The atmosphere was tense at the Wright Manor. When Helena and Andrew thought that their daughter would spend her Christmas with them after many years, they were very delighted. But little did they know that Maybelle had gotten herself into trouble once again and they had no choice but to solve it.
"They deserve to go to Askaban!" Maybelle raised her voice as her hand came down on the wooden table, producing a loud banging sound throughout the empty dining hall.
"If they are sent to Askaban, what do you think will happen to Peter? Where will he stay. He is not old enough to take over the business. Do you want him to live in an orphanage, Maybelle?" Andrew asked, trying his very best to control his rising temper.
"He would stay with his grandmother. We can look after their business till he is old enough. Please, I promised him that I will get him out of there," she pleaded.
"Andrew," Helena finally spoke, "I think Belle is right. We should not let a child suffer like that. Maybe those murderers will kill him too..."
Andrew pursed his lips and started considering his options. None of the ladies spoke a word. Andrew could be pretty scary if he wanted to.
"I will see what I can do. For now, let's have a peaceful dinner," he stated after a long pause.
Maybelle opened her lips and closed them again. She wondered if she should tell him the other important thing.
After hesitating for a while, she finally opened her mouth, "There is this other thing..."
A sigh came out of Andrew's lips. He glanced up expectantly.
"I was...kind of...chased by...a bunch of wizards," she mused, still weary of telling him the exact details.
"What do you mean?"
Fudge it! Just spit it out Leo.
"I went to Hogsmeade and then I followed Tom into the Mirk alley. You know Tom right? My only friend from wool's orphanage. Yeah, we have developed a friendship, sort of. Anyways, so the scary looking witches and wizards were saying something to me about lakes and murders and then I saw Tom being attacked. And then I jumped on top of the two huge men to save him. The-"
"You did what?!" Andrew interrupted.
"Wait, I'm getting there. Where was I again? Oh yeah. I jumped at them and they fell. So, I ran with Tom but then we were cornered once again. So I broke into an antique shop and we hid inside the closet until they were gone," she finished and took a deep breath. She flashed an innocent grin towards the man who looked kind of constipated.
It was almost funny how his face changed from shocked to disbelief and then anger.
"Oh! I almost forgot," Maybelle exclaimed, "Those men were from The Alliance."
"WHAT?!" he shouted and Helena looked like she was a fish out of water.
"The Alliance as in the followers of Grindelwald?"
"Yes."
Silence.
Helena was glaring at her food filled plate and Andrew looked calm. Too calm.
Maybelle was scared, to be honest. All her time in the Wright household, Andrew and Helena had been nothing but kind to her. Sure, they got into petty fights but those always happened in a family.
But that very moment, Andrew looked pissed.
After a very long and uncomfortable silence, Andrew decided to talk.
"You are not going back to Hogwarts."
He waited for the girl to start screaming and shouting but she just looked shocked. Her eyes were wide open. She tried to speak up for a few times but nothing came out of her mouth.
"I will speak with headmaster Dippet personally. Now go to your room," he finished.
Maybelle blinked. She suddenly felt suffocated in that large dining room. Her face melted into a blank look. She was simply out of thoughts.
"Don't step outside the manor either. It's too dangerous now," Andrew finally gave his last order and left the dining room.
Helena gave her a sad look. She looked guilty.
"He will come around, Belle. I will talk to him and-"
"He's doing it for me, Helena. I understand. But I cannot stay trapped this time. I have to save someone else from becoming a monster," she cut her off.
With that, Maybelle left the tense dining hall. Her mind wondered around the problems she would face and the choices she would have to make. Either she would choose herself or complete her part of the bargain.
The choice was quite obvious.
Maybelle went inside her room and sat at her desk with a quill and some parchment. She had a sudden urge to write down her situation. Zayden was certainly not an option. He would be scared and tell Andrew about everything. The only other friend that she had was Tom.
She did promise him that she would write often. He certainly wouldn't mind even though it had been a day only.
