Chapter Fifty One

Before sunrise that morning, Snape returned and entered my bedroom via an invisibility spell.

"Merlin, you scared the crap out of me!" I exclaimed as I started to climb out of my covers. "The door opened by itself and then a wand appeared out of nowhere."

"Where is Nagini?" He asked, eyeing the room, complete disregard for my fright.

"I made sure she didn't stay with me tonight," I said having expected Snape's return.

"Good." He approved pointedly and closed the distance between us with a brisk walk. "I spoke with the Order."

"And?" I asked as I turned my bedside light on.

"Light off," he said and I obeyed with an eye roll, immersing us in darkness once more. "I told them what they needed to know. That you are safe here and in good health. Dumbledore has agreed to utilise you as an inside source alongside myself. He believes you will be an even closer mole than I can be." Snape turned his nose up, as if disapproving of the Headmaster's choice.

I rubbed my arm, fingers smoothing over my dark mark inattentively. "You know I won't provide the Order with anything, right?"

"I know," he nodded acceptingly. "The entirety of the Order insists you learn Occlumency. I know Bella has been teaching you, but I will continue your lessons at Hogwarts."

"And Draco's?"

"He must not know our intention. He must not know of your loyalty to the Order, Melody." He stressed.

I pinched between my eyebrows whilst squeezing my eyes shut. "More lies," I sighed.

"It is for-"

"My best interest, my safety, yeah yeah." I waved off and stared off into the blank darkness. "Snape I… I don't know if I am loyal to the Order. If it came down to it…" I looked down at my hands in my lap, unable to finish the sentence, not even knowing what I believed.

"When it comes down to it, I expect you to look after yourself and not only you, but those you care about."

"And what if those I care about are fighting each other?" My voice was small, afraid of asking the question out loud.

"Then that is when who you are truly loyal too will be revealed." He said.


Being abandoned at birth can do wonders to one's mental state at a young age when acceptance is pivotal. I knew the importance of having 'parents' myself and always wondered how Harry had come out of it as such a bright ball of optimism with a kind heart. This wasn't always the case, however; evident by the man sitting across from me at the dinner table. I had done some reading in my spare time while Draco busied himself with Quidditch or Occlumency sessions and discovered just how awful my grandmothers childhood had been herself - was it heredity in our family?

My great grandfather had been too proud to treat anyone with respect coupled with her brother who sounded rather disturbed. They treated her terribly which forced her to seek love the unnatural way, with a love potion. I felt immense sympathy for my grandmother after reading the alleged articles. It had made me wonder about Tom across from me though. Give any mentally disturbed child boundless access to magic and they would reign terror. His family had neglected him and he had grown up in an orphanage - at an age where the mind was being moulded - he was almost destined to be a monster. I wondered about my birth mother and whether she had introduced any sense of light into his life, but I feared asking in case she did not. Perhaps, Tom didn't even know. He made it clear I was born as a safety plan.

We ate in silence this evening, mushroom soup before us with bitter greens and tomatoes the size of peas. To my side I had cheese that melted on your tongue served with sweet blue grapes. It was heavenly, as was all the food in Malfoy Manor.

"Merope, you will be leaving to Hogwarts soon," he eventually broke the silence with his silvery metallic voice. "I believe you will be progressing through N.E. this year."

"Yes," I said with the aftertaste of earthy cheese on my tongue. "I'll be studying very hard this year, my Lord."

"Indeed, it is fundamental you learn all you can." He expressed as he reached for his wine. "I have your O.W.L results," he then revealed and at the mention an envelope came flying through to me. "Collected by Camille."

My eyes sprung open. I nearly dropped my cutlery - Oh Merlin, please don't tell me he read them. The golden envelope then nestled itself by my closed hand and I feared if my results would be up to the Dark Lord's standard. I picked up the parchment and it opened itself magically in my hands, moving with a slight flutter.

There was an opening paragraph about O. and N.E. , but all I cared about were my scores so I skipped everything and turned the page to see my disastrous, yet fantastic marks:

Charms: Outstanding
Transfiguration: Exceeds Expectations
Herbology: Poor
Defence Against the Dark Arts: Outstanding
Potions: Exceeds Expectations
Care for Magical Creatures: Dreadful
Astronomy: Acceptable
Divination: Poor

I tilted my head to the side with an upside down mouth that said, 'not bad.' Tom's red eyes were watching me carefully as I looked through the scoresheet.

"I am satisfied with your wand work," he eventually said, dragging my mind away from the parchment.

"Thank you," I smiled genuinely, flattered to receive praise by the powerful wizard.

Tom then raised his hand in an action to motion me over to his side. "I have a gift for you, Merope." He said and at first my smile wavered at the thought of having to Crucio more people, but it was alleviated by the sudden appearance of a deep black box. Maybe he really did get me a gift?

