Disclaimer: These characters aren't mine - Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling!
AN: So sorry for the long delay on the update – pretty much ALL of 2017 so far, minus 5 days, I have been, or my kids have been sick. This winter sucks big, giant, hairy balls. Anyway, I'm back! Here is chapter 4, which, despite the lack of smut, I still enjoyed writing. Don't worry, I have lots of smut up my sleeve that is forthcoming. Once again, a BIG thank you to those of you who have reviewed: Morethanbooks, Kanewolfe, NicoruNS, SkyRoseDiamond, Beestung2025, PinkSlytherin, InfernalBooks, Fantasy4luvr, and FoxLittleRedFox - I love you all! xoxo
After declining Tom's offer of looking over her essay for Professor Sinestra's class, she read it over one more time before handing it in. Tom may have said he had no intentions of trying to steal the top spot, but she didn't believe that for a second; not that she was going to tell him that.
The week passed quickly, and before she knew it, it was time to catch the train back to London to visit her parents for the Christmas Holiday. She had agreed to meet Tom at the Hogsmeade train station, and from there, they would take the train back to London together. When she arrived, Tom was already there waiting by the platform with his suitcase, his hands shoved in the pocket of his black pea coat.
"Are you sure your parents don't mind?" he asked again, for what seemed like the millionth time.
"Yes Tom, my mother is more excited about meeting you than seeing me, I think." Hermione sighed.
Tom smirked at that, "Oh? Jealous, are you?" he said pulling her to him and resting his forehead against hers.
"Of course not, just…she's just excited because I've never brought a guy home before." She admitted with a blush.
The corner of Tom's lips twitched, "Never?"
"Not a one." Hermione answered.
"Good." He said as he brushed his lips lightly against hers and nipping her bottom lip lightly with his teeth.
"I've also told my father to expect company." He said evenly, taking a step back as the train approached.
"What did he say?" she asked curiously.
Tom raised an eyebrow at that, "Does it matter?" he asked.
Hermione snorted, "Of course it matters, Tom, he's your father, and it's his house."
Tom scowled, "He and I have an understanding. I stay out of his way, and he stays out of mine."
Hermione's brows furrowed, "Well, as long as I'm not going to be a burden…"
It was Tom's turn to snort, "Hermione, trust me when I say, he has plenty of room to spare. Besides, you're staying with me."
Now she was really confused, "Staying with you? But I thought –"
"Yes, you'll see. Don't concern yourself." Tom said as he ushered her onto the train and stowed their bags in the overhead compartments.
Once they had settled into their seats, he looked over at her and his lips twitched in amusement.
"What?" she asked
"Never?" he repeated biting back a chuckle.
Hermione rolled her eyes and sighed, "Why is that so hard to believe?" thinking to herself that it wasn't as if boys at Hogwarts had been lining up to date the resident know-it-all.
"Most girls I've met are more concerned about finding a boyfriend with marriage potential than worrying about establishing their own careers." Tom snorted.
"Well, that's unfortunate. Depending on someone else for your own happiness is a terrible idea, not to mention a waste of time." Hermione said dismissively.
Tom raised an eyebrow at her appreciatively. It seemed they did have much in common.
"So what made you change your mind?" He asked watching her curiously.
"Pardon?" she asked in confusion
"Before…the library, I definitely got the impression that you couldn't stand me." He asked with a smirk .
Hermione blushed, "It wasn't you, per se, I just…I mean look, you had fangirls. You showed up out of the blue and Suddenly I had real competition; I didn't like it." She admitted.
"And now?" he asked
The corner of Hermione's lips curved up into a smirk, "Beating you will make victory that much sweeter."
Tom scoffed, "Oh, is that all?"
"No. The dimples helped." Hermione chuckled and leaned into him placing a playful kiss on his jaw.
oOo0oOo
As the train pulled into King's Cross station, Tom stood to stretch, and grabbed their bags from the overhead compartment and gestured for Hermione to go ahead. When she stepped off the train, she could hear her mother's squeal of delight across the platform as she ran over and enveloped her only daughter in a hug, gushing about how wonderful it was to have her home.