So, she started writing down her train of thoughts.
Dear Tom,
You certainly cannot expect me to be formal and write about your good health. I know it had just been a day but I really need someone to hear me out.
I am not coming back to Hogwarts.
Maybelle stopped there. Did she really want him to know?
With a quiet groan. She crumpled that piece of parchment and burned it with her magic.
Riddle,
I know you already miss me. So, I decided to put an end to your very boring life. You're welcome.
Remember that boy who was sitting with me in the train? His name is Peter. A polite boy. He is getting abused at home. His own aunt is responsible for that.
That greedy women deserves to rot in the cells of Askaban.
Seeing Peter, I felt like I should help him. Not because I pity him. But because I know what he has been through and I am able to get him out of there.
What do you think?
Your most favourite person in the world,
Maybelle.
The girl heaved a sigh. She knew Tom would never take the letter seriously. She whistled lightly and Ignis flew and landed on her table. She hooted lovingly.
The messy haired girl stroke her crimson feathers and fed her some peanuts. She rolled up her little letter and tied it with a green ribbon.
"Take this to Wool's orphanage to Mr. Tom Riddle, okay? And I hope you are not biting Cerebus again," she joked earning a hoot of protest from the bird.
She opened her windows to let the bird fly away. Just before Ignis could leap out into the sky, a slight snap of fingers was heard in her quiet room. Her poor owl was thrown back into the cage with some force which made her yelp in surprise. She turned her head to see Rolim, her house elf standing in the middle of her room.
"Rolim! What is going on?!" She almost screamed on top of her lungs.
"Master Andrew has ordered me to prevent you from sending any owl. It could be dangerous Miss Maybelle," the poor house elf looked sad.
Maybelle knew that it was not his fault. He was just following orders. But she couldn't help it. Anger booked in her blood as she stood up from her desk.
Even if it was for her safety, keeping her like a prisoner inside her own house could not be the only solution.
"Where is he?" She asked, trying to maintain her calm demeanor.
"Master Andrew has left to further investigate the situation. Until then, it is under you best impression to stay inside the house, miss Maybelle," Rolim informed with a bow.
Maybelle was speechless. Never in her entire life did she feel that helpless. Tears threatened to pour out of her eyes.
"Get out, Rolim," she ordered softly.
"Miss Maybelle-"
"I said get out!"
Poor Rolim flinched back at her harsh tone and decided to vanish from her room. She heaved a frustrated sigh and grabbed a fistful of her hair.
If Andrew was after Grindelwald, things could turn very wrong, very fast. On the other hand, Tom had found out about his parents sooner than expected. He would surely be after the chamber of secrets.
She had to do something. Andrew was important to her. She would never be able to forgive herself if something would happen to him. Tom was important to her too. He was a part of a bargain, but as time passed he had become a friend to her, maybe even more.
Her tired body slumped on the bed. Her body telling her to sleep but her mind being too busy overthinking, it was almost impossible.
The tears that were burning the corners of her eyes finally poured out. The thought of never going back to Hogwarts was making it difficult to breathe. If only she had not agreed with Voldemort that night, things would've played differently.
•••••••••••••••
Tom was wide awake on his squeaky bed. The children of the orphanage were already asleep. He was the oldest one staying there. Even Mrs. Cole was getting tired of him.
People who usually came for adoption never even tried speaking with him. He was just stuck in that wretched place, either cleaning or helping Mrs. Cole with the lights.
It was already the third week of their winter holidays. Tom was staring at the curtained window. It was snowing outside as it was Christmas Eve. The children at the orphanage were given clothes and warm sweaters from the charity as their Christmas gifts. Tom never showed interest in those. He was always content with the few clothes he owned, though they were getting too small and tight for his growing body.
His pools of dark orbs fell on his owl. Suddenly, the image of a messy haired girl invaded his train of thoughts. A frown fell upon his face. Was he really expecting her to send letters at all? People break promises. He had encountered many of them.
