Epilogue
1998
His pale fingers touched a old blurry photograph. It was a mugglephoto, which means, the two persons in the photo didn't move. They were literally frozen in time, always 11 years old.
The girl with the bushy hair was taller than the boy. Even if the photo was black and white he remembered the colors around them. And specially the colors of her eyes... Dark Brown.
Life hadn't been easy then. Even though he didn't want to admit it, he somehow missed it. He shook his head in anger, he certainly didn't miss it.
The hands clutched around the photo.
He didn't want to hold it.
It was filthy, the photograph was taken by a muggle.
But the hand refused to let it slip.
Slip, that word reminded him of something. The memory made him smile with his lip less mouth.
His smile dropped when his eyes caught another photograph. He wasn't disgusted by this one. It was a wizardry photo.
It were the same persons in the photo but older. He spotted the Hogwarts robes and the head boy/girl badges on them. It was a sunny day. They were both 17 years old. The boy was now taller than the girl. His handsome angelic features were framed by his ebony locks. He had an arm around the girl who still had her bushy and curly hair.
His dead heart jumped when he saw a smile playing on her lips. But she didn't smile at him, but at the boy beside her. The boy bent down and placed a sweet kiss on her lips.
He wished that it was him who was the boy in the picture. However, that picture was not real. It was a montage made by him in a weak moment. He had once kissed her but she had pushed him away. She had refused to speak to him in weeks and one day, she was gone. It had been snowy when she disappeared from Hogwarts.
But he still wanted to be the boy in the picture, again. It would take his pain and sweep the bitterness away. Instead he stored the photo in a pocket in his robe. With that he was going to have a part of her with him, by his side, giving him strength. He couldn't deny that his magic wasn't on top since her disappearance. The change was barely noticeable but it was a missing piece somewhere.
That picture was his last memory of her. Even if the picture was a silly montage.
He had been searching for her all day, and he still was, in the evening he became very worried. He wasn't the type who was worried but she didn't just disappeared for no reason, not Hermione.
He remembered how he had even asked Dumbledore. The head of her house. The old fool hadn't told him anything. Instead he sat behind his damn desk and assured Tom that he shouldn't be so worried.
He had wanted to curse him.
He still wanted to curse him and kill him... but Severus Snape had gotten that pleasure.
The man took his eyes away from the picture. His gaze meet a mirror, the mirror was as long as a man and the frame was silvery with red ruby ancient runes.
His reflection stared back at him.
Hermione had once said that his gray eyes were beautiful. Maybe, maybe not.. It could be something his mind made up. His memory wasn't like it used to be. He was immortal, but he started to suffer from signs of old age anyway. What's the point of living forever when your mind isn't with you?
He wondered what she would say about his red eyes.
Probably respond by screaming and cursing him. No, not screaming. She was brave. He remembered that time when she found him and the body of Myrtle in a bathroom. He had been so sure of that she would scream. Instead she slapped him.
Lord Voldemort stared at his 'self' in the mirror. He blinked, the reflection blinked back.
Look what he had achieved without her. Great Britain was by his feet, begging on knees for his mercy. Lord Voldemort had no mercy. The-boy-who-lived-just-to-die-a-painful-death was going to be defeated after all these years. Lord Voldemort was going to prove that he, only he, was the only sorcerer to rule the world. By this time next year he planned having whole Europe under control.
A soft knock on the door.
"You may come in." Voldemort turned his face to the intruder.
Lucius Malfoy gulped and ran a shaky hand through his messy long hair. "My lord, it's time. Potter and his friend has arrived."
"The Weasleyboy?" Voldemort asked. The Weasleys were pure bloods. It hurt him that it seemed like his death eaters had to kill pure bloods tonight. Even though the whole family were blood traitors.
"Yes, my lord. It's him." Malfoy replied sheepishly. He hadn't realized that the dark lord was speaking to himself.
Lord Voldemort let it pass... for this time. He had an awaiting victory.
He rounded Lucius Malfoy and stepped out of the room.
