Harry Riddle || Harry potter

Chapter 24: Interlude in Little Hangleton

She did.

Frequently.

Like today.

"You're thinking about them again," Giles whispered, low enough that the Dursleys in the backseat couldn't hear him. Not that they were paying much attention, as Dudley had decided to throw a tantrum because they'd run out of candy bars.

Nadia swallowed. "Yes. I don't know why, but they just seem to be in the center of my mind today. I can't get the thoughts of them out of my head." She quickly glanced back out the car window at the rapidly passing scenery. They flew by a small sign that read: 'Welcome to Little Hangleton, Population: 662'. A mile or two up the road they passed by a dilapidated shack which looked abandoned, and finally they seemed to arrive in the center of the town. There were some small, neatly kept houses and a few stores and shops. The entire town had a bit of a quaint, sleepy feeling to it, almost as if it hadn't changed very much since the turn of the century.

"Duddikens!" Petunia shouted. "Look! There's a store right there!" She pointed out the window at a small gas station which had a convenience store attached. "We'll stop and get you some candy and grandpa will get some directions!"

Giles didn't even ask; he pulled the car up to one of the pumps and got out. Nadia and the Dursleys all headed for the small store.

The door had a bell on it which rang when they entered. A young girl with almost shockingly yellow-blonde hair sitting behind the counter briefly looked up from her book, but didn't speak to them.

While the Dursleys went about picking out candy bars, Nadia slowly approached the girl behind the counter. She looked to be about Dudley's age or younger. In addition to the odd hair (which was haphazardly pulled back in uneven pigtails), she had hazel eyes and skin which was tanned in some places but not others. Her button down the front shirt was baggy, as was her blue skirt. She had six fingers on her left hand and her feet were bare and dirty. The Unexplained, the cover of the book she was so intently perusing read, Investigations into the Paranormal: Ghosts, Demons, Aliens, and more!

Nadia cleared her throat. The girl looked up, startled, and quickly put her book under the counter.

"Uh – yes? What do you want?"

Nadia glanced around. "Do you – work here?"

"Uh – my parents run it. I'm just – uh – here. What do you want?"

"I need directions to a town called Howlett." Nadia hoped the girl had heard of it. Five weeks previous, Rachael, Giles's niece, had, quite out of the blue, announced that she was getting married. After receiving their invitation, they had debated and debated whether or not to attend (as it was a rather long drive from Little Whinging to Howlett, and they didn't particularly like Rachael), but they had finally decided it would be a nice gesture to attend (that, and they were having trouble coming up with an excuse as to why they couldn't go).

After the complete disaster that had been the wedding of Ross Evans (William's youngest son), they'd managed to wriggle their way out of going to the wedding of William's other daughter, Rebecca (who they liked even less than Rachael) a few years previous.

But this time, they couldn't say they had the flu, or a doctor's appointment, or had to have an MRI which just couldn't wait. Not to mention that Dudley saw this as the perfect opportunity to get out of taking a Very Difficult Math Test which he knew he couldn't pass.

So, the Evans and the Dursleys had resigned themselves to going.

"Howlett?" the yellow haired girl repeated, her eyebrows scrunching together. "Er – I'm not sure, exactly – I've never heard of it – Jefferson!" she called.

A few seconds later, a tall, muscular boy with dark blond hair about the same age as the girl emerged from the back of the store.

"What is it, Sophie?" he asked impatiently.

"She wants to know how to get to a town called Howlett," the girl – Sophie – said, waving a hand in Nadia's direction.

The boy looked vaguely surprised. "Howlett? You really must be lost if you're here. Uh – you need to keep going straight down the road that you were on for about thirty miles until you come to Riddle Manor. You know you're going in the right direction if you see it. Then you just keep on traveling past it for a long, long time until you take a right turn on a road called Aylett Avenue – it's the only street out there – and stay on it for about fifty five miles. It'll take you out onto the highway. You'll be there for about a half hour until you come to exit 19. Take a left and the street it puts you on will take you right to Howlett."

"Riddle Manor?" asked Nadia, her voice sounding odd to her ears. She didn't know why, but she felt as if she had to ask about the place, almost as if she would be missing something important if she didn't.

"Huge old mansion that sits up on a hill. You can't miss it. There's an abandoned church and a cemetery out in front of it."

"It's haunted," Sophie cut in.

"There's no such thing as ghosts, Sophie," said Jefferson firmly.

"There are. Old Thomas and Mary Riddle and their son were murdered in that house. And don't forget all the weird stuff that happens there anyway. Owls going to and from morning, noon, and night, that strange energy that surrounds the place—"

"All that's just stories parents tell their children to get them to stay away from the place," Jefferson interrupted.

Sophie rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

By this time, Giles had come in to pay for the gas and the Dursleys had picked out Dudley's candy and were coming up to the counter.

Nadia took a few steps backwards. Riddle Manor. Riddle Manor. Why did she get an odd feeling when she thought about it?

"Ready to go, Nadia?"

Her eyes flitted up to Giles. "Yes – yes – I'm ready." With one last glance behind her at the yellow haired girl, she left the small store. The sudden change of temperature between the cool store and the hot air outside made her feel slightly ill, but she quickly strode over to the dusty black car and climbed in, the words Riddle Manor floating through her head over and over again.

"Something the matter, Mum?" Petunia asked after a time. Dudley, had, thankfully, taken to munching on a candy bar and playing on his gameboy, giving his mother more time to be observant of her surroundings.

Nadia tore her eyes away from the window to look over her shoulder. She put on her most cheerful face. "Nothing's the matter. I'm just thinking about how fast Rachael has grown up. Why, it seemed like it was just yesterday when she was a little toddler playing with her blocks, and now she's about to get married."

"Never fond of the girl myself," Petunia muttered.

Nadia mumbled an agreement under her breath, and went back to staring out the window, waiting for Riddle Manor to come into sight.

After a seemingly interminable amount of time, during which the only sounds in the car were the annoying little beeps and bops and zaps that came from Dudley's gameboy, a looming mansion almost completely hidden by trees came into view.

"Wow – wish I was that rich," Giles murmured, looking in the direction of the gigantic house.

Nadia nodded absentmindedly, focusing on the house. From what she could make out around the trees, the place was absolutely magnificent, with sparkling windows and multiple chimneys. It sat on acres and acres of equally well kept land. Even the abandoned old church that was clearly visible from the road didn't appear to be in horrible condition.

Nadia felt attracted and repulsed at the same time.

There was some inexplicable allure to the place but yet – there was some – some kind of malice – a malevolence – that seemed to engulf the building and the surrounding area.

Nadia couldn't help but stare at the mansion until it faded completely from view.