❦✩𓅓☾༒☽☀︎︎
Chapter three.
❦✩𓅓☾༒☽☀︎︎
THE SILENCE was so loud.
It was the type of silence that filtered the mind with explicit thoughts or memories that were eager to overstep. It was a calm before the storm situation for Alora.
It resembled the crash of the waves which drifted amongst the shore, rippling their way along the sand desperately, looking to clench a handful of the grain in its grip. The exasperation held within the depth is compressed by sunken pleas and cries of the creatures that lurk below the murky water. Nevertheless, they're drowned out from the fierce command, in courtesy of the wind.
Everything eventually gets drowned out
after all, settling down and turning the notch to silent, it entails a beautifully tranquil associated atmosphere.
It all sounds rather off-putting, however, Alora sees this as a privilege. To be entitled to the silence in a world that doesn't stop talking is unusual, it's, what she considers, a fathomable gift. One that we should learn to appreciate before things get tainted and even the consideration of silence would be clouded with a blur of grief and a hint of remorse.
Blurring the line between silence and tension is rather difficult to identify. The contrasting ideas find a way to merge into one, splattering ideas here, there, and everywhere.
Silence is a way to unlock the thoughts of the mind, this gives them access to stem into tiny petals and blossom into a graciously mesmeric and sublime life source. Flowers are known for their beauty, there's no denying it, the way their petals dance waveringly in the wind, flaunting their vibrant colours. They are also intimidating. Their confidence outshines them, so much that they can hide the true meanings of the foulest crimes.
While, tension is like a ray of nerves, the jittery feeling of caution that overpowers your body, mistaking it for its own. Tension is always noticeable, despite how much you deny it, it's easy to read peoples reactions to an awkward or tense scenario, it's all in the eyes.
Anxiety pollutes the air she inhales as she steps into the newly found room. Hanging low, the chandeliers continued to shine, accompanied by the dazed glow emitting from the perfectly chiselled, stone fireplace. The logs crackled and spat as the blaze engulfed the nature ridden object, in one single bite, which gaslighted the fire to rage, furthermore.
The aura located within the room was sauntering with nerves, as a large, opaque table sat directly in front of the corner-met fireplace. Several chairs were holding the table captive as they pushed beside one another tentatively, locking the piece of wood in, leaving no escape.
Accompanying these seats sat over a dozen cloaked wizards, draped in hooded cloaks which sprawled across the floor into an overflowing, drooped pool, beside their feet. It was hardly noticeable, through the gleam of candlelight all she could see were the shadows that groped tightly at their backs, hugging their bodies in a suctioned embrace.
Her strides strode larger at the notice of the numerous pairs of eyes, that were directed strictly upon her.
From her position, the glimmer of light could only highlight the glint within her eyes. There was no doubt that she held endless amounts of power, it was crystal clear in her glassed-over orbs. The spark of hunger and courage that strut through her eyes was like a thrashing flame on a runway-ready catwalk.
Her ambience radiates strength and her eyes glistened with superiority, which was noticeable to anyone who dared to peer into her death-staring, frozen cold, fire warming sneer of disgust.
Her shoes rattled against the wooden floor with a harsh rap, only increasing the heightened uncertainty that was already stalking through the room. Gazes started to dart through the gloom warily, unaware of what kind of news was about to be broken to them.
The rap of her boots came to a halt as she made contact behind a chair, seated at the head of the table, however, this end wasn't the seat usually occupied by her father many moons ago, that seat would be off bounds to anyone except him, until the end of time.
"My lady, it's very nice to see you again." Spoke a voice from the darkness' width, he stood from his seat, welcoming the girl to sit; to which she obliged.
Taking a seat on the chair, she was more visible to the gatherers, meaning they could analyse every part of her face accordingly. A few gasps were shared from around the table, maybe from recognition or maybe something else. She didn't know nor was she fazed from their outbursts.
"Junior," she nodded towards the man, recognising his earth brown, coloured eyes briefly. The flames pranced through his glowing orbs attentively, sparking an image of destruction through his eyes. Alora deemed it as entrancing as she was allured into the chaos, hoping she would receive it soon.
"Welcome my Lady, to those gathered here today... I must introduce you to-"
"Alora..." she interrupted, wanting to introduce herself, making oneself known in a memorable way. "Alora Riddle."
