Disclaimer: We do not Own Harry Potter or The Golden Compass.
Author nr 1: Hi, this is actually CorrineDarling writing. I've come up with the basic plot for this story and luckily dear LolaCherryColaGirl has agreed to write it. I find the character Dorcas Meadowes very intriguing. The only thing we know about her is that for some reason Voldemort killed her personally. I looked around and found out there's a Dorcas Thimble, there's a Dorcas Copper Butterfly (hence the title) and Dorcas in Greek is Gazelle. In the bible Dorcas was a dressmaker who made clothes for the poor in her village. Meadowes was the name of someone living by a meadow. In my profile you'll see the picture we have in mind when we picture Dorcas Meadowes. Please review!
Warnings: Sexual scenes later on, possible language.
Summary: The story of Dorcas Meadowes about how she joins The Order Of The Phoenix, get's romantically tangled up with Sirius Black and why Lord Voldemort killed her personally.
Dance Like A Butterfly, Sting Like A Bee
Prologue – Part One
Tom Marvolo Riddle knew that he was special. Despite the dingy, miserable orphanage that masqueraded as his home run by the insufferable matron Mrs. Cole, he knew he belonged some place better.
He was better than all the other pitiful brats that he was forced to live and interact with. He could make things happen. Strange things, but powerful. He felt no shame about showing how superior he thought himself, and was unparalleled in his attitude.
That is until he met Abilene.
Two adults, one Tom recognized from the orphanage and one that was a stranger to him, was guiding the then ten year old girl through the heavy, black iron gate, though it was no longer functional, because why really bother to protect those who were already marked as outcasts of society?
He himself would've found it highly humiliating had it been him in the same situation, but Abilene simply kept her head high and her face impassive. Even though he didn't even know the girl, Tom felt a remarkable mixture of hate and admiration in the pit of his stomach towards her already.
For a moment Abilene's green eyes caught his dark ones, and he didn't even dare to blink in case the connection between them would be broken forever, that, however, only lasted until Abilene stuck her nose higher into the air and whipped her head around so a few strands of her brown hair fell out of her ponytail before she disappeared behind the doors leading to Mrs. Cole's office.
As Tom returned to his room, he slammed the door.
0o0
Later that evening Tom was lying on his bed, studying the harmonica he'd stolen from a dreadfully annoying boy in the orphanage. One time, and that one time only, he'd actually tried playing the awful instrument, but he hadn't cared at all about the supposed "music" emitting from the harmonica.
He still kept it though; it was a trophy. A proof of his cunningness, along with the yo-yo in the top drawer of his dresser.
But as he was lying there he suddenly heard light footsteps outside his room and as silent as he could manage Tom moved to his door and quietly opened it only to find none other than Abilene standing outside.
"Hello." she coolly greeted him, her fingers clutching the strap that was so long that her tiny brown leather purse rested even below her hip.
"Hi." Tom answered, for a moment forgetting his dislike of the girl as he felt an itching curiosity to know what was in the bag she was keeping so safe "Tom Marvolo Riddle." he continued, waiting for her to introduce herself.
Abilene's green eyes narrowed until he could hardly tell if they were even open anymore, but finally she relaxed a bit and said "Abilene." eyeing Tom with immediate distrust.
Finally since meeting her Tom felt as if he had the upper-hand when he smirked and asked "Abilene what? Or are you one of the children who don't even have a last name." he snickered and noticed how he could almost feel her fury radiating off of her.
Abilene 'tsk'ed' at the handsome boy in front of her, but only to buy her time so she could think of a way to explain her lack of a last name. Because he'd been right; she didn't have a last name. Not one anyone knew of anyway. As she failed at finding one, she instead made up a name "Meadowes. My name is Abilene Meadowes." she finally said.
The nuns at the old orphanage she'd known for the first ten years of her life had told her that her name, Abilene, meant "meadow" and she knew that "Meadowes." was a word for a person who lived by a meadow which is exactly what the view was of from her old room. She liked the special touch it brought her name.
Tom wiggled his nose displeased "What an … unusual name." he decided on a polite response, as charming the girl seemed to be the easiest way to find out what she hid in that purse of hers.
He almost regretted it though as she smirked proudly in return and said "I know." with that superior tone he'd used so often used himself.
Tom's fists closed and opened; this girl was getting on his nerves, but he calmed a bit as he let out a long breath "What do you have in your purse?" he tried to ask kindly and smile, but it never even reached his eyes and once again Abilene narrowed her eyes at him "It's a secret." she told him "Goodnight." and with that she spun around and proudly strolled back to her room.
Tom smirked dangerously at her retreat; he would find out soon enough what her secret was.
Several weeks passed as Tom tried to figure out how he could best discover the secrets surrounding Abilene and her mystery purse, only to realize he would never get her to voluntarily tell him. But he hadn't given up on finding out yet; Tom did not care for failures.
