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abstractdiagram · 10 days ago

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Tomarry darlins!! I have a new scene. It’s not a chapter per se. It’s getting where I want to go and I need to edit and flesh it out a bit. But it’s something written when I haven’t felt like writing in a month. So yay!! As always, hearts and comments are deeply appreciated (and to be honest, they’re needed!! lol)

The next potions class saw Tom and Harry at the same work station. Slughorn’s sly smile told Harry whose fault it was and he was delighted by the opportunity to fuck with Tom in his most publicly proficient class. Harry knew Tom’s strengths were more tuned to hexes, jinxes, and curses. But those were hardly praiseworthy pursuits and professors would be more likely to take house points than point out to other students how elegant the Bat Bogey Hex had been.

Tom stood rigidly at the table, his potions kit neatly ready in front of him and his eyes fixed on the board where the day’s assignment would appear. Harry grinned at him but Tom didn’t acknowledge his presence.

“Ladies and gentlemen. As we continue on our seventh year, we must remember what has come before. Today is a lesson I’m sure many of you remember from last year and I’m sure most of you, with one notable exception,” here, Slughorn turned and beamed at Tom. “will find it just as tricky now as it was then. Antidotes!”

Students’ muffled groans and sighs were cut off by Slughorn clapping his hands loudly. “You may talk to one another at your table but use your books sparingly. Mr. Riddle, why don’t you let Mr. Shelby take the lead for this one and you can step in as needed? I’m sure you remember the process by which an antidote is distilled?”

“Yes sir.” His voice was as stiff as his posture.

“Well then lads and ladies get to it! The potion you are to counteract is in the cauldron at the front. Get your samples and get going.”

The students moved forward in a slow ripple.

“Oh, and I’m sure I don’t have to tell you -“ The room stilled. “Be careful! This potion isn’t lethal but it isn’t Hiccoughing Solution either.” Another round of muffled groans was cut by Tom’s clear, curt, “Yes, sir” and other students mumbled their agreement.

“Allow me.” Harry grinned again as he strode toward the cauldron. He came back with one decanter and Tom pursed his lips and raised an eyebrow. “He said let me lead, yeah? Well, we don’t need two brews going. Here.”

Tom took the bottle and carefully poured it into his cauldron. It was maybe a half liter of pale blue liquid with a fine mist forming over its surface as it settled. It wasn’t one of the most commonly tested potions that they’d been concentrating on but the blue vapor swirling its surface was on the edge of his brain.

“Well, are you going to get started? We only have so long you know.”

“Relax. If you know how to.” But he didn’t move toward the blue potion. Instead he headed down to the student supply cupboard and nonchalantly rummaged around for a minute. When he found what he was looking for he sauntered back to their table.

Whatever it was, he must have pocketed it because Tom didn’t see it. Tom stared at him. “Antidotes take time. Time we won’t have if you keep wasting it.” His voice was low and tinged with frustration.

“Then why don’t you get moving if you’re so worried?”

“Slughorn said for you to lead, so lead.” Tom’s face was serious and his eyes were gleaming.

“I am.” Harry would sit back and put his feet on the table if the set up allowed but he settled for raising his hands above his head in a long reaching stretch.

Other students had been busy around them and Slughorn moved among them, tutting and rubbing his chin with one hand while standing over their efforts. He ignored Harry and Tom’s table, his back to them much of the time. Tom waited for Harry to start doing… anything really, to try to work up an antidote to the potion in front of them. The hour slid by until they’d been standing in mute stillness for ten minuted.

“Fine then! You daft git!” Tom exploded quietly. He hurried to take his ingredients and tools out, started a small flame under the cauldron. He chopped and measured and adjusted the flame and Harry was impressed despite himself by how little he referenced their text. It reminded him of Hermione in their sixth year and he touched the bezoar in his pocket. He’d felt guilty for using that trick from the Half Blood Prince then, but now… well, now it would be hilarious. Tom’s slightly disheveled and frantic look as the time wound down made him smile.

