1,075Graduation
June 15, 1945
Tom woke with a start, feeling utterly lost as the same, perplexing dream he'd been having sporadically for the past two months released its eerie hold on his consciousness once again. He jumped out of bed, careful not to wake Rosemary (though such a feat was damned near impossible anyway), and retrieved his diary from where it hid beneath the ashes of their fireplace, its tender pages protected by a Shielding Charm. His hand darted frantically across the page as he jotted down everything he managed to remember.
Well, how incredibly helpful: now we know it was raining in the scene. Excellent work, really excellent…
Tom glared at the cheeky reply near the bottom of the page, which appeared shortly after he finished his report.
It is not for want of trying, he wrote back. Indeed, over the last few weeks he had tried everything he could think of to elucidate the contents of the dream from wherever in his subconscious it was surely trapped: advanced Divination techniques, memory-enhancing charms, potions…but nothing had helped.
'Trying' is a subjective term, especially now that you seem to find the Horton girl more important than any other bloody thing.
Tom rolled his eyes and closed the diary. The memory of his fifth-year self seemed incapable of seeing Rosemary as anything more than a nuisance and distraction to their future pursuits; it absolutely loathed her. It often made him wonder what would have happened if he hadn't erased his memory and that darkness from himself, though the answer was obvious: the perplexing, exhilarating event of Rosemary would have never happened to him. He felt the diary burning angrily in his hand as he returned it to its hiding place.
Though rather defeated with this most recent attempt to piece together the dream, he was now wide awake. A glance at the tall, antique wooden clock in the corner of the dormitory told him it was four in the morning – there was just enough time to have one last stroll around Hogwarts before meeting Slughorn at seven.
Tom visited the library first and carefully surveyed the restricted section for any titles he may have previously missed. Unsurprisingly, there weren't any. But for the sake of reading in his favorite chair for the last time, he picked out a book at random and made his way to the private study room in which he had spent hundreds of hours during his career at Hogwarts. This place had been his primary refuge as a younger student, given that it was one of the few places he could escape his irritating dormmates and bask in the silence.
After the library he visited the Room of Requirement, the place where he had spent just as much time exploring the Room of Hidden Things and the dark arts. And more recently, where he taught Rosemary to duel and use the Cruciatus – accompanied by a good bit of snogging, of course. It was right about then that the odd ache of reminiscence appeared. Hogwarts was the closest thing he had ever had to a home and it was difficult to imagine himself anywhere else.
As he continued his rounds through the school, Tom ran into the caretaker several times but didn't receive the scolding about being out during curfew hours that any other Hogwarts student would have; nobody asked questions of him here. Hogwarts was more than his home – it was something he controlled (at least to some degree). And it was daunting to think that he would soon be giving that up for the unpredictability of the real world and all of its challenges.
But he was ready. It was time to move on from Hogwarts and away from Albus Dumbledore's close watch and seemingly endless influence. Only outside of these walls could Tom become unstoppable.
"Ah, good to see you Tom. Come in, my boy!" Slughorn greeted him cheerily when he arrived at the Potion Master's office.
Tom settled into the chair across from Slughorn's desk and glanced up, realizing in sudden horror that the professor's eyes were half-filled with tears and his pudgy face slightly reddened. "Merlin's beard – this is it, isn't it? Your last day at Hogwarts. I'm proud of you, Tom. So incredibly proud of you."
"Thank you, Sir," he replied rather awkwardly, unsure about what quite to say. It seemed a tad ironic that Slughorn seemed far more sentimental about the whole thing than he did, after all.
But thankfully for Tom's lack of emotional intuition, Slughorn seemed to pull himself together and said, "I'm glad you were able to stop in and visit, though I find it regrettable that we didn't see each other more often this term for my usual dinner parties. With the curfew rules and all… well, Hogwarts really wasn't the same at all, was it?"
"It's quite all right, Professor," Tom said politely, though he had enjoyed Slug Club immensely as an opportunity to make connections with the often prestigious guests and showcase his superiority over his peers.
"Even today, having the End-of-Term Feast at breakfast-time…it seems like an abomination after all of these years." Slughorn shook his head and then let out a short chuckle. "We get set in our ways, I suppose."
