DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER!!
Memoirs
Chapter 7
Tom and Hermione slept soundly that night, undisturbed by anything or anyone. When the small wind-up clock beside their bed struck 6am, it started to play a tune reasonably loud. Tom quickly released a rousing Hermione from his arms and muttered a wand-less spell, making the tune stop.
"Sorry about that." He said, putting his arm back around her and kissing her neck lightly.
"It's alright. What time is it?"
"Early. Go back to sleep." He commanded lightly, wanting to hold her sleeping form in his arms and never let her go. And indeed, Hermione went to sleep. He had admitted to himself shortly after Hermione had died that he loved her. Truly, fully, unconditionally and forever. She may be Potter's mudblood but he loved her.
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Hermione awoke to silence - save for the birds outside and the commands from down below with the training sessions - and alone in the bed. She didn't care that Tom was gone, she was grateful for some peace and some time to herself. Hauling herself out of bed, Lucius entered the room, not bothering to knock. She stopped in her tracks to the bathroom to have a long hot shower and smiled sadly and regretfully. "Why can I never have some time to myself?" she asked non-too-gently or quietly.
"I'm sorry to bother you," Lucius snapped through his teeth, "but I've been told to escort you to breakfast."
"I can walk there by myself." She insisted, resuming to the bathroom.
"You don't know where it is." He answered simply. "We had to move because the Order found us. Remember?" he asked spitefully.
She marched over to him and slapped his face hard enough to leave a firm crimson hand-print on his albino skin. "Don't you dare mention them to me!" she screamed at him, hard enough to make him recoil a little. "Now, get out." She snarled, and he complied, slamming the door. "Men." She huffed and outside the door Lucius huffed, 'Women'.
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Hot streaming water soaked Hermione's hair as she leant at arms length against the tiles of the shower. Keeping her eyes closed as the water poured down her face, she didn't try to conceal the tears running down her face that blended into the water. All she could see on the back of her eyelids were the faces of those she loved and lost. Harry sitting at the table in Grimmauld Place, Ron looking ridiculous in his dress robes in 4th year, Sirius shouting carols through the halls of his house.
Hermione raised her arms to run her fingers through her hair, but instead, she fell over. Slipping forwards and smacking her head against the tiles, breaking the skin, Hermione cried out in surprise and pain. She groaned and tried to stand up, but her feet slipped again, sending her back to the floor. As she crawled over to the shower door and onto the floor, she heard the door open to the room.
Assuming it was Tom; she thought nothing of it and stood up, grabbing a towel and wrapping herself in it. But her blood froze when a sneering voice echoed through the room.
"Milaaaaady?" Bella asked mischievously. "Come out, come out, wherever you are. I've got a bone to pick with you." As her heart rate increased tenfold, Hermione was actually begging Tom, or someone to come and save her. "Oh, come on, little Mudblood, show your face." Bella challenged.
Hermione grabbed her dressing gown and pulled it on. Tying the ropes around her waist, the door opened. "Ahh, there you are." Bella pointed her withdrawn wand at the shaking Hermione and closed the door behind her. "You've crossed me for the last time, Mudblood." She hissed, her anger levels rising by the second.
"Now, just think about this, Bella, just for a moment; if you kill me do you really think He'll love you? You think He'll say, 'thanks, Bella, let's hug and kiss and make up'?"
Bella did seem to hesitate at her words. "It doesn't matter. Because then you're out of the picture and I can-"
"Put your wand down and get out, Bella." Tom ordered from behind her. Said witch spun around and her eyes widened in surprise and fear.
"But, milord-"
"Now!" he roared at her and she practically ran from the room. Tom walked towards her and embraced her gently. "Are you alright?" he asked her.
"Yeah." She said breathlessly. Her heart beat was still incredibly erratic. "Feel my heart." She whispered, picking up his hand and placing it over her heart.
"You're injured." He noted aloud, running the pad of his thumb around her cut. He pulled out his wand, cast a healing spell and scourgify and put his wand back in his robes.
Tom thought it was quite sweet how she was, in a sense, depending on him. Indeed, her heart was pulsing quite heavily. As she closed her eyes, trying to regain her breath, Tom slid his hand down her chest slightly and onto her breast. At that, her eyes popped open and she looked into his. They were filled, not with lust, but with love. True and honest love. And then the logical side of her brain shut off when he kissed her.
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They'd managed to make it to the bed. Hermione slept soundly for the first time since coming back and Tom watched over her as she slept. The peaceful rhythm of rise and fall of her chest, her slow deep breaths. She was beautiful, in everyway. Where their future would go, he had no idea. But he knew that he loved her. And for the first time, he wanted to love someone. His mind flew back to the past, back to his 7th year at Hogwarts. He'd had a relationship with a girl, and had fallen in love with her. Her name was Alaana (Al-Ahh-Nuh).
She had often said that she loved him, and truly meant it, and Tom had thought it pathetic and became the nasty boyfriend. He told her that she'd never get anyone as good as him, that she was hideous and she's lucky that he was with her, she was fat, lazy, stupid and many other horrible things.
Tom was in the Slytherin Common Room, sitting at a table, reading yet another book, when she strolled up to him. "Hey, Tom." She said mischievously. "How are you?" she asked as she perched on the table.
"A lot better until you came along." He snapped, leaning back in his chair and pulled her into his lap. This was about 7 or 8 weeks after he'd started being horrible to her - and started loving her - so she had gotten used to his horridness.
"What were you reading?" she asked, roping one arm around his neck and used the other to run her fingers through his short unruly ebony locks.
"A book, couldn't you see that?" he snapped, squeezing her waist with his arms possessively. He sensed that they were being watched and looked over to the sofas and noticed a fellow 7th year boy named Orion Black staring lustily over to Alaana.
"Don't worry, Tommy," She said calmly, not knowing he hated the name, "you know you're the only man for me." she said, turning his head back to her and kissed his lips. He was always over-bearing where being intimate was involved and always hurt her until she backed down and let him take the helm. Their tongues tangoed for a minute or so before he grabbed and squeezed her arm quite painfully and she gasped and subdued into his dominance. He pulled away a moment later and snarled at her.
"Yes, I am. Only because no one else would want you. He'd just want to fck you, slut." He sneered, ignoring the hurt in her eyes. "Now, leave me alone." He pushed her out of his lap. "And lose some more weight." He added.
"But Tom, I'm barely eating as it is." She began to explain in a begging way. "And I-"
He stood up from his chair and grabbed her wrists and twisted quite painfully. "You love me, don't you?" he asked her, playing the guilt card.
"Of course, I do. You know that."
"And I like thin girls." He said, releasing her wrists and sitting back down. She bit her lip, nodded and left the room, taking a glass and pot of salt with her.
But she wasn't. She was the most beautiful, intelligent, thin girl in the entire school and was lusted over by every boy over 3rd year. Alaana became anorexic, and then bulimic. And she ended up in St Mungos with the worst case of the horrible illness they had seen in 50 years.
And she died a few days after being administered. And Tom whispered in her ear, just as her heart was failing, that he loved her and hadn't meant any of the horrible things he had said to her: that she was beautiful, the most wonderful girl he had ever met. And had made a young girl die happy.