That laugh echoed again and again in the confines of the house. So did the screams, but they were many times as prominent because they were more familiar. It was the sound of pain, the pain of her loved ones. She was screaming now, but she was making no sound. The hooded figure moved toward her, and she screamed, throwing her hands in front of her face...
"Calm down!" said a deep voice in Lily's ear. "I won't hurt you."
"James!" she cried, opening her eyes. It wasn't her husband's violet eyes that stared back at her, but an intense pair of smoldering black ones. "It's time you awoke. I was getting worried."
"Who are you?" she whispered feebly. "Who are you? Where am I? Where are Harry and James?"
"I will explain everything to you in a moment." he promised, standing straight up and displaying to her his full height of about six and a half feet. "You must take a bath, and take some more medicine, and then I will tell you everything over a nice dinner. What do you say?"
"That would be fine. But tell me, is my family all right?"
"They are- They are not- I'll explain later." He looked away for a moment, shaking his head, and then he looked back with a smile. "You'll feel better when you're clean, and have some more of that potion inside of you."
Lily obeyed without question, simply because she was too tired to protest. She stepped into the adjoining bathroom, and found it to be made, or so it seemed, of pure gold. He must have heard her gasp because he came up behind her and looked at it over her shoulder. "It's my best guest room," he said simply. "I hope it's to your liking."
"It's beautiful." Lily found soap and towels waiting for her, along with some fashionable, new, expensive-looking robes, perfect for her size. She turned to the man. "How did you...?" But he was gone. She bathed quickly, feeling her strength returning to her second by second, and donned the robes by the side of the bath. She brushed her hair impatiently, wanting the news about her family, lost in her thoughts, as she ran the gilded comb through her fiery red hair.
********
"She's perfect," hissed the snake-faced, hooded creature. "The missing link. The only thing I lack is trust, love, and- and well, an heir! She can do all these things for me, Wormtail. Everything that all you pitiful servants haven't."
"Yes, Master!!" gasped the little man named Wormtail bowing low to the man in front of him. "Very good, Master!"
" Crucio," said the hooded man, almost lazily. "You forgot to say 'My Lord'."
Wormtail writhed on the floor before him, screaming. "Please, Ma- My Lord! Spare me!"
The pain stopped abruptly, and the little man crawled to the hooded figure and reverently kissed the hems of his robes. "Thank you, My Lord!"
The man laughed shrilly, and kicked the prostrate, pathetic figure before him. "Go Wormtail. The girl is ready for me, and I have yet to transform." The little man disappeared, and the hooded creature once more became that handsome young who had been so kind to Lily earlier. He watched as the young woman descended the stairs, a pretty figure dressed in the robes he had give her, and chuckled at the composure with which she approached him. It wasn't many who were so brazen. "Hello Lily," he greeted her. "I trust you're feeling better? Have a seat." With a wave of his hand, the table suddenly became laden with food. She sat, but didn't eat. "Go on!" he urged, almost kindly. "You need the food, and it isn't dangerous." Though I am, he thought to himself, and almost chuckled again.
"You're not telling me what happened to Harry and James!" she said, the grief and anger with his stubbornness suddenly showing itself clearly on her pale face. "Tell me now, even if it is bad. I am strong, and I can take any bad news as well as a man."
"You're not going to like it," he said, with gentle forewarning. "But if you insist... You're family is- they are- well- dead. The evil wizard Voldemort, who comes after muggle born Aurors and their families, killed them. He, however, noticing quite correctly, that you were extremely pretty, was about to rape you, when I showed up and spoiled his fun. Although he is not defeated, you are, at least, safe." Through this long recital of horrid facts, the lady before him had paled even more, and now looked more like a ghost than a human. "Are you feeling, well, healthy?" asked the man, stretching his hand across the table to her in a gesture of concern. "I would not have the impertinence to ask you if you were all right, because I know you are not. But if you're feeling ill..."
Lily was staring at his hand as if she had no idea what it was, her eyes blurred with held back tears. Suddenly she straightened, and the color returned to her cheeks, and she said, almost regally, "I am all right. I have been faced with bad news many times in my life, and I have learned to deal with it. Thank you for your concern, however. Could I ask you your name?"
