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Hermione looked around at the huge drawing room the group had Apparated into, and was momentarily confused as to their whereabouts. Racking her brain for the answer, her eyes wandered about until they fell upon a painting on the far wall. With a gasp of realization, she stared at what was almost a perfect likeness of the man still holding her hand.
"My father," Tom supplied as he followed the line of her sight. "This mansion passed to me on the day he died."
"You mean the day you killed him," she said absently as her eyes met his.
"Yes, on the day I killed him," he agreed. "But if you expect me to apologize for ridding the world of the monster who left my mother alone to die, and hoped that I would die along with her, I'm afraid I cannot accommodate you. Had he not flown at me in a rage, hoping to end my life, his own would not have been lost. So you see, I was well within my rights, killing him."
"I didn't know that," Hermione commented lightly as she stared into his eyes. "That he tried to kill you first, I mean."
"No, I don't suppose so," he agreed. "They would not have wished to humanize such a monster as myself by explaining my actions, would they? It's much easier to kill a monster than a man who fought in self-defense."
Hermione nodded, but still said little more beyond her first response. After a while, Tom turned his attention to the room full of Death Eaters, seeing signs of tiredness and uncertainty in all of them. He said, "I can assume there are plenty of rooms to house you all. Someone has done a fine job of getting the house ready, but now I sense that it is time for us all to sleep."
"My wife, Narcissa, has made all the necessary arrangements concerning accommodations," Lucius told Tom, placing a hand on his shoulder. Tom glanced at it, surprised, and the man added, "Forgive me, my Lord. For a moment I forgot that you do not remember I am your closest friend. I hope that over time, you will come to rely on me as your counterpart did. I am here to help in any way you require."
"Thank you, Lucius," Hermione answered for him. "I'm sure Tom appreciates the gesture."
"My Lord," he said, then bowed to her as well. "My Lady."
"Good night, Lucius," Tom added as the man stepped away.
"My Lord, do you know the way to your own rooms?" asked Narcissa as she bowed slightly by his elbow.
"Not exactly," he admitted.
"Pixie will show you the way, and provide you with anything you need," said the woman, and a small elf appeared beside them.
"This way, my Lord, my Lady," said the little creature in a sweet, feminine voice.
"Come, Hermione, I'm too tired to fight anymore tonight," Tom said tiredly when she did not immediately step forward when he did. "Let's just get some sleep."
Hermione nodded, and took the arm he offered. She couldn't help but lean tiredly into his side as they mounted the stairs and traversed to the far end of the long hallway they found there. In the bedroom, both of them sat on their bed tiredly, and then Tom pulled Hermione into his arms and laid them both down upon it, sighing deeply.
"We have so much planning to do," he whispered as he ran his fingers through her hair. Hermione nodded and grabbed his other hand so she could hold it.
"Go to sleep, Tom," she admonished him. "We can always plan tomorrow."
"Good night, my love," he said softly, and kissed the top of her head before he drifted off to sleep.
"So you're telling me that Hermione was at the Hog's Head with Tom Riddle three days ago, and she's been missing ever since, and I'm only just now hearing about it?" Harry Potter growled as he cast his young fiancée and accusing glance.
"I'm sorry, Harry, but he just seemed so bloody nice," Ginny said weakly.
"He was nice to you before, Ginny, right before he tried to kill you," Harry pointed out.
"But this was different," Ginny tried to explain. "He really seemed like he genuinely cared for Hermione. He even called her the most beautiful woman who ever lived, and said he crossed time just to be with her. It was so romantic!"
"I don't know what it is about Tom Riddle that always makes girls swoon," Harry complained as he laid back in his easy chair and put his hands behind his head. "You'd think he was some decadent piece of chocolate or something, to hear you all talk."
"Oh, Harry, don't be jealous," Ginny told him as she leaned over him and kissed him squarely on the mouth. "You know very well that I'm in love with you, no matter how green the grass looks from the other side. I'm just happy to see Hermione smiling for once."
