"So you can't play Quidditch?" I stand at the end of Ron's bed in the infirmary looking down at him.
"Nope" he grabs a handful of the biscuits I bought him "I'm still too weak and drained. The shakes have stopped completely thanks to you and your work on the night but the poison has just completely taken away all my energy."
I nod my head "sure makes sense."
Ron let's out a long sigh "bloody McLaggen is taking my spot as keeper. Harry tried his best to wait for me to recover but I just couldn't get better in time."
I offer him a small smile "your recovery is more important than a quidditch match."
"Not if we lose it isn't" Ron doesn't smile back at me as he takes a large bit of a chocolate bourbon.
"I'm sure it feels that way." I gesture towards the infirmary door "I better get going before the match starts. I just wanted to see how you were doing."
Ron nods "yeah thanks, and I know I've said it already but thank you again for helping me that night. Madam Pomfrey said I would still be shaking and having mini seizures if it wasn't for your work as she was too busy to whip up the draught."
I shrug "of course Ron." I wave at him "I'll see you later. Rest up."
I turn and walk from the infirmary feeling a sad pain for the ginger boy being left behind.
"Um hi everyone."
I turn in the stand to look towards the commentators tower.
"Seriously?" Crabbe groans from behind me "they've got Loony Lovegood doing the commentary?"
I laugh slightly at Luna in her colourful outfit sat behind the large microphone.
"Well at least it will be entertaining" Goyle mutters back as Hufflepuff and Gryffindor take their places on the pitch.
Throughout the match poor Harry is seen flying around trying to chase the snitch whilst also having to remind McLaggen he is a keeper and not every other player on the pitch.
"Oh dear" Luna muses her voice as dreamy as ever "Smith from Hufflepuff has barely managed to hold that ball thing for more than a minute. The poor boy is probably suffering from a case of losers lurgy."
I let out a loud laugh as I look up at the Hufflepuff who was mentioned, his cheeks are now bright pink as he glares over towards Luna.
"Merlin this might be the worst Gryffindor has played in years." Crabbe brusts out laughing as McLaggen flies away from his spot to tell a chaser where to fly.
Goyle laughs loudly with him "Draco is going to hate himself for missing this one."
I turn around to face the two boys "have you seen him lately?"
Their smiles drop and they shake their heads, all the time keeping their eyes on the players in the air.
"Nope" Goyle shrugs "we asked if he was coming and he said he didn't fancy it and he was going to do some work instead."
"What work?" I furrow my eyebrows.
"Dunno" Crabbe says without any interest. He suddenly points into the air "he's taken the bloody beaters bat!"
I turn around quickly looking back up into the air to see McLaggen with the bat in his hand swinging straight for a bludger.
"Fuck!" I let out a loud yell along with everyone else in the stadium it seems.
A loud crack sounds as McLaggen hits the quaffle with all his strength, the ball soars through the air striking Harry square in the side of his head.
"What the fuck?"
Yells sound from all around as Harry crumples over his broom before sliding sideways off it towards the ground.
"Seriously that had to be one of the best games I've seen in a long time."
I walk back into the common room with the large crowd of Slytherins who are all still laughing at the events of the game.
I walk with the crowd as they all begin to break off into little groups, I turn slowly looking for Pansy or even Crabbe or Goyle but have no luck.
Sighing I walk up to my dorm room sitting down onto my bed and looking into the large mirror across the room.
Merlin I feel so, ridiculously alone.
"Post is here" a third year besides me points to the owls as he speaks with his friend.
I sit alone on the bench sipping at my cup of tea as the odd student here or there gets a letter or package.
I stare down at my empty breakfast plate deep in thought when suddenly a thin square envelope lands on it. Looking up I see a deep black feathered owl flying away without even a backwards glance.
I slowly place my cup of tea down as I pick up the envelope carefully, I read the cursive writing on the front simply addressed:
Angelica Riddle
My stomach twists with nerves as I think back to all the hateful mail I have received from people before. That seems to mostly have stopped and this envelope is different. The writing seems almost familiar in a strange way.
I break the black wax seal on the dark envelope and pull out the almost silk like paper from within.
I unfold the parchment with shaky hands as I begin to read the old fashioned writing.
Dear Angelica,
I thought it only right that I send you a letter early.
Tomorrow is your seventeenth birthday and you will officially become a witch of lone standing.
You will now be able to cast magic fully outside of Hogwarts and even begin to apparate.
I want to remind you of all that is waiting for you when you finish your schooling, all of the powerful ways you can use this magic alongside me.
Spend your time at Hogwarts well and make sure you are making contacts with the Slytherin students, you may rely on their loyalty soon.
Regards,
Lord Voldemort.
