Saving Tom Riddle [Tomione]

Epilogue

This is the end...

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HERMIONE'S POV

The Battle of Hogwarts was over.

The Unbreakable Vow had worked. Voldemort was dead – dead by his own hand.

Together, Harry, Ron and I walked up to the Headmaster's office. Harry repaired his old wand with the Elder Wand and then told Dumbledore that he would not use it.

After Harry had talked to Professor Dumbledore for a while longer, the three of us left the castle and walked down to the lake.

This place held a few memories for me, from 55 years ago – the place I'd first kissed Tom, the place where he'd asked me to be his girlfriend.

But that was all in the past now. Tom Riddle was long gone.

Abruptly, tears sprang to my eyes and I stood up.

"I have something I need to do," I told them. "Alone."

I think they understood, because they turned to each other and began talking in low voices.

I walked back up towards the castle.

People glanced up at me as I passed them. They all thought they knew who I was. They all knew me as a Gryffindor Prefect, one of Harry Potter's best friends...but not the girl who fell in love with the enemy, who saved Harry Potter, who tried – and failed – to save Tom Riddle.

They didn't know what I had done.

But it didn't matter anymore, I told myself.

I reached the place where Ron and I had stood and watched as Voldemort declared Harry to be dead.

Walking around that area, I caught sight of a worn-looking piece of parchment.

One that looked old enough to have been put there 55 years ago.

I picked it up and read the letter that I had written to Ron.

Dear Ron,

I don't know if you will find this letter before I do, but I had to write it anyway.

I am in a time unfamiliar to me, but let it suffice for me to say that I am in the same time as Tom.

Tom Riddle.

Dumbledore gave me the job of saving Harry, you see.

But to save him, I have to get closer to Tom. And as I do this, the more I realise the truth: I am falling for him.

And the strangest thing, I think he feels the same way about me.

Who would have thought that the one to melt Tom Riddle's frozen heart would be me?

Anyway, I return to the reason I am sitting here, writing this message, here in 1942.

I am sorry, Ron. I really am.

But I have to break up with you in order to get closer to Tom, and therefore to save Harry.

Fate is a funny thing, isn't it? To save Harry's life, I must risk our friendship.

We can be together again once I get back. It will only seem like a moment to you.

With my greatest guilt, regret and love,

Hermione Argentum

I stared at the last word of the message.

I realised that now I had two identities: Hermione Argentum, who was still with Tom Riddle, and Hermione Granger, who was here and now.

But with my two identities came a choice: which one to use.

For a while, I stared out across the broken landscape, but, eventually, I made my choice.

I chose Hermione Granger.

But it was with my greatest guilt, regret and love.