- pureblood culture 'verse + fem Harry, named Harriet + Charlus is Harriet's brother + takes place in 1940s + mother magic have locked wixen out of Avalon bc of generations of blood purity bigotry (Avalon is more of a legend than a reality at this point) - Potter family are 'muggle-loving blood traitors' bc they've tried to adhere to the "olde ways" + this includes things like Harriet keeping her hair up when in public + they have unfortunately lost a lot of the context and so don't do everything *quite* right (i.e. there's no magic in Harriet's hair bc she doesn't know how or even that she's supposed to) - no one really realizes that's what happened - Harriet gets quest from Death (whom the Potter family call grandpapa bc that's cute) + he's tasked her with becoming master of death so that she can claim the Peverell lordship and free Avalon + he does this bc Grindelwald is being a bitch trying to find the hallows and bc british wixen are in danger and need a safe place which is what Avalaon is supposed to be. - ofc anyone who wants to be a bigot after all is said and done can stay outside lmfao + he also gifts her a brush that will store her magic, though she doesn't know that it does this yet - Tom overhears Harriet and Charlus getting into a fight + it's about the death quest, not that Tom realizes that. Harriet is telling him how she talked to "grandpapa" and is asking for her brother's assistance - important for later that Harriet talks about her "grandpapa" as if he's alive in this conversation + Charlus thinks the entire thing is a bit ridiculous and says something about his sister "chasing fairytales". he eventually offends her enough that she storms away + this causes a lasting rift between them as Harriet gives him the silent treatment for awhile afterward -excerpt- Tom is nothing if not a true Slytherin. He’s cunning, resourceful, ambitious, and more than a little opportunistic. Certainly, not above eavesdropping should the opportunity present itself. All information is valuable, no matter the means of acquiring it. So when he realizes two Gryffindors are having a spat in an abandoned classroom in the dungeons, Tom does the Slytherin thing and lingers outside to listen. Disillusioned, of course, because only fools get caught. “This… this is madness, Harry. There’s a war on! If you think I’ll just let you run around, chasing fairytales of all things——!” “So what, you think I’m lying? That I’m crazy? That I just imagined that conversation with Grandpapa?” It takes Tom a moment to place the voices, but when he does, his interest increases tenfold. Those are the Potter siblings. Charlus Potter, in the year above, and Harriet Potter, in fourth year, same as Tom. As far as he knows, they get along disgustingly well. A fight like this is unheard of for them. “Maybe you did! If you would just let me take you to the Hospital Wing, we could——” Charlus cuts himself off, seemingly without cause. Though, if Tom had to guess, the look on Harriet’s face is cause enough. Even he, with his utter lack of empathy, knows insinuating hysteria in a woman is a terrible play. Suddenly, the sound of heels clicking against stone is the only warning he gets before the classroom door flies open. He jumps out of the way as Harriet Potter rushes out, followed hurriedly by her brother calling apologies after her. After he’s sure they’re gone, Tom cancels his disillusionment spell and continues heading down to Potions, thoughts already wandering to how he can use the enmity between the Potters to his advantage. ~~~ By dinnertime that same day, everyone has realized something is wrong with the Potters. And the spectacle they make in the Great Hall only confirms it. It’s clear that this is the first chance Charlus has gotten to catch his sister since their fight because he’s persistent now that she’s trapped at the Gryffindor table. However, she continues on, completely ignoring him even as she chats with her yearmates. “Really, it’s almost impressive,” Malfoy says from the seat next to him. “Impressive? Potter’s caterwauling?” Avery snorts, derisive. “Embarrassing, more like. He should know when he’s lost the fight.” “Like you lost yours with class?” Malfoy sneers. Avery opens his mouth to respond, but Tom cuts in, knowing that they’ll snipe at each other all evening if he doesn’t stop them now. “Gentlemen, it’s hardly becoming to fight like dogs at the dinner table.” “Tell Potter that.” Chuckles run down the table at Lestrange’s joke, and things settle down. When Tom catches his eye, he winks. “Riddle.” Everyone looks up as Olive Hornby approaches the Slytherin table. Tom can already tell what she wants, and if they didn’t have an audience, he would have just dismissed her out of hand. But as it is, he needs to protect his image if he wants to make prefect next year. “Yes? Miss Hornby, correct? Was there something you needed from me?” he says, tilting his head so that a curl falls over his brow. She giggles and he feels disgust curl in his stomach. “I was wondering if you were free this Saturday,” Hornby replies, her voice hopeful. “I’m afraid not. Professor Slughorn has asked me to help him procure potion ingredients.” He hasn’t, but Tom can hardly tell her he’s planning to gather his own ingredients. He’ll have to actually offer to help Slughorn to keep his story consistent, but it’s worth it. A few extra hours in the Forbidden Forest are nothing if he can avoid spending them in the company of fawning witches, for Salazar’s sake. Hornby visibly wilts. How anyone can bear being that transparent, he doesn’t know. “Oh,” she says, “Perhaps another time then.” “Perhaps,” Tom replies, lying through his teeth. He breathes a subtle sigh of relief when she doesn’t try