The rest of the class went quickly, and with a few minutes remaining Slughorn started at the far end of the room to evaluate everyone’s efforts. When he was halfway around the room Harry made his next move. Wandlessly and silently he sent a push of magic towards the vial of antidote Tom had managed to produce. It tipped and the stopper clinked from the top, the contents pooling on the table as the glass rolled toward the floor. Just as he expected, Tom tried to catch the vial and Harry used his distraction to Scourgify the table and cauldron of leftover antidote clean. When Tom stood up, glass in hand, his eyes flashed red. Harry grinned, knowing Tom wouldn’t cause a scene here and now, but also knowing how livid the other student must be. He had to fight the urge to taunt as waves of fury radiated from next to him.

“As I’m sure some of you recognized, this is a Jawbind potion. Characterized by the blue mistiness it creates. Now, you needent have known that to decant an antidote but I’m sure for those of you who did, it made a few choices easier. You didn’t recognize it.” He looked down at the cauldrons a pair of girls had been working on. “You would have used Frog’s Spleen instead of Newt’s Eye.” He made a comment over every attempt, tutting again once in a while and sighing dramatically. “We’ll have to practice this one people. Some of you may have created new poisons instead of a cure. None of you have succeeded in a full antidote. Yet.” Here he came to Harry and Tom. He looked perplexed at their empty table. “Boys?”

Harry reached into his pocket and pulled out the bezoar, holding it out to Slughorn on his flat raised palm. “We decided that since we didn’t know what the ‘poison’ was, the quickest and most efficient antidote would be this, Professor.”

Tom was nearly vibrating in place as Slughorn picked the stone up between fat fingers and looked at it. “A… what’s this… a bezoar?” Slughorn chortled. “A bezoar! Ha hah! Too right, yes! A bezoar would be a fitting antidote to this potion. Providing one could get it past the clenched teeth of the victim, it would counteract the effects nicely! Clever my boys. Clever!” He laughed again and turned to face the rest of the class with the stone held up as if they could see it. “A bezoar! For most potions and poisons discussed in our little classes this is an excellent example of a non-specific antidote. I should have been more specific myself in explaining the parameters as I expected a distilled potion but as I left the loophole open, we’ll consider this a lesson learned on my part.” He turned to face them and lowered his voice, “Next time though, I’ll expect a bit of potioneering in my potions class. Understood misters Riddle and Shelby?”

“Understood.” Tom’s voice was clipped and harsh

“Understood.” Harry’s voice held an edge of laughter. The bell sounded and Slughorn stepped away from their table, chuckling. Harry grabbed his bag and headed for the door.

He got about halfway down the corridor towards the dormitory before he felt it. He whirled and threw up a wordless Protego. The hex Tom had thrown at him bounced off the shield charm and Harry had a split second to cast it again before another spell came flying at him. He knew he was getting lucky - his Auror training and muscle memory meant nothing in this body that didn’t know the moves. He could block but he wasn’t getting in any offensive spells.

Tom strode down the hall towards him, hexing and cursing as he closed in. His face was rage-filled and Harry’s enjoyment of his joke faded a little until Tom made an error in judgment. Like most wizards, Tom relied on magic a bit too much in his fighting and in this case it cost him. He stepped a little too close to Harry. Harry flung his arm out, knocking Tom’s wand arm aside, and at the same time Harry lunged forward, hurtling into Tom’s torso and slamming him like a rugby tackle. The hexes and cursing stopped in a hissing shuddering gasp as the breath knocked from both them.

The other students surrounded them in stunned silence. They’d never seen Tom so enraged. They’d never seen him be deflected. And they’d never seen anyone tackle him to the ground before.

Tom lay on his back, trying to get air back into his jostled lungs and he sucked in a deep breath. Ozone. Warm musky skin and melting sugar. He stopped breathing again.

Harry disentangled himself and stood. “Don’t try that again. Unless you want knocked on your arse a second time.” His voice was low, quiet. “Got it, Riddle?” He didn’t wait for a reply before heading down the hall again.

Tom rose and dusted himself off. He flicked a glance around at the lingering Slytherins that tried to stare at him and not stare at him at the same time. “Off you go then.” His voice was brittle but they obeyed.

It had only been for a moment. A flicker he could almost convince himself he didn’t actually sense.

The ozone of power. Sugar he could almost taste against his tongue and a flash of gold skin. Fuck.

#Harry Potter #harry potter fanfiction #tomarry #tom riddle #harry potter x tom riddle #the potion came from a list of Wizarding World potions #I didn’t make it up

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