Wed for Peace

Harry woke with a pounding headache. He squinted against the light streaming in through the windows and turned on his side to avoid it shining directly into his eyes. For a moment he was confused to where he was. The last memory he had was with Draco Malfoy sitting at the bench talking about... oh... the love potion topic.

Harry groaned and slowly sat up to rest against the headboard of his bed.

Having learned his lesson he stayed in bed and tried to move as little as possible. His headache making it worse for him. He was contemplating if he should move at all. Harry felt as if his head was being split open.

Even though, after about ten minutes he was bored. Maybe he should let someone know that he was awake?

A sudden idea hit Harry and he smiled.

"Is there a house elf near?", he asked quietly.

Not a second later the teenager heard a pop and a small house elf was standing next to his bed.

"How may Mimfrey be helping, sir?", the elf spoke and Harry smiled at it.

"Could you let either Severus Snape or Tom Riddle know that I am awake? I would be very grateful."

The elf squeaked in delight and popped away. A moment later Mimfrey reappeared and said: "Master Riddle is coming."

Harry thanked her and with another squeak she disappeared.

It took Tom a few minutes before he appeared in Harry's room with Severus not far behind.

Harry was wondering if the potions master was living at the mansion as well or if he happened to have already arrived beforehand. Maybe Harry was the reason the man wasn't going home right now.

"Harry, darling. It's wonderful that you're awake. Severus will be checking your health.", Tom said.

The teenager narrowed his eyes.

Something had changed. The way Tom held himself, the way he spoke and the gaze in his eyes were different to the day before. Was his grace period over? Was he about to meet the sociopathic Dark Lord he had thought he would meet as soon as he woke up?

Tom stood near the door while Severus - was he back to Snape now that his birthday was over? - cast a diagnostic spell and checked his vitals.

"Everything seems to be in order, Harry. You need to take a few potions before breakfast but after that you should be fine for the day.", the potions master explained.

Harry smiled at the use of his first name and thanked the man quietly.

With a grimace he took the potions, they didn't taste any better than the days before.

A rather heavy silence fell over the three wizards. Harry looked towards Tom. The man was watching him intently. It made Harry suspicious. What changed?

"I will be taking my leave for today, my Lord. The headmaster wanted to meet with me.", Severus said, gave Harry a last look and left.

He was alone with Tom.

"You're different.", Harry stated.

The dark wizard looked at him calmly.

"I am."

Harry studied him intently. The man seemed more relaxed, more like the self-assured, arrogant psychopath Harry had seen in his second year. More like the Tom Riddle Harry had expected to meet. Harry relaxed somewhat. So they both can stop pretending now.

"What changed?", Harry asked.

Tom let out a sigh.

"I received the advice to act more like the person I am than the person I wanted to show to you. I decided that he had a point. I hope that you can some day live with me comfortably while knowing and seeing who I really am.", Tom explained quietly.

It seemed a bit pained, like he was admitting a fault so great no one would be able to forgive him. It amused Harry that it was this hard for someone like Tom to admit a failure.

"I don't understand why you would try to be someone you're not. What brought this on?"

Harry was confused. It wasn't as if he had never seen the insane Tom before.

"I assumed that to make you comfortable in my presence I would need to display the signs of affection a partner usually showed when engaged to their significant other. It obviously resulted in making you uncomfortable.", Tom said stiffly.

Harry furrowed his brows.

"You wanted to be a normal couple and decided that doting on my every wish was the way to go? You truly are insane!", Harry exclaimed, laughing loudly.

Tom glared at him and Harry laughed harder. This was the person Harry had anticipated meeting, not the weird Dark Lord playing happy fiancé with him. Harry was relieved!

"I do not see the reason for your laughter.", the man said indignantly.

Harry chuckled.

"You know if you had wanted a normal relationship, maybe you shouldn't have tried to kill me as a baby.", Harry said dryly.

Tom growled in response to Harry's amusement.

"I believe I admitted my fault in believing in the prophecy."

The man sounded odd and Harry realised with a start that the man was embarrassed! An embarrassed Dark Lord was really funny to him.