"Hermione was smiling?" Harry asked. "You don't suppose he shagged her royal, do you?"
"I'm sure he did," Ginny chuckled.
Harry got a look on his face like he was imagining that, and then he pulled Ginny down on top of him. He asked, "Do you think he ever did this to her?" and proceeded to give her the hottest, wettest kiss they'd ever shared.
"Probably did that, too," she teased him.
"Oh, really?" asked Harry, and picked Ginny up to carry her over to the couch. "But, did he do this?"
The next few hours went by very pleasurably for Ginny. And Harry most definitely did not fall asleep.
Even though Hermione had told Tom to go to sleep, and he had so easily complied, she was having a much harder time doing so herself. As she laid in the unfamiliar but very comfortable bed, she could not help but wonder what would happen to her now that she'd chosen to come here.
Well, she certainly didn't expect Tom to send her back to school at the end of break, that much was certain. He wasn't going to send her away from his side, and if he tried to she wouldn't go anyway. Here in his arms was where she belonged-it always had been her entire life. And she liked it like that.
However, if he didn't intend for her to finish school, how would she be of any help toward his goal of trying to infiltrate the Ministry from within? Or maybe he thought she was supposed to just stay home and have babies or something? If he did, he'd better get that thought out of his head right quickly. She was more than willing to produce the babies, but staying home all day everyday instead of being useful was not something that sat well with her.
Wait, she was willing to have his babies? Yes, of course she was. More than that, she wanted them inside her, she wanted to birth them and watch them grow, see the light in their intelligent eyes, the light of knowing they were loved by both their parents, and that they would grow to become intelligent, productive people with high ideals and the know-how to pursue their dreams.
And what if Tom did somehow manage to take over the world? If he became the Emperor, would he start calling her his Empress then? Hermione almost laughed at the thought, but in all seriousness it was highly likely that he would. Talk about social obligation if that happened!
"Mione, what are you thinking about?" Tom whispered against her throat as he started administering kisses down the column of her throat.
"Babies," she chuckled. "I wondered how many we're likely to get, if we keep on like we have been."
"Oh, maybe a dozen or so," he teased her. By then he had reached the bottom of her neck and was working his way down her side, and he lifted her arm out of the way to gain better access."
"Ouch, I'd probably be huge after all that," Hermione complained. "And then you'd toss me out and get somebody younger and smaller."
"Never," he protested. "I'm going to marry you straight away."
"Marry me?" she gasped. "What a very normal thing to do."
Tom chuckled, and rolled her over so he could kiss her belly. "Yes, it is," he agreed. "That's what two people do when they love each other, isn't it? I mean, because I love you with all my heart, so naturally I hope you feel the same for me-"
"I do love you, Tom, so very much--" she answered, holding his head against her for a moment.
Tom surged up with a joyful smile plastered on his face. "You do?"
"No matter what you ever do, no matter where you go, I will always be by your side," she told him. "I want above all other things to be yours forever. I always have, and I always will."
"Hermione Granger, let's get married--tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?" she giggled, then groaned as he uncovered her nipple and suckled it.
"Mmm, yes, tomorrow," he insisted. "Right in front of the Minister and everybody."
"Did you happen to think through how insane that plan might be?" she inquired seriously.
"I'm not going to hide, Hermione," he told her. "I'm not the one who broke the law, not the one who terrorized the world. If I want my idea to work, I'm going to have to gain their trust. What better way than to walk right in the front door of the place to begin with?"
"That's so crazy, it just might work," she commented, though not with a great deal of conviction since he was doing an excellent job of distracting her. She spread her legs wide as he slid her panties down, and before she knew it he was deep inside her.
"Mmm, Mione, we need a mirror right there at the foot of the bed," he said as he moved within her. "How else are we going to look at ourselves joined as one?"
"We can feel it, my love," Hermione told him. "We can always feel it, no matter what."
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