Selenophile // Marauders

|117| Locked Rooms

19th of August, 1978

This day marked the fifth year anniversary of Eric Spade's death. Even though it had been many days, months, and years, Riley couldn't forget it.

No one expected her to forget it except for herself. She thought she was weak for still not letting it go.

"It's been years, get over it!" the voice inside her said.

"I can't! It's not easy!" she replied to herself internally.

So she decided to actually take a proper walk outside since the day Ethan attacked her. Nothing seemed different around the town, the same old people going in the same old places they used to.

She spotted Valerie Medley, the blonde girl who had been a victim of Vicky. She seemed happier than the last time Riley had seen her (when Remus came to visit.) To Riley's surprise, she was walking towards the Humphreys' house.

So naturally, Riley decided to follow her. She thought Valerie was a friend of Penny's, they went to the same school every year.

However, the house door was opened by Ethan, Riley flinched. She hid behind a garbage can before Ethan could spot her.

Valerie hugged Ethan, then they kissed, rather passionately. Riley felt bad for Valerie. She didn't deserve to date such a dickhead after all.

She then fled the area immediately, walking towards her own house. Although it had only been a few minutes since she left, she couldn't bare walking around. She knew it was a bad idea to follow Valerie, but she wasn't planning on seeing Ethan either.

Riley wanted Ethan dead. But she couldn't find the strength to face him. And maybe it was the right thing not to face him.

She also hated entering the home and not hearing anyone greet her. Normally, Ivy would shout from
her room to say "Riley? Is that you?" And Madelyn Spade would say "Yes," before Riley could speak. They would have a small laugh.

A wry smile appeared on Riley's face. She made sure she locked the front door and made her way upstairs, straight to the middle of the two locked rooms.

"Come on, Riley," she muttered under her breath. "It's not hard. Just a locked door."

She put her hand on the door knob of Ivy's old room. She then hesitated, pulling her hand back to herself to examine the three, messily written letters on the door with the blue marker. "IVY."

She traced the letters with her right hand, then closed her eyes and put her left hand back on the door knob, turning it fast before she could pull it back to herself.

She took a breath before opening her eyes once again. The room looked the same, just a few things on the walls were now fallen onto the ground as the tape that held them together weakened over the years. There was just one cardboard box which her mum had brought just a couple of days after Ivy's death to take some of the stuff. But she never took it, she never could.

Riley swallowed as she tried holding back her tears. She took a few steps towards the desk, then recognized a letter written by herself. It was her birthday present from her earlier Hogwarts years, a few Zonko's products which she had stolen from her sister.

There was a notebook on the right side of the desk, carefully put to perfectly corner the table. Even the littlest of details looked perfectly organized.

The notebook was a bit dusty, Riley wiped it off with her hand, then looked at the lilac cover of it. Right at the bottom of the cover, a name was written in cursive: Ivy Spade. There was nothing else on the cover. Riley opened it, taking a look at the next page.