Jealousy
It's been two days since the news about the marriage agreement came out when the same black owl as before flew into the Great Hall during breakfast. It landed in front of Harry and he looked at it curiously.
"Where did you leave Hedwig?", he asked.
The bird just cocked its head and lifted its leg.
"Alright, sorry.", the teenager chuckled quietly.
Harry quickly took the letter and the owl flew away as quickly as before. Harry shook his head and opened the letter.
Dear Harry,
I am glad you liked your gift. It pleases me to know you are wearing it. The enchantments on the ring are only there to protect you. It's a general shield charm with a little twist of my own making. I will tell you more after our wedding. Just know that when someone tries to poison you (or give you a love potion) it will heat.
Was there anything else you wanted to know before we are wed?
Your dearest
Tom Riddle
PS: Hedwig is well, if exhausted. She's resting.
Smug bastard Harry thought. He just had to brag about his resourcefulness with spells and charms. At the last sentence Harry frowned. What happened to Hedwig? He should ask that in his next letter. More importantly right now however was the fact that Voldemort gifted him a ring that's supposed to protect him. Who would've thought that the wizard that had tried to kill him about a year ago would now protect him through an engagement ring?
Harry wanted to tell his friends about the answer he had gotten from Voldemort but they were bickering again next to him so he decided to leave them be. He would just tell them later. Maybe Hermione would have an idea about Hedwig?
If Harry was lucky, they would finally stop pining after each other and realize their feelings. He wouldn't have to watch them make doe-eyes at each other anymore. It was just embarrassing to watch them make moon-eyes at each other while they thought no one was looking.
Neville brought him out of his musings as he sat down across from him.
"Good morning, Harry.", the boy said timidly.
"Hey, Neville.", Harry greeted.
Harry watched his friend for a moment but kept silent. He wasn't sure what his friend thought about the wedding. On one hand he could be glad but on the other Neville was fiercely loyal to the light. His parents had been - after all - tortured into insanity by Voldemort's followers.
They sat for a moment in awkward silence. Neville broke it.
"I'm grateful that you're marrying Riddle. It's selfless to avoid a war that way. I'm not sure that I would've been able to marry Vol-Vo-Voldemort."
Harry was stunned. Not just about the admisson that his fellow Gryffindor was grateful but it was the first time Neville had been able to say Riddle's alias aloud. The teenager smiled.
"Thanks, Neville. I appreciate it."
A warm feeling spread through him. Harry was lucky to have friends such as Neville, Ron and Hermione. He couldn't imagine going through all the shit in his school life without them there. Would he even be alive? Probably not.
A plate being slammed down next to him made Harry jump. He looked to his left where Ginny sat down. Harry wasn't sure if that ended up being a good thing or not. Noticing her expression Harry was sure it would be a bad thing.
"I can't believe you agreed to marry that bastard!", she exclaimed angrily.
Harry winced at her volume.
"I only agreed to marry Riddle so no one would have to fight in a war. And even if I hadn't wanted to, Dumbledore would have found a way for me to agree.", Harry argued.
He knew that most people didn't believe him about that now that Riddle looked like himself again. They thought him shallow enough that a pretty face was good enough for him to forget that Voldemort had killed his parents and Cedric and numerous other people during the last war.
"Suuure.", Ginny said slowly. "But what about us?"
Harry furrowed his brows. What? What did she mean by that?
"What do you mean? Us? There never was anything between us."
Ginny gave an indignant squeak which made Harry wince again. The sound drew the attention from most of the Gryffindor table.
"Of course there was something! You've been flirting this whole year with me!", she yelled.
Harry flinched. The volume was too much. But after his brain had processed her words he couldn't help but scoff.
"Ginny, I was nice. I never saw you as more than a sister and I never will see you as more. There never would have been an us. I didn't even know you had feelings for me.", Harry explained as insistently as he could.
But unfortunately relationship drama always got the attention from the whole school. Almost every student in the Great Hall was now listening and turning their heads and even Ron and Hermione had stopped bickering to watch what all the fuss was about.
