Pansy Parkinson walking up to them, and Tom already wants to explode just by looking at her.
Harry rolls his eyes, and looks over at Tom. “Oh, bloody hell. Here we go again,”
Tom chuckles, and crosses his arms against his chest. “What can I do for you, Pansy?”
“You two have been the talk of the school ever since you started dating!” Pansy exclaims.
Tom raises his eyes, and glances at Harry, before looking back at Pansy, looking unamused. “And, exactly how is that our fault?”
“You just had to go and date someone like him-!” She exclaims, pointing at Harry.
Harry is immediately taken aback. “Excuse me? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Okay, that’s enough,” Tom says, and he quickly grabs a hold of Harry, pulling him away from Pansy, not wanting the two to get in a fight. “Bloody hell, Harry. You can’t let her get to you.”
Tom stops once they get to the top of the stairs, and turns to face Harry.
“She’s just a-!”
“Shh. I know. Trust me. If anyone knows Pansy Parkinson more, it’s me. I’ve had to deal with her antics for years. That’s why I need you. She’s just being a jealous bitch now, but eventually, she’s going to leave us both alone,” Tom whispers. “Promise you’ll ignore her?”
Harry lets out a sigh, before slowly nodding. “I’ll ignore her. I promise,”
Tom sighs in relief. “Thank you,” he says. “We should get to bed. Tired?”
“A little,” Harry mumbles, nodding, and he follows Tom into the boys’ room.
Luckily, it doesn’t take very long for Harry to forget about the drama with Pansy, because the very next day, Harry is going to Hogsmeade with Tom. He’s finally experiencing Hogsmeade for the first time ever, despite being in his fifth year at school.
Harry, however, has never been allowed to go to Hogsmeade before because his uncle refused to sign his school form to let him go. His aunt and uncle have always hated him since the moment he arrived on their front porch. He tried asking McGonagall to sign the form before, but she refused because of different reasons that he can’t be mad at.
“This feels… weird,” Harry admits quietly when he and Tom are sitting in the carriages together. They’re just a few minutes away from arriving at Hogsmeade.
Tom looks over at Harry curiously. “Why does it feel weird?”
“It just… does. I’ve never been to Hogsmeade before,” Even though he was supposed to be allowed to go two years ago in his third year. “But, I’ve heard other students talking about it. How great it all is. I’ve always wanted to go, of course. I mean, who knew it would take getting a fake boyfriend to being able to go?” Harry chuckles, and shakes his head.
“Our first date,” Tom says, playfully nudging Harry with a grin on his face.
Harry looks over, and laughs at the look on Tom’s face. “Are you going to be my tour guide?”
“Obviously. Who else?” Tom asks, and laughs. The carriage finally stops. “We’re here.” He jumps out of the carriage, and runs over to Harry’s side. He holds his hand out, and smiles when Harry grabs it, stepping down from the carriage.
“Wow. What a gentleman,” Harry says quietly. There are carriages behind them, so he knows that students behind them saw Tom being a gentleman for Harry. They obviously have to make their relationship believable. It’s still very new to Harry, and Harry has to get used to even the thought of having a boyfriend, even if it is a fake boyfriend.
“Come on,” Tom says, tugging Harry forward excitedly.
Harry can’t help but bark out a laugh at Tom’s excitement, and follows Tom, trying to keep up with him. He’s never seen Tom so excited before, even before they started fake dating. “Tom, come on. relax. We have all day to explore!”
“And so much to see!” Tom exclaims, looking back at Harry with a grin on his face.
The first place Tom takes Harry to is Honeydukes, because he claims it’s the best place and everyone needs to go there at least once. Harry can’t help but find it funny that someone like Tom who is supposed to be a supposed “bad boy” of the school is getting excited about Hogsmeade and a sweet shop. He’s certainly much kinder, as opposed to a “bad boy” type. Harry’s starting to believe what Ron said was only to scare him, and it wasn’t the truth.
Harry walks away with quite a few bags in his hands after spending a few hours in Hogsmeade, and he’s relieved when the “couple” end their day at The Three Broomsticks. Harry has always wanted to try Butterbeer. He loves pumpkin juice, don’t get him wrong, but Butterbeer is famous!
