It was March 1st when Evelyn and Tom finally returned to Hogwarts. To be honest, she wasn't sure if she wanted to come back but Tom thought it would be best for her to have some sense of normalcy for a bit and she relented on the concession that she would get to be extra clingy.

His lips rose to a small smirk when she'd said that. "Bold of you to assume that I would ever let you leave my side now."

He hoisted her trunk as if it weighed nothing before kissing her head. Evelyn smiled. "It's a good thing I don't ever want to leave."

And then they apparated back.

After the familiar feeling of her stomach being pulled inward ended, Evelyn sighed. The castle was looming ominously above the shore of the Black Lake where they stood. Dark, swirling clouds hovered around it, occasionally wracking the earth with thunderous noise. "Did you do this?" Evelyn asked but she already knew the answer.

Tom just shrugged before tightly gripping her fingers with one hand. The other was reaching for his wand and pointing it at the sky. He muttered a few words under his breath before the clouds disappeared. "Better?"

She kissed his cheek. "Much." The storms surrounding her heart were finally gone. It seemed only right that the physical ones were too.

They made their way up to the castle, where Tom took her trunk to his dorm—which he called their dorm, much to her delight. He gave her a pointed look and mumbled about needing to rechristen the bed later that night. Evelyn already felt her cheeks burn bright red and they hadn't even been there for an hour.

The rest of the day passed by in a blur. First with a meeting with Dumbledore where Tom managed to negotiate both of their passing grades as long as they passed the exams at the end of the year. Evelyn was sure that Tom would need no help passing but she wasn't as confident with her own abilities. "I'll help you, my darling. Do not worry."

And help her he did. He walked her to all of her classes—probably sensing her lingering fear at leaving his side. Tom spoke with all of the professors, using his abilities to persuade even some of the stricter ones, like Professor Snape. Evelyn was eternally grateful for him. She didn't know how she'd ever gone without him. Life with him just seemed infinitely easier.

They ate dinner in the Great Hall, who seemed relieved that the storm was finally gone, as it was affecting the Quidditch schedule far too much for his liking. "How am I supposed to get babes if I'm not out there showing off the merchandise?" he complained while shoving some tomato soup into his mouth eagerly. "You catch honeys by flying. Or something like that. I dunno."

She laughed and leaned against Tom's broad shoulder. Even he was chuckling at his brother's expense, kissing the top of her head while she snuggled deeper into her chest. "Perhaps I shouldn't have quit the Quidditch team," he teased. "Don't want my honey leaving me for a flyer."

Evelyn scoffed. "Consider this 'honey' thoroughly and utterly caught."

He smirked. "Good. Because I wouldn't have let you go even if you wanted it."

"Again," she said with a deliriously happy smile on her face, "It's a good thing I don't ever want to leave."

"And I never want you to."

Later that night, Tom and Evelyn alternated between rounds of slow, lazy love that made their bond glow with pride and rounds of hard fucking that had her screaming while he marked her thoroughly. By morning, Evelyn was sure that she had not only bruises, but Tom's name carved into her lower back.

The crazy thing? She wasn't even remotely bothered by the idea of it. Actually, the thought of something so permanent tying her to him made her giddy. And horny. It was a good thing he was never tired. She had a feeling she would be spending the rest of their days thoroughly satisfied.

Well, if they spent the rest of their days together. Tom had said he loved her for eternity but did he mean that? Truly mean that? Tom wasn't one to lie but, to be honest, she thought that he would have done something more to tie them together already. The fact that they'd had months together without even a word from him on the matter was enough to have her feeling a little disappointed.

Don't overthink things. You're seventeen, after all. He probably just wants to wait. But that's the thing. A normal couple would definitely have waited. But Tom and Evelyn were a far cry from normal. They were magical beings with a powerful soul bond—one of whom was the Dark Lord and the other one had enough trauma to feed all of the dementors in Azkaban. Normalcy wasn't their specialty and she didn't want it to be. She loved their relationship as it was.

The next day continued similarly to the last. Meals with Mattheo, mornings and evenings filled with intimacy, days spent studying or reading or attending classes. Tom took her on walks around the ground, listening to her speak when she wanted or simply keeping her company when she didn't. And the day after that was the same. And the day after that. And the day after that. Until suddenly, March had passed by in a blur and April was upon them.

Hogwarts's spring semester was rather calm, at least compared to the last few months she'd had. Evelyn's days were mundane. Even the books she read were the same. The only difference in her days was when Tom occasionally brought her out to Hogsmeade and London with him or when she spent afternoons in the stands watching Mattheo play Quidditch. He was rather good, she thought, even if she didn't quite understand the game.

Since Tom had officially accepted his place as the Dark Lord—doing so when he called on his Death Eaters to help search for her—he was occasionally busy with things that seemed to piss him off. He would go off for a day or two before appearing to her in the bedroom, hungry for her body and her love. A primal part of him would take her before he spent the rest of the night listening to how she spent her days without him. Sometimes, he would tell her what he did—often finding potential dissent, mostly just making boring business days. Sometimes, though, Tom still tried to shield her, keeping his ongoing secret. It didn't bother Evelyn on the days he didn't tell her. She knew that he was trying to protect her in his own way and, to be honest, if Tom thought it would be too hard for her to hear, it probably would have been.

And then June 1st had arrived and Tom was officially graduated from Hogwarts. Unsurprisingly, he skipped all of the festivities, insisting that he would still be there next year because "like hell you'll be coming on your own."

Mattheo was the most emotional out of the three of them. "My baby boy is all grown up!" Tom smacked him on the side of the head before the boy burst into giggles from his position on the ground.

