Death

The day was washed out in grays and browns, cold, exceptionally wet. The air was heavy with water and the scent of rot and decay. The trees were dead, creaking and snapping, begging to be left to break and return to the earth. The wooden structure stood tall and frail, leaning from side to side with the wind, moaning with every hinge and nail covered in rust.

'Desperately tricky to make, disastrous should you get it wrong...'

Shaking the hesitant thought out of her head, the girl stepped inside. The furniture had been tenderized by mold enough for a seedling to anchor its roots into the drawer of a dresser. Stairs, she must find... The stairs! In the dark corner of the hallway, rotting wood was climbing into a spiral to the top floor. Her feet moved fast, but the number of steps only seemed to grow. She gripped the railway for support. The top floor was visible in the moonlight, although the boards were rather dark.

Thunder boomed right above her.

Her body froze as she approached the top. The scent was so pungent, yet subtle, partly covered by mold and putrid wood, rust, old paint, and dust. She could recognize it, though. It was strong enough she could taste it, filling her airways uninvited, almost... coppery.

Suddenly, she rushed into the room.

The door was wide open. The sole of her shoe slipped with the sound of leather on water, though the weather hadn't been that wet to create puddles indoors. The glass was stained in the same dark color.

She kneeled down next to a familiar figure, fidgeting with the fabrics in an attempt to pull the buttons back through the loops and open the collar. She slipped her hands between his jaw and his neck, moving his head to a more natural angle, and feeling for a heartbeat. The skin was warm, but that was no guarantee, so she pressed her fingers where she thought an artery should be.

Lightning illuminated the space.

Noticing the traces on the ground forming a pattern, she immediately turned her head away. She didn't need to see those to realize the culprit. Although gasping, she managed to calm herself down just enough to realize another option was there. So, she kept undoing buttons covered in fabric until the coat and the vest were no longer restricting the ribs. Then, she leaned over, pressing her ear to the left side of the chest.

The wind smashed open one of the windows.

Rain began to pour heavily over the tin roof of the house. It slipped inside every here and there, forming small streams that washed off the dust and the blood from the old wooden boards, down the spiraling stairs, falling through the cracks to the ground floor, and further into the ground.

Triggers

age-gap, interlinked family bonds, arranged marriage, misogyny, conservative values, self-esteem, mental disorders, depression, oppression, censorship, manipulation, torture, sadism, possible gore, war, character death, original plot deviation, and canon character interpretation*

*This story will present canon characters as I perceive them and the plot will deviate from canon.

Disclaimer

This story is fan-written. I do not own the Harry Potter series, the canon characters as presented by the author, or the original plot.
I do own any original characters, the development of canon-mentioned characters, and my interpretation of canon characters or events, as well as plot deviations.
The purpose of this work is for entertainment only.

I do not own the cover picture.

Note

Ideas or scenes I've envisioned for this had been drafted and published as POVs in the comments of a few playlists on YouTube.

Also, this is not the ending scene.

The Losing Game

This story continues the same plot from The Losing Game, with a time skip in between. I feel it's not necessary to read The Losing Game before Morsmordre, although I would encourage you to start with that for a bit more context, especially around the original characters and those I have developed from canon.

For those who don't want to read about 30 chapters of fluff and confused affection developing, here is a TLDR (spoilers for The Losing Game):

After Evan Rosier dueled Mad-Eye Moody and died, his mother mysteriously disappeared. Right after, Siberius Rosier remarried and had a daughter, Annelyse, who is very similar in appearance to Evan. She has an above-average memory, which leads her to be selected by Draco and his entourage to memorize the Rulebook of Hogwarts for... Slytherin reasons.

In their second year, her roommate and friend, Selena Selwyn, is crushing on Ronald Weasley. Selena has nightmares about some kind of tunnels and frequent panic attacks. When Harry, Ron, and Lockhart go to explore the entrance into the Chamber of Secrets, Selena realizes they might be in danger and runs to catch up and stop them, only she doesn't wait to hear from Anna that Basilisk scales are reflective.

Anna runs to get Professor Snape because she noticed that he was trying to protect the students earlier and also because he is their Head of House. Once all that is over, she offers to be his apprentice or at least repay him somehow because Severus pulled her out of the way of a spell that would have killed her, hurting himself in the process.

This gives them the excuse to spend time together, become accustomed to one another, and share hobbies. Heavier moments come in the form of family drama, unhealed trauma, occasional guilt, and some confusion along the way. Acts of service and heartfelt confessions tie them together.

Essentially, Tom Riddle caused everything. That's the one-phrase summary.