“I’m going to run to the toilet. You already know what I want to drink. I’ll be back,” Tom says, and kisses Harry’s cheeks before getting up.
“Alright,” Harry says, watching as Tom stands up. He sighs once he’s alone. He’s pretty content with how today went, considering it was pretty much his and Tom’s “first date”. Nobody really bothered them. Although, he’s sure in about a week, they’re going to be considered old news. They’re supposed to break up in a week, but maybe they won’t have to, with how well it’s going.
“So,”
Harry startles slightly, and looks over, surprised to see Ron walking up to him.
“Ron?” Harry asks in surprise.
“You’re really going through with this?” Ron asks, raising his eyebrows.
“With what?” Harry asks, frowning slightly.
“Him,” Ron replies, crossing his arms against his chest. “Dating Tom Riddle?”
Harry sighs, and turns to face Ron, and can’t help but feel frustrated. “Why do you care anyways? We’ve never spoken a word to each other until the other day,”
“I don’t know. I feel like we could have been friends. But, you know, Gryffindors and Slytherins don’t really get along well with each other, do they?” Ron asks.
“You’d be surprised,” Harry says, and leans back in his chair. “I know plenty of Slytherins who have become friends with Gryffindors. We could be friends. If you want to give it a chance.”
“I don’t think Riddle would approve of us being friends, Harry,” Ron says softly.
Harry rolls his eyes. “Tom doesn’t pick my friends. I do,” he says.
“I should go before he comes back. But, we should talk later, yeah?” Ron grins.
Harry nods. “Yeah, mate. We’ll talk later,” he says, and he takes a deep breath as he watches Ron walk away. He sighs, and slumps in his chair. He hasn’t really thought about what dating Tom Riddle would mean, especially when it comes to making friends. Ron seems nice though, and he really wants to be able to have a chance at making friends with him.
~
Harry’s right about him and Tom’s relationship being the talk of the school quieting down about two months later. Although, Tom is still dealing with jealous Slytherin girls, constantly trying to get his attention even right in front of Harry. Harry finds himself getting jealous, even though Tom isn’t even his real boyfriend, but he still feels jealous, and he hates the feeling.
Harry just wants Tom for himself. He just doesn’t know how to tell Tom how he feels, because they’re only supposed to be fake dating, and Harry doesn’t think Tom feels the same way.
“Fancy running into you here,”
Harry blinks, and looks up from his book, surprised to see Ron standing in front of him. “Uhm, well, it’s the school courtyard?” He raises his eyebrows at the Gryffindor.
Ron shrugs. “Fair enough,” he says. “What are you doing out here this late?”
Harry sighs, and shuts his book after marking his spot. “I’ll be honest. I’m trying to escape the crazy Slytherin girls. They’re constantly following Tom everywhere. It’s so bloody annoying,”
“Aren’t you always around him though?” Ron asks, raising his eyebrows.
“Yeah, but they don’t care. They just want his attention,” Harry says. “I just wanted some peace.”
“Oh, sorry mate. I didn’t mean to bother you-”
“No, no. Not you. You’re fine. It’s them,” Harry scoffs with annoyance, and shakes his head.
“I can only imagine. I mean, they do seem pretty stuck up,” Ron says.
“You have absolutely no idea,” Harry groans. “I really don’t know how Tom deals with them all the time. They make me want to pull my bloody hair out.”
“Harry!”
Harry looks over, and stands as soon as he sees Tom running up to them. “Tom?”
“There you are,” Tom says. He looks over and scowls when he sees Ron standing there. “Weasley. What are you doing?”
“Relax, Tom. We’re just talking. We’re friends,” Harry says. “Friends talk to each other.”
“Since when did you become friends with him?” Tom asks, pointing at Ron, confused.
“A few weeks ago. We just haven’t really been able to hang out,” Harry says.
Tom squints, and looks over at Harry, curiously. “Interesting,”
“Do you have a problem with it?” Ron asks, crossing his arms.
Tom scoffs, and he looks over at Ron. “I will if you keep up that attitude with me,” he says.
Ron rolls his eyes with annoyance. “Whatever, mate,” and he looks over at Harry, calmer. “Anyways, I’ll see you later, Harry,” he says, before walking away.
Harry huffs, and looks at Tom. “What was that all about?”
