Baby mine, don't you cry
Baby mine, dry your eyes

The soft crooning sounds of his wife singing to their newborn daughter filled the hallways that Tom Riddle walked through. He always did this. Allowed his girls to have their moment together without him interfering. But Tom was protective—especially of them—so he never strayed too far from their side. On afternoons like these, he was content to just listen to Evelyn sing. She was a beautiful singer, gifted in many things but especially this. He loved it when she sang to their little Annalise. The baby did too because she always seemed to calm whenever Evelyn did it. Even when she was in the womb, kicking and keeping her mother up for hours at night, she would always calm within the first few notes. Now, when she was out, her forehead would smooth, her cries would quiet, and she would drift off to sleep.

His darlings. His girls.

Rest your head close to my heart
Never to part, baby of mine

Tom knew better than to enter when Evelyn was doing this, knew better than to interrupt the alone time they were having together. His wife was protective of both of their children—always fussing over James whenever his headstrong nature would get him hurt in the garden—but she was especially protective of Annie. Tom could hardly blame her. With so many complications during the pregnancy—many nights spent with blood staining the sheets—they thought they had lost their miracle girl multiple times. Evelyn spent the entire nine months anxious over their daughter's fate. It only worsened when Annie entered the world six weeks early, so small and hardly breathing on her own. Evelyn had fought the healers tooth and nail to hold her child, screaming in the hospital until her baby girl was handed to her alive and breathing, just a little smaller and fragile than their firstborn.

Little one, when you play
Pay no heed to what they say

Evelyn was more protective of their girl, especially since she had to have extensive magical healing done to even leave the hospital. She only allowed Tom to hold him and even then, she watched him like a hawk. He didn't mind. He knew how hard it was for her to see her baby girl whimpering through uneven breaths, to see the child she was so frightened of losing looking so small and purple out of the womb. So he allowed his wife to remain a shadow over little Annie knowing that, in all likelihood, he would be too the moment they let someone else burst their little newborn bubble. He didn't feel the needle to protect his daughter from his wife or their son but he could already feel deep within them that this little girl already had her daddy wrapped around her tiny little finger.

Let your eyes sparkle and shine
Never a tear, baby of mine

"Daddy," James whispered, walking up to his father with his arms outstretched. Already Tom's miniature twin, he was growing fast. With a charming smile that allowed him to get away with far too much and powerful magic already manifesting even at only four years old, he would make a good Dark Lord someday. Tom would, of course, teach both of his children the Dark Arts if they were interested but there was something about James that reminded him of himself. Except for the eyes, of course. Grey. Just like his mother's.

Their little Annie had eyes that were somehow a mixture of her parents. Dark like Tom's yet with little flecks of grey that looked like stars in the night skies, sparks she inherited from his Little Dove. At only a week old, they hadn't yet figured out who she would take after but Tom secretly hoped it would be Evelyn.

If they knew all about you
They'd end up loving you too

"Daddy," James said again. "Can I see Mummy and Ann-nee?" His voice was quiet—and he still hadn't quite yet learned how to say his sister's name correctly—because even he knew how important it was for Evelyn to have this time with the new baby. Because oddly enough, James was just as protective over Annie as the rest of them. Tom wondered if the boy suspected how close to death she was during the pregnancy. He was glad to know that his little girl would always be looked after, even when Tom couldn't look after him herself. Merlin. Annie already has an army ready to go to war for her and she's only a week old.

Tom picked his son up and cradled him to his chest. James loved to rest his head on his shoulder so it was natural to do this after years of knowing him. Years of loving him. "Let Mummy finish her song, Jamesy," he said, kissing his son on the head gently. "Then we can go in and see them."

The boy frowned. "I want to see Mummy now." It seemed that James hadn't yet decided whether he was a Mummy's boy or a Daddy's boy. To be honest, the boy was incredibly adored and loved by both parents and he seemed to feel the same way back. Whichever one he chose probably just depended on who was most likely to let him do something mischievously. More often than not, that was Tom. Evelyn would probably kill him when it finally slipped that the boys went to visit the basilisk in the Chamber one time when she was out with Ariana and Elio Nott for a girl's day featuring the toddler—before the pregnancy became high-risk, of course.

All those same people who scold you
What they'd give just for the right to hold you

He chuckled. "I want to see Mummy too but you know she's having Mummy and Annie time."

James scowled. He looked just like Tom at that moment. "But I want James and Mummy time. And James and Annie time."

