Time Changes All Things: Now Complete

Here is the next chapter as promised. No one is murdered in this chapter, so you can relax.



Chapter 26: The Bully



As Tom set foot onto the hospital wing, his chest felt so tight he could hardly breathe; there right in front of him, was his woman, holding the hand of his enemy.



As all eyes turned towards Tom, Charlus stood up quickly and kicked back his chair. Reaching into his robes he pulled out his wand, after he observed the death stare directed his way. Taking a fighting stance he was prepared to defend himself against Riddle.



Tom immediately brought out his wand, heading towards Charlus to confront him about his actions. There was no need at all for this Gryffindor to be manhandling Hermione. Lucretia jumped out of the way and ran off to hide behind Abraxas. Hermione tried to crawl out of bed, but the shooting pain down her leg made her crumple back down onto the bed.



“You have 30 seconds to tell me why you were touching Hermione,” Tom spoke loud and forcefully, “Even then, your reasons will probably not be good enough for me not to curse you until you are begging for mercy.” Tom’s words sunk in deep to all listening to him. When Tom spoke, he had a way of commanding the room and his words striking home and taken seriously.



Charlus seemed to stammer as he tried to answer Tom, who was now standing directly in front of his face. “I…I…was just helping Hermione.” Charlus was not known for his bravery, despite being a Gryffindor. One could sense his fear as he stood facing Tom Riddle.



“She doesn’t need your help,” Tom emphasized his point by pressing his wand into Charlus’ chest.



“Tom, leave him alone,” Hermione spoke up from her bed, “I was running to find you and I slipped and fell.” Tom could tell from Hermione’s tone of voice she was annoyed with him. “You weren’t there and Charlus was; so he helped me get here to the hospital wing. “



Tom still stood there, fiercely looking at Charlus, “That still doesn’t explain why he is still here and holding your hand.” Hermione truly had no answer for him. She just knew that Charlus did not deserve Tom’s anger, because after all, Tom was not there when the accident had happened. If he had taken her with him on the mission, instead of Abraxas, they would have been there together and Tom would have also taken care of the idiot who had been following her.



“Tom, quit being a bully! You were not there when I fell and needed assistance, but Charlus was.” Hermione went in for the kill, “Plain and simple, Tom, you were not there to be the hero and save the damsel in distress.” Abraxas turned shocked eyes towards Hermione, Lucretia tried hard not to giggle at her sarcasm and Tom’s face turned a bright red at hearing Hermione’s chastisement.



Abraxas reached down and squeezed Lucretia’s hand, “I think that it is time that we took our leave,” and he started tugging at her arm, leading her towards the doors.



“If we leave now, Tom will kill Hermione and Charlus,” Lucretia stopped moving, glancing over at her friend in the bed.



“No, we are going now! I do not want us to be part of his death count,” Abraxas dragged a reluctant Lucretia out of the hospital wing who was hoping that she didn’t live to regret leaving an enraged Tom with her friend.



As the doors closed, Hermione finally looked at Tom. She knew that now he was more irate at her than Charlus. “Mr. Potter, you need to leave immediately. I need to speak with Hermione, my fiance…alone.”



Charlus stood there trying to appreciate the reprieve he had been given, but feared leaving Hermione with Tom when he was clearly perturbed. Charlus, not wanting to ignore this “gift” from Tom Riddle, looked over at Hermione, who only nodded her head towards the door. Charlus tried to show his concern through his eyes, not daring to speak a word.



“Go, Charlus, before he changes his mind,” Hermione whispered loudly. Not wishing to anger Tom Riddle any further, he glanced one more time at Tom’s stern face and left the hospital wing. Total silence was all that was left in the room, along with Tom and Hermione.



Tom stood at the foot of Hermione’s bed with his arms crossed in front of him, glowering down at her with a curled lip.



“I thought that you wanted to talk, my love…so talk,” Hermione said in a feisty voice, “I am not going anywhere at the moment.” Then Hermione looked up at Tom giving him a wink and a big smile.



“Gods, you infuriate me and make me want you so much, all at the same time.” At that declaration, Hermione knew that everything was fine. Her feelings were confirmed as Tom sat down, gathered Hermione in his arms and kissed her with the urgency of a man wanting to show possession. Tom entangled his hands in her curls pulling her as close to him as he could. Hermione moved her hands across Tom’s chest, loving the feel of firm, hard muscles quivering at her touch. Tom pulled Hermione onto his lap, forgetting where they were and why.



