a/n- next chapter gonna be a lil bit of Dumbles and order action. POW POW. KACHOW
WARNING: mentions of cancer. My love goes out to anyone who's had to battle cancer or lost any family members to it. I love you all dearly.
Over the weeks Eloise found herself and Ophelia growing closer and closer. Of course Ophelia Gaunt was no fool and knew that Eloise had other intentions other than just 'getting to know Reggie's girlfriend' in all honesty, it didn't phase Ophelia all that much. She had a strange feeling that whatever it was that Eloise was trying to find out it was something to do with her father, besides, Eloise wasn't exactly the queen of subtlety. Which is why, on December 8th 1978, Ophelia Gaunt decided to confront the girl and answer all of her questions honestly after the duo arranged to meet in Hogsmeade.
The blonde girl sat waiting patiently in the Three Broomsticks at a secluded table in the back of the pub, a butter beer in her hands which she sipped ever so often. Eloise arrived her eyes searching the area for a familiar head of blonde which was not hard to find despite being tucked away. She ignored the stares from people who recognised her from the papers, and posters in stores as she made her way toward the table.
Ophelia Gaunt had this strange sort or aura about her, a mystery if you will, it was something she couldn't quite put her finger on but she was certainly a strange character. Ophelia seemed to have the ability to love, and to appreciate someone but for some bizarre reason the girl had no remorse, and that much was clear.
"Phelia" greeted Eloise with a smile as she slipped into the booth "How are you?"
"All is well thank you and yourself?" said the girl politely sipping on her beverage locking eyes with the girl with a slight raise of her left brow.
"Yeah-yeah, good, these attacks are awful aren't they?"
"Treacherous" agreed Ophelia bluntly with a small hint of amusement.
"So...tell me about yourself..your past..your future"
Ophelia covered her snort with a cough "Wrong pipe" she said covering up her amusement "My past..thats a terribly long story..my future? that's unknown..I am no seer after all" she smirked
"Well I've got time" shrugged Eloise leaning back slightly
"I do not" said Ophelia trying to get a rise out of her older friend who huffed in defeat.
"Bugger."
"Oh I'm teasing you" laughed Ophelia "you're not exactly the most subtle person I know El" laughed the blonde "But I can assure you if theres any questions you want to ask me, I'll do the best I can to answer them without asking any of my own despite my curiosity"
"Curiosity killed the cat" nodded Eloise in approval
"But the satisfaction brought it back" retorted Ophelia "Proceed."
"Your mother" started Eloise "What do you know about her?"
"Not a lot if I'm honest" shrugged the girl "She died a few weeks after I was born, all I know is her name was Calista Yaxley, she was a metamorphagus, and she had a brother"
"Who was her brother?"
"Abner." shrugged Ophelia after a moments though "Abner Yaxley I believe..only met him once, pretty sure he's a death eater now"
"Wait let me get this straight" paused Eloise "if your mother is Yaxley, and your last name is Gaunt..who was your father? Because, I'm not great at maths but the Gaunt's were wiped out years ago, and the ones who were last alive had no children, other than Merope Gaunt but her child was-" Eloise cut herself off in realisation as she put the pieces together in her mind. She looked up and locked eyes with the blonde who simply smiled knowingly sending her a look.
"My last name isn't really Gaunt"
"I-I don't understand" said Eloise in shock "But-he's- and you're"
"He's a prick and I'm not? he's a supremacist and I'm not? He's ugly and I'm sexy? I know darling I'm aware" joked the blonde smiling at her brunette friend. "Tom Marvel Riddle, is my father. Or 'The Dark Lord'" mocked the girl "is what he goes by now. Bit of a tosser ain't he? Like, who wakes up and decides oh everyone has to call me lord now- in fact- how did he not get bullied? why were- why are people scared of him? If someone told me to call them 'lord' I think I might just start laughing in their face!"
Eloise looked at the girl in amusement as she began to rant about her father and his absurd opinions and practices.
"If you think Lucius Malfoy has daddy issues, you should pop round for tea, that'd be a bloody interesting meal" continued Ophelia "anyway- what were we saying?- ah yes- my mother"
"Right" laughed Eloise "So Moldy Voldy is your dad?" asked the Potter girl earning a deadpan look from Ophelia.
"I think we've gathered that much"
"I- I just don't understand- how he of all people could have a child"
"Well.." Began the half-bloom "Mummy and Daddy dearest took part in the horizontal tango, and then poof I appeared"
"Not what I meant" said Eloise screwing her nose up in disgust "I just- I cant imagine him loving anyone"
"Because he didn't" shrugged Ophelia "He doesn't"
"Sorry what?"
