Happy New Year, dear readers! Another year has passed and I made it with a new chapter, just a half hour before 2025 hits (at least for me). I wasn't sure I was going to make it since I didn't like a big chunk of the chapter so deleted it and started again. I still don't quite like how it turned out, but it's the best that it was going to get. I hope you enjoy it!


Meant To Be

Chapter 43

The next several weeks were surprisingly eventful. Harry and Tom continued to go out, sometimes taking Wynter with them on their dates, sharing little kisses here and there. But what was most surprising was the continued presence of Dobby. Sometimes he would show up on his own and help clean up the house for Harry and other times was called by Wynter when she wanted to play with someone.

She would simply call "Obby," and he would come and she would lead him around by his long fingers to play around the house, and he kept her out of trouble when she was out of his sight.

And despite his repeated comments on not having to help clean the house that he was not employed at, he would continue to clean the house top to bottom with no prompting only wanting to "help the great Harry Potter". He was so earnest that Harry could not say no. Plus, it left more time for Harry to have time to himself instead of cleaning or doing laundry most of the day.

It became so common to see the elf around that Harry didn't really think about how often he was here and how much he helped out until Dobby had fully integrated himself into their lives. He had just come to rely on the eager elf that it was second nature and it wasn't until the middle of August that he realized what had happened.

Harry had a trip planned to go visit the Weasleys and Dobby had helped get Wynter ready and they were out the door in record time. During his visit, Ron had commented that he had a house elf now and Harry had denied it. Hermione couldn't even be mad because Dobby had chosen, on his own, to help out and had stayed; popping in and out at various times to help where needed. It didn't help that Wynter adored the little elf and he adored her right back. So, it looked like he indeed had a house elf, snuck his way in too.

When he got home from their visit, Dobby was there to help Wynter out of her shoes, and Harry confronted him, hands on hips. "Dobby, you sneaky elf."

"Seeky, seeky," Wynter repeated and ran off to go play with her toys, leaving Harry and Dobby, looking up at him innocently, in the foyer.

"Dobby does not understand," the cheeky elf replied.

"Oh, I'm sure you do. Popping in here all the time, cleaning everything, and taking care of Wynter and all the other stuff I'm sure I don't know about. Forcing yourself into our lives."

Dobby's ears drooped, "Dobby is sorry sir. Dobby just wants to help Harry Potter and Miss Wynter."

Harry sighed, "I know you do, but don't you already have a job at Hogwarts? I don't want you to neglect your duties just because you want to help here. As much as I like having you around, I don't want you to get into trouble."

"Obby toble?" Wynter asked coming back to hug Harry's leg.

Dobby shook his head, making his ears flap, "No, sir. Dobby being not in trouble. Dobby be wanting to help Harry Potter with his home."

Harry blinked in surprise, "You want to be here and clean up after us?"

"Oh, yes, sir." Dobby said, his eyes lighting up, "Dobby would be ever so happy to assist the great Harry Potter, Miss Wynter, and his boyfriend."

"Dobby…" Harry blushed, his cheeks growing warm at Tom's title of boyfriend, "You don't have to, you've done more than enough already. And don't they need you at Hogwarts?"

Dobby shook his head again, "There's being a lot of house elves at Hogwarts. Dobby is not always being needed."

That would make sense, Harry thought. There would need to be a high number of elves to keep the school running, and they were doing just fine before Dobby showed up 11 years ago. Harry looked down at the hopeful elf, "Are you sure It won't be too much? Being here and Hogwarts?"

"Dobby is sure. It won't be for long."

Harry thought for a moment, that was true, the school was starting soon and would need him more to take care of the students. It would be sad to not have the elf around as much, but knowing Dobby, he would give any excuse to be here with them and would probably skip his duties or overwork himself. He'd tell the elf to go back in that case, Harry could always pick up cleaning again when he needed to.

Wynter tugged at his pants to get his attention, "Obby stay?"

He looked at the elf again and considered the pros and cons; honestly, there were many more pros. Not only had Dobby cut his cleaning time in half, but he was good with Wynter and if anything happened that put them in harm's way, he could get them to safety. Everyone underestimated house elves and they were everywhere. The cons…well there was only one, but he would get to that when it came up. He focused his attention back on Dobby and smiled, "Yeah, Dobby can stay. Just enough that you won't get into trouble at your real job okay? And I'll pay you for your time."

"Oh, thank you, Harry Potter, sir. Thank you!" Dobby said and burst into tears.

"No c-i," Wynter said patting the elf on the elf's head.

"Yeah, Dobby, no need to cry."

"Dobby is so happy!" the elf wailed, "Dobby did not think it would work. Harry Potter is so great and kind."

"Wait you planned this?" Dobby nodded meekly and Harry laughed.

"Seeky," Wynter said.

"Yes, very sneaky. Though, I guess I shouldn't be surprised, you were the Malfoy's house elf at one point. Ooh, I bet you could tell me all sorts of secrets." He gasped and clapped his hands together in delight and Wynter copied him, "Bet you know all kinds of stuff about Draco. Like how many times did he actually tell his father stuff? Or if he's secretly a mama's boy. Or even something embarrassing like… ooh, does he have a mole on his butt?"

"Yes, Harry Potter, sir. Master Draco did have a mole on his butt."