“Why in Salazar’s name are you friends with Weasel? I mean, honestly, you shouldn’t be friends with someone like him!” Tom exclaims, throwing his arms up.
Harry glares at him. “You’ve been hanging out with Malfoy too much,” he hisses. “Besides, I can decide who I want to be friends with. You can’t tell me who I can and can’t be friends with. You’re not my real boyfriend, remember?”
Tom’s quiet for a moment, but he never takes his eyes off Harry. “That’s real bold of you to say. I’ve done nothing but look after you this whole time-”
“This whole time? It’s only been two months, and I didn’t ask-!”
“It doesn’t matter! I did it because I care about you and your well being!” Tom shouts.
“What does that have to do with who I’m friends with?” Harry shouts back.
“Someone like Weasel is going to ruin your reputation,” Tom hisses.
“Oh please. I don’t have a reputation. You’re the one with the reputation,” Harry snaps. “Remember? That’s why we started this whole thing in the first place. Doesn’t matter anyways. Those girls still act crazy around you, and it’s so bloody infuriating.”
Tom chuckles. “Jealous?”
Harry is instantly taken aback. He looks up at Tom with wide eyes. “Jealous?”
“Yeah, are you jealous of the Slytherin girls?” Tom asks, a small smirk forming on his lips.
“I- you-” Harry lets out a shout. “You’re so infuriating! You know that?”
“Oh, will you two just kiss each other and makeup already?” A random Slytherin shouts as he walks by, making other students nearby laugh.
“Piss of, Nott!” Tom shouts, before turning to look at Harry. “What’s gotten into you?”
“Nothing-!”
“Don’t lie to me, Harry. You’ve been acting weird today,” Tom says.
Harry sighs, and crosses his arms against his chest. “I’m just frustrated,” he says.
“By what, though?” Tom asks, frowning slightly as he stares at Harry. “I thought everything was fine with us? Do you not want to do this anymore?”
“It’s not that,” Harry says. “I just… I have been feeling jealous of those girls. I don’t know… oh, bloody hell. Do we have to do this out in the open? People are started watch,”
Tom stares for a moment, before grabbing Harry by the arm, and leading him away. Harry doesn’t know where Tom is leading him exactly, but eventually, they make it to the Slytherin common room, which surprises Harry. They walk to a corner of the common room, where nobody can really see them, but Harry knows they still have to be quiet.
“Okay. We’re alone now. Talk to me,” Tom says, turning to look at Harry.
“No, I-” Harry groans. “I know we’re not really dating. It’s supposed to be fake. But, what’s the point when those girls are constantly surrounding you? They never stop. It’s frustrating.”
“Now you understand what I’ve been having to deal with for the past year,” Tom mumbles.
Harry scoffs lightly to himself. “You still don’t get it,”
Tom looks up at Harry. “What do you mean? What don’t I get?” He asks.
“Nevermind. I’m tired. I wanna go take a nap, okay?” Harry mumbles. He starts to walk away, but he stops when Tom quickly grabs a hold of his arm, and pulls him back. “Tom-!” He gasps when suddenly Tom’s lips are on his. The kiss is passionate, more passionate than any of their other kisses they’ve shared, which surprises Harry. Tom likes to show off and be romantic when other people are around them. But, he’s never this romantic when it’s just the two of them.
When the kiss finally ends, Harry pulls away and stares at Tom with wide eyes. “I-”
“Will you be my boyfriend?” Tom asks.
“What?” Harry asks, his eyes wide, stunned. “Aren’t we already-?”
“No, no. I mean, for real. No more pretending to be boyfriends,” Tom says. “Despite what you may think, Harry, I’m not stupid, and I pay attention. Besides, I’ve really enjoyed spending these last two months with you. I don’t want to keep pretending either. I want it to be real.”
“Really?” Harry asks, unable to stop himself from feeling utterly shocked. Of course his feelings for Tom have been real, but he never expected Tom to want the same thing.
“Really,” Tom confirms, nodding a single nod at Harry. “I mean, are you saying no?”
“I’m not saying no. Of course I’m not saying no. I’m just… where is this all coming from?”
