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That which we make for ourselves	By : magentasouth Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Tom Views: 38078 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: I neither own nor profit from any part of the Harry Potter universe

Chapter List
- 1-That which we make for ourselves
- 2-Ch 2
- 3-Ch 3
- 4-Ch 4
- 5-Ch 5
- 6-Ch 6
- 7-Ch 7
- 8-Ch 8
- 9-Ch 9
- 10-Ch 10
- 11-Ch 11
- 12-Ch 12
- 13-Ch 13
- 14-Ch 14
- 15-Ch 15
- 16-Ch 16
- 17-Ch 17
- 18-Ch 18
- 19-Ch 19
- 20-Ch 20
- 21-Ch 21
- 22-Ch 22
- 23-Ch 23
- 24-Ch 24
- 25-ch 25 - provisional
- 26-Ch 26
- 27-Ch 27
- 3
- 4
- 5
Harry walked into the grand hall and felt immediately
uncomfortable.� Quite a few people turned
and looked at him curiously.� He could
feel himself being sized up and although he couldn�t hear any specific comments
he recognised all too well the feeling that many of them were now talking about
him.

�This way Caed�� Roan said, moving past him as he�d frozen.� Harry nodded and offered a smile back.�

After Tom had left last night he�d felt suddenly nervous at
being with the others.� Then Antonin had said they were all really glad that he�d moved
into their dorm � Willowbank was a tosser and Roan and Darius had come over to his bed and
asked him about what subjects he was taking and how he met Tom.�

Harry had answered them, noticing how all the others were paying attention too,
if somewhat more subtly as they all got ready for bed.�

If it had been Gryffindor they�d all have been crowded
around him asking questions at once.�

It was..ok..he
found. �

He�d explained very vaguely what had happened with his nonexistent parents and
how he�d gotten to Hogwarts.�

Darius asked was he was well acquainted with Dumbledore then
and he could almost feel the others pricking their ears up.� There was some strange sense of relief
palpable in the air when he said he wasn�t;� that he actually didn�t get along with
him well at all and thought he was an arse.�

Roan grinned at him and said he would find many in Slytherin who shared that
view.�

Harry got the feeling that they were all wondering about him
but surprisingly, nobody was at all pushy about questioning him beyond what he
had ventured in response to Darius and Roan�s tentative questions.�

Then Gyphus had come over in black pajama bottoms with blue constellations and asked him
whether he followed quidditch.�

The other boy had sat down as Roan and Darius wandered off to get ready for
bed, and launched into an explanation of the sport and the confederation,
describing some of the teams he thought were best.� Harry listened rapt, absorbing as much as he
could about the teams of the time.

It was so...friendly and normal � it was surreal
in its normality.� Sitting and chatting
about.. or at least listening
about quidditch with future death eaters in Slytherin
house..��

He didn�t know anything about gobstones
which seemed to put Alphard Black off a bit when the
boy wandered over to join Gyphus and Harry, wearing a
dark green flannel nightshirt, but when he said he�d like to learn � the painfully
familiar looking face brightened and promised to bring him to one of the Slytherin
matches.�

Feeling somewhat reassured and ..hopeful
again.. Harry had pulled out and slipped on the pale green pajamas
that he�d bought earlier with Tom and had gotten into bed.�

He�d considered putting up wards but in the end he hadn�t.� He�d just rolled over in the bed both
familiar and unfamiliar and had gone to sleep.

Harry followed Roan past the place where he used to sit at
the Gryffindor table down to the Slytherin table; all the way down to the head of the table where Tom sat,
immaculate and alert, seemingly not watching them approaching at all as he
pored over a newspaper and ate fruit salad.�

Harry had a feeling though, that Tom was always perfectly aware of everything going on around him and true
enough, when they got close, the head boy glanced up, meeting his eyes for a
second before gesturing for him to sit at his left.

Gyphus and Alphard
obligingly moved down a short way for him.�
Roan, Harry noted, walked all the way around the table to sit on the other
side next to Palmer, a few places down.�

Opposite Harry, Abraxas was eating half a ruby grapefruit with a spoon segment
by segment.� He glanced up and raised a
pale slender brow.�

�I trust you slept well, Caed?� he enquired
politely.� Harry nodded and smiled. �and you?� the other boy nodded back and turned, glancing at
the newspaper Tom was reading.

�Caed� tom said, still reading and
absently skewering a cube of honeymelon with his
fork. Harry turned to him.

�Professor Dumbledore already gave me your timetable.� Unfortunately you do not have many classes
with me.�� You will have charms with Gyphus and Alphard first period
and then magical creatures.� None of us
are in your class for that.��

After lunch we will all have defense together and
then the rest of the day you have free periods.�

I did ask professor Dumbledore whether you might attend parallel classes in
your subjects in order to catch up, however the professor did not think that it
would be �suitable�.��

Tom glanced up and Harry found he could actually feel the other boy�s
irritation at Dumbledore even though outwardly he looked quite placid.�

�You will therefore go directly to the library after third
period and study until I join you. I�ll look over what you�ve been working on
and we can decide how to proceed.�� He
raised his eyebrows questioningly and Harry nodded agreement.