Harry stopped and looked at the elf. He had just been joking when he asked those things, but Dobby seemed completely serious. He then burst into laughter, doubling over as he thought about how the self-imposed Slytherin Prince, a picture of perfection had a giant mole on his butt. The more he thought about it, the bigger the mole in his mind got and he only laughed harder.

Wynter tugged on his pant leg, trying to get his attention to see if he was okay. He picked her up and held her close as he attempted to calm himself down. "Oh, Dobby," he said, wiping the tears from his eyes. "I'm going to enjoy having you around."

xxx

The next few weeks were uneventful but with Dobby's help, Harry now had more time on his hands to relax and take Wynter to the park, which she enjoyed. It took some getting used to having a house elf around since he was used to doing everything himself. Now when he went to make the bed or clean the kitchen or bathrooms it was already done. Dobby even predicted his needs before he even thought of it. It was kind of creepy, yet he was glad to have the elf around. He tried getting more information from him about the Malfoys but apparently, even though he was no longer employed by them, elf magic still didn't allow him to reveal their secrets, though that didn't stop Dobby from revealing little tidbits here and there that were more embarrassing to the Malfoys than scandalous. He hadn't laughed that hard after learning about Draco running through the Manor naked after a bath when he was 3. Dobby was a treasure trove of juicy details and very helpful. The Malfoys certainly never appreciated the elf, but Harry did every day the elf was here, even if he was a little over-enthusiastic. Wynter adored him too and he was so good with her.

When time slipped into September, Dobby's appearance didn't seem to slow down at all with the new school year, and was still here just as often as before. Dobby said he could handle it and seemed just as chipper as before, so Harry didn't feel the need to worry. Yet he told Dobby that if he needed to focus on Hogwarts, it was okay if he didn't show up from time to time, but the elf hadn't slowed down at all. Harry wasn't sure how he was doing it but chalked it up to elf magic.

All this free time also meant that he had more time to think, mostly about his and Tom's relationship and how well it was going, but he was also thinking about what he would do with his time once Wynter went into daycare. He had been serious that he didn't want to be an Auror again, not when he had a little girl waiting for him, nothing too dangerous, yet something that would still give him that thrill. It had him considering Bill's offer, a Curse Breaker sounded cool, but he wasn't sure what that entailed and he probably didn't have the qualifications for it since he never took Ancient Ruins or Arithmancy in school.

He did owl order a few books on the subjects to see what he had missed out on, and of course, Tom saw them. Ever supportive, Tom has offered to teach him anything he didn't understand. He was a great teacher and Harry learned quickly by watching him. They often practiced in the backyard so nothing would be destroyed. Of course, Wynter was mesmerized whenever he practiced magic and would sit under a tree on a blanket clapping her hands in excitement. The stuff like runes and Arithmancy was done inside of course on small blackboards, which was a little more difficult and more memorization than practical stuff. Not Harry's strong suit. Yet it was a bit fun with Wynter sitting beside him with her small blackboard scribbling away on it and showing Tom her work proudly. It made the headaches worth it.

Though he wasn't sure if a curse breaker job would be the right fit, it was useful to know this stuff and it filled his time. If he wasn't learning, he was also thinking of how he was going to…announce Wynter to the world. He couldn't stay hidden forever and he could only do so much with Owl Orders at Diagon Alley. He had thought of just taking her and being done with it, but who knew what the reaction would be? Should he just spring it on them? Or should he announce it ahead of time? This would be a lot easier if he was a nobody, but unfortunately, he was an unwilling celebrity and his movements were constantly in the newspaper. Even now, there were small articles speculating his location and what he was doing. Everyone was still under the impression he was training somewhere.

It did, however, give him the idea to put out an article himself and put it out there, but he didn't trust any of the reporters at the Daily Prophet, especially Rita. It gave him the chills when he thought of her. Even with her wings clipped so to speak, she was still a force to be reckoned with. Yet she did do a good job back in 5th year…but that gave him another idea.

Luna.

They had used her father's newspaper, the Quibbler, to get the truth out before during his fifth year. Could he do that again? He'd have to ask Luna, though he was sure she would say yes. She was out traveling looking for who knew what and bringing the information back to make articles for the Quibbler. He still subscribed to it since he found it funny and he liked to support her in some way for what the quirky girl had done for him over the years. The more he had thought about it, the more he liked the idea. It was possible that no one would believe it, but who cared? He'd rather reveal it to someone he trusted than someone who would look at Wynter with Gallon signs in their eyes.

So, before he could second guess himself, he sent off a letter to Luna asking if she had some time to talk sometime soon. With that decided he decided to focus on the here and now, and that meant preparing for the Quidditch match today.

Harry had been looking forward to it all week and so had Ron judging by all his letters leading up to the day. But now that it was here, Harry was nervous, and not because of the game. Tom was going to take Wynter for the day while he and Ron attended the Cannons vs Puddlemere game. He had been running around all morning making sure he had everything together that Wynter would need; enough snacks so she wouldn't go hungry and toys to keep her occupied. He hadn't been away from Wynter for this long before, so he was a little nervous. Short shopping trips were a few hours at most, the game was most of the day and that was a long time to be away from his little girl.

"Hey," Tom said taking hold of Harry's arm as he paced around trying to make sure he had everything, "I've got this."

"Ot!" Wynter exclaimed.