But he couldn't help but think that she was in trouble. There were dangerous people after her. Then again, the other part of his mind assumed that she has already forgotten him.
Maybelle Wright was from a prestigious family. She knew people who were far better that him. People who were gentlemen and wore expensive clothings. People who would rather buy expensive gowns than steal some chocolate cookies for her. She would not need to remember an orphan like him.
He should not be bothered even.
He had a goal in his mind and things were going just according to his plans. He needed to focus on that.
And just like that, the heir of Slytherin closed his eyes, his mind still running around his plan to be the greatest wizard of all time. However, after many years of having dreamless nights, a nightmare bloomed.
Tom looked around calmly. He was not aware that he was in a dream. That was what usually happened when you tend to get stuck in your own head.
He was walking inside a very dark place. It was dark but he could see everything clearly. It somehow made sense to him. It was like he was in the middle of a huge endless room.
His eyes glanced down to see his feet. To his surprise, it was not a floor. Instead he was walking on water that was also dark.
His ears picked up a soft voice that was humming away a soothing tune. Though it was a dream, he quickly recognised the voice. It belonged to Maybelle.
As if his feet had gained a mind of their own, they started to walk towards the sound. His eyes focused on her familiar figure, except, her wild hair was combed neatly. It used to reach till her shoulder but now it fell on her back like a raven halo.
She was singing while sitting next to a bed. He squinted his eyes to figure out who was sleeping on the huge bed.
He walked closer, until he was just beside her. Her singing suddenly stopped.
"It's all my fault," she whispered, followed by some sniffing.
Tom frowned and glanced at the man who had several bandages running along his arms and head.
"No," the girl whispered once again.
"It's all your fault..." She trailed off.
Suddenly, she was on him. Her frail fingers were wrapped around his neck. Her blood shot eyes were glaring daggers at her as her tears looked like liquid diamonds on her cheeks.
"It's all you fault, Tom! You lead me here! You made me walk into the trap!" She screamed on and on.
Tom just stared at her with a bewildered face. He could feel no pressure on his neck. But he felt pain on his chest. It was more than just any pain. It was like thousands of knives were ripping his chest into shreds.
All of a sudden, Maybelle let go of him. She turned her head around as if looking for something.
"No," she gasped. Her armed curled around the collar of his shirt.
"Tom," she turned and looked deep into his eyes. He wanted to reply seeing the raw fear in those warm brown orbs. But his voice was caught in his throat. He tried to wrap his arms around her but it went right through. But her own grip tightened.
"Tom, she's here. Sh-she wants to take me away," she whispered in a hurry.
"I don't want to go, Tom," she whimpered out and buried her face into his chest.
Tom once again wrapped his arms around her but they slipped right through. He desperately wanted to feel her warmth against him. The very fact would seem very silly in the next morning.
Without any warning, Maybelle's body was suddenly pulled into the dark water. Tom immediately fell down on his knees, trying to reach towards her outstretched hand. But the water felt solid under his touch. He could only see Maybelle going deeper and deeper into the water. Her muffled screams were not reaching his ears.
His tight fists were banging against the water surface, clawing blindly to dig a hole and reach her.
But all his attempts just gave out the same result. He lost her.
Forever...
Tom jolted awake from his slumber. The nightmare already vanished from the pages of his memory. But the feeling remained. The feeling of loss and desperation. Feelings that he never had felt nor did he understand.
He wiped his sweaty forehead feeling all sticky and gross. His white shirt clung into his wet body. He ran his fingers through his curly mass of hair.
The curtains on his window rattled, gaining his attention. The cold winter wind sipped through the big crack on the glass.
He could tell that it was almost morning. His tired figure flopped back on his bed. He tried to block out his thoughts. It was the only solution he could think of in order to stop the horrible feeling of emptiness in his heart.
He forced his eyes shut and just waited for the light to break out.
A/N: things got a bit intense👀