Chapter 7

Stares, Whispers, and Rumors

August 24th, 1998

6:08 AM

Adalyn rolled onto her side to look at the clock that sat on her wooden night stand. It read 6:08 AM. She groaned and tried to fall back asleep. She did not have to go to work today and she was hoped and to take advantage of her well-deserved break. After her many attempts to fall back asleep failed, she rolled out of bed. Adalyn threw on some clothes and a grabbed small bag. If she hurried, she would be able to watch the sun rise above the Thames River. Adalyn wrote a note explaining her absence before silently sneaking out of the orphanage. She took one of the many bicycles that was sitting outside the orphanage and quickly peddled the familiar route to Blackfriar's Bridge.

She looked around the sleeping streets of London and sighed. She missed her home before she came to the orphanage. Though Adalyn was born in Paris, her parents immediately moved to Falkirk, Scotland. She missed the beautiful elegance of her old home, but after living in London for nine years, you got used to the dull gray buildings and narrow alleyways. It had a beauty of its own. Besides, it was pointless dreaming of her old home since it no longer stands. Though, she still proudly retained her Scottish accent and never bothered to try and pick up a London accent. Adalyn stopped in the middle of Blackfriar's Bridge to catch her breath. She made it just in time to see the sun cast beautiful shades of red and gold upon the river. Lost in the moment, she did not notice the two men sneaking up behind her.

One grabbed her shoulder and threw a large hand over her mouth. Adalyn kicked and screamed, but the man was too strong. She struggled restlessly as the other man went through her purse. Good luck finding anything useful. The man slammed the purse down in frustration, causing its contents to splatter on the stone ground. A sickening crack was heard as her wand fell to the ground and snapped in two. You will pay for that.

"Why don't you have any money?" the man cried in frustration.

"I'm an orphan going for a morning walk. What did you expect?" Adalyn said as she pushed the man's hand out of the way.

"Fine. We will just have to take you," Man #1 said. He motioned to the man that had her wrapped in his arms.

Adalyn's eyes narrowed. "I fail to see why you would do that. I have no worth and if you plan to take advantage of me, I will have you know that I am a rubbish kisser."

They laughed and began to drag her away. Before they had travelled six feet, Adalyn kicked her kidnapper in the crotch and bolted. Her shoes make no noise against the cold stone of Blackfriar's Bridge as she ran away. She was almost off of the bridge when a strong hand grabbed her and pulled her back. She glanced up to see that Man #2 had taken her captive once more.

"That was not a smart thing to do, miss," Man #1 hissed. "You will be punished for that."

Out of thin air, a tall figure appeared and punched Man #1 to the ground and provided a distraction so Adalyn could break free of Man #2's firm grip. She pushed him to the ground and shoved him against the edge of the bridge.

"Don't ever attack me again," she whispered menacingly before walking away. As Adalyn walked away, she heard a splash. She whirled around to see that Man #2 had fallen over the edge and into the water of the Thames. She knew that the fact that she had accidentally killed him should faze her, but Adalyn had seen so much death during the War that it she didn't even bat an eyelash anymore.

Adalyn ran back to where the figure and Man #1 were fighting. It seemed that Man #1 had pinned the tall stranger underneath him. Adalyn rushed forward and jumped on top of Man #1. She bit his shoulder and he jumped off of the man.

"What is your problem?" he cried nursing his wounded shoulder.

"Quite a few things," Adalyn sneered. "I will give you three seconds to get out of here."

"Why should I take orders from you?" Man #1 asked.

"Well, I could always push you into the Thames so you can be with your friend," she said sweetly. The man bolted away quickly as she rushed to the stranger's side. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Audet," a familiar voice groaned.

"Riddle?"

"Yes, it's me," Riddle said as he stood up.

"What are you doing here?" Adalyn asked. "Did you follow me? Why did you defend me?"

"Yes, I did follow you. And to why I saved you, I couldn't have my favorite mysterious witch getting hurt," he explained. "I do believe that you should be thanking me."

"Why should I thank you?" she asked.

"I did just save your life."

"No, you punched one guy while I cornered the other one, accidentally pushing him off the bridge. Then I came over and got another goon off of you," Adalyn recited. "I had it cove- oh, crap!"

