FHB: Chapter 34

Tanya stopped her pleas as her eyes glistened with the fear of Lucius’ next move. There was a part of her that actually believed he would do it. Lucius could see it too, but he knew he was too weak. A coward, perhaps; too afraid of what his decision would do to him.

“The secret is to not hesitate,” the annoying death eater added.

Lucius was glad he hesitated, because at that moment he knew what he should do.

“I can’t,” Lucius whispered.

“What is it, Lucius?” the Dark Lord asked, as he took a step closer to him.

Lucius took in a deep breath, readying himself to defy an order.

“I-”

“Avada kedavra!”

A bright spark shot from behind them, whizzed past Lucius’ head and struck Tanya in the chest. The emotions in her eyes faded into a blank glare before her lifeless body hit the ground. In shock, Lucius stood frozen in place. He did not even attempt to look at the person who fired the curse as his mind tried to process what had happened. Tanya was dead and dead silence waited for someone to acknowledge the murderer.

“Ah, it is nice to see you on your feet again,” the Dark Lord said.

There was no reply to his words. Lucius wanted to see who it was, but he struggled to pull his eyes away from Tanya’s body.

“You should be resting, Abraxas,” the Dark Lord added.

Upon hearing his father’s name, Lucius managed to turn his head just enough to see his father giving the Dark Lord a bow. Silence continued on for a few seconds before the Dark Lord announced, “I’m feeling tired. Walk with me, Abraxas.”

Everyone, including Lucius, watched as the Dark Lord ascended the dungeon stairs with Abraxas right behind him. The moment both of them were out of sight, murmurs were exchanged. Everyone had something to say, but no one said anything to him.

Lucius stood statue-like as the other death eaters finished up the job. As his mind seeped into a world of emptiness, reality sped up around him. Spells were fired, ending the lives of the remaining aurors, and bodies were dragged to a corner, before the death eaters apparated with the dead, leaving Lucius behind. There was no one around to tell him what to do any longer and suddenly, he felt lost. Constantly having to choose, the lack of a choice disturbed him.

Standing in the lifeless dungeon as the cold air wrapped around his conflicted soul, Lucius completely lost track of time. A few hours later, he heard the dungeon door open and a series of hurried footsteps. He would have turned to see the stranger, but he didn’t know how. He had become too comfortable, stuck in the same dark and lonely place.

“Lucius!” the voice called out, as the footsteps hurried to his side. “Lucius, my dear boy.”

His mother reached out for him and pulled him into an embrace. The sudden warmth defrosted his petrified state and he slowly returned to his senses. When his mother released her grip on him, she reached for his wand, still tight in his grip, and took it from him.

“Are you alright? Talk to me, Lucius,” his mother asked worriedly.

“I knew her,” Lucius replied instead.

His mother did not say anything and waited for him to continue.

“Her name was… Tanya,” Lucius continued.

Lucius could not help but imagine everyone who knew her; the pain in their eyes when they learn about her death in a few hours. All her friends and teachers in Hogwarts would be in shock. Everyone had such high hopes for her, thinking she would become a great auror, but none of them would have expected death to take her so quickly. The worst part of it all was the fact that no one would ever know that Lucius watched her die. It was something he had to live with, a secret he had to keep from everyone who knew her. How was he going to do that?

“Mother,” Lucius said softly, “she was a friend.”

“Oh, my dear-”

“She was not your friend,” a voice echoed throughout the dungeon, interrupting what would have been comforting words to a distraught soul.

“You did this!” his mother accused.

“I protected him,” his father replied.

“No. You never did! You cursed our family,” his mother stated, “I should have taken Lucius and left many years ago.”

“Why didn’t you?” his father shot back with a question he could never retract.

His mother simply shook her head before storming off. Lucius watched her leave, wishing she took him with her.

“She’ll understand soon enough,” his father said.

No. She won’t. I don’t.

“You should have listened to me, Lucius. People you care about are only a liability.”

Like mother and me.

“Don’t make the same mistake again. And the next time the Dark Lord asks you to kill someone, do not hesitate.”

I won’t have a choice the next time. Lucius nodded.

“It’s late. Go to you room,” his father ordered.

Lucius retreated to his room as he was told to, but he could not find rest on a night as such. So, he took the family album off his wooden bookshelf and took a seat by the fireplace. He did not know what he hoped to accomplish looking at the family tree and old pictures, but he found that it distracted him.

Halfway through the album, he stumbled upon a picture of his father and the young Tom Riddle. Taking it out and turning it over, Lucius saw a message that read, ‘Don’t be mean, Malfoy.’ and it was signed by a girl named Joanna.

“I’m sorry, Joanna. I’m sorry you were a liability,” Lucius whispered, and then turning to look at the two people in the picture, he added, “I hate you.”

“I hate you both.”

In a swift motion with no hesitation, Lucius threw the picture into the flames and watched it burn. That was the only thing he did that he wanted to… for the rest of his life.

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Chapter 38:

The surge of energy that exploded in his chest was not the last thing he felt. Surely, he knew he was dying but he least expected it to be as such. As though time had momentarily slowed down, he felt every part of him returning, and the feeling of being complete was something he had long forgotten.

As the glare in his eyes finally faded away, he found himself standing in a clearing. There was a stream with glistening waters, and a fresh smell lingered in the air. Walking towards the stream, he saw his reflection and to his sudden disgust, he wanted to look away. He was hideous, even to himself.