….
Harry Potter stared at him with a smug smile. The fact that he had been dead minutes ago didn't seem to affect him, much.
"No, it can't be true! He's dead!" Lord Voldemort could have swore that the boy didn't move when they transported him out of the woods. Narcissa Malfoy checked his pulse, she said he was dead!
But he wasn't, Harry Potter stood there, very much alive. The Potter boy's eyes were ghostly green. Just like the forest.
Lord Voldemort realized with anger, Narcissa Malfoy had been lying. She had been betraying him and the whole new society in Great Britain, the death eaters but mostly him. She betrayed him! They all betrayed him! They called themselves his loyal servants. They claimed they would die for him and his cause. They lied, they all lied!
He scanned the crowd after Narcissa Malfoy. He let a growl slip his lips when he didn't found her nor her husband by his side. "Where is the traitress?" He cried. "She lied, just like you all do!" Bellatrix Lestrange seemed to be extremely hurt by that comment.
Lord Voldemort's inner paranoia had increased by every day in the last year.
He succeed in his mission, he did indeed. Soon he would be the most powerful sorcerer in Europe, and after that, the whole world. He gained more power every day, but as he gained power, jealously grew. They were no longer afraid of him. Lies grew stronger. Narcissa had just proved this.
Greatness inspires envy, envy engenders spite, spite spawns lies.
He saw it in their eyes, smelled it in the air, felt it in their auras of magic. Jealously. It was like a hungry animal. Their acquisitive cravings feasted on his flesh. They wanted the easy way, to have the power without working for it.
Some are born great, some achieve greatness... Lord Voldemort knew he deserved it. He had been working for this goal since he stepped into the magical world. He had always known, deep inside, that he was special.
"I can make things move without touching them. I can make animals do what I want them to do, without training them. I can make bad things happen to people who are mean to me. I can make them hurt if I want to...I can speak to snakes too. They find me, they whisper to me. "
He had always been something else. Not a freak! Not the son of Satan! He was better than all of them! He had the blood of the noble Salazar Slytherin in his veins. They had nothing! Their dirty blood were filthy... Even hers, that mudblood. She had left him without a word. He knew he didn't care about her. She was free to leave, he didn't need her.
But why did it hurt in his heart every time her name came to his mind? Why did he feel so lonely without her? Lord Voldemort would never admit out load, that Tom Riddle missed her.
People in the great hall was terrified. Even the Death Eaters. They knew what was going to happen, when their master was going to punish them for what Narcissa Malfoy had done. But not everyone where afraid...
Harry Potter taunted him. Told him to be a man.
Be a man? "I more than just a man!" But at the same time he knew, he was merely a man. His mirror reflection screamed that to him.
The Potter boy claimed that the elder wand belonged to him. He said he was the master of the wand.
Anger flowed through Lord Voldemort's system and his dark aura of magic grew. People pressed themselves to the walls of the great hall, to get away from the 'electric' air.
He was going to show him. Give him a lesson. Lord Voldemort brought out his wand, the elder wand. The wand he stole from the former owner, Albus Dumbledore, the fool. All the people in this hall were going to see him overcome the prophecy. This was the moment he had been waiting for in sixteen years. He was going to destroy the last threat. Harry Potter. The-boy-who-lived-just-to-die-a-painful-death.
Those sweet beautiful words.
Avada Kedavra
Something went terribly wrong. The wand didn't hurl the curse towards Harry Potter. It couldn't destroy it's own master. Instead it hurled the curse back. Tom's eyes grew wide. His last thought formed in his mind. He was surprised by the fact that it didn't have anything to do with his mission in life. He didn't reflect over his almost empire. That he didn't achieve his goal. The he failed.
But darkness embraced him even if he failed his mission and so did silence.
"I regret that I never held on to her."
….
Harry Potter went up to the Headmistress office. He had been confused when an owl interrupted his chat with Ginny. It had tapped him on the shoulder with anger when he ignored it. He sighed and excused himself from her and opened the letter. It was a small note, not exactly a letter. The sender was the new headmistress of Hogwarts, Minerva McGonagall. She claimed he needed to meet a special person.
