Perception A Tom Marvolo Riddle Fanfiction completed

Chapter Sixteen - Reunion

Tom and Cassiopeia continued travelling abroad for a while. After the incident with Floris Tom insisted on them staying together wherever they went, and Cassiopeia didn't defy him anymore. They took to sleeping in their tent again as Tom thought it was the safest place to stay, with the innumerable wards and Protective Charms they cast around it.

One evening, they were sitting in the tent when Tom received an owl from Malfoy, informing him he was about to get married and inviting him to the wedding reception. Tom eyed the expensive parchment and wondered if he should attend. He hadn't seen anyone of his Slytherin gang since graduation, but they had kept in touch through letters. His knights had obediently informed him on everything they thought of importance while Tom had always shortly acknowledged their letters, prompting them to continue with their reports.

Putting the letter back into the envelope, Tom stated casually, "Malfoy's getting married."

Cassiopeia looked up from the book she had been reading.

"He invited me." Tom pointed at the letter.

"Are you going to attend?" Cassiopeia's voice was curious.

Tom shrugged. "Maybe."

"Wouldn't you like to meet them again? It's been a long time, isn't it? You used to be so inseparable back at Hogwarts. Don't you miss them?" Cassiopeia asked, a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

"Seriously?" Tom raised an eyebrow. "You don't expect an answer, do you?"

Cassiopeia smirked. "No."

Tom leaned back in his chair. "But I think I might actually want to reunite them. Maybe the wedding's a good time for this. After all, things have to move on eventually."

Cassiopeia didn't reply. She was quite convinced that she didn't want things to 'move on' the way Tom meant them to.

***************

Tom was sitting in the hall of Malfoy Manor and watched Malfoy and his bride Drogheda standing at the front and listening devoutly to the horribly empty words of the wizard who was performing the wedding ceremony. Tom wondered once again why he had even bothered to attend. The dreadful wizard was droning on endlessly about the wonderful miracle of never-ending love, and Tom had to suppress the strong urge to stun the man on the spot. He was quite certain that Malfoy wasn't feeling anything like the undying love towards Drogheda that this fool was proclaiming. He had no doubt that this was a simple marriage of convenience. Malfoy was supposed to produce a legitimate heir, and therefore he needed to be married, nothing more, nothing less.

Tom felt his temper flare when he thought about the valuable time he was wasting listening to this awful speech. There were so many more useful things he could have done.

He snapped out of his musings when he saw the people around him finally starting to get up. He decided to let the others leave the hall first and remained seated.

When he finally got up, he suddenly heard a dreadfully familiar voice behind him exclaim, "Tom! What a delightful coincidence to meet you here! It's been such a long time!"

Tom slowly turned around and found himself face to face with Andromeda Yaxley.

"Yaxley," he acknowledged unenthusiastically.

Yaxley flashed her impeccable teeth at him. Her long blonde locks were arranged into a complicated up-do, but basically she still looked the same as when he had last seen her at Hogwarts.

"So what have you been doing all this time?" Yaxley smiled sweetly.

"Travelling and studying magic," Tom answered curtly.