the Gambler

Harry sank back into the armchair, a bit exhausted from the night's events.The soft back of the chair was pressed against Harry's body, and Fawkes flapped its wings mixed with golden and orange feathers, and landed on Harry's shoulders.The beautiful phoenix rubbed its head on the boy's neck, as if trying to soothe the boy's fears, and chirped sweetly at Harry.

"Thank you, Fox." Harry gently stroked Phoenix's body.For some unknown reason, the presence of Fox made Harry feel a lot more at ease. He could feel a warm current flowing down his throat and into his stomach, as comfortable as if he had just finished a bowl of hot soup.

"I know you are a gentle child." Dumbledore smiled kindly, and the old headmaster sat down in front of the table again, picked up a bunch of cockroach skewers and threw them into his mouth.Dumbledore's mood improved a lot, and the flickering sparks returned to his blue eyes. Although Harry's face was still not very good-looking like everyone else present, it didn't make the old man feel so bad.Dumbledore opened the drawer, pushed the plate full of lemon sherbet to the front, and said enthusiastically, "Which one of you wants some?"

"Thank you very much for your invitation, sir." Arthur refused the principal's snacks instead of the gloomy crowd, "I think it's time to ask the Dark Lord—er, why Tom is here."

Mr. Weasley's mention of Tom brought Harry back into silence.He had just told Dumbledore everything in one go, and there was a sense of relief, at least the presence of the old man kept him safe.But Tom, Dumbledore clearly had no intention of taking young Voldemort away right away, and Harry needed to get along with the boy before he left.Tom is a cunning Slytherin. Harry has dealt with Mr. Diary, and he knows too well how the boy will use to get information from his mouth.Harry, proud of his Gryffindor-like courage, also recognizes that his mouth is not too tight, and he needs to be careful next.

"Of course." Dumbledore blinked, and the door to the outside opened to reveal the gloomy Professor McGonagall and Tom, I'm a good student Riddle, who followed behind with a sincere smile.The Weasleys couldn't have looked paler.Harry thought he'd be able to look at Ron and laugh, if it wasn't for the persevering stare of the perpetrator burning his back.Harry flinched and met Tom's gaze. The boy's hypocritical expression softened instantly, making Harry's skin crawl.

"Good evening, Harry dear."

Harry's heart rose to his throat. Really, did Tom take some wrong potion? Ron, who was reduced to the background, was about to faint!

"You should call me Potter or Harry. The preceding attributive has no meaning." Harry rubbed his arms uneasily, hoping that his disgust would not be so obvious.But this did not escape Slytherin's keen observation, Tom frowned: "In my opinion, he hasn't taken you as his own?"

"Who?"

"The older me," Tom said, everyone gasped except the headmaster, he didn't care about other people's reactions, he just looked at Harry's expression carefully, the boy's frightened eyes made his brows frown Go deeper.Tom continued: "Don't he know that you belong to us? Your expression tells me that you know the older me. You are scared, although it is not the reaction I expected. I guess your relationship is not very harmonious. ?”

hell!How could their relationship be harmonious!That snake-faced man has tried every means to kill Harry since before he was born, and he has attempted to kill him four times now!For Merlin's sake!What did Tom think they were related to?Harry squirmed uneasily in the armchair, avoiding Tom's gaze; he didn't need to arouse suspicion right now.

"Harry." Tom's voice reached Harry's ears.

Harry came back to reality from the frenzied slander, he tried to pull a smiling face, obviously not successfully, he saw Tom's eyebrows twitch.Harry unconsciously clenched the wand hidden under his sleeve and asked curiously, "What kind of relationship do you imagine between us?"

This time it was Tom who showed a clear expression. The handsome boy slowly walked up to Harry and pulled him up from the seat. Tom took the latter's stiff hand and put it to his mouth, and kissed Harry amidst everyone's surprised eyes. Harry's back.Harry swallowed the saliva that lodged in his throat.The elegant Slytherin took a step back, bowed his body and showed a blinding bright smile, a magnetic voice echoed in the instantly quiet room: "My love, Harry Potter, you are my partner."

What the hell is this?Harry nearly choked, mate?He's definitely having a nightmare, and he needs Madam Pomfrey, right now!

Tom hugged the boy who was so shocked that his legs were weak, one hand passed the thin boy's armpit to support him, and the other hand gently circled Harry's back.It should have been a sweet scene, but Harry was too scared to move.

"You look terrified." Tom raised his eyebrows, looking Harry's body up and down, "Is this the first time you have accepted a same-sex confession? I thought same-sex couples were very common in the wizarding world now, even in my day And you won't be looked at with colored eyes—" Tom reached out and stroked Harry's cheek, "You are very beautiful, even if you already have a boyfriend. I don't mind this kind of thing very much, because from now on you will Mine. Only mine."

