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Hermione Granger stood in the hallway at the Ministry of Magic watching a nearby fireplace until her companion joined her. A woman was standing nearby and recognized her, and as she prepared to come over and talk to the famous witch, the awaited companion stepped out with a wry grin on his handsome face. The woman shrieked and ran away as fast as she could.
"What's with her?" said a man who was passing by, and then he saw Tom as well. "It's-it's-You-Know-Who!"
Tom and Hermione exchanged a look as he took her hand. People all around them were taking cover and running away, and screaming at the top of their lungs as the young couple walked calmly up the hallway, hand in hand. They headed straight for the Minister's office and walked boldly through the door.
"H-hello," said the receptionist, trying her best to remain serene. "How may I help you?"
"We'd like to have a word with the Minister," Tom explained with a friendly smile.
"You-you want to see the Minister? You?"
"Yes, me," he laughed. "I assure you, my business is legitimate, and you won't require security either."
"One moment, please," she answered, and sent a patronus into the other room right away. Another one arrived almost immediately in answer. She surreptitiously leaned away from them to listen to the response, and then with a nervous smile she said, "The Minister will see you right away, Mr.-um, I'm not sure what you want me to call you, sir."
"Mr. Riddle will do," he said. "Thank you, miss. Come, my love."
Tom took Hermione's hand in his and led her into the Minister's office as the receptionist gaped after them. Hermione cast her an apologetic smile and a half shrug.
Kingsley Shaklebolt stood up to greet the pair as they stepped inside and the door magically shut behind them. "Hermione, what can you be thinking to bring this man here?"
"Sir, don't lay into my fiancée like that," Tom told him. "I'm the one who brought her. I believe first, an explanation is in order. I'm quite certain you're wondering why I am here, and what sort of intentions I must have, all things considered."
"You've got that right," he agreed, sitting down again rather abruptly as he continued to stare.
"Well, it's quite an interesting story, really," Tom said with a blush. "You see, sir, while I was studying in the library back in my own time, I opened a most unusual book I found there. It was a fortune-telling book, you see, but with a most unusual effect. It said that if I went to the section on love and touched a certain spot, I could see my one true love. Well, imagine my surprise when I went and did it, to spy the most lovely creature who ever existed, only to find out she lived fifty-something years in the future. So I cast a spell on myself to travel forward in time, so I could be with her, only before I did so I first made a copy of myself to leave in the past so I would not have to return. I believe that was a mistake, considering what the blighter did once I was gone."
"You do have a penchant for understatement, young man," Kingsley told him as he covered his face in both his hands and began to rub his temples. "Would you care to get to the point now?"
"Well, it's quite simple, really," Tom said with a small chuckle. "I want to marry Hermione, and love in my inherited estate as is my right. I could not have known what my single action in the past would do to the Wizarding World for the last half a century, and I am not the man who committed the atrocities during that time. That man, I believe, has been punished by death, has he not?"
"Well, yes," Kingsley said slowly, giving him a dubious look. "But how do I know how much like him you are? You killed your own father-don't deny it-and created your diary horcrux by the time you reached this age."
"I killed my father in self-defense," Tom explained. "As for the horcrux, and all the rest, I believe them to be the actions of a misguided youth with too much time on his hands. Now that I know what path such things would lead me down, I would never dream of visiting such behavior again. I wish now only to become a productive member of society, find a job that would be suitable to my skills and have a family with my wife."
Kingsley shot a look over at Hermione. She could not miss the shocked quality within it.
"And you're in agreement with all this, Miss Granger?" he wanted to know.
"I am," she answered, smiling over at Tom lovingly. "This man here has been nothing but kind and gentle towards me since we have met, which was several months ago now."
"Where has he been staying for several months?" Kingsley asked sharply.
"Diagon Alley," Tom told him. "I took the liberty to get myself a room so I could be near Hermione and work out the details of my new life. During that time I also caught up with the events that occurred over the last fifty years, and I must tell you how shocked I was by what I found. Imagine what I felt like, discovering how much trouble my own selfish need to be with Hermione affected all of you. I don't suppose it would be of any use to apologize for it, but I feel I must do so, nonetheless."
"Mr. Riddle, I'm at a complete loss as to what you want me to do about all of this," Kingsley said somewhat helplessly.
