A/N: Thank you for your reviews, favorites and follows after last chapter. This chapter hasn't been reviewed by lanamarymack or Angela 007, but through no fault of their own! I've just been extremely behind. You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions.
Please let me know what you thought of chapter twenty-three and be on the lookout for chapter twenty-four soon!
31 December 1952
Tom would have preferred to let his birthday pass by without acknowledgement, as he did every other year. Normally he detested the reminder that he was another year older, hurtling ever faster towards some unknown end. He holed up on his own while the rest of his friends were out tippling champagne until the wee hours of the morning, guaranteed to need the best Sober Up Potions when New Year's Day dawned cold and unyielding.
But this year was different.
Hermione would not hear of him spending his birthday all alone when he could be celebrating with her. Luckily, she seemed to understand his hesitancy and did not suggest some fancy dinner out, instead inviting him over to her flat for snacks and presents.
He'd grown familiar with her flat in the past weeks, feeling like he almost knew it as well as his own at this point, but he was surprised to see a small Yule tree, decorated with lights and tinsel stood up near her fireplace. The weather outside was bone chilling, the icy wind attempting to find any crack to gain entry, but her little living room was cheery and warm - quite the opposite of his own.
Tom decided then that maybe it wasn't so bad to celebrate his birthday somewhere like this. Spending time with Hermione would keep his mind distracted for a while, instead of spiraling through all the possibilities his life was currently facing.
She greeted him with a brief kiss, reaching up on stocking footed tiptoes to reach him. He was only too happy to wrap his arms around her, holding her close. When she pulled away, she was smiling shyly, a blush on her cheeks. He hadn't been exaggerating when he told Abraxas that she was glowing - he was really blown away by how pretty she seemed, full of vitality.
"I'll just get the food," she said, pushing him towards the divan to make himself comfortable.
He couldn't help but watch her walk away. She was wearing denim pants, a new fashion that was so very muggle, but for once he appreciated it. How could he not when they clung so perfectly to her arse?
She walked back in, carrying a tray with an assortment of nibbles for them to share and enjoy. She'd gotten him a bottle of prosecco, though she politely sipped on water. Pouring him a glass, she offered him a toast. "Happy Birthday, Tom," she said, brightly. "I hope that this next year will be filled with as many good surprises as the last."
He gladly drank to that, knowing that Hermione was his favorite surprise that he'd had so far. When she strode into his shop, he never would have expected that in just a few short months he would be so utterly captivated by the witch.
"I'm so glad that I was able to find such a rough gem," he said, cupping her cheek gently. "The Ministry has no idea what you're capable of, do they?"
Hermione smirked, her painted lips as alluring as ever. When she met his eyes, he knew that he spoke the truth. "If they had half an idea of what I was capable of, well..." she trailed off, thinking about all the things that she had learned about. "I suppose they might try to kick me back out to the muggle world."
"I wouldn't let that happen," he assured her. Now that he had her, he knew that there was no way that he could let her go.
"That's a lovely thought, Tom, but if the Ministry really wanted to, I don't think anyone could stop them," she answered, sounding a bit sad.
He shook his head. "I would destroy the Ministry brick by brick if I had to," he countered, as though it was the most natural thing in the world. "Besides, I've got a lot of friends in the right places."
"Abraxas might celebrate if he thought the Ministry was going to get rid of me," she teased, knowing the Malfoy heir's influence and dislike of her.
"I don't know, I think that Abraxas's thinking might have come around recently," Tom explained, remembering his friend's absolute insistence that he make things permanent with Hermione. "He realizes now how important you are."
She sighed and rested her head on his shoulder. "Because of the baby," she said, a hand resting on her still non-existent bump. He wondered when he might be able to see physical evidence of the baby, aside from potion results showing that she was indeed pregnant. He wondered if he would find it repulsive or appealing to see that she was growing life itself within her.
While not all of his Knights had been enthused at the news that Tom was going to become a father with Hermione, they had mostly accepted that it was going to happen. Many of them recognized the primary objective of continuing a family line (though less so for him, seeing as he was only a Riddle. What good was passing on a muggle's name?) and the really important ones had come to begrudgingly accept Hermione. What did he care if Orion or Emeric still disapproved of her muggleborn status?
"Yes, I think that put things into perspective for him," Tom said. He wasn't going to bring up the fact that the only reason Abraxas really approved of her now was because of his intention to run for Minister of Magic.
The ring box began to burn a hole in his pocket. Tom felt unexpectedly nervous about asking her, but he knew that he couldn't put it off any longer than he had. He slipped his hand into his pocket and ran his fingertips over the velvet.
Despite being heir to perhaps the most influential family in the Wizarding World, Tom did not have the fortune to match. It had dwindled down to nothing but a few random heirlooms by the time it had gotten to his grandfather, Marvolo Gaunt. The ring that he selected to propose to Hermione with was small, but beautiful, paid for by scraping together some savings and selling one of his rarer texts, an unusually selfless act for a wizard who rarely did anything for anyone else.
