Chapter One: New Year
(Do we seriously still need to do this? I promise I'm not JK guys) I do not own any part of Harry Potter Universe except the character Alleria Riddle.
December 31, 1926
Merope Riddle's breathing was labored as she screamed in pain, holding onto the sides of the bed she had been laid upon. Her vision was failing her, and she only knew the pain exploding from her abdomen, and in her bleeding heart. One more duty, one more, and she could fade from this world forever. It was what she wanted. It was what she knew was waiting for her on the other end of this pregnancy the moment her Tom had walked out the door without looking back. Fleeing from her if she were to be honest. She was not often honest.
"Keep breathing child, push." a woman's voice called to her through the stupor of her pain. Merope complied pushing and fighting toward the end of her journey. Then everything stopped and the world was silent before a cry pierced the air. Something moved in Merope's chest, a brief light hope, but that is extinguished as Tom's face floods her vision. Tears leaked from her eyes. It hurt so badly, a love that could never be, a thing which had seemed so possible once before being torn from her reaching fingers without mercy.
"It's a boy." the women said coming beside Merope and gently placing the bundle in the panting woman's arms. Merope repressed the urge to look down at the child, keeping her eyes on the tattered vision of the father instead. Two whole minutes passed as Merope coddled the little boy without looking at him, before the labor pains take her once more.
"Another child!" two of the attending women screeched, before the tiny baby boy was taken from Merope's arms. She began to convulse pushing her second child out of her by holding once again to that vision. Her heart ached in her chest more painful than even the labor off birth. As the baby before, the child is silent for a minute before her own cries filled the air, soon echoed by her brothers.
"A girl," the women whispered placing the baby girl in Merope's arms before replacing the baby boy back in the mother's arms once again. The children squirmed in their mother's arms as the tears fell upon their faces. It's done. Merope thought to herself a small satisfied smile gracing her face. Now... now she could go. The will to live, and her own life-force drained out of her as though it had preordained to happen. The attending women took the children from Merope's arms when they begin to leaden and droop. The women, Merope Riddle, whispered faintly.
"His name...is Tom...Mar...Marvolo Riddle. I dearly hope he should look like his father." Merope took a break to catch her breath as she managed a few more last words.
"Her...her name is Al...Alleria Merope Riddle. Take care of them, please. Please." With her duty done Merope closed her eyes and let go of her tethers to this plane. Allowing to be swept away from her earthy body to its next destination. The three women looked around at each other before the one childless ran to call for a doctor to check on the strange Merope Riddle. It was too late however. The twins have been left in the world alone, besides an estranged father, all they had was each other.
Both of the new born babies were taken from the room and placed in the orphanages nursery which was empty for there were no baby occupants at that time. Tom and Alleria Riddle were placed in the same crib, swaddled in blankets side by side. They were silent as death itself, but the small rise and fall of their chest showing their live. They were such a lovely pair, a smattering of black hair covering each of their tiny heads, and each child still had that slightly pink tint all newborn babies had. The poor dears.
Update 3/17/2015: I started writing this in 2010 and needless to say I have grown as a writer and as a person. Black Riddle is a story that is quite close to my heart and so I want to do justice by it. I will be re-writing my chapters that are posted (changing some things) and then continue for there. I hope you enjoy the updated story and enjoy getting to know Alleria Riddle as much as I have. Not sure when the rest of the re-write will be up or how regularly I will be writing since I'm doing this in between heavy revisions of my actual novel. Black Riddle is the only story fanfic I will be working on so sorry if you're a fan of my other stories. My heart's just not in them anymore.