A/N: This was written for the TrulyMadlyDeeply Fest! The song choice was I'll Be by Edwin McCain. There may be a few not *technically* grammatically correct elements as I tried to squeeze in some of the lyrics to the story! Thank you so much to Saint Corvus for beta-ing!
He was no longer Thomas Marvolo Riddle, the acme of Hogwarts School for Gifted Children. God, but those were the days. People's social lives rose and fell with a word from his lips, a specific look from him, and a slight shift of his eyebrow. And, in the end … her.
Then, in his last year, Hermione Granger started at Hogwarts. He instructed Bella to welcome her with open arms. They'd let in a hunter under the guise of prey.
She'd hid her darkness well. Her destabilization efforts were too effective. He'd never seen it coming from her. Her eyes never revealing their depth.
But that was child's play. He was better now that he was older.
The game was different now, the players: new, the board: new, the tactics: new. She may have worked with the Weasleys and Potters behind his back in school. And, oh, how it burned out to know they were responsible for his hanging from the gallows. But they were older now, and he was better.
His ambition changed. After school, he'd moved on from chasing social stature. She'd shown him it was temporary and fickle. But he'd kept the skills. People were still easy to maneuver.
"Yes, of course, I'll fix your security system, Ms. Fibbs."
"I'd be happy to help you upgrade to make your home smart, Mr. Bolt."
"Would you like to add on the camera monitoring service Mrs. Wolcott?"
Tom had them eating out of the palm of his hand. Running his own electronics and security company gave him a lot of freedom. It hadn't been easy, but Tom had tenacity and was likable - a deadly combination. Thankfully, at this stage, the business practically ran itself.
(Though, he still stepped in on the sales floor now and again to keep his skills sharp. It had the added benefit of striking a healthy dose of fear into his employees.)
Now that Tom was older, he was better. He'd built his kingdom. And he remembered the thing that Hermione had said.
"We belong together, you and I, broken souls that we are."
Years ago, it had been a flippant comment. But he kept it like a promise. They may have dressed it up with the trappings of love. But he was better now that he was older.
He turned on the screens in front of him and tuned in to Hermione's life.
Her neighbors had bought security systems and cameras from his Cyber Knights after all.
Dressed up in a red dress, Hermione was as lovely as ever. He zoomed the camera in on her face. Her red, blood red, lips were stunning - no, captivating. He froze the frame on the back end. She'd turned to look in the direction of the camera. The camera could keep the live feed in the background. But for Tom, he was hanging on this image.
Lifting his hand to the screen, Tom closed his eyes. He could just remember the feeling of her luscious curls, smoothing her hair back from her dark skin, bending down to kiss - no.
God, but he was the greatest fan of her life. If only, he could … No! That plan was in the works. Soon would be good enough.
Thomas Marvolo Riddle, the acme, was no more. No, now he was just Tom Riddle, a respected business owner. It was a conscious choice for their re-introduction.
It was time to put the plan into action. But he would be patient. It wasn't meant to be a quick turnaround.
The first step: Be everywhere. Tom 'moved' to Hermione's neck of the woods; well, close enough that they could catch the same Tube stop to work. He was shopping at her Tesco. He ran in the same places that she ran in. With his work flexibility, he could go to work at the same time every day that she did.
But for the plan to work, he couldn't make the first move. He slowly integrated into her life. Last time, he'd made the connection. It was her turn to come to him.
On an otherwise normal day, she found him at their Tube stop.
"Thomas? Is that you?" Hermione asked.
Tom pulled his earphones out, turning toward the woman. "It's been a while since anyone has called me that. I tend to go by Tom now." He kept a polite smile on his face as if she wasn't living proof that his love was alive.
"It's Hermione Granger! God, it's been so long. How are you?" She had a bright smile on her face.
"Hermione! Right, sorry, it's been years. I'm good - just on my way to work. How have you been?"
"I'm doing well, too. I just got a promotion at my job with Booker Group," she gushed.
"Weren't they acquired by Tesco? I swear I read that somewhere a few years ago," Tom mused.
"Yes, we were. What do you do now?" Hermione asked.
When they finally got on and started moving, the conversation was flowing easily. The ride flew by. Tom realized his stop was next. It wasn't quite in the plans, but he wasn't ready for the conversation to stop until the next time she spotted him.
"I'm the next one. Would you want to catch a drink tonight? I'll be back after work if you're free?" He asked.
"That's perfect!" She recommended a pub not too far from where they got on.
Hours later, Tom never would have predicted where they'd end up - that they'd be lying awake in his bed. As rain falls angry on the roof, Tom has to admit that he didn't regret it.
"That was-" he started and stopped. He didn't have the words.
"Yeah," she breathed out. "Can I stay the night?"
"I'm not sure that I want you to ever leave," Tom should not have said that. He should not have said that. But he was honest.
Hermione murmured something.
Tom wrapped his arms around her and pulled her body into its perfect fit - his. Tom was close to sleep when he vaguely heard Hermione whisper something. He was out before he could process it.
Hermione luxuriated in the arms that she'd chosen for herself back in school. It had taken a while for Tom to make his move. He was so cute to think that he could slowly walk back into her life. As if she couldn't see the Cyber Knights' logos suddenly on all her neighbors' homes.
Thankfully, he was asleep. This time she wasn't playing to ruin him socially. Cooing at him, she couldn't help herself from saying it.
"Just as I planned, my love's suicide."
She was better now that she was older.
The End.