"Mum, you're choking me." Hermione chuckled as she extricated herself from her mother's over-enthusiastic embrace so that she could properly introduce Tom. As Tom stepped forward and extended his hand in greeting, Hermione's mother laughed and batted his hand out of the way in favor of giving him a hug too.
The look on Tom's face was priceless.
"Mum…" Hermione sighed in embarrassment, mouthing 'I'm sorry' to Tom.
"Ah, they've finally arrived!" a male voice boomed as he strolled up to them on the platform, "So is this the bloke who spent the night with my daughter?"
"Dad!" Hermione said in mortification.
"Honestly, Richard, you know as I well as I do that this young man probably saved our daughter's life." Hermione's mother, Jane, clucked in disapproval.
Richard grunted grudgingly in agreement and stared at Tom for a moment longer than necessary as if to say, 'that better be all that happened' before he finally shook his outstretched hand.
"Car's round front." He said before turning sharply on his heel and leading them towards the parking lot.
Jane shot an apologetic look in Tom's direction before turning to follow her husband.
"I don't think your dad likes me very much." Tom whispered to Hermione as they followed after them, and Hermione just chuckled.
"Of course he doesn't. I'm his only daughter, and you're the first guy I've brought home…that makes you a threat."
Tom scoffed, "Well, I suppose that means we won't be sharing a room, then."
Hermione let out a surprised laugh, "My father would have a stroke, Tom, of course we'll be in separate rooms!"
Tom leaned down to whisper in her ear with a smirk, "Not if I can help it."
She raised her eyebrow at his forwardness, though it hadn't surprised her; not after he managed to sneak into her room a few nights back.
As they slid into the backseat of Hermione's parents car, Tom noticed Hermione's father's gaze flicking to him in the rear-view mirror. He supposed the man was trying to seem intimidating, so he did his best to look sheepish.
"So Tom, where are you from? Hermione didn't say." Jane asked in an attempt to break the awkward silence.
"Little Hangleton. It's just a small suburb-" he began before Hermione's father interjected gruffly.
"Little Hangleton? Isn't that where those hicks were picked up for illegally breeding poisonous snakes? Gaunt something or other, wasn't it?"
Hermione's brow furrowed when she felt Tom's hand clamp tighter around hers briefly before it relaxed once more.
"Yes, a local embarrassment, to be sure." Tom answered tightly, flicking his gaze out the window.
"Well, I hope you're both hungry, I made a big dinner." Jane chirped brightly unaware of the tension brewing in the backseat.
oOo0oOo
"Hermione, dear, why don't you show Tom to the guest room so he can settle in, then come help me with dinner." Jane suggested as Tom stepped in behind Hermione with their two bags.
"Sure, mum." Hermione answered dutifully, and nodded at Tom to follow her.
Once they reached the second floor landing, Tom reached out to her waist and pulled her back against him.
"Tom, what are you doing? My dad is just downstairs!" Hermione scolded in a hushed whisper.
"What does it look like? I'm kissing my girlfriend." He said as he brushed his lips over hers before kissing her properly.
She relaxed into his embrace and kissed him back before she reluctantly pulled away.
"They'll get suspicious if we are up here too long." She said biting back a smirk.
Tom let out a small noise of frustration and followed her into the guest room.
It was pink.
Hermione watched Tom, biting her lip nervously as he moved toward the bed and picked up a small decorative throw pillow. It had a cat on it.
"I can explain that…" she said blushing when he held it up as if to say 'what the fuck?'
Tom just raised an eyebrow at her and glanced down once again at the fuzzy cat pillow in his hands.
"This…oh god this is embarrassing…this used to be my bedroom." She said biting her lip nervously, "Before, that is. I was only eleven when I left for Hogwarts, and well…since I wasn't around much, I think they were a bit sentimental about changing it." She finished awkwardly, taking the cat pillow form his hands and clutching it to her chest.
"It's…uh…charming." He answered, trying his best not to laugh.
"Anyway, a few years back, I decided to take the smaller room when I came home because it was less…"she trailed off
"…Pink?" he offered
She nodded blushing again, "If it bothers you, I really don't mind switching." She said absent mindedly stroking the cat pillow.
