"Words like violence
Break the silence
Come crashing in
Into my little world
Painful to me
Pierce right through me
Can't you understand,
Oh my little girl...
Words are very unnecessary
They can only do harm..."
June 14th, 1945
How odd it feels to be back here at this lamentable orphanage after all the merriment and excitement of our graduation party. What a contrast it is. The first thing I did before leaving the school was to send a letter to my relatives, telling them that I left Hogwarts and am now back at the orphanage. I asked them to wait for me, as I would try to visit relatively soon.
Sophie and Marcella have recently written to me, too, telling me that they promise to visit me here in Little Hangleton whenever they get the chance....
---
Miriam didn't bother unpacking her Hogwarts trunk upon arrival at Madam Westyn's. Doing so would have been useless, though she kept her wand out for "emergency" purposes. Since their arrival, Tom hadn't been seen or heard from much. Come to find out, he would leave the orphanage for days on end, only to return for a short bit before setting out again. It didn't bother Miriam in the least bit. But there was a part of her that was curious....
~*~
One rainy afternoon a few days later, she, having the girls' dorms to herself, took her mother's book out of the trunk and ran her fingers gently down the spine. Questions were nagging at her - millions of questions she longed to ask. There were things she felt she needed to know about her family - and there was only one person she could ask. Putting the book back and locking the trunk, she grabbed her wand and headed down toward Madam Westyn's office.
She knocked on the door....
"Who is it?" Westyn's harsh voice sounding from behind the wooden door.
"Me," Miriam replied.
There was a sound, the door opened a crack, and Madam Westyn's pudgy face appeared out. "Go away!" she hissed and slammed the door briskly in Miriam's face. Her temper quickly rising, she pulled out her wand and forced the door to open with a simple chant of "Alohomora!" Madam Westyn was halfway to her desk and froze at the sight of Miriam standing in her office.
With her wand pointed at the old lady, she spoke briskly. "I want some answers, and I want them now."
Madam Westyn slowly sat behind her desk and sighed. "What do you wish to know?" she asked, giving Miriam a look of deepest resentment.
"I want to know about my family," Miriam replied. "Is it true my father was alive when we were sent here?"
Madam Westyn nodded curtly. "He's just as much alive then as he is now."
Miriam blinked furiously, her hand holding the wand began trembling slightly. "Why did he send us to live here then?"
Madam Westyn pursed her lips together. When she finally spoke, her voice was trembling slightly, surprising Miriam greatly. "What you must understand is this: When you and your brother were born and brought here by the nurse, she told me there was something odd - something strange about your mother. Rumors were flying around that a young woman was practicing witchcraft in Little Hangleton. I believe that woman’s name was Marguerite Morreaux, or as she was known then, Mrs. Thomas Riddle. When he discovered her... shall we say 'secret', he left her like the freak she was. Pregnant and all."
A nasty smile grew on Madam Westyn’s face as her voice stopped trembling. "It was around this same time that Mr. Riddle was heard saying something about being 'tricked'. Naturally, when Mr. Riddle's parents found out about their son's estranged wife and her activities - the cause of those nasty rumors - giving birth to two of their grandchildren, they had to do something quick. They soon discovered that they had brought you to me, and one night, they - along with your father - came to visit me. You might say they made me a deal I couldn't refuse. In exchange for me keeping my silence about the truth about you two, Mr. Riddle offered to make a generous donation to the orphanage. But if in the event that abnormality of his wife's ever showed up, I was to inform him immediately, and he would make another generous donation. Mr. Riddle was worried sick when he came to see me. He made it known to me that people from a certain Ministry of Magic had come to visit him. He claims the Ministry was more worried about the unfortunate beginnings of a baby witch and wizard than about his being abused from 'their kind'.
Madam Westyn smiled again. "To keep those 'freaks' away from him, he offered to pay your way through that freak school should anything abnormal about you arise.”
Miriam swallowed this bitter bit of information.
"As you can see, your own father thinks you're freaks," she hissed. Miriam swallowed harder.
"How... how did our mother die?" she asked, though the question was painful to her.
"The nurse who brought you here told me that your birth caused serious complications. She died shortly after delivering you and your brother - living only long enough to name you both."
"Did she have any family with her?"
"How the bloody hell should I know? I wasn't there when the wretched woman died!"