"What?" Riddle asked.

"My wand!" she cried as she began to pick up the spilled contents of her purse. "It is snapped in half!"

"We can simply get you a new one at Ollivander's when we go to Diagon Alley today," Riddle said, not bothering to help Adalyn pick up her purse.

"Why would we be going to Diagon Ally today?"

"A letter arrived from Hogwarts right before I left to go after you. It said term starts on September 1st. It also included a list of school supplies," Riddle explained. "Now let's go back to the orphanage."

They walked back in silence. The sun was rising higher into the sky as the streets began to fill with people rushing off to work. For the first time, Adalyn was able to get a good look at Riddle. His hair was slightly disheveled and he was beginning to form a black eye. But the thing the shocked her most was his clothes. They were modern and definitely not his dull outfit from the 40s. Before Adalyn could stop herself, the question came spilling out of her mouth. "Where did you get those clothes?"

"The male Tate twin let me borrow them," Riddle said. Beneath his uncaring tone, Adalyn could detect a sliver of embarrassment.

"To tell you the truth, I prefer your old fashioned 40s clothes to this," Adalyn said truthfully. Why did I say that?

"Really? And why is that?"

"You look more natural wearing your old clothes."

"I will keep that in mind," Riddle said as he opened the door to the orphanage.

August 24th, 1998

1:07 PM

Once Riddle and Adalyn had returned to the orphanage, Isabelle ambushed them with loads of questions. Adalyn calmly explained the scenario, making sure to say that she was perfectly capable of handling herself.

Adalyn lead Isabelle and Riddle into the Leaky Cauldron. All eyes turned to stare at Riddle and the room became suddenly silent. As if he was oblivious to the stares, Riddle strutted through with his head held high. As they headed to the back entrance leading to Diagon Alley, they heard the room burst into hushed murmurs. Adalyn rolled her eyes as Isabelle tapped the bricks in order to reveal the magical alley.

The wall opened up and revealed the bustling streets of Diagon Alley. Young students rushed around with their parents, trying to navigate through the masses of older students. Adalyn smiled at the amount of people who had survived the war and were now able to go to Hogwarts. She turned to her fellow companions and said, "I think we should stop by Ollivander's first. It looks like the shop is empty and I feel defenseless without my wand."

Riddle and Isabelle both nodded and made their way to the wand shop near the end of the road. Adalyn carried a small amount of money that she took from Gringotts in her purse. The bell rang as they stepped into the store. It was eerily silent as if no one was in there.

"Hello? Is anyone is here?" Adalyn called out. Out of nowhere, Mr. Ollivander came walking out of the back and caused Isabelle to jump.

"Good day! What can I help you with today?" he asked cheerfully.

"You see, my wand was recently broken and Riddle had his wand confiscated and destroyed since it was full of Dark Magic…"

"What Audet is trying to say is that we need new wands," Riddle interrupted.

"Of course, of course," the wand maker said as he hurried to the back of the shop. He came back with two wands, one for Riddle and one for Adalyn. He handed the first one to Adalyn and said, "Yew tree, unicorn hair, 10 inches, pliable."

She accepted the wand hesitantly and gave it a small flick. A fragile vase sitting on the desk exploded, causing Riddle to laugh silently. Adalyn gently set the wand back into the case. Ollivander gave Riddle the other wand. "Elm tree, dragon heartstring, 12 inches, reasonably supple."

Riddle gave the wand a small wave, but nothing happened. At least it is better than exploding a vase. Ollivander rushed back to return with two more wands. This time, he handed the wand to Riddle first. After the wand was placed in his hand, the room seemed to get warmer. Adalyn glanced over at Riddle to find an odd, glowing aura around him. Well, at least he found his wand. The old man took the wand from the boy's hand. He handed the wand back to Riddle in its case. "Olive tree, phoenix tail feather, 14 inches, unyielding. A very strong wand for a very strong wizard."

Needless to say, the other wand was not Adalyn's wand. And neither was the next one. Or the next one after that. Or the one after that. She let out a frustrated sigh. "Is there any way you can fix my old wand?"

