October 18th, 1939,
Abby came to see me today, bringing extremely good news with her: One of the Gryffindor team's Chasers has graduated. Abby needs to find a replacement for her. She wanted to know if I would like to try out for the team!!!! Needless to say, I was absolutely floored. In between nearly hyperventilating, I told her that I would totally love to try out. Thus, she said to meet her at the Quidditch pitch tomorrow night after dinner.
---
"Okay team, as you know, Sarah Spinnet, who was our Chaser for the last few years, graduated at the end of last term, and now we need to find a replacement for her," Abby declared as she paced back and forth between the other teammates on the grassy field. "I see we have a good turnout tonight, but unfortunately we'll only need one of you." A nervous laugh echoed through the group of hopefuls.
Upon looking over each person who was there with a penetrating and frightening glare, she announced, "When I call your name, please come forward, and we'll begin with some basics." Abby looked down at the list. "First up, Amelia Parkinson."
A rather bashful girl with blonde hair came forward and mounted the broom in front of her. Abby tossed her the girl the Quaffle and told her what she needed to do. "Pass the Quaffle to Maria Bell, who’ll pass it to me, and I'll then pass it back to you. When you receive the Quaffle from me, try and get it through the hoops. Be careful though, our Keeper, Aaron Wood, is a hard person to get a Quaffle through.” She winked at Aaron, who grinned smugly.
Amelia passed the Quaffle to Maria, then to Abby, but missed it when Abby passed it back to her. "It's all right," Abby said encouragingly. “Let’s try again.”
During their second try, Amelia caught the Quaffle, but she couldn't get it past Aaron. They tried a few more times without success.
The next person Abby called dropped the Quaffle both times it was passed to her, and she couldn't get it past Aaron either.
Back on the ground, Miriam felt jittery. Her stomach was in her throat doing somersaults as she watched the action. Gathering her black hair in her hands, she twisted it between her fingers, hoping to calm herself down as she waited for her turn on the broom. Just when it felt like anxiety would finally overwhelm her, Abby called her name.
"Okay Miriam, let's see what you got," Abby said, passing her the Quaffle. Miriam, remembering her flying lessons from the year before, mounted her broom and flew up to where Maria Bell was waiting. Suddenly she forgot about being nervous and was determined to just give it her best shot. She threw the Quaffle to Maria, who tossed it to Abby, who then tossed it back to Miriam who dropped it. Miriam couldn’t help but turn away from them as her face reddened.
“It’s all right,” Abby said. She passed the Quaffle back to Miriam who passed it to Maria. Maria tossed it back to Miriam, who barely caught it with her finger tips. Now she just had to try and get it past Aaron.
She threw it into the air, but Aaron caught it. He tossed it back the Abby who hurled it toward Miriam. A great deal better at catching it, she flew by the hoops, trying to devise a plan to get the Quaffle by Aaron.
An idea suddenly popped up in her brain... she would try to fake him out. Flying to her left, she pretended to hurl the Quaffle in that direction, but as Aaron flew that way to defend the hoops, Miriam quickly darted to her right and tossed the Quaffle into the undefended hoop. Aaron quickly tried to shoot over, but his efforts proved futile. The Quaffle had passed his grasps.
Wrenching around, she flew back to ground level as everyone on the field cheered and clapped for her; some even whistled their gratitude. Abby looked profoundly jubilant, while Maria made a note on the parchment. Both had prominent ear-to-ear grins on their faces.
October 24th, 1939,
After breakfast today, someone had posted a notice up in the Gryffindor common room declaring who had been chosen for the spot on the Quidditch team. I was much too nervous to look, thus I had Sophie and Marcella look for me.
---
"Do you truly wish to know?" Sophie questioned, throwing Miriam an odd expression.
"Yes," Miriam answered, feeling mildly exasperated all of the sudden.
"Are you sure now?" Marcella asked.
"Precisely!”
"Well, if you’re certain then... you... didn’t make it" Sophie mumbled.
"I... I what?" Miriam asked, dumbfounded.
"Yup. It says right here," Sophie said pointing to the notice on the board. It read:
We have named Mr. Anthony McKinnon the new Chaser for the Gryffindor Quidditch team.
