Ophelia woke up on her Birthday to see that none of her dorm mates were in her room. All she saw was a chair at the centre of the room with her favourite yellow sundress on it, appropriate under garments, socks, shoes, and her light jacket.
She pulled on each article of clothing knowing it was meant for her and made her way into the common room. Ophelia spotted a small jar of honey. She then saw a cookie. There was a trail of yellow rose petals leading out of the common room.
She followed it, a smile already warming her face. She walked out of the common room, and realized that the flowers were leading to the great hall. She followed without a care in the world, who would want to hurt her on her Birthday?
Ophelia Opened the door to the great hall to see the regular people in the hall but also a place setting with balloons and three presents awaiting her.
Primrose of course sat across from the setting. There was a Marigold in the vase and Ophelia sat down
"You didn't have to do all this." Said Ophelia smiling at her best friend, Primrose smiled warmly at her.
"I didn't. Well some, but that's the other part of your present, LOLITA!" Called Primrose and Lolita Burlington in all her glory glided into the great hall and sat down next to Ophelia.
"Feliz Complēanos Mi Amore." She said, and Ophelia hugged her tightly.
"Thank you." She said letting her go and turning to the Pancakes on her plate, "Something we've always wanted to ask you, do you spray your letters with your perfume?"
"Ci, of course, how else will you know it's from me." Said Lolita,
"Lolita Burlington, you are one classy broad."
—
"You all know Ophelia Marigold, Maybe the nicest person you will ever meet." Said Lolita raising a glass at Ophelia's Birthday party,
"And those cookies she makes!" Called Holly Harpy,
The entirety of the Gryffindor Quidditch team was there in addition to those in her year. All of the Hufflepuff seventh years were there too, and the Quidditch team of course. The only two Slytherins were Jason Finnigan, who was well on his way to being the drunkest in the room, and Dorothy Carrow
All of Ophelia's friends were here. It was a full house. She was literally never mean to people. And she baked really good cookies.
Ophelia sat in What was called the Birthday throne, blushing furiously as Lolita spoke practically to her. She had even gotten her a crown.
"But you've never seen her go shopping. Especially if the salesperson is being a dick." Said Lolita and Ophelia laughed, "Once I even heard her say to a salesperson whoever said money can't solve your problems, must not have had enough money to solve them."
The room burst with laughter,
"She also once kicked a guy who catcalled her in the Crown Jewels, hard. And that's all I have to say, Happy Birthday, Baby!"
The room was alive with chatter and music once more and Ophelia glanced at the presents at the door and the people who all showed up for her. It was nice to feel beloved.
"Oh, honey," said Primrose, noticing Ophelia's watery eyes, "If you are really shocked at how many people love you you really have never had those cookies."
"It's just nice to see, you know?" She asked and Primrose pulled her up from her seat and to the centre of the room where people were dancing. "Thank you for doing all this."
"It was no problem, now dance with me Lili darling."
"Happy to, Rosie dearest."
Ophelia was having a grand time when she felt eyes on her. It wasn't uncommon now. With her new reputation. She hated it so much.
"Where's Lita?" Asked Ophelia,
"Dunno, maybe chopping off one of Riddles testicles." The music changed songs right as Primrose said testicles the entire party was consumed with laughter.
"You said Testicles." Laughed Ophelia,
"Shut up." Said Primrose as the pair kept dancing.
—
"Tommy boy." Said Lolita as she sat down opposite Tom in the library. He grimaced and looked up at the Spanish witch who had found him. "I hear you've been fucking with Lia again."
"She ended things, I am now respecting her wishes." Said Tom, his posture straight like a rod.
Lolita leant forward a bit, "Unlike last time you mean? Making yourself sick just to get laid is a little desperate." Said Lolita raising a perfect eyebrow.
"What are you even doing here?" He asked, folding his hands in front of him.
"Well, it's Lia's birthday, Primrose thought I should make an appearance." She shrugged, "But I wanted to see you. Because getting kicked once isn't enough for what you did to Lia."
Tom stiffened and Lolita laughed, loud and mocking just like he remembered.
"I'm kidding, I'm more for psychological torment. I'm good at making people do what I want." Said Lolita.
"What do you want?" Asked Tom,
"I don't know, but you'll be the first person I tell." Said Lolita, smiling at him. "But for now, I'm going to tell you something else."
Her perfume was fragrant and It would be intoxicating if Tom didn't despise the Spanish witch so much.
"You will never not regret what you've done. Everytime you so much as see the colour yellow or smell something sweet you'll be reminded of what you lost. What you drove away. You strike me as someone with a tragedy in their past, now Lia and I also faced tragedy but we don't let it define us. You do. Dark lord or not you'll always just be a lonely little boy who grew up alone and who will die alone." Spat Lolita, venom lacing her tone, but her face gave away nothing of what was actually leaving her lips.
Tom's expression hardened,
"What did they call you when you were young, Tommy?" She asked, "Crazy? Something wrong in the head? But Lia never cared did she? About your past. With her on your arm you could've become minister. All that power. But I guess living forever is alright even if it will be a miserable life."