�ok.� What sh-� he was
interrupted by a quieting of the soft hum of conversations and� turned around to look behind him, finding
that everyone had stilled and was looking up at the head table.� Following the eyes he saw that Dumbledore had
stood up to make an announcement and groaned � seeing what was coming.�

�Good morning students.�
I have a small announcement.� A
new student has joined us today � Caedmon Piper please stand
up!��

Harry fought against the blush that rose up as he turned, feeling his cheeks
heat.�

A spell hit him from behind then and he felt suddenly cool relief slide down
over him.� Either tom or one of his group had cast something.�
He was grateful.�

The entire school, including all of Slytherin was looking at him with
interest.�

�Caedmon comes to us a war orphan.� Grindelwald killed
his family and I do hope that you will make him feel welcome now that he is
dependent upon us all.��

Harry looked up at the head table taken aback.�
Why did Dumbledore need to say that?!� Now everyone would think he was either of �lesser�
blood status and know he had no money or support.� Dumbledore offered him a falsely
compassionate smile.

�I would ask you to watch for Mr Piper, students, to be certain he does not
lose his way in the castle.� He was home
schooled and is not familiar with navigating in a large unfamiliar
environment.��

This time Harry couldn�t keep the disgust off his face.� He was appalled
at Dumbledore.� The man was making him a
social pariah on his first day.� He�d
told everyone he was impoverished, orphaned and of low blood status, usurping
the school funds and implied that he was also ignorant and slow.�

Harry looked back at the students to see sneers of disapproval and snide amused
expressions, here and there a look of pity.�

He Hated
Dumbledore at that moment.� Almost as
much as when he�d learned that the man had kept Hermione�s death quiet.��

�Thank you Caedmon, you may sit.� Dumbledore gestured to him
absently and Harry turned quickly and sat, fury on his
face.�

He looked back at Abraxas and Tom whose faces were blank and polite, listening
to Dumbledore offer some quidditch related
announcements.�

Harry couldn�t even listen to it, all he could hear was his blood rushing.� How was he supposed to get by here now?!� Half the school hated him already.�� He glared at the toast and folded his
arms.�

Tom�s hand on his arm made him jump and he looked at him
with narrowed eyes.

�Don�t do that.� Calm down.� Show them you are not affected.� The other
boy murmured almost inaudibly, still looking up at the head table.�

He blinked.�
What?�

The hand withdrew and Harry furrowed his brow,
confused.� He knew what Tom meant and
tried to calm down.

It was hard.� Unfolding his arms he took
a deep breath and rolled his shoulders slightly, shaking it off.�

It didn�t matter.� Bloody..Voldemort.. would make sure he was ok ..probably.. and he�d said yesterday
that his opinion carried a lot of weight in the school. ��

The hum of returning conversation was louder than it had been.� Tom returned to eating his breakfast and
reading the paper and said quietly �We will speak about this later Caed.� You must learn
to control your reactions.� This sort of
thing is only as damaging as you allow it to be.� Eat something.��

Abraxas nodded subtly also, although he glanced at Tom with a veiled
expression.�

At Harry�s side Alphard leaned in
close and said wryly �Seems like you�ve already made him your enemy then.��

Harry nodded and reached for a slice of buttered toast.

Charms was awful.� The miserable professor Phipps had obviously
talked to Dumbledore because when Harry came in he made him sit at a desk at
the side of the classroom by himself and gave him a charms textbook to �review�
while he taught the rest of the class.�

Gyphus and Alphard shot
surprised glances at one another at this before they became absorbed in the
lesson.� Gyphus
had made a joke about it on the way to taking him to magical creatures and Harry
had smiled but he didn�t feel very much like laughing.�

Professor Kettleburn was slightly
better, if only because he treated every
student like an idiot.�

They were shaling Wirrowskeins � a scaley larger
cousin to the puffskeins that had become popular as
pets in Harry�s time.� Wirrowskeins weren�t the friendliest of animals and bit and
scratched with claws that had some kind of mild poison, however their scales
were valuable potions ingredients.�

The wounds burned slightly.�� Harry
managed to shale his a bit before the lesson had finished and felt satisfied
enough with that.� Most of the class
hadn�t done as well.� ��

He walked alone up to the main building, feeling a bit
better.�

Then a group of students pushed roughly past him from behind, half knocking him
over and laughing nastily as they walked on.�

He looked after them automatically thinking of Malfoy and his goons, only to
see that they were Gryffindors.�

The rest of the way to defense he felt crap
again.�

He walked into the large gymnasium like room with a dark expression
which he guiltily tried to blank as Tom turned a friendly smile toward
him.�

�Sorry..� he mumbled. �some Gryffindors..� ...doesn�t matter.��

Tom nodded approvingly. �Thats better.�
I don�t want to see you walking around with a face like thunder again Caed.� Appearances
are extremely important.��

He shifted uncomfortably, looking around the room in order
to have a reason to look away from Tom. His perfect hair, sapphire eyes and
immaculately groomed appearance � Harry knew he himself looked like he�d been
pulled through a hedge backwards most of the time.�

Glancing about though, he noticed with a groan that the class was a Slythindor mix.� The
other half of the room was full of red and black uniformed students � most of
which were talking in groups and then looking over at him standing next to Tom.�

�Don�t ever ignore
them ...but don�t allow them to bother you either� Tom instructed him very
softly.�

�Dumbledore put you in a rather nasty position this morning and now we must
show that you have good breeding, that you are a worthy individual and that you
are not defenceless.� Do you
understand, Caed?��

Harry nodded unhappily.�

�I will teach you how to comport
yourself.� We will begin this evening
after I am finished with my classes and before my patrol.�

Caed looked shaken, Tom
noticed.� Was the boy truly that fragile?� He had hoped the little breakdown yesterday
would not be symptomatic of the boy�s temperament.� Alphard had
informed him what had occurred in Charms.�

It appeared Dumbledore had done more than simply ruin Caed
in the eyes of most of the school.� This
might be more difficult than he had anticipated.�

He wasn�t certain it was worth the effort of working to redeem the boy
publicly.

Perhaps it might even be better if he didn�t.� Caed would be more
dependent upon him if the rest of the school were threatening or
dismissive.� He would think on the problem.�

Public opinion aside however - if Dumbledore was going to
deliberately sabotage Caed�s performance in his
classes it would demoralise him.�

From the way the boy had broken down yesterday � he might not withstand an
ongoing isolation and degradation.�

Tom sighed inwardly.�
This was all an unnecessary complication in his plans for the year.�

He glanced over at Caed who had
moved to stand next to Antonin and was smiling at Alphard and Gyphus� horsing
around with Abraxas.� The aristocratic blonde
was not finding their little spells messing up his long silky hair and tying
his shoelaces together funny at all and was gearing up to get stroppy.�

Caed looked almost painfully innocent.� His eyes were sparkling with mirth.� He looked even more appealing when he was
happy, tom decided.�

Unfortunately the boy, absent the memory he had taken from
him, was very skittish at his proximity.�

He�d noticed it while they were shopping.. when he�d held him after he�d found him crying.. and especially in the dorm corridor last night.�

He should not have tried to approach him like that.�

He�d been tempted in that moment.�� Caed had displayed... obedience...
and Tom liked that in a partner.�

He�d stopped, however, when he�d seen the fear in the other boy�s eyes and his
position ready to bolt.�

As much as he disliked the thought, when he already wanted
to drag the blonde naive aside and thoroughly sate himself..
it might be necessary to move slowly and attempt to
bring Caed to a mindset where he would be tolerant of
advances from a male.�

Although... he recalled the hazy lust in those beautiful eyes when he�d stroked
him..the desperation in his voice when he�d begged him
not to stop.�� Perhaps he might be better
served by forcing the other boy.. just
a little.. and allowing his own body to persuade him
to change his views.��

That was a risk however.� Caed could panic and try to report what had happened..

Tom was certain Dumbledore would be only too pleased to take his accusation
seriously.� Even if nothing came of it,
such allegations would ruin his prospects with the ministry after his NEWTs.�

He could obliviate him if he
panicked but that would not improve his current position much.�� He wanted to be able to enjoy the boy�s body
more than once.��

But even more - he wanted Caed to want him in return..to beg him for
more.� If he raped him, he would weep and
carry on annoyingly and in light of the possible information in the boy�s head,
obliviating him again was ill advised.�

He was jolted out of his thoughts by the familiar no nonsense
voice of professor Merrythought.�

�Good morning students.�
Don�t stand around like pillocks.� Get into pairs and warm up.� We�ll be beginning work on the
�Surinaste
series of spells today so I want your shielding and reflexes ready.� Four metre duels.� Level one and two hexes
only.� Get cracking.��

Professor Merrythought bustled through the room to
the door which led to her office, taking for granted that seventh years would
be able to organise themselves sufficiently to warm up unsupervised.�

Tom indicated to Roan to pair with Caed.�

Clemens wilkes had been
looking with interest toward the new boy and had just taken a step toward him
when Roan snapped Caed up and led him off to the
side.�

Tom smiled at the look of irritation on the boy�s face.� Wilkes was the Slytherin quidditch
keeper and captain of the team.� He had
family in the ministry.�

Tom had considered him a prospective knight for a while but Wilkes was
difficult to control. �He saw himself as
a leader rather than a follower. �If Tom
brought him into the group he�d always have to watch his back.� The boy would try to drag Darius and Palmer
to him first, and then would have worked on Alphard.. or possibly even Abraxas, Tom
expected.�

Antonin was too clever for intrigue games and Gyphus and Roan too unquestioningly loyal.�

Wilkes was therefore dismissed and it was this dismissal
after Tom had been showing what probably amounted to a flattering level of
interest in him that had likely contributed to the boy�s enmity toward him
now.�

Whatever Tom had, Wilkes coveted.�

Tom had showed the school that he welcomed this new boy this
morning.�

Irrespective what the rest of the school might or might not think, for Slytherins, allowing Caed to sit
at his left hand this morning was an unmistakeable signal.�

As a result Wilkes probably wanted to get Caed alone and find out exactly what tom wanted from
him.�

Tom sincerely doubted that the innocent little Gryffindor would have any idea
what was going on if Wilkes got him alone for a chat.� Wilkes would have him wrapped around his
finger in short order.� Then Caed would have an alternative if he wanted to back away
from tom.

