Chapter Three
Dear Old Dad's Magic
"I'm going to get you! Get back her right now young lady!" Bellatrix yelled angrily as she chased at the year and a half old blind, toddler, who was running through the large estate.
"Bye! Bye! See ya, Auntie Bells!" Adeline yelled playfully as she ran through the halls following the invisible magical trail. She stopped when the strength of magical increased from her right. Adeline's sudden stop gave Bellatrix the moment to catch up and grab her. The woman spun the child around, making the young girl squeal with happiness.
"Miss Adeline, you know you are not permitted to be here. Your father has made it clear that only he can bring you here." Bellatrix said as she lowered Adeline down onto her hip and began walking back to the young heir's room.
"No! I want to see Dada! Right now!" Adeline yelled loudly. Bellatrix's grip and anger grew, making her grip on the toddler's waist start to bruise her skin. Bellatrix, no matter how loyal she was, she was still controlled by her anger and frankly she just disliked kids.
"No! I said no! Adeline, your father is too busy to deal with a small annoying brat! Now stop struggling or I will slap you!" Bellatrix yelled furiously as the young girl continued to struggle fiercely. A sharp slap followed Adeline's final struggle. A red print began to form on Adeline's cheek as Bellatrix realised what she had done. Adeline was silent as tears began to wield up into her eyes before she exploded with sadness.
"I hate you! I want Dada!" Adeline yelled as Bellatrix struggled to hold Adeline who wriggled in her grip. Tom Riddle sat quietly in his study at his desk. Nagini had perched herself on the back of Tom's throne-like chair, her tongue flickering in and out of her mouth. Tom's gaze was focused on his plans for the raid at the next location the Order of the Phoenix visited, when a shrill scream broke his concentration.
"Daddy! Help me!" Tom's head turned to the door at the sound of his daughter pleading for him to help her. Without hesitation he leapt out of his chair and slammed the door open. The sight that greeted him was horrific. Adeline's small face had a large red handprint on her right cheek, followed by trails of ears down her face and struggling to get out of Bellatrix's grip. Both Adeline and Bellatrix froze at the powerful and threatening air surrounding Voldemort and the furious look on his face. Nagini, who had followed Voldemort into the hallway, hissed threatening to make Bellatrix release Adeline. Bellatrix, without hesitation let Adeline down and the young girl ran to her father, hiding behind his legs.
"Are you alright Adeline?" Tom asked Adeline, still keeping his furious eyes on Bellatrix. While Tom stared at Bellatrix, Adeline played with her father's robes but nodded strongly into them.
"Adeline. Go with Nagini into Daddy's office and stay there until I get back." Both Adeline and Bellatrix could hear the anger and threats in his voice and Adeline obeyed. As Nagini filed through the study door, Adeline dared to stare back at Bellatrix. With Bellatrix's pale face, Adeline knew that Bellatrix had figured out that she was in deep trouble with her lord. T threaten and then hit the Dark Lord's child was the worst thing that you could ever do especially if the Dark Lord himself was in the room beside the pair. As Adeline managed to climb onto her father's chair, leaving a large amount of space between her and the back of the chair. Nagini slithered behind Adeline, resting her head on the young child's lap. The blind child felt the snake's cool scales on her lap and laid her hand on the snake's brow, beginning to stroke Nagini's head. As this was happening, Adeline heard thumping against the door paired with Bellatrix's screams of pain. Nagini nudged her head against Adeline's stomach, mainly to distract the young girl from the screams of pain that were emanating from outside the study room. Soon the screams faded and Adeline heard whining and sobbing from Bellatrix's mouth.
"I'm sorry, My Lord. It will never happen again." Bellatrix sobbed in between breaths.
"Good Bellatrix, now you will leave my daughter in my own care. Where my daughter is not beaten or abused. You will assist Narcissa in caring for young Draco, I believe." Heels hurried along the hallway, disappearing from the Dark Lord. Adeline looked up to the door knob as it turned wobbly, her father soon entering the room. Tom sighed as he spied Adeline sitting in his throne-like chair, Nagini and her coils surrounding the young girl. Adeline stroked Nagini's head like he himself did when he was stressed or bored. Tom approached the pair and watched as Adeline stopped stroking Nagini's head, her eyes now staring up at him. Raising her hands, signalling to Tom that she wanted to be held. He took Adeline from her place in Nagini's coils and onto his hip.
"How's my little lady doing tonight?" Tom asked, towing with a short strand of Adeline's hair, which had fallen out of her braid. Adeline knew every single Death Eater's voice off by heart, she also knew her way around the entire mansion.
"Daddy! I don't like Auntie Bells anymore. Can I go see Uncle Lucy or Puppy tomorrow?" Adeline had affectionally named Lucius Malfoy 'Uncle Lucy' because of the lack of proper pronunciation of his name. She had also named Fenrir Greyback the werewolf 'Puppy' due to their first meeting beginning with Fenrir calling the young girl 'Pup'. Now it was like a game between the two, calling each other names trying to get on the other's nerves. It was rather amusing how the fact that the world's most hated werewolf had literally given his daughter a piggyback. To Tom it was amazing how quickly his little girl made friends, and luckily Tom allowed Fenrir and Lucius to hold and care for Adeline. Only his most trusted followers were even allowed to see the young child. To 'have the honour' as Tom put it, made the two immensely proud of the fact that they were the favourites of the Dark Lord. With Adeline's trust and friendship between the two made their reliability even higher. Tom's followers often questioned Fenrir, their distrust easily seen. The amount of security that his followers willingly gave him in order to protect Adeline, almost made his heart beat for someone else.
"Sweetheart, you know that you can visit Uncle Lucy and Puppy whenever you want." Tom's smile widened as Adeline wrapped her arms around his neck, yelling with joy. Tom enjoyed the moment, nuzzling Adeline's cheek before his smile disappeared.
"Adeline, you remember when Daddy leaves you with Nagini sometimes?" Adeline's smile disappeared as her father stared into her eyes seriously. After a few moments she nodded vigorously. "Yes well, I have to go soon and I will be leaving you with Uncle Lucy, Auntie Cissy and Puppy. Hopefully, Narcissa will have had her child and so you will have someone else to play with… Okay?" The times that her father left were depressing, even with Nagini but Adeline knew that her father deeply believed in what he did and that he was needed. No one else could do what he does.
"Okay Daddy. Where you go this time?" Tom smiled at Adeline's small vocabulary.
"Somewhere, where I will be able to solve all our problems, little one." Tom assured her. "Come one little one, it is time for your bed." As Tom followed his usual routine he did night after night, however Adeline felt a disturbance. It was not like that she didn't trust her father would return, but that he couldn't return. Not this time. The last image Adeline saw before her eyes closed was her father's smiling face and feeling his hands placing the covers over her body.
What Adeline didn't know was that that memory would be the last memory she had of her father. No new ones would be made, she would not she her father for at least 15 years.