"I was anxious. I had nothing to do anyway"
"I understand. Would you like some breakfast? Just tell Perky want you would like, she will get you anything"
"A servant"
"Yes. House elves live to serve. Soon you will have an army that will serve you. Best start you off with something simple." I looked down at the elf and she beamed up at me. "Um…Can you make me some oatmeal"
"Yes! Perky will make Mistress Riddle anything she likes!" "Um….alright then." The elf bowed and then ran out of the room. "That wasn't quite a command, but we can work on it." I turned and looked out the window.
"What's the matter"
"It won't make any difference, right? She won't recognize me. To her, I don't exist…nothing does." I heard her footsteps walk across the room and a moment later I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked up at her.
"Serpentine, It does. It's good for you to see her, she's your mother after all. Even though she won't recognize you, she still loves you. She just won't…express it." I looked away and closed my eyes. Within my chest, a pressure was starting to build and my eyes started to burn. I blinked to make it stop but it was no use, it just pushed the salt water out of my eyes. I shrugged her hand off me and walked over to the window and looked down into the gardens below. I heard a clatter of metal and looked behind me. Perky placed the tray of oatmeal on the desk. I looked back out side as I heard the door close. "We'll leave at 10." I heard Auntie say. The door opened and then closed. I stared out the window for the next 5 minutes until I heard a sly voice speak from my pocket.
"Are you going or not?"
"I'm not sure…I want to. But I would be just talking to a body."
"She's your mother."
"Biologically, she is. But technically.…she is a nothing."
"Just like your father."
"My father is dead."
"Are you sure about that?"
"We're going to his grave today….if he's not dead, then why is there a grave for him?"
"For his body."
"You saying that his soul is just flying around somewhere?"
"Most likely."
"How?"
"Other serpents have spoken of the Dark Lord and around the time of his downfall, several serpents claimed to be possessed by him. He lived off of their bodies. Because he was full of dark magic, they grew weak very fast so he moved on from one to another. The others died."
"So now he's in some snake somewhere?"
"Yes…if not, he's in another species of animal, but since he's not used to their bodies, they aren't much use to him. But it's all he's got." I studied the window sill in silence for a bit. "What are you thinking"
"I want to find him. Maybe there's a way I can help him. Find him a new body."
"I thought you said he was dead?"
"I hate you, you know that?"
"Yes. I do." I shoved her back in my pocket and went downstairs to find Auntie dressed and reading a letter.
"What's that"
"A letter from the Ministry"
"For what? You haven't done anything wrong, have you"
"No, no…"She laughed. "It's a letter asking if I want to take you in. To be your guardian." I hesitated to see if she would say anything.
"Will you?" She looked at me. "I don't want to go back to the orphanage. Please Auntie"
"I know your mother never wanted you to be in an orphanage. She begged the Minister of Magic at her trial. Your father grew up in an orphanage, she didn't want to make that mistake. They refused her request as there was no where else to place you. All of your living relatives were either in Azkaban or dead"
"I know"
"Well I'm sure your father will be proud that I took you away from that place and raised you in a safe home. That way you can learn the real way to become a Death Eater"
"A Death Eater? But I thought I was suppose to become the Dark Lady or something"
"Oh you are…but becoming a Death Eater is basic. After a few years of basic training and a few missions, you will receive your mark, but that's if your father returns"
"How can he return"
"I will explain later. But for now we should head off to St. Mungo's Hospital"
"But I thought the dementors are at Azkaban"
"They are. After giving her the kiss, they sent her over to St. Mungo's psych ward." She beckoned me to follow her. She lead me over to the fireplace and I looked at her.
"How you traveled by floo powder before"
"No." She picked up a pot full of gray ash and handed it to me"
"Take a handful." I did and held it in my hand.
"Ok, now what"
"Stand in the fireplace and drop the powder, saying the name of the place you want to go." I nodded and walk into the fireplace. Feeling silly I opened my mouth.
