Chapter Text
Everyone always payed attention to Harry whenever he didn't want them to.
Like now.
"Watch where you're going, Potter!" Was shouted from the Slytherin table. The voice was snooty, and Harry knew exactly who it was just from its timber.
With narrowed eyes, Harry stood up from the spot where he had ‘tripped’ and fallen to the ground, looking over to the only Slytherin who stayed at Hogwarts during the winter holidays— Tom Riddle.
Harry had been casually walking down the Great Hall, going to sit down with his friends at the Gryffindor table, when he tripped over something non-existant. Obviously, he knew what had happened.
"You hexed me!" Harry fired back. "We're sixth years, can't you just stop? Maybe even own up to it for once, you git!"
Tom feigned an innocent face. "A hex? Potter, I would never do such a thing. Stop blaming me for tripping over air. It's quite unbecoming."
That boiled Harry's blood. Riddle has been doing this since first year, couldn't he grow up? Couldn't he see that Harry wasn't all that bad? At this point it was more annoying than hurtful.
What an asshole.
Before Harry could do something he'd most likely regret (punch Riddle in the nose, probably), his friends decided to intervene.
"Shove off, Riddle!" Ron shouted, flipping him the finger. "Won't you get in the holiday spirit? Merlin knows you need it."
Tom, not without a look of discontent, turned back to his books.
Outwardly, Harry scoffed. Of course Riddle would only pick on someone when they're alone.
Inside his head, where it was safe to do whatever the fuck he wanted, Harry let himself be annoyed, but for a different reason. It was criminal for someone to look so good when reading a book, for Merlin's sake.
Yeah, Harry had a problem.
It was Riddle.
Since first year, Riddle has tormented Harry for some unknown reason. Of course, Riddle never got caught, but Harry knew that wasn't what made him angry. What made him angry was the fact that he's been crushing on Riddle since third year, despite everything that the Slytherin had done to him.
How could Harry make himself suffer like that?
Harry wasn't sure what it was that made him so infatuated. Sure, Riddle was attractive, but so were half the other students at Hogwarts, and Harry didn't like any of them. Harry might have liked something about the fights they have, but Draco Malfoy also liked to torture him, and Harry didn't feel anything other than annoyance towards the blond.
So what was it? Maybe some higher power had it out for Harry. Or maybe he had self destructive tendencies.
'Or maybe,' Harry thought as he fell against his own wishes again, 'it's a little bit of both.'
Knowing he was just hexed again, Harry quickly turned around on the floor and shouted a profanity that he would hate Mrs. Weasley to hear him say. The professor who was monitoring the Hall, Flitwick, took five points off Gryffindor, but it felt nice to say it.
Finally, they exited the Great Hall, and Harry felt a sigh of relief.
"What a git," Ron scoffed as the trio waked together.
Hermione sighed. "The fact that none of the professors put him in his place..." she trailed off.
Harry was eternally grateful that they had agreed to stay for winter break with him. If he had had to deal with Riddle alone, Riddle would have been punched.
Or kissed. Harry wasn't sure which was worse.
Of course, his friends had no idea about how he really felt. They didn't even know Harry was attracted to the same sex, although Harry never actually tried to hide it. He assumed his sexual tension towards Tom always got misinterpreted as annoyance.
Which, it was. Kind of.
It wasn't like he'd ever have to tell his friends he had feelings for Tom. He had made a list when he had come to terms for his feelings:
1. Tom would never feel the same. He had picked on Harry since first year, after all, and Tom seemed to be a Slytherin purist. He wouldn't want a Gryffindor boyfriend, it would ruin some kind of code, or whatever.
2. Tom wasn't attracted to the same sex. Or, if he was, he wasn't out yet. So why try?
3. Would Harry's friends even approve? For all they know, Tom made Harry want to bash his head against a wall. Harry assumed they'd be accepting of his sexuality, but would they be accepting of him being with Tom?
All those factors considered, Harry decided to just silently pine. Unless Tom makes the first move, of course. But that was unlikely, so pining it was.
He was cut out of his thoughts by Ron snickering.
"Mate, you look like you're about to punch a hole in the wall," he joked. "Riddle got you that stressed?"
"Always," Harry said. It had some truth in it.
For now, he casted his thoughts aside, and walked side by side with his best friends. He'd just enjoy the holiday break with the people he loves.