"Burlington, get to the point." Said Tom, trying to get her to go away.
"You're going to die, Tommy boy, one way or another. You had two options , one was dying in Ophelia Marigold's arms, the other dying as a hated and loathed dark lord with barely enough soul to get into hell." Said Lolita, her dark eyes never leaving his. "See what I mean about psychological torment?"
Tom said nothing, he looked at her he was going to bite back, "Burlington, why do you feel the need to defend a someone who rarely even thinks of you?"
"We are the same she and I." Said Lolita, "She writes me pages of letters."
"You are a work friend," said Tom, feeling the upper hand in his grasp once more, "I'm guessing it's all about what the two of you do together."
"Tommy boy, you think so little of me. I know more about her than you could ever dream to. I know all about the Marigolds. But of course you do too. You know what we were doing in Germany." Tom's face remained blank and Lolita raised her eyebrows, "you don't. Well she told me she told you. I guess you didn't believe her. I can't imagine where the relationship went wrong."
She cocked her head to the side, a sick smile rising to her face,
"What do you tell yourself to go to sleep at night, Tommy?" Asked Lolita, "All alone."
"I wonder what it is like in that head of yours." Said Tom, not wanting to lose to her of all people, "you are alone aren't you? The best you can ever hope for though is house witch. Some rich man, paying for your life."
"You really don't know who I am." Said Lolita, "You don't know my life did you ever listen to Lia? Oh right, you don't know her life either."
"Miss Burlington, I would suggest you don't make me mad." Said Tom, blood rising to his face slowly.
"What's the big bad Tom Riddle going to do to little old me? You make it so easy." Said Lolita shaking her head, "You may not know my life but I know yours, all about little Orphan Tom Riddle who killed his mummy when he came out of her Tummy. The orphanage was lonely wasn't it? Doesn't help that you were a psychopath. I bet you are wondering, what if I had met her sooner? What if my life hadn't gone straight to the garbage?"
Tom's grip tightened on his wand, as Lolita taunted him, twirling a strand of her hair around her finger.
"How do you know this," did she tell you? Did she betray me?
"Well, the Burlingtons are a very influential bunch, and we had just done a favour for the ministry so I pulled some strings and got your file. Wow you are text book psychopath aren't you? Early history of animal cruelty I mean." Said Lolita,
"Why is trying to hurt me so important to you?" He asked and she rolled her eyes, "You're jealous." He concluded, her eyes snapped to his as an indicator that he struck a nerve, "You were so angry when you heard I was bedding her again. You wanted to touch her, wake up next to her, you were alone weren't you?"
"Not as much as you were, I had a family,"
"No friends though, then you meet her in the flesh and she's warm and inviting and you think maybe just maybe, she could love you."
"I really don't need to hear your internal monologue, Tommy boy." Said Lolita, and Tom could almost scowl at how quickly he'd lost the upper hand.
"A hundred years from now, everyone will no who I am, you will fade into the background of the world." Said Tom and Lolita's eyes narrowed.
"In one hundred years you will be a cautionary tale. You will be dead. Someone so arrogant could never live forever." Said Lolita before standing up, "See you around, Tommy Boy, this was fun."
She walked away.
Tom hated her, he would kill her if there weren't so many witnesses.
—
"Somebody come get him he's dancing like a stripper!" Called Holly as Macmillan danced shirtless on the coffee table at Ophelia Marigolds eighteenth birthday.
"No tip?" Called Macmillan, who was his regular drunk self,
Ophelia was standing between Jason and Primrose, not even remotely drunk. She refused to drink because first bad decision juice and she didn't need to track down her ex today.
She laughed as Holly pulled Lolita to dance, those two would like each other.
"Having a good time?" Asked Primrose,
"The best!" Replied Ophelia as she watched the Gryffindor Quidditch team take shots.
"Have you seen Ricky?" Asked Primrose,
"No, I think he went upstairs," said Jason, "Now dance with me ladies."
"I think I'd rather go find McKenna." Said Ophelia and Jason faked hurt she shook her head, "Fine."
"How would it work with three of us?" Asked Primrose and Jason shrugged,
"Congo," he said and slowly the party morphed into a giant Congo line.
Ophelia managed to break away from the drunken idiots and got up to her old bedroom. She didn't see Ricky, but she saw a package on her old bed.
She walked over and picked it up, it was a box, she opened it to see a drawing of herself. The one from Tom Riddles diary. She picked up the card,
Because everyone deserves a present on their eighteenth Birthday.
Love,
Tom Riddle
A single tear escaped Ophelia's eye. Sometimes she forgot about who he was and what he'd done. She touched the drawing and put it in the box delicately.
Maybe things weren't so bad.
But of course that is the exact moment everything went to shit, an owl was approaching the school carrying information that would change Ophelia's world forever.
Because Burlingtons are an influential bunch. Lolita wasn't Ophelia's mark, Ophelia was hers.