"St. Mungo's Hospital." I threw down the powder and looked down. Emerald green flames erupted around me I screamed and closed my eyes. All of a sudden, I smelt the familiar scent of being in a hospital. I opened my eyes and gasped. I was in the hospital. I stepped out of the fireplace and looked around. From behind me, the fireplace lit up with green flames. I jumped back as Auntie stepped out of the fireplace.
"Fun, isn't it?" I nodded and she pointed down a hall. A sign above the doorway bore the words:
Gift Shoppe/Cafeteria-level 3 Emergency Rooms-Level 1 Maternity Ward/Nursery-Level 6 Psych Ward/Permanent Hospitality-Level 4 Animal wounds-Level 2 Poison Care/Potion Accidents/Spell backfires-Level 5
Auntie grabbed my hand and led me down a corridor to our left. We climbed 3 flights of stairs and entered the doors to the Ward. Healers holding charts and pamphlets held hands of patients that either had eyes crossed, eyes glazed over, muttering non-sense words and singing to themselves. I tightened my grip on Auntie's hand. We past a man with curly blonde hair who was sitting with his back to the wall, eyes closd and was signing a broken tune.
"Time…time…run…around…fall…down…leave…gone…go…" He muttered. I watched him as we walked up to the Healer's desk. She looked up at Auntie and smiled.
"Hello. May I help you"
"Yes. We're here to see Bellatrix Riddle." The Healer looked from her to me and gapped at my eyes. She then looked back up at Auntie and nodded.
"Y-yes…right this w-way…" She got up and led us down to the left. When he reached room 12, she opened the door and left us in. Auntie pushed me in first. I stumbled in and caught sight of a woman sitting by the window, dressed in a hospital gown. I gasped and stared at her. Her long black hair was tangled and badly mistreated Her face was gaunt and pale. I moved closer slowly, carefully placing my feet one foot in front of the other, so I wouldn't fall. As I moved closer, I noticed that her dark eyes were motionless, her face expressionless. I reached her and stood in front of her. She turned her head slowly and looked at me. I smiled but she didn't do anything. She looked back out the window. I looked over at Auntie Cissy, who just frowned mournfully at me. "Mother?" I knelt down in front of her and gazed up into her blank face. Tear came to me and I took her hand. She looked down at it and did nothing, said nothing. I held a mixed bag of emotions in my chest all at the same time. I felt guilt, pain, sadness, anger and confusion. I just wanted to yell at her to get her attention. Her hair was so long that it ran past her elbows. My eyes trailed it down until I caught sight of something on her left. I lifted her hand and she looked down at it. I brushed her hair away and looked at Auntie.
"What's this?" She walked over.
"That's the Dark Mark. Your father's sign. It's what marks a Death Eater. When your father touches it, it burns and so does all of the other marks placed on the Death Eaters. It's a way of calling them to him"
I looked back down at the sign. It was a skull with a serpent coming out of it's mouth. I ran a finger over it. Suddenly, it began to turn black and the serpent began to move. Mother pulled her arm away and whined. Auntie grabbed me roughly by the shoulder and threw me back.
"STOP!" She hissed. "To conjure a Dark Mark is a crime. If any of the Healers find out that you caused the mark to burn, you could be in serious trouble. You just made all of the other marks burn"
"Does that mean the other Death Eaters are coming"
"No. They're still in Azkaban, they can't leave, and the ones who are out know that he hasn't returned yet, they'll just ignore it." I looked at mother, who was staring out the window again. Auntie pulled me to my feet and mentioned that we should leave before anyone finds out that her mark was burning. I nodded and bent down and kissed mother on the cheek and departed. When we got back to the fireplace I asked if we were going back home and she said no.
"This time just say, 'Riddle House.'" I followed her orders and found my self in a dusty old house. I looked around until my eyes connected with a man's. He let out a gasp and fell to his knees.
"Princess…" He muttered.