The first Quidditch game this season will begin November 7th,taking place between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. We hope to see you there!
- Abby Bones, Gryffindor Quidditch Captain
"I... don't... believe it," Miriam gasped, leaning against the wall to support herself, suddenly feeling lightheaded and woozy.
"I’m so sorry," Marcella said, giving Miriam a great big hug. At that moment, Abby and Maria came bursting into the common room, looking extremely dissatisfied.
"What's wrong?" Sophie uttered from across the common room, watching the two girls hem and haw.
"I assume you've seen the announcement, then?" Abby asked bitterly.
Miriam nodded her head sadly.
"We just came from the infirmary. Apparently Anthony McKinnon suffered from a severe case of the screaming meemies last night and is unable to play on the team," Abby grumbled.
“Who’s going to fill in his spot, then?” Marcella enquired.
Abby’s face brightened up a little bit. “Miriam.”
Miriam ogled them incredulously. “You... you... mean I’m... I’m... on the team?”
Abby and Maria nodded. “On a bit of a technicality, really, but we did consider you before Anthony. Yet seeing as how he can’t now...”
“But... I... I don’t have a broom!”
Abby and Maria exchanged glances again. This did present a hefty problem... Maria leaned in and whispered something to Abby, who suddenly beamed, her eyes twinkling with secrecy. "That's a great idea! Let's go!"
The girls ran out of the common room as fast as their legs could carry them, each one mumbling something inaudible to the girls.
"Where the heck are they running off to?" Marcella frowned, scratching her head. Her friends were just as clueless as she was.
October 26th, 1939,
I am almost too excited to write about what just happened. At breakfast today, I received the most unusual package. It was rather odd shaped and required three owls to carry it in.
When the owls dropped the package in front of me, Sophie, and Marcella, we looked at each other questioningly, unsure whether or not it was for us.
---
"Look! It is for you!" exclaimed Marcella, pointing to the name on the smaller end of the package. "I wonder what it is?"
“Who sent it?” Miriam mumbled, analyzing the package.
"Let's open it together," Sophie announced.
Conjointly they tore off the dark-brown wrapping. What was lying underneath it made them take a step backward in shock.
Marcella drew in her breath slowly as she looked at the package. Sophie was wide-eyed and was unable to speak. Miriam picked up the package's contents: her very own broomstick.
"Do... do you know what that is?" Sophie uttered, still staring at the broom.
Miriam felt a little affronted at such a question. "Yes," she replied abruptly. "It's a broomstick."
"No... no... no," insisted Sophie, shaking her head. "It's not just any broomstick... it's a Comet 180! Bloody hell, who’s spend that much on you?"
Miriam gave Sophie an indignant look. “What do you mean by that?”
“Oh, I... I just meant that ““
"I've heard about those Comet 180's!" Marcella squealed, finally speaking and cutting off Sophie.
"I saw it when I was in Diagon Alley. It's brand new on the market, and it's supposed to be very pricey!"
Unaware that the whole Great Hall was now watching and those closest to them were listening with excitement, a buzz went through the Hall as everybody turned to look at Miriam’s expensive new broom. It was then that someone from the Slytherin table feigned a yawn and pretended to not be concerned. Some of the others at the table snickered and turned away, shunning the spectacle, and obviously trying hard to not show their jealousy.
Miriam picked up her broom and found a note taped to the inside of the package.
Happy birthday, dear Miriam. Use your new gift well.
"I wonder who wrote it?" she questioned as a crowd of eager spectators began forming around the Gryffindor table. Everyone within a few feet of her wanted to see and hold the new Comet 180.
“Out of the way!” a voice blared. Miriam pulled her eyes away from the broomstick and searched ahead and into the anxious crowd to see Tom prodding and nudging his way through the threads of people.
Once he had finally managed to bully his way to the front of the crowd, his green eyes illuminated, wide with surprise... and a slight suggestion of jealousy in them. He swore lightly under his breath....
“Where’d you get that?!” he exclaimed. Miriam simply shrugged her shoulders; it was a complete mystery to her as well. The only thing she could reply with was a simple, “I don’t know.”
