His Guardian Angel

Chapter 13

Yule was fast approaching and while Tom was obstinately ignoring the change in seasons and decorations, Harry was soaking it all in and trying his best to simply enjoy it. They had heard through the grapevine that only three other students in their seventh year had elected to stay for the holiday season in Ravenclaw to spend the time studying besides them. While that thought didn’t mean much to Harry, Tom was ecstatic to be able to spend the holidays exploring the almost-empty castle. 

Needless to say, Harry fully planned on showing Tom some of the more interesting shortcuts to get to classes faster-who knew Charms was so bloody far away from the Slytherin common room?

Before the two knew it, the students were filing out of the castle doors to make their way back to their families. Harry and Tom waved off their classmates before heading back to the library-something about Tom wanting to research more. When Harry asked what it was that he wanted to research further, Tom had simply replied with a shrug. 

Turns out, Tom was planning on looking more into relationships. Harry simply spent his time reading more about potions. Professor Snape would have been proud. 

“Harry,” Tom plonked a large tome in front of Harry, effectively cutting off his vision to reading further about asphodel. “I don’t know what this means and it’s making me mad. Help me understand?” He refocused his vision on the new text in front of him. 

“What isn’t making sense to you?”

“I don’t understand how anything these authors are describing is considered attractive. I mean...really, who wants to have someone else’s tongue in their mouth?” Harry chuckled. 

“It’s different for everyone. Some people enjoy kissing that way, and some people don’t. Just like how some people really like apple pie and some really like treacle tart.” 

“And how some don’t particularly care for either?” Harry nodded. 

“Precisely. Tom, can I ask you something?” He waited for Tom to give him his full attention. “Why is it that you’re so interested in all this stuff? Is it just curiosity or do you want to do these things?”

“I don’t really think I like any of that stuff. I-” Harry motioned for him to continue. “I-am I broken?”

“Oh, Merlin, no you’re not broken! Everyone develops and grows at different paces! Your body just might not be ready for those sorts of things yet. The most interesting thing about the human body is that it will tell you when you’re ready for something or not. Just because other people are ready before you doesn’t mean you’re broken, it simply means that you’re human.” Tom didn’t look happy about that.

“Tom, I know you like to be the top of the class. I know you enjoy having more knowledge than everyone else; and with good reason. If you’re the most knowledgeable, then no one can lie to you. But with this, I think you might have to accept that it’s impossible to always be ahead of everyone else. You can’t force yourself with this subject, it just won’t work. You might understand the mechanisms of it all, but comprehending what all of it is would only lead to you missing crucial parts of information. You say all the time that putting your emotions aside is great for the purpose of research, but this is the exception to that rule.”

“But why?” Harry simply shrugged. 

“Hormones are what make us interested in sex-”

“What are hormones?” Harry had never been happier than that moment that he’d paid attention to all of Hermione’s rants about hormones and how the other schoolchildren couldn’t control them. Now all he had to do was pray that he could remember all the important parts without mucking it up.