Miriam tightened her grip on the wand, still staring at the old woman she hated so much. "You always treated us like dirt!" she exclaimed suddenly, seventeen years worth of repressed bitterness finally coming to the surface.
"I treated you as you should have been for being the monstrosities that you are!" Madam Westyn snarled. Before anyone could react, there was a loud, wall-shaking BANG! A smoldering hole appeared in the wall right next to Madam Westyn’s head. She jumped up out of her seat and scowled at Miriam, her eyes ablaze.
"Out!" she screeched. "Out! I want you out of this orphanage... NOW!"
Turning on her heels, Miriam stormed out of the office where she magicked her trunk down the stairs from the girls' dormitories. By now, everyone had come out to see what the ruckus was, each one watching the debacle with great interest. Miriam pointed her wand at the doors, and they burst open. Halfway out the door, she turned to face Westyn and pointed her wand at her head again. A red beam shot out from the tip of her wand before she left.
~*~
She didn't know how long she had walked, but the rain had stopped and the late afternoon sun was beginning to set behind the clouds. Miriam was deep into the forest of Little Hangleton, dripping with water from an occasional sprinkle, and very much lost. Continuing on, Miriam eventually came upon a large mansion sitting on a hill overlooking a church and graveyard. There were more buildings beyond the church. Excited to have finally reached civilization, she walked down the hill slowly, her trunk floating in midair behind her. When she reached the foot of the hill, she transfigured her trunk into a small pocket watch before continuing on her way into the village. The first place she came to was a pub called the Hanged Man, and sitting right in front of it was a little red automobile.
The pub was filled with people, and the moment she entered, they all turned to face her. Miriam didn't like the fact that they were staring at her as she walked by. A few people by the counter began whispering, and their gazing was beginning to creep her out. One of the people up at the counter leaned over to whisper something to the bartender, who nodded excitedly. Miriam wished they would just take a picture; it would have certainly lasted longer.
It was then she realized how she must look after being caught in the rain. Trying to smooth her hair down, she walked toward the back of the pub where there were a few vacant tables and chairs. Sitting down in one, she rested her head in her in hands. Things weren't looking good for her. She had no Muggle money, no means of transportation, and no way to get a hold of Sophie or Marcella.
Sighing heavily, the door to the pub suddenly opened and two figures walked in. "Maybe somebody here will know how to get there."
That voice, it sounds so familiar, she thought. The voice reminded her of her friend Sophie. A second voice spoke up. "Um, hullo. We're looking for some help. Does anyone know how to get onto the road that leads to Madam Westyn’s Home for Orphaned Children? We've been driving around and walking in circles for the past hour."
Miriam removed her head from her hands and looked at the two figures. Her eyes were blurry from pressing them into her hands, but once her vision had cleared, her heart nearly stopped.
"Sophie?" she croaked. "Marcella?"
The young women heard the voice and looked toward the back of the pub and saw their disheveled friend, wearing a mysterious smile.
"Oh my goodness!" Sophie exclaimed, running over to meet Miriam. The friends embraced her, and then they pulled back to take a good look at Miriam.
"What on earth happened to you?" Marcella asked, taking in Miriam's messy hair and runny make-up. "You look terrible!"
"Thanks," Miriam replied sardonically.
"What are you doing here?" both friends asked in unison.
"I had to leave Madam Westyn's."
"Where are you planning on going?"
"I don't know," Miriam replied heavily. Sophie and Marcella looked at one another.
"Well, why don't you stay with one of us, then?"
Miriam smiled. "Really? Oh, that would be so great!"
Feeling greatly relieved, they left the pub, again under its patrons' glares. They were obviously confused over Sophie's lack of Muggle dressing etiquette; she was wearing a long midnight blue robe. Marcella, at least, was more experienced in wearing Muggle clothing, being half-Muggle herself. She was wearing a pleated dark-green dress.
The sun was now completely down, and the moon was slipping through the clouds. The girls lead Miriam outside, when Marcella asked, pointing to the red motorcar that was right out front of the pub, "Have you seen my new automobile?"
"This is your car?" Miriam asked. Marcella nodded proudly.
"I was here for a bit, but I didn't see either of you," Miriam said, taking her gaze away from the car and looking into her friends' faces.
"Oh, we had decided to walk around and see if we could find anyone to ask for directions," Sophie replied. "We never found anyone to ask. This whole town must close up at six," she grinned snidely. Miriam laughed as Marcella opened the doors to the car. Marcella got in on the driver’s side, leaving Sophie and Miriam to sit in the back to talk.