"Well, how about this?" Tom asked in a deep voice, careful not to interrupt the singing still coming from the bedroom. "As soon as Mummy is done with her song, we can go inside and have James, Mummy, Annie, and Daddy time."

The boy's face lit up. "Really?"

"Really." He ruffled James's dark hair—the hair they hadn't yet decided if it matched Evelyn's black or Tom's chocolate brown. Annie's hair leaned more towards a light chocolate, making her look even more like an angel in their dark home. Her nursery was full of whites and tulles because Evelyn had insisted that their daughter would be an angel and he heartedly agreed. When she came out looking so beautiful and so tiny, he knew that they were right.

From your head down to your toes
You're not much, goodness knows

He always chuckled at that line. No, their little Annie wasn't much, at least as far as size went. But he knew that this little girl would have the biggest heart of all of them. She had to. She'd stolen all of theirs from the moment she entered the world.

They weren't expecting to get pregnant the first time and they especially weren't expecting it the second time. Evelyn was nervous to have another baby and James being a handful of a toddler wasn't helping. But the moment their son ran up to her on the first day that her bump was showing, the moment he wrapped his chunky arms around her body and placed a big kiss on the swollen belly, they knew that their family would be complete with this final addition. And they were right. It was complete. It was everything.

But you're so precious to me
Sweet as can be, baby of mine

Still holding James, Tom crept over to the room and slowly opened the door, savoring the last few notes of the song. There they were. His girls. Standing in the light of the window, shielded by curtains as she clutched a tiny infant daughter to her chest, stood his beautiful wife. Somehow, she had become even more radiant. Having children probably helped. Not only was she the love of his life and his beautiful wife but she was also the mother of his children. He had witnessed just how strong she was, carrying two lives all on her own. That in itself was its own kind of magic.

She was wearing a long white dress, her body still preferring the flowing fabrics for now. Annie was in her arms wearing something similar, a long, lacy dress covering her little body and keeping it warm while it couldn't on its own. His wife's hair was still curly and dark, crawling down her dress just as it crawled down her robes those many years ago. Sometimes when he looked at her and the sun hit her face just right, he saw the teen girl he met in the hallways, the one he hadn't yet known he would grow to love. But when he looked into her eyes, it was like falling in love all over again. It was like watching their lives—their struggles, their love, their marriage, their children, all of it—all over again. And it was beautiful.

You're so precious to me
Sweet as can be, baby of mine

"Mummy!" James exclaimed, running over to the other side of the nursery as Evelyn finished up her song. She smiled down at him before casting that smile to the now-sleeping Annalise in her arms. Their son wrapped his arms around his mother's legs and held on tightly. With her free hand, Evelyn hugged him back, the light from the window hitting all three of their faces just perfectly.

And in that moment, as Tom looked at his family, at the Riddles, he felt his heart surge. You're so precious to me, he thought with a soft smile as his wife's singing voice echoed in his head. He understood now why she always sang that song.

Tom Riddle looked out at three people in front of him. His wife. His son. His daughter. They were his family. His entire world. His everything.

It was a gift. A precious one. And it was beautiful.

Okay, if I thought I was crying in the last chapter, then I'm really crying now. This officially ends Darkness and Devotion. It has been an honor and a joy to share this story with you, my beautiful readers. This story has always been so special to me. If you don't know, I write dark romances outside of Wattpad so to be able to write in the genre that's always felt like home in the fandom that's always been my home has been such a gift. And thanks to your support, I have felt so loved, so uplifted, and so appreciated. Nothing makes me smile more than your comments. Nothing brightens my spirits more on a hard day. Nothing means more to me. So thank you all. Truly.

I hope you'll consider checking out my other stories. For those of you who don't know, Tom and Evelyn will be appearing in two new/upcoming books. Mattheo's story—an enemies to lovers (like I need to say who the FMC is when she's appeared so often in this book already lol)—comes out this Saturday, June 1st in the AM. Elio Nott and Annie's story (who you met here!) is already up and getting updated often. Since Tom & Ev are the parents in that one, they'll definitely be a big feature. I also, of course, have a Theodore Nott story that is completed and a Draco Malfoy one that is almost completed. A Lorenzo Berkshire story will make its debut before too terribly long along with two other Harry Potter Novellas. Please consider following along and supporting those stories as you've supported this one.

That's it from me. Thank you all again. Please don't hesitate to reach out as I love it when I hear from you. My main message board is open and I also have Instagram (same user). Love you and goodnight 333

— SerpentsAndSongbirds