Chapter 10: Merope
The post war building had all but fallen down. The local records office had shown that not one family stayed in that address of the houses built on the site of the old orphanage for more than a few months at a time; some estate agent had scrawled 'reputation for being haunted' in a contemptuous hand in the margin. The building had been bought and gutted as a corner shop, but it never seemed to attract much custom; in the end it had been left to decay and even the local vandals avoided it.
It was a simple spell to negotiate the boards set up to deter casual trespassers; and Krait walked into the rickety and dangerous looking front room. By her calculations this house occupied the position of the old infirmary, where Merope would have given birth and subsequently died. There was a chill to the air noticeable after the warmth – foggy or no – of the summer's day outside.
ssssMerope? Are you here? Do not be afraid ssss Krait called softly in Parseltongue.
She appeared through a wall with the same suddenness Myrtle was inclined to display.
ssssWho are you? You speak the tongue….ssss
Krait looked on her with sympathy.
"You are no older than I am now…." She murmured. "Who am I? your granddaughter. You are my little Grandmamma, Merope."
The ragged, gaunt-looking ghost stared at her hungrily.
"He did make good in the end? Settled down with a wife?"
Krait shook her head.
"He seduced and abandoned my mother….ironically she died birthing me in an orphanage…he is evil, Merope, you know that?"
Insubstantial tears ran down the insubstantial face.
"Why?" she moaned. "My Tom….why did he hurt the others? I saw him, I hid from him, my own son…."
Krait used her powers to reach into the insubstantial and put an arm around the sobbing ghost; and Merope cried her heart out. Krait withdrew her numb arm as the sobs quieted, massaging it back to life.
"He has the Gaunt insanity…Grandmamma, he has to be stopped….I and my friends must kill him to stop the insanity, make it safe for your greatgrandchildren…."
"You have children?"
"I have a daughter….and a half brother, your grandson….and my husband and I have adopted children too, orphans and the unloved…"
She gazed hungrily at Krait.
"Your husband hasn't abandoned you then….but you're pretty."
"My back isn't" shrugged Krait. "It's scarred from whippings in the orphanage, but he touches and caresses it as though it were smooth…"
"You are lucky…."
Krait nodded.
"I know…Grandmamma, will you come to Hogwarts and be with the babes? They'll love you, I'm sure…you need never be alone again"
Merope flung herself on Krait for a fierce, cold, insubstantial hug.
-/-
Stan Shunpike consulted the book of rules.
"Ghosts go free!" he declared.
"Good-oh, then I'll have a cup of cocoa" said Krait.
It was a tedious trip. Shunpike's idea of impressing pretty girls was to boast and tell improbable stories of his own knowledge and bravery. He started off talking about all the extra security that was expected to see the children onto the Hogwarts Express; and managed to convey the idea that he knew what the next move of the Death Eaters would be, if anyone cared to ask him. Krait gave him a level look.
"Stan, my lad, if you truly know anything, I suggest you go straight to Professor Dumbledore and tell him" she said. "Otherwise be careful that some Death Eater doesn't take you seriously and decide to kill you as their next victim."
Stan was worried.
For all of about three minutes.
Krait sighed. Some people were just too stupid for their own good. She hoped she'd not soon be reading of the young man's body being discovered under a Dark Mark.
-/-
"This is Severus, my beautiful husband" said Krait, gazing at him adoringly where he sat amidst babies and a selection of noisy toys.
Severus nodded to Merope.
"Glad to meet you….I'm sure you won't stand on ceremony, I'm a little hampered right now…." As Lilith was climbing him that was an understatement.
Merope looked at his scars and back to Krait's look of soft, loving contentment.
"Oooh…that's what real love is" she said dolefully.
"It is" said Krait. "But love is one thing that multiplies when it divides….this is your family, Merope." She had every intention of putting Merope under the managing and loving wing of David's gran, who helped with the children. Gran would help her to settle in no time!
-/-
The trip to Diagon alley showed Krait how tense the Wizarding world was, conversation was stilted and people looked scared, hurrying to do their shopping and get back to the dubious security of their own homes. An amulet seller had a tray of amulets supposedly proof against werewolves, dementors and inferii.
"Protect your pretty neck" the seedy looking wizard selling them leered at Krait.
"Am I correct in thinking that such things are all so much trash?" Krait asked Severus.
"Utterly….now Arthur's heading the Office for the Detection and Confiscation of Counterfeit defensive spells and Protective Objects I should think he'll be interested….I see the Weasleys down the street, I can only conclude that Arthur is still over scrupulous about being on duty…"
"I have a better idea than prosecution" said Krait, smiling brightly at the vendor. "Like this…." She blew softly towards the amulets; and they all moved gently as they transfigured into brightly coloured butterflies and fluttered away from the breeze of her breath, away from the tray and across the astonished gaze of the vendor.
"'Ere, you can't do that!" he said, injured.
"Looks like I already done it" said Krait with grim satisfaction and no grammar. "You're a con man, ephemeral like those butterflies….if you don't want to join them in the intricate pleasures of sipping honey and being eaten by bluetits I'd hoppit it I were you."