~*~
When they finally made it back to the Gryffindor common room forty-five minutes later (after her new broom had been fondled by everyone surrounding the Gryffindor table), Marcella asked, "Could I, uh... maybe... ride it sometime?"
"Me too, please?" Sophie added, clasping her hands together, a pleading look in her eyes.
"Sure,” Miriam replied, “but I get the first ride on it.”
The girls each took turns racing the new Comet 180 around the common room before they realized that they would be late for classes that day if they didn't act hastily. Miriam grabbed her broom and sprinted up to the girls' dormitories to stash it under her bed for safkeeping.
October 31st, 1939,
I'm officially twelve years old now, as is Tom. Marcella and Sophie surprised me with a piece of chocolate cake. Yet what truly surprised me was that they got me a present, something that never happened at the orphanage.
---
"Happy birthday, Miriam!" Sophie and Marcella exclaimed, that night in the crowded common room. Sophie pulled out her hands from behind her back and produced a colorfully wrapped, but heavy and awkwardly taped together, gift.
"Aw, that's so nice of you! But really, it wasn't necessary," Miriam assured them.
"Oh yes it was," they answered with an equally wide grin on each their faces. "Open it."
Miriam opened the gift and saw that it was a book called The Complete Guide to Quidditch Teams Around the World (and some from countries you never thought existed).
Miriam got up and hugged Sophie and Marcella. "This is the best birthday ever!"
November 7th, 1939,
Tonight I play in my first Quidditch match. I am too nervous to eat. I could hardly eat anything at breakfast, either. Sophie and Marcella pleaded with me to at least eat some toast, but I couldn't stomach it. Dinner proved to be just as hard to tolerate anything, but I finally broke down and ate some toast.
So far nobody outside of Gryffindor knows I'm on the team. Abby decided it to be best not to put any extra pressure on me. Not even Tom knows, but he, I'm sure, suspects something is up as I am always following the other players to Quidditch pitch for the team practices.
---
"It's time to go," Abby announced to Miriam after dinner that evening. Miriam got up from the table and ran up to her room to grab her broom. She then followed the other Gryffindor students outdoors to the Quidditch pitch. Halfway to the stadium, Abby and the other team mates separated from the crowd and went into a dimly lit locker room.
After the players had changed into their red and gold uniforms, Abby sat everyone down on the bench and began her pregame pep talk.
"Okay team. We can do this. We won it last year, and we can do it again. The most essential thing for us to remember is to attack, not defend. It's very important. I can’t stress this enough. Sure, we have a new teammate this year," she smiled, giving a sideways glance at Miriam, "but she has proven to be a worthy player throughout these lengthy exercises these past two weeks." Everyone in the room applauded for Miriam who turned the same dark red color as her robe. "Now let's go out there and kick some butt! Go Gryffindor!"
“And here comes the Gryffindor team," commentator Patrick Jones yelled through all the cheering that came from the crowd. "This year, the Gryffindor team has a new player: Second year student Miriam Riddle is playing Chaser in place of the recently graduated Sarah Spinnet."
"Hey Tom," Murdoch frowned, narrowing his eyes, "since when did your sister get on the team let alone even play Quidditch?"
Tom was utterly dumbstruck. "I... I don't know," was his only response. He glanced up at the flying, blurry figure in red that was his sister. When did she learn to do this? he wondered.
"Now let's have a nice friendly game, okay?" Professor Luchtig said. "Captains, shake hands."
Abby and a light-haired haired girl walked forward and shook hands. The girl wore a stony expression on her face.
"Everyone mount your brooms." The two teams shot straight up into the air. "On the count of three, one... two... three!" Professor Luchtig yelled, releasing the balls. The two black Bludgers soared up into the air, closely followed by the Snitch, but what caught Miriam's attention was the red Quaffle that Professor Luchtig threw upwards toward them. She made a mad dash for it and was able to snatch it before a Ravenclaw Chaser could get it.
"Miriam has the Quaffle only seconds into the game," announced Patrick. "She, Abby, and Maria are passing the Quaffle around, trying to psych out the Ravenclaw team. Miriam is back in possession of the Quaffle... she shoots... she SCORES! Ten points to Gryffindor! The score is now ten-zilch in favor of Gryffindor. But don’t worry, Ravenclaw has the better team! Just kidding, professor, sir!”