Turning away from the stream, he saw a girl, seated under a tree. Her dark hair fell over her shoulders, and her perfectly fair complexion was softly glowing. This was certainly not reality.

As she stood up, his heart skipped a beat. The simple white dress she wore made her more beautiful than he could remember. Oh, how he missed her so much and the goodness of her heart.

“Tom? Is that you?” she asked, as she started walking towards him.

“I-” Tom quickly turned away. Inevitably staring into his reflection in the stream again. And it was in the water that he saw the change. His face was reshaping, regrowing and he was soon staring at his younger self. He was the boy who still had his soul intact, as well as everything else before dark magic had infested his very being.

“It is you,” Joanna said softly, looking into the water’s reflection.

“How? Is this heaven?” Tom immediately laughed at his own ridiculous questions. “Who am I kidding? You’re not even real.”

“What makes you so certain?” Joanna asked.

Turning to her, Tom took her hands and said, “Because, I don’t deserve it.”

“And yet here you are. I suggest you make the most out of this moment,” Joanna replied, as she led him to a stroll down stream.

“I feel oddly different. Is this how people feel when they die?”

“I don’t know. How different do you feel?”

“Different.”

“That’s because, you’re you again. Every part of you is finally home.”

Tom decided not to think about his feelings too much, God knows how long he had in such paradise. He did have a thousand questions though, like why did he not feel angry at the Potter boy for not dying, and why was he not at all upset that his lifetime plan failed again. Limbo was a very odd place, he concluded.

“You know, I’m kinda glad Harry Potter existed,” Joanna broke the silence.

Stopping in her tracks, she sat on a big rock by the stream and waved for him to follow after.

“Why? He destroyed me twice,” Tom replied immediately.

“And he saved you once,” Joanna responded as quickly as he did.

Joanna pulled up her white dress above her knees before dipping her feet into the stream. He had not noticed she was barefooted, until he saw that he was too.

“Think about it. After everything you have done, how is it possible for you to remember who I am?”

“I cared for you, that’s why I remembered.”

“And that part that cared for me lived in the boy. The very night you attempted to kill him, but instead lost part of your soul to him, was the same night he became the protector of the part that made you feel.”

“So when I attempted to kill him again, I killed my only human part? How does that even make sense Joanna?”

“You look at things too narrowly, Tom. Every time Harry destroyed one of your Horcruxes, that part of your soul returned to you. The pain you feel, was not really death; it was the pain of being you again. When you released Harry of the soul he was guarding, it returned to you as well. And when Nagini died, she gave up the last piece.”

“So, I became human again, and weak?”

“Humans are not weak; it is where you choose to get your strength from. Tom, you chose an unwisely path.”

“So, I have Harry to thank for, for being human again. The boy who ruined me is now my savior?” There was a pinch of anger in his tone, even though his anger could not fully grow.

“Harry never ruined you, you ruined you. He saved you from a state far worse than this.”

Tom did not respond. There were truth in her words and blaming someone else for how his life ended was not going to help him now. He silently wondered if there was a way he could turn back time and relive his life. He would have done so many things differently to spare him the regret he was feeling now.

Deep in his thoughts, he did not realize Joanna had reached for his hand until she laid a gentle kiss on top of it.

“Stop thinking so much,” Joanna said softly.

“I can’t help it, I…” Tom trailed off as he looked at Joanna.

Tom did not know how long he was looking at her until he noticed the trees and sky behind her starting to fade into white.

“Joanna, what’s happening?” Tom asked, as his surroundings started to dissolve.

Joanna gave a weak smile in reply, as she held on to his hand tightly. Tom had suspected that such bliss would not last forever, but he hoped it would have given him more time.

As the only world he knew of was slowly disappearing into a plain shade, Tom knew this was his last chance to do something right.

“Joanna,” Tom said, pausing as he took both her hands, “I love you.”

And then white was all there was.

____________________________________________________________________________________________

The series has officially ended. Here’s a final drawing, as a token of remembrance!

If you want to download this picture, head on to my Facebook page. It will be up for download 🙂

I hope you enjoyed the series! And thank you for journeying it with me.

Chapter 37

Joanna wondered when she was going to die. At that moment, death was such a welcoming thought.

“You’ll be alright,” the voice said again. Then she felt someone touching her face gently.

Tom, Joanna thought.

“Joanna.” His voice was not so faint anymore.

As though death was giving in to her wishes, her eye’s briefly cleared up and she saw Tom hovering over her. A relieve swept across her once aching heart, and the only pain she now had to bear was the one in her body.

Joanna tried to keep her eyes on him when she saw a tear roll down his cheek. Trying to utter a word, Joanna knew that if she failed, it would be the end.

When she could not managed to even mutter, she felt her world slowly slipping away.

“Joanna! Please stay with me!” Tom shouted.

I can’t, Joanna thought.

“Joanna! No, please! Please don’t go!” Tom’s voice slowly dissolved into a whisper.

Soon, there was no more air to breathe in, and no more pain to bear. It happened so smoothly, Joanna did not even realize it.

“Joanna! No!” Tom tried to prop her up but she slipped from his grip.

It did not struck him before, but now it did. Staring at the red glistening blood all over his hands and cloak, Tom realized that he made the biggest mistake in his life.