“I can ask the same thing about you,” Tom retorts, and raises his eyebrows. “You started acting all jealous, and totally stormed off earlier when we were all hanging out. I could tell something was bothering you. I just knew that you wouldn’t talk about it in front of our fellow students.”
“So. You want to be real boyfriends?” Harry asks.
“Yes, of course I want us to be real boyfriends,” Tom says. “I know I have… a bit of a reputation of being a terrible boyfriend. But, that’s because I wasn’t happy being with the girls I was dating. I knew I preferred boys over girls. Only recently I decided I didn’t care what people thought of that. I want to be able to prove to you that my feelings are real. They’re not pretend.”
Harry takes a deep breath. “I feel the same way,” he says, and he can’t help but smile when Tom’s eyes light up. “But, if we become real boyfriends… you have to be okay with me and Ron being friends, because we’re going to be friends. Besides you, he’s my only friend in this school. I know you don’t like him, but I do. I don’t care about the whole reputation thing.”
Tom sighs in defeat, and he slowly nods. “Okay. I’ll accept that, but just because you’re friends with him, doesn’t mean I’m being friends with him. You can forget about that,”
“That’s fine,” Harry says. He hesitates, before stepping closer to Tom. “So, this is real?”
“I want to take you on a date first,” Tom says. “A real date.”
Harry blinks. “Hogsmeade?”
Tom chuckles, and he shakes his head. “No, not Hogsmeade. We’ve already been to Hogsmeade too many times to consider it a date. I’ll come up with something great. I promise,”
“Okay. You better,” Harry says, a smile on his face. “But, I know you will. You’re Tom Riddle,”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Tom asks, raising his eyebrows.
“Well uhm, for some reason you seem to have a lot of power in this school, Tom. I’m just saying, you seem to be able to get what you want whenever you want,” Harry says.
“You’re right,” Tom says, unable to stop the innocent smile on his face. “I’ll never tell my secret.”
Harry rolls his eyes, and reaches over to grab Tom’s hand, squeezing it. “Wanna go sit down? It’s been a long day, and I want to relax.” he says. Really, all he wants to do is cuddle Tom on the couch, especially after everything that’s happened in today’s events.
“Yeah, let’s go sit,” Tom says calmly, and he leads the way over to the sitting area, where luckily it’s pretty empty at the moment. He sits down on the couch with a sigh, and watches as Harry sits beside him. Tom pulls Harry closer to him, and wraps an arm around him.
Harry instantly relaxes, and melts into Tom’s hold. He feels much better, now that he and Tom are no longer pretending to date. Tom is his boyfriend now. His real boyfriend.
Days pass after Harry and Tom have their talk about being real boyfriends. Harry feels better, knowing that he no longer has to pretend. He can finally be himself.
“What are your plans for today?” Ron asks when he’s walking with Harry to the Great Hall. They’ve just finished their classes for the day, and now it’s finally the weekend. Harry has been looking forward to the weekend because he knows Tom is planning their date.
“I have homework to finish today,” Harry says, and rolls his eyes. “But, after that… Tom has a date planned for us today.” He can’t help the smile on his face.
“Are you going to Hogsmeade again?” Ron asks curiously.
“No,” Harry answers honestly. “He says he’s planning something in the castle.”
Ron chuckles. “Not sure what he could have planned. There’s nothing really to do in the castle we haven’t already done,” he says, and looks over at Harry.
Harry shrugs his shoulders. “I’m really not sure, but Tom has a way of surprising me every time, so I’m sure he has something up his sleeve. I’m excited either way. It’s our first real date.”
“What do you mean?” Ron asks. “Didn’t you go on dates at Hogsmeade?”
Harry instantly stops in his tracks, and swears out loud. “Dammit. I didn’t mean to say that,”
Ron raises his eyebrows as he also stops, and looks at Harry. “Say what?”
“Okay-” Harry turns to look at Ron, feeling slightly nervous. Ron is the first person he’s told about his and Tom’s fake relationship, but he feels like he can trust Ron, even though they haven’t been friends for very long. Ron seems like a great and trustworthy guy. “You absolutely can’t say this to anyone. I mean it. But, Tom and I weren’t really dating.”
“What?” Ron hisses, and his eyes widen in surprise. “Are you serious?”
