Lucius Malfoy didn’t want to pry but it happened anyways, after all how can Riddle expect that his secrets would be kept if he just leaves his stuff out for everyone to find. Like seriously one would think that the Slytherin heir wouldn’t be so stupid to leave his diary under his pillow in his private room where everyone could just walk in.
So maybe the blond haired wizard did snoop around a little but how else was he supposed to buy the perfect christmas gift for the always moody headboy. So when he found the diary and on the first page he saw Gift written and connected with an arrow to Harry Potter, the perfect idea came to his mind.
Thinking back it was so obvious to him that his friend was in love with the Gryffindor golden boy, he was always watching him or if he didn’t find him he was searching for him in the crowd. It was now painfully obvious why James, who was their yearmate and the older brother of Harry, started shooting death stares in their direction the minute the younger boy entered Hogwarts.
The Malfoy heir was pleased with himself to no avail, with this information that he now possessed the other Slytherins had no chance to win. Ever since it came out that Riddle was the last living descendant of Salazar Slytherin every student in their house tried to outdo each other and give the perfect gift to the headboy hoping to further themselves through their relationship.
Planning the whole gifting a living breathing person to another person was easier than he thought it would be, and his little brother being in Harry’s year certainly helped. Somehow Slytherins and Gryffindors were always paired together in classes so once he knew Draco’s timetable he knew the other’s as well.
He didn’t usually stay at school for the Holidays but this year could be an exception, and with his reason of wanting to spend his last year as a student completely in the school , nobody suspected a thing. Oh he couldn’t wait to finally be christmas, the shock that would most certainly appear on his friends face was already satisfying.
Tom Riddle didn’t like Christmas at all, but what he hated more than the event itself was the people celebrating it. Ever since his third year, everyone from his beloved house of snakes turned into complete idiots around the Christmas holidays, and it annoyed him to no avail. A few presents that he got were actually quite useful, but mostly it was just a large amount of money thrown out the window. The attention he actually enjoyed, what he couldn’t stand is that those bumbling morons thought that with mindlessly given presents he could be won over.
Another thing that he disliked even more than the holiday was Harry Potter, the boy was three years his junior but he was still able to make Tom’s life impossibly difficult. Being the younger brother of James Potter meant that the moment he started Hogwarts every teacher already knew- or knew of him, and even the upper year students adored him. The boy was the perfect student and pureblood heir, and after a while he became popular on his own as well. While his brother was a well known prankster and a good although somewhat unbothered student, he was well behaved and quiet. It was a shame it was all an act.
Tom saw through him tough, his cunning smile that was just wide enough to fool everyone into thinking it was genuine, his kindness that wrapped every living being in his surroundings around his finger, and what annoyed Tom the most; his knowledge. The younger boy was the smartest student in his year yet he always acted as if he wasn’t nearly as clever as he actually was, and that was something that annoyed the older boy more than anything. While he had to prove his worth by being the brightest pupil of his year, the young Potter was so well loved and respected that he got away with purposefully acting dumb.
His hatred towards the younger boy was well known, after all ever since the boy entered the school Tom was sending hateful glances in his direction. They had so many silent cursing battles in the library, around the black lake, in the corridors, and on one memorable occasion in Transfiguration, that the older boy couldn’t count them even if he wanted to. Most of his surroundings didn’t even notice these silent fights, and the one time he tried to warn his associates about the boy they laughed at him saying that there was no way Potter’s brother was capable of wandless magic.
Being one of few people in Hogwarts who came anywhere close to Tom’s own intellect he of course kept a tab on his studies and what he plans on doing after graduating. Obviously the boy was also in his diary, as anyone who could be a danger to him got put in there with a possible way to put them out of commission.
It was christmas morning and Tom was sitting peacefully in front of his desk, planning world domination, when there was a loud pop behind him. Before turning around he sent a quick prayer to Merlin so this won’t be another nude female student who thought their virginity would be the best present they could give (seriously who does that…).
What he saw was not anything he imagined, in front of him stood one Harry Potter, limbs tied together with a green ribbon and a card in mouth. After the initial shock he took the card out from the younger boy's mouth and for some unknown reason and not because he was curious, he opened it.
Dear Thomas Marvolo Riddle-Gaunt,
due to how impossible it is to get you a proper gift, I have decided to give you something that you would surely enjoy.
Merry Christmas,
Lucius Abraxas Malfoy
He looked up from the letter to see the younger boy trying to speak, and silently unbounded him.
“That fucking git I’m gonna kill him, I would have thought that the Slytherin heir would at least have enough class to properly ask me out but nooooo! You send your fucking minion to get me. How dare you? Who do you think you are?”
Before the boy could continue Tom interrupted him, and although he would decline if ever asked, Harry did look rather cute while he was angry.
“Stop it Potter, I didn’t ask Lucius to bring you here, he acted completely on his own accord. Now I know that a mighty Gryffindor like you would never be so cruel as to publicly humiliate someone, but I have no such bounds. Welcome to join me to the Great Half if you would like to witness it.”
His voice was filled with venom and the younger Potter didn’t miss it, he and in spite of being a mighty lion Tom knew that if the boy could do it without revealing himself, he’d gladly humiliate Lucius.
The students and teachers watched with horrified expressions as Tom Riddle and Harry Potter marched towards the Slytherin table, where Lucius was sitting. The younger of the pair slightly behind the older boy, his face slightly red that would have been cute had he not been with Riddle who was widely feared within the school.
“What were you thinking? Or did the continuous inbreeding to keep your bloodline pure,took away your ability to form thoughts?! Why the hell did you send me Potter as a Christmas gift?” Hissed Riddle when they finally reached the blond haired wizard.