Joanna was the only one who made him human. She gave him the ability to feel, if not for others at least for her.  He never knew he could feel, and the wretched sting in his chest made him wish he could turn back time. Why was he so blinded by power and revenge when he could have the one thing he never had all his life, love?

The bed she was lying on was soaked with blood that the smell started to make him dizzy. Tom slowly backed away from her body, trying not to fall over the furniture in the motel room. His hands where shaking and no matter how hard he tried, they wouldn’t stop. Just like the tears that fell from his eyes.

Clenching his fist, Tom shuffled to a table and slammed his hands on it. He let out an angry yell before he started trashing everything in the room, until he collapsed by the side of the bed.

He could not look at her, for if he did, all he saw was regret. She was the only one who accepted him without fear or hate. She actually loved him, and he actually loved her. He hated himself for not telling her that. He hated himself for not choosing her. He hated himself… for being weak.

Dumbledore killed her, he thought, wiping his wet cheeks dry.

Finally being able to compose himself, Tom stood up and called for Nagini. At the sight of Joanna, Nagini became upset and started to hiss. Tom wished the snake did not have to make things worse, and he was tempted to kill it when it started asking questions. But then he realized that Nagini was all he had left.

“Don’t worry about it Nagini. We’ll have our revenge,” Tom said as the snake slithered right next to him.

“No more games. No more distractions. No more weakness,” Tom added. He closed his eyes briefly, as though bringing himself back to his ‘real’ self, and when he opened his eyes, flames started to grow from thin air. They rose up the walls and slithered onto the bed like a fiery snake devouring its prey; curling and twisting all over the room as the walls blackened and the furniture were torched.

“Everyone who ever crosses me will suffer. Especially that old man. He thinks he knows it all but he has seen nothing yet.”

By the time half the room was engulfed, the flames slowly drew back, as though it had enough.

Finally turning to face what was left of the room, Tom found Nagini wrapped around a skull that now sat on the bed.

Tom watched briefly before he looked up at the gloomy afternoon sky, through the hole in the ceiling. He often wondered how he could find peace is something so plain. A blink later, he found himself looking at the very same sky, just darker and on a different day. There were no stars, and it was a perfect canvas for his dark mark.

A spell shot out into the night sky shortly after, and when it exploded, a skull appeared with a smoke imagery of Nagini, slithering around it and through its mouth.

“That’s for you,” Tom whispered. “And so will everything else.”

Tom knew that was not what Joanna would have wanted, but he told himself that he had no choice. She was now a mere memory and her memory would not be the cause of his downfall, but the reason for his success.

“It’s time the war ends. Tonight will be the night,” Tom said, looking at what was left of Hogwarts; the place he once called home.

“What do we do now, my lord?” Bellatrix Lestrange asked cheerfully, like a child eager to take on every carnival ride available.

“We wait,” Tom replied shortly. He didn’t like the woman, no matter how hard she tried to please him. She was just not Joanna. If only she could take a hint without him having to kill her.

“Do you think he will come?” Bellatrix hurried to his side.

“He will.”

Tom knew the boy well enough, and if there was something they both understood, it was sacrifice.

Chapter 36

Joanna ran into the streets, right in the middle of firing spells.

Joanna concluded it was impossible to find Tom, when she saw all of those on his side. They all dressed in black with a mask over their faces. What she was told earlier, on there being only 30, Joanna knew there was a major miscalculation. The ministry and the opposing force were equally numbered, heck, they were possibly outnumbered.

How did Tom gather such an army? Joanna asked herself as she attempted to run out of the crossfire. She fired a couple of spells and defended many more as she tried looking for Tom.

It was a stupid idea to even attempt a search, but Joanna was stubborn as a mule. She was not meant to be in this fight but now she was. Soon, she found herself trying not to die, and her previous goal was abandoned. One spell after another, Joanna could not even take a breather. There were just too many of them, and a rainbow of deadly spells were constantly above her head.

Joanna was certain she couldn’t keep up and tried to flee from the angry clash of good and bad, but being right in the middle of it all, Joanna was stuck. She was physically stuck, and her position was all too familiar.

She was stuck in the middle all these years, with Tom being bad and her desire to be good. It was only then, did she realize that she was never going to be able to get out of it. Because no matter how hard she tried, every turn led her right back to the center.

I can’t do this anymore, Joanna thought. She wanted to give up, and not realizing it, she stopped firing spells.

“What are you doing?” someone shouted at her.

Among the screams and yells, Joanna wasn’t sure who that was.

“Joanna!” the same person shouted at her, before grabbing her wrists and pulling her deeper into the crowd of masked men and women.

Oddly enough, she did not even struggle. Was it at all wise to be walking towards the enemy?

By the time she realized it, she was already behind enemy lines. And then, Tom pulled off his mask and yelled, “Get out of here! Now!”

“Come with me!” Joanna replied immediately.

“No. You have to go!”

“I won’t go without you!”

“Joanna, please!”

“Tom, I can’t leave you,” Joanna said.

The enemy’s line was slowly retreating and they found themselves in the battlefield again. Joanna could see the struggle in his eyes and she was certain he would go with her. But her hope of saving him was trampled when someone called at Tom from behind her.

Joanna quickly turned to see who it was, and when she did, she did not know how to react.

Dumbledore had his wand pointed at Tom with a merciless look on his face.

“End this now, boy!” Dumbledore ordered.

