A Change of Heart

Epilogue

Twenty Years Later

"Thanks for the hand, Tom," Mark smiled in gratitude.

"What are neighbours for?" Tom smiled as he washed his hands.

Tom had come there two years ago. And he's really been a blessing to the small farming community. He was cheerful, pleasant and was always prepared to lend a hand.

Tom had just helped Mark in a delivery. Mark looked at the cow and the calf. They were both fine. But Mark knew he couldn't have managed it without Tom. Mark had broken his arm last week and there was a storm raging, and Becky was not well either, so they couldn't go get the vet. The telephone lines were down which often happened during such storms. So they had sent Miles, their eldest, to Tom, who was their nearest neighbour. Tom had come immediately and had done everything exactly as Mark had directed him.

And now Tom was washing his hands and Mark said, "Come into the house, Tom. You could stay the night. We've room to spare. No need to go back in the storm."

"The storm doesn't bother me," said Tom, grinning. "But my pet gets a bit restless by herself. And you don't want a restless snake in your neighbourhood."

"I'd forgotten about her," Mark confessed. "But come to the house and have a drink first. And take the flashlight when you go."

Tom's pet was not very popular when he first came there. And because of the snake, Tom too had been viewed with some apprehension when he first came. But very soon, both the snake and its master had become great favourites with the people there. Tom called the snake Nagini, which somehow seemed appropriate.

Tom thanked the Jarrods for the drink, took the flashlight and made his way back to his house. He liked the place and the people. He'd be sorry to leave it, but he never stayed at any one place more than three years. It would have aroused suspicions when people started noticing that Tom Riddle did not age. In the last twenty years, Tom had hardly changed. And that certainly would have attracted attention.

He hoped Nagini would not be too nervous. Of course it was not the same Nagini that had once housed a piece of his soul. She'd died a long time ago. Snakes didn't live that long, even without wizards attempting to possess them. The present Nagini was the first Nagini's grand-daughter. Her mother was called Nagini too. Tom had not wanted to try a new name. So they'd all remained as Nagini.

Tom's steps slowed as he approached his door. He distinctly remembered closing the door before he accompanied Miles. But it seemed the storm had blown it open again. In his hurry, he had not thought to lock it.

He removed his raincoat and hung it in a peg near the door and entered the house, closing the door and bolting it. He switched on the light and stood still.

A man sat on the couch, Nagini was curled up next to him and he was stroking her head. He smiled at Tom.

"She's new, not Nagini," said Harry.

Tom moved to where Harry was sitting,  pulling a chair and sitting down on it, facing Harry.

"No," he replied. "She died."

"But you call her Nagini."

Tom shrugged. "It seemed right." Tom was feeling a bit breathless. He wondered if he was dreaming. The night did have a surreal quality to it, the storm raging outside and Harry sitting in his living room... His eyes drank in the sight of Harry. He had grown and changed, but his eyes remained the same. And his hair was still messy. Tom's fingers itched to run themselves through that hair.  He was tall, as tall as Tom. He was also loose-limbed and athletic. Tom wondered if he'd become an Auror like he wanted to. He wondered about Harry's personal life too, but he knew it was not his concern anymore, if it ever was in the first place.

"What are you doing here?" He asked Harry now.

Harry shrugged. "I came to see you."

"How did you find me?"

"I knew you were living as a muggle since you left your wand behind. So, I'd been looking for anyone answering to your description in any muggle community. I've been looking for you for over ten years, Tom. And your habit of suddenly disappearing from your homes was not helping either. But one of your previous neighbours told me about Nagini and actually, that's how I found you."

Harry spread a piece of paper before him. Tom saw that it was a printout of a blog written by Marjorie Seldon, one of the children in the village. That particular blog post was about Nagini. "The Tame Snake."

"You've been looking for me over ten years?" Asked Tom now.

"That's what I said."

"Why?" Asked Tom.

"Because you owe me a kiss," murmured Harry as he closed the gap between them.

Tom was still for a moment as Harry's mouth pressed on his. Then with a groan, he opened his mouth and started kissing Harry back, his arms snaking around the other man. The need for air made them break the kiss, but they still held each other tight. Tom noticed rather hazily that he and Harry were on the couch and Nagini was on the chair.

"I know the truth now, Tom," said Harry softly.

Tom stiffened. "Dumbledore told you?"

"Dumbledore and Severus, both. Dumbledore always told me I had to be old enough before I could be told. He finally told me last year."

"Last year." Repeated Tom stupidly. Perhaps it was not a big deal, but he could not explain to himself the rush of joy he felt at the realization that Harry had been looking for him even before learning the truth.

"Well, Tom?" Murmured Harry. "Where do we go from here?"

"I think it is entirely upto you," said Tom.

Harry released Tom and rose. He went to where he'd hung his coat and extracted something from inside it. Tom's mouth went dry as he saw what it was.

Harry held out the wand to him, "Will you accept it back, Tom? Will you come back with me?"

Tom took the wand, his hand shaking. His hands caressed the polished wood. How he'd missed it! He looked at Harry.

"You kept it," said he.

"It was all I had of you," said he.

Tom looked at Harry and he could not speak. His chest seemed to constrict with the sheer mass of emotions the other man evoked just by his presence. Tom put the wand down and took Harry in his arms.

"Anything you say, Harry," he said.

Harry kissed Tom again. He knew they both had questions, but that could wait. This couldn't. They'd both waited over twenty years for this.

Harry's life had definitely got a whole lot better right now.