Beauty and the Beast

chapter fifteen

October 8, 1949

Samantha was lying down at home, the kicks of her child bothering slightly. It was a son, confirmed. Quite an interesting fact was that one of Octan Black's relatives was also expecting a son. Of course, Raine had told her that. Tom was sitting by the foot of the bed, looking out the window and noticing the changing of the leaves' color. "Our son is going to be such a cute kid," he smiled.

"And by the feels of it, one heck of a beater," Samantha joked. Both of them gave a good laugh. The brunette stood up and kissed Sam's forehead. "I have business matters to assess somewhere," he told his wife. He was getting a professional to finally destroy his horcrux. What he did not know was that the man working there had come down with a horrible illness the previous day. The man soon left, leaving Samantha all alone at home.

The blonde went to put some things in her child's room that she hadn't added earlier, such as a small teddy bear. She was humming quietly, imagining the day she would bring her son home. It was a happy thought, a likely hope for the future. But Adam Carlsen had not forgotten his quarrel with Tom two years prior. He wanted to make the man pay for what he did. He had dreams of being the greatest wizard of all time. And Tom seemed to be the only man in the way. "Alohamora," Adam spoke quietly. He came into the residence and noticed that Tom was not there, by just a pure feeling. Perhaps there was something inside he could take. To make the man suffer the way he had under the Cruciatus curse. He tiptoed around until he heard the woman's humming. Silently approaching, he looked in the doorway. "That's his wife," he thought to himself. "The only thing that heartless man loves. The perfect price." Adam took his wand out and stepped into the room. "Avada Kedavra!" He shouted. A green light shot through the room, hitting the 22 year old as she turned around. Samantha fell dead onto the floor.

Adam quickly left the residence in order to not be caught. If he knew one thing, he wanted to avoid conflict to the best of his ability. Tom had already seen the 'CLOSED' sign on the shop as he drove back home, only to find the front door wide open. He panicked and rushed inside. The first place the man checked was the master bedroom, then the bathroom. He searched many places until he walked into the child's room. The man found his wife's body on the carpet, lifeless. He couldn't believe his own eyes as tears escaped them. "No... no... why her? Why?" He sobbed, falling on his knees. Tom let out a scream. "WHY!" He yelled. After attempting to calm himself down, he called the wizardly authorities. They called a detective, who used a time turner and invisibility cloak to witness the murder without being in the way. A second later, he was back. "The killer was a man named Adam Carlsen. I recognized him. Seen 'em in Knockturn Alley a few months ago," the wizard informed everyone. Tom's hands clenched into a fist. He was going to find and kill the man who murdered his wife. He no longer cared about destroying the horcrux. His life of love was gone.

Burying the young adult was not easy for anyone. Raine was still shocked that it had really happened. But it was the reality. Many attempted to console the widower. But nothing seemed to work. His emotions would not change. Lilac missed her older sister an unspeakable amount. Mr. and Mrs. Dalton mourned heavily. Nothing grieves a parent more than knowing someone killed their child and there is no way to bring them back. Knowing they will not return for the next holiday. Albus Dumbledore and Armando Dippet were in attendance of the funeral. "It is a tragedy, what happened to her," Albus discussed to Armando, Roger, and Amelia . "Something that should never happen to anyone."

"Such a bright witch, she was. Gone way before her time," Professor Dippet added. All around, deep despair was felt.

"WANTED" posters were placed everywhere, calling to find Adam Carlsen. For the Chudley Cannons, things were not looking well. That season, they performed absolutely horrible. They were low in spirit and did not have any motivation to play. They'd lost a friend and a teammate when Samantha had died.

Raine continued her job as an auror to capture and punish people like the man who had killed her best friend. She wanted to keep children like her fiancé's relative that was soon to be born, Sirius. She wanted to make a difference in the world.

Lilac continued her studies. It became difficult to focus when she constantly thought about her sister. Her grief was so heavy that she often went straight to bed after doing homework instead of socializing, like she would normally do.

November 17, 1949

Tom was walking around a comrade's neighborhood when he spotted a familiar face. For a second, he thought he was insane. It was Adam, collecting his mail. Hidden in plain sight. Tom ran over and grabbed Adam by the neck, dragging him inside. "You... you killed my wife!" He shouted

Adam laughed, "Only so much time before you found out."

"You killed my son too..." he spoke bitterly.

"What are you going to do about it, Riddle?" The man taunted. Tom used his foot to pin Carlsen to the ground as he cast, "CRUCIO!" He then used a cloth to muffle the man's screams. The brunette man stood five feet away before he announced, "Time for the grand finale!" AVADA KEDAVRA!"

Adam fell dead as Tom fled the scene. There was no one there to contact the detective, so they just assumed it was a suicide.

April 10, 1953

That would not be the last person Tom would kill. Voldemort was his new name. And he was heartless. He went on to destroy anyone who did him wrong, or anyone that was a threat to his power. He made even more horcruxes so that he could continue with his life as long as he could. In his head, he was avenging Samantha.

One night, Raine approached Tom, whose eyes were slowly turning red, and his nose changing shape. "Tom Marvolo Riddle. I know, you're still angry about your wife's death all those years ago. And I know you want to eliminate everyone who accidentally tripped in front of you. But you shouldn't. I'm begging you, Tom. Sam wouldn't want this. She would want you to be happy. To merely miss her, but not be angry and vile. Do you want her to be disappointed in you?" She questioned.

"I don't care anymore. Samantha is dead and gone. The words broke Raine's heart. How could Tom have forgotten how real his love for his wife had been all those years ago? So she just hoped that somehow, Tom would change his ways. But that hope never came true.

Lilac walked towards the cemetery where Samantha was buried. She was now nineteen. "It's a dark world now, Sammy," she told the headstone. "Everything is chaotic. Tom... he's going mad. Your friends have tried to stop him but... I'm afraid that it is far too late now. Oh, I wish you were here. You were the only one who could tame the beast, it seems."

Amelia, then, had been diagnosed with cancer. It was devastating news. She had been worn down mentally from all the grieving after her daughter's death. She once spoke, "I'm ready to see Sammy again." But somehow, she lived. The Dalton family no longer talked to Tom, since they knew what he had become. Somehow, they knew that Tom had given them a free pass for safety from him. Perhaps he hadn't had totally forgotten about how much Samantha met to him. But there was no guarantees.

This is the story of Samantha (Dalton) Riddle and her legacy. After her untimely death, she was added to many quidditch books as a list of players who died too soon. "She was believed to have likely become one of the best players in many, many years during her time. Although she never reached that peak, she will still be remembered as one of the most skilled seekers of her time," one of the books read. Professor Slughorn never forgot the blonde's intelligence and knowledge of potions. Hagrid was told about how Samantha had begged Professor Dippet to let him back into the school, about a month after her death. He'd always known that Samantha's heart was much, much kinder than Tom's. Everyone around her had tales about her life, and she was not forgotten by anyone who was close to her.

THE END