Tom laughed and replied, “Make me!”

Dumbledore raised his wand above his head before bringing it forward with a spell. Joanna watched as a string of green light escaped the tip of Dumbledore’s wand. It traveled right towards Tom, and as though time had slowed down, Joanna saw how unready Tom was for the spell. Not thinking twice, Joanna pushed him out of the way and took the hit for him.

No, it was not the killing curse. It was something else. Probably Dumbledore’s very own spell. A pain shot through her body from where the spell hit her. It reminded her like the Cruciatus curse, but this one was different. Joanna screamed as she felt the pain travel through every vein in her body. It was still bearable until it shot out from every direction, like growing thorns along its branches. And those thorns felt as though they were piercing through her skin from the inside out.

In the midst of the on going chaos both externally and internally, Joanna felt someone pick her up and within a blink of an eye, the shouting of spells sounded distant. Her eyes were watering and sight of where she was, was nearly impossible. All she could think of was dying, because the pain was ripping her apart, literally.

She could feel her blood trickle down her arms and her clothes were getting damp. Those thorns really ripped through her skin as puncture wounds started forming.

Who would cast such a spell on anyone? Joanna thought.

As the thorns made their way to her chest, breathing became too difficult. She found herself suffocating on top of the agonizing pain.

“You’ll be o.k. Don’t worry,” a faint voice said.

Joanna attempted to reply but her throat had tightened up. No matter what that person said, Joanna knew she was not going to be o.k, and all she wanted was to see Tom, even if it was for the last time. But if indeed she was taken by her fellow colleagues, Joanna knew her dying wish was never coming true, and the pain in her heart became far worse than the thorns.

To Be Continued…

Chapter 35

Joanna hurried to a small closet before she apparated to five different places before she headed to Tom’s house. She didn’t want to be followed and she knew Dumbledore still did not truly trust her. When she entered the house, she started shouting his name, but she heard no reply.

Entering the reading room, she found the darkness and the cold so unwelcoming.

“Tom?” Joanna shouted but the only reply she got was dead silence.

Immediately she headed to his bedroom, and when she entered, it was the same; dark and cold.

“Nagini?” Joanna called, and even the snake was no where to be found. Joanna felt like she had just missed them and there was a sudden tightness in her chest. She was afraid for him, she was afraid of loosing him.

“Tom, where are you?” Joanna whispered as she sat on his bed and stared blankly at the floor. She was trying not to panic, trying not to give in to the fear, trying not to cry.

Just when she thought she was just wasting her time, she heard him.

“What are you doing here?”

 “Tom?” Joanna looked up and saw him standing by his desk. Immediately, she got up and ran to him. She threw her arms around him and she felt him return the hug.

“Tom, the ministry knows about the muggle attack,” Joanna suddenly pulled back and warned.

“The ministry knows about what?”

“Don’t try to play dumb. That muggle town, you were planning for a muggle attack weren’t you? You have to call it off! The ministry are sending aurors in the moment the attack happens!”

“I’m not calling it off,” Tom replied with a straight face.

“People will die if a battle starts!”

“It is too late to call it off. Everyone are at their positions waiting for my orders.”

“Tom please,” Joanna whispered her plea, hoping that it would have a different effect on him.

“Sorry,” Tom said as he made some distance between them.

“Tom, don’t do this. I can’t lose you,” Joanna said.

There, I said it, I admitted it, Joanna thought to herself.

“I won’t die. You’ll see me again,” Tom replied as he shifted his gaze away from her.

There was a short moment of silence before he walked up to her, placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, before disapparating.

Immediately after he disappeared, the tears fell, because Joanna knew she wasn’t going to see him again. Falling to her knees she attempted to control her sobs, but it was impossible. She had a very bad feeling and she couldn’t shake it off.

After multiple attempts of trying to calm herself down, Joanna forced her way back to the ministry. Even at 6 in the morning, people were still bustling around, but the crowd was thinner than it was before.

Joanna slumped on her desk and caught a couple of hours of shut eye before she was wakened by her colleague.

It was 10 in the morning when teams were being sent off one by one into the small town. There were easily 50 of them up against a rough estimate of 30 dark witches and wizards.

Joanna was in team B. The team where 10 of them were to try and get as many muggles to safety. She was glad she didn’t have to be in the battle, but she was still afraid she might have to watch it all go down.

At 10:10, she apparated into an alley where she charmed a mother and child to return home. Just as she watched them disappear into safety, she saw a sign on one of the shops on the main street. The sign read, ‘Erlton Motel’. Was that where Tom was staying?

Ignoring the shouts of her teammates as she dashed across the soon to be blood wet streets, all Joanna could think about was stopping Tom. Entering the strangely empty motel, Joanna hurried up the stairs and onto the first landing. Was she going to knock on every door? She had to try.

When it came to the fourth door with no answer, she felt like crying again. Just then, the next door opened and Joanna’s draw dropped.

“What… Joanna?” Malfoy managed to ask in shock.

“Malfoy?”

“What are you doing here?” they asked each other simultaneously.

 Neither of them answered.

“Where’s Tom?” Joanna quickly asked.

Malfoy did not answer her question. He just stared at her, unsure on what to do. Just before he could say a word in reply, they heard it. Screams, yells and eruption of spells; the fight had begun.

Malfoy immediately said, “I’m late.” Before attempting to walk pass her.