"It's going to be a bit of a long drive," Marcella announced, starting the automobile. It began to purr loudly, but it was calming to Miriam's nerves.
"I don't care," Miriam smiled. "I just want to get away from here."
The car started moving, a giddy feeling bubbling up inside her. She was finally leaving Little Hangleton behind after years of enduring many hardships at the hands of her spiteful headmistress. As she watched the scenery slowly beginning to move by, she suddenly yelled out, "Stop!" Marcella slammed down hard on the breaks.
"What's wrong?" she asked worriedly. "Did I hit something?" But Miriam never answered, she had already opened the side door and was out of the automobile, running across the street, and beginning to trek up the dark hills where the large mansion sat. Miriam turned to face the car and waved her hands, signaling to her friends that she would be back in a minute. It’s was dangerous, she knew, to follow something she had seen out of the corner of her eye and into the dark hills, but this wasn't an ordinary something she had seen... it was long, black, and swishing, almost like a robe. No Muggle she had ever known wore a black robe, and her interest was piqued. She was almost certain she'd just seen a wizard's robe, but there were no other wizards she was aware of, besides her or Tom, living in Little Hangleton....
The moon now sitting in the darkening sky; it was ducking in and out of the clouds, leaving little light to see with. Yet when it did become visible, it lit up the huge hill in silvery light. The figure was a good distance ahead of Miriam; it was in a rush to get somewhere quick. Miriam continued on, hoping to see who it was. With one glimpse of light, she could make the figure out to be a male....
The mansion was soon upon them, and the tiny village now nothing more than a small batch of buildings in the distance. There were lights on inside the house, illuminating the massive lawns.... Keeping a safe distance back, the male figure turned around, checking to make sure that no one was following him. Miriam ducked, hoping the cloak of darkness would keep her from being seen.
The figure, apparently satisfied that no one was following him, continued his way to the back of the house. Creeping up to the window, she looked in and saw a family was living there. There were two older people, and a younger one, possibly in his mid-forties. The man bore a striking resemblance to her brother Tom.
Miriam watched as her brother stormed into their living room with his wand pointed directly at the family. Their expressions, upon seeing Tom, were ones of surprise mixed with fear. Wishing that she could hear what they were saying, she leaned in closer to the window and pressed her ear to the cold glass. Tom started shouting at the people.
Looking in again, she saw that Tom now had his wand pointed at the elderly couple. In a flash of green light, the elderly man sat frozen to his seat, not moving an inch as blood began to trickle down from his mouth. Miriam let out a soft, almost inaudible gasp. Her brother had just killed him. The older lady was pleading with Tom, but he simply ignored her. Another shot of green light lit up the room, and the woman collapsed onto the floor in a heap.
Miriam continued to watch in a stupor as the older man looked at Tom, a look of fear etched across his face. Tom backed the man into a corner with his wand raised. The man was saying something.... He was pleading with Tom.
"SHUT UP YOU INSOLENT MAN!" barked Tom so loudly that Miriam could hear it perfectly outside. The man blinked and swallowed hard, his breathing becoming raspy and shallow. Tom wasted no time in killing him; he slowly fell to the floor with his eyes wide open. Tom lifted the man's head and looked into his blank eyes. Miriam saw Tom's mouth moving like he was saying something to the dead man. A second later, Tom slapped the corpse's face as blood beginning to drip from the dead man's mouth.
Before leaving, he reached into the man's pocket and pulled something out. He turned around and swept past the dead bodies and left the room. A light in the house went off, bathing everything in total darkness. Miriam was oblivious to this though; she was still thinking back on to the people that her brother just killed....
Footsteps were nearing. The twigs breaking were enough to warn Miriam that her brother might find her. Seeking cover in a bush, she hid quietly until she saw Tom pass by her. He headed into the forest. Miriam followed closely behind him, but she stayed behind at a fair enough distance to keep him from noticing her. She followed him a good ten minutes until they eventually reached a rocky cliff overlooking a river below. Miriam wondered what on earth he was doing here. Impulsively, she felt it was time to make her presence known to him.
"Tom?" she called out quietly. He turned around and saw his sister walking up onto the rocky cliff to where he was. She was looking worried.
