The Gift

Hermione woke up from her deep sleep to find herself in a car. She gasped, looking around for someone she knew. She had fallen asleep next to Tom the night before, after they had come back from the Potters'. Yet she didn't know how she had gotten here.

Tom chuckled from the passenger seat, she sighed, relieved.

"Where are we going?"

"To my house."

"Weren't we just at your house?"

"Yes, but I mean my old house." A shiver of fear ran down Hermione's spine; she was going to the old house where she had first been sent to this time period.

"Why?"

"Because I have something to give you."

"Why are we driving and not apparating?"

"We did already, but the people who live here now are muggle so we're driving a bit to the house."

"Oh." That was all she could say. They pulled up to the old house and Hermione recognized it.

"Alright," he said coming around to her side of the car and helping her out. "This is it."

"This is the place where you grew up?" It fit his description of his childhood life perfectly. Now, in the light, she could see it looked even older. There were vines running along its walls and many of the windows were cracked or broken. It was sad and dark and Hermione had no desire to enter it again. Tom went up to the door and knocked. Hermione was immediately afraid for its inhabitants; Tom might not be willing to negotiate whatever it was he wanted.

The door opened and an old woman in a flowery sundress appeared. "How can I help you young people?" she said kindly, like a grandmother. It reminded Hermione painfully of her own grandmother.

"Well," Tom said politely, shocking Hermione, "I was wondering if I could look for something here. You see, I grew up in this home and I left something here."

"Well of course you can come in, young man, and bring your wife with you." Her trust for them astonished Hermione; no one would let someone like Tom into their house without some sort of assurance. Tom may have been extremely handsome, but it was dark and foreboding, he was not an easily trustable man.

"Thank you, ma'am." He was acting like such a gentlemen compared to his normal behavior and Hermione didn't know what to think.

They walked into the house and Tom, without hesitating, went up the stairs. Hermione followed close behind, disturbed by the eeriness of the house. As they walked down the hall at the top of the stairs, Tom turned around.

"Hermione," he said seriously, "I'm going to give you this because I love you, but I want you to protect it with your life." Hermione eyed him warily, worried about his request.

"Okay, I'll protect it."

"Good," he said and walked to one of the doors, opening it.

It was the room that Hermione had last seen before traveling back to the past. She shivered. He went to a large, black wardrobe that Hermione hadn't seen before and moved it aside. Underneath, he pulled up one of the floorboards and Hermione caught a glimpse of gold. Reaching into it, he pulled it out and placed it in her hands.

"Hermione, this isn't just a necklace okay. This is a part of me."

Her heart stopped as she looked down at the familiar locket. Carved on it were his initials. It was his horcrux, it really was a part of him. She trembled, trying to catch her breath.

"Hermione, are you alright?" he said, reaching towards her as she fell.

0o0o

Tom had taken Hermione home immediately after giving her the horcrux. He didn't know what to do; normally women love jewelry, and he hadn't given her a gift before. It was eerie, almost as if she knew it was a horcrux. As Tom walked around the table in his study, contemplating what was to happen next, he heard a cry from the adjoining room. He ran into the library, expecting to find Hermione in some sort of extreme pain. Instead he found something else.

Standing across the room from him was Bellatrix Lestrange. He shuddered; remembering all that he had done with her. They had killed many together, yes, but that was not what was plaguing him.

She had been his lover for quite sometime in their years at Hogwarts. They had even gone on to consider marriage after their last year there, but she had been unfaithful many times and Tom would not stand for it.

"Lestrange," He said his jaw tight. "What do you want?"

"Tom," she purred sexily, "I came to see you of course," she dragged a finger across his cheek, "I wanted to see you again. It's been awhile."

"Not long enough I'm afraid," he said backing away, she may have been a whore, but she was damn hot and it was hard not to give in.

"Why such hostility? Don't you miss me too?" she sat down, crossing her legs which brought her already short dress to an impossibly shorter length on her thigh.

"Not at all."

"Tom," she said, serious now, "I came to talk alliance, not sex, unfortunately for you."

"Alliance? What do you mean?"

"Don't remember our dream, Tom? Power, all of it … ours." She stood up, excited. "Can't you see it? You used to speak of it all the time. It was all you could ever think of."

"I still have that plan, Lestrange, it just doesn't involve you now." He clenched his fists.

"But you need me, Tom, as your queen." She sat back down and rolled her eyes, "I heard of your new … wife," she gagged at that word and Tom hissed, "I've also researched her, Tom, and you can't be serious! A Gryffindor? A bloody loyal, good, kind, noble queen? What the hell were you thinking? She won't allow you to raise your heir to be a king. He'll just be another Gryffindor, another nice kid. He won't become anything and neither will you, not with her by your side. She'll hold you back, Tom." She came closer to him, nearing his face, "Tom, I won't hold you back. I'll bow down to you if you wish it, and she would never." At his expression, she added, "I'm right aren't I?"

And she was, he knew that he would never rule the world if Hermione was his queen. However, he also knew keeping her was his only chance of any kind of love. She loved him even though she knew how evil he was, she wouldn't stop either, and his son would grow up loved. Not rejected, like him.

Bellatrix was nearing him, standing closer than he should have allowed. Her tight dress was doing nothing to hide anything. She leaned in and kissed him gently on the corner of his mouth and he pushed her away so violently that she fell to the ground. He heard a gasp come from the doorway.

A pregnant, saddened Hermione was standing there, beautifully, with tears rolling down her face. Tom ran to her, noticing that she was wearing the locket.

"Hermione," he said as he wrapped his arms around her, "I didn't invite her, I promise." She closed her eyes in response, trying to pull away from him.

"Leave Lestrange," he ordered. Hermione's head went up at the name, Tom was confused as he saw even more pain fill her eyes.

"Sirius," she whispered silently.

"What?" he was shaking her gently, "Who's Sirius?"

"A friend," she was turning angry, "That she killed!"

"Lestrange, leave now or I will make you." He felt his eyes burn and knew they were turning red. She did as he asked, confused though by Hermione reaction. He looked back down at her and she gasped. He looked away remembering that his eyes would be red for a minute.

"It's not something I can really control, Hermione, it just happens when I get angry. I hope it doesn't scare you too much."

She looked into his eyes again, "So I have one competition and I lose? I don't understand, you only want me when I'm the only girl around?"

"No, Hermione not at all. I don't want her, I swear."

"I saw the way you looked at her, Tom, I'm no fool."