"I forgot her blanket," Harry stressed.

"It's in her backpack, you put it in there, remember."

"…right…"

"Harry," Tom said taking him by the shoulders, "We will be fine."

"You're sure no one will be there?"

"Yes, I made sure that Riddle Manor would be empty. We won't run into any of my followers. She'll be safe," Tom said, drawing him into his arms and Harry sagged into them. "I'll get some work done while she plays, and maybe we'll go out to a park or something. I'll be with her the entire time."

Harry sighed and briefly snuggled close, "I'm sorry. I didn't think this would be so stressful."

"I know, but Wynter will be fine, and you'll have a great time. You trust me, don't you?"

Harry looked up and searched Tom's face, "yes."

"Okay, then. Why don't you get yourself ready? Your friend will be here soon."

"Right…" Harry said glancing down at his sloppy outfit and ran up the stairs to shower and change.

"Mama?" Wynter called, went up to the stairs where he had disappeared, and started lifting her leg to follow.

"Wynter, stay here," Tom said from behind her.

"Mama," she said pointing.

"I know," he said picking her up, "He's getting dressed. Shall we wait for him?"

"Ye," she agreed and settled with him on the couch to wait.

Harry didn't take too long and returned in jeans and a bright orange shirt with the Cannons logo on the front that Tom made a face at when he saw him.

"What?"

"Why did it have to be such a bright orange, why not Marmalade or Burnt Orange."

"No idea," Harry said.

"Onge" Wynter said pointing at Harry.

"Yes, this is orange," Harry said sitting next to her to let her touch his shirt. "It's not too bad," he said but at Tom's look, he backtracked, "Okay, it is. It's very loud, but I have to support our team."

"Your team?"

"Well, Ron's team. Have to show my support." Just then the floo dinged and flared to life in the sitting room. "Speak of the devil."

They heard Ron curse as he fell out of the floo, then he started chanting, "Cannons! Cannons!"

Wynter smiled wide and climbed off Harry's lap toward the foyer, "Unca On!"

"Wynter!" Ron exclaimed, scooping her up and continuing his chant, "Cannons, Cannons!"

"What are you doing?" Harry asked Ron as he came into the room wearing the same bright orange shirt that clashed horribly with his hair.

"Have to start her early. Marque," he said tipping his head in Tom's direction and Tom dipped his own in greeting.

"An-on!" Wynter chanted.

"There you go!" Ron said, bouncing Wynter in his arms as she continued chanting. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah," Harry said turning to Tom, "Are you sure you have everything?"

"Oui, we will be fine."

Harry flushed as the French accent made an appearance, and turned to look down at Wynter who had asked for down and had made it over to his knee. "Mama, o?"

"Sorry sweetheart," he said picking her up, "You're too small."

"Smol?"

"Yes, small. I'll take you when you're bigger, okay?"

"Otay."

"But you get to stay with Daddy, doesn't that sound fun?"

"Ye! Daddy!" she said, clapping her hands.

"Okay, Mama's got to go. Kisses?"

Wynter gave him big sloppy kisses and a hug, and Harry hugged her tight and then passed her to Tom. "I'll have my notebook in case you need to contact me. Or you can call our little friend and he can help you." Since he was going to be gone and Tom was taking Wynter, he had given the elf the day off and he had burst into tears and blubbered by how good of a person he was and took some convincing to get Dobby to take a break. Yet he wouldn't put it past the sneaky elf to pop in at any mention of him.

"But I won't, because we'll be fine," Tom said.

"Okay."

"Let's Go!" Ron said punching the air and moving toward the foyer door. "Bye Wynter, Marque!"

"Bye!" Wynter called waving her little fingers.

"Au revior," Tom said, "Have fun."

"We will," Harry said heading out the door. The last thing he saw was Wynter pressing her hand against Tom's mouth and saying "no."

"We're going to win this," Ron said rubbing his hands together, "I can feel it."

"We'll see," Harry replied as he closed the door behind him and they apparated to the game site. Whether the Cannons won or not, he knew it would be a fun game.

xxx

"Looks like it's just you and me, princess," Tom said pulling Wynter's hand away from his mouth and dropping the accent.

"Ye," she said clapping her hands in excitement. "Dadee!"

"Do you want to go see where Daddy works?"

"Ye! Wok!" she exclaimed bouncing in his arms and clapping her hands again. She was doing that a lot now when she was happy.

Tom gathered up the things that Harry had put together for Wynter, went over to the floo, and used it to get to his bedroom at Riddle Manor.

"You might not remember this place, you were here before," he told her as he set her down, "Not in the best of circumstances though."

"Ye?"

"Yes, but you hadn't been able to walk yet," he told her, then put her down so she could explore around.

"Dadee seep?" she asked pointing to the bed and trying to climb it but it was too high.

"Yes, this is where I sleep."

"Dis?" Wynter asked giving up and going over to a vase and pointing at it.

"That's a vase I got in India," Tom explained.

"Oh," she said, moving on and pointing at various things as she walked around looking at everything.

"Come on," he said opening up the door to the hallway and she went through and down the hallway to the left going the wrong way. "This way," he called to her as he closed the door and she turned around to follow him.

"Dis?"

"Yes, this way," he said and continued down the hallway and Wynter trailed behind him.

"Dadee, aire?"

"We are going to my office where I work."

