The Crush™
week before the end of the school year, Haddy and the rest of the EE’s had decided to mark the occasion with manicures in the Slytherin Common Room. The three girls and one boy were dressed in the brightly coloured onesies Haddy had given to the group as Christmas presents, referring to the clothes as the ‘Teletubby onesie line by Primark’ (whatever that means). Haddy had even ascribed a special colour to each of the EE’s, often accompanying the gift with a bemusing comment such as, “No Paddy, you can’t have yellow, yellow is for Maddy, she has such Laa-Laa energy.”
The four of them were sat near the fire, Haddy had just finished painting Abby’s nails, so the blonde girl in the red outfit sat next to Beyoncé painting her shell blue and red with what Haddy promised to be ‘snail-friendly varnish’ a colour choice he had justified with the statement, “She’s cosplaying as Turbo”.
Haddy had on an aubergine purple fluffy onesie and was sticking his tongue out in an expression of extreme concentration as he painted the nails of whichever EE was sat next to him.
Tom was subtly observing this adorable picture whilst pretending to read a tome on Necromancy, pondering on how this tiny boy had affected Tom’s life in such an enormous way.
“Your hands are so soft Haddy”, Tom is suddenly jerked back to reality, not at that statement exactly, but more because it was not one of the EE’s or even a girl who said it.
“Aww thanks, I moisturise”, Haddy giggles and beams towards the underage pervert that was molesting his protégés hand, inching his way past the wrist and up the arm.
Cygnus Black
The bane of Tom’s existence since last year, an irritating gnat of a boy that had been hovering around Haddy and coincidently Tom, since the Hufflepuff had been introduced to the Knights. Spreading his disgusting pre-pubescent boy pheromones all over Haddy like a horny skunk, constantly staring at the innocent Second Year, lust and love evident in his gaze. It was nauseating.
Although, Tom muses as he tries and fails to ignore the rage bubbling in his gut at the sight of the obsessive Third Year, the older Slytherin never disliked Cygnus before Haddy came to Hogwarts. In fact, Tom always rather approved of the studious and cunning nature of the youngest Black. Moreover, Tom knows it is not the fact that the boy had fallen victim to, and now exhibited symptoms of the common crush, many of the future Dark Lord’s followers have been equally affected by their pesky emotions in the past and that knowledge has only ever filled him with glee. Glee at knowing that these supposedly all-powerful Purebloods that sprout their superiority and dominance over the masses, all have at least once become a slave to their baser instincts and thus have at least one weakness that Tom can exploit. Only Tom is exempt, only Tom rises above.
Or does he?
The more he thought about it, that connection between him and Haddy, the rage that fills him whenever others steal Haddy’s attention, the inexplicably flushed cheeks when Haddy hugs him, the overwhelming need to ensure the boys safety at all time, the positive emotions Tom had hardly felt before the boys presence in his life, now infesting his brain whenever Tom even thinks of the Hufflepuff.
No. It couldn’t be. Could it?
The only sign that Tom was experiencing this earth-shattering revelation was a slight widening of his eyes and a soft inhalation that if one was exaggerating, could be called a gasp.
The diagnosis made sense when the symptoms were presented but Tom had thought it to be impossible, in his fifteen years of life, not once had Tom’s emotions betrayed him so, never had Tom thought he had the capability or inclination to experience these emotions so many years later than his peers.
Tom had a crush.
The Slytherin looks back towards his newly discovered crush-ee, chastising himself at how mentally slow he has become, how he never before realised what the depth of his emotions towards the smaller boy meant, Tom will never know. For a split-second Tom considered the implications of this discovery, how his previously weakness-less state had become compromised, how his future enemies and Fifth Year Gryffindor’s alike could use Haddy to torment Tom. For less than a second Tom considered ‘eradicating’ this weakness as he has any other time a weakness presented itself. But just the thought of hurting, let alone killing Haddy had bile regurgitating to the back of his throat. No, Tom could never harm his perfect boy, therefore, there was only one option, if a weakness cannot be destroyed, it must be protected. Which means no lecherous, lascivious, depraved Third Year will be permitted to even touch his Sweetheart, let alone salivate over him.