“Ouch! Tom, my leg, it hurts!” Hermione’s frantic words showed how much she had really injured herself.



“Tom, I really was running to find you. “ She kissed him along his jaw line, coming to a stop at the base of his neck. She ran her tongue along his collar bone loving the salty taste of his skin.



“Why were you in such a hurry to see me?” Tom tried hard to concentrate on what Hermione was saying; while his body wanted the attention her lips were giving him. “Is this why you wanted to see me so much?” Tom moved her hand to the bulge in his pants, moving her hand back and forth as he became harder by the second.



“No, don’t be such a prat. I wasn’t coming to find you for sex.” Hermione laughed as she continued to stroke Tom, “Someone was following me and Lucretia for about an hour.”



Tom swiftly put his hand on Hermione’s, stopping her stroking movement, “What do you mean someone was following you? Did you see who it was?”



“No, that was the problem. I didn’t see anyone; I just had a feeling we were being followed.” Hermione felt so foolish trying to explain this to Tom.



Holding her hands in his, he held them to his chest, “I believe you, Hermione.” Tom instantly became concerned about who was out there that still wanted to hurt Hermione.



“Lucretia thought that I was just feeling nervous because of what happened to me at Halloween time,” tears welled up in her eyes remembering the trauma she experienced not only, physically, but mentally. Looking at Tom, she couldn’t hold back the tears, and he wiped them away, “I told her that I was not going to be a victim again.” Gently, he brought her close to him as he held her tight, giving her the feeling of being loved and protected.



“What part of the castle were you in when you felt like you were being followed?” Tom asked her with great concern.



“We were following you and Abraxas,” Hermione looked up timidly into Tom’s eyes, “I had a feeling that you had gone on the mission without me and that made me very angry.”



Tom suppressed a grin at Hermione’s accurate guess, feeling proud and slightly troubled at the same time. “Yes, that is exactly where I was and I left you behind on purpose.” Tom looked down at Hermione with a superior manner, knowing that this would rile her up.



“I knew it! I told Lucretia and Clarice that you went off without me because you were worried about me.” Hermione’s voice was high and sounding a bit screechy as she told him how she felt, “This was supposed to be our mission to go on together!” She tried rising up from the bed, but fell back down in pain.



“Yes, we were supposed to go together, but that was before we found out that you were pregnant.” Tom leaned over Hermione until their noses were touching and she could feel his hot breath blowing on her face, “Anyhow, this was not your decision to be made; after all, I am Lord Voldemort.” As the words escaped Tom’s mouth, chills coursed through her body at not only his proximity to her, but at the thought of his future self. Memories came crashing down on her of the final battle and how Lord Voldemort had taunted Harry until he had come out of hiding to face the Dark Lord. She remembered how curse after curse was thrown between Harry and Voldemort and how there was nothing that she could do. The memory of the final strikes also raced through her mind when simultaneously, curses were shot out by both wizards that killed both Harry and Voldemort.



Now looking up into Tom’s eyes she truly felt scared. She felt frightened for her child and how she did not want it to be the next Dark Lord, as the prophecy suggested. Gods, how was she ever going to change things where she might be able to grab hold of some semblance of happiness, keep her baby and maybe still love Tom? Hermione knew that she was probably fooling herself that this would even be possible, but she had to try, right?



“Hermione, what’s wrong?” Tom stern tone and appearance disappeared while he hugged her to his chest. “I care so much for you and this child; you have to allow me to protect you both.” Tom kneeled on the bed rocking Hermione in his arms while Hermione sat stiff, dumbfounded and speechless.



“The first thing that we need to discover is who was following you and then take care of them.” Tom released Hermione as his fingers trailed down her flushed face. “You need your rest, but you will show me where this all occurred tomorrow when you are released from the hospital.”



Bending down again, he grabbed Hermione’s head in his hands and fiercely attacked her lips with his, with a force that almost surprised her. Standing up, he ran his hands over her head, his fingers lingering in her curls. Affectionately, he smiled down at her, “Good night and sleep well.” Tom walked across the room, looking back once more at Hermione with uncharacteristic fondness, and walked out the doors..



Hermione lay there pondering back and forth about her chances of Tom becoming the man that she wanted him to be. She also worried about how fate may have already cast its mark, leaving her no possibility of altering the future for her, the baby and Lord Voldemort.



