The doors to the Great Hall burst open without warning. Voldemort strolled in without a care for the screams and fear that permitted the air or even a glance at the Head Table. He knew exactly where he was going. Harry barely managed to get to his feet and turn to face his would-be killer before Voldemort was already upon him. He couldn’t even raise his wand before Voldemort suddenly shoved a baby into his hands.
“Here, Potter. I’ve returned your baby to you.”
Harry sputtered. Of all the things he expected seeing his sworn enemy enter the room, this was not it. “What?!”
Voldemort raised his eyebrows or what would be his eyebrows if he had them, unimpressed. “I’ve returned your baby.” He repeats slower like Harry is the one that needs help in the head.
Harry gaped at him. His wide eyes flicker to the baby now in his arms. It couldn’t be that old with a tuft of black curls and very familiar emerald green eyes. The pudgy cheeks were adorable even with the spittle dripping down the baby's chin. If that wasn’t damning enough, the baby opened its mouth and cried ‘Da!’ upon seeing him.
“Wha-No! This can’t- He’s not mine!” Harry wasn't accustomed to this particular panic. For once, he didn’t even care about being the center of attention at the moment.
Voldemort sniffed. “Well he’s not mine. I dislike children.”
Harry was unsurprised by that revelation. “What makes you think he’s mine?!” Harry was well aware of the hysterics beginning to show in his voice.
Voldemort didn’t even bother to grace him with an answer. He just looked down at the child pointedly as if that was proof enough and Harry supposed it is. The child looks damningly like a Potter.
“And you’re holding him wrong.” Before Harry can react, Voldemort steps into his space and adjusts his hands to better support the baby. “He’s already had a diaper change. His nap time is from 1-3. Onesies are okay as long as they don’t cover his feet. He gets cranky if they are. And he likes anything but peas.”
Harry could only stare. “Uh-.”
The child giggled then drawing the attention back to himself. He made a grabby motion towards Voldemort. “Faw! Faw!”
“No.” Voldemort stated firmly attempting to cut the child off.
The boy scrunched up his face in displeasure and cried out while reaching for Voldemort once more only for Voldemort to suddenly shimmer. All at once the snake-like monster was gone and in its place was Tom Marvolo Riddle, looking only to be in his mid-20s.
Voldemort sighed as he looked down at himself. Then he glared at the child in Harry’s hands that didn’t look half as effective as it should have. “Brat.” He huffed. “Way to ruin my reputation of being fearsome.” Harry liked to think the way Vol-Tom gently shook the boy’s hand with his own was the cause of any ‘loss of reputation’.
Tom hisses at the boy, calling him a cute menace but Tom forgives him, causing him to squeal once again. The child attempts to hiss back but only succeeds in blowing raspberries. It should not be as cute as it is.
Tom suddenly straightened and he beamed at Harry. “Well, good luck.” He turned and began to leave the hall.
Harry sputtered before shouting after him. “Wait!” Tom slowed and turned looking only mildly interested. “You can’t just leave. You-you brought him here! This is your fault.” Harry narrowed his eyes at him.
“Harry!” Tom sounded scandalized. “Are you trying to trap me with a baby?”
Harry gawked. “What?! No! That is not what I’m-”
“How could you? I am not cut out for this and do not appreciate being manipulated.”
Harry shrieked an odd high pitched noise then. This wasn't happening. This couldn’t be happening. “I’m not-.” He tried again.
“You do understand just how babies are made right?” Tom continued. “I have no memory of such a thing occurring. And I like to think fucking you into a mattress would be something memorable.”
“Don’t curse. There are children here.” Harry hisses before he even registers the sentence. When he does, he opens his mouth but Tom beats him to it.
“Curses or curses?”
“And I’m a virgin!” Harry shouts. He immediately goes red in the face realizing what he just admitted to in front of the entire school. Tom raises an eyebrow, an actual perfectly shaped one. Harry swallows and shifts his feet but he isn’t a Gryffindor for nothing. He raises his head high and states. “He literally cannot be mine.”
“Well he’s not mine.” Tom retorts.
Harry struggles a moment to formulate a retort. “Yes he is. He called you ‘faw’!” In truth, Harry has no idea what ‘faw’ could be pointing to. He hopes it’s not a big stretch to think it could be for ‘father’. After all, isn’t that what all the Purebloods call their dads? He wouldn’t put it past Tom to demand the same of his children.
“Faw!” The child agrees.
“No.” Tom snaps.
Harry tilts his nose up in a mock imitation he’s seen Draco do countless times in the past. “Prove it!”
It is Tom’s turn to be speechless for a moment. Of course it doesn’t last longer than a second. Stupid perfect Riddle.
“Fine.” He agrees.