He grinned. "My name is Tom Riddle."
"Calm down!" said a deep voice in Lily's ear. "I won't hurt you."
"James!" she cried, opening her eyes. It wasn't her husband's violet eyes that stared back at her, but an intense pair of smoldering black ones. "It's time you awoke. I was getting worried."
"Who are you?" she whispered feebly. "Who are you? Where am I? Where are Harry and James?"
"I will explain everything to you in a moment." he promised, standing straight up and displaying to her his full height of about six and a half feet. "You must take a bath, and take some more medicine, and then I will tell you everything over a nice dinner. What do you say?"
"That would be fine. But tell me, is my family all right?"
"They are- They are not- I'll explain later." He looked away for a moment, shaking his head, and then he looked back with a smile. "You'll feel better when you're clean, and have some more of that potion inside of you."
Lily obeyed without question, simply because she was too tired to protest. She stepped into the adjoining bathroom, and found it to be made, or so it seemed, of pure gold. He must have heard her gasp because he came up behind her and looked at it over her shoulder. "It's my best guest room," he said simply. "I hope it's to your liking."
"It's beautiful." Lily found soap and towels waiting for her, along with some fashionable, new, expensive-looking robes, perfect for her size. She turned to the man. "How did you...?" But he was gone. She bathed quickly, feeling her strength returning to her second by second, and donned the robes by the side of the bath. She brushed her hair impatiently, wanting the news about her family, lost in her thoughts, as she ran the gilded comb through her fiery red hair.
********
"She's perfect," hissed the snake-faced, hooded creature. "The missing link. The only thing I lack is trust, love, and- and well, an heir! She can do all these things for me, Wormtail. Everything that all you pitiful servants haven't."
"Yes, Master!!" gasped the little man named Wormtail bowing low to the man in front of him. "Very good, Master!"
" Crucio," said the hooded man, almost lazily. "You forgot to say 'My Lord'."
Wormtail writhed on the floor before him, screaming. "Please, Ma- My Lord! Spare me!"
The pain stopped abruptly, and the little man crawled to the hooded figure and reverently kissed the hems of his robes. "Thank you, My Lord!"
The man laughed shrilly, and kicked the prostrate, pathetic figure before him. "Go Wormtail. The girl is ready for me, and I have yet to transform." The little man disappeared, and the hooded creature once more became that handsome young who had been so kind to Lily earlier. He watched as the young woman descended the stairs, a pretty figure dressed in the robes he had give her, and chuckled at the composure with which she approached him. It wasn't many who were so brazen. "Hello Lily," he greeted her. "I trust you're feeling better? Have a seat." With a wave of his hand, the table suddenly became laden with food. She sat, but didn't eat. "Go on!" he urged, almost kindly. "You need the food, and it isn't dangerous." Though I am, he thought to himself, and almost chuckled again.
"You're not telling me what happened to Harry and James!" she said, the grief and anger with his stubbornness suddenly showing itself clearly on her pale face. "Tell me now, even if it is bad. I am strong, and I can take any bad news as well as a man."
"You're not going to like it," he said, with gentle forewarning. "But if you insist... You're family is- they are- well- dead. The evil wizard Voldemort, who comes after muggle born Aurors and their families, killed them. He, however, noticing quite correctly, that you were extremely pretty, was about to rape you, when I showed up and spoiled his fun. Although he is not defeated, you are, at least, safe." Through this long recital of horrid facts, the lady before him had paled even more, and now looked more like a ghost than a human. "Are you feeling, well, healthy?" asked the man, stretching his hand across the table to her in a gesture of concern. "I would not have the impertinence to ask you if you were all right, because I know you are not. But if you're feeling ill..."
Lily was staring at his hand as if she had no idea what it was, her eyes blurred with held back tears. Suddenly she straightened, and the color returned to her cheeks, and she said, almost regally, "I am all right. I have been faced with bad news many times in my life, and I have learned to deal with it. Thank you for your concern, however. Could I ask you your name?"
He grinned. "My name is Tom Riddle."