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“Enter” Radbourne and Casper heard the Dark Lord’s deep voice inviting them into his room. They walked in to find him laying on his bed, still with his school robes on and writing on some parchment. “What is it that you needed to talk to me about at this late hour?” Tom asked in a somewhat put out tone of voice.



Radbourne and Casper dropped down on their knees and bowed their heads “My Lord,” Radbourne started, “We know who was following Hermione this evening.” Neither Casper nor Radbourne dared looked up until they were invited to rise.



“You may stand,” The Dark Lord instructed, “Tell me now so I can quickly take care of the fool who bothered Hermione and Lucretia tonight.”



Standing up, Radbourne and Casper glanced at one another as Radbourne spoke, “It was Dumbledore, my Lord.” Both Death Eaters saw the displeasure that came across Voldemort’s face. They watched as he took a deep breath and his eyes lit up with rage.



“So the great Dumbledore now stalks innocent women around the castle, does he?” Both men knew that this was a mocking question. “He was thinking that they would lead him to me, correct?”



“You are accurate as always, Lord Voldemort,” Casper spoke up swiftly, not wanting to give him any reason to be angry at either one of them.



Jumping off of his bed, he threw the parchment across the room, “Damn that man! Hermione could have been seriously injured in her fall.” Pacing back and forth, Radbourne and Casper stepped back, to allow plenty of room for The Dark Lord’s movements. “This is why he needs to be taken care of. He wants to hurt me in any way that he can.” As he circled around the room his pace increased and his voice became louder, “I will not tolerate any more of his meddling actions!”



Radbourne and Casper stood silently, hoping that none of this fury radiating off of Voldemort would suddenly be directed at either one of them. “You both did a tremendous job this evening, not only diverting the old prying arsehole from me and Abraxas, but you followed him closely as he was tailing Hermione and Lucretia,” he stopped directly in front of the two Death Eaters. They both held their breaths as they waited for the final outcome, “You will be recognized for your good work tonight…now you may leave.”



With no hesitation, Radbourne and Casper both bowed to Lord Voldemort and high tailed it out of his room. They had achieved their goal for the evening; they were once again in The Dark Lord’s good graces.



As the door closed, Tom stood there shaking with ferocity. Dumbledore was declaring war on him and those he cared about and he would answer the call back with full force. His wrath only increased, when he once again, thought how easily Hermione could have lost the baby with her fall. He would have to issue 24 hour guards protecting Hermione and this growing child. They would have to be discrete, of course, or Hermione would refuse the protection that they could provide.



Tom left his room, heading deeper into the dungeons, to find solace where he would not be disturbed. He needed to make plans, drastic plans, before Dumbledore spoiled everything that he had worked so hard to achieve.



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Hermione was in a deep sleep when she felt something cold brush her cheek. Waking up, shaking, she looked wildly around the dark hospital wing. Standing there in the shadows stood a ghost, the Grey Lady, staring at her with a slight smile on her transparent face.



“What do you want?” Hermione inquired in a somewhat timid voice. “You didn’t just show up to watch me sleep did you?”



The Grey Lady smiled down at Hermione, “I know a secret…something that you have been wondering about.” Hermione shook her head unsure, in her still sleepy state, what this beautiful ghost was talking about. “You have been seeking something the past few months, that I alone know where to find.”



Hermione still seemed perplexed at the riddle that The Grey Lady was presenting to her at this ungodly hour. “You and Tom Riddle will meet me tomorrow in the Room of Requirement at 12:00 midnight sharp. Then we shall see if you are worthy to be the caretakers of my secret,” her voice drifted off into the vast silence. Then the pearly white ghost floated over to the wall and disappeared.



Hermione lay their stunned and befuddled somewhat, wondering what the bleeding hell that was all about. With all that had been happening the past few months there were many secrets that Hermione wanted to know about, but still unsure of what this puzzling encounter with the Hogwarts ghost had been about.



Laying back down she tried to fall back to sleep, though it would be a long time before that was accomplished. She still felt chilled by her nighttime visitor and the conundrum that had been placed before her. Hermione, being the scholarly person she was, lay thinking of the great secret that would be revealed to her the next day.



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OK...this last part is not cannon, like most everything else in this story, so just sit back, relax and enjoy. Hermione is not going to know anything about the information that the Grey Lady has to share with them.