Tom tightened his grip on Harry, who was jolted awake by the sudden display of possessiveness.He blinked, recalling what the other party said just now, Harry doesn't belong to anyone, and anyone can become his boyfriend except the annoying Voldemort!He is an individual!Wait, why does he have to have a boyfriend?Harry was very sure of his feelings for Cho. He was a straight person, which didn't mean he rejected same-sex couples. Dean and Seamus were lovers. Although they hid it well, the whole dormitory We all know it well.

"Why can't I have a girlfriend?" Harry wrinkled his nose.

Tom glanced at the skinny boy with distaste, a look of false shock.Harry followed the other's gaze to look at his body. He was still wearing his competition clothes, which were covered with mud and grass clippings, and his left sleeve was stained red with blood.It was a lot better than the second-hand ones Harry wore at the Dursleys', at least the fabric was close to the skin instead of hanging empty.

"No girl wants to date a boy smaller than herself. If I didn't know you were 14, I would have thought you were 12, Harry." Tom spoke in a calm tone of fact, which made Harry It was disgruntled that he didn't want to be so small, and it was the Dursleys' fault that Harry spent most of his nourishment in a dark, cramped closet.Harry's health also improved after he came to Hogwarts. The elves in the kitchen were very happy with the boy's begging for food, and every time he had to pat his chubby belly back to the dormitory.Harry frowned, he had to return to Little Whinging in London in a month, and the pounds he had gained with great difficulty had to be reduced again.

"It's true," Tom said firmly.

"It's not my fault that I'm short! I'm still growing up!" Harry pushed away the wizard who was hugging him, took three steps back, and looked at Tom contemptuously from bottom to top.This kind of scene is quite ridiculous, after all, Harry is more than a head shorter than Tom, and Ron would laugh out loud in normal times, but now he just wants to pull his friend to his side.

"You're not very tall either, I'll grow taller than you!" Harry continued to roar.

Ron looked at the young Dark Lord's face with no intention of being offended, but instead looked at Harry dotingly.The world must be messed up.Ron thought to himself, he signaled Hermione to pinch himself, and the witch twisted his arm mercilessly, and he let out a painful wail, which quickly attracted the attention of the entire headmaster's office.Ron leaned closer to Bill.

"Actually, I'm already 1.8 meters," Tom put aside the sudden farce, turned his head and smirked, "You look less than 1.6 meters, to be honest, you can't be taller than 1.6 meters five, but standing like that Just right by my side."

"I'll stay by your side only to hell!" Harry complained dissatisfied, Tom's self-talk made him very angry, he almost forgot that the big boy in front of him was the young Dark Lord!Well, he's definitely the Dark Lord, no one can be that arrogant!

Hearing Harry's retort, Tom narrowed his eyes. The flash of fierce light inside made Harry subconsciously take a step back, while he approached him, trapping the little boy between the armchair and himself. The coldness in the air made the Weasleys quickly adopt a fighting stance, ready to take Harry away from Tom at any time.

"Tell me, Harry Potter, who would you like to be with?"

"It's not you anyway!" Harry pressed the holly wand against Tom's chest, and almost at the same time, the other's yew wand also pressed against Harry's chest, and the tension in the whole room was uncomfortable.The sound of Dumbledore clearing his throat made everyone else stop casting spells. The two boys in the center of the vortex did not give the old man half of his attention. Are still very alert.

"I will kill anyone who tries to take you away from me." Tom moved closer to Harry, he firmly grasped the boy's right hand holding the wand, and lowered his head to meet Harry's gaze, his tone was cold and cold.

"I won't let you have a chance to do it!" Harry also grabbed Tom's wand without breaking the line of sight between the two, saying that he was a reckless and ignorant Gryffindor lion, he would bravely meet all A human challenge, young Dark Lord or not, it's not like he hasn't fought Voldemort.

Tom seemed satisfied with Harry's unflinching behavior, his eyes sparkled, and Harry saw the other's pupils turn red in a trance, as bright as the eyes of Voldemort after the resurrection, when he wanted to take a closer look At that time, Tom's pupils turned into the original deep lake blue again.Tom took a step back, just enough for Harry to straighten up.

"I'm looking forward to your performance, you need the qualifications to stand by my side."

"Why do you insist that I'm your partner?" Harry couldn't help asking, this question had troubled him for a while, "Did you have some misunderstanding?"

"Of course because you are indeed my soul mate. Harry James Potter is Tom Marvolo Riddle's soul mate." Tom delivered the news in a calm tone, as if it was a well-known fact Same.Tom ignored Harry's astonished expression. He passed his long, pale fingers through the other's palm and clasped Harry's.

Harry felt his eyes go dark, and he could hear the exclamations of others, but that didn't matter anymore, he just wanted to embrace the darkness now.This nightmare will definitely end when he wakes up again.