Her heart fluttered as she saw pure horror flash within their eyes. For only a split second...before it had gone, dissipating into the silence and they lit up with excitement. Despite the ongoing ecstasy that filtered from the group, people started to calm down and reevaluate the situation.
No one knew if she was real.
People settled into their seats, debating on their questions. Hands shaky, breaths shallow and lip bites frantically occurred throughout the table. A pit filled their stomachs, a dark black cloud of doubt triggered their senses, eventually setting someone off.
"That's not possible. She- she can't be here," the man protested forcefully, his eyebrows raised and eyes as wide as golf balls.
"Our Lady, our Dark Lady." Many muttered.
"You share the blood of royalty?"
"Where has she been? She really has taken after that useless woman of a mother."
The last comment startled the group, they stopped their statements warily, confused, Alora pushed past the curiosity and stood strong on behalf of her mother, the mother she could only ever imagine knowing.
Looking around the table, everyone was shocked. They all remained quiet, sat with their mouths shut tightly, as she raised from her seat, her legs knocking the table from the force.
"How dare you speak of my mother that way," she spat, directing it towards the hidden spokesman, of which was too cowardly to own up to his words. "My mother was not useless and nor am I. Mark my words sunshine, I may not look it just yet, but I hold more power than any of you could ever possess."
Her words were powered by venom, infecting her bloodstream like a shot of heroin to the system. Her once impassive expression turned into one of fury, her eyebrows were pulled menacingly and her eyes were squinted in an intimidating manner, which seemed to have worked. The collision between the wood and her fist echoed through the room, the noise blaring across the walls, seeping into their boundaries before rebounding diagonally, causing squirms of panic amongst the group.
She was powerful as fuck, even at fourteen years old, she had these grown men trembling at her feet in hopes of scraping remainders of power that had been left in her grasp.
The room stayed quiet as they watched the young girl's anger float away, melting into a solace command. Her disturbed aura calmed as she focused on her breathing.
Deep breath in,
deep breath out.
Deep breath in,
deep breath out.
She counted how long she could trap the air in her chest, inhaling deeply through her nose, making a slight echoed whistle flaunt the surroundings as she did. The feeling made her release her angry thoughts, peeling them away from the spot they had engraved themselves into, allowing her to compose herself and circulate them away from her body as her breathing pattern collapsed into a deep swoosh of air, escaping from her lips.
Her eyes closed, searching for a moment of peace. A moment where she could shut the world away, for just a second.
Her eyes peeled open reluctantly, a wave of calmness flushed her body, draining away any reminiscent surges of hostility she could have missed. Her lips tugged up calmly, creating what was intended to be a smile, however it seemed sinister and displeased.
"Carry on, there must be a reason why I'm here." she faced Junior, encouraging him to continue.
"Of course my Lady. We have a- you have an assignment." He reiterated, emphasising the 'you'.
"Do I now? And what might this assignment be?"
"You accompany us to a special tribute we're holding, in honour of your father's success,". He stated nonchalantly. He said it so casually that it threw Alora off guard, he said it like he didn't just propose her freedom, a chance to escape that dreadfully mournful house.
She didn't hate it, not at all, well maybe a bit... but, she mainly hated the memories that attach themselves to the walls. She hated the shadows that lurk between the rooms, following her every move.
She hated how attached she felt to the silhouettes. The constant stares they offered her, the daunting pressure they surrounded her in. They feasted on her thoughts and embedded themselves into her soul, entwining themselves in each ventricle, controlling the blood circulation that travelled throughout her body. They could stop the flow at any point, however, it wasn't their time.
She hated how attached she felt towards the shadows. She was drawn to them like a common denominator. Something inside her felt attached to their demeanours, their daunting silhouettes feasted upon her mind and embedded themselves into her soul. That's what makes her so intrigued by them, a constant vigilance of empathy shone from her frame towards the casters.
"Sure," she shrugged her shoulders, not giving much thought to the situation. Maybe it wasn't rational, but she would do anything to feel the slightest bit of adrenaline, the rush she felt after that dream. She needed it, she craved it, she was ready to search for it.
"That's it? You're not going to ask about it?" Junior asked skeptically, eyeing the girls face carefully.
"Why not? I could do with an adventure." She spoke proudly, ignoring the deathly glare that burnt along her skin. She looked towards the glinting grey eyes, noticing that they were indeed from who she had expected.