Harry nods. “Yeah. Tom asked me to be his fake boyfriend because he was annoyed with the Slytherin girls constantly begging for his attention. He thought if he started dating someone, then they would leave him alone. I said yes. I didn’t see the harm in it.”
“No offense, I don’t think his plan worked very well,” Ron says.
“It didn’t. They still constantly beg for his attention. That’s why I was so mad the other night. They’re always hanging around him and it’s hard to get any alone time with him,”
“But you two weren’t really dating?”
“Yeah, well… it’s that charm of his. You kind of fall for it,” Harry admits, blushing lightly. He sighs, and shrugs his shoulders, before he starts walking again. “I guess it works being jealous. Because, we’re officially dating. But, I did tell him he had to take me on a real date to prove that it’s real. Tom knows he was a shitty boyfriend in the past, by the way.”
“Well, at least he’s self aware,” Ron laughs.
They finally make it to the Great Hall. Harry instantly spots Tom sitting at the Slytherin table, and there’s an empty seat next to him for Harry. Harry instantly grins, and looks over at Ron. “Well, this is my cue. I’ll talk to you later?”
“Yeah, mate. Later,” Ron says, and doesn’t even argue as he makes his way to the Gryffindor table, where he takes a seat next to Hermione Granger. Harry knows Ron has a crush on her, but he also knows he’s too scared to say anything to her about it.
Harry turns, and makes his way over to the Slytherin table. He bends down and places a kiss to Tom’s cheek, startling him slightly. Harry smiles, and sits down beside him. “Spooked ya?”
“Piss off,” Tom says, and looks at Harry again. “What took you so long?”
“Class finished late,” Harry tells him. “And I was talking with Ron. He kind of knows.”
Tom looks over at him. “What do you mean? What does he know?”
Harry sighs. “About us. I have a big mouth. I’m sorry,” he says.
“As long as he doesn’t have a big mouth, then it’s okay. Don’t worry about it,” Tom says.
Harry’s relieved. He knows Tom still isn’t happy about him being friends with Ron, but he also knows that Harry’s going to be friends with him no matter what. Harry makes his own friends. He’s never been one to care about any reputation around Hogwarts.
“So,” Harry begins as he starts putting food on his plate. “Do I get any updates on this date?”
Tom rolls his eyes, and he looks over at Harry, unamused. “No, of course not. It’s going to be a surprise and it’s not going to be a surprise if I tell you anything,” he says.
Harry huffs. “I don’t like surprises,”
“You’re the one who said you wanted a date,” Tom retorts.
“Well, yes. To make it official,” Harry says, and he looks over at Tom. “Officially official.”
“You’re ridiculous. Is it too late to say I don’t wanna date you?” Tom asks, even though he has a smirk on his face, Harry still punches him on the arm, but playfully.
“Can you two just get married already?”
Harry looks up and scowls when he sees Theodore Nott across from them. “We’re fifteen!”
“And yet you two act like a married couple,” Theodore argues.
“You’re just jealous, Theo. Don’t listen to him Harry,” Tom tsks, and shakes his head.
“Why would I be jealous?” Theodore scoffs.
“Because we’re in love,” Tom retorts.
“You’re fifteen,” Theodore says, mocking Harry, a smirk on his face. “I mean, you can’t possibly know what love is. No teenager does.”
“Bugger off, Nott. We don’t have to prove anything to you,” Harry says, before shoving a piece of food in his mouth. He relaxes slightly when Tom places his hand on Harry’s leg, gently squeezing it. Harry simply hates the way other students tease them about their relationship, but he’s determined not to let it bother him. He loves being with Tom, and that’s all that matters.
The next evening, Harry walks into the boys’ dormitory. He walks over to his bed, and stops when he sees an envelope on his bed. Harry freezes for a moment, and hesitates, before reaching down and grabbing the envelope off of his bed. He slowly opens the envelope, and pulls out the note inside of it. He sighs in relief when it’s just a note from Tom, instructing him to go to the Great Hall at 7pm. He’s asking him to go to the back of the kitchen, which is somewhere Harry has never been to, and he didn’t think students were allowed back there, but this is Tom, and Tom seems to have a way with getting what he wants.
