A/N: Thank you for your reviews, favorites and follows after last chapter! This one hasn't been alpha/beta read, but it's not the fault of lanamarymack or Angela 007, who are amazing, but my fault, since I'm so 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-five and be on the lookout for chapter twenty-six next week!
Tom came to collect her on the morning of their wedding, surprising Hermione where she stood staring out the windows of her flat onto the street below. It was absolutely pouring rain, an unusual occurrence compared to the usual drizzle that they got in London.
"I hope that you aren't put out about the weather," Tom said, hesitantly, his arms wrapping around her waist.
She smiled, loving the way that he was pressed up against her. "Not at all," Hermione said, fighting a smile. It was actually the day that she was going to get married to Tom Riddle. She never would have expected the intense romance that she had kindled with him, but she was thankful for it nonetheless. She felt as if he had broadened her horizons to a whole new life rather than the monotony she'd been dealing with in her lonely years at the Ministry.
She spun around in his arms and looked up at him, biting her lower lip. "Did you know that muggles think that rain on your wedding day is meant to be good luck?" she asked. "That the marriage will last."
He smirked at her. "Do you have any doubts that our marriage will last?" he asked, goading her a bit.
"Of course not," she assured him. For some reason, she was more sure of this than anything. Ever since the first time that she met Tom, she had felt as if she'd already known him. It was off putting at first, but now she knew, it just meant that they were meant to be with one another. She was simply recognizing her other half.
Tom laced his hand with hers, his long fingers intermingling with hers. "It comes from handfasting, actually," he explained. "If the knot that you tie gets wet from the rain, it's only more difficult to untie."
"Would you rather have had a handfasting?" she asked, knowing that he was rather traditional.
"Maybe for the novelty of it. But, today will be perfect," he promised, releasing her hand so that he could cup her jaw. He pressed a kiss to her lips. "Did you know that bad weather on Imbolc is meant to mean that winter will be over soon?"
"No, I had no idea," Hermione answered, surprised. She didn't particularly mind the winter, but she hoped that it was seen as a good omen for the wedding as well.
"Shall we head to Grimmauld Place?" he asked, offering his arm. "I believe that Orion has opened up the Floo for us."
Hermione bit her tongue to stop from saying something uncharitable about their hosts and their obvious distaste for muggleborns, instead leading him over to the fireplace. With a pinch of Floo powder, they were stepping through green flames and into the townhouse that the Blacks inhabited.
When she walked into the dreary home, Hermione was struck by an unusual feeling of familiarity. Taking a few confident steps in the foyer, she spun around, looking up the spiraling staircase. The deja vu was uncanny and she briefly wondered if she had been there before on Ministry business and just forgotten about it. She did do a lot of investigations, especially when she was just starting out and new to the Wizarding world.
Before she could ask Tom about it, Aurelia was sweeping her away so that she could get ready in one of the parlours (apparently there were several). It was not a particularly pleasant experience, as Aurelia frantically circled her, hoping to get every detail right, while constantly reminding Hermione that everyone was waiting for her. But, despite her lack of a bedside manor, Aurelia did great work and Hermione was more than impressed with her final look.
"Look, the dress still fits," she said with a smirk, twirling around so that she could see it from all angles in the conjured mirror.
The blonde gave her a sneer. "Well, thank Merlin for that," she quipped. "Now, let's get to the library. You can hardly make everyone wait any longer."
Without realizing it, Hermione's feet led her towards the stairs where she began making her way to the second floor, where the library was. She certainly did notice the pinched look on Aurelia's face at the way she seemed to know her way around the place either.
The library was beautifully appointed with lush flowers. White gardenias and jasmine were interspersed with pale pink camellias and forget-me-nots, giving a whole feeling of naivete and innocence. Hermione couldn't hide her smirk when she realized the message that Aurelia was trying to project.
She had no one to give her away, but she didn't let it bother her. It wasn't as if Tom had any family to accept her into either. They were becoming their own family - just her and him, and the baby once it arrived. She joined Tom in front of the Ministry official who would officiate the magical ceremony. She knew it was not traditional, but Hermione couldn't stop herself from stepping up onto her toes to press a chaste kiss to Tom's lips, unbothered by their audience. His hand found hers easily and they faced the unknown wizard together.
Hermione had never been to a wizarding wedding ceremony before, but she had read up on the particulars to help prepare. Their wedding was short and to the point, without any need for embellishments. They had each other and that's what mattered. But, Hermione enjoyed the vows most of all. It was quite heady to have a powerful wizard like Tom make lasting promises to her - promises to protect and care for her, no matter what. She knew that he typically focused on himself alone, so she loved hearing that she was now his priority. In turn, she vowed to support him however she could, to be faithful to him, and to never stop learning.