Now, Tom had said they were spending their first day of the academic break speaking with his Death Eaters. Evelyn wasn't looking forward to it—how many people actually wanted to meet bloodthirsty dark magic followers? But she did it for Tom and so she suffered through hours of dull meetings—which, true to his stories, were mostly about business deals—for him. Her only saving grace was that Tom promised an important dinner to end the day and that he would, then, never drag her back to another one unless she wanted to come.

Evening came and Evelyn was eager to eat so they could leave. The Death Eaters had eyed her warily, most of them too terrified of Tom to question why she was with him. They especially balked when Tom growled at the lone seat at the head table before insisting that another be brought for her. "If I am your Dark Lord," he commanded, "then she is your Dark Lady. You will treat her with the same respect you do me. Is that understood?"

"Yes, my lord," a chorus rang quickly. Seemingly satisfied, Tom gestured for the meal to begin. Evelyn no longer felt awkward after that. His Dark Lady. He's officially declared me his Dark Lady. And just like that, months of unsureness were gone. Clearly, Tom had to see some future with her to publicly declare a title like that. Evelyn turned to find him looking at her questioningly and she just returned the expression with a smile.

As soon as she was done, Tom stood from the table. "Your Lady and I will be departing. Enjoy the rest of your meal," he said loudly, grabbing her hand before anyone could respond. Tom led her outside before asking, "Are you alright?"

Evelyn tucked herself into his side. "A little tired but alright."

He cupped her cheek gently. "I'm sorry for dragging you to that but I couldn't go any longer without them knowing how important you are."

The corners of her lips turned upward. "They know now. Your Dark Lady is quite the title to be given."

He kissed her forehead. "That isn't the only gift from tonight." And before she could ask what he meant, Tom apparated them away quickly.

Evelyn gasped as soon as her unsteady legs touched the soft grass. This wasn't Black Manor. She'd never been here before. A chromatic sunset filled the horizon around them in vivid shades of orange, pink, purple, and blue. They were standing on the edges of tall, white cliffs where dark waves crashed on the shore below. Behind them, little flowers dotted the field.

"Tom, what is this?" She turned to where he stood but gasped as soon as her eyes fell on him.

Because Tom was standing there, kneeling on the cliffside and holding a box with a ring in his hand.

The ring was absolutely beautiful. A deep black stone that seemed to glimmer in the dying sunlight. Evelyn swore she saw some sort of etching but it disappeared into the shades of continuously changing black. Surrounding the main stone were dozens of diamonds almost jutting out from it in a sun-like pattern. A gold band sealed it all together. It was easily the prettiest thing she had ever seen.

"Evelyn Black," Tom murmured, staring deeply into her eyes with irises that seemed to match the stone. "I have loved you ever since the day I saw you. I don't know how it took losing you to realize I could never be whole without you but I would do anything, anything, to keep you by my side. I would burn the world, Little Dove, if you wished it. I would turn cities to ashes and bodies to dust if you asked it of me. I am not good with emotions or feelings but I do know that what I feel for you is unlike anything I have ever felt before. My soul sings when I am with you. You are the light to my darkness and I never wish to be in the shadows again. So I am asking you: Please, Little Dove... would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

"Oh, Tom," she whispered, clasping her hands together and falling to her knees. Tears blurred her vision almost immediately.

"So is that a yes?" he asked, his voice almost nervous.

She giggled and held out her left hand shakily. "It's more than a yes, Tom," she said with an unsteady voice. "I've never been so happy."

"Me neither, Little Dove. I have a feeling we have a lifetime worth of happiness to have together." Even through her tears, she could see him smile. He slipped the ring onto her finger and they both marveled at just how right it seemed to be there.

And in that moment, as Tom helped her stand, as he slipped his arm around her waist and began to play with the ring on her finger while they watched the remainder of the sunset, she realized that she had been telling the truth. She truly had never been so happy in her life.

Evelyn had made peace with the fact that her family was a little broken and a lot dead. She had a new family. She had Tom and Mattheo and other cousins she had yet to meet. The lake no longer called to her, the abuse no longer haunted her at night. For the first time in her life, Evelyn felt like she could breathe again. The future was shining brightly ahead of her. This ring was only the beginning.

Tom squeezed her fingers as they looked out onto the dying sun. The constellations were already beginning to come out, each star twinkling against a sea of black. "What are you thinking about, my love?"

She just smiled and leaned into his shoulder. "You. Always you."

And when his lips touched hers, she knew that everything was truly going to be alright in the world. As long as she had him, Evelyn could face anything. Crazed Death Eaters, abusive grandparents, dead parents, haunted lakes, depression. She had managed to face all of that simply because he was by her side. And as Evelyn kissed him—as she felt that familiar cord inside of her chest glow with tenderness—she knew he always would be.

"I love you," she whispered.

And he whispered back, "I love you, Little Dove. Until the stars are gone from the sky and only darkness remains." He gently pressed his lips to hers once again, his fingers winding around the ring she was already getting used to. "And even then."

And that's a wrap on Darkness and Devotion! I know, I know, I said there were two more chapters but then I started writing this and it felt like such a beautiful close to a story I love so dearly. Don't worry though! I will still be posting bonus chapters (the wedding, babies, whatever else you guys want to see). They'll also be in Mattheo's story, Dusk and Desire, which is up on my profile June 1st. AND coming this week is Elio and Annie's story, which is about Theodore Nott's son and Tom and Evelyn's daughter! Be sure to check that one out because I literally can't stop writing it.

That's it from me! Please consider checking out my other content. I'm always posting new stories, new chapters, etc. Your support on this story (and others) has meant so much to me. Thank you for your comments, your votes, your reads. All of it. It was truly a gift. I love you all and goodnight 3

- SerpentsAndSongbirds