Just Tom

Startled, Harry's head swiveled around, facing the door like Tom's head had just popped up to do from scrutinizing a photograph. The chair scraped under him, screeching uncomfortably. The surprise interloper froze at the open doorway. And drew in a sharp breath with her nose.

Then bustled right inside.

At first, Harry was taken aback and felt as though he should speak up, suggest she leave. Except he didn't feel as though that would go over too well. Not with how she immediately commandeered the room, setting a basket onto the bedside table and fussing over Tom.

Tom's wide eyed face spoke volumes. Harry wanted to burst into laughter at how he scooched a tad back where he sat on the end of the bed. Then Tom drew back his shoulders, firmness settling into his eyes, and his nose slanting up in the air with pride.

Before Tom could speak to correct the treatment and fussing over him, Mrs. Weasley declared it a travesty and complained over the complete lack of window, and thus, fresh air for his health and wellbeing, stating she would be having words with Madam Pomfrey. Tom's mouth slowly closed, blinked slowly, then reevaluated Molly. He blinked once more as she spun back to him from where she'd been glaring at where the missing window should be, apologizing.

"Oh dear, my apologies. I'm Molly Weasley. Your grandson is like family. Harry and my youngest boy, Ron, have been friends since their first year. It is such a pleasure to meet you. I'd been wondering and worrying about Harry since the battle finished up as I've not seen you much."

Mrs. Weasley's eyes snapped over toward Harry and he stuttered, apologizing, but she smiled at him and put her focus back to Tom, quickly causing the faintest amusement on Tom's face at Harry's reaction to disappear.

"It's all right, dear. I understood when I finally pinned Ron down, he's been busy helping Hermione with things, and I really hope he doesn't mess that up, Hermione will always be family too, but it would be so nice to have it official. Well, he had a difficult time answering, but when George said who you were spending time with and why…"

She tutted, hand patting Tom's knee with familiar ease, causing Tom to go wide eyed and flinch back. Harry fought off his amusement. It must have failed, because Tom shot him a nasty look over at him. Harry grinned and shrugged. Tom's dark brown eyes narrowed at him. And Harry fought off snickers.

"I lost my brothers due to him, then was b-blessed with twins of my own. And l-lost one twin only for us to find another."

Harry inhaled sharply, eyes widening, standing quickly and taking a step forward. Her eyes were decidedly watery. Tom stared up at her. His eyes wide. An odd mix of fear and disgust and confusion and alarm and awkwardness swirling on Tom's face as he stared up, frozen.

"Mrs. Weasley? Er—"

"Ah, you don't need to hear about things like that. Not with what you've lost." Mrs. Weasley turned, hands busy as she pulled out several containers from her basket. "I do know Hogwarts is not lacking in good, well made meals, but there is nothing like a good home cooked meal. Go on, dear. Eat up. Now, I have been informed there was a change to your name at some point, understandable considering those times then and your position to the situation, but you only remember to a point?"

Tom was afforded enough time to blink up at Mrs. Weasley from the container of food pressed into his lap, before she continued on.

"Oh, you and my daughter should meet and speak at some point. She had something similar happen back in her first year. Also due to that man."

Harry stiffened. That was right. And, oh boy. Ginny was one of the few who knew Tom Riddle grew up to become Voldemort. He had been distracted, busy, er… Oh boy. That was not going to be a fun conversation. He winced.

"Only for moments of that year, not years gone, you poor dear. What name would you prefer I call you by? I know it is a matter of last names, Tom remains the same, but do you have a preference for Riddle or Evans? Oh, sorry about that. Here you are, dear."

Blankly, still much taken aback by Mrs. Weasley, Tom took the offered utensils and set them on the still closed container. He stared, taking in the plump woman standing before him. Then Harry watched as Tom nodded, something in his face clearing. And Tom completely step sided the conversation.

He smiled, as though to himself. "Your last name was Prewett before you married, wasn't it, Mrs. Weasley?"

"Oh!" Mrs. Weasley's eyebrows went up in surprise. "That's right! How did you know?"

Tom toyed with the utensils. "I was thinking when you first entered it was likely you were a Weasley or Prewett, perhaps even Bones with your shade of hair. However, with the time that has passed on me, I was not sure in future marriages and children. It may not have been any of those three families. Smith or Black may have been equally likely. Or a Potter in how you claim Harry family."

That jerked Harry out of his annoyance and amazement at Tom charming Mrs. Weasley. Tom had said his name so easily. Had Tom ever said his name before? It niggled at Harry and he had a feeling… That first night he snuck Tom out, to walk the castle. He had been annoyed and on high alert for any move for his wand, thus tense, but… Tom had said his name then too, hadn't he?

Harry shook his head, forcing himself to pay attention as Tom was still speaking. The smile on Tom came back, along with a head tilt up at Mrs. Weasley. Came back? Was it only Harry's imagination or had Tom's eyes been narrowed just the slightest at her a second ago? Harry narrowed his own focus on Tom, concerned.

"You certainly encompass the talkative and bold nature of the Prewetts I have come across. Along with my initial thoughts to most of them surprising me to wearing red rather than yellow in their time at Hogwarts. Unless you were…"

Mrs. Weasley laughed following Tom's trailing off, picking up on his que for her to speak.