"I suppose so, Sir." Tom forced a smile. Of course, the entire reason for condensing the last day of the term was because the school's most prized faculty member, Albus Dumbledore, had yet another award ceremony to attend that evening – this time internationally. Bloody fucking ridiculous.
"The next Defense Against the Dark Arts professor will certainly have large shoes to fill – or slippers, rather, since we're talking about Albus."
That certainly caught his attention. "How do you mean, Professor?"
"I suppose I probably shouldn't be telling you this, but Gunnilda's health has been deteriorating for a while. Her appointment to Transfiguration was only temporary, after all, to facilitate Dumbledore's switch to Defense Against the Dark Arts as per Dippet's request. But there has been talk that he will be resuming his old post and that Dippet is going to begin scouting for a new Defense professor to begin next term."
The gears in Tom's mind began to turn. As much as he had felt himself leaning toward MAGI's offer, this bit of news made him wonder if his efforts would be better spent here at Hogwarts. There were several benefits to securing a teaching position, after all: Rosemary would be pleased that he wasn't pursuing MAGI, he would have direct control over the curriculum he taught, he could continue to keep a close watch on the Knights and Dumbledore…not to mention how satisfying it would surely be to land the position in the first place, making him the youngest Hogwarts professor to date.
"Well, that is…quite interesting," he replied, careful to keep his internal smirk from showing.
Though apparently the possibility of Tom applying for the Defense post hadn't even crossed Slughorn's mind. "Have you decided which position you will be accepting from the multitude you've undoubtedly been offered?" the professor continued on.
"Not yet..." Tom admitted.
"Well do let me know what you decide; I am very eager to see where you choose to dedicate your talents, Tom. I understand that you might have a lot on your plate at this particular moment…"
It was a reference to Rosemary and the upcoming confrontation with her parents, no doubt. Tom knew he should be dreading it based on how nervous and antsy she had been the last few days, but he simply couldn't bring himself to. That evening, she would prove herself his once and for all. He wasn't apprehensive – he was floored.
"Have you set a date yet?" Slughorn asked suddenly, banishing any doubt that his comment had been about the Horton's.
"No," Tom said charmingly, "But you'll be sure to receive an invitation when we do."
Slughorn smiled in his typical, jolly way. "Nothing would please me more."
Although Tom found the professor to be an exceptional sap, a quality which he adamantly believed he could not relate to in the slightest, Slughorn had easily been the most supportive of him during his time at Hogwarts. While Dumbledore sent him suspicious stares, the Potions Master had built up Tom's ego and encouraged his educational pursuits with few bounds. And for that, he was truly grateful for one of the first times in his life.
"Our N.E.W.T. results came while you were out," Rosemary scrambled to her feet as soon as Tom let himself into the dormitory. "I've been waiting for you so we can open them at the same time."
Tom took his envelope from her outstretched hand and gazed at it in an inexplicably calm manner.
"Ready?"
She was shaking as he gave her a simple nod. How in the world was he so calm?
"On three, then," she sighed. "One…two…three!" Rosemary ripped open the envelope and scanned the page, her heart dropping immediately as she saw the 'E' next to Defense Against the Dark Arts and Ancient Runes.
A quick glance up at the smirk on Tom's face told her that, as expected, he had received all 'O's. Rosemary knew she should be proud and happy for him, but instead she felt the sharp twinge of jealousy; she had studied just as much as he did, if not more.
"How did you do?" he asked finally.
"Fine," she replied, trying desperately to hide the sudden sharpness in her voice as she resumed packing her things once more. "And you?"
"I'm pleased." The arrogance in his voice itched at her.
"Good for you," she snapped automatically.
He raised an eyebrow. "And I take it you are not pleased with your results?"
Rosemary didn't answer, trying to focus instead on levitating a sizable stack of clothes into her trunk. They all fell to the floor, however, when she saw Tom reaching for the envelope containing her marks that she had placed on the bed. "Stop!" she commanded him.
But it was too late. Rosemary sent him a harsh glare and turned away to collect her scattered clothing.
"They are still impressive marks," he said gently.
She sent him another glowering look. "Don't patronize me. If it were the other way around you'd pitch a fit for a week."