I feel a deep feeling choking me from the inside, keeping the letter clutched in my hand I stare down at the words reading them over and over again as my vision begins to pulse.
Anger tears through my body like a tidal wave bursting through the streets of a drowning city. I turn my head looking towards the staff table to see Snape sat there his eyes on the Gryffindor table.
I push myself up my arms and legs stiff from the tension coursing through my body, I step out of the bench and begin to storm up the hall towards the staff table.
Heads seem to turn as though they can sense the anger coming from me, I can feel it seeping out of my skin as my vision grows dark around the edges.
Stepping up onto the platform I walk directly towards Snape his eyes now slightly wide as he watches me.
"What the fuck is this" my words come out in a strangled hiss as I slam the letter down on the table in front of him.
Snape stares at me in shock before looking towards the other teachers besides him "excuse me?" His tone is deadly as he glares right back at me.
"Don't even try to challenge me right now. I am about three seconds away from exploding." I push the letter towards him "tomorrow is my birthday? Tomorrow is my seventeenth birthday! Why am I only just now finding out that my birthday is in April and not July like I have been led to believe the last seventeen years!" My voice grows louder as I stare down at the man before me.
Snap reads over the words quickly his face growing even more pale than usual "go to my office. Now."
"Why? So you can tell me some made up reason and assure me you did this for my own good?" I stare down at him my eyes alight with fury "how dare you? How dare all of you keep so many things about me hidden. Another lie about my life, let's just add it to the list."
I grab the letter back from him and turn away, I can feel my pulse in my eyes as I clench my fists at my side.
I ignore the many faces watching me their eyes wide and mouths open and instead walk from the hall with my head high.
"Thought I'd find you here."
I ignore the voice behind me as I stay seated hanging my legs over the edge of the astronomy tower. The metal bar runs across my chest as it always has keeping me from falling to my death, I rest my head against the other bar running parallel just above it.
"Are you angry at me as well?" Draco sits down besides me his legs hanging down much longer than mine.
"It depends" I turn my head slightly so my cheek is now pressed against the bar "did you know tomorrow was my birthday?"
Draco shakes his head as he looks out over the rolling hills ahead of us.
"I feel so stupid" I turn and look out at the view also "was it extremely dumb of me to think Harry and I both just shared the same birthday even after finding out we aren't actually twins?"
"Yes."
I let out a quiet laugh as I turn towards Draco "really? You're not even going to lie to make me feel better?"
Draco shrugs "it was sort of naive of you. Did you never think to ask Sirius or anyone after you found out?"
I shake my head "I was a bit too busy mourning Cedric and trying not to kill myself from being so depressed."
Draco let's out a soft hum "hmm yeah sure, makes sense." He looks down at his dangling feet "what about baby pictures? Couldn't you tell that there was almost three months between you and Harry in them?"
I stare at him "I have no baby pictures."
He looks up at me his eyes wide.
"What? It's not like the Dursley's were going to waste film camera on photos of Harry and I?" I clench my fists "Harry has some that his parents took before they died. Hagrid gave him some of them." I bite my bottom lip "I assume my mother didn't have a camera when being held captured by my father."
"Of course. I'm sorry."
I shrug "it's fine. Truthfully I think the fact that everyone lied to me about my birthday hurts a lot less after all the other lies." I kick my legs out gently "I only wish Blaise was here. He would make my birthday enjoyable, even with less than twenty four hours notice."
"You miss him?"
I nod "every second of every day. I miss having him sat besides me, having him to talk to and vent to. I miss listening to him and helping him and holding his hand. I miss his smell and his warmth. I always thought Cedric was my soulmate but I actually think it was Blaise. He loved me more than anyone else and I love him so much that not seeing him hurts to the point that I can't sleep. It feels like he's died. He's my best friend in this universe and the next and yet I may have caused his death."
"He's not dead" Draco offers me a sympathetic smile "you know he's not. We would have been informed if he was."
"I just want him to come back. There is no reason for my father to want to go after him."
Draco nods "yes there is. He knows how much Blaise means to you and if Blaise was to ask you to leave your father and to run away or to fight against him can you honestly say you wouldn't?"
I think for a long time "I would do anything for Blaise, now I know what it feels like to truly not have him with me I'd do anything to avoid that. Just the same as I know he would for me. As long as it meant we could be together fighting and helping each other. We would do anything to make sure the other is safe. I would do that for all the people I love."
Draco shrugs "your father knows that. He saw it in your head."
I sigh and rest my head back against the cold metal bar "I am going to be seventeen tomorrow."
"You don't have the trace anymore. You can do any spells you want, anywhere you want." Draco stands up "your life is only just beginning Angelica. The things you will go on to do will be amazing, it doesn't matter when you are born it only matters that you were."
He walks from the tower leaving me to look out over the sunset alone.
