Chapter 7
"Starting Over"
A month had passed since Tom left. No one but Katrina and Tom's group knew where he went or why he left. He had made perfect marks on his OWLS as so did Katrina. Graduation for school was slow and long. The day was grim and gray, highly unusual for that time of the year. King Cross was packed of students and parents leaving the station. Katrina received a black owl from Bellatrix to send letters to Tom.
"This owl is very special. He can become invisible and is very hard to catch. Any chance of your letters being read by someone else will be foiled." said Bellatrix as she handed the owl to Katrina.
Katrina took a cab to her home. She was reluctant to enter the house, for it had a sense of dread and sorrow lingering over it and in it. She dropped her things in the hall and walked into the living room. The specks of dried blood on the wall were gone as well as the pools of dried blood using a simple cleaning spell. Katrina took all the pictures off the fireplace mantle down and placed them in a trunk. She placed other various things in the trunk before placing it under the floor in her bedroom closet. She just had a feeling that it was necessary to do so.
Katrina's room was a pale white color with a lovely wooden floor. A four- poster bed made from ebony that was built by her dad stood next to the window. White curtains and a white canopy surrounded the bed. A large matching ebony dresser stood next to the closet as so did a bookshelf. Various pictures of animals and landscapes dotted he walls here and there. A desk stood in the corner. Quills and parchment rested gently on the surface.
Her school trunk was unloaded. A picture of her and Tom standing outside of the school was placed under her bed. Katrina felt lonely. The black owl slept on top of the dresser mirror. She had gotten a letter in from Gringotts, a wizarding bank, that her parents had left her a large sum on money if anything should happen to them. Katrina had chosen not to withdraw the money. Instead, she left it to someone else. Someone she had a dream about not to long ago. They would receive the money on their twenty-first birthday.
Feeling a bit sad and alone, Katrina took out a quill and parchment and began writing a letter.
"Tom, I have not heard from you in such a long time. I do hope that you are safe and happy wherever you are. I have returned home.
Love, Katrina"
She rolled up the letter and strapped it to the owl's leg. The owl flew out of her bedroom window. Katrina, needing to clear her mind, decided to go for a walk. She threw on a thick black coat over her gray sweater and school skirt and pocketed her wand.
The heels of her boots echoed softly off the stone sidewalk. The gates of the cemetery creaked in the wind that had suddenly picked up. The sky was a shade of pale gray as gloomy clouds loomed overhead. Katrina stopped just at the foot of two graves. She bent down next to them and ran her fingers over the carved letters.
"I miss you so much Mom and Dad." she whispered.
She sat there for a while, reflecting on past memories. The sun had begun to dip low. The orange light danced on the diamonds of her ring. Her necklace glowed softly in the shades of pale pink that dotted the sky. Katrina wiped away the tears she had been shedding and began to head home.
She was walking between a two rows of abandoned buildings for it was a quicker way home. A sudden noise like things being knocked over caused her to panic and she began top walk faster. Suddenly, an arm snake around her neck and another around her waist. A smell like that of filth and beer attacked her nose.
"Where do ya think yer going?" asked a scratchy male voice.
Katrina was able to escape the man's grasp and spun around. The man was dressed in a filthy black trench coat. His bald held gleamed in the sunlight. His pale blue eyes were full of drunkenness. Katrina knew who he was. He was the man who murdered her parents.
"You bastard." she spat at him.
"Yep, that's me." said the man. "Ya know, you look somewhat familiar."
The man suddenly leapt forward and jumped on Katrina. Katrina hit the dirt ground hard. The man held both her wrists with one hand. Katrina kicked at him, trying to set herself free, but she could not fight off the heavy man on top of her. The man snaked his free hand down Katrina's body. His touch felt so hideous. Katrina began to scream as the man began to snake his hand up her skirt. The man loosened his grip on one of Katrina's hands. She quickly dug her wand out of her pocket.
"Whad ya gonna do wit a piece of wood." Cooed the man.
Katrina aimed it at the man's heart.
"This." she hissed. "Avada Kedavra!"
The man dropped dead before he could react. Katrina pushed his dead body off of her and got up. She had killed a man. Not just rats, a human being! But he wasn't human; he had no heart for he murdered her parents simply to steal from them. Katrina placed her wand back in her pocket and ran home. Tears ran down her cheeks. As soon as she was inside her home, she slammed the door shut and fell down crying. She felt so horrible inside, not because she used a curse to kill, but because she felt so alone. She fell asleep on a sofa in the living room and dreamt of happier times of when her parents were alive.
The pale yellow light of dawn streaked the walls of the living room. Katrina began to stir awake. She felt like someone was with her. She slowly opened her eyes and saw Tom. He was holding her in his arms.
"Tom, is that you?" she asked in a whisper.
"Yes, it's me." said Tom.
Katrina lay there in his arms and told him how she had killed the man who murdered her parents. Katrina's shock grew into fury as she recounted the attack the man made on her.
