Title: Crystal
Rating: PG-13/R
Genre: Romance/Humor
Summary: AU; ("He's as… fragile as crystal…)" To wear matching rings is believed to be the ultimate expression of love… (complete detail inside)
Pairing(s): Harry/Tom R.
Warnings: AU Yaoi, slash, Boy/Boy
Disclaimer: Don't own fandom. Concept behind story doesn't belong to me either. Story itself does. So does Moorinto… and various cameo characters. So don't sue me or have me erased because I'm not going to lose my very first-ever paycheck to people who don't know how to read a disclaimer.

Summary: The ultimate expression of love… In the small town of Moorinto, it is believed the ultimate expression of love is to wear a matching ring with the one you love. It could also be the deepest sign of friendship, depending on which finger you wear it on. When the semi-loner Harry Potter suddenly finds his matching ring with the person he least expects, it's an up and down coaster ride to discovering if this person could be his worst enemy… or his greatest love.

XXX

AN: The concept behind this story is from a Manga called "Only the Ring Finger Knows", written by Satoru Kannagi and drawn by Hotaru Odagiri. I don't know if it's ever been done before – at least in this fandom and in this way (I did a search, though, and there was one person who adopted the idea; look for it, it's rather good.). I know it's been done in Gundam Wing… but I'm rambling. I'm not going to copy it exactly but there will be quite a few similarities, since it's going to follow the same pattern, basically.

I know I should be working on ETR right now or even POF, but I don't want to. Leave me alone. I just got a job and it's slowly but surely killing me of my ability to walk for the rest of my life.

(For those of you who work at Baskin Robins, I'd just like you to know I feel your pain. For the rest of you – don't ever work there unless you like standing six hours non-stop.)

At any rate, enjoy my new fic. I'll try to update every Friday, but until my work schedule is fairly constant and I know what days I have off, I might not be able to. There's probably only going to be somewhere around sixteen to eighteen chapters, and I own the wonderful book (Get it! Read it! Love it!) so it really shouldn't take me that long.

And now, finally, signing off! Enjoy, everyone!

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His room was dark. It was only four in the afternoon, yet his room was dark. He couldn't see why; after all, the window faced the setting sun. Of course, it could have been the dark-patterned draperies pulled tightly shut across the gilded frame that muted the waning light from entering his room.

He sighed in a sort of resignation, turning to look at the huddled form on his floor. With his long legs splaying wildly yet somehow looking crossed, and the defeated slump of his shoulders, his best friend didn't look too hot. The beer can clutched in his hand only by muscle instinct didn't help the picture. He really couldn't see the problem.

"S'thing 'bout you," his best friend – only friend, rather- slurred slightly, looking up at him with red-rimmed eyes, "'s yer too cold. You have no ship- sip- shmithapy."

"Sympathy," he corrected absently, sipping idly at his can.

"Shee? 'Xactly m'point. Yer jus' so closed t'ever'thin'. Can' even feel a li'l sorry fer yer bes' frien' after he's been dumped sho harshly by the bestest girl in the worl'." He sighed again and gave his friend a dry look.

"Ron, Hermione was never your girlfriend in the first place. You never got up the courage to ask her out properly."

"Did sho!" Ron said huffily. "Las' week! An' she said yes. An' now she's dumped me for that… that…. Guy. Stupid Tom Riddle. Why do there have to be perfec' guys in th' worl' like him?"

Tom Riddle. Handsome, popular, rich upperclassman Tom Riddle. He was nice to everyone, it was said. No one had ever heard not even one thing bad about him. Every guy wanted to be him. Every girl in Morino High, and even those who didn't go there, wanted him. Now including his best friend's ex-girlfriend.

"Damnit!" Ron seethed, sounding a bit more sober. "How could she do this to me, Harry? I even bought matching rings!" Harry blinked rapidly, jerking away from the hand that was shoved in his face holding two identical gold rings with small red stones set in the center.

"Matching rings?"

"Yup!" Ron said proudly. "Bought them jus' yesterday. Before she dumped me." Ron went back to his one-man pity party. Harry switched his gaze to his own ring, nothing special. It was a scuffed-up silver band with a line of gold down the center.

It was the biggest thing to hit their small town Moorinto in years, and even though it had already died out in other cities it still raged there. To wear matching rings with someone on their right ring finger meant they were the closest of friends. On the right middle finger it meant they were single or looking. But to wear matching rings on the left ring finger was the ultimate symbol of love you could show your partner.

"Say, Harry." Ron gazed at him speculatively, having caught him staring at his ring. "You never take that thing off, do you? There's a rumor going around school about that. You got everyone curious, man." Harry didn't look at him, staring at the old metal instead.

"I don't know. I just don't feel like it. I've had this thing for such a long time that it feels right to wear it. Like… an old friend, or something. I don't know if I'll ever take it off for good."

"Everyone thinks you're still hung up over Cho," Ron said, nodding. "They say that's why you never take it off." Harry looked annoyed.

"I'm not," he muttered. "It was a mutual breakup between us. We just didn't click."

"Is it true you guys split up the day she bought matching rings?" Harry stared blankly at the wall, the memory drudging up from the confines of the prison Harry threw it into, locking it up and loosing the key.

"Yeah…"

(("Harry? I… bought something today. Matching rings! I think maybe it's time, you know? We've been together for a while, and…and… Harry?"

"…I'm sorry, Cho. I can't accept it."

"H-Harry…" Her eyes, so deep and dark and full of hurt. "So… so I was right then. You were right. We don't… we aren't meant for each other, are we."

"…No." She smiled through her tears.

"But that's all right, because we can still be friends. And… I'm sure we'll both find our match one day. … Goodbye… Harry."

"…goodbye, Cho."))

Harry blinked, looking at his old, beaten up ring.

"Yeah," he repeated. "It's in the past now. It doesn't matter."

He took another swig from his drink.