Well.. in actual fact he
probably wouldn�t � Wilkes would drop him as soon as he was no longer of value
� but he would likely convince Caed sufficiently to
trust him. �

Wilkes associated with three other Slytherins
� Bellico Yaxley, Benjamin
Travers and Callista Kent.� Together they could present a very plausible
alternative from Caed�s perspective.� That could not be allowed to occur.�

He moved, lost in thought, to stand opposite Gyphus.� There was no
question as to who he would spar with to warm up.�

He did spar with the others sometimes
for their benefit.� But Gyphus was
quick and had a decent range of knowledge.�

It was less dull for Tom to warm up with him than the others.�

He absently defended himself from the minor hexes thrown at
him, returning them here and there, while watching Roan and Caed
spar.�

Caed had decent shielding and very good reflexes, Tom
noticed, but he seemed to use the same few spells over and over.� He wondered whether the boy was lazy,
unwilling to reveal his true capability or simply had a very small range of
knowledge.�

From his quickness and the strength of what he cast, he could have
potential.� Tom hoped he was being coy.

�All right!� That�s enough.� Come back now� professor Merrythought
called from the oversized blackboard upon which the spells they were working on
were usually noted just in case the slower members of the class forgot what
they were doing from one second to the next.�

This wasn�t unheard of.�

Guner Crabbe in Gryffindor was completely dense. It
took him the entire lesson to master one spell most of the time and sometimes
he failed to learn anything at all.�
Lysander Blithe in Slytherin was a vapid little thing too and her aim
was atrocious.�� He had instructed her in
impossible to misunderstand terms years ago that when she was in this class she
would position herself far from him
and face the other direction.�

If anyone was to receive accidental pot shots he wished it to be the Gryffindors.�

He broke off sparring and moved toward the centre of the
room with the others, drifting to stand next to Caed.�

The blonde glanced at him and then turned back to professor Merrythought.�

�Right! We will be working on Surinaste hexes today.�
Can anyone tell me about any of them?��

Tom glanced around.�
Several hands were in the air.� Caed looked blank so he edged forward and murmured, his lips against the boy�s ear, �Do you know the Surinaste series?��

Caed shied away and glanced back at him perturbed
then shook his head slightly.� Tom turned
his eyes back to the front.�

Adnael Surinaste
was one of the most well known of the modern wizards specializing in martial
hexes.� He was significant.�

He wondered at Caed�s blank look.� Probably the hexes were superceded
in the next fifty years.� Almost certainly.��

Professor Merrythought was
listening with a discontented expression to Billius Weasley
give a rather underwhelming explanation that the hexes were dark martial spells
by some Arab.�

The boy had obviously heard of them but Tom doubted he�d even seen one used or
even knew what any of the curses did.�

�Thank you mr
Weasley� the teacher offered when he was finished. �One point
to Gryffindor for that rather abstract definition.� Could anyone else tell us more?�� He casually looked to his knights who all
knew the answer.� Gyphus
and Alphard had their hands raised.� Caed seemed rather distracted by Weasley, he noted.� The boy looked like he had seen a ghost. ��There
was..something.. in the
blonde�s expression that just got Tom�s hackles up.� He nudged him.� �Pay attention� he snapped curtly.

Professor Merrythought selected a
Slytherin to further answer the question.� �Yes � miss Crouch.��

Tom listened to the second redhead merrythought
had picked give a far more substantial answer.�
Charis was quite capable magically.� She was simply a warthog.�

Tom could not credit any witch or wizard that did not have the good sense to
ensure they appeared at least moderately attractive.� There was no excuse for the ratty red hair
and the poor skin and the girl was fat for
Merlin�s sake!..

She was a witch!!� There were spells for that! �

He tended to ignore Charis.�

�The Surinaste hexes are a group
of thirty five fairly dangerous curses created by Adnael
Surinaste in 1882 through 1901.� They are usually divided into three groups � cutting,
heating and transfiguration curses.� An
example of a surinaste cutting curse would be the ʼLf at-Tkhfyḑāt
or thousand cut curse.� One of the
heating series would be Ḩār al-ʼSnān or tooth heating curse and one of the
transfiguration hexes is al-ʻQrb Fy al-Bţn
which transfigures whatever is in the victim�s stomach into scorpions.� Surinaste did invent
some curses in German and French but his Arabic hexes are the most vicious and
thus the most popular.��

Professor merrythought nodded,
pleased. �Yes � very
good Miss Crouch.� Ten points
to slytherin.�
Now � We�re going to learn a few of Surinaste�s
curses and their counters.� These are
hexes you could be faced with, should you ever duel a skilled wizard in
battle.�

We�ll work on cutting curses today and move on to the other two sets after the
weekend.� You will be giving me three feet on the cutting curses � all the cutting curses, not only those
we cover today - on Monday morning.��

Right now.. These are the five most popular of Surinaste�s cutting curses.��

Professor Merrythought flicked her wand at the large
board causing the curses to appear there.��

Tom glanced at Caed again.� The boy looked wide eyed and somewhat
scandalised.� He edged closer and
whispered by his ear �What is it?��

The blond turned, distracted and returned eye contact.� He hissed almost inaudibly �this is dark magic!!��

Tom quirked his brow and nodded. �Yes?�� Caed looked
stricken.

