The Angel and The Demon [ Tomarry

A Snake With a Backbone

Harry had Potions the morning after he came out to Hogwarts, and seeing as it was shared with primarily Slytherins, Harry was slightly worried about the reaction he'd get. Out of all the Houses in Hogwarts, he assumed that Slytherin would be the least accepting.

It wasn't as much stereotyping as it was statistics. Slytherin was made up of mostly purebloods, and purebloods were usually less open to change and were more conservative. Besides, Harry was a Gryffindor, and the rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin was infamous. Now they had something new to jab at him with. So, chances were, Harry'd get more shit from them.

Oh well, Harry thought to himself. He was used to being harassed by the Slytherins in his Potions class. It wasn't like anything would be new.

As Harry walked through the corridors, he got some strange looks— but he wasn't sure whether it was because they knew he was gay, or because of how he came out. If he were being honest, the way he publicly came out wasn't normal in the slightest, so he couldn't blame people for being curious.

There were only five people in the classroom when Harry walked in, so he quietly slipped into his seat and took out his Potions textbook. Reaching into his pocket, he took out his quill and started to twirl it in his fingers.

He almost dropped it when Tom sat next to him.

Why was he sitting next to Harry? Usually he sat a row behind him with Hermione, and Harry sat with Ron.

A nagging voice in the back of Harry's head said that he was going to make fun of Harry because of last night. But the part of Harry that knew Tom protested, so he wasn't too sure what was happening.

"Good morning," Tom greeted, sliding his book onto the table. "How are you?"

Harry greeted him. "Pretty good, how are you?"

Tom shrugged. "I'm good. I just asked because of what happened last night."

His face flushed. Of course that's what he wanted to talk about. Harry couldn't blame him.

"No one's said anything about it yet, so I'm just acting like it didn't happen until I get asked about it." Harry looked at him through his lashes. "What did you think?"

Tom paused and let his eyes roam Harry's face. "I thought it was very brave of you," he said. "I'd never be able to come out like that."

Harry's mouth went dry. Did that mean...

"Hang on," Harry said. "You're..?"

Instead of saying anything, Tom plucked the quill out of Harry's hand and ran his finger over the feathers. "So very soft," he murmured.

"I got it from Diagon Alley," Harry answered softly, watching with dilated pupils as Tom moved the quill forward to caress Harry's cheek. It tickled, but Harry was too focused on what was happening.

Tom smirked, and Harry's eyes were drawn to the motion. It was almost as though he was in a trance— everything was hot, and Tom looked so hot, and in a few seconds Harry was sure the tension would make him jump the other.

"That wasn't what I was talking about," Tom said, letting the quill's feathers brush against Harry's lips.

Harry started leaning in, feeling a gravitational pull that he couldn't pull out of, not that he wanted to.

As they got closer, the doors to the Potions classroom swung open, and Snape walked in, his cape flowing behind him.

The trance was broken, and both wizards fell back into their chairs, back in the world of the living.