"My father- he is incapable of love." explained Ophelia "You see- he was conceived under a love potion and of course, that means that he is cursed with the inability to experience and feel emotions like you and I can-"
"Surely that would affect you too?"
"it did" nodded Ophelia "but the difference between him and I is- I can learn to love and I can feel emotion but I don't sympathise with anyone, I can try to empathise but it's not the same. And I did learn to love, very early on- of course he doesn't know this he believes love is a weakness- which I suppose is true but it can also be a strength- if my father doesn't love anyone- he's got nothing to lose nothing that anyone can use against him- he made the mistake of learning to care in a way for someone in the past and people used it against him, he was never always so cruel as he is now, he had an anchor, something that made him feel human-"
"Your mother" said Eloise in understanding to which Ophelia nodded.
"My fathers relationship with my mother was complicated from what I have heard, they were neither friends nor enemies, they weren't lovers either and they were more than acquainted. But my father never had friends he had followers, he expected everyone to bow to him, to fear him. As a child he looked up to muggle dictators such as Adolf Hitler, I daresay that's where he got a lot of his inspiration from, ironic really a man who hates muggles gets all of his ideas from one."
"Gandolf Hutler?" frowned Eloise "Who's that?"
"Pureblood" scoffed Ophelia "A cruel cruel man, he did almost exactly what my fathers death eaters do but worse" she said in a hushed voice to avoid curious ears "Millions died because of him, simply because of the way they were born.. and believed that they 'weren't real Germans and shouldn't mate with Germans' but he was Austrian..weirdo...now that I think about it, him and my father do have a lot in common. I'll let you in on a little secret- my father is a half-blood who doesn't think wizards and muggles should mate" upon seeing the shocked look on Eloise's face she let out a laugh "Strange isn't it?"
"Truly" nodded Eloise
"Oh Salazar I'm going off topic again aren't I?- sorry- back to my mother- right yes, my mother was my fathers anchor, she kept him sane, grounded, she was the only thing holding down that slither of humanity that was left in him. So when she died? That's when things started getting worse. He became crueller, more sadistic, the way he treated his followers became worse than ever- of course he was always harsh with his methods but after my mothers passing the torturing became more frequent- his temper shorter and his heart colder."
"What about you? Does he not care for you?" queried Eloise slightly shocked at the revelations
"Not like a father does no" replied the blonde "He treats me as an asset, a tool, a weapon"
"Why would he do that? You're just a seventeen year old girl, who as far as I'm aware wouldn't hurt anyone unless completely neccessary- no offence"
"None taken" smiled Ophelia "As far as he is aware I plan to fight on his side of the war when I leave Hogwarts. And not only that but he would rather I be his ally than his enemy."
"Why thought?"
"Because I'm the only person other than Albus Dumbledore who is more powerful than him. He brought me up, taught me every spell he learnt and there were days when he wasn't around as a child when I would do some extra reading of my own. I know everything he knows and more, I know his secrets, I know his moves. After watching my father from the shadows I've managed to learn he is a rather predictable man, but not only that but he operates through fear, that is how he gains power. Without fear he is nothing but a wizard with a wand. The only reason he isn't in Azkaban right now is because despite knowing it is he who is behind it, the ministry can't arrest him because he doesn't do any of the crimes himself- my father is a coward who makes the people who fear him do the work for him. He can't kill me because he knows he will start a duel that he simply can not win."
"So..he cares for you like you're property?"
"Yes" confirmed Ophelia "And I assume that is Dumbledore who sent you to ask me what I might know about his next moves"
"How did you know?"
"Like I said" shrugged Ophelia "I'm observant" she sighed "Anyway- I'll bet the next place he attacks will be closely related to the cause of my mothers death- so..St Mungos"
"I thought-"
"That my mother was murdered?" finished Ophelia for the girl "No. Well my father seems to think that too, but she wasn't- she had a disease- a muggle disease- cancer. It's rare in wizards and witches nowadays because we have the magic to treat it early on, but we still can't cure it." she sighed "It was a miracle that I survived in the womb for so long- doctors said the disease could have affected me but thankfully it didn't- however after I was born she fell even more ill and the disease progressed much faster than before- must've been the stress childbirth put on her body- but she died shortly after."
"I'm so sorry"
"Don't be" shrugged Ophelia "I don't miss her, nor do I crave the love that a mother can give. I can't remember her face, or her voice, I cant remember anything about her. I don't crave a mothers love because I've never experienced it. Besides, like I told you, my fathers condition affected me in a way too. Death doesn't phase me." she smiled "I could be wrong but if Dumbledore thinks the attack will be linked to my mothers death? You ought to check St Mungos, I have a feeling this one will be less open, and more targeted at specific people inside"
"Like who?"
"Like the healers who couldn't save her."