Everyone on Gryffindor side cheered. Tom couldn't help but cheer as well, but Carrey shot him a look and said in a loud whisper, "Don't cheer for the Gryffindors!"
"Don’t tell me who I can cheer for!" he hissed back, which shut Carrey up.
Up in the air, Abby congratulated Miriam on a superb shot as she flew away. Miriam blushed.
"Gryffindor is still in possession on the Quaffle... oh wait! Ravenclaw Chaser Eva Lovegood just intercepted the Quaffle!" Cheers went up from the Ravenclaw section.
"Gryffindor Beater Carl Potter just sent a Bludger to Eva, knocking the Quaffle out of her hands, and Gryffindor is again in possession thanks to Maria Bell."
"Good work, Potter!" Abby yelled. "You too, Maria!"
"Gryffindor has the Quaffle, but Ravenclaw is desperately trying to get it back," Patrick continued.
Down in the stands in the Gryffindor section, Marcella and Sophie, with the help of a few housemates, unfurled a large banner that read 'Go Gryffindor!!' in big red and gold letters. Next to it was a picture of a lion, their house symbol. Flying high up in the sky, Miriam could see the banner. She smiled and gave her fellow house mates a thumbs up as she flew over them.
The game continued until well into the evening. Miriam scored a few more points and eventually the score was seventy to fifty in favor of Ravenclaw. Gryffindor was hoping that their Seeker would find the Snitch before the other team did. The extra one-hundred and fifty points would push Gryffindor into the lead, and they would win the game.
"Maria has the Quaffle and passes it to Abby. They're trying to distract Ravenclaw Chasers Eva Lovegood, Daniel Boot, and Emily Chang. Wait... what's this? It seems that the two Seekers have spotted the Snitch!" Everyone in the crown murmured. "Whoever catches it will earn a victory for their house! Oh my! It's a close race people! But I think... the Gryffindor Seeker has grabbed the Snitch right out from under Ravenclaw's nose! Gryffindor wins the game, and the final score is two-hundred to seventy."
Miriam flew over to Abby and Maria, who were shouting "We did it! We did it!"
Down in the stands, Marcella and Sophie were dancing and jumping up and down. Across from them, Tom was doing his own unique version of celebrating. He quietly applauded, much to annoyance of Carrey. Deep down, Tom couldn’t help but feel slightly envious. He really wanted to play Quidditch, as well. He decided he would talk with Stephane, the Slytherin team Quidditch captain the next morning to see if he could perhaps join the team.
November 10th, 1939,
I haven't seen Tom that much these past few days. I can't help but wonder what he's been up to recently. I normally see him at dinner, but last night and tonight he wasn't there. I'm beginning to worry....
---
"Abby says she saw him hanging out with Stephane the other day," Marcella whispered to Miriam the next day in their History of Magic class. They were supposed to be taking notes, but after listening to Professor Binns drone on and on in his monotonous voice about the goblin wars, half the class was starting to fall asleep. To try and keep herself and her friends awake, Miriam told them her concerns about her brother.
"Gosh, I hope Stephane isn't corrupting him," Miriam mumbled. She tried not to sound too concerned, but her voice shook with the anxiety she felt. Looking at her friends, they looked uneasy too.
November 15th, 1939,
Last night we had a Quidditch match against Hufflepuff. We easily won with a score of two-hundred and fifty to twenty. Abby is really impressed with my Chaser skills as I scored ten times last night. She says I have a natural talent for Quidditch. But more importantly, before she left, I asked her about Tom and Stephane....
---
"Stephane... Stephane Lestrange...." Abby repeated, thinking it over with a grimace on her face. "Well... he's obviously someone you wouldn't want your brother to hang out with. He's just as bad as Carrey Malfoy and Murdoch Black when it comes to the whole 'pureblood' thing, probably much worse though. Stephane's family is known to be religiously into the Dark Arts, though they've repeatedly denied it. Some say his family is heavy supporters of... (Abby nervously looked around)... Grindelwald," she whispered.
