DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER!!

Memoirs

Chapter 24

Tom entered the room to see Hermione sitting on the bed, staring at a letter in her hands. "Hermione?" he asked. She said nothing, just stared at the paper. "Hermione?" he closed the door and walked over to her. He light placed a hand on her shoulder and slipped the paper from her fingers, but she remained looking at where the letter should have been in her hands.

His eyes skimmed over the ink and he then crumpled it up in a single hand and embraced his shocked wife. She didn't cry, or speak, just looked straight ahead and put her hands on Tom's arm as he kissed the top of her head. "It's alright." He repeated. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

"I know you won't."

"I love you, meus infirmitas."

"And I you, mon chère." She said back.

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Midnight had just passed across England and Tom crept out of bed. Walking over to his wardrobe, not caring about his state of dress - or lack of - he opened the wooden doors. Skimming through his robes, dipping his hands in the pockets in a blatant rush. After a few minutes of quickly searching, he found it. The Time Turner.

"Tom?" came a female voice from the bed. Looking over his shoulder, he saw Hermione sitting up in bed, letting the blankets fall to her waist. "What are you doing?"

He put the Time Turner back in the pocket of his robe, closed the wardrobe door and walked back to the bed. "Nothing." He answered simply, sitting on the blankets. She shuffled over to His side and kissed him lightly. He kissed her back and a minute later, he was lying on top of her.

"What were you doing at the wardrobe?" she asked as he left her lips in favour of going down to her chest.

"Nothing." He murmured against the soft skin of her breasts.

"Tom." She snapped, a little annoyed at his secrecy.

"Hermione." He said, mocking her tone, taking her right nipple in his mouth.

A moan escaped her lips as his fingers went down...and down...and down to her soaking patch. "Were you looking for something?"

He released her rosy bud and looked back at her, supporting his head on his free hand. "Meus infirmitas, you can guess all you want. But even if you do manage to guess right, I'm not telling you."

"Why not?" she sulked, giving a little thrust of her hips as a pair of fingertips ran over her folds.

"Because that's what I'm like." He said simply, kissing her again.

"Tom, tell me. Please." She whined, sliding her own hand down his painfully ready member. "I'll be a good girl." She said mischievously, giving him a little squeeze.

He growled in his throat. "Baby, you can guess all you want. Or do what you want. I'm not telling you."

"Well, then, I'll have to make you tell me." she hissed, flipping them over and straddling him. "How's this?"

"Wonderful. But I'm not telling."

"Well...what about...this?" she asked, dipping her fingers to her core, sliding them in and groping her breasts as she started to pump herself, moaning loudly.

He growled with her. "Still not enough."

She looked dramatically displeased. "Well, then, this calls for desperate measures." Moving down his body to his pelvis, she laid her chin on his stomach. "How about...?" she trailed off, taking him in her mouth.

He growled, trying to pull her away from him but she wouldn't budge, and gently put her teeth on him. He still in motion and she lifted her head. "Be a good boy." She snapped and returned to her work. He lay back and relaxed as she began something she had down for no one else in her life, and had never thought she'd do.

-----etc-----

10 minutes later, they both came and Hermione lay back next to him as he panted and heaved for breath.

"Will you tell me now?"

He sighed. "You aren't going to give up, are you?"

"No." she said simply.

"Fine then. Wait here." He got out of the bed, walked back across the room to the wardrobe and finding the small Time Turner again. Returning to the bed with it in his palm, he sat back next to her. She held her hand out and he dropped the Time Turner into her hand and she examined it in the little light they had.

"What is it?" she asked, not being able to see it properly.

"A very powerful Time Turner. It can go back and forward in time."

She looked at him murderously. "You aren't going anywhere."

"It's not for me." he said simply. "It's for you."

"Where am I going? Sorry, let me rephrase that - where do you think I'm going to let you send me?"

"I don't know." He sighed, putting his head in his hands. "Maybe my school days. At least there we can both keep an eye on each other."

"I'm not going anywhere, Tom Riddle." She snapped, pushing the Time Turner back into his hands.

"Hermione, you'll go where I send you."

"I'm not going anywhere." She pushed.

"Hermione, please just think about this. This war is getting more ferocious by the day, by the minute. I can't promise you'll be safe. I want you safe. I need you to be safe. Now, I need you to understand this," he said seriously, taking her head in his hands, "I love you. I truly love you. I've never felt this way about anyone. Not even Alaana."

"I should hope not." She commented.

"Hermione. I'm doing it to keep you safe."

"I can't believe that." She said quietly, shaking her head and pushing his hands away. "How do you even know that your school self will accept me?"

"Because it's already happened for me. I know what happens. Now...I'm sending you back as soon as you're dressed and I've written something."

"Written what?"

"I can't tell you." he said, pulling on a robe and sitting at his desk. She huffed and gathered some clothes but he shook his head. "No. You have to wear this." He said, picking out a dress and handing it to her. It was a very dark green silk dress with a high waist and flowing bottom. She said nothing, just put the dress on (along with underwear) and put her hair up in a loose-ish bun.

After 5 minutes of just sitting on their bed and watching Tom write something on a long roll of parchment, Hermione sat in silence, thinking about the man in front of her. She didn't want to admit it, not even to herself, but she would miss him. And his 17 year old self would make it worse. She'd seen him like Tom was at 17 and she didn't like it in the least. He was selfish, slightly perverse, cold, cruel and arrogant. True, he was already arrogant, a little perverse and cold but he wasn't selfish and cruel to her. And his 17 year old self would definitely be.

Tom put his quill down, folded the parchment, put it in an envelope and stands up. His head was low, as was hers, but when Hermione sensed him looking at her, she raised her head. He looked miserable. Truly and honestly miserable and upset about what was to happen in the next few minutes.

"Hermione..." he couldn't say anything. And neither could she. He walked over to her, crouched down in front of her and handed her the letter. "Give that to myself in the past. It'll explain everything."

"Can I-"

"No, you can't." he said abruptly.

She sniffed and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "Are we gonna do this or not?"

"Hermione, I just thought that-"

"What? I wanted to drag out the process of my husband sending me away - somewhere in which I can't return."

"My darling, I'm doing it to keep you safe."

"Yeah, right." She scoffed. "Just send me back. I can't look at you anymore."

Her words affected him, for he grabbed her hands and pulled her up sharply. Throwing the Time Turner around her neck and turning it 5 times rapidly - and only taking a second to do it - he then looked at her. And she looked back. Just as their lips met...the Time turner began to spin and they both vanished from the others eyes.