"O der?" she asked pointing down the hallway.

"Yes, over there," he said turning a corner and waiting for her as she tried each door, but Tom had made sure they were all locked. After a short walk, he made it to his office door. "In here Wynter."

"Ere?" she asked peeking in.

"Yes, here."

"Wok?"

"Yes, this is where I work."

"Oohh," she said and went inside to explore. Tom had made sure to remove anything dangerous from his office that she could potentially get her hands on. As before, she pointed at everything in the office asking "wat dis?"

Once she had explored around enough, she sat at a small table and chair that Tom had transfigured, took out some of her coloring supplies, and left a few of her toys to the side so she could play.

They spent the next few hours together in relative silence, broken only by the scratch of Tom's quill and Wynter's endless questions. She occasionally got up to look at something across the room that caught her attention, but would go back to her coloring or shape puzzle babbling to herself.

It was strangely quiet without all his followers around the manor but it was nice and Tom got a lot of work done without anyone interrupting and bumbling through oral reports. Yet a few hours in, he felt the wards shift as someone entered the property even though no one was supposed to be there. He had hoped that whoever had arrived had forgotten something and would leave, but the magical signature kept getting closer to his office. I should have closed off the wards, he internally cursed himself, glancing at Wynter who was busy playing with her toys oblivious to his inner turmoil. Tom got up to confront whoever was at his office's door and stepped into the hallway, closing the door behind him just as Fenrir Greyback sauntered around the corner.

"'Sup Boss man," the werewolf greeted.

"Fenrir," Tom replied, "You aren't supposed to be here."

"Yeah, I'm starting to see that. The place is empty."

Tom sighed and realized Fenrir had never received the memo. The man wasn't a follower and hence didn't have his mark, something he had overlooked. "I am quite busy today and needed everyone cleared out. You will need to leave."

In response, the werewolf sniffed the air to smell the sweet scent he had smelled on the boss before and smiled knowingly. But before he could comment there were soft pats on the lower part of the door to the office.

"Dadee?"

"I was wondering what was so important that you cleared the place out," Fenrir commented, "I can see now."

Tom sighed again in irritation and turned as the pats became more insistent. "Dadee! Aire go?"

He quickly opened the door to see Wynter gazing up at him with tears in her eyes. "I'm right here, princess," he told her picking her up. She burrowed her face into his neck as he returned to the office to sit behind his desk.

"No go?"

"No, I'm not going anywhere."

"Otay," she sniffed. Then she noticed the scary man sitting across the desk, and she huddled close and pointed at the werewolf. "Dis?" she asked pointing.

Tom put her hand down, and said, "That is Fenrir, Daddy's…friend."

"Neer?"

"Yes, Fenrir. Want to say hi?"

Wynter peered over at the scarred man and turned her face away back into Tom's neck. "No…scare."

"Is he scary?"

"Ye."

"I won't hurt you little one," Fenrir spoke up. "Your Daddy would skin me alive if I even thought of it."

"Dadee tect," Wynter proclaimed proudly.

"That's right," Tom said, kissing her hair, "I'll protect you." Wynter smiled and hugged him tight.

"She looks like you," Fenrir said.

"Does she?"

"Yeah. Not the eyes obviously, that's all Harry. It's a bit in the face and nose."

Tom looked at Wynter who looked at him back and gave him a toothy smile, "I suppose she does."

"Speaking of Harry," Fenrir said leaning back in his chair, "How's that going?"

"It's been going well," Tom said turning Wynter to sit on his lap so she was facing the desk.

"Just well?"

"Very well," he said, taking hold of Wynter's hands as she tried to grab everything within reach. At Fenrir's wolfish grin, he rolled his eyes. "No, we haven't slept together yet."

"Damn that sucks."

"But we have kissed a few times."

Fenrir whistled, "Go boss man. Told you it would just take a bit of time."

"True…but it's still not where it used to be.

"That's going to take a bit more time, but it's been better from where you started, right?"

"Yes."

"Dadee, dwn!" Wynter said, finally fed up with being denied access to anything on the desk. Tom set her down and she skirted around the desk, keeping an eye on the scary man, and went to sit down at her table and took up her coloring again.

"Cute," Fenrir said, "I guess this is also a sign of trust from him. He's never let you take her here before."

"True, but I wouldn't bring her here anyway. I don't want her anywhere near all of this."

"Unless it's cleared out," Fenrir said taking in the sparse office, but also meaning the people within its walls. "Where is Harry anyway?"

"Quidditch game."

"Ah. Didn't go with him?"

"No. Not my thing."

"Ever been to one?"

"Not a professional one. When I went to Hogwarts, I went to a few, but I could never get into it. I thought it was a waste of time. You?"

"Nah, they'd never let me within 5 feet of the place, though it looks like fun. But aren't those things run long?"

"Yes. I've never had her for this long before, a few hours at most, but we're doing okay so far. Right, Wynter?"

"Ye!" Wynter called out, focused on her coloring. Both men laughed at her enthusiasm.

"She probably doesn't know what she agreed to," Tom said. "I could get her to agree to anything, she probably wouldn't care either."

"Most likely, but if she's with you it won't matter. But the fact that he let you take her for practically the entire day also shows that Harry trusts you, so you're slowly getting the trust back."

"Trust with our daughter and trust with Harry are very different things."

