Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Disney's Beauty and the beast – this was written just for fun, and no profit is being made.
AN: Hi all! This is it! The last chapter! FINALLY! LOL. I hope you all enjoyed this story as much as I enjoyed writing it! I don't plan on writing an epilogue for this, since I am pretty happy with ending it this way, but Please leave me a review and let me know what you think! xoxo
When their feet landed on the soft grass at the edge of Tom's vineyard estate, his legs gave out from under him and he fell to his knees. Hermione worriedly knelt beside him, and his cheeks burned in embarrassment as he looked away; he detested appearing weak, especially in front of her.
"Tom, you've barely eaten in a week, let's get you inside and I'll have Satine bring you some food. You'll need rest if you're going to get your strength back." Hermione said bossily, not overly concerned about soothing his wounded pride.
The corner of his lips twitched at her bossy tone, reminding him of the time she had argued with him about healing his leg after they had been attacked by Acromantulas in the forest surrounding his property. Without a word, he allowed her to help him back to his feet, and slip an arm around his waist for support as they made their way from the apparition point to the chateau. She led him to his bedroom, and helped him to the bathroom where she ran a hot bath for him.
"I'll have food prepared for you while you bathe. After you eat, you're to go straight to bed." She said in a tone that told him she meant business.
He raised an eyebrow at her in amusement and the corner of his lips curved up into a smirk, "And what if I'm not tired?" He asked cheekily.
She huffed, "Tom Marvolo Riddle, don't make me hex you." Hermione smirked, and planted her hands on her hips.
He scoffed, as he unbuttoned the filthy striped prison garments he'd been forced to wear, and her eyes widened as they fell on his lean alabaster chest that was now marred by an inky black prison tattoo.
His eyes darted down to his chest self-consciously before they flicked back up to meet her gaze. She took the few steps to close the distance between them and gently ran her fingers over the black markings and he shivered. She looked up at him, seeing the unreadable look on his face, and smirked.
"You know, I've always thought tattoos were rather sexy…"
He felt a smile tugging at the corner of his lips as he leaned down and brushed his lips against hers in a chaste kiss, "I'm glad you approve."
Not wanting to get carried away while he clearly needed rest, she pulled herself away and nudged him towards the bath.
"Meet me on the terrace when you're finished, I'll have lunch waiting." She said as she smiled at him before leaving him to bathe.
He sunk into the blissfully hot water, and felt his entire body relax. Azkaban had been worse than anything he could have prepared himself for. He had never had to concern himself before with dementors, since having a fractured soul made him immune to their particular brand of torture, but now that his soul was intact, he understood why other wizards feared them so much. A shiver ran down his spine as he recalled all the horrors the dementors had forced him to relive as they floated by his tiny cell. If he were a lesser wizard, he probably would have gone mad from the constant exposure. He forced those thoughts away as his mind drifted back to Hermione. She had stayed true to her word, and despite everything his former self had put her through, she saved him; not only from spending the rest of his life in Azkaban, but she quite literally saved his soul. With that thought, he knew he would never let her go.
~~{0}~~
She turned when he stepped out onto the terrace, once again clean shaven and dressed smartly in black trousers and a button down white oxford rolled to the elbows. Aside from the dark circles that still remained beneath his eyes, and his too thin frame, he looked much more like himself. He sat across from her, and they ate the meal Satine had prepared in silence, neither one of them willing to shatter the tranquility that the atmosphere provided. She had been curious about Azkaban, but she didn't think he'd wish to discuss it so soon after his release.
"I've received a letter from the Ministry while you were freshening up; your assets are no longer frozen, since you have been released. Since it is quite a unique situation, they are considering you to be Voldemort's 'Next of kin' and as such, you are entitled to his holdings." She handed him a small key as she continued, "They only ask that you allow an Auror to accompany you to Gringotts the first time you access the vault so that any objects of concern may be seized." She said carefully watching his expression.
He nodded thoughtfully. Truthfully, there was nothing of concern in his vault, only a surplus of Galleons; He'd stored all of his cursed artifacts and horcruxes in the vaults of his most trusted Death Eaters, who were now all either dead or imprisoned anyway.
"That will be acceptable." He answered pocketing the key and leaning back in his chair to examine her.
"What will you do?" he asked, giving her a penetrating look. Now that he was free, and the war was over, there was nothing forcing her to stay.
"I'm not sure. I'd like to finish school and sit my N.E.W.T.S, then I suppose either consider a career with the Ministry, or attend University." She answered honestly.
He nodded and added with a smirk, "Maybe you should consider becoming a healer. You have the disposition for it."
She smiled and tossed a grape at him from her plate knowing he was teasing her about her bossiness.
"Speaking of which, aren't you supposed to be sleeping?" she asked raising an eyebrow at him as she stood from her seat and gestured towards the door.
His lips twitched and he stood, pulling her towards him and sliding his arms around her waist, "I'll tell you what; I'll go lie down if you promise to join me."
She felt the blush rise to her cheeks as she bit her lip. It'd been almost two weeks since he'd made love to her, but she knew he really needed his rest.
"Fine. I'll join you, but we are only sleeping."
He smirked, and pulled her towards his bedroom.
~~{0}~~
Over the passing weeks, Tom's strength returned, along with the weight he had lost from his imprisonment, mostly due to Hermione's constant badgering him to eat, and her insistence on their afternoon strolls through the vineyard. He loved the way her eyes sparkled when she talked about a subject she was truly interested in, and how her hand would periodically dart out to pluck a grape off of a vine and pop it in her mouth as they walked.