“Orion”
Tom motions towards one of his longest serving and most loyal followers, the boy quickly making his excuses to the giggling Fifth Year girls he and Corvus had been trying to charm for the past couple hours and walking towards his Lord with a part anxious, part interested expression on his face.
“Yes, my Lord?”
Tom turns away from the nauseating image of Cygnus pulling Haddy half on top of him under the ruse of admiring the boys freshly painted nails and towards the slightly fidgeting older Black.
“Do you like your cousin Black?”, Tom questions whilst motioning towards the Third Year who had now pulled the Hufflepuff fully into his lap.
“My Lord?”
At Tom’s expectant look Orion answers, “He is… enjoyable to be around my Lord, he is a respectable member of House Black.”
The Future Dark Lord gives his follower a piercing look, “Yes, but are you really attached to him, would your life and loyalties be greatly affected if he, say, took a tumble… of the Astronomy Tower?”
Orion startles and moves marginally to the left as if to protect Cygnus from Tom’s piercing gaze.
“Cygnus is necessary my Lord”, Orion beseeches, speaking hurriedly as if worried that Tom will point an Avada Kedavra at the youngest Black at any moment.
“If something ever happens to me and I was no longer able to do my duty as Lord Black, Cygnus is next in-line. The family cannot allow for the Noble House of Black to fall into the hands of cousin Alphard, that he has not already sired a bastard is a miracle, The Great House of Black would be ruined and bankrupted by paternity claims if he was permitted the Lordship.” Orion finished his justification rapidly, which made the ensuing silence even more awkward as Tom scrutinised his terrified follower.
“Hmm, an excellent point Orion, very well, I will be lenient.”
“Lenient my Lord?”
Tom’s eyes flash with fury as he fixates back on what could be perceived as a romantic image of Haddy and Cygnus in front of the fire.
“For as long as Cygnus remains second-in-line I will not kill him.”
“My Lord, thank yo-“
“I will however torture him day and night until he begs me for the privilege of death. I will rip of his limbs, dip the stumps in salt and task a blind House-elf to sow them back on. I will pull out his toenails and use the biggest ones to scoop his eyeballs out of their sockets, I will then force him to eat them before using a potato peeler to remove his tongue layer by agonising layer.”
Orion was now fully shaking tears clouding his eyes and if his trousers were a shade darker, Tom was sure he’d be able to see a damp patch where the boy had pissed a little in fear.
“Or… You can ensure your cousin never imposes his perverted desires on my Hadrian ever again. I will not demand he stops loving him, as you cannot force someone to stop appreciating perfection. However, never again will he look at Haddy with lust in his eyes unless he wants to lose those eyes. Permanently.”
“Ye-yes my Lord, Of course my Lord!”
With that Orion almost sprints towards the still canoodling boys, ripping Cygnus out from under Haddy causing the Hufflepuff to land with an ‘oof’ onto the rug. Before Cygnus can start complaining that his cousin was embarrassing him in front of the object of his affections, Orion slaps a hand over his younger cousin’s mouth, whispering furiously in his ear as he hurriedly pulls the boy away from imminent doom.
With the departure of the Black cousins, Tom uncrosses his legs and gets up from his seat, striding towards his innocent boy who was looking around in confusion. Tom crouches down in front of his boy, giving him one of the Slytherin’s rare soft smiles and picking up Haddy’s hand.
“Come Darling, I have a gift for you.”
Haddy smiles brightly as he is pulled to his feet by the taller brunette before quickly turning around and waving goodbye to the still distracted EE’s. Retaking Tom’s hand, Haddy allows himself to be pulled towards the Fourth-Year boy’s dormitory.