I walked over hesitatingly and took the floating box into my hands, popping the lid off with my thumbs to reveal an extravagant piece of jewellery. It was a sizeable locket, made of heavy gold with a serpentine S in glittering green gems. It looked aged and valuable, so much so that I was afraid to touch it. "Master?" I questioned as my eyes roamed the jewellery.

"This locket has seen a vast length of time," he explained as his own eyes ran across it. "It comes from our ancestor, Salazar Slytherin."

"The S," I noted.

"It was passed down our line to the Gaunt family, where your grandmother comes from. She stole the locket after everyone was sentenced to Azkaban and sold it for ten Galleons." His voice pierced with his cold, shrilling tone, irate by Merope's carelessness.

"How did you find it?" I asked.

"It had been purchased by Hepzibah Smith who…" his eyes glimpsed upwards as if looking for words, "gave it to me. Though, it has not been in my possession for some time until now. I had it kept safely elsewhere, but just a week ago one of my faithful Death Eaters had come across it being marketed. That of which I did not expect."

"Maybe someone came across it by accident and decided to sell it," I reasoned.

"It is no accident to acquire this." He responded. "Which brings me to gift it to you, Merope." My eyes snapped up to meet his slit-pupiled ones. "For I know it will not be harmed in your keeping."

I picked up the locket to examine it closer, touched by Voldemort's thoughtfulness to entrust me with such a valuable artefact.

"I cannot tell you the disgrace after I learnt it had been carelessly fenced in Diagon Alley." He ridiculed. "Do not tell anyone of this locket, Merope."

"I promise," I said, reaching for the box lid to put back on.

"You will wear it too," he said before I grabbed the lid.

My brows jumped, "it's quite heavy, My Lord."

"It was not a question." His speech hardened and I immediately nodded obediently.

"Of course," came my reply.

I pivoted on the spot, wisping my long hair out of the way for him to put it on me. There was a pause in his actions which made me wonder what he thought about the silver necklace I was already wearing from Draco. It seemed he didn't approve as he snapped it off via the chain before fastening Slytherin's locket around my neck. My hands reached up to feel the S-embellished pendant as I turned to face the Dark Lord again.

There was something magnificent about owning a piece of your heritage. I smiled down at the jewellery before looking back at Tom, who was almost smiling at my admiration of it.


Here I was again.

It was the moment I had been waiting for. It was the same train station I visited annually, the same horde of people bustling to start their commute. The same army of jacket after jacket followed by buzzing school kids in colourful materials. There was the same squeak of shoes on paving slabs and the same slurps of coffee as Muggle's attempted to wake up. Everything remained just as I remembered it. It was almost surreal to walk freely through Kings Cross Station, outside of the Manor's land.

Camille was by my side to escort me and assist carrying my bags. Thanks to Snape conversing with her, Mia was back in my care and ran alongside me. A bundle of white fur looping between my legs as I strolled down the platforms with a bounce.

I began to feel sonder as I glimpsed among all the other faces in the passing crowds. Muggles and wizards. To the majority I would have appeared like a normal student, set to board for school with a small cat and luggage of school clothes. Long, wispy brown hair with pale English skin, I looked just like everyone else. But what separated me was the dark mark instilled in my very skin. It stayed unknowingly beneath my long sleeve sweater where it would forever remain, unable to be erased.

To everyone my eyes would seem normal; deep, sparkly chocolate framed by fluttering dark lashes, but in truth they had seen what no usual teenager could dream of. I'd seen death, blood, terror and torture. I'd spent my summer lying with snakes of every form. I felt like a new person. A completely different Melody than when I was last at Hogwarts. I had grown mentally and physically.

I caught sight of some third years from Hogwarts huddled together in their happy reunion and felt a pang of guilt. Guilt I couldn't source.

Maybe I was jealous at the simplicity of their lives or maybe it was because I knew there was an impending darkness to ruin innocent lives. Just as I had seen in the West County. No, I wasn't going to be a normal sixteen year old. I had done things teenagers shouldn't even be exposed too. In the distance I heard the third years laughing and excitedly talking about returning to school and then a greater pang of guilt sliced me.

No, I was no normal teenager.

I was going to kill my headmaster.


So I'm not fond of this chapter. It turned out to be a bit of a filler, hence it's smaller size. But it does mark the end and start of a new part of the story. I really did try to edit it into a more pleasant read, but I was having a new type of writer's block with a side serving of lack-of-motivation.

Just to clarify for anyone who didn't quite catch on regarding Slytherin's Locket - rather than Mundungus Fletcher selling the locket to Umbridge, he sold it to one of Voldemort's loyal Death Eaters who recognised it and returned it to Voldemort. I didn't want to elaborate on that too much in the story as it usually wouldn't be a big deal, but because I've diverted from canon, I wanted to just clarify that so there's no confusion in the coming chapters.

Thank you to JuliaSora and BraziaRios for your continued fabulous reviews! And thank you everyone following along xx