"True, but they can blend in together, that's how the two of you got together the first time, right?"

"Kind of, but I see your point," Tom said, leaning back in his chair in thought. Fenrir was right though, Wynter was what brought them together in the first place. But now they were trying to build on that from scratch and it was going well, if a bit slow.

"I know you want to go back to the way things were," Fenrir said, "but things are different now and honestly are not going to go back to exactly the way it was. If things keep going the way they are, your relationship will be even better. Stronger."

"I know. It's just different."

"Yes, but different is good, isn't it? You don't want how it was before when it was just about sex."

"No I don't. I want more than that."

"Have you told him that?"

"…no."

"You should. I'm sure that it would make him happy.

"He hasn't said it again…that he…"

Fenrir nodded in understanding, "That he loves you?" Tom nodded. "That too, will take time. Though, it sounds like you are getting closer. I mean you've technically just started dating and it hasn't been that long ago that you were a complete idiot." Fenrir raised his hands defensively when Tom shot him a look that said, watch it. "Just putting it out there. It is going to take a whole lot more than a couple of dates for him to say it again…especially…"

"After what I did," Tom finished for him and Fenrir nodded.

"Have you even figured out how you feel? About him?" Fenrir prodded.

"…no, I have not. I don't even know how I would know. The way you explained it doesn't make sense."

"Well… not all people are the same, and neither is love. Each person feels it differently and expresses it differently," Fenrir explained. "Harry might be expressing it through his actions and maybe you just haven't noticed. I mean you had noticed he was acting off before. That was him expressing it. Maybe you are already expressing it and don't know it?"

Tom was silent for a moment, "Am I?"

"From where I'm sitting, yes."

Tom let out a frustrated sigh and ran his palms over his face, "Why is this so difficult?"

"If it weren't difficult, it wouldn't be worth fighting for," the werewolf said wisely.

Tom stared at him, "Your mate made you a sap."

"Yeah, I know and I love her for it," he said with a wolfish grin.

"Dadee?" Tom looked down and found Wynter standing beside him looking up in concern. "Otay?"

"I'm okay, princess." He said picking her up when she stretched her arms up to him. She patted his face gently and gave him a loud kiss and snuggled close.

"I can tell she loves you a lot. Don't you sweetie, you love your Daddy?"

"Ye! Wuv Dadee!" Wynter said snuggling closer.

Tom looked down at Wynter cuddled against him and felt his heart squeeze tight. He felt it again as he watched her sweet little face looking up at him, giving him a bright smile, her tiny hands coming up to pat his face. He's felt this feeling many times before. It was painful, like something had a hold of his heart and was pulling it in all directions at once; but it was also warm and soft and made him feel…there were no words for it.

Fenrir grinned, "And we already established you love your little girl and can see it on your face, right there when you look at her." Tom looked up at him unsure and Fenrir elaborated. "You feel it, don't you? That warm, fuzzy feeling. The pride you have at having created such a smart little girl that carries your blood, your family. That's love."

"Why does it hurt?" Tom whispered, more to himself as he rubbed a hand over his heart. Seeing the motion, Wynter placed her small hand over his and he felt his heart throb again.

"Maybe because you're not used to it?"

"I don't like it."

"No, I suppose you wouldn't."

"Aw don, Dadee," Wynter said, wiggling around indicating she wanted to be put down.

"Okay, all done," Tom said, setting her on her feet. She ran off to play with her shape puzzle. She dumped all the pieces on the floor and started to put them in the right slots. Tom watched her for a moment, leaning back in his seat as he tried to gather his thoughts. "I've always kept my distance from all of this. It was a weakness and I didn't need it," Tom said.

"Do you feel weak?"

"…No."

"I don't either," Fenrir said, leaning back in his chair. "I was the same way, I didn't need anyone, not some woman to hold me down. But with Talia…I don't feel held down at all, if anything, I feel freer. I don't have to worry about anything with her by my side."

"I'm in a constant state of worry for her," Tom admitted.

"Well, she's only a year old-"

"And a half."

"Really?"

Tom nodded, "Technically a year and 8 months."

"Wow. Well, as I was saying. She's still very small so worrying about her is to be expected. But I'm sure that is not the case with Harry."

"Definitely not. The number of times he defied me and was still standing is infuriating."

"You don't sound upset about it."

Tom was silent for a moment. "No, I'm not. A year ago, I would have been."

"You sound almost proud," Fenrir said, "Worthy enough to stand by your side?"

"I doubt I can get Harry to stand anywhere he doesn't want to, but it won't be on the battlefield, he's done with that."

"Makes sense, more important things to worry about," Fenrir said glancing at Wynter.

"Yes. So, there is nothing to worry about there."

"Then what's the plan?"

"Honestly…I'm not quite sure. I'm still trying to figure that out."

"Well, either way, you have an adorable little girl and a strong, handsome, capable man waiting for you at home," Fenrir said wiggling his eyebrows.

"…I see what you are trying to do, but I don't want to discuss it anymore."

"Makes your chest hurt?" Fenrir asked with a grin and Tom just glared at him and looked away. "Well, just know that what you will feel for Harry will be similar but different from what you feel for Wynter. Obviously. More intense. Just…don't run from it."