“Well… I thought… I mean…” Lucius mumbled in a completely un-aristocratic way that would have been comical in any other situation, but he quickly recovered remembering that they were in the Great Hall for everyone to see.
“I know you are in love with him, I mean looking back at it it’s pretty obvious.” When both Harry and Tom were too stunned to interrupt him he continued. “Ever since he entered the school you’ve been obsessed with him. Whenever you two are in the same room you only look at him, and nobody else, you know when and where he will be at any given time of the day often because you are there as well, you either study alone or with him in the library, and on more than one occasions you two were seen walking around the lake lovingly.”
How could Lucius misunderstand these situations so greatly? Was it not obvious that he was only with the younger boy in the library so he could spie on how his studies progress, or that he was only walking around the lake with the boy, so they could curse each other without getting into trouble? The fact that he knew when and where Potter could be found was due to him keeping a close eye on someone who could one day be his enemy. It was all precaution in case the boy proved to be as much of a trouble as Tom thought he could be.
Before Riddle could protest and tell his housemate that he was greatly mistaken and that there is obviously nothing between the two of them Potter had chimed in with his own two knuts.
“So you told him before I was able to tell anyone? I thought you wanted to keep us a secret because of our age difference, but now that it’s out…Sonorus. Tom and I are officially together.” The Gryffindor golden boy announced it with such glee in his voice, that a normal person would have mistaken for pride, but Tom wasn’t anybody, he saw through this act.
Now that the Potter heir claimed their relationship in such a public way, there was no way for him to save face if he were to back out from it, what he didn’t know was why the boy did it. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, James Potter came out of his shock and started aggressively marching towards them, or rather him.
“Riddle you brother fucker! Since when have you been with my little brother you slimy snake?” He shouted head turning red as he spoke, he was approaching fast, and before the Head Boy could come back from his shock the Gryffindor munched him straight in the face.
“You had to go and make a move on him! I knew it the moment I saw you watching him, have you got no honor?” James kept shouting and attacking Riddle, as his two friends Remus and Sirius finally reached them as well and started to pull him off of the Slytherin boy.
“That is enough! Mr. Potter, take Mr. Riddle-Gaunt to the Infirmary and make sure he is treated. As for older Mr. Potter you have just lost twenty points to your house for attacking another student, Mr. Black and Mr. Lupin, please escort him back to your common room.”
Dumbledore’s commanding voice broke up the fight, the students who stopped their breakfast to look at the commotion turned back to their food and immediately started gossiping with their friends. The fight and the two smartest student’s relationship announcement would certainly be the talk of the school for at least a month and possibly until Easter.
Once Harry and Tom were in the Infirmary, the older boy’s face having been treated for the wounds, but given the order to rest for his mild concussion, there was an unnerving silence between them. Surprisingly it was the Slytherin boy who broke first.
“Why did you say that we are together?” It was such an obvious and honest question that took the Gryffindor unprepared resulting in an honest answer as well.
“I don’t know.” After another few minutes of silence he added. “I’m sorry for my brother, I didn’t realize he was at breakfast or that he would believe it and beat you up.”
“I guess I’m sorry that Lucius kidnapped you to be my Christmas present, as much as it pains me to admit it, looking back we do look like a couple.” Riddle sighed with defeat, he was certainly obsessed with the younger Potter brother, so much so that he was the first name on his threat list.
“Yeah, I guess so. But still what gave him the idea for a christmas gift Harry Potter?”
The realization was as cold as ice.
“Thar fucker read my diary!” Tom exclaimed loudly as his voice filled with hatred but Harry continued to look at him with curiosity. As if only now realizing how what he had said sounded he quickly added. “I sometimes write certain things in German in it and I wrote Gift Harry Potter, he must have misunderstood it.”
“I can speak French and Latin but no German, what does Gift mean, and why did you write my name next to it?”
What the young Slytherin heir was about to say was pretty incriminating but the boy had a right to know it, and now that the cat was out of the bag there was nothing he could do.
“Das Gift means poison in German, I have a habit of writing up one word plans on how to get rid of someone without me being suspected in their death. I do it in German because I thought no one would find it nice or useful enough to learn it,”
The younger Gryffindor was surprised how honest the other was being, unfortunately that meant that for him to feel right about the situation he too would have to come clean. The other must have noticed a change in his face and posture causing him to repeat his first question.
“Why did you say that we are together?
Considering what Tom had just admitted to Harry had even more issues with answering the question directly, but it was also because of the older boy’s answer that he had to.
“I was angry. Lucius ambushed me on my way to breakfast saying that you wanted to talk to me. I stopped and before I could do anything he tied me up, put a letter in my mouth, and sent me to you. I’ve been fancying you since the end of my first year, where everyone congratulated and were surprised by my high marks, you were angry. I knew you were right, with little to no effort I became the top student in my year and even then you knew that there was more to me. I guess it felt nice to have someone who I actually had to show everything I had in me.”
Now it was Tom’s turn to be shocked, he expected anything but this, and if he was honest with himself, he did start to enjoy their duels and fights. He didn’t even realize how much he knew about the boy, not just as a possible threat but as a friend. Sometime during their last few years they became friends and developed feelings for eachother.
“I think I fancy you as well, du hast mein Herz gestohlen, als ich dich zum ersten mal sah. ."
“Oh Merlin, I never knew German sounded this funny but the fact that you are speaking it still makes it slightly seductive.” Harry laughed, then asked. “So what do you think, should we actually get together now that I announced that we are dating?”
“I see no reason why not, I already had my first confrontation with your overprotective lion mama of a brother, but if we are doing it we do it right. Harry Ignotus Potter, would you allow me to date you?”
“Thomas Marvolo Riddle-Gaunt I would love nothing more than to date you.”
Magic light the air up around them in beautiful colours, recognizing their declaration as an official start to a formal pureblood courting.