When we reached King's Cross Station Tom, Leilah, and I quickly gathered our things along with Chloe and Tom's owl, Onyx, and Leilah's owl Butterscotch, before we walked in silence towards the front of the station. I saw Merope standing near the entrance when a man suddenly appeared next to her, gripping her arm roughly before pulling her out of station, dragging her behind him. Without thinking I ran after them, ignoring Tom and Leilah's calls after me. As I ran past the door I saw that the man was pulling her towards a dark alley, I slowly followed staying in the shadows, I slowly pulled my hood over my head and held my breath hoping it wasn't who I thought it was.
Though I knew that judging by the way my stomach began churning horribly, and my blood began to race as I realized that it was the exact person who I was thinking.
When I reached the end of the alley I could hear Merope's struggles as she attempted to fight off the man. He had her long raven locks grasped tightly in his big hands. I quietly crept up behind him slowly, hoping that what worked last time worked this time once more. Taking a deep breath, I before I stood upright, suddenly feeling my brain hatch an idea.
Petrificus Totalus. I thought, raising my hand and flicking my wrist.
I watched stunned as a white icy film appeared out of thin air before rushing towards the perpetrator, who was holding Merope captive, fall back onto the floor as stiff as a board. The next thing I heard was the sound of Merope's body dropping, onto the cold, muddy stone floor. I shook my head trying to clear it, before I ran towards Tom's mother, who was sprawled on the floor.
I kneeled onto the ground next to her, scared of what I might see. I could hear as Leilah and Tom ran into the alley, breathing heavily as they hurriedly walked towards us. I pushed Merope's hair from her face as Tom stunned his mother's attacker. I could hear as Leilah let out a shock breathe, when they both realized who it was.
Laying there unconscious, was their no-good father, Tom Riddle Senior. I wanted nothing more than slap his arrogant face repeatedly, maybe even proceed to do so with a leather belt. Instead I chose to turn back to Merope to check over her, noticing in relief that she was in fact still conscious, but just barely so.
"Sophie, what should we do with him?" He asked worried.
"Did you let out the owls? Sent them home?" I asked him.
He nodded in response. "Shrank our things with a spell I learned and put them in the bag you use as a book bag. They're right here." Leilah said, holding up a familiar black leather bag for me to inspect.
I nodded in response, "Pull out the black box, in there are small phials, give me the one with the clear liquid in it. It's an energy restorer. It'll help your mother. We need to get her back home quickly, I think she's going into shock, if she is then she'll need her bed very soon." I said, as she handed me the phial I asked for, uncorking it before it reached my hand.
I managed to pull her up into sitting position with the help of Tom, holding up the potion to her lip, watching as she took slow deliberate sips from the phial as I looked up at a worried both of them.
"What are we going to do with that knob head over there?" I asked Tom.
"I say we get rid of him." He suggested, emotionlessly, crossing his arms over his chest.
"You know why we can't do that, Tom. Remember-" Leilah said before she was interrupted by their mother,
"No." Merope answered weakly, trying to sit up again.
"But mum...he-he tried to hurt you. If Sophie hadn't gotten here when she did, who knows what that scum would've tried to do to you." Tom complained, frowned down at the man, kicking his side once.
I rolled my eyes, flicking my wrist as I thought of how to release the stunned man fromour spells.
"Finite Incantatem." Merope said, raising her hand weakly before she nodded.
"How are we going to get home? We can't all walk out of here looking like this, it'll look too suspicious." Tom said.
I think I know what to do. We can all-" Leilah began before she was once again interrupted by her mother.
"Obliviate." She said, pulling out her wand and pointing it at Riddle Senior.
Merope finally gained enough energy to stand, smiling down at me, before she grabbed my hand, along with leaving Tom to grab onto my hand and Leilah's other hand. Looking down at us before she spoke once more.
"Do not let go of me no matter what you feel. Hold tightly onto me. Understood?" She commanded, as she looked over at brick wall.
Before either of us could ask what, she was doing, I felt as our telepathic link popped opened. We then felt a pull at our navel, as everything began to spin around us and the floor disappeared from beneath our feet with a loud pop.
I felt my eyes getting pressed into my skull, my eardrums being pushed back into my brain. Everything felt like it was being squeezed into tight rubber tube.
The next moment we landed on the steps of our home in Wales with another pop. My stomach rolled as the floor appeared beneath my feet once more; Merope held onto Leilah and I as we stood unsteadily before the front door. Tom holing the wall next to the door, drunkenly.
"Merlin's beard. What the bloody hell was that?" Tom asked, as he crashed into the wall, grabbing onto it to steady himself.
"Tom..." Merope chastised.
I would've laughed if I hadn't done the same thing, trying to steady myself. "Apparation." Merope said simply, as she opened the door.
"Where are all of your things?" She asked worried.
The nauseating feeling seemed to cease after a moment, and the floor stayed in place so I walked, unsteadily into the house with Tom and Leilah trailing in behind me.
"She has it in the bag. Shrunken." I replied tiredly, throwing myself on the overstuffed chesterfield in the living room.
"Do they teach that in school? To second years?" She asked, gingerly sitting down.
"No, it's all about how much you want to learn." I replied, with my eyes closed.
"What is that supposed to mean?" She asked, curiously.
"It means mom, that Tom has been studying." Leilah replied for me.
"Hm." She said, scowling at nothing in particular.
Don't do it Sophie, please, don't tell her anything. He thought, sitting at the end of the chesterfield.
"By studying do you mean what I think you do?" She asked, looking towards Tom.
"I don't know. What do you think we mean, Auntie?" I asked, innocently.
"Your mother is as intuitive as you are, Annamarie. You know what I mean. Don't avoid the question, Sophia Annamarie. Leilah Morgan what is that you know and are not telling me..." She wondered calmly.
I could tell by the 'no-nonsense,' tone she used that she wanted answers, and she wanted them now.
"How do you feel about the Dark Arts, Aunt Mer?" I asked, ignoring Tom's quiet pleas.
Careful, Anna. You do not want to tread these waters just yet. Leilah though, placing a hand on my upper arm.
"The-the Dark Arts? Why would you ask such a thing Anna?" Merope repeated, blinking at me in surprise.
I nodded, opening my eyes and sitting up to look over at her.
"I wouldn't approve. Why what does this have to do with your studies? Don't tell me you're studying the Dark Arts Sophia." She said, her green eyes widening.
Great, now she thinks you're the one who dived into the Dark Arts. Leilah thought. I could almost see her rolling her eyes at the thought
"N-not exactly Aunt Mer. I am merely curious as to what it is. I'm not studying it though." I replied coolly.
"Your parents won't approve of this." She said, shaking her head at me in disappointment.
"Is that so? Well, they're aren't here to stop me, so it shouldn't matter whether or not I am, either way." I said, getting up and leaving to go upstairs to my room, fighting tears the entire way.
"Anna, wait!" Leilah called after me.