Chapter 1 – When your heart is laughing

Melody's POV

It was the 2nd May 1988, my eighth birthday, when I met him for the first time.
He, who shall change my whole life.

Flashback

I sat alone on a swing. All the children were being picked up from school by their parents.
Just not me…

I kept sitting on the swing for a long time. Nobody in the orphanage would miss me anyways.
Everyone there hated me because strange things happened around me.

I didn't want to go back there.

I never had a nice world like many other children.

I was never loved. By nobody.

My glare was empty. I knew since I always saw it in the mirror.
It went dark.

I didn't move, even after sunset.

Until a figure came near.

I looked down, I didn't want to see pitying looks, I wanted to be alone.
But the person came nearer until a pair of shows stopped in front of me.

I looked up.

"Who are you?"

A man was standing in front of me, I couldn't see his features in the darkness.

But he was rather skinny.

"Melody."

He kept quiet.

"And what are you doing here all alone?"
His voice was cold and emotionless.
"Nobody wants me to be in the orphanage, so I'm here."

I noticed how sad my voice sounded.

"You do not have parents?"

I shook my head, but I didn't know if he saw it.

There was silence again until I felt a hand on the top of my hand, that stroke through my black hair.

I felt tears in my eyes at this maternity gesture.

"Do not cry."

It was an order, not a request, so I obeyed.

Somehow, I felt connected to the man.

"Come tomorrow to the damaged building one block from here." Again an order.
And I would obey.

He turned around and wanted to leave.
I stretched my arm and took his hand.
"What is your name?"
He turned his head before talking to me.
"You can call me Tom. Now go and do not tell anybody that you saw me."

I nodded and I think, I smiled for the first time in a long time.

I watched as the odd man left until he disappeared, then I got up and went back to the orphanage.

Flashback ends

I met Tom for nearly two years and he taught me how to use my magic.
I got to know his world in those two years; his world full of hate, magic and death.

I also got to know some of his followers.
They called themselves Death Eaters.

Many children would have cried or would have been scared, but I…I trusted Tom and I knew, when he was with me, I was safe.

Well, at least until the one day. The day, he sent me back into cold loneliness.

Flashback

Tom and I were standing in the damaged building, where I willingly used magic for the first time in my life two years ago.

I hadn't seen him for a while week.
Not even yesterday, on my birthday.
He watched me long time and said nothing.
His eyes seemed cold and thoughtful.

When I saw him for the first time, I was a little scared of his looks but that went by after a few moments.

"Tom?" I asked unsure.
I did not know him like this.

He seemed to come out of his thoughts now.

"I have a present for you, Melody. I would have liked to be there, yesterday, but I was not able to."

I nodded and smiled.

"That doesn't matter. Now you're here!"

I hugged him. Nobody would have dared to do so, but I was allowed and I could do it.

His hand rested on my head and stroke through my hair.

I let go of him a few minutes later.

Everything felt like good-bye.

Tom took my hand and before I noticed what he did, I saw a beautiful ring on my finger. The ring had blue sapphires and diamonds on it.

"One day, when you are older, you will be my lady. We will see us again. This is a promise. This ring is charmed, he will grow with you and I can feel, where you are. Be careful with it will you?"

I cried.

For the first time since I met him.

"You're leaving me alone."

It wasn't a question; it was a fact.

"I will not really be gone. I will always look out for you."

He went away and let me alone.

My lord, my Tom, my first love.

I still whispered his name, even hours after he's been gone.

Flashback ends.

I was ten, when he went away and I noticed, that I loved him.

I managed to hide my tears and my pain one week later.

I felt that he would come back.
A family came to the orphanage one week later.
They adopted me.

I came along with my new parents, but my time with Tom forbade me to bond with them.

They were Muggles, in the end.

Even though I did not hate Muggles, I had a dislike on them.
Against my new brother Liam on the other side, I was powerless, although he was two years younger than me. I was happy to have him and got along with him just great.

My Hogwarts letter arrived one year later.

We were separated one whole year.

I missed him.

However, during the year, I had the feeling that he was with me.

I made friends with Harry, too, even though I was in Slytherin.
But after I heard that he had won against You-Know-Who, I canceled our friendship.

I simply didn't talk to him and eventually he would understand that I did not want to be around him anymore.

I couldn't deny that I missed Tom.
And I knew that this feeling wouldn't go away for a long time. But when I thought back to our time together, my heart laughed.