"I'm afraid not, my dear," Ollivander said. His eyes suddenly lit up and he rushed to the back of the store. He returned moments later with a single box in his hand. It looked old and dusty as if it had been kept in a dark room for ages, which Adalyn suspected it had.

"This is the first wand I ever had in my shop," Ollivander said handing her the box. She opened the lid carefully and peered inside. A beautiful wand laid inside surrounded by lush velvet and thin red fabric. It was a dark brown shade that matched the look of chocolate. The handle had a simple, Victorian design that helped her grip it. Adalyn picked it up and a cool breeze flowed through the room. Her straight hair curled in the wind as Ollivander smiled fondly at her.

"It seems we have found your wand," he stated. "It is made from the sycamore trees that helped build this shop. The core is a dragon heartstring. The wand is 13 inches and reasonably supple. It has the ability to do great things."

"Thank you, sir," Adalyn whispered as she admired her new wand.

The group quickly paid and headed back out to the bustling streets of Diagon Alley.

They stopped in Slug & Jiggers Apothecary to pick up their new potions supplies. Adalyn turned around to ask Isabelle a question, but instead found Draco Malfoy's face smirking at her. He ran a hand through his blonde hair and said, "Hello, sweetie."

"Hello, Malfoy," she sighed.

"I've told you so many times Addie, call me Draco," he drawled.

Ignoring the fact that he was now uncomfortably close to her, Adalyn put on a fake smile and asked, "How was your summer, Malfoy?"

"It could have been better if you were there," he flirted.

"I told you, I do not want to ever return to your Manor."

"That is why we could have gone to the family chateau in France," Malfoy bragged. "Imagine, waking up to the beautiful views of Loire River. The white stone of the Château d'Amboise gleaming in the morning sun. Waking up in my strong arms…"

"That escalated quickly," Adalyn muttered.

"What was that?"

"Oh, nothing. As…tempting as that offer sounds," Adalyn lied, "I had keep an eye on Riddle, making sure he didn't murder anyone."

Malfoy's face became suddenly solemn. "You do know that by the end of the War, I supported the Light Side. I just…couldn't disobey my father."

"I know," Adalyn said softly.

"Can you look at it?" he asked anxiously.

Adalyn looked up into the boy's grey eyes. For the first time in the conversation, she actually told the truth. "No."

Malfoy grabbed her shoulders. "That is why we need to be together. We can help each other!"

"Malfoy!" Adalyn cried.

"I'm serious!" he exclaimed.

"I have to go," she said firmly as she yanked her body out of Malfoy's tight grasp. Adalyn made her way to the front of the shop. She hopped in line with Isabelle. Riddle who was staring at the supplies angrily.

"Why are you murdering the supplies with your eyes?" Adalyn asked.

"Prices have gone up since the 40s," was all Riddle said as he paid.

After stopping by Madame Malkin's to buy new robes, the trio made their way to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor for a small snack. When they walked in, all heads turned to face them. Adalyn was able to catch wisps of different conversations.

"Is that Tom Riddle and Adalyn Audet?"

"I heard she is planning to bring him back to power…"

"Damn, I know he is a murder, but Tom Riddle is hot…"

Adalyn ignored her schoolmate's whispers and the evil glares of mothers as she made her way to the front of the shop. "I will have one scoop of peanut butter, please."

"I'll have two scoops of Irish mint," Isabelle ordered. "Riddle?"

"One scoop of vanilla," he answered. The worker nodded and rushed to the back of the shop to make their ice cream. The three of them stood in silence and tried to ignore the stares they were getting from other customers. The worker came back with their order and Adalyn paid. They say down at an empty booth and began to eat their treat.

Isabelle started talking about something, but Adalyn could not focus on anything she was saying. She was too distracted by dirty looks they were getting. Isabelle stopped talking and looked at Adalyn expectantly.

"Adalyn? Are you even listening?"

"I'm done with this," Adalyn grumbled as she slid out of the booth. She walked out of the ice cream shop and back into the bustling streets of Diagon Alley. She heard the bells on the door jingle as Isabelle and Riddle followed behind her.

"Why did you leave?" Isabelle asked.

"I was tired of the people looking at me like I had murdered their mother," Adalyn sneered.

Riddle scoffed. "Join the club."