I stand up slowly stretching out my stiff limbs, sitting here all day has given me extreme cramp in my legs and feet. As I look down I see Draco's watch sitting on the floor laid out perfectly.
"Draco" I call down after him grabbing the watch and running to the stairs "you forgot your watch."
He stands at the bottom of the spiral staircase looking up at me "Happy birthday Angelica, everybody deserves to be given a watch on their seventeenth birthday."
I feel tears prick in my eyes as I look down at the perfectly round face ticking back at me.
"Thank you Draco."
Draco merely nods at me as he turns and closes the door behind him.
It's freezing cold now as the moon shines in the sky, tonight seems to be particularly clear with the stars covering the darkness above in twisted shapes and patterns.
I look down at the watch in my hand as the second hands continue ticking on. I pull my legs up and wrap my arms around them in an effort to keep out the cold, I rest my chin on my knee as I look down at the watch once again.
Eleven fifty five at night. Five minutes.
I study the watch playing with the fine leather straps between my fingers. This is the same watch I've seen on Dracos wrist since the day I met him, considering his birthday is in June I am guessing Narcissa and Lucius have a much newer watch to give him then.
"I see you've taken my favourite spot in the castle." A very aged voice sounds from behind me interrupting my thoughts.
"Headmaster" I turn slowly and nod at the man, his blue eyes gleam in the moonlight as he steps forwards from the shadows.
"Why did you choose to come here tonight Angelica?" Dumbledore's voice has its familiar raspiness to it as he tilts his head slightly.
I shrug looking around at the landscape beyond the castle "I've always come here. It used to be on Halloween when I was mourning parents that were never actually my parents." I look pointedly at the Headmaster "what a waste of tears that was. Then I suppose over the years it became somewhere I would to whenever I was upset or angry, which lately seems to feel like every day."
Dumbledore smiles "your mother used to come here also. It was her spot as well."
"Please don't" I hold my hand up stopping him.
Dumbledore raises his eyebrows at me as he walks forward to lean against the metal railing.
I stand opposite him frowning "please don't try to make it seem as though it was some magical, family force that made me come here. It has nothing to do with my mother. I'm sure she like many of other thousands of students chose here as their favourite place. It's an Astronomy tower of course they did." I cross my arms across my chest "why didn't you tell me?"
"Tell you what?" Dumbledore's tone is patient as his eyes stare into mine intensely.
"That I turn seventeen tomorrow."
"Severus told me that he had informed you that we were not sure when your birthday really was. We had always assumed it was in July or August." Dumbledore let's out a sad sigh as he turns to look up at the sky above us "I suppose I thought that your birthday was the last tie to the connection you and Harry shared. I was worried that by breaking that I would break those years you spent as brother and sister."
I let out a cold humourless laugh "oh please!" I throw my hands up in annoyance "they've been broken since the day my father returned and told me the truth."
My words are cold as I glare across at the man before me "I have no connection to Harry or the Potters. For nearly fifteen years I believed I was an orphan, that my mother and father loved me so much and loved each other even more. That they died tragically early but at least I had a twin brother to experience it all with, I believe James and Lily Potter had created me and Harry out of love."
I shake my head angrily as the words seem to just fall past my lips "my boyfriend was killed in front of me, the man who caused it then tells me he is my real father. The man who I had always thought of as the villain who killed my living parents instead tells me he is my father. I find out I wasn't made in love but I am instead a product of forced sex. My mother was stolen away from someone she really loves and handed to my father as some kind of object. He forced her to give birth to me and soon after killed her. I have absolutely no attachment to that woman.
The person who is supposed to be my mother means nothing to me, the same as my father although at least he's alive. It's just a shame he's a murderous, lunatic hell bent on killing everyone and everything I love. He tortures me and drives me to my breaking point but he's all I've got.
I have no family, I have no one to love me, everyone I have loved has been torn away from me time and time again. You all look at me as some product of evil and maybe you're all right, but one day you'll realise that it wasn't the fact I am Lord Voldemort's daughter. No that wasn't what made me evil. It was the lies, the tricks, the secrets and the pain. That's what made me into the person I may yet become."
I angrily wipe at the tears in my eyes "now respectfully Headmaster I would like you to leave. This is my spot and it's nearly my seventeenth birthday. I want to be alone."
Dumbledore watches me his face unreadable, he nods his head slowly as he begins to walk towards the staircase, turning back he offers me a very sad, small smile.
"You are right Angelica, we all let you down. You can't let that define you however, your love and your soul is what makes you into the person you become. Your mother was full of love, light and goodness, I know you say you have no connection to her but you do. Your heart is every part her and not your father." He turns and begins to walk down the staircase looking back at me one last time "happy seventeenth birthday may this year bring you the answers you seek."