Yep (:

This is the sequel to 'Her Riddle ; His Future', and it was already copied by some "author" on here, but thankfully she took it down so the rightful person could put it up. To those of you who have already read it, I hope you enjoy it the second time around! If you haven't read it, I hope you have read the prequel, and will enjoy this!

Elodie stroked her son's forehead, gently sweeping away a black strand of hair.
"Mum?" he murmured sleepily, looking away from the book he had been looking through, "When's dad coming home?"
"Soon," she whispered, smiling at him, "The Minister asked him to come in for a very important meeting. Do you know why?"
"Dad's an important man," he whispered proudly, his head returning to the pillow on her lap. She sighed, "James... Maybe you should go to bed. Your father may be very late."
"Ok... Night mum."
"Give me a kiss," she ordered as he rolled off the blue, faded couch the pair had been sitting on. He leaned in, planting a quite peck on her cheek, then hurried out of the room, his Quidditch book tucked under his arm.

Releasing another loud sigh, Elodie glanced at the clock. It was nearly nine thirty, the latest her husband Edward had ever worked.

They were married rather suddenly after Hogwarts. Both were eighteen, and ready to face the world, and its demons. Elodie took her favourite professors advice and applied for a job at the ministry. While Edward was looking into another field of work, he followed his wife, claiming he wanted to keep her safe. After several years of hard work, they were initiated in as aurors, both top of their class.

Many of their school friends left England, looking for work elsewhere. The only man that remained behind was Hirman Weasley, who also signed up for a job with the Minister. He, however, preferred a desk job, and worked out cases between Muggles and Wizards, opening the first official department of its kind. Edward and Elodie made regular visits to see him, and Elodie noted things were going quite well for their friend.
Work wasn't the only place they saw their redheaded friend. He usually came around once or twice a week for dinner, since he was a hopeless cook. Elodie wished he would just find a wife so she wouldn't have to make meatloaf anymore.

Halfway through her auror training, Elodie became pregnant with her first child at age twenty. Nine months later, she gave birth to a healthy, happy baby boy, who looked just like his father. However, now that the boy was six, he had inherited Elodie's side of the family's vision, and was forced to wear glasses. He thought they made him look hip, which caused Elodie to nearly burst her gut laughing when he paraded around the house, stating he was 'sexy' now.

A new criminal had arisen. A man who went by the name of Lord Voldemort. Elodie suspected him a haughty Pureblood type, since his main targets were the Muggleborns and half-bloods. He had a clan of followers, who called themselves Death Eaters, and they always left a signature mark above the sites they had attacked; a skull with a snake slithering through it.
Edward and Elodie worked with a team of aurors, trying to track down the villain, but all their attempts had proved fruitless. That evening, Edward had been called in for a meeting with the board of directors to discuss further plans of Voldemort's capture. Elodie would have gone along, but they still did not have a babysitter for James that night, and there was no way she would ever leave him alone.

She gazed across the room, smiling when her eyes landed on the wedding picture hanging over the fireplace. Their wedding had been perfect. It was small, since neither came from a wealthy family, and only their close friends were invited. However, that was all Elodie really wanted in the end of all things. They went to Paris for their honeymoon, and purchased a small, three bedroom house just outside of London. Elodie loved how there were no secrets with Edward. He had no hidden past that she was not aware of, and he did not keep things from her. He was such an open person, no matter how difficult the matter was.

There was a soft tap at the door, and Elodie jumped to her feet, grasping her wand and creeping through her living room, then down the hall to the door. The outline of her husband Edward stood out distinctly, but it was Ministry regulations to ask a private question. She cleared her throat, "Where did we take our honeymoon?"
"Paris," his gruff voice replied. She could already sense the smile on his lips, and she quickly unlatched the door and ripped it open, dragging him inside and into her lips. In an instant, his arms were wrapped around her waist, and he was kicking the door closed, spinning her in a complete circle. Elodie giggled loudly and showered him with variations between soft sweet and hot little kisses, weaving her arms around his neck.

"We missed you," she whispered, pressing her forehead against his, "I just sent James to bed."
"The directors kept asking me why you weren't there," Edward laughed, gently setting her down and rolling her eyes, "They didn't quite grasp the concept of having a child."
Elodie snorted and took his coat, hanging it up on the rack, "So? How did it go?"
Edward's face turned deadly serious and her content persona disappeared, "What? What happened?"
"They..." he let out a sigh, then slowly began to smile, "They gave us the case! And we got a whole big loan!"

Elodie let out a squeal and leapt up into a hug, allowing Edward to spin her in the air once more.
Their team had been pushing hard to be the solo aurors hunting down Lord Voldemort, as was nearly the entire Ministry. It was a great honour when the Minister gave a certain team a difficult case, but this had to be the hardest the Ministry had dealt with. Lord Voldemort seemed to have evaded the teams of very skilled aurors for nearly six years. There had been evidence that, until only recently, linked the dark wizard to crimes nearly ten years ago.

Elodie paused for a moment, then finally calmed completely, "What about James? Either one of us needs to stay home... Or we need to find someone to sit with him."
Edward shrugged, "Hirman could... He and James like each other."
Elodie repressed a groan and followed him into the kitchen, "Hirman needs to find a girl... Not stay home in the evenings and look after our boy."
"Come on, Elodie," Edward chuckled, retrieving his frozen dinner from the fridge and slowly removing the cover she had used to keep it warm, "Hirm likes looking after him... Ooh, this looks good."
"Edward," Elodie warned, hoping to keep his attention away from food, "This is serious! If we're supposed to be researching this case, James needs someone to watch him."
"We'll find a Muggle babysitter," Edward said after taking a quick scoop of corn, "The girl down the street is always looking for money to go buy clothes."