"No, I'm not laughing at you, I'm laughing at the situation.", Harry quickly tried to reassure Tom.

The man was still raising a sceptical eyebrow.

Harry sighed and took a few deep breaths to get himself back under control. Maybe talking about it helps?

"I was afraid, you know?", Harry said, changing into a somber mood.

Tom was now looking at him oddly. Well, who could fault him, a teenager and his mood swings was probably not his daily correspondence. But there was an emotion in his eyes that Harry couldn't decipher. Was he still embarrassed? Was he angry? Annoyed?

"I was afraid to marry you, even after we started exchanging letters. I can admit that the Dursleys were terrible but in comparison to you they seemed like saints. I was sure you woud crucio me every other day because you were bored. But after thinking about it, really thinking about it, I was convinced that being crucioed every other day was preferrable to living with the Dursleys.", the teenager admitted.

He was watching his hands, knotting them together in his lap.

"And then you started being nice, caring, loving.", Harry cringed at the word. "I realised this wouldn't hold long. I convinced myself that after I was healed you would go back to being the sadistical, megalomaniac self that I've got to know before. But you didn't change and I couldn't figure out why. It was scary."

Harry was frustrated with the way he explained his thoughts. As if Tom could understand a word of what he was saying?

"Yesterday, I was afraid to stay here. I assumed that you would have shown me your displeasure at defying your wish. That is why I chose to go with you."

Harry chanced a look up to the man. Tom hadn't interrupted him yet. He was being watched, a calm expression on the man's face. It was eerie seeing the calm, calculating gaze on him.

As Tom hadn't spoken yet Harry took a deep breath and said: "I didn't know what to expect. I took a calculated risk in coming here after Vernon beat me. You hadn't explained why you wanted to marry me but I received a gift that was supposed to protect me. After you told me your reason to marry me, I knew you didn't care about me as a person but as a vessel for your soul. So angering you was out of question. While you needed me alive for your soul, you didn't need me unharmed."

Harry stopped and watched Tom watch him calmly. There was no anger in his eyes, only a calculating glint as well as some form of understanding. Another emotion was there but Harry wasn't familiar with all of Tom's expressions yet, he couldn't figure out what it was.

"I know what kind of man you were and are, Tom. I had the choice. I made my choice. I will marry you as the peace of the wizarding world is at stake. I will not doom it as I am living in it."

Tom inclined his head in acknowledgement. Harry nodded back at him.

There was time for them to talk about it later. Maybe someday they would grow into a comfortable co-existence without either of them being suspicious.

"Let's change our topic to our wedding tomorrow.", the man started.

Harry squeaked slightly and Tom shot him an annoyed look for interrupting him.

"I have already arranged everything. The wedding will be held at the Ministry as it is accessible to a lot of Wixen. I also bought you dress robes, I hope you like them. For the ceremony - I used one of the older rites that haven't been banned. I should warn you that the magic involved will make you recite the words that feel natural to you during the wedding. I urge you to not think too much about them.", Tom explained.

Harry was frowning by the end of Tom's explanation.

"I'll tell the whole room what I want from this marriage? Is that it?", Harry asked affronted.

"Yes."

The answer was so simple but opened a can of worms in his head.

"Great. I have to have a heart to heart with you in front of dozens of people. The Prophet will have a field day with that.", Harry exclaimed bitterly.

Tom was looking at him with a mildly exhasperated expression.

"I do not think that the people witnessing our union would want to dissect your thoughts."

Harry snorted in response.

"Have you, in the last three years, read one issue of the Prophet? If you did, you didn't read it carefully enough. The people always want to know what I'm thinking. Especially after the Ministry debacle last year as I am their Saviour.", Harry spit out the word as if it were venom.

Tom hadn't reacted yet and was calmly watching Harry from the doorway. He hadn't walked further into the room.

"You can take a seat, you know. Stop loitering in the doorway.", Harry snapped but it wasn't directed at Tom.

Just the thought of people witnessing such an embarrassing and private moment made his skin crawl.

Tom walked into his bedroom and sat on the edge of Harry's bed. The man was back to watching him calmly.