"I'm glad he's dead." she said. "He deserved it. Muggles deserve to be punished for what their kind does to our world."
"Don't worry. I know how you feel." said Tom.
A few weeks had passed. Katrina was in a small room putting on her mother's wedding gown. The dress was a strapless with a flowering bottom. Little pearls decorated it. The dress was passed down from all women on Katrina's mom's side of the family. It was charmed to comfortably fit the person wearing it and to be indestructible. Bellatrix was helping Katrina with her hair. It was put into a high bun with gentle curls falling loosely from it. Tom and Katrina were to be married at noon. A wizard preacher was to meet them in the old church that Katrina's parents' funeral had taken place.
Some of Tom's followers were there as Katrina walked down the aisle. Tom looked so handsome dressed in a tuxedo as dark as his hair. His face lit up as he watched Katrina walk graciously down the aisle. He looped his arm with hers and then they faced the wizard preacher. The preacher, short, and gray haired, went through the usual marriage stuff. Soon, he came to the vows.
"Do you, Tom Marvolo Riddle, take Katrina Anne Smith to be your wedded wife, to live together in marriage? Do you promise to love her, comfort her, honor and keep her
For better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and health
And forsaking all others, be faithful only to her.
So long as you both shall live?"
Tom looked at Katrina, his deep emerald eyes gazing lovingly into her soft cinnamon eyes.
"I do." he replied.
Do you, Katrina Anne Smith, take Tom Marvolo Riddle to be your wedded husband to live together in marriage? Do you promise to love him, comfort him, honor and keep him
For better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and health
And forsaking all others, be faithful only to him
So long as you both shall live?"
Katrina smiled a beautiful smile and blushed.
"I do." she said.
The wizard preacher nodded his head and smiled.
"I now pronounce, man and wife. You may now kiss the bride."
The newly weds left with a group of close, dark followers. Tom took Katrina to her house to pack a few things before heading somewhere that he hoped that they all would call home. Hours of travel led them to a very secluded castle out in the middle of deep, dark woods. A raging river ran just nearby. The castle was old, but still in good shape. The oak doors were dominated by heavy brass handles still shiny. Not a single hint of rust or decay was to be found on in the castle.
"Welcome home, Mrs. Riddle." whispered Tom.
Katrina smiled. She loved her name, she loved Tom, and she loved her new home. If only the years ahead of the world were so bright, so warm. If only everyone knew their fate. If only.
"Starting Over"
A month had passed since Tom left. No one but Katrina and Tom's group knew where he went or why he left. He had made perfect marks on his OWLS as so did Katrina. Graduation for school was slow and long. The day was grim and gray, highly unusual for that time of the year. King Cross was packed of students and parents leaving the station. Katrina received a black owl from Bellatrix to send letters to Tom.
"This owl is very special. He can become invisible and is very hard to catch. Any chance of your letters being read by someone else will be foiled." said Bellatrix as she handed the owl to Katrina.
Katrina took a cab to her home. She was reluctant to enter the house, for it had a sense of dread and sorrow lingering over it and in it. She dropped her things in the hall and walked into the living room. The specks of dried blood on the wall were gone as well as the pools of dried blood using a simple cleaning spell. Katrina took all the pictures off the fireplace mantle down and placed them in a trunk. She placed other various things in the trunk before placing it under the floor in her bedroom closet. She just had a feeling that it was necessary to do so.
Katrina's room was a pale white color with a lovely wooden floor. A four- poster bed made from ebony that was built by her dad stood next to the window. White curtains and a white canopy surrounded the bed. A large matching ebony dresser stood next to the closet as so did a bookshelf. Various pictures of animals and landscapes dotted he walls here and there. A desk stood in the corner. Quills and parchment rested gently on the surface.
Her school trunk was unloaded. A picture of her and Tom standing outside of the school was placed under her bed. Katrina felt lonely. The black owl slept on top of the dresser mirror. She had gotten a letter in from Gringotts, a wizarding bank, that her parents had left her a large sum on money if anything should happen to them. Katrina had chosen not to withdraw the money. Instead, she left it to someone else. Someone she had a dream about not to long ago. They would receive the money on their twenty-first birthday.
Feeling a bit sad and alone, Katrina took out a quill and parchment and began writing a letter.
"Tom, I have not heard from you in such a long time. I do hope that you are safe and happy wherever you are. I have returned home.
Love, Katrina"
She rolled up the letter and strapped it to the owl's leg. The owl flew out of her bedroom window. Katrina, needing to clear her mind, decided to go for a walk. She threw on a thick black coat over her gray sweater and school skirt and pocketed her wand.
The heels of her boots echoed softly off the stone sidewalk. The gates of the cemetery creaked in the wind that had suddenly picked up. The sky was a shade of pale gray as gloomy clouds loomed overhead. Katrina stopped just at the foot of two graves. She bent down next to them and ran her fingers over the carved letters.
