Hermione pulled her shoulders up uncertainly. It was empty in the Hog's Head, even though it was open. Apart from her and Tom, only her pretend father was present, who was walking through the taproom with surprisingly swift steps to push the chairs and benches neatly to the tables. She herself was sitting opposite Tom at a table by the window, watching Aberforth Dumbledore at work.
"I should probably be scared, shouldn't I?"
Tom's quiet words snapped her out of her stare. Raising her eyebrows, she looked at him. "Scared?"
He gave her a wry grin. "As far as I understand my male friends, meeting the father of your chosen one for the first time is always a sweaty affair."
She shook her head. "He's not my father."
Tom tilted his head and peered over at the tall man. "But he doesn't know that, does he? He and Dumbledore still believe that you were the result of his brief affair?"
Sighing, Hermione looked down at her hands. Of course, both Dumbledores knew that she wasn't the real daughter, but they knew the whole truth, unlike Tom. So even though both sides knew she wasn't really Aberforth's daughter at all, she had to keep up the act. "I don't know what would happen if I told him. I need his support."
Tom reached across the table and grabbed one of her hands. "You mean you need his money. You don't need anyone's support, my heart. I told you: You belong to me. I have your back. You don't need anyone else's support."
She didn't get a chance to respond, because at that moment Dumbledore stepped up to their table and set two mugs of butterbeer down in front of them before sitting down on a chair next to Hermione with a glass of water in his hand.
"So," Aberforth opened the conversation without further ado. "You've taken your time introducing yourself to me officially, Mr Riddle. What do you have to say for yourself?"
Hermione had to stifle a grin as the slightest twitch of a neck muscle revealed that Tom was surprised and overwhelmed by these words. His face, however, showed no emotion as he replied politely, "Forgive my reticence, Mr Dumbledore. I tend to do things a little differently to my peers. I am sometimes said to ignore traditions. It was important to me that I should be sure of your daughter's affection before I took the next step. I wanted to be sure of our love and have her full consent before I embarked on this serious path."
This time Hermione couldn't stop the corner of her mouth from twitching. Tom knew how to wrap a lie in such euphonious words that everyone present had no choice but to believe it. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Aberforth sit up a little straighter. Her supposed father had little use for pompous words and she was curious to see if he would manage to rattle Tom.
"Reading between the lines of your pretty words, it sounds to me very much as if you've been courting my daughter on a whim. You should know how serious it can be for a young lady's reputation if she is dumped by a man after publicly responding to his displays of affection. Do you like to play with the virtue of women?"
Hermione dug her fingernails into her thighs to stop herself from laughing. Any other man would probably have broken out in a sweat at this point, but once again Tom didn't let on outwardly. Only the way he began to knead the thumb of his left hand with his right betrayed his tension. His voice still sounded calm. "Before Hermione, I'd never been interested in a woman. I've always known that I'd rather remain a bachelor than court a lady just because it's expected. If my intentions had not been of a serious nature, I would never have approached your daughter in this way."
Hermione felt a strange sort of pride. No other man would have done so well in this situation. Although everyone present was only playing a part, both Dumbledore and Tom sounded more than serious and sincere. She knew that Tom had never been serious about her, but he managed to sell her father on the contrary.
"So, you're planning to ask me to marry Hermione?"
Her mouth dropped open in surprise and she leant forward to intervene, but Tom beat her to it. "Yes."
"What?" Hermione gasped involuntarily. Her eyes were wide as she stared at Tom, who in turn looked at her as if his words were the most natural thing in the world.
"Did I misunderstand you, my heart?" he addressed her without responding to the shocked Aberforth. "You told me that you wanted to officially introduce me to your father today. That usually only ever means one thing. Was it presumptuous of me to hope that this was the intention behind it?"
Her heart racing, Hermione struggled for words. At no point had she said anything like that, and she knew that Tom didn't care much for tradition either. Was he playing a game with her that she couldn't see through? What was his real intention?
