"Do not pity the dead, Harry. Pity the living and, above all else, all those living without love."
Voldemort had never known love, the strange force known to bind muggles and wizards together in ways that even magic could not. The child, the orphan, the copy ... he turned a blind-eye to the ways of the powerful force simply because he did know of its whimsical enchantments, of how it could make the yearnings of the heart grow stronger, and how the world would brighten under the darkest skies when one simply 'turned on the light.'
Hermione Jean Granger had known all this, not because she was a muggleborn wizard, nor because she was a Gryffindor. It was simply because she felt the love of others--it was bonded to her, grew around her, and flourished in vivid blossoms that shone brighter with each passing year. She was given a chance where Voldemort was not ... to create a family for herself in two distinctly magical worlds of here and there.
Perhaps it was the cruel mistreatment of Tom Riddle as a child, or maybe it was the bloodline of Slytherin's heir himself that made the boy into the monster who cannot be named. Or, perhaps it was simply because he did not know that the heart would beat in such a frenzy, that his cheeks would redden like a crimson rose, and that his normally-calm facade would melt under the simple gaze of the time-travelling heroine. If I were to bet, I'd say it's the latter.
But it matters not why Voldemort could not love, for this is not a story about Voldemort. This is the story of Tom Marvolo Riddle, and how he came into direct conflict and company with the 'brightest witch of her age' ... fifty-years ahead. This is the story of love's recognition, in which the force does not suddenly develop between two people, but a poignant emotion, different for each individual, is uniquely described to be 'love.' Maybe Tom Riddle never loved, much like that of Voldemort. However, as one chooses to stubbornly believe, love existed for Tom Marvolo Riddle as long as he chose to believe that he loved Hermione Jean Granger.
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Hello, readers! So, I probably should not even be writing this story given that I already have two writing projects happening at the moment....
However, I kept coming back to this idea to writing a Hermione/Tom story. Figuring that if I just 'give-in' to the desire to write Veal and Venison, I will actually focus on homework again, I decided to give it a go.
On another note, I want to make it clear that this will not be like other "Tomione" stories. So, slight spoiler alert, I will give you the jist of my plotline:
1) Hermione goes back in time at the beginning of the Deathly Hallows
2) She attends Hogwarts, meets Tom, etc.
3) She returns to her own time to fight in the war.
4) Tom travels to the future
Already looking at it, this story will be a complex task to complete with the difficult character of Tom to depict and trying to match Hermione's characterization to that of J.K. Rowling. For these very reasons, please be patient with me in the plotline and kindly let me know if I messed up some fact. I last read the Harry Potter series a decade ago, so I am mainly going off the movies. The majority of the information presented here will be fact-checked through Google, but understand that not everything will necessarily be correct.
Also, if not obvious already, I am American, not British. So, if I mistake some colloquial sayings, I apologize and truly do not mean to.
I hope you enjoy this story! And if you do, please respond with votes and comment!
xo
Patagonian
DISCLAIMER: All plot and characters belong to J.K. Rowling. The media posted here belongs to its own respective owner. I make no money off this story.
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