Elodie grinned. There was a little redheaded girl down the road who was constantly buying clothes, but whenever they talked, always complained she didn't have enough money for anything.

Elodie shrugged, "I suppose... Can we trust James with a Muggle? He's a bit..."
"Experimentive?" James joked, cocking an eyebrow and running a hand through his black hair, "He's just trying to find his magic. I was like that when I was little."
"He set our laundry on fire when it was hanging to dry!" Elodie groaned, pouring Edward a glass of water and taking a seat at the table, "I'm afraid what he would do with a human."
"I've done worse before," Edward stated, leaning back in his chair, his food untouched. She watched him rub his eyes wearily, and instantly pitied him. They had both been under so much pressure lately, but the meeting that evening had been the most important one of the year. Elodie almost thought he would be relieved to have it over and done with, but that was an understatement. Now that they were actually given the Voldemort case, they had to walk the walk, after nearly a year of talking the talk.

Neither knew what the future held, but she knew something was coming, and it would happen sooner then they hoped for.

*-

Tom stared down at the newspaper, grinning when his mark shone brightly above the last house he and his followers had ransacked.

Of course, he seemed feared enough, but he knew there more out there.

More to life, Tom, more to life.

Yes, yes there was. But, his silly little voice needed to learn he was no longer Tom, he was Voldemort.

Voldemort. A name feared by wizards all across the world. He and his Death Eaters, or loyal followers, targeted Muggles, half-breeds, and Mudblood, proving that they were merciless, and should not be taken lightly. However, all this had earned him was a few pesky aurors on his trail.

He had dealt with them, but there would always be more.

Several aurors had gotten close to him, some even wormed their ways into his close circles of followers. Although they were sneaky, Voldemort knew.

He always knew who they were.

He kept few people close to him. Adrian Malfoy brought his family into the business of supporting Voldemort and his ways. Another school friend, Julian Nott successfully completed many tougher missions and assassinations, holding him high in Voldemort's mind.
Naturally, there were people, usually older men, who mocked Voldemort. Oh, they supported his beliefs on blood purity, but they never quite thought he could keep control.
He made them know. He performed powerful magic, banned magic, and painful magic, most of which had earned him Ministry attention. That was his goal, after all. When his wand recorded all the killing curses he had used over the years, he instantly shot to the 'Most Wanted' list among aurors and high ranking officials in his world.

All the better. How many more supporters did that give him? Hundreds.

Not every single supporter was a genius. Very few even deserved to be in his esteemed presence, but he tolerated them for gatherings and rallies. The idiots believed anything he told them, as long as he made long, energetic speeches.
He needed someone smart. He wished that damn girl, Elodie, had stayed with him. It ate away at the back of his mind that she refused him. No one refused Lord Voldemort. No one.
She did though! It killed him! How could she say no? He knew she loved him... So why did she say no?

Sometimes he would just sit in front of the fireplace, staring into the flames, watching them taunt his very being. She was just a silly girl.

Well, probably a woman now.

Merlin, who would she be with? Who would take her?

It bothered him to all extents, and the little voice in his head, which sounded an awful lot like his teenage voice, never failed to remind him that she left him.

"My Lord?" Adrian called, tapping on the door to his study, "I have news from MacNair."
Ah, his faithful MacNair. Hidden within the Ministry, working alongside his enemies as a useful mole.
Voldemort did not look away from his fire, but motioned for Adrian to enter, "What news, Malfoy?"
He heard Adrian scuffle in, bow, then join him beside the fireplace. The Malfoy had grown since school. He was no longer a boy. He was married, he performed dark magic, and he was tough with his victims. Voldemort always enjoyed his company, when he wanted some.

"MacNair found out the heads of the new team out to destroy you," Adrian informed him, a hint of humour in his voice, "It's the Potters."
Voldemort's eyes widened, and he turned to face his servant, who was clad in the traditional black robes, his face covered by the large hood, "The Potters? That insufferable Edward Potter became an auror?"
"It gets better, Master," Adrian chuckled. "Do you know who he married?"
"Some Gryffindor tart, no doubt," Voldemort snorted, rolling his eyes. Adrian shook his head, "Not quite... You know her."
"Do I?" Voldemort mused, gazing into the fire.
"It's Elodie."

The pretty one, Tom, the pretty one.

He knew who she was. He glared up at his forehead, as if it was the window to his mind.

"She married him?" Voldemort whispered, turning sharply to Adrian, "Potter?"

He had lost her to Potter?!
No. No he hadn't.

Jealous, Tom, jealous.

Not jealous; possessive. No scum like Potter deserved to even look at something he, the powerful Lord Voldemort, had once touched.

"Apparently they were married nearly ten years ago," Adrian explained, inching away as Voldemort glared back at the fireplace, his hands curling into fists.
"Leave, Malfoy," Voldemort hissed, no longer wanting any company. He needn't tell the man twice. The door shut softly within seconds, and once again he was alone.
"Potter?!" he snarled, slamming his hands against the stone mantel and leaning closer to the heat, "Of all people, little Elodie, you went to Potter?!"

For a brief instance, he saw her in the flame, and he had to blink to make her vanish.

Why was he so linked to her?

Suddenly, it dawned on him.

She must still have his ring, his horcrux. The pair would be connected until the ring was destroyed.

For some reason, a bit of him did not want her to let the ring go. He wanted to win something he had lost in the past. Now that he knew Potter had her, there was this new drive to regain his territory.

He did not love her. He wanted her. A trophy to lock up in his room.

Soon, Tom, soon.

Yes, yes... Soon.