"What are you doing here?" he asked. He seemed surprised and a bit confused to see her there.
"I know what just happened," Miriam answered. "Those people, the three of them... you -"
"- killed them," he finished for her. "So what?" he snapped back. "They didn't deserve to live anyway."
"Why?" she asked, not fully understanding his logic.
"Those people," he continued with great disgust in his voice, "are the reason that you and I grew up in that wretched orphanage."
Miriam looked at him dumbfounded. “But Tom, it was wrong to kill -“
Tom sighed. "Those revolting people were our relatives. The older couple... they were our grandparents. That other person was our father... the one who abandoned his pregnant wife the moment he found out she was a witch! He hated her so much that he refused to raise his own children! Instead he sent us to be raised in that... that hellhole!" he spat. "Don't you remember me telling you about him when I broke into Madam Westyn's office that summer?"
She nodded her head as she remembered her conversation with Madam Westyn only few hours ago. Hearing how her own father didn't want anything to do with her or her brother, and so, dumped them in the orphanage to live under Westyn's lack of care made her feel angry. Closing her eyes, she heaved a deep sigh; her head was beginning to hurt.
"But to kill them," she began slowly, "was it really... necessary? You're a murderer now, Tom. You can never take that away now."
"It needed to be done," he answered dully, shrugging his shoulders as if it was no difference whether or not he had spilled innocent blood or not.
"Don't you realize that the police are going to be looking for you? You're going to be arrested!" Miriam yelled. "Doesn't that even bother you?" After she said it, the clouds parted from the moon, and in it's silvery light, Miriam saw a small flicker of a grin creep onto his face.
"They'll never catch me," he replied smirking, his eyes beginning to show an eerie, reddish gleam in them. "Those Muggle fools are too stupid to catch me, Lord Voldemort."
"Lord what?" Miriam asked.
"Lord Voldemort," he replied again casually. "It's a name I created for myself while still at Hogwarts. It's only known to a few of my closest friends, of course. You didn't think I was going to keep our filthy Muggle father's name for all eternity, did you?"
Miriam felt like Tom had just slapped her across the face.
Closest friends, she thought bitterly. It was as if all those years growing up together suddenly meant nothing to him.
"I never knew about it," she replied, feeling slightly hurt. Thinking back, she remembered when she had looked in her mother's book and saw Tom writing that name in his journal. Then there was the time when she overheard Carrey and Murdoch calling him by that wretched name.
"Like I said," he continued, "it was only known to my closest friends only. Do you remember that summer we stayed at Hogwarts? How Sam had come to take us to buy our school things and during our trip, he kept asking me those weird questions? Why did I run away from Hogwarts and Madam Westyn's? Think long and hard about it."
Miriam shook her head. She didn't know why, and she probably didn't want to know the answer.
"Grindelwald," he whispered. "Grindelwald learned that his sister had two children... two special children. So, he set out to find us, to train us to follow in his shadow. Yes, Miriam, he originally wanted to train both of us, but you proved too weak to change. But not me. I wanted to learn, to be strong... powerful! He sent a messenger to me, taking me under his wing, and it was through him that I met Grindelwald. It was during my brief encounters with the Dark Lord that I learned more than I ever did at Hogwarts."
Ho looked at Miriam, letting the words slowly take effect in her mind.
"After I opened the Chamber and Myrtle died, you and dear old Dumbles grew very suspicious of me. From then on, I knew I couldn't trust you, so I kept my new identity a well-hidden secret. I knew if I told, you would have probably gone blabbing to Dumbledore, and my whole plan would have been ruined. I would have been expelled for sure. I wasn't going to take that unnecessary risk, so I took steps to make sure that someone in the future could finish Salazar Slytherin's noble work."
The diary, she thought. That’s why he enchanted that diary....
All the things he was telling her boggled her mind. She closed her eyes, trying to keep it all from spilling out on her.
"Shortly before that crackpot old fool Dumbledore killed Grindelwald, Grindelwald told me that before I could ever think of becoming all-powerful, I would have to 'wipe away' any single bit of evidence of my past life. It was he who taught me all about the Dark Arts: the potions, the spells, the curses, the jinxes, and hexes... the immortality."
He stopped for a moment, savoring the words on his tongue before continuing on his little harangue.