"Who's Grindelwald?" Miriam asked.
Abby grimaced again. "Grindelwald is a Dark wizard. An evil, evil, evil wizard. He's been recently acquiring followers for his group, the Knights of Walpurgis, and anyone who doesn't join him or defies him dies. He's bent on world domination and uh, ridding the wizarding world of those he feels to be... uh... un-pure. He'll torture and kill anyone who gets in the way of his plans."
Miriam drew in her breath. This was certainly bad news.
"Rumors are also going around that the Malfoy and Black families are followers as well. Your brother is definitely hanging around the wrong sorts," Abby sighed.
Miriam didn't feel too good after talking with Abby. She sought out Marcella and Sophie, who were deeply involved in a game of wizards chess. Watching them play against each other (or more like annihilate each other) took Miriam's mind off the bad influences with whom Tom was hanging out. When they were finished, Miriam explained what Abby had just told her.
"You've got to talk to Tom. You've got to make him see the type of people he's hanging out with," Sophie exclaimed.
She was right, and Miriam knew it. All that was left was trying to figure out how exactly to bring it up to him, and more importantly, when tobring it up to him. It wasn't like during their first year when they were meeting after classes in the library. She needed to figure out a way to get him alone so she could talk without Carrey or Murdoch around him. This was going to require some planning on her part.
November 21st, 1939
Unfortunately, I have not seen Tom at all this week. Tonight we're having a Quidditch match of Gryffindor versus Slytherin. Hopefully, I'll can talk to him then... sometime after the game.
---
"Okay team. So far we're two and zero, and we don't want it to end now," Abby said, giving her team the usual pre-game pep talk. "I hear that Slytherin has a new Beater on the team. I don't know who it is, but apparently their old one got injured in practice and is going to be on the disabled list for a bit. We can use this to our advantage, guys."
The team cheered. "All right then," Abby said, smiling, "let's go kick some serious Slytherin butt!"
They left the dressing room amid the loud cheers from the crowd.
"You all know the drill," Professor Luchtig said. "Clean game, no ugliness, no rule-breaking. Got it? Captains, shake hands." Abby and Stephane walked forward and squeezed each other's hand until Miriam was sure that they would turn blue or fall off.
"Everyone, mount your brooms."
Miriam slid onto hers and pushed off. As she floated in the air, she could sense that someone was staring at her. She knew that people would watch her during the game, yet this wasn't a normal feeling -- it simply didn’t feel quite right. She looked around the stadium, hoping to see who or what was giving her that uncomfortable sense. Scanning around the field, her eyes landed on the Slytherin team... and to what was giving her that strange feeling. Floating behind some of the husky players was a scrawny boy with jet-black hair. Miriam almost had to do a double take.
It can’t be, she thought. His face split into a sly grin at her as she gaped in disbelief. Thankfully she was shaken out of her stupor when she noticed that Professor Luchtig was preparing to release the Quaffle. The game was about to begin!
"Maria Bell opens the game by grabbing the Quaffle from under the Slytherin teams’ nose. She soars over to the Slytherin goal post... oh... that nasty Bludger knocked the Quaffle out of her hands. The Bludger was sent by the new Slytherin team member, Thomas Riddle, who's filling in for Herman Crabbe, currently on the disabled list."
I see what he's up to, Miriam thought grimly. She quickly looked over at Tom who was wearing a self-satisfied smile on his face.
"Slytherin Stephane Lestrange has the Quaffle and is barging his way through the field to score! Can anyone stop him?"
Thwack! Miriam looked around to see what had made that awful noise and saw that Carl Potter had just sent a Bludger toward Stephane Lestrange. The Bludger hit him hard in the face, causing his nose to bleed. He dropped the Quaffle, and Miriam flew down and caught it.
"Gryffindor is in possession of the Quaffle again and... oh my... look at this! Tom Riddle is chasing after his sister, Miriam, who is in current possession of the Quaffle. He's trying to knock it out of her hands by sending the Bludger at her. Talk about sibling rivalry, folks!"
Miriam held the Quaffle closer to her as she looked back at Tom, who was still avidly hitting the Bludger toward her.
