Written for Assignment #6 on Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry forum: Astronomy, Task #3 – Write a story set on a snowy winter day/night. Word count: 502.

Ten Galleons

Weak. Merope felt weak, weaker than ever before in her life. Maybe she was stupid, after all, to think that Tom Riddle would really love him. A month and half of feeding him Amortentia had been enough to make him marry her and for her to fall pregnant. He seemed so genuinely happy when she told him about the child… She decided not to give him another dose of the potion. And as soon as it wore off completely, he left her – not without accusations of having bewitched him. Well… She had done it, hadn't she? That happened in early October.

Now, in mid-December it was much more difficult to scrape by on the streets of London. Today it was freezing, and nice morning snowfall soon turned into full-blown snowstorm. She would gladly hide in one of not very pleasant pubs in Knockturn Alley, but without money to order anything, they would quickly throw her out.

She reached to the locket hanging on her neck, under layers of fabric. Her most precious heirloom, proof that the Gaunts were, indeed, descendants of the great Salazar Slytherin. Could she so easily get rid off it? Yes, she decided. For the baby. She didn't really care about herself anymore, but she had to think about her son.

After months spent here she knew Knockturn Alley well enough. She passed this small shop, Borgin and Burkes, more than once. They had a reputation for collecting curious artefacts and would most likely buy the locket from her. She pulled it off her neck, clutching heavy gold chain in her ice-cold hand. Then she entered the shop.

The man behind the counter seemed to be her father's age, or maybe even older. He looked at her without a word – it must have been obvious she was not one of their usual customers. She held the necklace in front of her, not moving around, as she didn't want to make too much mess. She could already feel the snow on her clothes melting in the warm room.

"I want to sell it," she said simply. "It's been in my family forever… I-I believe it belonged to Salazar Slytherin." I know it belonged to Salazar Slytherin, she thought.

Judging by his sceptical looks, he didn't believe her; but he took the necklace from her and proceeded to wave his wand over it.

"It's a fake," he soon decided. "But a pretty good one. I can give you… Seven galleons."

Seven galleons! The gold itself was worth much more. But she was not in a position to make a fuss. She needed the money, desperately.

"Fifteen," she proposed.

"Ten."

Feeling it was his last word, Merope just nodded. The shopkeeper hid the locket and quickly counted ten galleons to give her. She gathered them and put into one of her pockets, not looking at the man.

"And now… Get out."

She obliged and left, back into the snowstorm. Trying not to cry, she thought he knew it was not a fake.