Darkness and Devotion - A Tom Riddle Story

Bonus: The Riddles

Baby mine, don't you cry
Baby mine, dry your eyes

The soft crooning sounds of his wife singing to their newborn daughter filled the hallways that Tom Riddle walked through. He always did this. Allowed his girls to have their moment together without him interfering. But Tom was protective—especially of them—so he never strayed too far from their side. On afternoons like these, he was content to just listen to Evelyn sing. She was a beautiful singer, gifted in many things but especially this. He loved it when she sang to their little Annalise. The baby did too because she always seemed to calm whenever Evelyn did it. Even when she was in the womb, kicking and keeping her mother up for hours at night, she would always calm within the first few notes. Now, when she was out, her forehead would smooth, her cries would quiet, and she would drift off to sleep.

His darlings. His girls.

Rest your head close to my heart
Never to part, baby of mine

Tom knew better than to enter when Evelyn was doing this, knew better than to interrupt the alone time they were having together. His wife was protective of both of their children—always fussing over James whenever his headstrong nature would get him hurt in the garden—but she was especially protective of Annie. Tom could hardly blame her. With so many complications during the pregnancy—many nights spent with blood staining the sheets—they thought they had lost their miracle girl multiple times. Evelyn spent the entire nine months anxious over their daughter's fate. It only worsened when Annie entered the world six weeks early, so small and hardly breathing on her own. Evelyn had fought the healers tooth and nail to hold her child, screaming in the hospital until her baby girl was handed to her alive and breathing, just a little smaller and more fragile than their firstborn.

Little one, when you play
Pay no heed to what they say

Evelyn was more protective of their girl, especially since she had to have extensive magical healing done to even leave the hospital. She only allowed Tom to hold her and even then, she watched him like a hawk. He didn't mind. He knew how hard it was for her to see her baby girl whimpering through uneven breaths, to see the child she was so frightened of losing looking so small and purple out of the womb. So he allowed his wife to remain a shadow over little Annie knowing that, in all likelihood, he would be too the moment they let someone else burst their little newborn bubble. He didn't feel the needle to protect his daughter from his wife or their son but he could already feel deep within them that this little girl already had her daddy wrapped around her tiny little finger.

Let your eyes sparkle and shine
Never a tear, baby of mine

"Daddy," James whispered, walking up to his father with his arms outstretched. Already Tom's miniature twin, he was growing fast. With a charming smile that allowed him to get away with far too much and powerful magic already manifesting even at only four years old, he would make a good Dark Lord someday. Tom would, of course, teach both of his children the Dark Arts if they were interested but there was something about James that reminded him of himself. Except for the eyes, of course. Grey. Just like his mother's.

Their little Annie had eyes that were somehow a mixture of her parents. Dark like Tom's yet with little flecks of grey that looked like stars in the night skies, sparks she inherited from his Little Dove. At only a week old, they hadn't yet figured out who she would take after but Tom secretly hoped it would be Evelyn. 

If they knew all about you
They'd end up loving you too

"Daddy," James said again. "Can I see Mummy and Ann-nee?" His voice was quiet—and he still hadn't quite yet learned how to say his sister's name correctly—because even he knew how important it was for Evelyn to have this time with the new baby. Because oddly enough, James was just as protective over Annie as the rest of them. Tom wondered if the boy suspected how close to death she was during the pregnancy. He was glad to know that his little girl would always be looked after, even when Tom couldn't look after him herself. Merlin. Annie already has an army ready to go to war for her and she's only a week old.