Joanna pulled out her wand and pointed it right in his face.

“Where’s Tom?!” Joanna demanded.

“Where else?” Malfoy answered, backing away from her. When he realized Joanna had lost her interest in him, Malfoy ran pass her to join the rest.

Where else, Joanna thought.

She had to save him. Or she had to trust he would be safe, like he assured. Whichever she had to do, it was no easy decision.

To Be Continued….

(Leave a comment below or vote on whether Joanna should wait for the fight to end, or attempt to do something!)

Chapter 34

Not wasting anymore time, Joanna chased after Tom. As her feet took quick steps, her mind was coming up with a reasoning that would convince her more than Tom. Hoping that they could both forget what they saw, Joanna entered the reading room blurting out her thoughts. But when she realized that Tom wasn’t there, she stopped mid way.  Sighing to herself, she slumped into the sofa and stared at the flames in the fireplace.

“I’m sorry,” Joanna said with a sigh.

With that, she left. She did not bump into Tom much after that incident, and if she did see him, he would vanish before she could say his name. Soon, she was back at work in the Ministry. Days got busy again and she barely had any time to herself. Some nights, she found herself missing Tom and his company. Even Nagini came into mind. She wished she didn’t have to work so much and that she could still spend some nights talking to him in his reading room.

If she ever told all her inner thoughts to her friends, especially Annoria, she would have been told that she was in love. But that was stupid wasn’t it? How could she love a boy she hated at the same time? Her own Jiminy Cricket would prove her wrong. Sure she hated his dark side and his desires, but she loved everything else.

“This is confusing,” Joanna always said to herself every time she tried to find out how she felt for Tom. It became tiring just trying to figure out something she was denying with all her might.

“Focus Joanna, focus!” Joanna scolded herself every day when her mind started wandering off into the world where she was with Tom. Those worlds were the only time Tom existed in her life these days, but when a new case came up at work, Tom had reappeared in reality.

“We have information on a muggle attack,” her team leader announced at one of their morning meetings.

“What information?” her colleague asked.

“A team of Aurors have been spying on a few suspicious gatherings around the country, and word was being spread about a group attack on muggles,” her team leader explained.

“Where?” Joanna immediately asked, hoping it was not the place she saw in Tom’s file.

“A muggle town outside of the city called Maryfields.” Her leader began handing out pictures of the place.

Immediately, Joanna’s heart sank. She was not going to snitch on Tom but how was she going to be part of this? Tom was involved in this group attack and Joanna did not want to have to face him on the battlefield.

“When?” her colleague asked, snapping her back into the meeting room.

“We believe it would be happening this Sunday. We already have a team stationed there to keep an eye out. But right now, we need to form teams and be ready to go in when it happens. We do not want innocent blood to be shed over the actions of some attention seeking morons,” her team leader said, clearly angry.

They were all angry. Except for Joanna. She was confused and worried for Tom.

Since Sunday was two days away, she helped in spreading the information to everyone on the long list she was given, that she did not even have time to use the bathroom. It was impossible to escape her team for even a couple of minutes and she wondered how she was going to try and tell Tom.

On Saturday night, a couple of important people from the ministry decided to drop by their office. Together with them was Professor Dumbledore. Oh, how Joanna did and did not wish he was there!

“Do you think it is possible to arrest the culprits before anything bad happens?” Dumbledore asked.

“We have been trying to catch them in the town, but it is almost impossible. They might not even show up till Sunday itself.”

“Ah, well. That would probably be their plan. Their leader … is smarter than we think,” Dumbledore said and turned to Joanna.

I’m not their leader, Joanna thought and then realized what he meant. Dumbledore was suspecting Tom.

And just as Joanna predicted, after the brief with the ministry officers were over, Dumbledore caught up with her and asked, “Have you seen Tom recently?”

“No. I haven’t seen him in years,” Joanna lied and continued, “You think he is involved?”

“Yes, I’m certain. I know that boy, and this is just his first act. Probably testing the waters,” Dumbledore said.

Joanna did not know what to say, because Dumbledore was probably right. “Don’t worry Joanna, I’ll be going with all of you tomorrow,” Dumbledore added.

“Great,” Joanna replied before excusing herself.

She needed to see Tom, she needed to warm him before it was too late. But there was so much to do that night and everyone was keeping everyone accountable, she couldn’t leave. If she did, she would be taking a risk. But as Joanna started pacing up and down by her desk, she realized that no one even said a word to her. Was it possible for her to sneak off?

To Be Continued…

(Leave a comment below or vote on whether Joanna should stay or leave to warn Tom!)

Loser

Before his father left him and his mother, he taught him a lesson. It was a lesson he never forgot and a lesson he was sure to practice.

It all started when his father started gambling and drinking. His mother was afraid of the man she married, and he was afraid of being thrown across the room every time he did something wrong. His father never really cared if he broke a leg or bled, because to his father, a little pain was a good lesson. But that wasn’t what he learned from his father.

It was during an evening game with his friends when he saw his father standing by a tree watching. His team wasn’t winning and he was sure his father knew that. When they took a break for water, his father called him over.

“Who is winning son?” his father asked, as the stale smell of alcohol escaped his breath.

“Harriet’s team,” he replied softly.

“Are you in Harriet’s team?”

“No,” he replied even softer than before.

“Then beg Harriet to take you,” his father ordered.