I'll show him, she thought. She sped up on her broom and raced through the field, trying to get to the Slytherin goal posts so she could give her team their first score of the game.
Tom had a look of utmost seriousness as he surged by the other players trying to hit the Bludger at his sister, who was still clutching the Quaffle tightly.
Up ahead, Miriam looked at the big, burly Markus Goyle and decided that the best way to score would be to try and fake him out. She decided to go about this by pretending to throw the Quaffle in one direction, then reversing and throwing it in the other.
I hope this works, she thought as she flew to her left, making Markus think that was where she was going to shoot. But as he started to block her, she shot back to the other side and threw the Quaffle into the end hoop. It went in.
"Gryffindor finally scores, thanks to Miriam Riddle's diversionary tactics. The score is now ten-zero," Patrick Jones bellowed over the loud cheering from the crowd.
She gave Tom a smug, satisfied smile as she flew past him and his scowling.
"Good work Miriam!" Abby exclaimed. "Let's try and keep this up."
The game turned out to be more brutal than Miriam ever expected and ever played in. Gryffindor barely won with a score of two-hundred and twenty to two-hundred. The Slytherin captain, Stephane Lestrange, had to be sent to the hospital wing with a broken arm and bloody nose, along with Gryffindor captain Abby Bones, who was suffering from an even worse nose bleed. Her injury was caused by the Bludger Tom had thrown in her face.
After the game had finished, the two teams crowded around on the field, watching Professor Luchtig have a long talk with Michellina Agave, the school nurse. She agreed the teams could head to the hospital wing and visit the two injured players, but only if they kept the noise to a low minimum.
Miriam followed Maria, who led the way through the castle up to the hospital wing. Following right behind Miriam was Tom. She turned around to look at him, but he was leaning over, deep in conversation with Markus Goyle about something. From what she could see, he had a serious look on his face.
““ didn’t help her appearance any ““
"Please try and be quiet, the other patients are resting," Michellina said quietly, welcoming in the Quidditch players to the hospital ward. Maria and the other Gryffindors headed over to the bed where Abby was. She had a huge bandage on her nose.
"Hi," Abby said weakly. "Dobtor saib I habe a broken dose. She bixed it, but she wants be to stay obernight."
"We're so glad you're okay," Maria gasped. She gave her friend a hug.
"I am so sorry," Miriam whispered. "I didn't know he was going to hit you with the Bludger."
Abby pulled Miriam closer to her. "It's obay. It basn't bour bault."
Meanwhile, across the room, Tom and the other Slytherins were crowded around anxiously at Stephane's bed. "Don't worry, we'll get back at those Gryffindors next game," Stephane announced matter-of-factly to his entourage. "By the way, excellent Bludger work tonight, Tom," he said, patting Tom on the back. "Especially on Bone-head girl over there. It’s only unfortunate it didn’t improve her looks any. Oh well.” He sighed, before continuing, “Since I'm the captain, I'll make sure that you stay on the team permanently."
Tom beamed at Stephane's words.
"Are you going to be back in time for the next game?" Markus Goyle asked.
"Yeah," Stephane replied. "I just need to stay here overnight, and by tomorrow I'll be as good as new."
December 6th, 1939,
I finally cornered Tom today. I saw him alone in the library and decided to use the opportunity to my advantage. Following Abby's advice (who's back to normal after her Quidditch injury, by the way), I talked to him about the people he's in contact with, those friends of his....
---
"They... they're not very nice," Miriam said. "I'm worried they might try and... corrupt you."
"Miriam," he began, looking up from his book and raising an eyebrow, "I'm fine. Don't worry about me."
Miriam sighed and decided to try again. "Tom, one of the people you've been hanging out with recently, Stephane Lestrange, Abby told me his family is heavily into the Dark Arts and might be a supporter of --"
" --Grindelwald," Tom finished for her. "Yeah, he’s told me all about the rumors surrounding his family, but he’s never said he supported him or anything.”
"That's just it," Miriam replied. "He never said if he supported him or not. What if he does? What about Carrey and Murdoch? The same rumors are going around about their families, too! I could help you find better friends."
