The rumours did increase, but Hermione didn’t care anymore. She’s happy. Eventually, the rumours died down.
It was the last week of classes; Hermione was doing her homework when Tom showed up.
“Come on ‘Mione, I’m gonna show you something.” He pulled Hermione gently; he was excited to show her this.
“Tom, I’m doing my homework. Since when did you decided it’s okay to pull me from doing homework?” she asked.
“Since Harry told me that you won’t kill me if I did.” He guided her towards the forbidden forest. They arrived near Hagrid’s hut, “Hear we are!”
“Er, what am I supposed to see?” she asked, confused.
“Choose a tree.”
“You pulled me here, away from studying, to choose a tree?”
“Just choose one.”
“Fine. That one.” She picked the largest tree. “I still don’t get why I need to choose a tree.”
“Not just a tree, it will be our tree.”
“Er, what?”
“I saw it in a muggle TV, we’re gonna carve out names in it.”
“oh!” she remembered when she showed him a TV and they watched her favourite movie. She blushed, she remembered telling him that’s its sweet.
With a wave of a wand, the tree was not just a tree, it theirs. Carved in the tree was a heart, then their initials; T.M.R+H.J.G. in the heart.
“I love you, Hermione Jean Granger.”
“I love you too, Tom Marvolo Riddle.”
And their lips met.