WRITTEN FOR QLFC, Book Club

These Violent Delights

Prompt:

[genre] Crime

AU! Hermione is Tom's girlfriend, and they're the same age.

The Surprise

Tom tries to surprise Hermione with something he thinks she will appreciate, but he's wrong

Hermione stared at the bloody head on the table and whimpered. "Merlin's beard, Tom! Is that..."

"What are you doing here so early, love? I thought you were coming over at six," Tom said, mildly irritated with his witch. He had been planning on revealing the head to her when she arrived for dinner later that evening.

"There's a head on the table, Tom! A head!" Hermione's voice was high-pitched and shrill, and Tom turned from where he stood arranging the flowers in the vase.

"Yes, love. I put it there." He spoke to her as if she were a small child, and Hermione bristled in indignation.

"Tom Marvolo Riddle! Why is there a head on the table?" Hermione wanted to throw up at the sight of all the blood pooling from the chopped-off neck, but she swallowed and leaned against the wall to stop herself from falling over.

"I wanted to surprise you," Tom admitted, walking over to her side. "Do you like it?"

Hermione tilted her head up to look at him, confused as to why he would assume she would like his surprise. She knew he wasn't quite right in the head, but he was Sherlock-level brilliant and possessed a hunger for obtaining immense knowledge.

The hopeful glint in Tom's eyes made her sigh softly. She reached out to take his hand and tugged him closer. "Tom," she started gently. "Why did you want to surprise me with this?"

"Do you know who this is?" Tom asked her instead, walking her over to the table. "Can you recognize him?"

Bile rose in Hermione's throat as Tom twisted the head towards her, and she recognized the bloody face of the Ravenclaw she had been at odds with during their Hogwarts years. She lurched and grabbed Tom's arm to steady herself. "Tom… That's Barty Crouch! What—why would y-you—"

"He insulted you, love. Remember how he called you a good-for-nothing whore at our graduation ball? No one abuses you in front of me—and gets to live," Tom declared, wrapping his free arm around her waist. He bent down to kiss her temple. "I love you, and I'll do everything I can to give you the world because you deserve it. And if I have to kill everyone on this planet for you, I will."

Hermione groaned under her breath when she realised his intentions. She wriggled under his arm and looked up at him. "Tom." She cupped his face in her hands before continuing, "I love you—truly, I do. But you can't go around killing people just because they call me names. Crouch was just jealous I got more marks than him; that's all. You didn't need to… chop off his head."

"But… he mocked your hair—and you know how much I love your hair," Tom argued, scowling at the head. "Might I add that he claimed you had slept with Slughorn for your exceptional marks?"

"Did I sleep with Slughorn for my marks, Tom?" she asked him in a low tone, placing her hands on his chest. When he shook his head in answer, she smiled and said, "Then, it doesn't matter what anyone says. If we know the truth, then nothing else—"

"I don't like it when anyone mocks you." Tom's tone was defiant, and Hermione sighed.

"I understand that you don't like that, but I don't want you to go around killing people if they disagree with you. Can you please respect my wishes, Tom?"

Tom dropped his head to press his lips to her forehead. "Anything for you, my love… What should I do with the head? Could I at least mount it on the—"

"No! Could you just get rid of it, please? Honestly, it's disturbing," Hermione admitted, leaving the confines of Tom's arms. He nodded immediately, picked the head up and quickly carried it to the other room.

Once he was gone, Hermione shivered in disgust and gagged at the stench of the blood. Tom was a strange man, and she didn't blame him for his unusual and eccentric personality. Despite his objectionable behaviour, she stayed by his side and did her best to show him that there was more to life than what he had experienced.

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