The ceremony was sealed with a kiss, once that both Hermione and Tom longed to make deeper, but she wouldn't offend everyone's sensibilities. But, it was hard to keep her hands to herself, especially when their magic was longing to intertwine after the magical vows.
Aurelia hadn't arranged a dinner, seeing as Imbolc couldn't wait, but she did bring in cake and fruit punch. Hermione knew that the others probably would have preferred champagne, so it was a nice touch considering her pregnancy.
The Knights came up to the newlyweds over the course of the next hour, each one giving their congratulations to the couple, with varying degrees of respect. Catching Tom's smirk out of the corner of her eye, Hermione got the impression that he sort of loved rubbing their relationship in the faces of the less than enthusiastic of his friends.
Eventually, judging by the look on Walburga Black's familiar face, they had overstayed their welcome. Perhaps sensing his wife's ire, Orion began ushering the group downstairs into the basement of Grimmauld Place, where they would hold their Imbolc ceremony. It was the first time that a ceremony would be held indoors, but Hermione was glad for it, seeing as the weather outside was so terrible.
When everyone was inside, Orion barred the door and waved his wand to light the candles and torches around the edges of the room, though it did little to keep the darkness at bay.
"At least we know that spring actually will be coming soon," Emeric said with a sigh, looking to the windows where the rain was clinging to the glass. "Barely even need a ritual to bring the weather back."
"Hey, we actually have a witch this time," Evan said, teasingly. "And a pregnant one to boot. Should make this year's ritual even more potent." He gave Hermione a wink.
Suddenly, she felt very out of place in her wedding dress. She didn't really have much idea about what happened in Imbolc, she realized. It had generally been adopted as a watered down version in the rest of the wizarding world, which meant that actual facts on the ancient tradition were difficult to verify.
Orion lit a fire in the fireplace on the far edge of the room, illuminating an empty tub.
"Is there something that I need to do?" she asked Tom quietly.
"Imbolc is mostly about divination. It will be most powerful if you do it - it's said that witches are better conductors. And your pregnancy means you are already blessed," he said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and guiding her towards an alcove at the edge of the room. He picked up a piece of white fabric that was already there. "Here, you should change into this."
"What's it for?" Hermione asked, though she began undressing from her wedding dress so that she could change. Once she was down to her knickers, she pulled the loose white linen dress over her head and banished her wedding dress back to her flat.
"There is a purification ritual first," Tom said with a grin. "You might want to lose the knickers, too."
Hermione swallowed nervously, but did as he bade, pulling them down her legs. Her skin prickled in the cold of the basement and she hoped that it wouldn't be long. Rejoining the other's, she found Alfie and Edmond pouring a thin opaque liquid into the tub.
"What is that?" she asked, starting to put two and two together.
"It's lamb's milk," Alfie said off hand. "From my homestead. Got it fresh for you this morning."
"Oh," she said, shocked. "And I'm meant to...to get in there, then?" she asked, tentative and unsure.
Emeric gave her a lascivious sort of grin and nodded. "Yeah, usually you'd be naked, too, but...out of respect for Tom, I suppose you can wear the shift," he said teasingly.
"Emeric," Tom said sharply, before offering Hermione his hand so that she could step into the tub.
She thought about protesting, thinking that it was all rather odd, but did as she was told because she still wanted to be a part of the ritual. A bit like the first ritual that she had joined, it felt like she was in the place of honor and it was too exhilarating to give up. Tom had talked about her being his Queen, but now she truly felt it.
Stepping into the cool liquid, the fabric of the dress pooled on the surface of the milk until it saturated. It was an unusual thing - she had never been very fond of baths in the first place - but she got it over with and quickly immersed herself in the liquid. The Knights stood around her in the tub, each one dropping in a bundle of herbs. She recognized rosemary and thyme and cypress and cedar, but couldn't place all of them. All the while, they walked around the tub in a counterclockwise motion until she was sure that she was going to go dizzy.
Finally, they stopped when Tom stood behind her, pressing his hands to her shoulders. She felt her heart beat wildly as he began to push her down, deeper into the liquid, until she realized that he wanted her to totally submerge herself. Taking a deep breath, she let herself slip under the milk, until every last part of her was hidden from view. She held her breath for as long as she could and just when her lungs were beginning to scream in protest, he let up.
Hermione resurfaced.
Tom was there to help her stand up from the lambs' milk, her shift dress clinging to her every curve. She caught Emeric leering at her once again, so she was grateful for a well timed drying charm, though she doubted she would feel clean until she was able to shower properly. Merlin, she didn't even want to think about what she would smell like.
With her cleansing ritual out of the way, there was a small table prepared with a feast, as seemed to be common at all of the rituals. Hermione was glad to partake, though she refused the wine that had come out. Still, there was a beautiful and delicious roast that filled her up after the meager cake she'd had earlier.
