My Name Is Emma Riddle
Part One: Memories
There was a soft knocking on my door. I jumped off the bed startled, but tripped over my own feet, crashing to the floor. The door slammed open and my great aunt ran in, worry etched deep into her ancient features. I sat up, blowing my bangs out of my eyes. After she saw I was okay, she nearly fell to the floor in a tremendous laughing fit. "It isn't all that funny you know," I grumbled from the floor. My great aunt, Clarice, a clear squib, dabbed her eyes with her handkerchief. "Emily Riddle," she sobbed, "If you don't quit tripping over you own feet, I'll have to replace the floorboards with nice, fluffy pillows!" I groaned at her merciless jokes. She may have been a flimsy squib but she was funnier than that muggle actor, Bill Cosby.
"Are you all packed then?" Clarice asked, helping me up from the floor. I groaned, looking around my cluttered room. "I was about to but I fell asleep!" I cried, looking at my watch, "And now it's one o' clock in the bloody morning!" Clarice looked around at the chaos and nodded her head. "Yes, and you may want to hurry too, the train to Hogwarts leaves in ten hours." I nodded my head, sighing as I picked up a potions book. Within four hours, my trunk to Hogwarts was packed. I was spread-eagled on my bed when Clarice came back in. "All done I see…" she said, amused. I groaned, "And with five more hours to sleep."
The next morning, I awoke to an owl, pecking the heck out of my navy drapes. I walked over and took the ruffled tawny owl and pulled the envelope from its tightly clamped beak and pushed it back outside before it caused another household disaster. I saw the neat, cursive handwriting of my best friend, Ginny Weasley. I smiled, she was probably owling me to remind me not to miss the train this time. She was always there for me even when we were miles apart, ever since the first day we'd met…
flashback
"Dear, the train is already moving, get on now!" Clarice shouted. I clambered in the best I could, pulling my trunk up behind me. "Okay, stop yelling, I'm going. Gees Aunt Clarice, people are starting to stare." I walked down the long hallways and it was the first compartment I checked that had nobody in it. I had grown up in the house I lived in with my great aunt and I didn't really go out into the city often. So, I didn't have any friends. Being by myself felt normal. But in the next two minutes, a pale looking girl with flaming red hair poked her head in curiously. "Oh! I'm sorry, do you mind if I sit in here?" I shook my head, fighting the temptation of jumping with joy of the fact that I had someone to talk to.
"I'm Ginny Weasley," the girl said, extending a hand toward me. "Hi, I'm Emma Ri- I mean, Gene, Emma Gene." I said then mentally slapping myself. My aunt had pretty much forced me to use her last name instead of my own, for obvious reasons. I took her hand and shook it. She smiled brightly, her green eyes flashing, and then sat across from me. We talked a bit more. Apparently she had six older brothers which must be torture. The next thing I knew, we were huddled next to each other, waiting to be sorted. The woman I found to be Professor McGonagall gradually read down a rather long list of names when half way through, she called, "Gene, Emma!" I tried to ignore the crowd in front of me as I sat down on the stool waiting for the hat to be placed on my head. I glanced at Professor McGonagall, wondering why it was taking so long but she was looking behind me with a confused expression. I looked back too and saw that the
headmaster was starring at me with an icy cold stare. I tried to ignore it and looked at McGonagall.
"Um… Professor?" I called. McGonagall jumped, startled a bit but looked back at me a bit dazed. "Oh, yes sorry." She said, gently dropping the hat on my head. The rustling noise of the Great Hall and the bright light the candles were giving was instantly cut out in a heartbeat. Instead, I heard a gruff whispering in my ear. Oh, my! Another Riddle? But, I thought McGonagall there said you were a Gene? Oh well, I am never wrong, for you are Emma Riddle. Daughter of Tom Riddle. Now let's see… pure blood… you wouldn't do very well in Slytherin… we both know that. But you do have the makings of a Ravenclaw in you. No, no, that's not it. Hufflepuff? Well you are shy enough. But… oh! My, my, we have a load of undiscovered bravery in us. Outspoken… bold opinions… and undiscovered bravery. We are quite the little Gryffindor. I guess that sums it up… "GRYFFINDOR!!" the hat screamed loud enough to leave my head vibrating.
I stood up and walked over to my fellow classmates, and sat down a bit confused. What had the hat meant by undiscovered bravery? I looked down the table and noticed two boys – no, they were twins, with flaming read hair exactly like Ginny's. They must be Fred and George, her older brothers. What made me notice them was that one was pointing at me and whispering to the other while the other laughed. I rolled my eyes and looked back to the front. I realized Ginny was being sorted. Just when the hat barely brushed her hair, the hat yelled, "GRYFFINDOR!!" I applauded with everyone else and Ginny came and sat by me. "What was all the drama with Dumbledore giving you the death glare?" Ginny asked in a hushed tone. I just shrugged, though I had a pretty good idea what it was about. Either he saw my father in me or he was psychic. Hopefully, he would believe I am nothing like my father and leave me be.