"Tell me, darling", Tom purred the word, making Harry shift uncomfortably. "Do you know what will happen after the wedding celebration? After we leave the Ministry, when we return to the manor?", Tom asked in a low drawl.

Harry could feel warmth climbing its way up his neck to his ears.

"Yes."

It was a simple acknowledgement and yet it was as if he had spoken some forbidden ritual.

Tom closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Very well. I don't have to explain the proceedings. I was unsure about your experience in the matter."

Tom was looking at him and Harry needed a moment to realise that Tom was asking him about his sex life.

The warmth that had faded a minute ago came back full force and he could feel his face flaming red.

Great. He was about to tell the Dark Lord that he was a virgin. Maybe the ground would be nice enough to swallow him now.

"I... uh... I've never... I only... One kiss.", he stammered in embarrassment.

Tom cursed under his breath.

"Merlin have mercy on me.", Tom said in a strained voice.

Harry was confused. He was sure that it was his turn for embarrassment. Tom also didn't seem embarrassed. He seemed... tense for lack of a better word.

"Tom?", Harry asked tentatively.

Tom's head swivelled towards him and the man cleared his throat.

"I was unaware that you had not yet had any sexual experience. It... startled me."

The man was avoiding his eyes and Harry had the distinct feeling that Tom was keeping something from him. 

That reminded him of something and with a tilt of his head he decided that now was as good as any timing to get answers.

"What did you do to the Dursleys?", Harry asked.

Tom startled out of his mood and looked at him in growing horror. It morphed into anger and Harry was fidgeting at the look Tom gave him.

"What did Severus tell you?", the man asked with narrowed eyes.

Harry grinned despite being slightly nervous.

"He didn't. I'm just not as unobservant as you thought. You were behaving weirdly and I think we both can use the distraction of the question."

Harry watched the man close his eyes in exhasperation.

"How did you not become a Slytherin?"

Harry shrugged his shoulders and waited in silence. The man would certainly answer his question soon enough.

"We were disguised. We used polyjuice potion and used the personas of Bellatrix and Rodolphus Lestrange, I managed to obtain their wands in time. We... decided to show them our thoughts about their injust treatment of you. It was satisfying for me to watch them writhe in pain.", Tom said darkly.

A manic glint had entered his eyes and Harry held his breath. He knew that glint. It usually came when the man was able to torture someone and it was especially apparent when it had been Harry who was tortured.

"They aren't dead.", Harry noted voicelessly.

Tom snapped back and the glint vanished in an instant.

"Yes. They would not pay properly if I had killed them. I wanted them to be brought in front of the Wizengamot.", Tom said. His expression changed suddenly. A suspicious look entered his eyes and Tom narrowed them at Harry.

"You are remarkably calm about this. Why?", the man asked quietly.

Harry shrugged again but with a pointed look from Tom he sighed deeply before answering.

"I don't want them dead but I am pleased they got what they deserved. I've always wished for someone to rescue me from them. Nobody ever did and now they'll finally be tried for everything they did to me.", Harry said quietly.

Tom again scrutinized him intently.

"There is a dark side to you Harry Potter.", the man said simply.

Harry laughed out loud.

"If you knew! I tried to crucio Bellatrix after Sirius died because of her. It didn't work but I wanted it to work."

Harry was still chuckling while his fiancé looked at him as if he was a different person.

"I always thought you had high ethics and yet here you are admitting to have wanted an Unforgivable to work for you."

Harry shook his head at Tom's words.

"I don't have a higher morale just because I was supposed to be the Chosen One.", he spit the words like an insult. "I have normal human feelings and I really would have liked to see the Dursleys writhe under any of your spells and curses."

Tom grinned wider than he had seen the man do before. It was creepy being grinned at like that.

"I have a pensieve in my study. After our wedding I will provide you with my memories of the evening. But for now I shall believe we should head downstairs for breakfast. You need nutritions and sustenance.", Tom decided and, still grinning like a madman, he walked towards the door.

Harry could only shake his head at the man's antics and got dressed as well.