�I�m not going to use dark magic!! Why is she teaching
this?!� Does the headmaster know?��

Tom raised amused eyebrows. �I take it that it�s not taught..where you�re from.��
Caed shook his head forcefully.

�MR PIPER!� professor
Merrythought scolded. �PAY ATTENTION!..
I don�t want to interrupt the lesson taking you or others to the
infirmary.��

Caed looked back at her like a frightened rabbit in a
spotlight.� Tom kicked him lightly. �Calm
down.� he murmured, barely moving his lips.

Caed�s face hardened and he seemed to pay very close
attention to professor Merrythought demonstrating the
wandwork and intonation of the first curse.�

�Circle, slash, twist, flick, flick.� The incantation begins at the middle of the
slash.. like so.� an-Nzyf ʼL� al-ʼBd��

She cast the curse at her own finger and a slash immediately began to drip
blood.� �The forever bleeding cut� she
stated.� �Traditional healing spells will
not have any effect upon it.� You must
cast the countercharm� Hw ʼʻz̧m Adnael..which means..anybody?�� The class looked around with blank
faces.� Even his knights looked
unsure.�

Tom snorted amused. � didn�t they ever wonder what they were
saying?� He raised his hand.�

Merrythought smiled at him, her
look saying she knew he would be right.

�The countercurse means �Adnael is the greatest.��
Most of surinaste�s countercurses
refer to his greatness, glory, prowess and brilliance.� Several others refer to the incompetence or
sexual inadequacy of his enemies � who he names explicitly.��

Collecting another ten points, Tom smirked inwardly.� Adnael Surinaste was a conceited man with a twisted sense of humor, he had concluded years ago when he had first learned
the curses.� It was unfortunate for his
enemies � particularly Jostiel Le�Mane
� a minor landowner in the 18^th century who would probably be most
remembered through history for having, according to Surinaste
� a penis smaller than a child�s thumb.�

Professor Merrythought was already
explaining the third curse �Skyn ʻBr
al-ʻYwn� the blinding curse.�

It placed, irrespective where it struck the victim, a horizontal cut across the
centre of both eyeballs, popping them if applied with force.� It was a terrible thing to heal.�

Merrythought was teaching them a shield against it, a
countercurse for it and a healing spell that would
repair damage that sometimes remained after the countercurse
when the curse was thrown hard.�

Tom looked to Caed, who appeared
both fascinated and disgusted but was certainly paying extremely focused
attention.� The beautiful pale green eyes
were bright and shining.�

Tom glanced back up at the board at the blinding curse.� It ...had been known to occasionally
scar.� In all likelihood Caed would not experience it.� His reactions were quick when he�d been
sparring with Roan.�

All the same though � it would be a waste if the boy�s eyes were ruined before
Tom had the chance to see them looking up at him again in the throes of lust.� It had been dark last time.�

He leaned forward and murmured next to Caed�s
ear �You will practice the curses with me.��
The boy paled. ��

A few short minutes later professor Merrythought
dismissed them all to pair up and practice the curses, shields and countercurses.��

Caed turned to him looking deeply worried.��

Tom led him off to the very end of the room, placing his
knights between them and the rest of the class.�

This seemed to only worry Caed more. He saw the boy
gulp, drawing his wand and looking up unsteadily.�

�Relax Caed.�� He said softly.� �I paired with you to protect you from harm.� You
may cast first.�� He cast the appropriate
shields silently and waited.�

Caed seemed unwilling to begin, raising his wand and
then hesitating and lowering it slightly.�

�Very well then.� I will
begin� Tom informed him shortly. �Prepare yourself.��

This, the boy responded to immediately, throwing up the
correct shield without looking up at the board.�

Tom smiled thinly, pleased at how quickly he�d absorbed the
information. ��He alternated between the
five curses they had learned.� Caed�s shield held.�
He wore a strange determined look on his face as if he were in a battle
and not a D.A.D class.�

Tom smiled faintly, amused.�

�Alright.� Now.. will you cast or shall I
practice the countercurses on you first?��

Caed shook his head slightly.� �I..won�t use
them.��

This wasn�t amusing anymore. What was wrong with the idiot?!� He could see
that the whole class was using the curses!�
�Why not?��
Tom demanded.�

The other boy swallowed and stuck his chin out.� �I�m not a dark wizard.� I don�t use dark magic. I�ve learned about
how..how seductive it can be.�� Tom thought he might laugh out loud and coughed
slightly to prevent it.

Walking closer he smirked at the idiotic little blonde �How
will you fight dark wizards if you are unfamiliar with dark curses?� The other
boy shrugged noncommittally.

�Fine.� I�ll
practice my countercurses.� Drop your shields.��

The other boy looked at him warily. �No.��

Tom raised an eyebrow, his smile twisting slightly. �Suit
yourself.�� Tom cast one of his own
inventions quickly and the level three shield Caed was using melted away.�
The other boy jumped and backed away quickly, trying to cast another
shield but Tom had already flicked off the first cutting curse.� It slashed across Caed�s
jaw redly..blood seeped out and dripped down.�

The boy put a hand to his face, shocked.�

Tom stalked after him and cast the countercurse, the
cut sealing itself and leaving a rill of blood behind.�

Pale green eyes looked at him angrily. �Stop it� Caed growled.� Tom
snorted and melted the next shield the boy had put up, casting the third
curse.�� The boy dropped to his knees
clutching his chest. �

He looked up, his eyes wide with pain and Tom cast the counter, healing the
cuts to his heart and following it with the recommended healing charm.