"Beginning now, I'll ‘wipe away’ the remaining bits of my past life, and to do so, I'm afraid I'll have to kill you, dear Miriam. You've proved difficult to kill in the past, but not this time. We're not near Hogwarts, and there are no people to hear you scream. Besides, I can't very well afford to have any witnesses to the Riddle murders, now can I?" He smiled a ghastly smile at her as he pulled out his wand, and pointed it straight at Miriam's chest. Her heart began to beat faster as she took a small tentative step backward. "No," she whispered, "please, don't kill me."
"Of course, if you decide to join me and my new group, the Death Eaters, I won't have to kill you," he said, an absolutely malevolent grin still spreading further across his face. "Your choice. What will it be?"
"NEVER!" Miriam shouted defiantly, feeling rather brave all of the sudden as anger filled every inch of her.
"Fine, I should have known you’d cower like that. Have it your way then. I promise, this won't hurt a bit," he continued, with that same evil smirk as he slowly started advancing on her. "I'll make sure it's quick and painless, unlike what I did to those...” (he inclined his head toward the Mansion) ... ”cowards back there."
Miriam started backing up even faster now, her feet stumbling on the ground and broken tree twigs.
"Don't make this difficult for yourself, Miriam dear," he yelled. "Avada -"
Before he could get the rest of the words out, Miriam made a quick dash into the forest and the spell Tom sent to her ricocheted off a large oak tree.
"Miriam, don't run!" he yelled again, as he started to chase after her. "I promise that you won't feel a thing!"
Miriam ran deeper into the woods, hoping that she could hide in the forest and escape her brother. Maybe I can make it back to Little Hangleton where he wouldn't want the risk of being caught by any Muggles, she thought desperately.
Deeper and deeper she went. Eventually she knew she was lost; she didn't know which direction she'd originally came from. It became disorientating. Pulling out her wand, she whispered, "Point me!" Her wand became a compass, and it pointed west. She knew that Little Hangleton was located further west, so she continued on in the darkness, feeling her way, almost blindly, around the trees. Every so often she could hear Tom calling out to her, his footsteps sounding in the distance. "Miriam, you can't out run me!"
She sped up through the trees, adrenalin rushing through her veins. Her breath quickened as she kept up her pace. One slight stumble and she would fall painfully to the ground, but this was the least of her worries at the moment....
"Miriam," he called out again, "don't be afraid!" A sudden burst of green light shot out past Miriam, a mere few feet from where she was running.
"Avada Kedava!" A second green light shot out. "I grow weary of playing these games with you, sister!"
A third light shot out. Each one was getting closer and closer to Miriam. Luckily for her, each missed spell lit up enough of the forest so she could see where she was going and wouldn't have to use her own wand for light.
"Damn you, Miriam!" A fourth light shot out.
The forest seemed, somehow longer, much longer than when she had walked discreetly behind Tom, following him to an almost decisive fate. Just when she thought the forest would simply go on forever and would most certainly be killed, she saw a light shining in through the trees. Civilization! I must be nearing the end! she thought.
Making it to the light, she stepped out into the warm breeze of the nighttime. With a racing heart, she looked around at the buildings of Little Hangleton and, with a sinking feeling in her stomach, saw that there wasn't anyone around. If Tom were to kill her at that precise moment, he could certainly do so and nobody would probably find her body until morning.... By then, he would be long gone....
Just as she was about to lose any hope in making it out of this predicament alive, she saw a familiar sight... Marcella's little red car was still sitting up in the distance! Seeing it was truly a sight for her sore eyes. Crossing through the extensive grounds, she quickened her pace as she looked back over her shoulder to make sure Tom wasn't anywhere near her. Her long black hair flew around her face, impeding her vision. Gripping it with her free hand, she held it as she continued on.
Miriam reached the automobile, pounding loudly on the back driver’s side window.
"Let me in!" she yelled frantically, turning to look over her shoulder. Marcella, who was still sitting in the front seat, unlocked the back door and let Miriam in.
"We... we have to go... now!" she yelled again. Sophie and Marcella had worried expressions on their faces.
"What's wrong, Miriam?" Marcella asked nervously. "We were starting to worr-"
"Just go! Now! Please!" Miriam shouted. Marcella quickly took off.
"Care to explain what's going on?" Sophie asked, who was beginning to grow a little impatient. But before Miriam could reply, she looked out the back window and gasped. Tom had just emerged from the forest, furiously looking around for her. He turned around, and his eyes met Miriam's. Only now, his eyes were burning completely red. Their eyes remained locked upon each other as Marcella sped away, eventually making Tom nothing more than a small speck off in the distance.
