Written for the Births, Deaths and Marriages Challenge at His Most Loyal Forum and for the Word Count Drabble Challenge at HPFC. It had to be exactly 176 words.


Merope was shaking.

Her skin was paler than usual, she was gasping softly and her miss matched eyes were staring at the bundle in the woman's arms. The woman was a muggle. She knew her papa would be furious to know she was associating with muggles, but she had saved her son and helped bring him into the world.

She had not saved her.

She did not want to be saved.

"Ca-call him, Tom," she said her voice almost faint as she opened her eyes as much as she could. "Call him Tom a- after his papa... an- and Marvolo after my papa."

Her body shook with the effort as she let out a pathetic cough.

She did not make any effort to touch her son.

She did not want to taint him like she had everyone else. She could only hurt people. She could never do any good.

She did not need to live.

He did.

Closing her eyes, her voice grew weaker as her strength slipped away.

"I hope he looks like his papa..."