�Stop!� Caed
said more plaintively this time.�

�Are you going to stop being ridiculous about practicing
class material?!� Tom asked him in return and the boy looked away.

�I..�� he trailed off.��

Tom dispelled the shield a bare moment after Caed erected it.� It
was a level four.� The boy apparently did
know some defense but he was slow in silent casting
at this level.�

�Don�t!!� Caed said urgently, feeling his defences
disappear again.� Tom sneered back �

�If you refuse to participate then I
might as well get in some practice.�
Incidentally � if this were a battle you would already be dead.�� The boy looked up at him hatefully and in the
next moment he�d raised his wand and cast the first curse.�

Tom blinked, feeling icy coldness at his neck and then warmth
flow down his chest.� Caed
had slit his throat from ear to ear with the forever bleeding curse.�

Little bastard! �Tom cast the countercurse, vanished the blood
and scourgified his clothing.

The pale green eyes were liquid and apparently stunned by his own actions.�

�Better.� Tom told him.�
�Now stand up and stop making such a fuss.�� He wanted to punish him for the insolence but
the boy looked quite distraught.� He
thought it better to encourage him.�

It was unacceptable to cast in such a manner upon him.. upon Tom... but if Caed
had used the curse on another in that rather bloodthirsty manner, Tom would
have been delighted.� As such.. it was a good sign.��

Caed got shakily to his feet and
whispered something.� Frowning, tom
stalked over to him.� �What?� he said as
gently as he could manage.

�I..shouldnt have..�

�Tom considered.. �Perhaps not upon me..but it was a good effort.��
You are quite capable of doing very well in this subject.�� Show me the others.�

Horrible.� It was just horrible.� Somewhere between the end of fifth year and
the start of seventh, charms had gone from quite fun and manageable to
ridiculously complicated and dry.�

Harry leaned back in the wooden chair and stared at his book as if it had
personally offended him.�

He..didn�t want to be doing
this.� He wanted to go grab his broom and
fly for a bit.� He wanted to go hang out
in the common room with Ron and Dean and Seamus and faff
about like they all had in the first part of sixth year.�

He didn�t want to
concentrate on fifty two different kinds of binding, attraction and repulsion
charms for objects smaller than a standard housecat which was chapters one and
two of the horrible charms textbook he was reading.

When would he need to magnetise beans?!�

He stared listlessly out the window at the view down toward
the forbidden forest.� After a pretty
bright morning it was clouding over and it would probably rain later.��

If Hermione was here she�d be rapt.� She
always said she liked it best in the library when it was raining.�

It was confusing to be here.�
He almost felt like at any minute she�d come bustling up to him with a
stack of thick books and sit in the chair opposite.� She always sat there.� He didn�t
always sit here.� But when she was making
him work on some essay or something this was where he usually sat.�

Originally it was because there was more space if he sat opposite her � she
tended to take up two spaces with her books �

but later he also liked sitting opposite her because he could quietly watch her
while she read.�

She hated when he did it � it put her off to think someone
was watching her -� so
he had to be cautious about it and not make it obvious.� He could almost see her sitting there now
with the curls cascading around her face and pooling on the book below
her.��

He almost jumped out of his skin when a hand suddenly landed
on his shoulder.�

He looked around half expecting to see Hermione there and
felt a jarring disconnect with reality when Tom Riddle�s face looked down at
him.�

�..didn�t mean to surprise you, Caed.� I was on my way from languages and thought
you might not have left for lunch yet.��
What are you..�

tom leaned over his shoulder slightly, his hand still on Harry�s shoulder and
peered at the charms book.�

�Oh.. Von Wernicke
and Gusswright.� Yes.. I heard about
this morning.� How are you finding the
material?�

Actually.. don�t answer
that.� Are you particularly hungry?��

Harry, who had opened his mouth to mumble �fine�. Closed it again and considered the question.�

Are you particularly hungry.� It seemed to
suggest that if he wasn�t then something else would happen now.��

Maybe tom would sit down and work on charms with him.�

He really didn�t want that.� He could
figure this out by himself.� It wasn�t that hard � it was just boring.�

Really..really boring.�

�I wouldn�t mind having lunch..� he
said slowly. �I was about to go down to the great hall.��

Tom frowned for a moment and then sighed.� �Ok.�
We�ll have lunch then.� Come
along.� �

�A few minutes later
they were walking down the second floor corridor toward the stairs when Tom
touched him on the elbow to let him know they were going down a side
corridor.��

This wasn�t the way to the great hall.� Harry was immediately alert.�

�Where are we going?!� he asked suspiciously.�

�Good grief you are
an innately nervous type, aren�t you!� Tom responded dryly.� �I wasn�t planning on dragging you into an
alcove and murdering you, Caed.� This way.��

He turned into an alcove and Harry stopped hesitantly.�

Tom turned and rolled his eyes impatiently then took two
steps out, grabbed him by the arm and dragged him bodily in.�

Harry didn�t see what he pressed but the back wall suddenly
clicked and folded back and Tom walked through.�

It seemed like they were only in the dark narrow passage for a few metres and
then Tom opened the next wall and they were in a corridor that Harry recognised
was on the first floor. �

He didn�t know that passage, he noted.� Whether it hadn�t been on the marauders map
or whether he�d just never had need of it.. he couldn�t say. �

Directly across from them was a large painting of a mermaid, sunning herself on
a black rock.� In the background a stormy
ocean tossed a ship that seemed perpetually on the verge of capsizing.��

Tom led Harry over, leaned close and whispered to the mermaid,
who winked at Harry saucily and opened, letting them both in.�

Inside was a large room � perhaps half the size of the
common room.� A white marble fireplace
was lit and the fire crackled merrily, with a leather wingback chair, a large
leather sofa and a chunky wooden table before it.�

The flagstones were strewn with oriental rugs and on the
walls hung tapestries of medieval scenes and blue and green
interlocking/interwoven patterns.�

At the side of the room a massive polished mahogany desk stood against a large
arched window looking out over the lake.�
The upper part of the arch was laid in stained glass depicting a flying
dragon.� Two large bookshelves flanked
it, full of neatly rowed tomes and there was a cushioned wooden chair that
resembled a throne.�

On the opposite side of the room to the desk a double bed
with beams and dark green velvet curtains stood.� The bedside tables bore lamps in the shape of
vertically stacked spheres of coloured glass in various green and blue hues,
which glowed in a pleasant manner, while on the far side of the bed an arched
door could be half seen next to a large mahogany wardrobe.�

It was, Harry decided, a really nice room that he wished he
wasn�t in.

�what are we doing here?!� he
demanded.� �We�re missing lunch.� We should go down to the great hall.��

The black haired boy who had strolled into the room and
walked over to the desk turned around, his hands full of parchments and rolled
his eyes. �I didn�t realise you were on the brink of starvation.� Merlin!�
I had every intention of feeding you, Caed.� Gopper!��

Harry nearly groaned as a small greyish house elf in a blue bathtowel fashioned as a tunic appeared suddenly.�

�What do you want for lunch, then?� Tom asked
impatiently.�

Harry blanked.� He
wanted whatever they were having in the grand hall that couldn�t be brought
here.�

�um.. grilled cheese
sandwich?� he said desperately � the first thing that came to mind.�

Tom raised a perfect eyebrow contemptuously. �That�s all?!�
I thought you were faint with hunger!�
Gopper bring his sandwich and a tray of something to snack
upon.� Oh.. and orange juice with ice.��

�Orange juice?� Harry asked
curiously after the elf had gone. �what�s wrong with
pumpkin juice?!��

�I�ve never really understood the fascination with pumpkin
juice.� It tastes sickly.� It�s not any more healthy
than orange juice.� I can call Gopper back if you�d rather pumpkin juice.��

�No.. I like orange juice better
too.� But..everyone
kind of..looked at me strangely whenever i didn�t have pumpkin juice.� There was always kind of peer pressure to
drink it.� And...
it�s ok. It doesn�t taste bad or anything.�� He trailed
off feeling that he was kind of getting off track from the point

�What are we doing here?� We could have
eaten in the great hall.� Won�t your
friends wonder where you are?��

Harry suspected that Tom�s death eaters wouldn�t dare to
question where he was ..ever..
but that wasn�t the point.� He didn�t know
that as Caed.�

�No.� They�ll be
fine.� We are in here and not down there
because I have three classes after lunch and I have decided I don�t want to
leave you studying in the library by yourself all day.� There are students who might take the
opportunity to outnumber and threaten you.�
Or worse.�

More importantly � anyone who happens to pass there can see what you are
working on and thus, exactly how far behind them you might be at present.� It is better not to encourage others to think
of you as academically and magically inferior.�

�You will work in here while I am gone.� Anything I do not wish you to touch is warded
against any hand but my own.� I am
certain that you will find it more than adequate to your purposes.��

Harry was surprised.�
It actually sounded like Voldemort..well.. ok.. he might not be Voldemort
yet.� It sounded like Tom was trying to help him again.� He just kept doing that somehow.� And he hadn�t asked anything much since he�d
found out where Harry was from.�

He probably would later, Harry thought.�

When he left, Harry would probably find he couldn�t get out of here and later
the painful interrogation would begin.�

�Um.. I could just as easily study
in my dormroom,
couldn�t I?� he said uneasily.�

Tom sighed impatiently. �yes but-� the elf popped back into
the room, floating a large tray with a jug of freshly squeezed orange juice,
two large glasses full of ice, a large platter of fresh fruit and nuts and a
small plate with two� grilled cheese
sandwiches.��

Tom indicated the coffee table wordlessly and the elf floated the tray down,
disappearing immediately.�

�You could have said thank you� Harry muttered in a low
voice, walking over to the sofa and sitting down at one end, taking the first
grilled cheese sandwich.�

Tom shook his head as he followed, seating himself at the other end of the sofa.
�It makes him uncomfortable.� ...As I was
saying � you could study in your dorm but it is not secure and all of Slytherin
is not your friend � particularly at
the moment while they believe you might be of impure blood.� Moreover � you have no desk to work on and no
fireplace � it can be quite chilly down in the
dungeons � trust me.��

�You could work up in the common room but there you would be
under constant scrutiny and surrounded by the lower years lazing untidily on
every flat surface.��

Here you have access to a house elf, a desk. It is comfortable, secure and most importantly - �it is convenient for me to work with
you when I am finished with classes before I have to make my rounds.��

�I don�t quite understand why you are so unhappy with the
idea of studying here.� You should consider yourself honoured.� I do not invite others into my room
often.�� Tom reached for a slice of fresh
pineapple, dropping it into his mouth and chewing with visible enjoyment.�

Harry thought about what he�d said.� It was all very reasonable and sensible and
all but it was not the point!..

If he were talking about studying in Hermione�s
head girl room � not that she�d ever have one now but she would have had one � then it would make sense.�

It was the idea of being alone with Voldemort
in his private room, possibly warded in, when nobody even knew where he was,
that bothered him.�

But what could he say.� The reasoning had been persuasive.� He�d look like he just didn�t want to be
around Tom if he refused now.� He
couldn�t do that � he needed him.�

Reluctantly he nodded.

�Yeah ok.� he growled, not looking at Tom.�
He heard the other boy snort.� �Your
gratitude is overwhelming, Caed.� What have you learned today?�

Harry snarled inwardly �I�ve learned that I need to find
somewhere in the school to hide myself away from everyone where even you can�t
find me.� I�ve learned that I need to get
better at making up excuses when I don�t want to do something.�

He struggled to think of charms that morning.� �um..I read through
chapter one of the sixth year charms textbook.��

Tom raised an eyebrow and waved a hand over his shoulder
wordlessly summoning a book from the bottom shelf of the bookcase behind
him.� It looked drearily familiar to Harry.� Tom opened it and flipped through for a
while, glancing at each page briefly then closed it and laid it aside.�

�Yes.� What did you
learn in chapter one?� he asked neutrally.�

Slouching down in irritation Harry let his head fall back
against the sofa.�

�I have no idea.� I don�t remember.� It�s really...dry.�� He heard a sniff from the side. �You did not
seem to have any problem learning spells in defense
today, once you got over your moral quibbles.�
This is no different.� You should
excel in this subject considering how quickly you grasped what was shown you in
class.��

Harry swallowed and mumbled �I guess..��

The other boy sat up and sighed long sufferingly.�

�What was the last book you read for pleasure, Caed��

Harry looked across at Tom suspiciously.� �I shouldn�t really tell you.. it�s not even written yet.��

Tom raised an eyebrow. �Alright then.� How long ago did you read it?�

Harry struggled to remember.�
Months. Quite a few months.� �I don�t remember.� A long time��

�How long is a long time.� A few weeks? A few years?� Tom asked neutrally.�

Harry frowned and told him �sometime last year maybe.� It was a muggle paperback.� I bought it at a bookstore to distract
me.� I..I was by
myself for a while.� For a few months.. I didn�t have access to magical books really.� And..when I got back
I didn�t feel like reading anymore.��

A look of curiosity flickered over the future Dark Lord�s face but he didn�t
ask any further about why Harry might have been by himself for months.�

�Was it a thick book?�
Was it fiction?� Non-fiction?� Did you
enjoy it?��

Harry shrugged and held his fingers about two inches apart.
�It..was a book of short stories by a horror
writer.� I guess I enjoyed it well enough
� I...maybe enjoy is the wrong
word.� Some of the stories were a bit
disturbing.�� But sure..
I guess I enjoyed reading it.��

Tom asked how long he�d taken to read it and seemed
scandalised when he told him that he�d stretched it out over a month.�

Harry didn�t want to tell him that it had taken so long because he�d only read
the Stephen king book in the daytime and had put it down whenever it scared him.� It was creepy enough being alone in the
middle of the forest with people hunting him, he didn�t
need to worry about the horrible things that the American writer had dreamed up
as well.�

He�d privately wondered about what kind of person had that kind of stuff in
their head and whether Stephen king ever had nightmares.�

He turned to Tom. �what?!!��

The sculpted face frowned slightly.� �Say excuse me or
pardon me, Caed.�
Not �what� � it sounds coarse.��

�..It seems to me that you perhaps learn best by listening
and watching rather than reading.�

That is..less convenient for you at present and over
the long term puts you at a disadvantage to other students in some ways.. however..it might be more
advantageous to you in the world outside Hogwarts..depending
upon what you go on to do after your NEWTs.�

Either way, it will not prevent you now from catching up to the class and even superceding their capabilities.�

I will go through the material with
you and you will absorb what I show you.��

�If this method proves effective, when you move onto seventh
year material perhaps I will have some of the others work with you in the same
manner.�

Now.� Pay
attention.� We will start with chapter
one.� Binding charms...�

�This is the coalexa plane surface binding charm for objects
of similar size and material....�

Author note.

Review replies can be found at
http://www2.adult-fanfiction.org/forum/index.php/topic/18725-review-replies/
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