Miriam's heart was pounding heavily in her stomach, and she felt nauseous. The events that had just taken place kept replaying repeatedly in her mind, and it was at that moment, in a state of complete shock, that she knew what she must do. No matter how much she didn't want to go through with it, inside, she knew she'd have to if she wanted to remain alive.
"Marcella," she asked again, "please... please take me to London."
"Why? What's going on?"
"Take me there, and I'll explain everything on the way," Miriam replied as Marcella drove through Little Hangleton and onto to the outskirts of the small town.
~*~
It was a two-hour drive to the city. By the time they arrived, it was much later into the evening. During the long drive, Miriam recounted the horrible story of seeing Tom murdering the Riddle family and of him trying to murder her in the forest.
"As you see," Miriam continued, after nobody said anything for a few minutes, "I can't stay here any longer. I owled my relatives before I left Hogwarts. I told them I was planning to visit them sometime soon, but I guess sometime soon is now. So all I need you to do is take me to the docks."
"You're... you're going to leave?" Sophie exclaimed.
"I have to!" Miriam pleaded. "It's not safe here anymore for me!"
Marcella and Sophie exchanged sad glances. They each looked like they had tears in the corners of their eyes. "You could stay with one of us," Marcella said, her voice barely above a whisper as she choked back tears.
"I wish I could, but I'll only be putting your lives in danger as well. I'm really sorry," Miriam replied, her voice thick with sorrow, "but it's for the best. Maybe in a few years, if Tom should get himself killed or something, I'll come back."
It took a few more attempts on Miriam's part to make her friends understand her predicament.
"We understand," Marcella mumbled, wiping a tear away from her eye with her free hand, her other hand still on the steering wheel. In the silence, Miriam could hear Dumbledore telling her, “It’s too late.” Finally, she realized what he meant by it. Sitting in her friend's automobile, driving away from nearly being murdered, it had hit her what Dumbledore’s words had meant. No matter what, Tom couldn't be saved. He was already filled with hate and evil. That's why he said it: It was too late for Tom to be saved.
They eventually made it to the London docks, where a large passenger ship was sitting peacefully in the water.
"We're coming with you," Sophie said determinedly as Marcella parked the car and got out. Miriam smiled wearily at her friends. Resolutely, Miriam walked to a ticket counter and began speaking to the person behind the counter, who was preparing to close for the evening. There were so many places that she could go to, but only one destination caught her attention.
Sophie and Marcella had meandered around slowly, taking in the impressive sites of the docks, and not noticing that their friend was busily pleading with someone to let her buy a ticket though it was late at night. The person sensed her urgency, and thankfully, relented.
As Miriam got ready to pay the man for her passage, a sudden comprehension dawned on her... she didn’t have any Muggle money to pay him with.
“I’m sorry,” she told the man, “I don’t seem have the total amount," she lied. With great difficulty, she thanked him for his efforts and walked back over to her friends.
“Where’s your ticket?” Sophie asked, noticing her friend’s empty hands.
“I don’t have any Muggle money,” she sighed.
“Wait a minute,” Marcella said quietly, leafing through her purse. After a minute or two, she pulled out a small wad of ten pound notes. Miriam’s eyes grew large at the sight of the money.
“Where’d -“
”Here,” Marcella replied, handing her five of the ten notes. “You have to stay safe, right? You need this more than I do.” Marcella managed to give her friend a weak, teary-eyed smile.
Feeling grateful for such wonderful friends, she clasped the notes tightly and headed back to the ticket booth.
Once she paid for her ticket, she left the counter with her passage clenched firmly in her hand.
The three friends remained quiet for a moment, standing on the dock, watching the endless dark sea before them. After a quiet five minutes passed before them, Sophie finally spoke up.
"Miriam, I can't believe you're leaving. I'm going to miss you so much!" Leaning over, she gave her friend a hug.
"I'm going to miss you both, too!" Miriam replied, returning the hug.
"Who exactly will you be staying with?" Sophie asked.
"Some distant relatives from my mother's side of the family. Something along the lines of my mother's aunt's cousins’ family."
"Are they..." (Sophie looked around before whispering) "magically involved?"