Ginny was gaping at him like a fish out of water, seemingly at a loss for words. Unsurprisingly (and really unfortunately) she eventually found them.
"How dare you!", she screamed. "How dare you string me along all this time?!"
Her screeching had reached the pitch Aunt Petunia always had whenever Harry showed some accidental magic. Without conscious thought Harry cowered away from the enraged redhead.
"Ginny! Will you stop it already? I've been trying to tell you that Harry has no interest in you.", Ron hissed at his sister.
Astounded the black-haired teenager turned around to look at his best friend.
His sister meanwhile gave a half-scream, half-sob and stormed out of the Great Hall, Harry watching her in confusion.
A shiver ran down his back and slowly he turned in his seat to see Snape standing behind him.
"Mr. Potter, there seems to be a whole lot of trouble around you. I suggest you keep your private affairs just that, private.", Snape drawled.
The man was watching him intently and without thinking about it Harry gave him a small smile.
"Sorry, sir. I didn't know that I even had a private affair with Ginny. I will try and keep these things out of the public's eye.", the teenager answered, amusement evident in his voice.
The edges of Snape's mouth curled upwards but his face and eyes betrayed no emotion.
"That's a point for cheek, Mr. Potter."
With that the potions master turned and walked back to the staff table. Harry could only snort. The teenager could clearly see that even the dour potions master thought his remark was funny.
"He may have championed for you but he's still a prick.", Ron muttered angrily.
Harry snorted again.
"I'm going to look after Ginny.", Hermione declared, stood and swiftly left the hall.
Both Harry and Ron watched her leave. Ron shook his head and muttered: "Someone understand women."
Harry laughed quietly at that.
"If you would confess already, you wouldn't need to pine so badly."
Ron threw a piece of bacon at him while Neville snorted into his pumpkin juice.
After school Harry had decided to answer his fiancé's letter. He still couldn't think of a deep and meaningful question to ask but Harry was sure that inspiration would find him. Somehow. Maybe. Groaning Harry sat on his desk in his dorm room and began scribbling away.
Dear Tom,
I'm not quite sure why it pleases you that I'm wearing your ring. It seems as if most people think it a bad idea that we are to be married.
At least most of my classmates seem to think it's something really awful.
Ginny Weasley likely thought you've taken her chance away at dating me. I never even considered her as a potential partner to be honest. It's not like I even knew she had a crush on me.
I really hope that me telling her so dissuated her from the delusion that we could eventually have a relationship other than friends.
It looks like everyone with an opinion is suddenly expressing their concern over me. But when I was supposed to only defeat you - honestly, I'm barely an adult; what were they thinking? - it was okay to think of me as their Saviour. Like I even had a real chance at defeating you. It's getting tiring to be ostracized by my peers every now and then when I don't do what they want me to. But this is nothing I can't handle. There are worse things than some school bullies.
To be honest I have two questions:
First, what happened to Hedwig?
Secondly, why did you demand to marry me?
Kind regards
Harry
Harry looked his letter over and decided it was enough. He wasn't sure what topics are normally discussed when someone was to marry the murderer of their parents.
"Why are you even writing to that bastard? Other than to thank him for saving your arse. As weird as that is.", Ron asked, looking over his shoulder and Harry jumped.
He hadn't heard his friend walk into their shared room.
"It's bad manners to not talk to your fiancé. Other than that... He's more likely to make the marriage bearable when he thinks I am amenable to his causes. Or at least to the marriage. I do not want to live in the same hell as with the Dursleys for the rest of my life if I can help it."
Harry watched the redhead's reaction. His best friend didn't seem convinced that Harry was doing the right thing.
"Right. And what if he's not sane enough to be nice?"
Harry laughed loudly. Then he was fucked for all he knew.
"I survived the Dursleys. Don't worry Ron. I don't think Riddle wants to harm me. He wouldn't have requested a marriage if he planned on hurting me. He might be a Dark Lord but he has standards. At least I think so."
Ron eyed him sceptically but chose not to say anything.
"I'm going to search for Riddle's owl. Somehow I don't think taking a school owl would be a good idea.", Harry murmured and stood up from his desk.