After a glorious feast in which I saw that Clarice may not be the cook she thinks she is, I also found that I had eaten more than I could handle. Ginny and I were both talking about how we would regret eating so many sweets when the two, red haired twins came over and crowded around Ginny. "Oi, Ginny, what are you doing sitting at this table?" One asked. "Yeah, we all know you're the Hufflepuff at heart!" the other finished. Ginny just waved her hand at them as if they were a pair of mosquitoes that wouldn't buzz off. Then one turned to me. "Hey, George, look! It's her!" I looked at him with pure annoyance. I officially felt sorry for Ginny. "What are you talking about Fred? You mean, it's her?" The other one, Fred nodded. They both had devilish looks that were supposed to look surprised. "Yeah George, it's her. You know, she's legendary!" George nodded, "Go on Fred, I'm listening."
Fred nodded and slung his arm around my shoulders. "Hey, Emma, you're famous with the two of us now. I mean, it's the very first day and you've already put Dumbledore's knickers in a knot!" Ginny stood up facing the two. "You two just go and sit back down before I tell mum you've been harassing another first year." Fred took a step back and put his hands in front of him. "Ooh, I'm so-!" "GO!" Ginny shouted, hands on her hips. "Sheesh! We're moving already. Stop acting like mum!" Fred sniveled, sliding away. George turned back and said, "Hey guys, sorry that-…" Ginny gave him such a glare that he stopped mid sentence and scurried after Fred.
Ginny groaned and sat back down. "Sorry about them," Ginny said, "They are always so dreadfully annoying and like to make fun at anyone who they find peculiar." I tried not to take this as an insult. It took maybe five minutes for Ginny to realize what she had said. "Oh! I mean- I don't mean that you're peculiar, it's just, Dumbledore was acting strange when you were called up." I nodded, "you don't have to apologize. You can't help being related to them.
Later that night, we had been told some wish-wash about a forbidden forest and a no Fanged Frisbee regulation. Once we had heard all the rules, we'd been told to go to our dormitories, following a curly red headed boy whom Ginny had said was another older brother, this one named Percy. I didn't really pay attention to the way to Gryffindor though there were many amazing sights to behold to the normal, not-so-stuffed stomached magical being. Once in my dorm, I had only enough strength to sort through my trunk and find a pair of snug pajamas.
Ginny's bed, luckily was next to mine for that night, I knew I was in for a load of unpleasantness. I fell into a sleep, which at first, felt warm and goofy as usual. I was dreaming that I was sitting at the house table, except I was in Slytherin and Ginny was as well. But the roast pig in front of us turned into a tombstone as did the rest of the hall. Next thing I know, I was sitting in a puffy army chair when George Weasley plopped down right next to me, saying, "Why do you have to go putting everybody's knickers in a knot? Trevor the toad is still glaring at you." I looked at Trevor who was sitting on the mantle of a fireplace, but he transformed into none other than Voldemort himself. The common room had transformed into a graveyard and I was watching the resurrection of my father, trembling with fear.
I sat up in bed screaming, and then ran down to the common room to make sure it was not the graveyard. The only ones who were still awake and in the common room were the Weasley twins. They were both starring at me, surprised. Ginny ran down just as I shrank in front of the fire, the wet tears had been streaming down my face, going unnoticed until now.
"What's wrong?" Ginny asked, sleepily but still concerned. "I shook my head, saying, "Just a- a nightmare. Nothing special…" I was still crying and Ginny rubbed my back, soothingly. "What about, come on, let it out…"
"It was about my father!" I said, in between sobs. "It's okay, I'm sure your father is fine. Would you like to owl him? Just to make sure he's fine?" I shook my head viciously. "Gin, my father is- was a terrible man. He's dead. I had a nightmare he had been raised from the dead. He's dead, and I'm glad." Ginny's face looked much more paler now and the Weasley twins were whispering curiously in the corner.
End Flashback
I found Ginny in a compartment in the very back of the train only a few hours later. She observed my tired face and said, "You fell asleep packing- again!" and then fell out of her seat laughing. I glared at her, annoyed. "At least I didn't miss the train this year." I put my caged owl on a rack above the seat Ginny was in. "Well, if you had missed the train, we wouldn't have gotten to see the wonderful, indigo colored bags hanging from your eyes!" said an obviously amused voice from the other side of the compartment. In the middle seat sat either Fred or George Weasley. I eyed him confused before finally asking, "Fred or George?" He shrugged. "We look so much a like, even I've forgotten." I laughed feeling more at ease. I knew this was George.
I pointed at him and looked around. "You are in my seat!" He looked around with a shocked face. "Really? I didn't know, so sorry!" He jumped up with an apologetic face that had a glint of malice. I felt suspicious enough but went over to sit down anyway. Just as I had turned my back to the seat, George pushed me into the seat next to the window instead and plopped down in the middle seat. "Hey!" I laughed, realizing what had happened. "Like I would really give up my seat for someone who isn't in a higher position than me." He laughed. I sighed and looked at Ginny who seemed super annoyed which happened when ever her brothers did something like this.
I shrugged at her and looked out the window. Surprised, I struggled to keep my face as straight and tired as it had been. I placed a hand over my right forearm and pushed the sleeve up just a bit. I saw a hazy burn of what looked like a snakes head and pushed my sleeve down so fast I felt it burn afterward.
When I was twelve, I had been given the mark on my arm.