After a difficult few days in which the household had to put up with a few days of a grumpy Voldemort and a Hermione showing him no sympathy whatsoever, peace began to reign again.

Hermione came down to breakfast one morning to find a bunch of flowers waiting for her.

"What's this?" she asked.

"Happy birthday." replied Voldemort.

The pair spent most of the day outside in the rose garden and house elves brought a large picnic hamper out to them for lunch. They were content to sit in silence, but Hermione's interest in history, in particular wizarding world, was such that many of their conversations ranged over the subject on which he was very knowledgeable. At one point, he remarked drily "That's one advantage of being a cranky old man."

"I wouldn't say that." replied Hermione "You're not always cranky."

He narrowed his eyes and flicked a grape at her.

They only returned to the house when the sun started to set in a beautiful orange and pink sky.

Voldemort excused himself to go and, as he put it "dress for dinner."

Hermione was intrigued, they never usually dressed up for their evening meals together, but let him go. She decided that she might spruce up her appearance as well and chose a gown from her wardrobe. It was one of her favourites, a sleeveless floor length ball gown in a pale rose pink.

By the time she had brushed and styled her hair and added a few hints of make up, she was nearly ten minutes late for dinner. She rushed down the stairs and into the drawing room where Voldemort was waiting for her.

Hermione gasped at his appearance. Rather than the long robes she was used to seeing him in, he had chosen muggle apparel, black trousers, black tailcoat, white shirt, waistcoat and bow tie.

After dinner, he took her to the ballroom and showed her his latest acquisition.

"A gramophone?" she asked.

Voldemort nodded and with a quick wand movement, music began to fill the room. Holding out his arms, he asked "do you dance?"

"Um. Not really." she admitted.

"Then allow me to teach you."

He seemed to Hermione to have sunk into a mood of increasing melancholy over the past few days. Concerned, she asked him if anything was amiss.

Voldemort looked sadly at her, hesitating at whether or not to reply. Making up his mind, he reached into the inside pocket of his coat and pulled out her wand.

"Here. It's time I gave this back to you. You will need it."

Hermione looked up at him but he avoided her gaze. "Tom, please, tell me what's wrong. Have I done something to make you angry?"

He shook his head and walked to the window, resting his head on his arm as he looked out at the grounds, bathed in moonlight. Hermione followed him and wrapped her arms around him, pressing her face into his shoulder. He placed a hand on hers and said "Tomorrow morning, Lucius will apparate with you to London or wherever else you may wish to go."

She took a step back and whispered "You're sending me away? Why?"

"It's complicated." he replied.

"Then uncomplicate it." she hissed.

He turned around, the look on his face drew tears to her eyes. "It's in everyone's best interests that you leave now, before it's too late."

"Too late? Too late for what? And in whose best interests? Yours or mine?" she demanded, tears beginning to course down her cheeks.

Voldemort struggled to regain his composure, took a deep breath and said coldly "I have made up my mind. You will leave tomorrow, without question." Without waiting for a reply, he swept out of the room and locked himself in his quarters.

Neither of them slept a wink all night and the following morning, she was informed that Voldemort had already left. She refused to believe the house elf and went searching for him, finding him in the library.

"You're poor at the whole hide and seek game." she said, closing the door and leaning up against it.

He let out a sigh which was almost a sob and crossed the room to her, pulling her into an almost crushing embrace. "It's alright Tom. Lucius is waiting in the hall for me, I'll be going in a minute but before I do -."

Voldemort placed a finger on her lips "Hermione, you deserve the truth. Do not mistake me, I haven't fallen in love with you but the longer you stay here, the more likely it is that I will do so. I feel the danger already. I thought I had hardened my heart against all such frail human feelings but I was wrong." Caressing her face, he said "My dearest girl, if I only we had met half a century ago, how different my life could have been."

She stretched up and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. "Know this. You are my friend and as such you will always have my love."

"Even if the next time we meet I am the monster everyone knows me to be?"

"Even then." she smiled. Tucking a small box into his hand, Hermione kissed him again and sadly left the room, closing the door softly behind her. Voldemort heard the distance sound of apparition and knew in that instant that she had gone forever. Sealing the doors and putting up a barrier of soundproofing, he sank to the floor and sobbed. It was hours later when he opened the box she had given him, it contained an engraved medallion. On one side was the inscription "Wherever you are" and on the other "You are always in my heart."

-o-

Hermione's friends had of course been delighted that she had been released from captivity and, after a few abortive efforts, ceased to ask questions, especially since they always resulted in floods of tears.