"Stop putting ideas into her head, Crouch. She is not going," he fought with his nose twitching from anger. His demeanour was calm however his words were stern, ensuring that he would not lose this fight easily.
"Remember when I asked for your opinion? No? Me neither so shut the fuck up." Her features were forced into a sarcastic smile, eyes peering him up and down daringly as he sat still in his chair.
"You heard the girl, Malfoy. You have no control over her decision, you and I both know that." He mocked the blond man, whose intentions had reflected suspiciously.
"I think that I should, she has been living under my roof with my care, for the past however many years."
"Care isn't exactly the right word..." She stated quietly, hoping for it to pass beneath the current argument, luckily for her, someone was on her side to support her wishes.
"We know whose command that was on." The brunette stated, heated in this debate. "Don't mess with things you don't understand, Malfoy."
"Alora..." spoke a woman's voice gently, uttering from the shadows. Her head immediately turned towards the area, completely forgetting about the debate taking place. She assumed it was Narcissa however, she couldn't see through the blur of the night. "Listen to the plan, please... You must be careful."
She was confused as she turned to face the men, once more. Her hand raised from the arm of the chair and adjusted her chocolate curls so they were pushed out of the way of her face.
She paused for a moment, pursing her lips as she got lost in thought. It wouldn't hurt anyone to know their plan, I might as well have a head start of determination, she thought.
"What's the plan?" She asked, directing her attention onto Junior.
"The main idea is to make them untrustworthy of each other. To cause mayhem on behalf of the Dark Lord's followers, it will cause an uproar and if we get them to grow wary of peoples loyalties, they will be vulnerable... easy to pick up from the dark corners they're left to surround themselves in."
"And additionally, it would be better if you... made contact with the Potter boy. You should try to gain his trust, you're going to be needing it."
A smile rose along her face. Who knew someone with such a small brain capability, such as himself, could create an idea as strong as that. She felt strangely proud of the man, he was dedicated towards her family and it seems like he would stop at no lengths to protect them all.
However, she was slightly unsure as to why she had to make contact with Harry Potter, the boy who lived, the boy who stole her happiness. She couldn't assure anyone that he wouldn't get hurt, it would be that big of a deal. She would be doing her father a favour, she thought.
"What do you mean, 'you're going to need it', what does that mean?"
"Don't worry about that, so, the plan?"
"It's... oddly smart. I'm impressed, Junior." She praised him, following his advice and not following it up.
"Oh- it was our-" the table erupted, only to be silenced by Junior.
"Thank you, My Lady. So, can we count you in?" He questioned expectantly.
"I would be honoured."
"Brilliant!"
"Not bloody brilliant. I've told you, she isn't going Crouch." The stone faced man bit, his orbs were swallowed by the extinguishing fire nearby which was slowly loosing its passion, the flames spat lower each rise they took, resembling a battle they were bound to lose.
"It's not in your hands anymore, Malfoy. Aurora can fend for herself, she is old enough to start training and Lord knows the sacrifices we will have to make to keep her with us." He fends, not daring to meet Alora's curious eye.
She was curious, as ponderous as inevitable. She knew that her role was important, the upcoming war was feasting upon the horizon, surrounding the world in a tight, enclosed and suffocating bubble; only a fool could deny the change in the air. Or maybe it wasn't certain yet.
All she knew was that she felt the winds breaths grow colder as they slashed against the window, she felt the chirping of the birds grow sorrowful as the days past. She knew the blood coursing through her veins was stronger than before, that only ever meant one thing.
Redemption.
The meeting ended with the two men bickering, dealing their pros and weighing their cons of the event. Lucius didn't want her to go. He wanted her to stay away from people, especially people that hold great promise of power and could entangle her into their sick and twisted ways.
Meanwhile, that's exactly what Junior wanted. He wanted to grow her as a cyclone of his own, his dark rooted child, his evil assassin. He wanted to raise her to be amongst the foulest of people, the ones he desperately admired, the one he was.
She was his experimental science product, raised in the test tubes of ill spirit and toxins. She was the test that broke the waters, the main Guinea pig subject.
But, what she didn't know couldn't hurt her.
❦✩𓅓☾༒☽☀︎︎
Published 04.02.22