Veal & Venison {Tomione || 1940s/1990s}

43|| Pawn to D5

43|| Pawn to D5

The Forest of Dean is a refuge which Tom never thought to experience, fortify, or visit, simply due to his previous inhibitions to do anything out of enjoyment. A small river--possibly a stream--runs through the thinly wooded lands of oaken, chestnut, and beech totems, protected from man by the prowess of Nature. With the early morning, dewy frost glazes the strewn ground of twigs, mud, and grass into a whitish wonderland, only disposed by a footstep of a man or an animal themselves. It is a scene of utter peace that Tom may remember in the depths of war.

Hermione traces the river before parting from it, a pail of water in hand and icey to the very touch. Her feet are avid in their marking of the ground, each footstep revealing the layers of dirt beneath the frost like a hand wipes away dust on an old photograph. No sounds come from her form, a miraculous happening: not from the step of her feet nor the breath from her lungs. She looks just as peaceful as the scenery.

Placing the pale in the kitchen for the daily use, Hermione delegates herself to waking the unconscious Harry Potter, having been in this state since their escape of Bathilda Bagshot's abode. He lays sprawled on the couch, arms and legs covered by the blankets, not coddled like a baby but like a grown man taken care of by his mother.

"Harry..." Hermione softly whispers into his ear, prompting the boy to turn his head from one side to the next, on the brink of consciousness. "Harry, can you hear me...?"

Both Hermione and Tom watch him, the girl from above and Tom from the entrance of the tent. With one leg outside the canvas, and the other within, he is both observing the interior of their cove for plans and the exterior world for danger. There is no one better for watch than Tom Riddle himself.

At first it's a groan, but Hermione and Tom are quick to pick up on Harry's response, a sign: "Yes." He opens his eyes to cast a look upon both Hermione and the tent overhead, sitting up slowly and with a slight sound of discomfort before he shakes it off.

"Good. That's good..." Hermione says with a gentle smile, reserved solely for Harry Potter, not that he notices this fact on any occasion. But, of course, Tom Riddle does, having observed the girl both here and there, noticing such things as this.

"We got away," Harry states factually, obviously having lost consciousness at some point in their escape, likely before Hermione did herself. Indeed, it was Tom Riddle who stayed conscious in the flight, Hermione only directing him to this location before she passed out herself. He was the one who constructed the camp, set up the wards, and dealt with the preparations.

"Thanks to Tom," Hermione says, not intending to take any credit for the escape when the majority of the success was due to their previous enemy. At her words, Harry Potter turns from his momentary position to look at the acknowledged boy, Tom looking hardened by these times, yet devoted in all intent.

"You saved us," Harry says, prompting Tom to shrug in what appears to be humility. But beneath that is discomfort, this boy never having played the role of savior, but punisher and destroyer. Of course, he appreciates the boy's gratefulness, but Tom is not prepared to step into this new role by losing his old self. There has to be a balance. And yet, Harry continues, "You didn't have to, and I didn't expect you to...but you did. Thank you, Tom."

Finally looking at the Boy Who Lived and the Boy-Tom-Doomed, the previous Dark Lord projects a wave of emotions in his gaze, though steadied under the stable and unpracticed words of, "You're welcome."

But Harry Potter is not quite finished, always having been one to give thanks to those friends who deserved the praise. Of course, Tom is not his friend, but ally will work for now. "I underestimated you. I let my past mask my judgements. You would think that I'd learn." Hermione laughs softly--almost imperceivably--at these words, visibly drawing the attention of Tom Riddle from Harry to Hermione. "But nonetheless, I am sorry."