He threw a smile to Ron and exited the dorms and the common room quickly.
Well, he wanted to exit the common room. Just outside of the portrait hole stood Snape and Harry barely had a chance to stop before he would crash into the potions master's chest. Really, were all wizwards so unfairly tall? And what in Merlin's name was the potions master doing so far away from his dungeons?
"Bloody hell!", Harry exclaimed.
Snape just raised an eyebrow at Harry while the teenager tried to calm his racing heart.
"Language, Potter.", Snape chided him.
"What the hell? What are you even doing here?"
Snape grimaced slightly.
"Be a bit more polite, Potter. I decided, since I have a meeting with your fiancé, that I could take your answer directly to the Dark Lord."
Harry just stared at the man. What?
"Try not to look so stupid. I thought I saw the Dark Lord's owl this morning. Am I wrong?", Snape asked quietly.
"No, sir. Thank you for offering. Why are you even offering?", Harry rambled and cringed at his wording.
But the teenager was confused. Since when was the potions master this polite to him? Or even helpful?
"I have my reasons, Potter. Don't question it.", the man answered.
Harry opened his mouth, hesitated and then just nodded before handing the letter to Snape, bid him farewell and entered the common room.
"That was fast.", Ron commented in suspicion.
"Snape plays owl for me. He apparently has a meeting with my fiancé."
Ron scoffed. "That git probably reads your mail. Why would he play owl otherwise?"
Harry made a face at Ron's derisive comment. Even if he never would like Snape, the teenager didn't think that Snape would do something like that. And lately the man had been kind of decent to him. There seem to still be wonders in the world, where mean potions masters became nice.
"I'm sure that's not it.", Harry commented mildly. "Where's Hermione? I haven't seen her at all since dinner."
And he was sure that even since breakfast she had been much cooler towards him. It's as if her loyalty shifted to Ginny because apparently - at least according to the Hogwarts rumour mill - he had broken her heart. That no one even considered his point of view was - frankly - nothing new. It still somewhat bothered him. Why was it always his fault? He can't read minds. If Ginny liked him why hadn't she said anything?
Ron groaned.
"She's still with Ginny. Probably plotting. I saw them whispering over an old tome in the library today."
Harry's stomach turned. That sounded ominous.
"Well, that doesn't sound too good.", Harry said dryly and Ron grinned apologetically at him.
"How did I never notice Ginny's crush?", Harry wondered instead.
Ron laughed loudly and the black-haired teenager hit him with a pillow.
"What? Why are you laughing?", he demanded.
Ron cackled and said: "Well, it could have something to do with you not being straight."
Harry startled and gaped at his best friend.
"What?!"
Ron gave him an incredulous look.
"Really? Come on, mate. It's pretty obvious. I mean, I know Charlie and that's how I even recognized the signs - wonder why Ginny never did, honestly - but really, Harry. How could you not know? I mean I'm pretty sure you had a crush on Cedric. And I've never seen someone drool over the teenaged-version of their godfather. And even Riddle in that diary of his...", Ron trailed off.
Harry thought about all of that.
"Great.", he murmured when he noticed the pattern in his thoughts. A lot of things suddenly made more sense to him.
Ron cackled again and Harry threw him a glare.
"Great, now I know! What am I supposed to do with that epiphany?!", he hissed.
Ron just grinned evilly and Harry wished he hadn't asked. His friend could be evil if he wanted to be.
"Well, you could think about your fiancé and see what that does to your youthful libido.", Ron teased him.
Harry threw a pillow at him and his best friend just caught it and threw it back, smacking Harry directly in his face. The teenager groaned in embarrassment. How did he not know?
"Fine, you win you prat. Let's just go to sleep.", Harry grumbled. He could feel his flaming face radiating heat.
"Don't tell the others. I'm not sure I want them to know.", he pleaded with his best friend.
Ron gave him a look full of pity and agreed to let it stay between them. His friend patted his shoulder, still chuckling, and they got ready for bed.
Harry laid awake for far longer, thinking about all the instances he had ignored. Just because he wanted to be normal. Well, unfortunately nothing was normal for him.