“But… I can’t leave my friends.”

“You what?” His father reached for his arm roughly and pulled him closer.

“I- I can’t leave my friends,” he repeated.

“But your friends are losing, do you want to lose?” The grip of his father’s hand tightened, and his dirty and untrimmed nails dug into his flesh.

“No sir,” he whimpered.

“Then make Harriet take you in his team!” his father shouted, shoving him backwards and causing him to fall on his back.

“It’s only a game,” he immediately replied in anger.

“It is not ONLY a game boy. Do you want to lose all your life? Do you want to be a loser? Do you like being a loser? Do you?!” His father had pulled him to his feet and slammed him against the tree.

From the corner of his eye, he saw his friends stopping to watch. They were whispering among themselves, not sure if they should help him. But what can three 10 year olds do to a grown man? He was certain he was on his own. And just when he was about to get hit in the face, he heard his mother scream.

“You stay away from him! Don’t you dare touch him!” she yelled as she tried to pull his father from him.

His father turned towards her and slapped her across the face. He was strong enough to send her flat on the ground, weeping.

“Don’t!” he yelled, struggling to free himself from his father’s grip.

“Don’t?” his father asked, and then he laughed, releasing his grip on him.

Immediately, he ran to his mother’s side, and tried to prop her up. Tears were streaming down her face as her lips bled.

“Why do you have to hurt her?!” The sudden anger made him bold.

“You wanna know why? Because losers deserve it.” His father spat on the ground and continued, “You mother is a loser, and so are you. I don’t want to be around losers.”

His father chuckled to himself and shook his head, before he left them. He hated his father even more then, but he knew he would have to face his father when he got home, so he sucked it up and tried to help his mother. By the time he had gotten his weak and weeping mother on the couch in their living room, he noticed something was different. His father’s shoes weren’t in the walkway, and when he headed up to his parent’s bedroom, he saw the wardrobe door wide open and the clothes on his father’s side were all gone.

When his mother entered the bedroom after him, she fell on her knees and wept even more. The picture of their family that once hung above the bed was also on the floor, with the frame shattered.

“He’s gone!” his mother wailed.

“It’s o.k, I’ll take care of you,” he immediately replied.

“You’re a boy. A boy who can’t even win a stupid children’s game. It is your fault he is gone!” his mother accused.

He knew she wouldn’t intend on hurting him, but those word stung. He was indeed a loser. How was a loser going to look after his mother? He was going to amount to nothing, and his father was right. That was why his father left, his father didn’t want to be around losers.

“No, I’m not a loser,” he said to himself.

“Mother, I’m not a loser. I’ll pick the winning team, and we’ll be alright.” He turned his mother to face him.

“No, Peter, you’re not a loser,” his mother replied, merely repeating his words without giving much thought.

“We’ll be alright, you’ll see,” Peter assured, as he embraced his mother, whose sobs continued.

True enough, Peter Pettigrew made sure that he was always on the winning team. He left the friends he used to play with for James Potter when he started at Hogwarts, and he left James Potter for the Dark Lord when a war was starting. And during all those times, his only motivation was to be a winner and not the loser his father said his was.

Chapter 33

Joanna got up and Nagini immediately exited the room. Hurrying after it, Nagini waited for her at corners, just so Joanna would not lose sight of it, before it continued slithering. Finally, after a few turns, Joanna found herself standing in front of a white door. The knob was not dusty like the rest which meant Tom used it.

Nagini hissed at her, as though urging her to hurry up. After hesitating for a moment, Joanna turned the knob and entered the unlocked room.

The room was Tom’s bedroom. Clean and tidy like the reading room, there was a table, with books and papers scattered on them, and a fireplace with ashes. Nagini did not stop to look around like she did, as it slithered to a chest at the corner of the room and hissed for her attention.

Giving into Nagini’s demands, Joanna headed over and attempted to open it, but it was locked. There was some locking charm around the chest which made Joanna even more curious of its contents.

Should she open it? Joanna was tempted to. She had learned a lot of unlocking spells and she was certain she could get this chest opened in no time, but that would mean intruding Tom’s privacy. Nagini didn’t seem to care though, as it kept on hissing.

Not really thinking it through, Joanna pulled out her wand and tried a few spells on the chest. Third time was indeed the charm as the chest glowed around the gaps. Excited, Nagini slithered onto her lap and waited for her to open it. Not wanting Nagini to stay any longer on her lap, she pushed the top over and found herself starring down at a folder and a square cage, covered with white cloth.

Pretty sure Nagini had no interest in the folder, Joanna took the cage out and pulled the white cloth off. A sudden shrill came from the contents as blue Cornish pixies began shaking the cage. Accidentally dropping the cage, Nagini hurried towards it and started striking at the pixies.

“You eat pixies?” Joanna asked in disbelief.

Joanna reached for the cage, pointed her wand and jinx the afraid and noisy pixies. The pixies started to fall into a dreamy state and that was when Joanna opened the top and pulled out one pixie. Placing it on the ground, Nagini immediately grabbed for it and slithered away to a corner.

“So much for a thank you,” Joanna said as she placed the cage back into the chest.

Naturally, she reached for the folder and when she saw its contents, Joanna wished she had not.

There were names, places, spells, and internal information about the ministry of magic that even Joanna could not get her hands on. Joanna told herself to stop reading and put the folder back where it belonged, but her eyes and hands worked in harmony to disobey her commands.