A mischievous smile curled his lips as he leaned towards her and rested his forehead against hers, "No matter, I intend to spend more time in your bed anyway."
"Don't let me father hear you say that, he'll have you buried in the backyard next to our cat." Hermione chuckled.
Tom snorted, "What your father doesn't know won't kill him." he said as he pulled her close and kissed her once again before they were interrupted by the sound of a throat clearing in the doorway.
"Dad! I was just…" Hermione began as her cheeks burned scarlet
"-Just heading down to help your mother set the table." Her father finished for her, giving Tom a look of disapproval.
Hermione didn't need to be told twice and she bolted from the room and down the stairs to help her mother, leaving Tom alone with her father.
"I wanted to thank you again, sir for allowing-" Tom began before Richard held up his hand
"Look, I'll cut to the chase; I know what young love is like. I myself was once eighteen…that being said, if you hurt her in any way, I'll kill you and make it look like an accident."
Tom's eyebrows shot up to his hairline in surprise at her father's blunt words, though, in a way, he admired the man's approach; he could appreciate directness.
"Of course, sir. I wouldn't dream of-"
"Of course you won't…but if you did, I have a gun and shovel and there's plenty of room in the backyard beside the family cat." Richard said as he scowled at Tom.
Tom wasn't sure if he was supposed to reply to that last comment, but before he could, her father clapped him firmly on the back and said jovially, "Now, I think dinner's just about ready."
"Sure…" Tom answered warily as he watched the elder man turn and jog down the stairs while whistling.
oOo0oOo
"Can you pass the gravy, dear?" Jean asked Hermione in a cheerful voice as she surreptitiously snuck a glance at her husband and had to stifle a chuckle when she noticed the scowl on his face as he watched Tom cut his chicken into pre-measured bites.
"Dinner is delicious, mum, thank you." Hermione said politely as she took a bite of her chicken and glanced over at Tom who was focused on making sure the gravy didn't run off of his mashed potatoes into his peas.
"It won't kill you, you know." Hermione whispered to him as she took a sip of her milk.
"What?" Tom asked in confusion as he took a bite that was a perfect ratio of chicken, potatoes, peas and gravy.
"If your food touches; it won't kill you. I mean, it's all going to the same place." She said with a chuckle.
"Of course not, though statistically speaking, you have a greater risk of choking on a hidden pea the way you eat." Tom answered defensively.
Hermione noticed her father watching their exchange with a look of bewilderment on his face before he scoffed and took a bite of his food and muttered 'kids today' under his breath as if that explained Tom's bizarre eating habits.
When dinner was finished, Hermione volunteered herself and Tom to take care of the dishes while her parents relaxed in the living room.
Once they were alone in the kitchen, and Hermione had begun rinsing the plates for Tom to put into the dishwasher, she asked with an air of innocent curiosity, "So what did my dad say to you earlier?"
Tom snorted, "He told me about your cat."
Her brows furrowed as she looked at him in confusion, "He told you about Crookshanks?"
"Well, not in so many words, though he did specifically mention there was plenty of room beside him." Tom smirked.
Hermione blushed in mortification, "Oh god, he didn't threaten you, did he?"
"Do you really want me to answer that?"
"He's harmless. He's just a bit…overprotective I suppose." Hermione said as she finished rinsing the plate and handed it to Tom.
"Well it's a good thing he doesn't know what I do to you behind closed doors then." Tom whispered quietly as he leaned in to nip her neck playfully.
"Stop that! Do you have a death wish, or something?" Hermione chuckled as she pushed him away.
"Of course not, I plan to live forever."he joked as he pulled her against his chest and cropped a kiss on her lips.
As they walked back into the living room, Hermione's father looked up at them from where he sat cleaning his gun.
Shit.
AN: LOL! I have always wanted to see what it would be like to have a young Voldemort be intimidated by an over-protective dad. Funny story, a friend of my family actually did this to my sister's boyfriend (now husband), right down to cleaning his gun! Lastly, I wanted to give a shout out to all of you who have taken the time to review, follow, and favorite this story…it's fun to write these characters in more of a "Muggle" setting.