And as much he didn't want to leave Ginny, Ron, Neville, Luna and the whole Weasley family. He read between the lines of Minerva McGonagall's letter and understood, this was quite urgent.
And now he found himself going up the usually moving staircase, heading to the headmistress office. He knocked softly. A voice, belonging to Minerva McGonagall told him to come in. He was greeted by clapping and cheering. The old headmasters and headmistresses stood up in their portraits and cheered. It took a while for them to calm down. When they did. Harry noticed, another present in the room. An old lady with white hair sat in a comfortable chair in front of the desk. She seemed to be older than McGonagall.
"Professor." Harry greeted them. "Ma'am." He said politely at the old woman.
"After this night, I think it's in the right place to put away the titles." McGonagall said with a sigh. "You may call me Minerva, Potter."
"But you're not going to call me 'Harry' instead of my surname?"
She smiled. "You can't teach an old dog to sit." She gestured with her hand towards the old woman. "Speaking of old beings, let me introduce you to, Hermione Dureé. An old friend to our dead fellow." Her face twitched at the very thought of Lord Voldemort.
"A friend to him, Voldemort?" He asked and scanned her. He tightened his grip on his wand.
Hermione noticed this. "Don't worry, young man, I have not been considered a friend to him in over 50 years. If we could call ourselves friends back then." She added. "The reason I wanted to meet you is simply, when an old gammer like me knows it's getting closer, she must let a few forgotten pieces come back to the surface."
McGonagall gestured Harry to take place in the chair beside Hermione.
"You knew Voldemort?" He asked her interested. His body language was relaxed but his eyes were suspicious.
"Oh yes, I remember it more clear than yesterday, of course I remember Tom. He is not easy to forget." She put emphasis on his name when she said it.
Hermione continued without hesitation. "Did I love him? Well, when I think back in that time, I consider my feelings towards him as a school crush. I don't think he ever has been able to return my feelings. But I don't think he necessary was born 'evil', he just had a bad start." She added with sorrow in her voice. "He was such a fine young man before the darkness got a grip on him."
Harry blinked several times.
Hermione leaned forwards and said serious. "I want my story to be told before it's too late. Death is catching up on me and soon I will go the same way as Tom just did. I don't believe in immortally, I believe we all owe the higher a death. I've had my time on this earth and I know when it's time to pass the torch on... I guess you can't see this, but Minerva is older than me."
Harry furrowed his brows. That old lady in front of him seemed to be at least 150 years old.
The portrait of Albus Dumbledore said. "Remember Harry what I told you when you were eleven; To the well organized mind, death is the next great adventure."
Harry's jaw dropped. This was something he didn't expect. Hermione noticed this and chuckled, in fact every one in the room chuckled.
"I've been sick, very sick. When only one year pass it feels like I've aged ten years. It's my punishment, for all the crimes I've committed." She sighed and her dark brown eyes were dreamy.
"I can tell you everything I remember but I hope my dear Albus Dumbledore would be so kind and fill in some parts I've either missed or just didn't know about." She said and smiled to the portrait behind McGonagall.
His eyes twinkled. "I would be delighted to do so."
Turning back to Harry. She took a deep breath. Oh dear, I hope it isn't too late, yet. "My story starts 1927, the year I was removed from my home, France... "
Harry listened with big eyes. The story was incredible. It was marvelous. And breathtaking. But mostly of all it was unbelievable.
….
Tom fell.
..
He spun.
He landed.
The silence.
The coldness.
The loneliness.
It ate him up. He couldn't take it.
"Why me?" he wanted to scream.
But he had no voice.
..
Something touched him, horrible cold hands teared his flesh.
Destroyed his face.
Ripped his arms and legs off.
Scratched his eyes out.
Shouted in his ears. It was a horrible scream. Like nails on a blackboard.