As if sensing Tom's discomfort and wanting to stop this conversation, the door opened and Fenrir spotted his giant snake making her way inside. He immediately became uneasy because the snake was huge, and because the boss's daughter was right there.

"Um…boss?" Fenrir said sitting up straight in his chair, eyes flicking from snake to tiny baby, to Tom who was lost in thought.

Yet the unexpected happened.

Wynter looked up from her puzzle and spotted the snake and her face broke out into a wide smile. "Gini!" She got up and ran over to the snake and hugged her. The snake lifted up enough to drape her big head over the little girl's shoulder to hug her back.

Tom hissed something to her and Wynter hissed something back as she patted the snake's head then led her over to her toys and showed them to her.

"I know you said she speaks parseltongue, but wow. I've only ever heard you speak it," Fenrir said in awe.

"Yes, it was a happy surprise, I didn't think about it being passed on," Tom said proudly, "She's picking it up rather quickly."

"Yeah?"

"Yes, it's mostly just babble with some words littered in, much like her usual talk."

"Dadee, sak?" Wynter had come up to his knee and tugged at his robe to get his attention.

"Snack?" Tom reiterated and Wynter nodded. He pulled up the backpack Harry had packed and rummaged in it to find a pack of goldfish crackers. He opened it up and gave her the bag, "Don't give any to Nagini, it's not good for her."

"No ood?"

"No, no good."

"Otay," she went back to her toys and Nagini -No hab Gini, no good-

-That's okay Wynter-hatchling. I am full-

-Miss Gini- Wynter hissed crunching on her crackers and leaning her head on the coils of Nagini's body.

-I missed you too, hatchling-

"And she's not the only one either, Harry knows it too, but I don't know how."

"Well, at least you have someone to talk to besides your snake."

"I suppose it would be helpful to have a private conversation amongst a group, but that would require others to know about me."

"Yeah…" Fenrir said slowly trying to think how that would go.

"Anyway," Tom said, turning serious. "Since you're here, give me an update on the south packs…"

"What is she doing?" Fenrir asked as he looked over where Wynter was relaxing against Nagini, only she was a little red in the face as she sat there.

Tom looked over and sighed, "Wynter, are you going potty?"

"Ye," she grunted.

-Master, the hatchling smells- Nagini hissed moving her face away.

"Ookay," Fenrir said getting up, "That is my queue to leave while you deal with that. Later boss man!"

"Bye!" Wynter called to him as Tom picked her up and Fenrir waved as he closed the doors behind him.

"I poopy Dadee," she said, proudly.

"I can see that. How about after we get you cleaned up we have lunch. And after you take your name we can go somewhere, how does that sound?"

"Wif Dadee?"

"Yes, you and me princess."

"Gini go?"

"No, we can't take Nagini," Tom said as he settled her to get changed.

"No tak Gini?"

"No, people might be scared of her."

Wynter looked over at Nagini coiled up by the fire, "No scare."

"I know you're not scared of her, but others might be. We have to be considerate of others. Okay?"

"Otay," she said sadly.

"How about we ask Nagini is she wants to go home with you later? I'm sure Mama won't mind."

"Ye!"

-I wish to go, Master- Nagini called.

"Well, that answers that. We will pick her back up when you go home. Where do you want to go, princess?"

"Pak?"

"You want to go to the park?"

"Ye!"

"Okay, let's eat lunch. Hungry?"

"Ye! Ungy!"

Tom had lunch prepared and sat with her on the floor at her small table as she ate babbling away at him. Once she was done, she settled into his lap and he played with her shape puzzle asking her where each piece went. Eventually, she got sleepy and dozed off cuddled up on his lap, so he settled her on the couch and tucked her in for her nap.

As Tom settled back behind his desk to focus on paperwork and wait until Wynter woke up from her nap, he thought back to what Fenrir had said.

The werewolf had been right. His relationship with Harry was improving, while not how they were before, it was definitely better. They had shared things about their childhoods, his own growing up during the Muggle war in the orphanage and Harry's with his relatives and how they treated him. The fact that Harry's childhood was a result of his actions was a separate issue entirely.

Tom absentmindedly rubbed his chest as he thought about how that conversation would go. Not well and would broach on a lot of pent-up anger on Harry's end. In all honesty, Harry held all the cards in this relationship and he didn't like it, but there was nothing he could do about it. That was what scared him, that he wasn't in control and had no idea of the outcome. It was also what was holding him back from what he was feeling, a part of him knew that. It was what had caused him to run in the first place and that combined with his views on love…it was terrifying.

He had gone his entire life without the need for anyone, and now he felt like he could barely breathe if Harry decided to end it. Was this love? Was it worth it if he had to feel this way?

Yet…while it was scary, it was also thrilling and intoxicating, and he wanted that. He wanted Harry and Wynter. He wanted his family. This road was unknown to him, but if Harry and Wynter were at the end of it…it had to be worth it.

xxx

Hours later, after multiple pushes on the swing and going down the slide, Wynter and Tom made their way back home. They made a pit stop for ice cream after dinner since Wynter had convinced Tom to get some…not that it took much, then they made a stop at Riddle Manor to pick up Nagini and gather her things and settled into Potter Manor to wait for Harry.

Tom let her play a bit before it was time for a bath. She was resistant at first though.

"Ait Mama," she said pouting.

"I know you want to wait for Mama, but it's bath time. Don't you want to be nice and clean for him?"