Harry looks at the watch on his wrist, and sees that it’s 6:45pm. He has fifteen minutes to make it down to the Great Hall. Harry throws the envelope down on the bed, and hurries out of the boys’ dormitory. As he’s rushing down the stairs, he runs into Theodore.
“Bloody hell, Potter. Where are you going in such a hurry?” Theodore asks, though he doesn’t seem mad that Harry quite literally smacked into him.
“Sorry, can’t talk right now. I’ve got a date to get to!” Harry shouts, and continues running out of the slytherin common room, dodging other students on his way out.
Theodore shakes his head as he watches Harry. “Young love,” he mutters.
Harry’s out of breath when he finally makes it to the Great Hall. He’s never run so fast in his life, but he’s been waiting for this date for almost a week now. He already knows Tom must have been working on putting this date together this entire time, and putting so much effort into planning. The least Harry can do is show up on time.
Harry takes a deep breath, before making his way to where the back of the kitchen is.
“Mr. Potter!”
Harry nearly jumps out of his skin when he hears someone shouting his name, but he looks down and sees one of the House Elves. He sighs in relief. “Hello. I uh, I’m here for…”
“Yes, yes. Follow me,” The house elf takes his arm, and leads him down the stair case, and into a room. “Enjoy your evening Mr. Potter. Please, let us know if there’s anything you need.”
“Thank you,” Harry whispers, before slowly pushing the door open. He steps into the room, and gasps when he sees candles everywhere, and a line of roses leading to a table where Tom is waiting for him. Harry’s eyes widen as he looks around, stunned. “Tom, I-”
“You wanted to be surprised,” Tom says. “How do you think I delivered?”
Harry shakes his head, before walking over and kissing Tom sweetly. “No one’s ever done anything like this for me before. I can’t believe you’ve done all of this by yourself.”
“Well, I had some help. As you can see,” Tom says, and chuckles. “Please, sit down.” He pulls out one of the chairs for Harry, gesturing for him to sit down, which he does. Tom sits down across from him. “I’m not really a romantic type of guy-” He looks at Harry, who rolls his eyes. “No, really. I never did something like this for any of my past girlfriends.”
“What’s so different about me?” Harry asks, raising his eyebrows.
“You’re special,” Tom says. “Believe it or not, I actually care about you.”
Harry blushes, and looks down for a moment, then he realizes that Tom chose spaghetti and meatballs for their dinner options. “Pasta?”
“I thought it would be romantic,” Tom shrugs his shoulders.
“It is romantic. Thank you, Tom. I mean, for everything. But, especially for something like this,” Harry says. “I never expected you to do something so… grand. But, it’s you. Of course you did. Do I even want to know how you managed to pull this off?”
“I think I’ll keep that secret to myself,” Tom says, grinning.
Harry shakes his head. “You’re absolutely ridiculous,”
“Ah, yes. I am. But, Harry dear, must I remind you that you’re the one who agreed to date me?” Tom smirks, leaning against the table as he stares at Harry.
“You’re lucky I find you charming and cute,” Harry mumbles, unable to stop himself from blushing. He’s not used to having someone go all out for him like this, and Tom’s already such a gentleman, even when they were just pretending. It’s certainly going to take some time getting used to having a real boyfriend. Someone who actually cares about him.
Harry’s honestly not quite sure how he’s going to survive the summer without Tom.
The dinner was absolutely lovely. Harry feels spoiled by the end of their date.
“I don’t know how I’m going to survive the summer without you,” Harry says after they’ve both stood up, cleaning up after themselves. Tom made it clear he didn’t want the house elves to do anymore work.
“Who says you have to survive without me?” Tom asks, turning to face Harry.
“Tom, there’s no way my aunt and uncle would ever-”
“Forget about them, Harry. Come stay with me,” Tom says. “My parents are usually gone, so it’s just me and the caretaker in the house, and I’m sure she’d be fine with you staying.”
“Tom, I-”
“You don’t have to say yes right now, but summer is approaching in like two months, so let me know what you’d like to do and I’ll write a letter home,” Tom says, smiling softly at Harry. “Besides, I’d hate for you to have to go back to your aunt and uncle. They sound awful.”
“They are!” Harry complains. “Trust me when I say this. You wouldn’t last five minutes with them, and don’t even get me started on my annoying cousin Dudley. He is simply awful!”