When the duo arrived at the dormitory, they could both hear muffled shouts and crying through the door, Tom turns to Haddy, giving him a reassuring smile before slamming open the dormitory door. Orion and Cygnus freeze where they’re stood, Cygnus’ puffy eyes and terrified expression obviously proving that Orion had sufficiently scared the boy into compliance. With a subtle glare and movement of his head, the Blacks averted their eyes and practically ran from the room, giving Haddy a wide berth which looked extremely awkward seeing as Haddy was stood in the doorway. Haddy looks towards Tom with a confused expression before his goldfish-esq memory had him forgetting the unsaid question in favour of running and jumping onto Tom’s bed (unfortunately that happens so often now that Tom no longer even flinches at the invasion of his personal space).
“So… Watcha get me Tommy?” Haddy looks up at his bestfriend widening his eyes and bouncing on his knees.
Tom goes into the wardrobe where he had hidden his gift after procuring it from Hogsmeade a few hours earlier. Even as he began pulling the shoebox sized package out of its hiding place, Tom began to blush in mixed incredulity and embarrassment at himself. Never before had Tom used his meagre savings to buy a gift for someone else purely to see them smile, yet it has taken him this long to realise why he would undertake such an uncharacteristic action. Tom felt like such a dry brained idiot.
Before his embarrassment could overwhelm him and make him question whether Haddy would like the gift or not, he places the package onto Haddy’s lap, shoving his hands into his pockets before they do something crazy like take the gift back or, god forbid, start shaking with nerves.
The little Hufflepuff looks between Tom and the gift a soft smile on his face and a blush staining his cheeks darker by the second.
“I’ll love it no matter what Tommy”, Haddy reassures as he steadily takes of the strange lid with holes in it.
“Sweet homeless baby Jesus! YOU GOT ME A KITTY?!”
Haddy reaches his hand in the box pulling out a tiny black kitten, the block colour of its fur only broken by a small white patch on its chest. Haddy brings the kitten up to his face, green eyes staring adoringly into another set of green eyes, a small paw comes up to lightly boop the boy on his nose. Haddy turns from baby feline towards his bestfriend, tears misting his eyes.
“I love him Tommy, this is an even better gift than the fully functioning Guillotine Daddy got me for my twelfth birthday.”
Tom lets out a shaky sigh of relief before regaining his confidence and sitting on the edge of the bed next to the distracted boy.
“I procured him from the Magical Menagerie in Hogsmeade, turns out, the kitten is 1/8th Demiguise, so don’t be worried if it occasionally turns transparent.”
Without stopping scratching between the kitten’s ears Haddy turns towards Tom, hooking his chin onto the older boy’s shoulder, faces millimetres apart, “You’re so great Tommy, I knew I chose right when I made you my second favourite person.”
Tom quickly turns his face away from Haddy before looking at the young boys’ lips made him say or do something stupid. With a throat clearing cough and a subtle shift of his body dislodging Haddy from where he was leaning, Tom diverts Haddy’s attention back towards the fluffy body in his lap.
“So, what are you naming him then?”
Haddy looks up at Tom quickly before going back to focussing wholeheartedly on the kitten.
“He turns invisible?”
“He does” Tom confirms
“I’ll call him CeCe then”, Haddy pronounces resolutely
“CeCe?” Tom questions confusedly.
“Well on official forms his name will be The Glass Ceiling, but I thought that would be too long to put on his cat bowl.”
Tom looks to the skies as if asking the God he doesn’t believe in why he would be cruel enough to curse Tom with a crush on this infuriatingly mystifying creature. But then Haddy looks back towards Tom, with a smile so wide Tom knows his cheeks must be hurting and Tom mentally nods to himself, stroking a finger down the side of Haddy’s face, ‘if there is a God’ Tom thinks to himself, ‘they’re not a cruel one, because this smile is the most beautiful gift’.