"Well, two things at the moment," Tom said in a businesslike tone. "The two of us would like to marry right away, today in fact. I can see no point in waiting any longer. And, perhaps of equal importance, we'd like to take the NEWT tests to complete our schooling. Neither one of us would find gainful employment as drop-outs, don't you agree? Oh, and thirdly, I wondered if I could prevail upon you to hire me on here somewhere. That way you could keep an eye on me, and reassure yourself that I'm not up to my-well, I guess from your perspective, my old tricks, even though to date I haven't done any of them other than the two you made mention of."
Kingsley was gaping up at him now, unsure what to make of the commanding young man who seemed so able to make such well thought out decisions even in his youth. It was no wonder he was so able to charm so many people to his side, if this was the face he presented to the world. But at the same time, he knew that he could not blindly trust him simply because he sounded so believable.
"I-I suppose I can see no reason why not to meet these three requests, I suppose," he finally said. "But you must understand, if I hire you on, you would be given a job with very low-level security clearance. I'll have to keep your leash very short until you have proven you can be trusted."
"I expected nothing less," Tom said agreeably, and winked at Hermione, causing her to blush prettily and look down at her hands.
"Well, then, I suppose we can take care of one of the requests right now," said Kingsley as he, too, looked at the girl. "As you have both consented to enter into a marriage, I will bind you here and now. Are you sure you're ready, Hermione? You do know that if I bind you to him, the marriage cannot be ended with a simple divorce, like they do in the Muggle world. It would need a very complex spell to break this one."
"I would never wish to have it broken," Hermione told him proudly. "I have belonged to this man since the day I was born. I think I've always known it on some level or other, even when I first learned who he was. I always wondered why he fascinated me, and now I know. I can't explain it, sir, but it just is. I will be proud to become Hermione Riddle, and remain Hermione Riddle for the rest of my life."
"Well said, my darling," Tom told her as he took both her hands in his. "You may proceed, Minister."
Kingsley tied their hands together with light from his wand as he spoke, "This couple has made a vow to devote their lives one to the other, and I now bind them together as one. Tom Riddle, will you remain faithful to Hermione Granger heart and soul for as long as the two of you live?"
"I will," Tom said, squeezing Hermione's hands and smiling.
"Hermione Granger, will you remain faithful to Tom Riddle heart and soul for as long as the two of you live?"
"I will," she answered, her blush deepening further as her heart began to race. She was so happy that tears began to form in her eyes, and both of the men smiled when they noticed them.
"Then it is done," Kingsley said. "You are man and wife."
Tom pulled Hermione into his arms and kissed her soundly, causing Kingsley to shake his head. "You do know that's a Muggle tradition as well, do you not?"
Neither one of them answered as the kiss continued. Eventually Kingsley cleared his throat a few times, and Tom broke away with a laugh.
"Sorry, old man," he said as he pulled Hermione's back against his chest. "I came across time for this very moment, so I'm sure you can understand how significant it is to us."
"Indeed," he said. "Now, as to the matter of your education. I will contact Headmistress McGonagall as soon as possible to arrange for your testing. She may deem it necessary for you to each attend a class or two before granting you your diplomas, but as you are married you would, of course, not be required to live in the dorms. I'm sure private quarters could be arranged."
"And Riddle mansion?" Tom inquired.
"It is rightfully yours, as you say," he said reluctantly. "It was annexed to the Ministry upon the death of your-well, your other self, I guess you would call him-but as you did not commit any of the crimes the law allows that your property must be returned to you. However, I must insist that you house only persons in your employ in a domestic capacity there, preferably in the form of house elves, to belay the concerns of the populace that you might be building an army yet again."
"I understand your concerns, sir, but I must tell you I've opened my home to a few of the people who were displaced during the war thanks to my lack of foresight," he said. "I would like to get them on their feet again before I make them leave."
"Death Eaters?" Kingsley clarified.
"Some of them," he admitted. "But not anymore. I have told all of my guests that I do not agree with the idea of blood supremacy, and it will not be tolerated in my home."
"Wow," Kingsley said, shaking his head again. "Very well, they can remain for now. But I will be sending someone out to check on you periodically, just to make sure."
"Thank you, Minister, for giving me a chance to redeem myself," Tom said in his sincerest tones. "I won't make you regret it."
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