“Sounds to me like you need a summer away,” Tom says, grinning.
Harry freezes for a moment. He’s wanted nothing more his entire life than to get away from his abusive family. They treat him like garbage. It’s not like he asked for his parents to die, and it’s not like he asked for Dumbledore to drop him off on the porch of his aunt and uncles.
Harry looks over at Tom. “Okay,”
“What?” Tom asks, surprised.
“Okay,” Harry says, nodding. “I’ll stay with you. The entire summer?”
“Yes, of course. The entire summer. You won’t regret it,” Tom says.
“I know,” Harry says. “You’re sure your parents will be okay with this?”
“Of course they will,” Tom says. “They’re always asking about friends I make at school. I don’t think they really care. They’re just trying to make up for being gone all the time.”
Harry reaches over and grabs Tom’s hand, squeezing it. “Sounds like we both deserve better.”
Tom smiles softly at him. “Come on. Let’s go back to the common room. It’s getting late, and I don’t need another earful from McGonagall about staying out past curfew.” Tom rolls his eyes.
“Hm. Perhaps you should think about following the rules,” Harry says, following Tom as he leads the way out of the kitchen.
“Sounds boring,” Tom says, and grins when he looks back and sees Harry scowling at him.
Harry couldn’t be more excited when Tom’s parents agree on letting him stay for the summer. That means an entire summer away from his horrible aunt and uncle. He’s actually going to be able to get to enjoy his whole summer, and spend quality time with Tom, and be able to focus on their relationship without school getting in the way either.
Harry’s honestly surprised, but at the same time, he’s not. He’s just excited.
~
“Last day of classes,” Harry says as he’s walking with Tom in the hallway, book in his arms.
“Yes, I know,” Tom says, and he quickly reaches over to grab the books out of Harry’s arms, carrying them himself. He grins when Harry rolls his eyes. “Don’t give me that look. What kind of boyfriend would I be if I let you carry your books?”
“I can carry my own books, you know?” Harry grumbles. “Where are your books?”
“It’s the last day of classes, Harry. I’m not carrying any books. I don’t know why you’ve done it,” Tom says. “There’s no way they’re going to make us do any work on the last day of school.”
Harry sighs. “Remember what we said about following the rules?”
“What are they going to do? Kick me out on the last day of school?” Tom scoffs.
“You’re insufferable,” Harry says, and laughs. Finally, they make it to Potions class. Harry turns, and takes his books out of Tom’s hands. “I’ll see you at dinner.”
Tom smiles, and kisses Harry’s cheek. “See you at dinner,”
Harry smiles right back at him, and he watches as Tom turns around and starts walking down the hall. He rolls his eyes when he sees Pansy Parkinson running up to him. Some things never change. But, he already knows how Tom feels about her. They both feel the same way, and that makes it easier when it comes to letting Tom go off on his own with Pansy.
Harry walks into the classroom, and makes his way over to the table he shares with Ron.
“Hey,” Ron says, looking over at Harry. “Last day of classes.”
“I know,” Harry sighs in relief. “Do you have any summer plans?”
“Not really. Mum’s probably going to make us help around the house. I heard Fred and George are working on putting up a joke shop in Hogsmeade. Maybe I can help with that.”
“Whoa. That sounds wicked,” Harry says.
“What about you?” Ron asks, looking over at Harry. “Any plans?”
Harry grins, because for once he can say that he has summer plans, and he gets to tell someone how excited he is about it. “I’m spending the summer with Tom at his house,” he says. “I can’t wait. Spending the summer away from my awful family is exactly what I needed.”
“That’s brilliant. Hey, if you ever get bored at Riddle’s, maybe you could come over and spend a few nights at our house. I’m sure my mum wouldn’t mind if you wanted to,” Ron says. “Hermione will be there as well. She and Ginny are friends, so she’s over a lot.”
“Yeah,” Harry says, and looks over at Ron, nodding excitedly, because he would actually love that. Ron talks about his family all the time. They sound brilliant. “That would be great.”
Ron grins. “Great. I’ll mention it to mum,”
This is absolutely not how Harry thought he’d be ending his fifth year at Hogwarts. At the start, he had absolutely no friends. No one wanted to talk to him. Then, Tom came along and somehow they became fake boyfriends that eventually turned into real boyfriends.
