Chapter Six
I awoke to a loud knocking at the door, and,after rearranging my slightly crumpled clothes, I called for the person to open it. A masked man, similarly dressed in white, motioned for me to step out into the corridor, before closing the door and locking it once more. He then set off, and I was half running to keep up with him as he turned first left, then right, then left again down similar looking hallways.
Suddenly we stopped.
"We're here, M'lady." He said in a gruff voice before opening a plain looking door. I stepped inside.
I suppose part of me was expecting the dark, candle-lit room of my inquisition at the beginning of the summer, but I was surprised at how light the room actually was. There was a stone table in the centre of the room, cut all over with strange lines and figure, which seemed to move in the candle-light. Two more robed and masked figures took their place beside me and led me to the table. As I stepped closer I saw a great deep channel running down each edge, leading to a brass cauldron, already filled with a steaming, bubbling potion.
I wracked my memory for any hints of what this potion might be, but could find none. Perhaps it was something my father had had specially invented for the occasion. Whatever it might have been, it did not look pleasant, and I was beginning to debate just how much use I would be in this Coming of Age. My fears were confirmed when rough hands suddenly grabbed my arms and pinned me onto the stone table, and I was bound to the table at each corner. The bright lamps flickered and dimmed considerably, and I felt, rather than heard, the people within the room move into a new formation, as if they were expecting something.
Although I could not see him I knew, I just knew, that my father would be somewhere here, and would possibly lead this ritual. His voice suddenly boomed throughout the room, far stronger than I had ever heard it.
"We are here to witness my daughter's Coming of Age." There was a murmur of agreement from the masked people that was scarily reminiscent of the gathered crowd at the ball.
"Through her we will come to rule over the muggles. Tonight, our little village will be destroyed, now is the time to show our power. You all know what you must do."
Once again I had the sense that people had moved, although there were no sounds to affirm my guess. Suddenly a low chant started up, and I unwillingly shivered as I made out the words.
"Bone of the father, willingly given, flesh of the servant, forcibly taken, blood of the daughter, unknowingly given." They repeated it again and again, until the room seemed to be full of these fierce whispers. After I had lain there for a while with no indication of any further happenings, I realised that the words had seemed to lose all meaning. Aside from the cold stone pressing into my back, if I closed my eyes I could almost imagine that I was lying in a field listening to the wind gently ruffle the trees. I tried to hold onto this fantasy, it made me half forget what I would have to do.
And then the whispering stopped.
I managed to lift up my head ever so slightly, and I watched my father walk slowly towards the cauldron and me. He stopped by my feet, and I could clearly see his face. His was triumphant, unlike mine, which I was sure showed fear and horror at the situation. I could feel the tears prick at the back of his eyes as I realised I was just a part of his greater plan.
"Bone of the father, willingly given." The words were crystal clear in the sudden silence.
My blood ran cold as he lifter his wand and pointed it at his forearm.
"Accio Ulna."
I watched in horror as his flesh split apart, revealing the bare bones within his arm. The upper bone detached itself and floated over the cauldron before dropping into the liquid within. I dragged my eyes back to my father's face, but his expression had not changed. He seemed to be feeling no pain in the face of what he was doing for the 'good' of the magic community.
Whatever was in the cauldron turned a glowing blue.
"Flesh of the servant, forcibly taken." The words cut through me like ice. I knew what they were about to do, whom they were about to bring in. I held my breath as the door inched open, and I heard a body being dragged in. I craned my head once more in order to look at the lifeless figure, and in one brief glance, my hopes were destroyed.
"Tom…" I could not stop the word from escaping my lips, and the masked people closest to me flinched at my pitiful tone. Our little time together flashed rapidly before my eyes as the scrape of flesh over stone flooring filled my ears. Oh God, oh God! How could they do this? Why did I not think to find out what all this would involve. I would never see his smile, hear his voice, feel his warm skin ever again.
My senses seemed heightened and I heard the knife cut into his skin. Although I could not see, I knew they were slowly removing the flesh from the bones, I had seen this process described in one of my many books.
I hoped they would kill me, as the splashes from his boneless flesh hitting the potion echoed around the room. But it was not to be.
Two figures came to stand over me. As I looked up one of the figures raised her mask and smiled down at me, a twisted, evil smile. It was my mother. She raised an arm, and I aw the glint of a blade as she plunged it down into the crook of my elbow. The other figure did the same. I felt nothing but the quick trickle of blood as it flowed down my arm into the channels by my side. The metallic stench of fresh blood filled my nostrils and I fought not to retch.
And so it was done. The potion was complete, and my wounds were swiftly healed. They did not want extra blood to ruin their precious plans.
Each witch or wizard within the room touched the surface of the potion with his or her wand. A bright jet of light shot upwards from the cauldron, and I knew in that instant a rip had been torn in the fabric of the worlds in the middle of that very room. Silvery shields sprang up around the room, blanketing everyone, presumably to protect them from whatever was about to enter our world.
Through the silvery haze I could see raggedy black shadows emerge from the pillar of light and begin to drift around the room. I had read about these, closely related to the lethifolds. Dementors. Turning away from the silver shields, they drifted out through the open windows to find their prey. A great black burning shadow followed them.
I do not remember much after that. Someone carried me to my chamber and left me on my bed, where I awoke the next morning. In a panic I ran to the window, but could see nothing of our pretty village. It was not shrouded in cloud, as it had been the previous week, there was literally nothing to see. No buildings, no trees, no people. Only our manor and our little church remained standing, but scorched black by whatever had passed over us.
I dressed as fast as I could in my least expensive clothes. I looked at myself carefully in the mirror. I could just about pass myself off as a ladies maid to a very rich lady. And we were a very well known rich family.
I ran.
I ran out of our house, and across the black ground, which signalled where our village once stood. I ran all the way to the next village, hoping against hope that the black cloud would not rise again until nightfall. I was lucky, it was still standing.
I searched out the village leaders and witch hunter, and told them I was a maid come from the Riddle household in the Little Hangleton. I denounced my family as performers of the darkest witchcraft, and told them that the village was destroyed. I told them they must be killed immediately. That I had seen it all. That they could not stand on trial.
I betrayed my blood, as they had betrayed me. And now I have seen them die, hanged on hastily constructed scaffolding.
With their death, the fire under the cauldron went out, and the white pillar of light vanished. Although I believe the dementors will still be roaming the country looking for souls.
I will finish the year, and then relinquish my claim to the Wizarding world forever.
Howevermagic does have some uses. It helped me find out I was with child when I was checking over my body for any damage. It helped me discern that it was his. And it helped me discern that it will be a boy.
My son will bear our names, as will all his sons after him, and he will be a muggle.
The End
