Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

/Parseltongue/

AN: Sorry for the wait, I have been busy with my family and other important things.

Classes continued to go as they always do, the 'Golden Trio' managed to stay out of trouble for the first semester, and aside from a few days of detention with Dumbledore, nothing of notice occurred. Soon Harry noticed something different about himself when it came to his husband being badmouthed. He would start snapping at any and all who spoke ill of the DADA teacher and his temper was raging on a weekly basis, causing several Gryffindors to draw away from him in fear. One day Hermione brought this to the attention of Tom.

"He is turning the entire house against him. I don't know what to do for him. Maybe you can talk some sense into him." She begged the Dark wizard.

"I can try, but he isss not being reasssonable with me either. He ssseemsss to be on edge and willing to fight for no reassson at all. It doesssn't make any sssenssse to me. It isss almossst asss if he were..." Tom trailed off thinking that it wasn't possible.

"As if he is what?" Hermione asked confused at the Dark Lord's words.

"I will have him go to Madame Pomphrey, tomorrow for a check up." Tom said more to himself than to Hermione. "Don't worry Ms. Granger I will take care of my husssband." Tom stated as he walked away from the young Gryffindor.

"You love him don't you?" She called out to him catching him off guard. He came to an abrupt stop and whirled around to face her once more. He nodded once and turned and walked away from Hermione leaving her in shock. "Good luck Professor." She called as he continued on his way.

"Can it be? I didn't even think that could happen to Harry." Tom whispered as he walked down to his personal chambers. /Nagini, can you tell if precious is with child?/ He asked his familiar.

/I can try, humans smell different than serpents though./ She answered hesitantly. /We could ask Selene if she has noticed anything different about her master. / He nodded his acceptance of her idea. When they arrived at the portal entrance to his personal chambers though he caught Harry being shoved against the wall by an older boy, he was trying to get special information from him by intimidation.

"Get away from my husssband. NOW!" Tom hissed at the boy, drawing his wand. /Harry are you alright, precious?/ He asked his young husband in concern.

Harry turned his head towards Tom and the tears could be seen in his eyes as he continued to struggle to get away from his attacker. /Help, please./ Harry pleaded with a hiss, /Selene is already inside, and we are blocking the entrance so she can't get out to help me. / He informed his husband who was looking around for the white serpent. Tom cast Stupefy on the young attacker, and pulled him away from his Harry.

"Salazar, would you please go get the headmistress?" Tom asked politely of his ancestor. Salazar left his hall portrait, and entered the one in the headmistress's office.

"Professor McGonagall, there is an issue you need to deal with concerning Professor Riddle and Harry Potter-Riddle, who was attacked right outside of his personal chambers." Salazar informed the woman who rose immediately and rushed out of the office towards the DADA classroom. He returned to his hall portrait and informed Tom and Harry of the headmistress's approach.

"What happened here?" Minerva asked as she arrived on the scene, a few minutes later.

"I was returning to my chambers to check on something and found Mr. Flint attacking Mr. Potter." Tom stated professionally. "After telling the elder boy to release Mr. Potter, I used stupefy on him when he refused. I then had Salazar call you, and you know the rest."

"Finite Incantartum. Now what do you have to say for yourself Mr. Flint." Minerva asked Marcus Flint, a seventh year Slytherin.

"The boy was eyeing me and just begging me to..." Marcus started to say only to be interrupted by Harry.

"Liar, I was only trying to get inside and do my homework before heading to dinner, and Flint shoved me up against the portrait after my familiar slithered inside. He began to say things like I was sleeping with Tom- I mean Professor Riddle for my grades, and he wanted in on the action, and he knew of some people who would love to get a chance with me." Harry stated shuddering at the recollection. " I was surprised and struggling to get away when Professor Riddle showed up." Harry said finishing his tale of what happened. "If you don't believe me asked the portrait of Salazar Slytherin." He dared the teachers.

"You little slut, you are waving your ass at all the boys, asking to get filled and fucked and you will never be satisfied if you aren't getting your ass shoved into for hours and days at a time. Don't think that we don't know that your grades are from sleeping with the teacher and not from actually working on assignments for the day. You get your good grades from 'servicing' your teacher and I am sick of it." Flint shouted at the young Gryffindor. "You are a good for nothing waste of space, only useful for taking a dick when a girl won't." He snarled at the boy-who-lived. Harry was cowering against the portrait and ducked down and tucked inward on himself, causing him to look even smaller than he already was.

"Harry, please don't believe him, you are not worthless, or useless, or a waste of space. I don't want anyone but you. You are not a slut." Tom called softly to his young husband, trying to calm the terrified boy-who-lived. "Come now Harry stand up, if you could face me when I was attempting to kill you for all those years, what is a mere boy doing scaring you?" He asked encouraging his husband. "You are my equal in every way, I won't hurt you, please Harry stand up and show this pompous idiot who he is messing with."

"Do you know how I was able to face you year after year?" Harry asked softly. "I could face you because every time I raised my wand at you I hoped you would kill me. Not Gryffindor courage, I wanted to leave all the suffering behind me and end things, so I would stop hurting." His voice became louder as he talked. "I wasn't facing you to defeat you, I was trying to die, and now after all these years of fighting against you and hating others for what they have done to me, I am finally happy." The look of horror and shame on Tom's face was devastating, as was the truth that was ablaze in Harry's eyes. Professor McGonagall looked at Harry with despair and compassion, marking her face making her look ten years older.

"Do you still feel like that Harry?" She asked fearfully, unsure of his answer.

"No, now I have someone who cares enough about me to aid me in anything that I could possibly need. Several somebodies." He answered looking at the friends that were surrounding him along with his husband. "Tom, I didn't- I never wanted you to find out about the way I felt. I was so confused and I didn't know where to turn. I was looking for death because it seemed like the only thing that would accept me as I am. I was wrong, you accept me as I am, and you don't try to change or hurt me. I appreciate that." He told his husband, pulling him down for a hug and short kiss. "Thank you for caring for me." He whispered in the Dark Lord's ear.

"Of course Harry, I could do nothing other than care for you. I love you."