"Damn it, Miriam!" he exclaimed, jumping up from the table he was sitting at, narrowing his eyes at her. "What makes you think I need your help? Do you believe me incapable of finding my own friends? I think I can do that by myself, thanks!"
He left her in the library completely dumbfounded. Instead of helping him see the light, she felt like she had just made matters worse. The only thing that could have possibly made her feel any better at the moment was banging her head against the wall and screaming at the top of her lungs, but unfortunately Madam Zuzellam was in the vicinity and was watching her like a hawk.
December 7th, 1939,
It’s around 1 am now, and I just woke up from an awful dream. It was so weird; I can't even begin to explain it.... When I woke up, I found myself repeating, "No!" over and over again. It's a miracle I didn't wind up waking both Sophie and Marcella....
---
The dream began with Miriam strolling through the grounds at Hogwarts, late one day. Suddenly, she felt almost weightless as she was being lifted into the air... flying away into the distance on a cool breeze. There were no brooms or anything supporting her, so this confused her quite a bit. The air was chilly, and she soon felt numb and disjointed from her limbs.
Whatever was causing her take flight, took her a great distance. Before she knew it, it was completely dark, and she realized she was very far away from Hogwarts. Something began to appear in the distance in front of her. As she soared closer, she saw that it was a large, vine-covered mansion with a huge, rolling green front yard. She gently touched down on the ground in front of one of the mansion’s large windows. Surrendering to her urge to look in, she saw someone she wasn’t expecting at all.
Tom! What is he doing here? she wondered. Looking in, she saw two people -- an older couple --sitting in the corner as Tom pulled out his wand. Another person appeared, and he bore a strong resemblance to Tom. This person had flecks of gray in his hair, but the resemblance to her brother was simply uncanny! Miriam peered further into the window and saw that the older couple looked a lot like the man with the gray hair.
They must be related, Miriam thought. But why would Tom look like the strange man and couple, people she'd never even seen before? And why would she look a bit like the older lady in the seat? Could they be... somehow... related?
A blinding green light appeared, and Miriam had to pull away from the window because the sudden burst of bright light hurt her eyes. Once it died down, she looked in the window again and saw that the older couple (who were still seated) weren't breathing, moving, or even blinking, but they wore a look of pure fear and terror in their eyes. Miriam felt a sickening sensation in the pit of her stomach that told her they were probably dead.
Tom had now turned to face the gray-haired man who looked horribly frightened. He seemed to be pleading with Tom. The older man kept backing up, but Tom advanced on him with his wand out. The man eventually fell down into a wooden chair, unable to go anywhere else as he had blocked himself into it.
A part of Miriam wished she could hear what they were saying as they seemed, or at least Tom was, having a very intense discussion with the person. Only able to make out a few loud mumbles here and there, Miriam pressed her ear harder against the window in hopes of catching a part of the conversation. She could faintly hear Tom's voice in the distance. He was laughing, but it didn't sound like Tom's voice at all. It sounded cold and harsh, unlike his normal voice, which she knew so well....
Another shot of blinding green light flashed through the room, and she had to turn away again. Once it died down, she glanced in and saw the gray-haired man wearing the same frightened look as the older couple; and just like them, he wasn't moving. She pulled back from the window as she started to hyperventilate. Her brother had just killed three people, three people she and Tom never knew or met, three people that strongly resembled her and her brother, and yet he just... killed them. This was all so confusing to her, it was giving her an awful headache.
Suddenly the house went dark, and Tom stormed out of the mansion. She wanted to follow him, but something wouldn't let her move. It was like some invisible force was holding her down. No matter how hard she tugged and pulled, she just couldn't break free. Desperate to not be left here, she tried calling out his name, but no sound escaped her mouth.
No! Please wait! she screamed inside her head, the loudness of her voice pounding against her temples.
"Please... please..." she muttered, violently tossing and turning in her bed.... “No! No!” She suddenly awoke with a start. Taking a deep, calming breath, she looked out her window and saw that it was early morning. The sky was a dark blue with streaks of pink and gold on the horizon, and the ground was still dewy. Though she had slept through the night, she felt exhausted and worn out after that dream.