Wynter was wavering wanting to please her mama and wanting to wait right here until he came home.

-Your mother would be very pleased that you would be nice and clean when he gets home- Nagini hissed nudging Wynter lightly with her snout.

-Otay-Wynter finally agreed and lifted her arms to be picked up by her Daddy.

"Good. We need to get this sauce out of your hair before Mama sees it."

"Urty," Wynter said happily.

"Yes, you are dirty," Tom replied and took her upstairs for a bath. She played in the water as he cleaned her up and lifted the foam letters to show him and repeated what they were.

Once she was cleaned up, he took her back downstairs where she ran about expending the last of her energy. Then she sat in his lap asking him to read to her. He had only gotten through a chapter and he glanced down at her fast asleep, clutching her teddy bear. He knew she would be disappointed to not see Harry when he got home, but she had a long day. So he took her back upstairs and tucked her into bed.

Tom then went downstairs to wait for Harry to return. He didn't have to wait too long, only about an hour before he heard the front door open and Harry came around the corner.

"Hi."

"Hi. How'd it go?" Tom asked as he took in Harry's disheveled appearance and smudged orange streaks on his cheeks. "It looks like you had fun."

"I did. It was so good. I mean we lost, but it was a good game. I think I lost my voice," Harry rasped out.

"Sounds like it. Glad you had fun though."

"So much fun. Ron's voice was totally gone too though, he'll be feeling it in the morning." Harry said and threw himself on the couch next to Tom's feet that were up on the seat as he reclined back. "How did it go here? Where's Wynter?"

"She's asleep. She tried waiting up for you but didn't make it."

"Aw. My poor baby. Did she have fun?"

"She did. We went to the office and she colored and played with her toys, then we went to the park, went for a walk, and got dinner…and some ice cream, then we came home to wait for you."

"Was she bouncing off the walls?"

"A little bit, but she tired herself earlier so it wasn't too bad."

"Give her a bath?" Harry asked as he summoned a glass of water for himself.

"Yes…I should tell you, she met Fenrir today."

"What?" Harry asked sharply sitting up straight.

"She's okay," Tom reassured him, "She gave him a wide berth while he was there."

"I thought you said the place was going to be empty."

"It was supposed to be and it was, none of my followers were there…but Fenrir is technically not my follower, he doesn't carry my mark." Tom sat up, took one of Harry's hands that were in tight fists on his knees, and uncurled his fingers to get Harry to relax. "Wynter was never out of my sight while he was there, nor did he touch her. I promise."

Harry took a deep breath and closed his eyes briefly, "Okay." Harry knew Tom would never endanger their daughter, but that didn't mean he didn't worry. "Okay," he repeated and stood up. "I'm going to go check on her anyway. I haven't seen her all day."

"Okay. Would you like me to leave?"

"Not yet. You can tell me more details on what you two did today." Harry left the room and headed up the stairs. -Oh, hi Nagini- Harry hissed as he passed her in the hallway, stepping over her as he went into Wynter's room.

-Hello Harry. The Wynter-hatchling is sleeping-

-I can see that- Harry hissed quietly as he looked down at his daughter's sleeping face. He searched over her but found no marks on her and he breathed a bit easier. It wasn't that he didn't trust Tom, he didn't trust that werewolf…but if what Tom had said was true, he wasn't as bad as people said he was. Yet Tom's version of 'not that bad' was highly skewed.

Harry gently rubbed a finger down her soft cheek and moved her curls away from Wynter's face as she slept. "Had fun didn't you jelly bean?" Harry asked her softly seeing the soft smile on her face as she snuggled with her teddy.

While he had been distracted by the game, he had missed her terribly, yet he knew she was fine with Tom. Seeing her safe and sound gave him peace of mind. He turned when he heard gliding on the floor and saw Nagini coming back into the room. –I thought you were going downstairs-

-I was, but I will stay here so you may speak with Master-

-Okay, watch over her for me? –

-Of course-

Harry washed up in the bathroom before heading back down to find Tom sitting sideways on the couch with his feet propped up while reading a book he most likely found in the library. "She's fast asleep." Harry said coming back into the room, "She must have had a good time."

"She did," Tom said closing his book and moving his legs over as Harry sat next to him, trapping him on the couch.

"And you?"

"I did too. I like spending time with her. I should do it more often."

"Daddy, daughter dates?"

"Yes."

"She'd like that."

Harry and Tom gazed at each other in silence for a moment before Harry leaned forward and gave Tom a lingering kiss.

"What was that for?"

"As a thank you for watching Wynter today. She's getting to be a handful."

"She wasn't too bad," Tom said and trailed off as Harry was kissing him again. He felt something wet at the seam of his lips and he immediately parted them for Harry's probing tongue. It took a quick swipe before retreating as Harry pulled away.

"That was a thank you for the tickets. I had a lot of fun."

"You're welcome," Tom said breathlessly as Harry leaned in again.

Harry placed his hand against the side of Tom's face and angled his head to properly kiss him, parting his lips this time that Tom took no time in accepting the invitation; tongue swiping in to twirl around Harry's briefly as Harry pulled away again.

"And that one?" Tom asked.

"Just because," Harry said breathlessly gazing into the red speckled blue eyes. "Kiss me."

