Like You

Deserted in a large, old mausoleum, a place long forgotten by Muggles and overgrown with ivy and weeds laid a coffin of plain oak. Within it lay the remains of a young man who looked as though he was simply enjoying a peaceful nap after a long day. When Tom Riddle had died, he was ugly and snakelike. But as time went on, he reverted to his once handsome self again. And in the months since his death, he seemed like he would simply stay in his current state, unchanging, until the end of time, for the experiments he performed on himself had carried over to his death.

With a loud, ear-piercing scraping of heavy wooden doors against concrete, Hermione Granger entered the mausoleum, her eyes anxiously searching for something in particular. They only stopped when they found what they were looking for up. Every step she took echoed off the marble walls as she hurried down the musty and worn pathway toward Tom Riddle's coffin. Stopping only a few inches from where he rested, Hermione gently opened the lid with a shrill creak and looked down at his pale face. A small gasp caught painfully in her chest. He looked just as handsome in death as he did in life.

"Tom, I'm here, just like I said I would be - just like I promised you. I've found you now, and no matter what they told you, you're not alone anymore."

As she cupped his face with her hand, just to feel him again, tears began to fall thick and fast like rain. His face was ice cold to the touch, and his eyes were closed as though he were merely sleeping. A minuscule frown was permanently etched upon his lips; it was the same frown he wore whenever displeased with something. Amid the struggle to remain poised, Hermione softly tousled his jet-black hair, enjoying how sleek and soft it was as the strands ran through her fingers like water. Her determination to stay strong began to falter as she rested her hand upon his, folded neatly over his abdomen. Those long fingers - the very same ones that always caressed her face - now lay motionless. Her cheeks tingled from memory at the spot where he last touched her.

Acting on impulse alone, she leaned over him. With her face only mere inches from his, she hesitated for a fraction of a second, as though considering him for the first time. "Happy Valentine's Day, dear," she murmured. Smiling, a warm tremble went through her body as she placed her warm lips upon his cold ones.

Today was February 14, a day for love and happiness, a time for loving with that one special person - or at least that's what it was supposed to be. It was anything but that for Hermione. The one person she held near and dear to her heart was lying beneath her, dead.

"Not quite the same now, is it?" Hermione said with a sigh, her smile evaporating from her face as she pulled away. "Do you miss me? I think about you every waking moment, it drives me mad to think of the distance that separates us and how long it will be before we see each other again. But I can't wait that long. I want to be like you, to lie here with you right now." Conjuring a single red rose with her wand, she placed it between his hands, making his coffin look a little nicer than it had before she arrived.

Hermione fingered the dark crimson trickle that faintly stained the corners of his mouth, wondering what it was like to die. Was it true that a person's life flashed before his eyes? Was it scary? Did he think about her before he could think no more? The tears began to fall fast and free from her eyes afresh, and the desire to be with him again intensified in her. "We will be together again... soon. I promise."

Perhaps it was her desire to join him that drove her to do this; but whatever the reason, there was simply no turning back. Inside her robes, hidden deep within a pocket, she pulled out a tiny vial of hazy grey liquid. As Hermione swirled the contents, holding the vial up to her eyes to get a better look inside, a gust of chilly air blew in through the open doors, and a hollow whisper made Hermione turn with a start. Someone was here; she could sense it. The sounds of stifled footsteps close by made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end, and the sudden, distinct feeling of having unseen eyes upon her sent a chill down her spine. Not knowing who or what was watching her made her feel very much exposed.

"T - Tom?" she called into the vacant air, hoping it was only her deceased beloved. The fog from her breath hung thickly before her, and her question received no reply. The icy air bit painfully at her nose. With a shudder brought on by the sudden temperature drop, her eyes traveled toward the doors, looking for some sign as to what could possibly explain the sudden change in weather, but there was nothing unusual outside to explain the strange occurrence. With a lazy wave of her wand, she shut the doors illuminated the aged candelabras lining the walls for the first time in what might have been years. If she was going to do this, she at least wanted some light. An inch of dust and cobwebs had covered the neglected candles, making for a horrible aroma as the hot wax burned, but Hermione reasoned that if she could just wait a few more minutes, she would not smell it anymore.

"I'm coming for you, dear," she whispered to his ear, pushing a stray bit of hair out of her love's shadowy face.

Uncorking the vial, she took a deep breath, inhaling its rotten fumes before mustering the courage to drink it. It burned horribly down her throat, the taste of death just about making her choke on it. Hermione knew it would only be a matter of minutes until the potion took effect, thus her time was short. Lifting herself to sit beside her beloved, she patted his hand while effortlessly positioning herself to lie beside him. It was a tight fit, but soon it wouldn't matter much.

"Love will see us through in death, Tom," Hermione breathed. The anxiety of knowing what was coming made her nerves quake in anticipation. So far, death did not seem scary at all; instead, she felt elated in knowing that she would be seeing Tom shortly. And contrary to popular belief, her life didn't flash before her eyes; she could only see Tom in her mind's eye.

Happily ever after only happened in children's stories, but to Hermione, it was really happening. Just like Romeo and Juliet, she thought, this will be our happily ever after.

While the entire world outside was going about their daily business, there was only one place Hermione wanted to be this Valentine's Day, and that was right here with Tom Riddle. Placing a hand over his chest, as though checking for a nonexistent heartbeat, Hermione took one last look at Tom before closing her eyes. She touched his cheeks, wanting to feel something familiar before she could no longer feel at all.

"I'll be right beside you forevermore."

Based (and used some lyrics) from the song "Like You" by Evanescence.