my riddle to solve (tom riddle)

thirty

I tried my very best to conceal the evident shock on my face. I took my cousin's hand in mine, examining the beautiful ring.

"Wow. Corrina, when did this even happen?"

"It's a bit of a long story. My parents were absolutely livid at first, but they're slowly coming around to the idea." Tom studied her for a moment, his face etched with irritation.

"I didn't notice the ring earlier."

"Well of course you didn't. You were too busy arguing with Tina about scheduling." Tina was the Head Girl, a Hufflepuff in her 7th year. Riddle's lips pursed together, but he chose to stay silent for the time being.

"Why don't all of you come in and sit down? I would like to know how and who my favorite cousin has married." The three of them took seats across from where Tom and I were standing, shutting the door behind them. I followed suit, although Riddle chose to remain on his feet.

"Alright. Where do I begin? As I'm sure you know, I was on holiday in America. I stayed in New York City, in some little Inn run by a hag who looked to be about three centuries old. The city was absolutely incredible. It's a bit like London, although it hasn't been affected by the Muggle war as much." She stopped speaking for a moment to glance up at Tom. "You look like there is something that you wish to say."

"There is a lot that I wish to say," he told her coolly. I frowned and tugged on his arm, wanting him to sit down next to me and stop being so damn intimidating. He sighed reluctantly before finally joining me on the bench.

"Anyways, I paid a visit to their Ministry, the Magical Congress of the United States. The grounds were quite beautiful, all of the season flowers and plants were in full bloom. I was looking for a place to get lunch and I ended up at a small Italian restaurant. They were super crowded, but there was another man dining alone and he invited me to sit with him so I wouldn't have to wait in line. Lawrence was his name. We started talking and there was a connection between us almost instantly. He had just graduated from Ilvermorny last year, and now he's looking for work in the Ministry. He invited me out for drinks with some of his friends later that night, and I had a wonderful time. We spent the next two weeks together, and before I knew it, we were married. It was a small ceremony at a courthouse, and one of his friends from school served as our witness. I know that it was a brash decision, but I truly feel as if it was the right thing to do." Her skin seemed to glow as she spoke; it was obvious that she was incredibly happy.

"That sounds wonderful, Corrina. Do you have a picture of him that I could see?" She dug around in her bag for a moment before pulling out a photograph of a light-haired boy whose face was smeared with various freckle patterns. He stood in front of a large oak tree, one that was covered in thick blankets of snow. He waved his hand at the camera, smiling and laughing.

"What did you say his surname was?" Lestrange and Adelaide were bickering with each other over who got to hold the picture.

"I didn't. But it's Gaunt, which is also my surname now."  All of the color in Tom's face had been leached away. The couple across from us stopped arguing.

"What? Do we know anyone named Gaunt?" Poor Corrina was confused as to why the rest of us were completely appalled.

"I'm a Gaunt, through my maternal bloodline. Although I've never met your husband before, I am most definitely related to him," Riddle told her. I thought back to an earlier conversation with my mother, the one where she told me the Gaunts were related to Slytherin. She had also mentioned that there were more of them in America, which I suppose would explain this.

"Well, who would've thought the Gryffindor Quidditch captain would end up with a Slytherin?" Lestrange cracked a joke in an attempt to ease some of the tension.