Tom needed no further prompting and sat up to claim Harry's mouth again and again and again. Harry reciprocated and opened his mouth for Tom's probing tongue. Wanting to be closer, Harry sat up without pulling away and swung a leg over Tom's so he was hovering over him and pressed Tom back into the couch to deepen the kiss. Tom didn't resist and ran his hands over the back of Harry's thighs, revealing in the shiver it caused.

Harry pulled away to gain his breath and took in Tom's flushed face and tried not to shiver and Tom's fingers started to roam on the inside of his thighs making his blood run south. He wondered...as he sat back over Tom's lap hovering there, before pressing down...and there it was. Harry could feel him even through his thick jeans and Tom's slacks, the length of him. He pressed down further to feel more.

"Harry," Tom hissed in warning, clutching his hips tight that he might bruise. Harry watched as the blue of Tom's irises turned to the ruby red color that he loved, then rocked his hips down again.

Warning thrown away, Tom surged up and kissed Harry again with more desperation; one hand going up the back of Harry's shirt to touch skin and the other palming at the now obvious bulge in his pants. Harry moaned against Tom's mouth and Tom echoed it with one of his own.

Harry could barely think when Tom started to touch him, shivering as Tom's fingers trailed up his spine. And when Tom's mouth left him to kiss a path up his neck, his brain turned to mush; in retaliation, he rocked back against the length pressing up against him and got an answering moan from Tom. This is happening, Harry thought as he slid a hand up into Tom's hair and tilted his head back as Tom started to use his teeth against his throat. Am I even ready for this? Or is this just my cock talking? he thought, as he pulled Tom's head back by his hair and kissed Tom deeply, taking control briefly while Tom was surprised, sliding his tongue into his mouth. But are we ready?

Harry pulled away and stopped Tom from following by pressing his fingertips against his mouth. He took a breath to calm his racing heart, then said, "We need to talk."

"What?" Tom asked bewildered.

"Before we go further, we need to talk," Harry reiterated.

That sobered Tom right up and his heart jumped to his throat but for a different reason. "Talk?" Harry nodded. "About what?" he asked, even though he knew.

"The giant Hippogriff that's been in the room ever since we started this…relationship, especially after we started going out. We've danced around the topic for a while now. But I think before we go any further, we need to talk about it, for real. Put it all out there."

Tom nods in agreement, they've pushed it off for long enough, "Okay…now?"

"No. I'd rather end this day on a high note...and I think we need to be in the right headspace for it." Harry said, then looked out the dark window, absentmindedly running his palms up and down Tom's chest, "Plus, it's late and I don't think it's going to be a brief conversation."

"Okay," Tom agreed taking Harry's hands so he wasn't distracting him. "When?"

"I really don't want to push it off much longer, so…this weekend? I'll see if Ron and Hermione or Molly can watch Wynter so we can…talk."

"Okay," Tom said lifting one of Harry's hands and pressing a kiss to the back on top of an old scar. "I'll be there."

Harry gave him a small smile, "I'm sorry. I know that this wasn't where you expected this to go

"No. It is not, especially after you riled me up," Tom said only to see the flush that crept up Harry's neck. "But you are right, there are things we need to discuss that are best not pushed aside this time."

Harry gave him another soft smile and pressed forward to give Tom a sweet kiss on the lips. "Thank you again for today," he said, before getting up off his lap.

Tom followed suit, standing and straightening his robes, and followed Harry to the front door. "It is okay if Nagini stays?" he asked looking toward the stairs, "I think she's still upstairs."

"It's fine as long as she hides when Ron and Hermione are here."

"She knows," Tom said, "I don't think you'd be able to pull her away anyway. She's rather attached to Wynter."

"I've noticed. When Nagini's here she sleeps under her crib like a protective dog."

"Don't tell her that, she'll be insulted."

They smiled at each other and then just stood there, neither of them wanting to part just yet.

"I should go," Tom said taking a step back, "You are entirely too tempting."

Harry flushed and nodded. "I'll see you this weekend?"

"I'll be there."

Tom stepped through the door and Harry closed it behind him and leaned back against it wondering if what he did was right. No, he knew it was the right thing. It had been in the back of his mind for a while. They had been getting closer, kissing and touching more getting back to where they had before, but there was this…gap, no not a gap but an empty spot in their relationship that they shied away from. But if they wanted to move forward, to truly be together, they would need to have this talk.

Harry signed as he looked up at the chandelier then realized he had never heard the sound of apparition of Tom leaving. Was he behind the door at this moment? Was he thinking the same thing? Would this talk bring them together or force them apart? It was hard to think about, especially with a child in the mix, but knowing that Tom was facing the same type of turmoil gave him a form of comfort.

He turned and placed his palm and his forehead on the door, envisioning that Tom's back was there, solid and strong, unyielding. A moment later, his suspicions were confirmed as he heard the crack of apparition as Tom finally did leave. He missed him already.

Harry was unsure of what would happen, but in order to move forward, they needed to face the past. And they would do it together.


And there we have it. A whole new chapter with a lot to unpack with a little bit of everything sprinkled in. Wynter being her cute self, conversation with Fenrir and Nagini. Tom is getting closer to admitting how he feels and their relationship and some Harry and Tom action. The next chapter will be quite emotional so be prepared!

Happy New Year everyone and see you in a year!

Many blessings for 2025!