Thank you for reading! I don't own any of Harry Potter! Please let me know if you enjoy! Updates every Saturday!
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Alone in his room for the two hours during Harriet's nap late one afternoon, Mark contented himself by drawing and colouring a series of pictures that represented the spectacular sunset he had witnessed the previous evening.
Having grown accustomed to the echoing silence that abounded in Riddle Manor while his brother and sister were away at Hogwarts, Mark furrowed his brow as he concentrated on his work.
The sudden knock that came from his doorway nearly sent him leaping out of his skin as he looked up with a violent start.
His eyes widened in terror as he discovered the identity of his unexpected visitor.
"D-Dad……." Mark stammered. He swallowed dryly while he looked at Tom junior who stood in his bedroom's entryway, "...H-Hello."
Visits from his father were rare occurrences, yet visits from his father that resulted in anything less than angry words which expressed Tom's disappointment or forced lessons on magic that Mark simply could not do were nonexistent.
Mark's tiny heart pounded with fear as Tom gave him a surprisingly gentle smile and asked, "...Good afternoon, Mark. What's that you've got there?"
As Tom walked forward, he watched his frightened little boy quickly collect his drawings and scoop up his crayons in an attempt to hide his non-magical use of time.
"I…….I, um, was just……drawing, a bit." Mark said as he fought for air.
Tom hid the smirk that would have betrayed his delight at seeing his worthless squib spawn tremble before his great presence.
"Is that so?" Tom calmly asked.
Mark didn't know what to say or do as his father slowly sat down on the floor, careful not to wrinkle his fine suit unnecessarily, before he reached a hand out and asked his little boy, "...May I?"
Mark wanted to whimper as he imagined what would come next.
It wouldn't have been the first time Tom had destroyed his pictures.
It wouldn't have been the first time he unleashed his disappointed fury that Mark had not chosen to spend yet another day practicing skills he could not utilize.
With the solemn resignation of a mother handing her children over to be slaughtered, Mark sighed as he placed his beautiful pictures into Tom's hands.
Although he still needed many skills and much expertise to be considered a great artist, Mark's work was impressive for a child his age.
"Is this our house?" Tom asked as he glanced up at Mark and pointed to the building depicted on the parchment.
Mark nodded.
"...And this is the sunset?" Tom asked as his finger slid over to the array of colours his son had layered on the illustration that dipped from sky to grass.
Mark hesitantly nodded again.
"What wonderful work you've put into this, son." Tom smiled as he glanced down at the picture again before he looked back up at Mark.
Mark's large eyes nearly bulged out of his head in bewilderment.
"Son" was a word that Tom reserved for James.
Mark couldn't remember a day in his young life when his father had ever addressed him by that familiar title.
"Why don't you tell me about these others?" Tom asked as he fanned Mark's drawings out in front of him.
"...Why?" Mark frowned.
The past had taught him the wisdom of never trusting his father or his sister.
"Because I'm interested to know about them." Tom smiled.
"...Why…….?" Mark scowled in confusion.
"Because you're my son, aren't you? I know I can be difficult at times, but I truly, only want the best for you. Please," Tom asked with a grin that could have belonged to any serpentine villain, "...Won't you tell me how you drew this one?"
Mark's young heart leapt at the chance to finally connect with his father.
He pointed out every detail in his pictures as he proudly told Tom about each and every struggle he had faced bringing them to life.
Tom could be an excellent actor whenever the need arose.
As he watched his youngest child ramble on about his meaningless scribbles, he bit back his hidden scorn with a polite smile and pleasant nods at appropriate intervals.
While Mark only wanted his father's love and acceptance, Tom had come to Mark because he had wanted something too.
Some time later, Harriet rose from her nap and shuffled down the hallway towards the voices of her husband and son.
As she appeared in the doorway to Mark's bedroom, Tom glanced over and gave her a handsome, seductive smile.
By then, Mark had cuddled into his lap while they talked about his art and his big dreams for developing his talents.
It made Tom want to scream that any child of his chose to waste time in such a meaningless pursuit, but Harriet's heart fluttered at the sight of her alpha and son together.
As Tom glanced up at his darling again and flashed her one of his charismatic smiles, Harriet couldn't help but return his expression.
Mark continued his endless speech until Tom nudged him gently and looked at Harriet as he asked, "-Wait a moment, son. Perhaps Mummy would like to join us?"
Harriet nodded and walked over to sit across from her husband and little boy while Mark's face lit up in a glad grin.
It wasn't every day that he managed to secure both Tom and Harriet's attention.
Once he finished his monologue, he couldn't have felt more fulfilled if he had been on the center of some grand stage.
Mark Riddle's wants were surprisingly simple.
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Hugo, Rose, and Lily stared at James incredulously as he waited for their reactions after revealing his devious plan late one night by the roaring fire in Gryffindor's common room.
"Don't you all understand?!" He asked excitedly, "This is the best chance we've had, I mean, I've had to bring my sister down to size!"
Hugo and Rose exchanged doubtful looks as Lily cleared her throat and asked, "James…….this all sounds a bit too good to be true……Can you really be sure this is going to work?"
"It's in the book!" He laughed, "I can let you have a look at it, if you like. I translated it myself, it was all written in runes."
"...Aren't you rubbish at Runes?" Rose chuckled.
"Only when they're grouped in paragraphs." James frowned, "The book was much simpler, there was the spell title and then a set of step by step instructions listed afterwards. I've spent nights, entire nights, sifting through all the people my parents may bring into the world and I've finally found the best one for the job!"
"So that's what gave you those awful dark circles, mate….." Hugo frowned
Rose and Lily weren't bold enough to say it for fear of hurting James' feelings but his appearance had changed greatly over the past few weeks.
Sleep deprivation had given him heavy, dark bags under his eyes.
His skin had turned sallow.
His appetite had decreased and with it, he had lost a frightening amount of weight.
"We've been a bit worried about you." Lily frowned.
"I thought you were ill or something." Rose confessed.
"No, I'm fine!" James insisted with an exuberance that could have almost been mistaken for mania, "I'm…..I'm great, really! I'm excited! As soon as she's born, I'm going to give her an Aging Potion and she'll…….she'll be the one to knock Mae off her high horse! Don't you all see how brilliant this is?!?!"
There was an anger in his voice as he glanced between his friends.
Worried about upsetting him, Rose, Hugo, and Lily all nodded.
"...Alright." Hugo said.
"We're your friends, James." Lily frowned, "We only want what's best for you."
Rose nodded in agreement as James passed a hand over his face and sighed, "What's best for me is best for everyone…….Silencing my annoying sister once and for all."
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In the middle of the night, Mae finished her latest ride atop her dragon's back as the creature sat her down gently on the hillside's grass, next to the Black Lake.
With a single command, she sent her pet away until the next evening as she turned and walked back towards the castle.
As she trudged along, an eerie sound caught her attention.
Mae turned to look in the direction of the noise and frowned as she saw a single woman, bare, with long, flowing hair nearly down to her bottom, standing close to the shore.
The sound rang out again, a whispering call between a song and a cry, while Mae realized that the noise came from the woman.
Silently, Mae waited and watched.
When no one came and nothing at all happened, she saw a disappointed frown cloud the woman's flawless face before she turned and walked into the Black Lake to disappear beneath the water.
Mae blinked, amazed at the silver shimmer in her skin the moon had highlighted.
As she resumed her walk to the castle, she silently vowed to return to that same spot the next evening, in hopes that the mysterious woman would too.
Mae Riddle had been filled with questions.
