A/N:
This one shot has been written as part of a challenge set by the lovely people over at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry (Challenges & Assignments)
The task was to use at least two characters with one of them being manipulative and holding the other one back.
Characters: Marvolo Gaunt and Merope Gaunt
Chocolate Frog: Marvolo Gaunt Challenge – to write about Marvolo Gaunt
Battered
Marvolo Gaunt smashed all the filthy, cracked plates in the cupboard.
He was fuming over the fact that his filthy squib of a daughter had somehow managed to cause a miniature explosion in her bedroom whilst he had been out for the day.
The stupid girl couldn't accept that she was the first member of her family in over a millennia to be completely inept and devoid of magic, so she had resorted to some muggle trickery to get him to believe that she was magical.
"You stupid, pathetic excuse for a human being," he yelled at the seven year old child who was cowering like a muggle in the corner.
He threw one, and then another plate in the direction of Merope, each one missing her head by mere millimetres and shattering against the wall.
"Clean that up," he hissed at the girl he unfortunately had to call his daughter. "It's your fault."
He kicked her swiftly on the leg so that she fell into the cupboard, knocking it over and causing the aging wooden structure to crumble into thousands of pieces on the floor.
"Now look what you bloody did, you idiot runt," he yelled booting her so hard in the stomach, that a huge purple and black bruise was bound to appear before the day was out.
Merope looked up at her father, her eyes wide and full of a mix terror and remorse. "I'm sorry dad. I didn't mean to," she winced, as a stabbing pain shot up her right side. "Please, I'll try to be better. I will, I will, I will," she sobbed in a timid voice.
"Stop with your ridiculous whimpering and get this mess sorted," he shouted kicking Merope again. "And the next time you want to play at being a witch, DON'T! You're fooling no one with your trickery."
An hour passed, and Merope had finished cleaning up the mess that she had caused her father to make in the kitchen and dining room area.
She sought out her father, which didn't take very long at all; as per usual he was sat in his chair telling an attentive ten year old Morfin the story about the Chamber of Secrets, and how it came into being.
Merope quietly cleared her throat, and her father turned to face her with a passive look on his face.
"I'm sorry father," she muttered to the floor, unable to look her father in the eye.
"My daughter, come here," he said with a sickly sweet smile on his face. "Show me your stomach."
Merope slowly lifted her dress to reveal a huge black and blue bruise.
"Morfin, go and get the bruise removal cream," he commanded in a stern voice, as he gently moved his hand over his handy work with pride, giving off the air of concern as a parent should. After all he had to keep her sweet so that she would keep doing all the housework.
A/N:
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