The purveyor of false promises gave her a filthy look and hopped it hurriedly.
-/-
They caught up with the Weasleys, Hermione and Harry outside Flourish and Blotts, and ran into Draco in Madame Malkin's with his mother. She gave them all a suspicious and angry look.
"Narcissa! Just the person I wanted to see!" said Krait, beaming. ssssFill in Draco ssss she hissed to Harry.
"Augusta…Severus, nice to see you…" Narcissa bestowed a moderately genuine smile on Severus. She refused to use Krait's nickname always, maintaining that Augusta was more ladylike.
"Ah, Narcissa…Draco put on several inches too? Krait's stopped growing I think, but she's all woman…" said Severus. "Must have a new robe…."
"Wear the same ball gown as I wore in summer? Certainly not!" said Krait "At least, not so anybody would notice….I wanted to ask your opinion, Narcissa about whether I can get away with altering the trim and changing the cut to this season's line with an insert…and if you think it would be too daring to play with colour contrast in inserted panels."
"Well, I don't know…" Narcissa considered. "Show me what you mean…."
Krait hastily sketched an illusion in mid air.
"I thought rather than unrelieved black I might play with shot silks, black weft but the shimmer of another dark colour to hint at the movement of the gown….robes are full this season, I thought if I handled it carefully it would be difficult to say what colour the gown was and keep the eye on it that way….or do you think it's over the top? I want to be flamboyant but not a quiz…."
Narcissa frowned.
"I think if you did it subtly it would be rather stunning" she agreed. "You do have a good eye and a flair for dressmaking….I'd lose the trim altogether though if you did that, or stick to something plain like black velvet ribbon or feathers…"
"Meh…I'm too young for feathers, they're for the terminally middle aged" said Krait. "Never see YOU wear feathers Narcissa…"
Narcissa preened a little.
"I do keep my looks well….no I don't like feathers, but they do suit a certain look….you could wear feathers, Augusta, if you wore ivory – not white, it would make you look ill, it always does on Malfoys – with a soft feathery trim that gave the edges of your gown an insubstantial feel…you have that ethereal look that would suit the dying swan feel…"
Krait chuckled.
"Looks apart I'm afraid I'm far too robust a personality to carry that off…you have to have the languid gestures to go with it and the sort of expression too many girls cultivate that is supposed to be soulful and looks instead as though they need a good dose of senna…"
Narcissa laughed.
"Yes, they always used to irritate me too….I'm not the ethereal type either, though I could probably have carried it off….I use my height, you should use how petite you are."
"I always think black emphasises the apparent fragility without making me look coffin-ripe" said Krait.
"Yes, Lucius and Draco look good in black…Draco is having bottle green this year" she gave Draco an anxious glance.
"He'll be fine…" said Krait. "He is not alone…"
Narcissa smiled a rather forced smile.
"I am glad he has you and Severus to help him….why must he talk to the mudblood?" she asked querulously.
"Hermione Granger? She's a friend of Harry Potter…you know how splendidly I get on with Harry and how Draco is a part of my group" said Krait smoothly. "Besides, she's the only person in the world who understands me when I talk high level arithmancy… I refuse to talk down and Draco's not got what it takes with numbers. He goes to sleep at me." she grinned. "I'm glad you approve of what I'm going to do…you are the acknowledged arbiter of fashion in the wizarding world."
Distracted, Narcissa looked pleased. Meanwhile Harry had filled in Draco on what they had seen in the Pensieve and what it meant.
-/-
It was not entirely surprising to find that the Weasley twins had managed to get hold of a market stall as an 'advanced sales point' for their projected shop; they were doing a roaring trade in a fine mix of tricks, jokes, fireworks and an advert that read
"Why are you worrying about You-Know-Who? You SHOULD be worrying about U-NO-POO the constipation sensation that's Gripping the Nation!"
Mrs Weasley was torn between fear for her sons over their audacity, horror at their stall's products and pride that their entrepreneurial acumen had crowds of kids queuing ten deep to buy things. Fred waved.
"Hi kids!" he said cheerfully. "Our shop opens at the beginning of term…we got a manager in while we finish up at school and drive Severus grey with frustration….we just thought this would be a good personal touch."
"They'll be murdered in their beds" moaned Molly weakly.
"Nah, only if Dumbledore lets Argus Fich out with a crossbow" said Krait cheerfully as Harry. Draco and Ron roared with laughter. "No throne so great it can't be rocked by laughter from below….it's not as good as Lord Convolvumort's Wireless broadcasts, but it's good…."
"Oh that is so funny…so little is these days" said Molly. "Whoever is doing that is taking an awful risk…I'd like to shake his hand, only I'd really rather not know who it is…"
Draco grinned to himself.
He did Lord Convolvumort very well and had made three broadcasts over the summer, each more scurrilous than the last. Some of his material had come from Fred and George; though they did not know who had taken their ideas, only that it was a member of the MSHG!