Now, Harry even has a friend in Ron. They only spoke once on the Hogwarts Express, and never spoke again because of their house differences. Harry’s glad they were able to reconnect and become friends. Harry likes Ron, and he’s determined to get Tom to like him too.
Harry’s just grateful he’s actually ending the year with one friend, and a boyfriend.
As soon as classes finish, Harry goes straight to the boys’ dormitory to make sure he has everything packed for heading onto the Hogwarts Express in the morning. He knows Tom is ready to be out of school, and doesn’t want to keep him waiting any longer.
Harry is surprised when he sees Tom already in the dormitory. Tom’s usually not in the dormitory this early. He usually likes to hang around, and talk with his friends.
“Did you even go to classes?”
Tom startles, and looks over, relieved to see Harry standing in the doorway. “Yes, I went to classes. I just wasn’t wasting any more time.” He stands, and walks over to Harry’s bed.
Harry bends down and grabs his luggage from under the bed.
“What are you doing?” Tom asks, leaning against the bed pole.
“I’m packing. You should be doing the same, you know?” Harry asks, looking up at Tom.
“I don’t need to. I’m already packed,” Tom says.
Harry raises his eyebrows. “You’ve already packed?”
“Yeah, of course. It didn’t take me very long to pack,” Tom admits, shrugging his shoulders. “I’ve been ready to leave this place. You know that.”
“I know,” Harry says softly. “Well, then you can help me pack.”
Tom rolls his eyes. “Or,” he smoothly walks around the bed, and gently pushes Harry up against the wall. “We could do something else.” He smirks, and kisses Harry a few times.
Harry gasps, and pulls away. “Tom, what are you doing? We can’t-”
“Come on, Harry, we’ve never-”
“We’re not doing anything like that yet, especially not in the boys’ dormitory,” Harry says, blushing a deep shade of red. It has only been a couple months since they’ve started this relationship, and not very long since they became real. Harry hasn’t even thought of doing anything but kissing with Tom. “Anyone could walk in at any second, Tom!”
“Fine, but can’t we just…?” Tom kisses him again.
Harry laughs softly, and rests his hand on Tom’s chest, clutching onto his shirt. “Don’t worry. We’ll have plenty of time to do that this summer.”
“Okay, but I’m going to hold you to that, Potter,” Tom says. “We’re not going to have to worry about anyone else. Especially not Pansy bloody Parkinson.”
Harry sighs in relief at that thought. “Yeah, I know. That’s all I’ve been able to think about. Now, come on. I really want to finish packing before we go down for dinner,”
“Fine,” Tom says, and steps away from Harry.
Tom, of course, doesn’t really help Harry with his packing. Instead, he more tries to distract Harry while Harry tries to get his packing done. Harry can’t even be mad.
He eventually gets his packing done, and the couple makes their way down to the Great Hall. Harry instantly spots Ron sitting at the Gryffindor table, Hermione sitting beside him. Harry is quick to notice that the two are holding hands. Ron looks up when he feels eyes on him, and blushes when he sees Harry staring at him.
Harry grins, and then follows Tom to the Slytherin table.
“You know, Ron’s not that bad. I think you’d like him,” Harry says.
“You really shouldn’t bother trying to get me to be friends with him, Harry. It’s not going to happen,” Tom says, and he leans closer to Harry. “Not even you can get me to like a Gryffindor.”
Harry rolls his eyes, and shakes his head. “You really are ridiculous, you know that?”
“You say that all the time, you know?” Tom replies. “You’re the one who decided to date me.”
“You came to me first,” Harry retorts, pointing at Tom. “Let’s not forget that part.”
“Yes, I did come to you first, but you could have said no,” Tom retorts back.
“Please, for the love of Salazar. Get married already!” Theodore groans.
Harry grins, and leans over to kiss Tom once. “Don’t worry about him. Tomorrow, we won’t have to worry about anyone’s comments for the whole summer,” he whispers.
“And I can’t wait,” Tom says, grinning right back at Harry.
For once, Harry can’t wait for summer. He can’t wait to spend the summer with his boyfriend, and they’re not going to have to pretend with each other one single time. This time, it’s real.