Tom raises his wand causing gasps and even a few screams to pierce the air reminding them both that they are far from alone at the moment. It’s hard to remember they are not alone with how quiet the normally loud room is. Harry wonders if it's due to fear or sick curiosity. Whatever the reason, Tom doesn’t even spare them a glance, only an eye roll, before he flicks his wand at the child in Harry’s arms. The child glows blue for a moment and then above his head written in the air appears;
Name: Hydrus James Salazar Riddle-Potter
DOB: January 31, 1996
Sire/Father: Harry James Riddle-Potter
Barer/Mother: Tom Marvolo Riddle-Potter
Harry mouths the name of the child- his child- feeling an odd sort of weight settle in his chest. It’s not uncomfortable. Slowly a grin begins to stretch across his face. He looks at Tom to see the man gaping. It’s very satisfying.
“What was that you were saying about 'fucking into the mattress'?”
Tom glares at him. “Not by you, Mr. Virgin.”
“The test is saying otherwise.” Harry sing-songs.
Harry isn’t sure why he is so smug. He should not be pleased by the literal proof he slept with Voldemort even if he can’t remember ever doing so. Perhaps it has to do with how disgruntled Tom looks. Or maybe it's because Harry doesn’t want to be left with raising a child on his own. Whatever the reason, Tom glares fiercely at him for it.
“The test must be wrong. A fluke.”
“Why Tommy. I never knew you to mess up a spell before.”
“Shut up!” Tom snaps. Are his cheeks turning pink? “We will go to Gringotts to get this straightened out.”
Harry shrugs. Sounds good enough for him. Tom sighs at him and then he is taking the boy, their child Hydrus, from his arms. Hydrus seems to settle immediately into the curve of his arms just so. He makes it seem so easy. Natural.
“I could’ve-”
“Back off. He’s mine.”
And there’s the possessiveness. Harry can only nod with pressed lips. He knows Tom quite well after all these years and isn’t at all surprised. In fact, he is quite glad their apparent son invokes such emotion in Tom. It’s Tom’s way of showing he cares. That their son is treasured.
They leave the Hall together bickering lightly. Harry places full blame on Tom over their child’s name. Tom thinks it’s a lovely name and since he birthed him, Harry can fuck off. They are seemingly ignorant of the calls after them. Especially Harry, whom others are trying to convince that this is a trap to get him out of the castle for some notorious plot.
Arriving at Gringotts, things are cleared up quickly. Hydrus is in fact Harry and Tom’s son. They are also married since the middle of May last year, not long after Hydrus’ conception. It is clearly the cause of such a union.
Harry ignores Tom’s mutterings about him, indeed having trapped him with a child. Harry argues of course it’s the other way around considering just who was knocked up. They still however have no memory of that happening or how it came to be. Regardless, things are in motion now.
Tom takes Harry and Hydrus home. Things are already set up for Hydrus and Harry remembers vividly how Tom already knew so much about Hydrus before. Harry was meant to return to Hogwarts but he refused to leave so soon after discovering his son. He didn't want to miss a thing so he insisted on staying with Tom in his room with Hydrus.
Harry would like to think they fell into a rhythm quickly but truthfully, they both had a lot to learn when it comes to parenting. Tom was better at it, having a natural instinct and a bit of experience from dealing with the children from the orphanage but there were times he panicked. Harry excelled in those moments.
Seeing Tom being so parental with their son was enough for Harry to come to terms with his own whirling feelings. He kissed Tom, beginning their relationship anew. Tom was pregnant again within four months. Life was crazy but Harry loved every minute of it.
~~~
“I swear to Salazar Harry, if you don’t get up, I will curse you within an inch of your life!” Tom hissed, his eyes flashing threateningly.
“Tom be reasonable. It’s four in the morning.” Harry doesn’t care if he's whining.
Tom hissed like an angry python about to strike.
Harry groaned but dutifully threw back the warm covers and dragged his body into a sitting position. His body felt like lead and he could feel the angry pout his lips sat in without a hint of embarrassment but Merlin, he was tired.
“Want breakfast?” He asked instead.
“Mango on toast.” Tom didn’t even hesitate. Ah, the real reason he was prying Harry from their bed. Cravings.
“We don’t have mangos. How about bacon and eggs on toast?” Harry knew even as he said it, it was the wrong thing to say.
Tom’s face twisted into a snarl and his eye twitched. “Mango on toast.” He repeated. “I refuse to eat like an animal!”
Harry knew better than to touch that. He walked over to look out the window and was not surprised in the least about the white noticeably swirling even through the darkness. “Uh. How about-”
“Mango on toast.” Tom repeated. He would not be swayed. Harry should know that in the battle of wills, Tom always won.
Harry did know that. He whined. “Tom. It’s four in the morning. There’s a blizzard going on outside.” He crept forward and gripped Tom’s arms in a pleading gesture. “Come on. We got lots of other food.”
“Lots of other food? Oh I see. I am to suffer in silence despite doing all the work because there is 'lots of other food'?!”
“How about mango jam?” Harry tried.
Tom really did snarl then. “If I don’t get mangos on toast, I swear I will Obliviate you so bad, you won’t even remember the baby that demands it!” Tom snapped.
Harry opened his mouth to say something when he suddenly froze. Oh. Oh. Tom too blinked and seemed to realize at the same time he did. Opps.