December 14th, 1939,
The winter break is here once more, and most everyone has left Hogwarts for the vacations, though there are a few more students here than last year. Unfortunately, Sophie and Marcella weren't among the few to stay. Tom has told me that Stephane, Carrey, and Murdoch have also left. And just like last year, they've seated the remaining students at one long table with the teachers for all our meals.
---
It was a cold, snowy morning when Miriam went up to breakfast. She pulled her robes closer to her as it got rather chilly in the hallways she had to pass through in order to reach the Great Hall.
When she made it in, a surge of hot air greeted her as one of the teachers had conjured a blazing fireplace in the room. It was truly a welcoming feeling for Miriam.
As she looked around the Great Hall, taking in the cozy surroundings, her eyes fell upon Tom, who was sitting at the only table set up in the Great Hall. He was sitting with a couple of other students and the teachers. Miriam slid into the bench next to him just as the owls came in for their morning delivery.
A brown barn owl stopped in front of Miriam and held out its foot. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a bronze knut. Placing it in its claw, it dropped the rolled up paper it carried in its beak in Miriam's lap.
"What's that you got there?" Tom asked, looking as Miriam began unrolling the paper. "The Daily Prophet," she replied. "I thought I should try to keep up on the news in the wizarding world."
Once she had unrolled the paper all the way, Miriam let out a small gasp. She leaned over to whisper something into Tom’s ear.
"What is it?" he asked her. Miriam showed him the headline of the Daily Prophet: "Grindelwald suspected in recent murder of wizard family.”
She gave a sideways glance at Tom, and he raised his eyebrows as he leaned in closer to Miriam so she could read the rest of the article to him.
"Considered to be the work of the dark wizard Grindelwald, a wizard family in Bristol was found murdered last evening around 11 pm. The O'Keefes, who had been missing for two days, were found Sunday by their Muggle neighbors. Specially trained wizards were sent to erase the Muggle's memories; other members of the Ministry examined the bodies of James, 51, Alexandria, 48, and Kathryn, 21. ' "This is definitely the work of the killing curse. The signs for it are all there," Ministry worker Rachel Abbott said. "The mark of Grindelwald was found near their bodies. No doubt Grindelwald did this himself." '
The O'Keefes were famous for their recent thwarting of Grindelwald's plans to overthrow the Ministry. Funeral services will be held later this week."
"Tom," Miriam whispered, "you've got to be careful when hanging out with Stephane, Carrey, and Murdoch. Look at what Grindelwald is capable of!"
He looked at the paper and sighed, but he didn't answer back. Miriam decided to take that as a good sign.
December 25th, 1939,
Today is Christmas!! Sophie and Marcella both sent me some chocolate frogs and a card, but Sophie also sent me a snow globe from the Swiss Alps where she is currently vacationing with her family....
---
Miriam shook the snow globe, and little specks of white swirled around the miniature Alps. It was very pretty. She imagined Sophie skiing down the mountains, having fun with her family... her family. She sighed as she set the snow globe down on her bedside dresser. If Miriam longed for one thing, it was a family of her own. She and Tom absolutely detested living in the orphanage. However, Miriam didn't want to dwell on depressing thoughts. Today was Christmas! Getting dressed, she grabbed her gift for Tom and headed down to the Great Hall in hopes of finding her brother.
She reached the table, which had been decorated for the holidays, and sat next to Tom. "Merry Christmas, Tom," she greeted as she slid into her seat.
"Merry Christmas to you too, Miriam," he mumbled, not bothering to look up at her.
"I got something for you," she said, handing him his gift. He took it from her and opened it. It was a book called The Official Beater's Guide to Quidditch. He looked up at her. "I thought you might like that since you’re on the team and all," Miriam said.
"Thanks. I, uh, have something for you too," He reached inside his robe and handed Miriam her gift. She opened it and nearly gasped. He had also gotten her a book, but hers was The Official Chaser's Guide to Quidditch. Miriam laughed at the almost identical gifts they gave each other, but Tom’s mouth barely moved into a smile.
"Great minds think alike, I guess," Miriam said, wiping a tear from her eye.
"I guess so.”