"I miss you so much Mom and Dad." she whispered.
She sat there for a while, reflecting on past memories. The sun had begun to dip low. The orange light danced on the diamonds of her ring. Her necklace glowed softly in the shades of pale pink that dotted the sky. Katrina wiped away the tears she had been shedding and began to head home.
She was walking between a two rows of abandoned buildings for it was a quicker way home. A sudden noise like things being knocked over caused her to panic and she began top walk faster. Suddenly, an arm snake around her neck and another around her waist. A smell like that of filth and beer attacked her nose.
"Where do ya think yer going?" asked a scratchy male voice.
Katrina was able to escape the man's grasp and spun around. The man was dressed in a filthy black trench coat. His bald held gleamed in the sunlight. His pale blue eyes were full of drunkenness. Katrina knew who he was. He was the man who murdered her parents.
"You bastard." she spat at him.
"Yep, that's me." said the man. "Ya know, you look somewhat familiar."
The man suddenly leapt forward and jumped on Katrina. Katrina hit the dirt ground hard. The man held both her wrists with one hand. Katrina kicked at him, trying to set herself free, but she could not fight off the heavy man on top of her. The man snaked his free hand down Katrina's body. His touch felt so hideous. Katrina began to scream as the man began to snake his hand up her skirt. The man loosened his grip on one of Katrina's hands. She quickly dug her wand out of her pocket.
"Whad ya gonna do wit a piece of wood." Cooed the man.
Katrina aimed it at the man's heart.
"This." she hissed. "Avada Kedavra!"
The man dropped dead before he could react. Katrina pushed his dead body off of her and got up. She had killed a man. Not just rats, a human being! But he wasn't human; he had no heart for he murdered her parents simply to steal from them. Katrina placed her wand back in her pocket and ran home. Tears ran down her cheeks. As soon as she was inside her home, she slammed the door shut and fell down crying. She felt so horrible inside, not because she used a curse to kill, but because she felt so alone. She fell asleep on a sofa in the living room and dreamt of happier times of when her parents were alive.
The pale yellow light of dawn streaked the walls of the living room. Katrina began to stir awake. She felt like someone was with her. She slowly opened her eyes and saw Tom. He was holding her in his arms.
"Tom, is that you?" she asked in a whisper.
"Yes, it's me." said Tom.
Katrina lay there in his arms and told him how she had killed the man who murdered her parents. Katrina's shock grew into fury as she recounted the attack the man made on her.
"I'm glad he's dead." she said. "He deserved it. Muggles deserve to be punished for what their kind does to our world."
"Don't worry. I know how you feel." said Tom.
A few weeks had passed. Katrina was in a small room putting on her mother's wedding gown. The dress was a strapless with a flowering bottom. Little pearls decorated it. The dress was passed down from all women on Katrina's mom's side of the family. It was charmed to comfortably fit the person wearing it and to be indestructible. Bellatrix was helping Katrina with her hair. It was put into a high bun with gentle curls falling loosely from it. Tom and Katrina were to be married at noon. A wizard preacher was to meet them in the old church that Katrina's parents' funeral had taken place.
Some of Tom's followers were there as Katrina walked down the aisle. Tom looked so handsome dressed in a tuxedo as dark as his hair. His face lit up as he watched Katrina walk graciously down the aisle. He looped his arm with hers and then they faced the wizard preacher. The preacher, short, and gray haired, went through the usual marriage stuff. Soon, he came to the vows.
"Do you, Tom Marvolo Riddle, take Katrina Anne Smith to be your wedded wife, to live together in marriage? Do you promise to love her, comfort her, honor and keep her
For better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and health
And forsaking all others, be faithful only to her.
So long as you both shall live?"
Tom looked at Katrina, his deep emerald eyes gazing lovingly into her soft cinnamon eyes.
"I do." he replied.
Do you, Katrina Anne Smith, take Tom Marvolo Riddle to be your wedded husband to live together in marriage? Do you promise to love him, comfort him, honor and keep him
For better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and health
And forsaking all others, be faithful only to him
So long as you both shall live?"
Katrina smiled a beautiful smile and blushed.
"I do." she said.
The wizard preacher nodded his head and smiled.
"I now pronounce, man and wife. You may now kiss the bride."
The newly weds left with a group of close, dark followers. Tom took Katrina to her house to pack a few things before heading somewhere that he hoped that they all would call home. Hours of travel led them to a very secluded castle out in the middle of deep, dark woods. A raging river ran just nearby. The castle was old, but still in good shape. The oak doors were dominated by heavy brass handles still shiny. Not a single hint of rust or decay was to be found on in the castle.
"Welcome home, Mrs. Riddle." whispered Tom.
Katrina smiled. She loved her name, she loved Tom, and she loved her new home. If only the years ahead of the world were so bright, so warm. If only everyone knew their fate. If only.