A fateful evening.
Many times over the coming years would Albus Dumbledore look back and regret not ignoring the disturbance in the wards that he felt on the fateful evening of August 24th 1965. However as headmaster he knew it to be his duty to investigate. His blue eyes determined but content as he wandered the grand halls of Hogwarts searching for any sign of disturbance.
It was as he wandered closer to the 5th floor corridor that he noticed 3 lit wands in the hallway and they exited what he was assuming was the room of requirement. A complex ward being cast by a familiar looking wizard and his two companions.
"Professor Knight?" He questioned recognising his prized pupil and friend before him.
Anyana spun round at the calling of her name and regarded her employer with a look of carefully hidden fear, it was not forbidden to return to the castle earlier than planned, even with her husband beside her however Tom was another matter.
"Professor Dumbledore sir…I did not expect you to be back at the school so soon…I trust you had a pleasant summer?" Zarian spoke up, hoping to diffuse a situation which could prove to be unstable.
Beside him he could feel Anyana and Tom both tense up, and he thought he noticed Tom's hand twitch to his robes, no doubt to his wand which was concealed there.
"I did, though I find myself wondering what could warrant you three here this evening, not that it is not a pleasure to see you all of course…I take it you are here to apply for the teaching position again Tom? I regret to inform you that my answer would have to remain the same…" Dumbledore kept his tone as neutral as Zarian's as he spoke directly to his imposing former student.
Tom merely sneered, and this time his hand made a more deliberate stray to his pocket as he prepared himself to go up against his former headmaster if necessary.
"I'm afraid not professor, I was of course merely assisting my dear sister here back to school, I do so miss these halls as I'm sure you understand, if you had not forbade my return here all those years ago I doubt that I would have ever left…" Tom's voice was sheer silk, and to anyone else it would have been believable.
Anyana could do nothing but watch the exchange between the two rivals and as her hand clasped Zarians beside her a cold feeling overcame her, surely something had to give sooner or later.
"We are sorry to have caused you any disturbance Albus, I can assure you that there is nothing amiss here, as Tom said he and my husband were simply assisting me back to the school with my supplies, I went to Albania you see and discovered many new ingredients to try within potions…I'd be happy to show you come morning, as now it is getting rather late…don't you think?"
For a long moment nothing was said and the tension between them seemed to lessen slightly.
"I believe you are right Anyana, it is getting late…perhaps we had best call it a night and return in the morning with the rest of you things, perhaps have tea with your good self Albus?" Zarian advised turning to his wife as he said it before glancing at Tom whose cold eyes refused to leave Dumbledore's for even a second.
"An excellent suggestion Zarian, it is late after all and would hate to impose any further, so we will just be on our way…Goodnight Albus… Tom are you coming?"
With that Anyana and Zarian had begun walking away up the corridor, but she noticed Tom was not following, and when Anya looked back at her brother, she could no longer see the young boy from school this was someone else someone dangerous, and he was looking at Dumbledore as though he was trying to bury him with his gaze. Albus Dumbledore held his ground and she knew he was trying to break down the wards within Tom's mind, to find out what they had really been up to.
"Goodnight Tom" Albus finally said after realising he would not get through…"I trust whatever the real reason you were here tonight will come to light soon…"
"You interfering old fool…" It was as he turned away that Lord Voldemort struck, sending a hex straight at his former mentor. Too quick and too lethal for any normal wizard to have hoped to stop, his years of hatred and malice came out to start a furious duel. Two great wizards, neither of whom would stop till the other was defeated.
Anyana was torn as to what she could do, if she helped Tom she was betraying her school, if she helped Dumbledore she was abandoning her brother…all she could do was watch with horror and aww at what was happening before her. Eventually she decided enough was enough and moved to interfere between them hoping to form some kind of shield between the two before they killed each other.
Everything happened very quickly then, and she knew that no matter how many times she ran over the moment in her head she would never be sure of what happened. It was as she stepped forward into the fray and cast the protective spell around herself that a moment that could only be described as tragic occurred. As Dumbledore cast one final spell at Tom, it rebounded from Anyana's shield and attacked the only unprotected one in the room.
Anyana Knight and Albus Dumbledore could do nothing but stare in horror as the curse headed straight to Zarian, before he had time to even react, it hit him in the chest causing him to fly backwards into the wall with a sickening crunch…
Time seemed to stop…and no one could move.
Suddenly a gust of power hit the windows causing them to shatter as Anya Knight screamed in pain, rushing forward to her fallen husband and cradling his body in her arms. "No" she muttered over and over as grief overcame her. Zarian's eyes were lifeless and empty as she tried to summon him back to her by sheer force of will, but no matter how many times she called his name he was not going to wake up.
Tom Riddle could do nothing but stand protectively over his sister as the glass fell down around them, his eyes never leaving Dumbledore's, who could only watch the scene in horror and grief. His heart breaking whilst a deep fear filled him, how would she ever forgive him for this?
Anyana didn't remember how she got back to the house that night, she didn't know if she had been dragged or carried, and she didn't care. Nothing mattered anymore, he was gone, the only one who'd been by her side from the beginning, her lover and companion…her Zarian.
Lord Voldemort couldn't have planned the situation more perfectly if he had tried, he had wanted to win back his sister to his way of thinking, and here he had been handed the greatest opportunity…and he didn't even have to kill the man himself.
In the coming weeks her pain would turn into an all-consuming anger at Dumbledore, an anger that would build and shape a new threat, a deadly weapon. Dumbledore had always said that love could heal anything, that is was the strongest force on earth…and he wasn't wrong but now she had lost her love and it was all his fault…she would destroy him in revenge and revenge her fallen companion.