“Erlton Motel?” Joanna asked herself more than the audible. The motel was located in a muggle town outside the city. Why was Tom so interested in a muggle town? Unless…

Joanna’s thoughts were cut short when Tom entered the room. Immediately the file and its contents fell from her hand.

“I can explain,” Joanna quickly said.

Tom merely stared at the papers on the floor before turning to Nagini and casting an inaudible spell at it. Nagini hissed and attempted to slither under the bed. But Tom’s second spell caught it by the tail and sent it up onto the ceiling before falling to the ground.

“STOP! Don’t hurt it!” Joanna shouted.

Tom seemed to have not heard her as he cast another spell, followed by a sentence in parseltongue.

Nagini curled up at a corner as Tom headed up to it, wand still pointed at the terrified snake.

“No!” Joanna ran towards him and pulled him away from Nagini. He looked as though he was about to kill his own pet.

There was fury in his eyes when she finally looked him in the face, but a few moments later, the fury left.

“You shouldn’t have read that,” Tom said as he looked past Joanna.

“I know. I’m sorry. It’s my fault, not the snake’s. Please don’t hurt it anymore,” Joanna pleaded.

Tom did not reply. He simply turned around, waved his wand at the papers sending them back into the chest, before exiting the room. The chest sealed itself with the same glowing edges, and Joanna stared at it for a while before wondering if she should go after him.

She was afraid to face him, because she knew she was at fault. She could have just jeopardized their relationship for knowing too much. Turning to Nagini, hoping for an answer she knew she wouldn’t get from the poor baby snake, she found that the snake had disappeared under the bed, leaving her to decide.

Should she try to explain, or should she just leave and come back when she had her words figured out?

To Be Continued…

(Leave a comment below or vote on whether Joanna should go after Tom or come back another day!)

Chapter 32

Taking his hand, Joanna felt an immediate surge of energy as Tom brought her along in an apparation. A few seconds later, they appeared in front of a mansion.

“What is this place?” Joanna asked.

“My place. Supposedly,” Tom answered, as he led her through a door which entered a dusty kitchen.

“If it is your place, why are we entering from the back?”

“It is supposed to be mine, but it isn’t.”

Tom pulled out his wand and brightened up their path out of the kitchen, pass the dining room, and into the hall.

“Whose is it then?”

Tom did not answer as they started up the curving steps to the first floor.

“What if we get caught?”

“You’re still afraid of being caught?” Tom asked in reply.

It was Joanna’s turn not to answer him.

Finally, they entered a huge reading room. Tom started a fire by the fireplace while Joanna examined the room. There were tall bookshelves, a grand piano, and three sofas that sat by the fireplace. The house looked abandoned for several years, as the dusty carpets and cobwebbed ceilings made the air so stale and difficult to breath. However, this room was an exception.

“You live here?” Joanna asked, settling down on a sofa.

“This is the Riddle House. It’s mine by default.” Tom took a seat across her before he continued, “I don’t use the front door because it’s booby trapped. I’ve put spells around the house so no muggle would dare enter. Their fear of the dead is an advantage.”

“Fake ghosts?”

“Fake ghosts of my dead father and grandparents. Even their loyal gardener is afraid of entering the house after their deaths.”

“I see.”

“But this is not what I wanted to show you.”

Tom smiled before he whispered in parseltongue. A few seconds later, Joanna heard a hissing reply.

“Should I close my eyes?” Joanna immediately asked. The last time she met one of Tom’s pets, it was a killing machine.

“No. Nagini is not a basilisk. She’s a rare crossed breed snake I acquired when I was travelling.”

To Joanna’s surprise, the snake that entered the room was not at all huge. It was merely 4 feet long and half a feet wide.

“She’s still a baby. But she’ll grow,” Tom said, after he saw her slight relief.

The snake slithered up the sofa next to Tom, and rested its green head on his lap.

Tom said something else in parseltongue and the snake turned its head to look at Joanna. With its tongue flicking in her direction, it slowly stood up.

“What did you say?” Joanna asked, watching the snake closely.

“I introduced you to her.”

The snake slowly slithered onto the wooden table in the between them and Joanna reacted by standing up immediately.

“Relax. I told her you’re not dinner.”

Was that a joke? Joanna asked herself as she turned to Tom.

“She’s just being friendly,” Tom continued. “Give her a pat on the head, so she knows you’re not hostile.”

Joanna shook her head in reply.

“Nagini won’t bite. She’s a baby and she’s friendlier at this stage. In a couple of months time, it would be impossible to befriend her.”

I don’t want to befriend a snake, Joanna thought.

“If she knows you now, she won’t attempt to kill you later on.”

Looks like I don’t have a choice then? Joanna thought.

Slowly, she reached out towards the snake. It was watching her hand as she watched it, and Joanna had a bad feeling about it. Quickly, she touched the top of the snakes head and pulled her hand back. The snake then lowered its head, before returning to Tom.

“That wasn’t so hard, was it?”

Joanna sat back down cautiously.

“I just wanted you to meet my new friend. Nagini has been accompanying me for some time now and she sort of reminds me of you.”

“I’m not a snake,”Joanna immediately responded.

“Of course not. But you’re a friend.”

Tom’s reply made Joanna smile. He never stopped taking her as a friend. That was good, she thought.

