Chapter 49

"A Promise"

Harry raced into the castle and desperately looked for Hermione. The battle had calmed down some. The stunned death eaters were being shackled and taken outside. Harry ran up to Dumbledore.

"Professor Dumbledore, have you seen Hermione?" he asked.

Dumbledore's face went pale.

"I thought I told her to wait outside. Are you sure she is not there?" he ask.

Harry shook his head.

"No. I looked everywhere for her," said Harry.

Dumbledore looked around.

"We must find her!" said Dumbledore.

Harry and Dumbledore took off to find Hermione.

"What?" asked Tom, wondering if he had heard her right.

Hermione smiled.

"I'm pregnant," she said.

"Pregnant?" asked Tom.

"Yes," replied Hermione.

"Really?" Tom asked.

"Really," said Hermione, smiling brightly.

Tom picked her up and spun her around before placing her carefully back down.

"I'm going to be a father!" he said. "I can't believe this!"

He placed a hand on Hermione's belly. He was going to be a father. He just couldn't believe it. All his time was spent plotting and destroying. Never once in his wildest dreams had he ever thought he'd be a father. He then suddenly became sad.

"What are we to do?" he asked Hermione.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"I mean, I could never escape the past that I have. Everyday would be spent in exile and hiding. I don't want that life for my wife and child," he said.

Hermione placed her hand on his face.

"Tom, I'd go anywhere for you. As long as I'm with you, I'm happy. We could be raising our child in a cave and eating wild berries, but at least I'd be with you," she said.

Tom smiled and leaned in to kiss her. Just as their lips were about to meet, the door was blasted open. Hermione and Tom stepped back and watched as Lucius Malfoy stormed in, eyes burning with rage.

"You filthy little whore!" he yelled. "How dare you! You have changed my lord!"

Tom stepped up to Lucius.

"Shut your mouth, Malfoy!" he hissed. "She is no whore. She is my wife! Go away or suffer the consequences."

Lucius's eye twitched. He was too late. His lord had become soft and that whore was to bare a child.

"I have offered everything I could. I gave you beautiful women that you would not touch, the pure pleasure of torturing muggles that we caught, and what thanks do I get? You go back to her! That bitch from your past! I had so long had hoped that she would die, fueling your anger to rid this world. When she did, it worked, until she came back as a filthy little mudblood. She had made you a weakling. You're not the lord I used to know. You're a softhearted bastard! If you won't carry out the dirty work, I will," said Lucius.

He raised his wand and aimed it at Tom. Tom's green eyes suddenly became pools of fear and rage. His own wand had rolled under the desk.

"Avada..." hissed Lucius.

"NO!" screamed Hermione.

She pulled out the dagger Ron gave her and sliced off Lucius's wand hand. Lucius screamed with excruciating pain as his hand, still clutching his wand, fell to the floor in a bloody heap. Blood began to spurt from the stub of Lucius's arm. Hermione dropped the dagger. Tom grabbed her hand and ran with her out onto the balcony. Lighting crashed overhead. The wind blew hard. They both came to the edge of the balcony and looked down at the raging river below. They were about to turn around when Lucius rushed out, blood trailing behind him. He got down on his knees and crawled up to Tom and Hermione.

"M-my Lord, please forgive me," he said. "I am foolish!"

Tom sneered at him.

"Never!" he hissed. "Just go kill yourself you filthy creature."

Lucius looked up at him. He then looked at Hermione, he hair flowing madly around her, eyes burning madly. He slowly got up, clutching his bloody arm.

"Y-yes," said Lucius.

Lucius turned around and began to walk away.

Harry and Dumbledore had heard a cry and followed it. They had stormed into the study and saw the bloody hand on the floor. They both rushed over to the balcony doors and stopped and watched as Lucius Malfoy, bleeding badly, turned away from Tom and Hermione.

Tom grabbed Hermione in a hug. He knew he could star ta new life. Nothing was going to ever come between him and his love.

"Are you alright?" asked Tom, pushing a strand of hair out of Hermione's face.

"Yes," said Hermione.

Tom placed a hand on Hermione's chin and kissed he forehead. He would deal with Lucius later. He wanted nothing else in the world but to be with Hermione. The clouds became darker and heavier. Thunder rolled overhead as lighting slashed through the sky. The wind began to pick up and growl.

