An Ally

Chapter 13

Tom woke with a start in the middle of the night yet again with sticky drawers. After casting a quick cleansing charm, he flopped back down onto his bed. He was annoyed at himself, mostly. In the damn dreams it was always the same person but he could never see them. It was either too dark, or he would be blindfolded. In this most recent dream, he simply hadn't been able to think clearly enough to open his eyes as the pleasure he felt cut through all of his rational thoughts and only left bliss in its wake.

He was just about to start drifting back off to sleep when a strangled cry sounded in the room next to his. He stiffened, listening closely for any other noise. None came, but he did hear Harry turn over in his bed rather violently.

Hastily throwing his covers off, he rushed to the door that closed their rooms off from each other. Only the sound of an almost silent whimper could be heard and he immediately opened the door to rush inside.

Harry had managed to twist himself in his sheets and his breathing was erratic. Pushing down a surge of panic, Tom reached out to gently stop Harry's thrashing. The teen jumped and twisted, a strangled scream stopping halfway out of his throat. Not knowing what else to do, Tom climbed into the bed to lay down next to him and wrapped his arms around Harry.

"Shh...Harry it's okay. It's alright, it's just me. It's okay Harry, you're safe." Tom gradually let his words slip into parseltongue and he reached out with his mind for Harry's.

The scene that was playing out in front of him was a grotesque one. Harry's uncle was laying into him with a belt that had dozens of tiny nicks in the leather. It was designed to cause more pain as the leather bit into skin. Harry's screams worsened when the intrusion started. It was rough, unlubed and rushed. The belt made its way around Harry's neck and pulled so he couldn't breath. The jerky movements caused the belt to drag across his neck and all Harry could do was try to stop feeling altogether. Tom rushed into the dream once he came to his senses and banished the Dursley before reaching out to Harry.

"Shh, Harry it's alright. You're safe now." Harry looked up at him in surprise. "How are you here?" Panic etched itself into Harry's eyes. "You can't be here. You can't know, you have to leave!" He curled in on himself as panic washed over him.

"Harry, it's alright. You're safe with me but you need to wake up. Come on Harry. Wake up. Wake up..." Tom pulled himself back to the present and felt Harry stiffen. "It's okay Harry, you're safe with me."

Harry let Tom's arms wrap around him and pull him close as he cried. He didn't want anyone to know what he had to endure, but he was strangely relieved that he wasn't the only one who had to live with this terrible secret any longer. It was a weird sense of relief that brought about a slightly lighter feeling and yet increased his anxiety over what Tom would think of him.

His breathing had mostly evened out when he felt Tom place a gentle kiss to his hair. "You are always safe with me, Harry." Upon hearing those words, he felt himself relax and quickly drifted off back to sleep.

Harry slowly drifted back to consciousness a few hours later. It was the sound of something rhythmic that had quietly pulled him from sleep. The next thing he noticed was the smell. This didn't smell like the Dursleys or Hogwarts or even like his new bed with Tom. It smelled of honey and sandalwood and a slight breeze near a creek...

He didn't recognize this scent, not at first. It smelled like someone familiar and, dare he think it, it smelled like home. He felt his head rise and fall ever so slightly and only realized that he was using a person as a pillow when arms tightened around him. He cracked an eye and realized they were in his bed. A small moan pulled him from his current train of thought and he closed his eyes once more. Tom had mentioned mind magic before and had made a point to travel to his mind so maybe if he focused he could see what the other was dreaming?