He had surprised her one morning when he informed her that he was going to Diagon Alley to meet with his solicitor, as well as to allow an Auror to meet him for his vault inspection. She had asked if he wanted her to accompany him, but he politely declined and dropped a kiss on her forehead before sweeping out of the terrace. Her initial reaction to this news, though she knew better than to show it, was concern. She was worried about what he was doing, and why he was being so secretive. She had casually asked him what he was meeting his solicitor for, but, in typical Tom fashion, he gave her a vague non-answer, and simply left. She considered following him, but talked herself out of it a moment later, convincing herself that she had to start trusting him. He may have once been Lord Voldermort, but he was Tom Riddle now. If there was ever to be any hope for a real relationship between them, she had to give him a chance to prove to her that he could be trusted.
So, as she watched him walk to the apparition point from her seat on the terrace, she took a deep breath and continued to sip her tea.
Several hours later, she was pacing near the apparition point, wondering what he could possibly be doing that would have taken so long, and she was just about to apparate to Diagon alley when she felt the air shimmer and he appeared in front of her.
"Going somewhere?" he asked playfully as he pulled her into his arms for a kiss, chuckling at the annoyed expression on her face.
"Where the bloody hell, have you been? I was worried sick! What if something had happened to you?!" she screeched in a way that was eerily similar to Molly Weasley.
He chuckled again, which only inflamed her temper, "I'm quite certain I can take care of myself, Hermione, but I thank you for your concern."
"What took you so long then?" she snapped at him, knowing she was over-reacting, but she simply couldn't help it.
"I'll tell you what; why don't you go inside and take a hot bath, then join me for dinner in the ballroom when you're finished, and I'll tell you." He smirked, brushing a stray curl behind her ear.
"You're such a…a…Slytherin." She huffed in annoyance, allowing a small smile to grace her lips.
Tom laughed loudly, "Yes, well, that goes without saying." He said as he led her back to the chateau.
He'd left her at their bedroom door, with a kiss that she felt all the way to her toes, leaving her slightly breathless. He was in a decidedly good mood, which admittedly also made her slightly suspicious. She slipped into the hot bath with a sigh, feeling all her worries slip away as she relaxed in the rose scented water. When she finally finished her bath and exited the bathroom, there was a long rectangular box tied with a silver bow sitting at the foot of the bed with a small card embossed with her name. She plucked the card from beneath the ribbon and opened it, knowing it had to be from Tom.
Hermione,
Put this on and meet me in the Ball room.
~Tom
She smirked at the simple instructions, chuckling to herself that he still liked giving orders as she opened the box. She gasped in surprise as she admired the dress that lay inside. She pulled out the dark green satin gown, and found a pair of matching undergarments underneath it inside the box along with a pair of Black heels. She blushed wondering if he had gone to the store to pick the undergarments out himself. She pulled them on, and slipped into the dress, using her wand to magically lace up the back. The dress had a sweetheart neckline, and was formfitting from her bust down to mid-thigh, and from there it was all flowing sheer fabric in the same dark green as the rest. There were small black beaded crystals sewn into the bodice in an intricate pattern that had the overall effect of a snake coiling itself around her body. She charmed her hair into a sleek chignon and added a bit of color to her lips and smokiness to her eyes, remembering the usefulness of Narcissa's beauty charms. To complete the look, she stepped into the heels and slipped on the pearl necklace he had given to her as Lord Voldemort; to remind him that she had loved him, even then.
She made her way to the ballroom, her stomach fluttering with anticipation, and as she stepped through the doors, she had to remind herself to breath as he gave her a rare genuine smile. He was beautiful, his black hair swept back from his handsome face, his intense gaze focused solely on her. He wore elegant black dress robes that were perfectly tailored to his tall form, and he closed the distance between them, lifting her hand and dropping a kiss on the back of it making her melt a bit at his formality.
"You take my breath away." He whispered, as he brushed his lips over her cheek, and she felt her pulse begin to race at his gentle touch. No matter that he'd kissed her many times before, or that she'd already been intimate with him on more than one occasion, he still made her heart beat faster every time he touched her.
They sat and dined at the same table she had once shared with Lord Voldemort, but this time, there was no guilt, no restraint; He was simply Tom, and she was Hermione.
"So I do believe you were going to tell me what you've been up to all day? Aside from dress shopping, that is." She added with a chuckle.
Rather than answer, he pulled out an envelope with her name on it, and slid it across the table to her. She raised an eyebrow at him questioningly, and lifted the envelope and opened it. She gasped as she read it's contents.
I, Tom Marvolo Riddle, being of sound mind, do hereby name my wife Hermione Jane Granger as my Benefactor…
She looked up at him sharply, with wide eyes.
"Tom, this is…"
"My will, yes, I know." He said smiling, as if he was still privy to some great secret she had yet to uncover.
"But…it says 'wife'…we're not married, Tom." She said looking at him in confusion.
He bit his lip thoughtfully, and stood, making his way around the table to stand in front of her. He pulled out a small black velvet box from his robe pocket and when he knelt down in front of her, she forgot to breathe.
"I was hoping that we could remedy that…" he said opening the box and holding it up to her.
"Hermione, I've made quite a lot of bad decisions in my life, but I promise that you'll never be one of them. I want you by my side, and I want to do this right."
Hermione gasped when her eyes fell on the ring. There was a large pearl in the center and it was flanked with two half-carat diamonds on either side.
"Tom…this is…" she breathed, at a loss for words, the tears already making silent tracks down her cheeks
"Will you marry me, Hermione? I never want to be without you again." He said looking at up her with such need in his eyes, it made her heart constrict.
"Yes!" Hermione answered as he grasped her trembling hand in his and slipped the ring on her finger before pulling her up out of her seat and against his chest, capturing her lips with his.
The first notes of the Tango filled the room, and he pulled her into the familiar dance; this time, when she met his gaze, there were grey eyes flecked with blue and gold staring back at her, not crimson.
~~Fin~~