Lucius saw Dumbledore and Harry standing there, waiting to take him away and let him rot in Azkaban, awaiting the kiss from a dementor. No, he would not be taken alive. He suddenly pulled out Hermione's dagger and turned around, running and screaming madly toward the couple. The world seemed to slow down. Harry and Dumbledore ran after him. Tom and Hermione turned around. Lucius was charging after Hermione, his face covered in spatters of blood and contorted with pure rage. His blonde hair flew behind him like an angry bull's tail. Lighting danced across the sky, reflecting off the bloodstained blade of the dagger. Harry and Dumbledore sent a stupefy curse at him. Lucius jumped in the air, the spells dodging past him. He lunged toward Hermione.

The dagger reflected in her eyes. She felt like she was staring at the face of death, so she closed her eyes and waited to any moment feel the blade slice through her body. Suddenly, she felt her self being pushed down. She opened her eyes and watched as Tom jumped in Lucius's path. The blade lunged into his chest. Hermione stretched out her hand.

"NO!" she screamed.

Lucius watched as the blade sunk into his lord. The emerald green eyes filled up an emotion Lucius didn't know. He let go of the dagger's handle and backed away, slipping on a puddle of his own blood and falling to the ground. Blood began to poor from the wound in Tom's chest. Tom looked at the dagger to Lucius. He pulled out the dagger and dropped it. Just as it hit the ground, the world seemed to speed up.

Hermione rushed to Tom's side. Blood was oozing out of his mouth as he tried to gulp down air. His hands covered the blood coming out from the large wound in his chest.

Tears cluttered Hermione's eyes. She heard Lucius trying to get up and run away. She spun around and watched him back up against the balcony. Rage surged through her like she had never felt before. She focused her attention on the dagger and sent it flying toward Lucius. It slammed into Lucius's back. Lucius stumbled a few feet, then leaned up against the stone railing of the balcony. He turned to look at Hermione, seeing not the mudblood, but a terrifying, powerful witch. He watched as she focused her eyes on the stone railing. The railing broke. Lucius went toppling down toward the river. Hermione leaned over to and watched as Lucius fell. The angry waters of the river reached up to him, as if they were the angry, hungry hands of hell. He slammed into the sharp rocks below.

Hermione watched his lifeless, battered body be swallowed up in the river. The rage inside her left, leaving only a feeling of dread sorrow to reside in her. She quickly turned around rushed over to Tom. She fell to her knees and placed her hands over his bloody hands, removing them so she could see what damage had been done. A puddle of blood had gathered around him as he shook uncontrollably.

Harry started to move to help Hermione, but Dumbledore extended his arm out. He pulled Harry from off the balcony and back into the study.

"No," said Dumbledore. "She must be left alone."

She looked at the wound in Tom's chest it was so deep and bloody. She didn't know what to do.

"Tom! Tom!" she yelled.

Tom turned his gaze upon her.

"Hermione," he said.

He coughed on his own blood. He extended his hand up to Hermione's face and placed it on her cheek. Hermione placed her hand over his. She leaned over him and stared into his eyes. Hermione then remembered she had her wand with her. She searched her pockets for her wand and pulled it out.

"Maybe I can seal up the wound so I can get you some help," she said.

"NO!" cried Tom.

Hermione was taken aback by his sudden outburst. Tom's eyes filled up with tears. He took her wand from her hands and placed it down on the ground.

"It's time I let go of a life I was never meant to have," he said. "I had always wondered what awaited for me after this life."

"No, no, Tom. You're talking nonsense. I can't go on without you," Hermione said.

"You must, Hermione, you must," he said. "I want you to promise me that you'll go one living without me and take care of our child."

Hermione tried desperately to hold back her tears.

"Y-yes," she said.

Tom leaned up to kiss the angel who had changed his world for one last time.

"I'll look in on you from time to time. I love you," he said.

"I love you, too," said Hermione.

Tom closed his eyes and smiled as he laid back down on the cold marble ground. Hermione held his hand and felt him slip away.

"Tom!" she cried. "TOM! TOM!"

She grabbed him and held him to her, his blood staining her dress. She couldn't hold back her tears any longer. She looked up the clouds and cried. A ray of sunlight broke through the black clouds and shown down on them. Hermione sat there and cradled Tom's body in her arms.

"NO! NO!" she cried.

A light drizzle began to fall. The blood on the ground began to wash away until it was all gone. Hermione placed Tom's body carefully back on the ground. His blood was still soaked in her dress. She placed her hands over her eyes and sobbed. He was dead. Nothing could bring him back. Laid down beside him and stared up at the heavens. She could hear his voice in her head, asking her to make a promise.

As the rain poured down on her, she closed her eyes. She sat up and opened her eyes to stare at Tom's face. She kissed his pale lips for one last time.

"I promise," she said. "I promise."