Then she held her breath, waiting for the retaliation that was sure to come. But instead, he crouched down next to her and ran his hand down her hair, resting it at the top of her back before softly kissing the top of her head and leaving her to begin packing his own things.
His response shook her. Not long ago, he probably would have snapped right back at her without a moment's hesitation, allowing his temper to unfurl. But everything seemed to change after she accepted his proposal and promised to burn all bridges with her family. He had changed…and this simple demonstration was all she needed to reassure herself of her decision.
She just hoped that, when the time came that evening, she would have the strength to do what she needed to.
Dippet cleared his throat as the last of the students filed into the Great Hall and took their seats. "Before we announce the House Cup, there are two awards that I would like to present. The first is the Medal for Magical Merit, which is awarded based on outstanding academic performance. This year, the recipient also competed in the International Continental Wizarding Dueling Tournament and diligently served the school as Head Boy…Congratulations, to Mr. Tom Marvolo Riddle."
Faye elbowed Rosemary's side excitedly, startling her out of her second rush of jealousy that day. As Tom accepted the award, he was met with applause that ranged from enthusiastic at the Slytherin table to lukewarm at Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff to practically nonexistent from the Gryffindors. Rosemary suspected this had something to do with the fact that Tom had taken points from the house in so many creative, though obviously intentional ways throughout the year that Gryffindor was sporting a point value lower than they had in over a hundred years, when Norvin the Nuisance was still attending the school.
"Our next award is one that I hope you all will strive for upon finishing your education at Hogwarts: the Distinguished Alumni Award. For his tireless efforts to ensure the safety of the school as well as his recent victory against the Dark Wizard Grindelwald, a duel that will undoubtedly go down in history as one of the greatest, I am sure that it will come as no surprise that Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore deserves this award."
Rosemary clapped along with the school and tried to spot Tom across the room at the Slytherin table; she could only imagine what was going on in his mind at that particular moment.
Tom screamed internally as Dumbledore shook Dippet's hand and accepted the award.
Stupid fucking Dumbledore and his bloody fucking duel with Grindelwald...
"I am incredibly honored and humbled to receive-"
Tom tuned the rest out, unable to stand it. He was not surprised that Dippet seemed to glaze over all the 'tragic' events that had occurred at Hogwarts that year. As none of the students had come back as ghosts like Myrtle, time would march on as though they had never existed. The next Hogwarts history books would certainly never include them, anyway. As far as Dippet and Dumbledore were concerned, that was surely for the best – the International Council of Magical Education would be on their arses if they caught wind of half the goings-on that year. Thanks to the distraction of Grindelwald, however, it was all kept rather quiet.
It made him feel bitter for a moment, as though everything he had accomplished had been for nothing. But it wasn't; the event had brought the Knights closer than ever…and in the long run, it had brought Rosemary closer to him too. Plus, the satisfaction of getting away with it still lingered prominently in his mind.
Tom turned his attention back to Dippet, who had just announced Hufflepuff as the House Cup winner, with Slytherin coming in a close second because of the points deducted during Markus Avery's expulsion. He was just happy it wasn't Gryffindor, really.
After the feast, he stood and began to look for Rosemary only to grit his teeth in disdain as he saw Dumbledore walking his way.
"The Medal for Magical Merit is an impressive achievement, Tom. Congratulations."
Tom narrowed his eyes slightly. Was it his imagination, or did Dumbledore's compliment actually seem genuine? He hoped that the professor wasn't expecting him to reciprocate, because that was most certainly not going to happen.
"I know you are off to find Rosemary and board the boats, but I wished to speak with you briefly before you left," Dumbledore continued. "You should know that I, like many of the faculty, am quite interested in what you will choose to pursue. I'll be watching you closely, Tom."
A sickening feeling traveled down his spine. Though Slughorn had said essentially the same thing to him earlier that morning, he knew more than enough about Dumbledore to assume that, coming from him, it could only mean something unpleasant.
Dumbledore smiled, as though to confirm Tom's thought. "Perhaps in several years you will even return to Hogwarts to accept your own Distinguished Alumni Award."