Even though it was her wedding day, Abraxas seemed determined to pull Tom away from her once again to talk politics. She doubted that there was anything crucial to discuss today of all days, so it irked her that she was having to share him once again. To distract herself, she asked Alfie about the next steps of the ritual, which was meant to offer them a glimpse into the next year.
"There is a potion that we'll start making shortly," he explained. "From what I understand it comes from Hellenic tradition. But, it's meant to offer you a glimpse into the future when you drink it."
"And being pregnant helps?" Hermione asked, curious about the details.
"It's said that being pregnant should make the visions more potent, yes," Alfie agreed. "Though, I don't think there has been any sort of testing to determine if that is true."
"Well, it must come from somewhere," Hermione said with a shrug. These sorts of things rarely sprang out of nothing. "Can I help with the potion?"
Alfie agreed, taking her over to where Antonin was setting up the cauldron. From what Hermione understood, Antonin was one of the most gifted potioneers out of their group. Still, she knew that she would feel better if she helped him make it, especially if she was going to ingest it. She didn't want to do anything that might hurt the baby.
Hermione could immediately understand why this would be looked down upon. Some of the ingredients were highly controlled or considered dark - boomslang skin and dragon blood and doxy venom. Hermione wondered just who of their lot had been in charge of procuring all these things. Looking around, she decided that any of the men probably could have gotten their hands on it, if they paid the Ministry to look the other way.
Satisfied that the potion would be safe to drink, Hermione readily joined the ritual circle once it was formed, standing next to Tom as ever. When the golden chalice came to rest in her hands, she took a drink of the burgundy-coloured liquid and tried not to gag at the taste.
Its effects were almost immediate and she swayed on her feet. Tom wrapped his arm around her and helped her to sit on the ground. Visions this way and that began to flash behind her eyes and she pressed her eyes shut tightly to try to slow it all down. She felt like she was going to be sick.
"What is it? What do you see?" She could feel Tom's breath on her neck as he whispered into her ear and she felt her ground her a bit. Knowing that he was there, she let herself lean into him.
"It's all so jumbled," she said, though she tried to tease out this or that. "There are so many snakes. There are snakes that are crawling up my legs," she explained, trying to say what she was seeing. "I feel as if one might bite me, but I can't tell which one is the threat."
She started to grow anxious and she wanted the vision to be over.
"Calm down, I have you," Tom instructed, helping her through it. "Focus on something else. Will I gain control? Will I be Minister of Magic?"
A dozen different scenarios rushed by in Hermione's mind. "There are too many paths to say," she said. "I can't tell which one is right. But, yes, sometimes you do become Minister, other times, you don't. You need to...I can't follow the thread," she said, giving up when she realized just how jumbled it was. "Nothing is set in stone."
"Focus, Hermione," he insisted. "There isn't much time left."
Biting her lower lip, she tried to find the path that seemed most solid. "Yes, you will," she said finally.
Once she had made her pronouncement, the effect of the potion slowly wore off. She moaned as she was finally able to open her eyes, wondering just what the meaning of everything she'd seen was. Though she wasn't afraid of the snakes, she couldn't help but wonder what sort of warning was being conveyed about the vicious snake that wanted to bite her. How was she supposed to tell?
"Merlin, that was intense," she said, looking into Tom's blue eyes.
He looked more than pleased with her, pressing a kiss to her face. "You did wonderful, especially for your first experience," he said. "I'm quite pleased with what you saw."
Hermione frowned. She didn't feel confident at all that her vision was a harbinger of what would actually happen. "I've always been rubbish at divination," she told him. "I hate it. It all seems made up. Did you have any visions?"
"Just one," he said. "Most of us will only have experienced one, unlike you. It was about our child. Would you like to know?"
"What did you see?" Hermione asked, unable to contain her curiosity.
"The sex of the baby," he said with a grin. "Are you sure you want me to ruin the surprise?"
She bit her lip, thinking it over, before deciding that she wouldn't be able to bear it if she knew that Tom knew and she did not. She was the one growing the baby! She really ought to be in on the secret. "Tell me," she demanded, with a grin.
Tom leaned in so that he could whisper in her ear. "It's a girl."
Hermione felt her heart beat increase, utterly over the moon to hear it, though she was sure she'd have had the same reaction either way. She was so excited to welcome her. "I can't bear to wait any longer," she told him with an infectious smile. "But at the same time I want to put it off as long as possible. I'm so nervous."
"You have nothing to be nervous about. Anything we need to learn, we can learn together," he promised, uncharacteristically sweet. "Now, shall we rejoin the feast? Usually everyone shares what they saw and they will be very curious about what you saw."
"Of course," Hermione agreed. "Though, I am dying to get this milk off of me."
"We only need to stay for a while longer," he promised, wrapping her hand in his. "And then we can go home and celebrate our wedding properly. Just the two of us."