Adalyn was shocked. Did Riddle just make a joke? "Only if you have cake."

"Oh yes," Riddle countered. "It is made out of the ashes of the people we have murdered. It is where we murderers get our energy."

"Excellent," Adalyn played along. "I will bring the smoothies blended out of our victims' blood."

"You two are disgusting," Isabelle whined.

"I would not say that," the black haired witch said menacingly. "You could become our next target."

"How do I put up with you?" the blonde groaned.

"I often think the same thing about you," Adalyn laughed. "Wait, where did Riddle go?"

The tall wizard had suddenly gone missing. Isabelle's eyes widened. "You don't think he actually went and…killed someone."

"Don't be ridiculous," Adalyn rolled her eyes, but a part of her was worried. Many people wanted to use or hurt Riddle and if he had wandered off to the wrong place…

"Found him!" Isabelle exclaimed, breaking Adalyn away from her thoughts. She rushed over to the nearby pet shop where Riddle was standing by one of the owls. Adalyn rushed over to Riddle and asked, "Why did you wander off?"

"This owl caught my eye," he explained. "It was staring at me."

Adalyn had to admit that the owl was beautiful. It was white with brown specks along its wings. Its wide yellow eyes darted around, getting a good look at the three of them. It almost looked like…

"Fidèle?" Adalyn asked. The owl turned at the sound of its name. It flew onto to her shoulder and buried itself in her neck. "Where have you been?"

"Do you know this owl?" Riddle asked.

"Yes, she is my owl, Fidèle," Adalyn explained. "One night last year, I went to my room in Malfoy Manor and she was gone."

"When were you at Malfoy Manor?" Isabelle asked. She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

Adalyn rolled her eyes. "Not like that."

"Then why were you at Malfoy Manor?" Riddle questioned.

Adalyn felt frozen for a moment. Ever since the incident in July, Riddle hadn't been pressuring her about her past. They had actually become relatively polite with each other. She dropped the matter hurriedly. "That doesn't matter now. The point is I have my owl back."

"Are you looking to buy that owl, miss?" the shopkeeper asked. Adalyn nodded. "She is three galleons."

Adalyn reached into her purse and pulled out the three galleons. The shopkeeper took them out of her outstretched hand and walked back into the shop.

The owl remained on Adalyn's shoulder as they walked out of Diagon Alley and back into the busy streets of London. None of the tourists or natives even gave the three teenagers a second glance. When they reached the orphanage, dinner was nearly over. Adalyn quickly hid her supplies and uniform and slid her new wand into the top of her jeans.

Adalyn stopped by the dining hall just in time to grab a sandwich and an apple before heading back to her room. She munched on her dinner as she read over the new seventh year books in bed. The childlike eagerness to return to Hogwarts began to engulf her. She couldn't help but get excited about this school year. There was no war that was happening and no crazed Death Eaters running classes. She may actually enjoy the school year.

But, rumors had already begun to float around. By now, Adalyn was used to being in the center of the Hogwarts' rumor mill. Whether it was for being a "snobbish Slytherin book nerd who believed she was better than everyone else" or the "blatant slut that would sleep with you for fun". Neither rumors were true, especially the latter. In fact, Adalyn had never had a proper relationship, unless you counted her date to the Yule Ball in her fourth year. He was a seventeen year old from Durmstrang. That was when the slut rumors started.

Every school year had its ups and downs. Adalyn just had to get through one more year with these people and she would never have to see them again in her life. Unless she got a job with them. Truthfully, Adalyn had no idea what she wanted to do with her life. She knew that she did not want to work for the Ministry. Owning a shop would be hard and require her to interact with customers far more than she pleased. At least at the bookstore most people could help themselves. There was no way on Earth that she had the understanding to be a good teacher and she didn't want to teach ditzy fourth years daily. The two things she was truly good at were spying and children. That didn't leave too many job options.

Adalyn put her books down and rolled onto her side. She still had time to think about her future, there was no point in worrying about it now. She slid her wand underneath her pillow, a habit she acquired from the war, and drifted into the first dreamless sleep she had had in a long time.

2/5/16 - I have nothing to really say here. I hope everyone has a lovely weekend and don't forget to R&R!

- KC