He scoffed internally. Dumbledore could try and intimidate him as much as he wanted, but Tom would come up with a few surprises of his own. With the Defense Against the Dark Arts opening that Slughorn had mentioned on the forefront of his mind, Tom said with a slight sneer, "I'm sure you'll see me back at Hogwarts even sooner than that, Professor."
"Are you ready?"
She felt Tom eyeing her carefully as she finished her cigarette, smashing it into the dusty ashtray on the windowsill. They had rented their temporary room in the Leaky Cauldron all of fifteen minutes ago. The entire day - receiving her N.E.W.T. scores, packing up her things, eating her last meal in the Great Hall, boarding the boats with the other Seventh Years - everything had passed in a whirlwind. And the whirlwind was far from over.
"Rosemary," he pressed when she didn't respond. "You know this has to be done."
"I know," she sighed. But as much as she had done to avoid the drifting of her thoughts in the direction of this inevitable encounter in the days and weeks prior, they were certainly creeping up on her now.
Soon she would be exiled from the only life she had ever known and in her parents' eyes, she would cease to be anything but a disappointing memory of a failed experiment involving an only child.
"You still want to be mine, don't you?" Tom reached up and gently tugged at the ring she wore around her neck, interrupting her from her darkened thoughts.
"Yes, of course," she answered instantly.
"Good." He pulled her face toward his for a long, passionate kiss. When his lips left hers once more, he whispered into her ear, "You know I love you more than they ever could, Rosemary."
"I know," she repeated firmly with a nod. He was right, of course; Tom was almost always right. And the truth of the matter was that she also loved him more than she ever did her parents. "Let's go."
The ringing in her ears from Apparating quickly faded as her eyes refocused on the gate that marked the edge of her childhood home. Beyond the border of hedges that showcased Zisly's artistic talents, Rosemary could see the pastel-colored blossoms of her mother's beloved gardens. It struck her that this could very well be the last time she would ever see it all in full bloom.
Her heart pounded madly in her chest with every step that they took up the long path that led to the front door. When they finally reached it, she paused and glanced back at Tom, who responded by reaching down to take her hand and placing it on the large brass handle.
Here goes nothing…
She threw open the door, half expecting to see her parents waiting furiously for her in the foyer after watching her and Tom walk all the way up to the manor. But instead, they were met with silence that was eerily anticlimactic.
"Rosemary, is that you?" she heard her mother's voice echo through the house as she let Tom in and closed the door behind them. "I'm in the sitting room having a drink – won't you join me?" She supposed this was nothing at all out of the ordinary so far.
Rose took a few steps inside and heard shuffling on the marble staircase as Zisly hurried down to greet her. "Oh, Miss Rosemary! Zisly missed you so much! This morning I picked your favorite flowers from the garden and made a cake to celebrate –"
The house elf froze and let out a tiny squeak when she saw Tom's tall figure standing in the foyer behind Rosemary. For a moment she seemed to be paralyzed, glancing back and forth between the two of them before turning on her heel and beginning to scurry off toward the kitchen.
Rosemary caught the back of her dress fashioned from a few old tea towels and spun her around. "Zisly, if you breathe a word of this I'll –"
"Zisly sees nothing, Miss Rose," the house elf bowed deeply, but gave Rosemary a worried look and Tom one last penetrating glance before dashing away.
"Rosemary?" her mother called again.
"Yes, I'm coming," she responded, leading Tom through the house toward the sitting room. When they reached it, she put up her hand, signaling him to wait a moment in the hallway. "Hello, Mother."
Evelyn Horton lounged elegantly in the white leather chair in the corner of the room and gazed back at Rosemary with an unreadable expression. "You brought him here, didn't you?" she asked after a long sip from her martini, finally breaking the silence.
Rosemary shot a glare at Zisly, who had just entered the room to refill the ice bucket.
"Zisly didn't betray you, dear," her mother said gently, gesturing for Rosemary to sit on the couch facing her. "I had a feeling, I suppose." Then Evelyn stood and smoothed down her dress and touched her fingers gently to her curled up-do to make sure everything was in its proper place before calling, "Please join us, Tom."