…..

Throughout that one month break, Joanna had been catching up with many of her old friends during the day, and spending the nights with Tom in the reading room. One evening, while Joanna was reading a book on dark magic, which was one of the many that rested on the tall shelves, Nagini entered the reading room.

Tom was not around that evening as he said he had an errand to run. Joanna was fine being alone, but certainly unsure on how to react when his snake decided to be her company.

“Hi,” Joanna said, as she lifted her legs off the ground and folded it on the sofa.

Nagini headed up to her and hissed.

“What is it?”

Nagini rose higher off the ground, hissed at her, and turned to look at the door.

“What do you want?” Joanna asked, pushing herself against the sofa. She had to admit that she was still afraid of the snake, baby or not.

Nagini dropped to the ground, slithered to the doorway, rose from the ground and hissed at her again.

Does it want me to follow it? Joanna asked herself.

“Do you want me to follow you?” Joanna then asked Nagini, which she knew did not understand English.

Like a puppy trying to hint for something, Nagini slithered back and forth with its head turning to the hallway outside the room.

Joanna was now certain it wanted to be followed. Yet, Joanna was not so sure if she should. God knows if Nagini intended on attacking her somewhere else.

To Be Continued…

(Leave a comment below or vote on whether Joanna should follow after Nagini!)

A Slippery Gift

She hatched into the family of the rather insane Mr. Grabbill Hookland.

Grab, whom his friends commonly called him, was a collector of rare magical creatures. He would keep them as pets and sometimes mate them. And when the little cross breeds were born, he would sent them as gifts to his nephews and nieces.

Yes, an odd man he was.

You would usually see him in his black tuxedo, striding on the streets of London, claiming to be a business man. And with a wicked sense of cruelty towards muggles, he would often invite them home to give them a scare. Of course, with a memory charm, he covered up that hobby of his easily.

Among his friends, Grab constantly bragged about his “pets”, and how fantastically unique they were. He would flaunt the new breeds and the recently hatched, and today, he flaunted a snake.

“Oh, such beauty isn’t she?” Grab said to Tawrent Lovegood.

“Yes. Rather.” Tawrent gave the snake a poke and sank deeper into his chair. He hated snakes, especially this one. There was something about it, something that made it feel dangerous to be around it.

“Do you know that this one can grow up to 50 feet! If brought up properly that is,” Grab stroked the snake’s head.

“How… delightful,” Tawrent said uncertainly.

“But I’m not keeping this one.”

“Which unlucky nephew or niece are you giving this creature to?”

Grab laughed at what he thought was a joke. “Well, I have a special buyer who’s particularly interested.”

Grab went on to placing the baby snake into a small plastic box. He then waved his wand and brown paper messily wrapped itself around the box. A small card addressed to an unknown source also sat nicely on top of the box. And as an owl swooped into his living room, Grab tied the gift to its legs.

“You know who to send it to,” Grab said cheerfully to the owl. And the owl obediently went on its delivery.

“Is it legal?” Tawrent asked as he watched the owl fly off.

“What is? Selling my pets?”

“Yes. Especially to people you don’t know,” Tawrent said.

“Why not?” Grab smiled as he sipped at his tea.

“I thought there’s a license process for sales and purchases of such creatures.”

“You have too many friends in the ministry that the law is starting to confuse you.”

“I just don’t want you to get in trouble,” Tawrent said with a sigh.

“I won’t be in trouble. This buyer knows a great deal about snakes.”

“Really.” Tawrent was not convinced.

“Oh yes. But I told him that at this age, the snake needs a lot of grooming, and if he has any intentions for it, he best wait till it is fully grown. I also told him not to show it off to anyone, since, it is a very rare breed that I would consider dangerous.”

“Right. Lets hope he doesn’t send it on a killing spree.”

“That would be a waste of her potential if he didn’t. But I think he only wants a companion.” Grabbill laughed.

“Odd choice for one.”

…..

The packaged arrive in a house outside of town. The special buyer sent the owl off with the money he owed before heading to his reading room to unwrap it. But before he could do so, he saw an intruder hiding in the shadows.

Panicking, he pulled out his wand and demanded, “Who are you?! How did you get in?!”

Before he could react. he saw a flash of green light, that even an attempt to draw his last breath was impossible.

“Thank you for the slippery gift,” the person in the shadows said, before heading to the package.

Knowing that the old man he just killed was a loner, he took his time at opening the gift he claimed. And when he first laid eyes on the snake, he was amazed at the beauty of it.

“Hi,” he said.

The baby snake curled at a corner and watched him closely.

“I won’t hurt you. I just want to be friends,” he continued.

He then put his hand into his pocket and pulled out a rat he had bought from the market earlier in the day.

“Here’s a treat,” he said, as he carefully released it into the plastic box.

She hesitated for a moment, watching his hand pull out from her safe zone. Then, without thinking twice, she striked at the rat.

“Fast one,” he said, sounding impressed.

“I am,” she replied.

“I hope you liked it.”

“Thank you,” she said as she moved out from her curled position.

“Do you have a name?” he asked.

She shook her head at him in reply.

“I shall call you Nagini then. Do you like that name?”

“I guess. Do you have a name?”

“Yes. I’m… master. Call me master.”

“O.k master,” Nagini replied.

“Let’s go home,” Master said as he picked up the snake and disappeared in a swoosh.