(Harry Potter Fanfiction) But Title Erased For Security Reasons

Epilogue

Vine Cottage, Little Hangleton

Dear Tom

How are things at home?

We're wonderful here at Borneo. A bit damp, but lovely. I've sent you pictures of the forests. We found a reticulated python last month, and so, Regulus has started a hunt for its ancestors. We uncovered an abandoned dragon lair on the way, with fossilised eggs dating to centuries back. We believe it's the extinct ancestor of the Malaysian Firebeard.

How's Echidna? Has she been causing trouble in the Muggle parts again?

We'll be traveling to Egypt as soon as we've finished with the pythons and cursed tablets, so we could meet there. I would love to show you the underground civilisations. Draco and Sirius are extremely looking forward to it, as Regulus keeps telling us lots about Egypt, especially about the Sphinx colonies. Did you know they live on low-lying clouds?

Yours in great excitement,

Harry J. Potter

PS: The bird bites. It's Sirius'owl. Hedwig's gone to the Weasleys.

Tom Riddle folded the letter with a nostalgic smile, nursing the finger the owl had bitten. Three years ago, Harry had completed his NEWTS and expressed a desire to join the Black brothers in their adventures abroad. Last year, he wrote to Abraxas Malfoy, begging him to let Draco go with them.

After much protest from Lucius and Narcissa, the Malfoy heir had abandoned the family business and chased after his friend.

Boyfriend, Riddle corrected himself. This turn of events was very recent.

Abraxas had behaved like a fussy mother, and kept rambling on about how Harry and Draco were going to be skinned alive by homophobic Purebloods, ('over-cultured barbarians', that was the precise term the blonde had used) the moment they set foot on English soil. Riddle was not worried. He was there, wasn't he? An ex-Dark Lord should be able enough to protect his protégé from social bigots.

And he had other things to worry about.

His Patronus, for instance.

Riddle discovered a few years back, that he was able to cast a corporeal Patronus. However, the creature involved had presented quite an unpleasant problem, and Riddle sought to resolve it immediately. Sadly, there didn't seem to be a lot of research on the change in the animal form of a corporeal Patronus. A basilisk or a python would have been much more fitting than a slug Patronus.

"At least, it leaves a glowing trail." Abraxas said brightly, over tea. Riddle grimaced. Yes, it left a trail of glowing slime. That was not very dignified.

"I changed it." Riddle said quietly. "And in the process, I discovered it was not necessary for the Patronus to be an animal." The strength of a Patronus was based on Happiness Quota, so Riddle believed he could form a perfect Patronus for being the happiest person in the world.

Abraxas was intrigued. Riddle sighed. This was more embarrassing than the slug Patronus. He was sure he could never bear to cast it in public, ever.

"Expecto Patronum." He said, raising his wand. A beam of pure light shot out, taking form quickly.

Abraxas jumped back in shock. "What in Merlin's soggy underpants-"

Mini-Riddle was back. "Hello." He said to Abraxas, crossing his legs elegantly. Then he hiccupped loudly, spitting out a translucent slug. He glared at Professor Riddle and seethed. « You haven't- You miserable, brain-dead old coot, change it back, NOW!!! »

__________________

~***FINIS***~

Notes:

It happened suddenly, that I realised I really liked Mini-Riddle as I was writing the last two chapters. I couldn't bear to let him vanish just like that. But since he's such a scheming little devil, I decided to let him live with the slugs. And so that Professor Riddle wouldn't be able to demonstrate Patronii in class.
Also, if any of you were shipping Hinny, I'm sorry for that not happening. Ginny didn't have much of a great character plot in the original novels, so I kinda didn't like the ending. Besides, I'm more of a slash-person.
So, sorry again. And please leave reviews and comments! Whether you liked it or not, I'd like to know your opinions about UnRiddled.