Tom slid onto the couch next to Rosemary and they exchanged a puzzled glance. Given the circumstances, her mother was acting astonishingly calm. Indeed, Evelyn just smiled at them both; a wide, gleaming smile as though oblivious to the real reason for Rosemary's return home.
"Where's Father?" Rosemary asked suddenly, itching to get this over with.
Her mother ignored her. "Tom, may I get you something? You usually take scotch, yes?"
Tom cleared his throat and shifted in his seat next to her. "You have an impeccable memory, Mrs. Horton."
She smiled. "A blessing and a curse. Zisly, go and fetch the nicest bottle of scotch Basil has in the cellar."
The room was silent from the moment Zisly went to the cellar to the moment Rosemary and Tom received their cocktails of choice.
"The ring," Evelyn began again finally. "May I see it?"
Rosemary blinked at her. How had she noticed it in its hiding place beneath the collared neckline of Rose's dress? She hesitantly slipped the chain off of her neck and placed it in her mother's outstretched palm.
As they watched her study it, the tension flowing from Tom was nearly palpable; she knew he was furious that she had dared to hand over his family ring, even for a moment. Fortunately, Evelyn seemed satisfied soon after and returned it to Rosemary with a small smile on her face.
"Let's get to business, I suppose." she finished her drink and snapped her fingers, prompting Zisly to prepare another.
"How do you mean?" Rosemary asked, still wildly perplexed as to what exactly was happening.
"We tried things your father's way and clearly that backfired, as I predicted," she replied crisply. "So instead, I've prepared an offer for you." Evelyn snapped her fingers and a long sheet of parchment drifted over from the coffee table.
Rosemary read the title aloud: "'Contract for Authorized Extramarital Affairs' – what in the hell is this?"
"This, my dear, is a way for everyone to get exactly what they want."
Rose stared back at her mother blankly.
"This is a fairly common contract that allows a pureblood husband or wife to see someone else within the agreed upon terms. Essentially you would still marry a pureblood, probably a closet homosexual or someone else seeking this sort of agreement, but you would still be free to continue seeing Tom."
"How do you – did you and Father –"
"No," her mother answered tightly. It then clicked in Rosemary's head that she had probably looked in to all of this when trying to make things work with Pierce. "Read the terms, it's all laid out right there..."
Was this a viable option? Would Tom actually agree to something like this? Could she? Could this actually be the solution to everything?
But as she scanned them, her stomach fell. It had all sounded too good to be true and by the look of things, it truly was. "Section IIA," she read out loud once more, "The Affair-Seeker shall not be seen with The Lover in a public setting at any time. Public is defined as –Mother, this is ridiculous. I am not going to sign a contract that bans us from going into public."
"Well what do you expect?" Evelyn laughed. "It's a compromise, Rosemary."
Just reading the terms of the agreement had sparked her temper. How could her mother possibly expect her to agree to all of this?
"Honestly, this is just offensive," Rosemary said suddenly, feeling Tom's satisfied, somewhat relieved gaze on her as she lit the contract aflame with the tip of her wand. "Can you truly say that, if given the opportunity, you would have signed this to carry on things with Pierce? This isn't the same as being with someone – surely you understand that."
"No, it isn't. And I wouldn't have signed it either." Evelyn smiled sadly. "It's just…This was the only thing I could think of that might potentially keep you from doing what I know you came here for."
Rosemary knew that Tom was getting impatient and that he clearly wanted her to get this over with, but her mother's attempt to stop her made her hesitate. Would she have gone to the trouble if she didn't care about Rose at all…?
"What in the hell is going on?" Her father demanded from where he suddenly stood at the edge of the sitting room. Rosemary's stomach felt as though it had fallen all the way to the floor.
"How was work, Love?" her mother asked, jumping out of her chair to cross the room and give her husband a kiss on the cheek.
He ignored her and instead stared at Tom and Rose with a locked jaw and seething expression. Even though she knew how this was going to end, part of her desperately wanted her father to show the same understanding he had in Dippet's office when they discussed Warren and St. Mungo's. Although Tom expected her to terminate any potential contact with them, perhaps the support of her father would surprise Tom into changing his mind. Surely there was some way to retain her old life with the addition of Tom…
But as she felt her father's rage-filled eyes and Tom's careful gaze on her, she knew things had escalated much too far for that to ever be the case. Just as Tom had told her in the Chamber of Secrets, she would have to choose.