to push further and returns to her own table. “Oh, poor Riddle,” Lestrange teases, “Accosted by witches on all sides.” “I hardly think it’s pleasant when it’s that sort doing the accosting, do you?” Malfoy says, his derision evident in his tone. “How can it be pleasant at all when I’m not interested in the first place?” Tom says, perhaps a tad too sharply. Malfoy always seems to forget what company he keeps when it comes to these things. Of course, Tom knows that he has magical ancestry, but for all anyone else knows, he’s muggleborn. Malfoy seems to realize his misstep because he steers the conversation elsewhere. The rest of the table, sensing his mood, keep the topics light for the rest of dinner. -end of excerpt- - a few days later, Tom runs into Harriet in the Forbidden Forest petting thestrals + he's in the forest collecting potions ingredients (bc he's poor and he can save money by collecting the most common ingredients) + they have a short conversation about why they can see them - Harry bc she's literally met death; "you can see them?", "yes, bc of my grandpapa" - Tom bc he lives in an orphanage and babies die all the time there - Harriet starts looking for the hallows in earnest + it takes her a litte bit to realize that the cloak is THE cloak but once she does, she saves it for last bc it's the easiest (and also bc she doesn't want to talk to her brother right now and ask for it) + she has no clue where to start with the wand bc like... people have just been duelling for it all willy nilly the entirety of history + she decides to start with the resurrection stone bc maybe it's been passed down like the cloak? - she starts researching bloodlines starting from the peverells, which then turns into the slytherin line, which turns into the gaunt line... - and oh wtf, who checked out this book on obscure deadlines, I need that? answer: Tom did + he's researching trying to find out who his wizard parent is - this happens several times before one of them finally has enough and they go hunt down whoever has the book and demand they share it (Harriet probably does this) - over the course of several weeks, they both slowly reveal what they're looking for to the other + Harriet tells Tom that she's looking for family heirlooms that have ended up in the hands of others (not technically a lie lol) + Tom tells Harriet that he's convinced that one of his parents was magical, though he refuses to tell her why + eventually Tom asks about the hair and the other strange things the Potters do + this causes Harriet to start teaching him what she knows about the Olde Ways -excerpt- (context: random conversatin I thought they might have lmao) “You think you can get away with murder if you smile prettily enough, don’t you?” Harriet laughs. Then she makes a small, considering noise. “Well, you may have a point. You are quite handsome.” “You think I’m handsome?” Harriet laughs again, and Tom feels a surge of victory. Yes, he thinks, I did that. “Oh, yes, you prat. I have eyes. Surely you already know what you look like. Stop fishing.” -end excerpt- -excerpt- (context: they've realized they're looking for the same person [Morfin] and are going to Little Hangleton together to investigate; during the summer) “Hello, Tom.” When he looks up, he’s bracing himself for some ridiculous bastardization of muggle fashion, which means he’s not at all prepared for what he does see. Harriet is in muggle clothes, well enough to be passing, certainly. What Tom didn’t expect is Harriet to be in trousers. Her hair is braided up so that it’s out of the way while her curls sit on top. The shorts she’s wearing are wide-leg and knee-length in a soft cream color, while her top is a Potter crimson collared blouse, her pumps and clutch matching. Despite this, she looks expensive. Definitely not meeting wartime regulations. Tom is going to have to keep an eye out for pickpockets. “Tom?” Harriet tries again, sounding nervous now, “Do I look strange? I saw a woman wearing trousers in a muggle magazine once, so I thought I’d try it, but if——” “You look fine,” Tom says quickly. Christ, he thinks, She took fashion advice from a magazine. No wonder she looks like that. “I’m simply surprised you managed to be muggle passing.” Harriet lights up. “I am? I was a bit worried, but it’s not that different, is it? Just take off the robes, right? I think I quite like muggle fashion actually. I know we have cooling charms, but this is so much more reasonable.” Amused, Tom stands from the bench he’d been waiting on. “Remember, Harriet, no talking about magic while we’re here,” he reminds her. “Right,” she says sheepishly, “I’m just excited. I’ve never been to muggle London before.” “We’re just getting on the tube.” He starts leading the way and Harriet matches his pace. “Exactly! I have no idea what that means.” The incessant stream of chatter that Harriet keeps up should bother Tom, and were it anyone else he has no doubts that it would, but Harriet is surprisingly tactful. She doesn’t mention the low quality of his clothes or anything about the war, even when they pass the rubble of buildings destroyed in the Blitz. He sees the sadness and the questions in her eyes, but she doesn’t ask them or comment. He’s grateful, if only because he wouldn’t be able to handle her pity. He manages to get them to the station without incident, though she does wander off a few times and he does have to steer Harriet clear of several pickpockets. “Would it kill you to stay in one place, really?” He complains as he pays their fare and coaxes Harriet onto the platform. “If you can’t stay still, I’ll make you hold my hand like a toddler.” “That won’t be necessary,” she coughs out quickly, “I’ll stay put.” -end excerpt-