A New Friend or Foe

Chapter Three

Lord Voldemort was not a patient man. Frowning, he paced the length of the room and stopped. His thin, snake like nostrils dilated as he sniffed. "He has returned," he hissed, and a cruel smile playing on the corners of his lipless mouth, turned on his heel and advanced toward a small rat shaking on the floor, tail twitching nervously. A second later, however, the rat was gone, and in its place was a short, fat man wearing ragged robes.

"Ah...Wormtail..." Voldemort murmured. "You have come back. I presume you have good news?"

Bowing deeply, Wormtail replied in a hoarse whisper, "She is dead, my Lord."

"Ahh...I see that our letter was too much for her...and what of the girl?"

"She is to be sent to live with her Aunt Mildred in London...there she will live a perfectly normal life..."

"We shall see...my own daughter shall not be normal. She will be my most faithful servant, my most humble follower...the one that shall help me destroy anyone who opposes me...I shall make sure of that. Make haste, Wormtail. We act tonight.

In London, Erica Riddle was standing nervously in front of a large mansion. Heart beating wildly, she knocked three times on the heavy oak door.

A few moments later, a tired looking woman with a long black dress and apron, expressionless gray eyes, and slightly graying hair answered the door.

"Yes?" she said in a hoarse voice. "Oh, you're that Erica girl. Come in."

"Er...yes...are you my Aunt Mildred?" The girl had met her aunt once before, when she was very young, but she hadn't remembered her quite this way.

"Oh, no, Miss," the woman said in her monotonous voice. "I am her maid, Olive, if you will. I shall call for Miss Mildred at once."

Aunt Mildred turned out to be the complete opposite of Olive. With sparkling blue eyes, plump, cheery face, and smiling red lips, she greeted her niece in a completely welcoming manner. "Oh, Erica dear! I was so sorry when I heard what happened to your dear mother! I loved her so dearly!"

"As...as did I," said Erica, voice wavering uncontrollably.

"There, there dear, it'll turn out alright. Just you wait and see...now, how about a cup of tea?"

That night, Erica woke up to the sound of someone moving down the hallway. The footsteps, quiet and careful, slowly made their way toward Erica's room. They stopped right in front of her door. The girl heard a low breathing sound, and her heart seemed to stop in fear as the handle of her door twisted...revealing a woman, tall and thin, that stood in the frame of the doorway. Erica gasped.

"I am here to take you to your father. He wishes to meet you."

"My-my father? What is this nonsense?" asked Erica, but her voice was trembling.

"Come with me." The woman walked into the room.

"Olive!" exclaimed Erica in alarm. The woman grasped her arm with unusual strength. Before Erica had time to cry out, however, the room vanished, and the girl was in complete darkness...then with a jolt, they were in a small room with nothing but an armchair and fireplace...and a picture of...of her mother...

Intrigued, and positively frightened, Erica broke free from Olive's grasp and made her way slowly across the room. As she came nearer to the armchair, it spun around, revealing the most hideous sight she had ever laid eyes on.

A tall, thin, man with with bony fingers, hands that looked like spiders...eyes deep red and face paler than a skull...he had slits for nostrils, not unlike a snake, and his lipless mouth was curled into an unpleasant smile...he was clad in black robes and held what looked like a sort of twig in his right hand.

Her heart nearly stopped as he pocketed the thing and stood up, revealing that he was nearly two times taller than her...he placed his icy cold hand on her shoulder and pulled her close.

"Ah, my daughter."

~Emachinescat ^..^