"So this is how you repay me – us? I thought we had reached an understanding…" A portion of her father's anger seemed to fall away momentarily with a stinging betrayal taking its place.
Her mother sighed and shook her head. "Basil, don't be a fool. I told you –"
"Not now, Evelyn," he snapped, his voice quickly rising. "The only fool here is Rosemary. Tell me, what exactly has he brainwashed you into believing? What has he promised you that is worth disgracing your name over?"
Rosemary opened her mouth to answer, but her father held up his hand. "Save it. It doesn't matter. This ends now. I swear on Merlin's grave that you will be married to a proper pureblood man by tomorrow evening. The Horton family honors their blood – and it's about goddamned time that you learned that." He then turned his glare to Tom. "And you, you pompous half-blooded shite – I highly suggest that you get your arse off of my fucking property this instant."
Basil drew his wand, a move that evoked an appalled gasp from both Rosemary and her mother. Tom, however, seemed entirely unfazed as he lazily drew his wand as well, taking a step in front of Rosemary to shield her from any potential crossfire. She could feel Tom's temper rising and knew that if she didn't act soon, he would take matters into his own hands.
"And if I no longer consider myself a Horton?" she stepped out from Tom's protective shadow, drawing her own wand and aiming it toward her father while her other hand pulled out the ring from under the neckline of her dress.
Something seemed to break beyond Basil's eyes as he stared back at the small piece of jewelry. But what began as disbelief quickly warped into profound sadness and then an expression of fury so intense that Rose could see him shaking slightly. "This ends now," he repeated, taking a step closer to them with his eyes locked on Tom. "Avada –"
"Expulso!" she shouted in panic as she and her father were both promptly knocked onto their backs.
Tom was at her side shortly after, helping her to her feet with a proud expression glued on his handsome face. Rosemary looked up at him in disbelief. Why had he done nothing when her father had quite clearly been about to hit him with the Killing Curse?
But his satisfied expression held her answer: he had wanted her to take care of this on her own. He wanted her to prove that she could do it without his help.
She glanced away from him to see her mother drop to her knees, kneeling over her father and Zisly hurry over to them, promptly bursting into tears. Tom grabbed her hand and began leading her out of the sitting room, but her eyes never left her father, who appeared to be unconscious with a light stream of blood flowing from his right eye down over his cheekbones.
Her mother shot her a horrified expression before shrieking at the top of her lungs, "Get out!"
"A gin and tonic – a bit extra on the gin if you would be so kind," she heard Tom order from the bar when they arrived back at the Leaky Cauldron.
She kept wondering when the guilt would kick in and replace this strange emptiness in her heart, but it never came. She felt nothing.
A couple of minutes later, a familiar touch traced the back of her shoulder and she saw a drink slide in front of her. "You did very well Rosemary," she heard him say. "They deserve far worse for everything they've put you through."
"What now?" she asked him, her voice expressionless.
"Now," he tilted her chin up with the tip of his long index finger, forcing her to look straight into his soothing gaze, "We start over."
"You forget the life you had before, after awhile. Things you cherish and hold dear are like pearls on a string. Cut the knot and they scatter across the floor, rolling into dark corners never to be found again. So you move on, and eventually you forget what the pearls even looked like. At least, you try." - Diana Gabaldon
A big thank you to MissVolturiKingsFan, Alice Helena, Oksanallex, slacker4life, Lady Ravanna, Mrs. WaylandOdinsonBlack, AmandaNeko21, Sam, HypocriticalCommunistFromSpace, marly4077, borkchop, ecl123, and broslyn137 for your reviews! Much appreciated, as always.
So, I have a bit of bad news. Real life is sort of kicking my ass right now and there are a lot of things I need to focus on besides writing. There will definitely still be updates, but perhaps a bit more sporadically than they have been in the past (probably once every couple of weeks or so). Sorry about this, but sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do.
On to happier news - only nine chapters are left in Part II, but I still have plenty in store for you all! Thoughts? Predictions? Thanks so much for taking the time to read my story! :D