"Yes, seeing as how we've been communicating for some time now by owl post," Miriam replied.
Standing around, they let the cool sea breeze whip their hair as they waited for the platform to be lowered. When it was finally brought down, Miriam stepped up onto the platform, where a security officer waited to escort her.
"This is it, I guess," Miriam sighed. "I promise I'll write when I get to America."
Tears started spilling out of Marcella and Sophie's eyes, freely and heavily, and so did Miriam's. Hugging each one last time, Miriam turned around and walked along the platform with her two friends watching tearfully from behind.
This is it, Miriam thought as she boarded the ship. She was ending one part of her life and beginning a new life away from her maniacal brother in a place where he’d never find her and try and hurt her again.
The water crashing against the bow of the ship was comforting to her in a way, and all the hefty emotions she felt soon disappeared into the black tides. The emptiness felt like a gift; her life was slowly renewing itself. Upon looking at her distorted reflection in the dark water, she remembered those horrible moments that only happened a mere few hours ago. Yet to her, much contented now, it seemed as distant as a past life.
Someone did betray me and turn traitor.... The prophecy came true: Tom followed in the serpent's shadow....
Tom looked at the car that quickly sped away from him with a great taste of hatred lingering inside him. The lights of Miriam's getaway car were now nothing more than two red pinpricks off in the distance. Giving it one last hateful glance, he turned around and headed into the darkness. His hand still clenched tightly on his wand, he shoved it deep into his robe and stuffed both his hands into his pockets. The night air suddenly felt much too chilly for a supposedly warm summer night.
Now entirely enveloped in the shadow of the darkness, and with his eyes closed, he felt himself begin to shrink... smaller and smaller.... He transformed himself into a snake, slithering along the dark, vacant streets of Little Hangleton, weaving in and out of the shadows.
He had an extremely long journey ahead of him....
The Daily Prophet - June 18th, 1945
"Secret Raid Exposes Dark Wizards Working Inside the Ministry of Magic"
Twenty-four Aurors stormed the Ministry of Magic late yesterday evening after a tip that the now dead Grindelwald had placed some of his Knights of Walpurgis within the Ministry walls as a means of espionage.
Fifteen Ministry employees were charged with crimes resulting in the death of many Muggles and wizards alike.
Some of the more notable Knights are: Ivan Dolohov, Samuel Nott, Agustus Lestrange, and Archelaus & Matilda Malfoy.
A trial will be held by the Wizengamot later this week. The accused are currently awaiting trial in Azkaban.
The Ministry refuses to comment any further at this time.
---
The Hangleton Times - Evening Edition - June 18th, 1945
"Prominent Family Found Murdered"
Thomas Riddle and his elderly parents, John and Samantha Riddle, were found murdered earlier today by one of their servant maids, Natalie Jenkins.
"I'm absolutely devastated," she cried to reporters. "When I entered their house, I noticed they were on the floor, still in their dinner clothes. The expressions they had on their face... it... it looked like something had frightened them!"
Strangely enough, the expressions found on the bodies of the Riddle family were that of being terrified. Add to that, there were no signs of trauma or bruises on the bodies and no forced entry into the house.
The only person home at the time of their murders was their gardener, Frank Bryce, who returned home two years ago from the war because of injury.
Police have taken Mr. Bryce into custody for questioning.
"I swear, I didn't kill them!" Bryce was heard exclaiming as he was being forced into the police car. He also said that he saw a black-haired teenager stalking the grounds earlier that day. Unfortunately, no one has been found meeting his description.
Investigations will continue on.
In other news around Little Hangleton, the headmistress of Madame Westyn's Home for Orphaned Children was found murdered inside the orphanage's walls. Madame Westyn was known as being a very strict individual when running her orphanage. Her killer remains at large, and no descriptions have been given of the suspect.
Her body, having been discovered inside her locked office, had no marks on it, but police have noted there was a small pool of blood by her head.
Her charges will be sent to the orphanage in London as early as tomorrow.
Lryics used above are from the song, "Enjoy the Silence," by Lacuna Coil.
*cries* I can't believe that this story is over. :-( But, I will be doing a small continuation of it. I'm not sure if I want to do a one-shot or a short chaptered fic, but I do know there will be a continuation of some sort.
I'd like to thank my Beta who was wonderful in beta-ing this fic for me. And my faithful readers who stuck through all 34 long chapters. :-D You guys are great!