But, Hermione wasn't just anyone else.
He was a bit embarrassed that he couldn't find Hermione a ring that was more grand - something more worthy of their relationship. But, he'd gotten what he could afford and he'd imbued it with something priceless. Reminded of her own blood sacrifice to him, he'd done the same, using his own blood to give his witch the best protection that he could.
"Speaking of, I was wondering if I could ask you something," he said, his voice sounding a bit thick. He swallowed, wondering why it was so difficult to get the words out. He turned his body to face her, though he was almost too afraid to look at her. "Hermione Granger, will you marry me?"
Tom held out his hand, the box on his sweaty palm, unopened.
Hermione didn't say anything, instead taking the box from him and opening it to see what was inside, revealing the small yet perfect diamond. She bit her lower lip, pulling it from its nestled position. "I...I don't know," she said, sounding hesitant. "I don't want to get married only if it's because of the baby. I want to get married if it's what you really want to do."
It was not an outright rejection, but it stung nonetheless. It took everything within him not to take it personally and listen to the words that she was actually saying. In a way, it was quite a practical stance for her to take, not dissimilar to his own feelings.
"It's not just because of the baby," he assured her. "I know that there isn't anyone else I would rather tie myself to than you. I can't imagine asking anyone else. Before you, I had no equal."
She held the ring up to the light, inspecting the runes inside the silver band, the reddish hue apparent in the light. "I'm sensing that there is a 'but' coming," she said, looking at him from around the ring.
"I have to be honest with you. I have ambitions to become Minister for Magic. Very soon, actually," he explained. "Perhaps I wouldn't ask you to marry me so soon if it weren't for that. I'd rather do it some way that the two of us would appreciate - maybe a handfasting or some other binding ritual that really speaks truth to our relationship, to our...mutual interests in the power of magic."
"But you aren't trying to hide me away?" she asked, still sounding a hint suspicious.
"On the contrary, that's why I'm asking you to marry me formally, in the eyes of the Ministry, so that no one can doubt that you are mine," he said, possessively. "I'm not ashamed of you, Hermione. And I don't want anyone to suggest it."
Her face was transformed then by a smile. "Then yes, I'll marry you Tom Riddle," she said, excitement bubbling up in her voice. She slipped the ring on her finger, her breath catching in her throat as she felt the protective enchantments settle. "I can't imagine myself with anyone but you as well. I've never felt quite a...connection with anyone else before."
To his surprise, he felt relief knowing that she actually agreed. He wasn't sure what he'd do if she wouldn't agree. She was his now. He couldn't be expected to give her up.
"If I'm perfectly honest, sometimes it scares me," she revealed, though he could easily see the love reflected in her brown eyes.
"Scares you?" he asked, unsure.
She shrugged. "I don't know...the way that I feel about you is so overwhelming. Sometimes I feel like I could just drown in it," she said, pressing a hand to her heart. "But then in my heart, I have this...this knowledge that this is right. That you and I were supposed to be together. Like we knew each other in another life. Do you think that's possible? Like reincarnation or something?"
Tom laughed. He wasn't going to get into a debate about philosophical differences. "I don't think I believe in reincarnation, but sometimes I do believe that magic must have divined this for us," he whispered, throwing his arm around her shoulders. "Maybe there is a prophecy bearing both our names."
Hermione stared at the ring that now adorned her finger. "I like what you've done with the blood magic," she said, shyly. "Though, it's a bit ruthless, don't you think?"
"No," he answered honestly. "Perhaps it's not ruthless enough. But, it will help keep you safer than you'd ordinarily be."
"I suppose," she agreed with a pleased sigh. He supposed that she must be secretly enthused that her fiance would go to such lengths, perform such dark magic, all for her own protection.
"Though, I don't know how much you need it. You were rather quick with a wand, if my memory serves," he said, thinking back to the time that Alfie tried to scare her at Samhain. "Where did you learn to duel like that anyway?"
"Oh, I don't think that I'm any better at dueling than anyone else," she said, though her modesty was not put on. "I just am a bit jumpier than others, I suppose."
Hermione was only revealing herself to being more and more impressive than he originally thought. He couldn't wait to have her at his side when he was running for Minister. He defied anyone to find anything wrong with his witch.
"I've only just realized that you've given me the absolute best present on your own birthday," she said dramatically, pretending to be annoyed. "You know, that isn't how this is supposed to work, right? How is my present ever going to compete with a marriage proposal?"
"Well, seeing as I never celebrate my birthday, I am sure that anything you've got will more than impress me," he countered. "Besides, you've agreed to marry me. That's present enough."
In the end, his suspicions were correct when she pulled out a neatly wrapped pharmacopeia of poisons and other dangerous herbology that he had never seen before and was sure he'd thoroughly enjoy. Another highlight was ringing in the new year at midnight with a passionate kiss that eventually led to a quick apparition to her bedroom.
Tom was sure that 1953 was going to be his year.