Chapter Text
Harry snuffed out the cigarette against the wall of the courtyard and wrapped Tom’s coat a little closer around himself. He was waiting for Tom to come back from getting a stern talking-to from the orphanage’s matron.
It wasn’t as bad there as it could have been, he reflected. His childhood fears of being sent to an orphanage were mostly unfounded. The rooms were very cold and the clothing thin. They were kept four to a room in the old, creaking stone building. He and Tom shared a bed, huddling close to whisper in Parseltongue during the nights. The other children watched them nervously, as if the two of them didn’t know that they were called devils and monsters behind their backs. For all that the Ministry tried to protect the Muggles from knowing about magic, these children had seen enough of Tom to have a decent idea of what was going on.
The sound of crunching alerted Harry that Tom had returned.
“Why is it so cold?” Harry complained without turning around. “It’s July, you’d think it would be hot.”
Tom came into view, looking annoyed and ruffled.
“Maybe it’s the sense of an oncoming storm,” Harry said whimsically. “With the war and all.”
“Or maybe it’s just unseasonably cold,” Tom said shortly. “Can I have my coat back?”
Harry handed it over reluctantly, tucking his hands into his sleeves. Tom shrugged on his coat.
“If we could start a fire we could warm up,” Harry mused.
“That’s likely to keep us out of trouble.”
Tom seemed unhappy.
“What did the matron say?” Harry asked.
“That I am a wicked child of the worst sort, and that she’ll lock me in a closet if we don’t shape up and stop antagonizing the other students.”
“Wow,” Harry said. “That’s impressively blunt.”
“It was mostly in the implications,” Tom said stiffly.
Harry patted his arm consolingly. “Being locked in a closet isn’t as bad as it sounds,” he reassured. “It’s just a bit boring. We can lay off for a few weeks, ignore the others, and then try to scare them off again if they get too annoying. Deal?”
“Deal,” Tom sighed, and they headed back inside.