With a sideways glance at Aberforth, who had regained half his composure by now, she leant forward and took Tom's hands with both of hers. "Please don't feel forced, Tom. I'm flattered, but that wasn't the reason I brought you here today. I just wanted to celebrate Christmas with you and my father. That was all this surprise was meant to be."
"Well," Dumbledore interjected, "I can see your intentions are sincere, Mr Riddle. You stand up for your position, not even being intimidated by an old sourpuss like me, and my daughter obviously feels comfortable enough in your presence to give honest answers. What more can a father ask of his son-in-law?"
Tom squeezed her hands briefly, then released them and folded them carefully on the table in front of him. He opened his mouth to reply, but Hermione could no longer hear the words. How had they ended up at this point? Was Tom really serious? If he told her supposed father that he wanted to marry her, then he had to be serious, didn't he? Or was it just a lie to make a good impression?
She slumped back in her chair as the men continued to scrutinise each other. Her heart suddenly ached. It ached as if a giant spear had pierced it. She couldn't marry Tom. She would disappear with the last day of the school year. She would disappear from Tom's life and all his plans for a future with her would crumble to the ground.
She swallowed with difficulty. How did Tom feel about her now? The way he had rescued her, the way he looked after her afterwards, the words he said to her - everything spoke of genuine affection and care. Did he feel something for her? Her mind told her it was impossible, but her heart doubted.
A jolt went through her body. She felt as if the ground beneath her was opening up and letting her fall into infinity. Would she destroy Tom? Had she unwittingly shown him what it meant to have real empathy, to feel something for another person, and if she disappeared, he would lose all humanity?
She bit her lower lip. No. That was impossible. She was too full of herself. Never in her life had she had such an influence on Tom Riddle. Even though he was only eighteen years old, he was already becoming Voldemort. And who was she? Just a witch who was far too compassionate and gullible.
She resolutely pushed the thought aside and focussed on the conversation between the two men again. Obviously Tom had done enough talking and answering because her father was in the middle of listing the menu for the evening to find out what they both wanted to eat.
"I've eaten turkey every year since I've been at Hogwarts," Tom explained, giving her a quick glance. "It's a tradition I like to keep."
Hermione smiled faintly. "Yes, classic turkey with Brussels sprouts and potatoes, that sounds good."
Aberforth stood up and clapped his hands. "Wonderful. I've also got Yorkshire pudding later. Give me a moment to get the food ready in the kitchen."
When her father's tall figure disappeared in the doorway to the kitchen, Hermione turned a serious look on Tom. "Are you serious about this? About getting married?"
Tom shrugged as if it were a minor matter. "It only makes sense, Hermione. You're mine anyway, but others don't seem to understand. As my fiancée and later wife, you enjoy a protection you don't have as my girlfriend." His gaze turned cold. "Or don't you want to marry me?"
She shuddered. Of course she did. For Tom, it was all about marking her as his possession and being able to demand her eternal fidelity. How could she have thought for a second that he had genuine feelings?
Tom seemed to have noticed her change of mood, because he suddenly placed a hand on her cheek. "My heart. Marriage wouldn't change anything in our relationship. It would just give another name to something that's already between us."
She closed her eyes for a moment and leaned into the touch. This gentle Tom gave her a sense of security that no other person in her life had been able to do since she had made her parents forget everything. She liked this side of Tom. She liked it a lot, even if she didn't know how honest it was.
Maybe she should just say yes. What did it matter? The wedding would never happen, and Tom would suffer her loss as it was. He was right. Marriage was just another name for their relationship, it wouldn't change anything. Although Tom didn't know what love was, they were already as close as many married couples could be. Why should she provoke and resist unnecessary conflict?
A mischievous grin stole onto Hermione's lips. "If you're serious, prove it to me."
Tom showed his surprise unabashedly. "Oh? And how?"
She propped her elbow on the table and rested her chin on her hand. Without breaking eye contact, she replied, "Ask me to marry you."
This marks the end of Remorse II - Into the Chamber. Next Friday, the journey continues with Remorse III - Forget Me Not. Keep an eye out for that new story posted to my profile!