"I am afraid I too was placed in Gryffindor. As were all of my children. Sorry to disappoint you, dear. And I did raise all those children, all seven of them. Eat up. And take your time dear on answering my question if you need it. This whole matter cannot be easy. Waking up to discover you are technically a grandfather and having a twin…"

She tutted once again. Then, her eyes roved over him, motioning swiftly with her hands. Mrs. Weasley smiled at him.

"Go on, go on. Eat up, dear."

Tom's eyebrows were up in shock at being called out. Slowly, cautiously under her watching eyes, he opened the container and took a bite. He did not say anything for a time. Either on her question of his preferred name to go by or in continuing to charm her over with words of praise to her cooking.

This did not bother Mrs. Weasley as she talked to fill up for the space Tom was not using. She used it to turn and ask Harry how he was doing, fussing over him, handing him a container of her home cooked food with utensils as well, much to Harry's bemusement. As he ate, Mrs. Weasley spoke to Tom of her memories of Harry from when he was younger, back when he and Ron had first become friends. Talking of how polite he was and the trouble her sons had gotten into in rescuing him and his time at the Burrow and in how he had been awkward at being fussed over. Still was, but mostly in regards to his dislike on the hyphenated name on him.

"Which was all very silly," she summed up. "Harry was a child. Is still a child. Just Harry. Our Harry. The worry Arthur and I have had for you this past year. And our Ron. Along with Hermione. I am certainly glad that that is all over. The worst of it anyway… You do know you are always welcome at our home anytime, dear. For a warm meal, to talk, or for company. Our door is always open for you, Harry. As well as you too."

Stilling as her attention refocused onto him, Tom slowly placed his fork into the half eaten container.

"I," he began. Paused. Restarted. "I thank you for your invitation, but—"

"No buts," Mrs. Weasley cut him off. "You are Harry's grandfather. Family. I insist."

Tom's eyes blinked. Rapidly. Taken aback.

Harry waited, expecting Tom to brush it off, for the independence to show up as it tended to.

Except, Tom did not continue his refusal.

He switched gears on them.

"It is a common name," he said. Here, Tom's mouth pursed in a display of dislike. "However, for now, just Tom will do if you must call me by anything."

Mrs. Weasley broke into a smile. "All right then. Tom it is, dear. Harry's grandpa Tom. I must say, that modesty does seem to run on your mother's side. Or at least, the need to be seen as just who you are rather than standing out for things outside your control."

"I noticed," Tom said dryly. "His introduction and your word choice matched. However, my addition of 'just' was merely stressing…"

Harry would not be surprised if Tom's word choice of adding 'just' was some ploy to make it seem he was more on the same page as Harry. For further attempts in his desire of the chains gone, wand returned, and possibly, down the line, more freedoms allotted to him. Except, Tom almost seemed annoyed at his word choice pointed out? Not at Mrs. Weasley, but…at himself?

Long pale fingers tucked themselves around and under the container of food. Tom's shoulders tightened. Startled, Harry turned his head back and forth between Tom and Mrs. Weasley. Her gaze was sweeping over all of Tom. Then drew back up to his face. Tom's jaw clenched as his eyes bore defiantly up at her.

"It isn't anything you can help and I won't be holding your looks against you. Appearances are only one thing, dear. The way you hold yourself and act are not him. They are all you. You are clearly you. Tom. Just Tom. Don't you fret about that. And if anyone tries to hold that against you, I will certainly have something to say about it," Mrs. Weasley promised him.

"Now," she continued as she bustled about once again. "Neither of you be strangers. Do come to visit as soon as you are cleared to leave. Arthur and I will be looking forward to it. I'll be having those words with Madam Pomfrey now. Make sure you both eat the rest of the food I packaged. I will know if you do not when I return for my basket. Both of you are far too skinny."

Mrs. Weasley gave Harry a hug as she headed out, he welcomed it and hugged back with a smile at her, then she was at the door. "I hope to see the two of you again soon. Enjoy the food, dears." Smiling at them, she closed the door.

Tom immediately placed his half eaten container to his side, eye twitching at the closed door. Harry watched. Concerned for Mrs. Weasley and her unexpected visit, but he could not help but feel the slightest bit amused at her wrangling Tom into eating like she did with him and her kids.

Mutinously, Tom muttered at the door, "I am not far too skinny."

Harry laughed.

Tom's head snapped over at him. "I am not."

Harry merely waved the anger off. "Mrs. Weasley says that to everyone she's not had the chance to feed or hasn't fed in a while. I hear it every summer."

Resting in the folds of fabric on his lap, Tom's fingers clenched and unclenched. His eyes moved from Harry to stare at them. The laughter slipped from Harry as he watched. He jerked back when Tom's eyes flicked back up. Forceful, penetrating through Harry, resolved. And demanding.

"Get me a mirror. At once."

"A…" Harry trailed off.

"Mirror, yes. I must fully see what I am to be working with. Get me, a mirror."

While the annoyance, the snap, rolling of eyes, acquiescing to Harry's few times of piping up Tom use the 'magic word' in his demands had grown somewhat amusing and fun to say, Harry didn't feel this was appropriate to say at this moment. He stayed quiet. The fierce resolve did not waver. But Harry's eyes noticed Tom clenching his hands tighter again, squeezing them into fists, and quivering slightly.

"Would you like a handheld mirror to see piece by piece?" Harry asked quietly. "Or a full length mirror?"

Tom's throat moved. Swallowing. Then clarified his demand.

"Get me a full length mirror. Now."

"Okay."