Abilene did not either, but never the less she failed to recognize Tom's act of friendliness towards her as anything but an act. A, or so he'd thought, clever way to get him what he wanted. So she almost started to care for the beautiful boy, until one night when he had left early during the commotion that always seemed to appear at dinner time, she found him in her room, holding her two most beloved things in his soft hands.
In one hand he held a round, gold contraption that could be opened; it looked remarkably like a compass. But when he had opened it he found it had three spinning arrows, and no letters to indicate North, East, West or South, but small pictures.
In the other he held a small, silver thimble with beautifully engraved tiny flowers on it Tom noticed as he held it up against the flickering light of a candle, inspecting it closer. These would be the finest two treasures in his drawer.
"It's a Dorcas thimble." Abilene's voice suddenly sounded behind him, and though he was incredibly shocked to find her standing in the doorway, simply watching him with her most prized possessions instead of calling for an adult, he didn't show it.
"And this?" he held up the confusing compass, it was far more interesting than the thimble. Thimbles were for girls, mysteries were for him.
"I don't know what it is." Abilene answered sincerely, because she didn't. All she knew was what the nun's had told her about how she had already had the leather purse when she was brought to them, only two years old. They didn't know the man, who brought her in, but he forbad them to ever look inside the purse and they hadn't.
Then one day Abilene had found a piece of old paper stuffed inside the compass and she eagerly read the troubled writing: "My dear, if you find this it means I could not warn you myself to never let anyone know you have the alethiometer. That I truly regret. But there isn't much time left now, you must always keep the alethiometer secret. With eternal love your mother."
Abilene hadn't known what to do, this was the first and only proof she ever had that her mother had really existed. But from that day on she kept the compass, or alethiometer, a secret. And now this boy had found it.
Tom frowned at Abilene "How can you not know?" he twirled the compass in his hand, looking for some sort of clue to how it would work, or simply what it was, but fond none.
Abilene's green eyes shined with fury "I just don't! Now give me my things back and leave my room!" she had raised her voice and was pointing at the door, her arm stretched.
Tom knew it was a lost battle, so he slipped the things back into the purse and slowly made his way out of the room, smirking at Abilene. He would get them eventually; the thimble was small so it was easy. But the compass was the real challenge.
Time passed as did the little incident, Tom either managed to steal the Dorcas thimble or Abilene let him. Tom was confirmed in his belief that he was special as he went off to Hogwarts, only seeing Abilene over the summers he was forced to spend at the orphanage and with everything there was to learn in the new magical world of his, he soon forgot about the compass. As he went back to the orphanage one last time after his seventh and last year at Hogwarts to collect his belongings, he found out that Abilene was no longer there. He wasn't sure why, but he regretted not having been able to say goodbye to her.
In the time following as he slowly transferred from being the beautiful man named Tom Marvolo Riddle into a monster known as Lord Voldemort he soon forgot all about her though.
Prologue – Part Two
Until one afternoon many years later when Tom was standing in the office of the Headmaster of his old school, asking for a job as Defence Against The Dark Arts teacher. He was told no by none other than Albus Dumbledore, one of the only people to still call him Tom.
As he was about to leave the office a middle-aged man entered with his young daughter, both of them dressed completely in black and Dumbledore hurriedly got on his feet to shake the mans hand "Good to see you George." he greeted him, before crouching down and gripping the small hand of the girl "And hello Miss Meadowes, would you like a lemon drop?"
Tom immediately whipped his head around to look at the girl; Meadowes? An unusual name … Could it be? He watched the girl carefully, and apart from the eyes she was the spitting image of a girl he had once known.
"Come on Dorcas, its alright." her father said as Dorcas hesitated to accept the lemon drop from Dumbledore. And now there was no doubt in Tom's mind, he was standing in front of the daughter of Abilene Meadowes. It was like seeing a ghost from his past, and his eyes caught hers as they stared at each other for a long time.
Albus Dumbledore watched Tom stare almost possessively at the child, and it both intrigued and scared him. Maybe Tom knows there's something special about the child too? He wondered. Their gaze wasn't broken until George said "Albus, I want to thank you again for coming to my wife's funeral. I know it would have meant a lot to her with everything you've done for Dorcas."
Tom turned to the man that must have been Abilene's husband, slowly letting his words sink in before saying "I'm sorry for your loss." glancing at Dorcas one last time and nearly storming out of the office, his head almost dizzy with thoughts. Because in his search for power, Tom had learned of alethiometers and what they can do, and now he had an idea how to get one.
Albus stared at the closing door. He would have to keep an eye on Dorcas Meadowes.
Author nr 2: Hope you liked and that you're all very intrigued and will leave reviews so I'll update the first chapter faster. Thank you for reading.
X X X LolaCherryColaGirl