The Poem

Tom walked quickly out of Hermione's room, worried about how she was affecting him. He had been so worried about her when he had woken up to her screams in the night. He had tried to wake her up for five minutes before she had actually opened her eyes, and it had terrified him.

This was not a good thing for him; he could not be caring this much about one person.

He looked down at his watch and cursed; he was late for a meeting.

When he apparated to the Malfoy's he heard a curse come from someone nearby. He looked around, but all he could see were the faces of his followers; Avery, Lestrange, Black, Malfoy, Mulciber, Nott, Rosier, Wilkes, Crouch, Crabbe, and Goyle.

It was good that they were all there; otherwise he would have killed them.

"Avery, did you bring it?" He asked sharply.

"Yes, my lord, it is here." He produced, from his bag, a small round sphere.

"And you're sure it's legit?" It better be.

"Yes, my lord. It will show you your greatest desire, my lord, and it will tell you if you will attain that desire."

"Good," He held out his hand and Avery placed the desire sphere into his hand.

Tom held it for five minutes before anything showed up. Everyone around him was tense, waiting too, hoping that their master would be pleased.

The ball was at first a haze of clouded blue. Then it turned brown, auburn almost. He could see the outline of a person, a girl. He frowned, this was not what he wanted most in life.

The girl's face was beautiful. Pale, with light rosy cheeks. Her eyes were a deep brown. Her hair was curly. It was Hermione.

Tom hissed, and the death eaters winced. He threw the sphere onto the ground cracking it into a million pieces. They gasped, and he apparated away.

Two full days had passed since the desire sphere incident. He had stayed in his room all that time, trying to figure out a solution to this horrible predicament.

However, he had come to no conclusion, but one.

He realized that he must love her. It was odd for him; he'd never known any emotion but hate.

It wasn't right and he didn't want it. It confused him, to know that he was connected to her, that her fate would be intertwined with his. That is she left, he wouldn't be alright.

All these things terrified him. He, who didn't fear anything, was worried about what this girl could do to him.

He tensed, fists clenched. He couldn't let her do this to him; it would ruin him.

He walked down the hall of the Potter Mansion, very angry at Hermione for something she hadn't really done. And yet at the same time, he needed to see her, to know she was okay.

He continued walking down the hall, to the room where he knew Hermione would be – the library. He heard her voice and knew he needed to talk to her, to send her away, to get her out somehow.

As he neared, he heard what she was saying.

"For the moon never beams without bringing me dreams

Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;

And the stars never rise but I feel the bright eyes

Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;

And so, all night tide, I lie by the side

Of my darling, my darling, my life and my bride,

In the sepulcher there by the sea,

In her tomb by the sounding sea."

As she read, Tom's heart grew cold. The beautiful poem ran deep in his memory and stabbed at his heart like a knife, reminding him of the only person he had ever truly loved.

"Tom," she held up a book, looking at him expectantly, "Won't you read with me for a while?"

Her eyes showed how she adored him, and he too adored her.

He walked towards her, she was so beautiful, and yet disfigured by her nightly beatings. Her face had grown a shade of lavender; her eyes were always a bit puffy. It nearly killed Tom to see her that way.

He put one hand lightly upon her bruised cheek. She looked down, shamefully.

"Don't, Tom," she said knowing what he was about to say, "Don't tell me I shouldn't stay."

"But, Mum," he pleaded, "You can't keep setting yourself up for this, you don't deserve it even a little."

"I have to Tom, I could never leave you."

"Mum, I can hold my own, I'm sixteen now. If that's not enough I can always use magic, I'm quite talented."

She smiled, "I know, Tom, you're amazingly gifted. I know you could defend yourself. That's not what I'm worried about. I'm worried about what it would do to me if I left you. I'm not sure I could be happy. You're my world, now." A tear fell down her cheek. Tom sighed, nodding, although not content.

"Will you please just read with me?"

"Yes, of course, Mum." He sat down next to her, "what are we reading today?"

"Poe." She smiled, amused. Tom groaned.

"Really, do we have to? He's so negative."

"Don't worry, Tom, I think you can handle it." She flipped the book open, the page she went to was so familiar to her, she closed her eyes,

"It was many and many a year ago,

In a kingdom by the sea,

That a maiden there lived whom you may know,

By the name of Annabel Lee…

In the sepulcher there by the sea,

In her tomb by the sounding sea."

She sighed, contented.

"That's pretty," He said touching the old, worn book. She nodded, opening her eyes.

Tom didn't know that it would be the last time he saw their pretty blue irises.

He hated all those beautiful memories that seemed so distant and so unattainable. He hated that the only person that had ever loved him now lie in the sea, killed by her husband, his father, drowned to death.

No matter the cruelty of the ordeal, it was befitting that she would die in the sea, just like Annabel Lee.

He hissed, remembering her face the last time he saw it, serene, loving. It stung him like a thousand needles. It broke his heart.

"I wouldn't have become who I am today if it wasn't for your death mother." He whispered quietly to himself, one tear falling down his face, burning like acid.

He hadn't cried in ten years and it was doing strange things to his eyes. They felt like they were burning, about to burst.

He heard a small gasp. He looked up and groaned.

"Get away Hermione; I don't want to talk to you." She bent down anyway, worried. He needed her not to get that close, it was confusing him.

"Tom, what's wrong?" she said softly, kindly. He stiffened, unable to be with anyone right now.

"Tom, its okay, we all hurt you know." She put her arms hesitantly around him.

And his body was instantly on fire.

A/N: So we see yet another side of Tom. I had fun writing this one. The next one will most definitely get interesting. Keep reviewing!