Tempus Viatorum

Chapter 20

Tom had to wait 53 years for the day to come. 53 years of playing nice with both Abraxas and Lucius Malfoy, knowing all too well that it was their offspring that took away the love of his life. 53 years of planning and remembering every little detail from Hermione's mind, just so he could make it all happen again.

He did everything right, from what he could recall. There were more than a few times that Tom felt an intense urge to just succumb to the evil ever growing inside of him. But the small ball of light, the thought of Hermione, grounded him in his actions.

Tom still did awful things, as was expected from Lord Voldemort. He needed the timeline to remain, after all. But he kept his sanity, even in the darkest of times. Even when his whole being screamed for release. Even when he attempted the murder of Harry Potter and became no more than a spirit, or perhaps a wraith, did he fully succumb to the darkness.

He wanted to. Oh, he wanted nothing more than to revel in the darkest of thoughts his mind could come up with. But the thought of not being what Hermione wanted kept him sane. The thought of losing her after spending so many years straining to remain the timeline was an even more dreadful thought.

So Tom died for her, quite literally, and spent ten years as a wraith biding his time. Tom did the one thing he feared more than anything, only for the possibility to once again lay eyes on his fiery witch. He did a lot of things for Hermione that made him question his decision, such as killing innocent people and destroying the wizarding world as they knew it. But taking that rebounded killing curse was the worst thing he had ever done.

He supposed he ought to thank Draco for something. Knowing the timeline from Hermione's mind, he decided to walk another path. Tom made only three horcruxes, and he refused to be as arrogant as he supposedly had been before in his hiding places. He aspired to maintain his brain capacity, and moreover his looks. After all, he didn't want to look like a spectre when he finally laid eyes on his lioness again.

Using a glamour had been quite effective, and worked splendidly. The Voldemort from Hermione's timeline truly was an awful image, invoking fear at first sight. It served him the reputation he sought, and helped him maintain the timeline. It was, after all, imperative that Hermione went back in time.

Tom couldn't imagine a life without his witch, and it had been hell living without her for so many years. His followers scattered without their leader present, but Dolohov and Nott stayed, proving not only to be loyal, but friends.

Those first days after she disappeared had been awful. And if Tom hadn't decided to live solely on the knowledge that Hermione was still alive, all those years in the future, he thought his body might just have shut down completely.

Never had he experienced such anguish, such sorrow and pain. The first few weeks had him walking around the halls like a ghost. He didn't eat, sleep or even attend classes. He just... walked.

Not a day went by without the stabbing pain in his heart. Every thought had been about her, every decision made with Hermione in mind, every breath had been one of searing pain.

But he didn't have to wait any more.

No. The day had finally come. He attained every little piece of information Draco had written down, and came to the same conclusion he had. If his calculations were correct, which Tom himself believed, they would travel back to the year of 1997. On the very exact day that they time travelled in the first place.

Tom made sure Hermione and Draco were compelled to go back in time, even without the battle taking place. He went back and forth, but ultimately decided against spilling so much magical blood. Instead, he used the imperius curse on them both, making them believe the battle took place; thus making them travel back in time to meet him.