The thing, the creature, the monster. It was there, somewhere in the dark.
Hiding.
Hunting.
For him.
..
Suddenly he heard a wonderful female voice.
After seconds and seconds.
Minutes after minutes...
...and hours after hours.
In all the darkness. He noticed a small flick of light.
A gentle touch.
Another pair of hands, healed him.
Gave his eyes back.
Put his arms and legs back.
Repaired his teared skin and gave his face back.
With his new eyesight, he saw the light. It was an angel. He was sure of that.
The angel had long honey brown curly hair.
Just like she had.
He couldn't see the angel's features.
He became desperate, he wanted to see who his savior was. The angel noticed this and started to chuckle. The laugh was like music, like pouring water and the singing voice of the finest nightingale.
Suddenly, the angle leaned forward and pressed it's lips on his.
When the angel leaned back, Tom realized, he had his voice back.
"Who are you?"
His voice was hoarse. But the angel didn't seem to mind.
The light radiating from the angel's face, faded.
Finally he saw the angel's features and her eyes.
The warm brown eyes. Those eyes.
"Hermione?"
The angel simply nodded and took his hands.
….
And so did the story 'La excepción de la exictencia' end. Not a single dry eye!
UPDATED WITH IMPROVED GRAMMAR/SPELLING ETC!
Postscript:
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls... Last update of La exepción de la existencia!
Hello reader. If you read this I guess you've read the whole story too and hopefully you've enjoyed it. I must say that I've enjoyed the writing/making of the story. Even some times, when I had writers block and felt exhausted after writing just one page (or just a few words some bad days)... I've simply loved and hated the story. (Both Love and Hate are very strong feelings.)
This is actually the longest story I've ever written! (99 pages, I counted them today.) I beat my old record (unspectacular 18 pages) and that's good!
I know there is tons of stories with Tom/Hermione on fanfiction but I hope was at least a bit original. And I left a very open ending to the story. But I wanted it to be kind of "happy" even if the story was filled with a lot of tragedy. Last chapter and the epilogue were influenced by Joyce Carol Oates' writing... one of my favorite authors. (I read one of her books at that time.)
The readers have been my judge all the way from first chapter to last. I'm quite surprised I've received so many reviews saying simply "Great chapter" etc. On the other side, I've also got a few flames... I liked that one from 'masterHPwriter'.
I want to thank all of you who have been reviewing, alerting and favoriting! You guys are the best!
It wouldn't made it to the end (online) without you guys!
Thank you.
Don't forget to take a look at the trailer!
watch?v=m8J6S-gHD7A
The author answers reviews from the latest chapter:
Kirtash R – Thank you for the review (and for calling the story perfect and marvelous ;)) Plus I agree with you, Poor Voldy.
Wolflover1996 – Yeah many people thought Hermione would pop up in the ending battle. That is actually the reason why I deleted that part. (Originally, she was going to show up and meet Tom/Voldemort) I wanted to surprise the readers with another ending, that's all!
Hateme101 – The part in Hermione's life when she leaves St Mungo is not described in the story at all. She simply disappears to France and returns in time for the battle. Tom is supposed to continue with his life (darker and darker..) Sorry if it's still confusing ; )
awesome – pants – 2.0 – Thanks for the nice compliment! (Bittersweet is a very good word to describe the ending...)
. – Thank you for your lovely review. The ending was confusing, eh? It's hard for me to give you answers when you're not telling me what's confusing... : ) Send a PM if you like.
Ginnygirl528 – Wow, that sure was one long review! I've red through it many times and it's getting better every time. It's so nice to see people love the story give me very awesome reviews! Thank you, thank you! I hope my short reply wasn't a let down, since you were writing a huge review. But I'll give you a virtual cookie. ( :: )
Lost O'Fallon Girl – Thank you for sticking with me so long. You've been reviewing from the beginning and I'm very happy you took some time to write 'Awesome' to the last chapter!
After 21 chapters...
99 pages...
45, 000 words..
and 24 1685 characters