1989 I WTM I PJO/HP

Out of The Woods

Are we out of the woods yet? Are we out of the woods?
Are we in the clear yet? Are we in the clear yet?
Are we in the clear yet, in the clear yet? Good

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CW/TW: racism, abuse against children, voldemort, murder of sibling.

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the shock of the revelation still hung around the stale air, but the magic didn't allow it to hang around any longer, as the movie started to play again.

"you filthy bitch! come back here right now!" a young boy screamed. black hair. sharp features. silver eyes mixed with flecks of brown making them look like muddy lakes.

"asshole! wait for your turn" a girl said. she had caramel hair with silver eyes clear and calm as lakes. pale, ghostly skin. melanie fawley, or rather, riddle.

the adults in the room were shocked by the vocabulary used by the six year old child, and her brother, who looked like he was sixteen. melanie still didn't come back to the hall, and anitha looked down, drowning in her guilt. regulus looked at the screen sharply, like an eagle, and so did the other family members, disowned or not.

she ran towards the busy street, finding the cracks in the crowd and squeezing through them. finally, she reached a market, where she got all her essentials. walking back home, she hummed a tune, which she could faintly remember her mother singing for her.

"you will do many great things, melanie" she whispered from afar. "great things. you are a gift from the gods."

"whatever gods those are, they clearly don't know how to bless people with a happy life" she mumbled under her breath, as she went to the kitchen of her house and started arranging the stuff she bought.

"mistress" her house elf appeared, startling her. "master riddle has called you"

"pablo" she replied, her eyes widening, "father has told you a million times not to call him that! you could be in trouble!"

"wow" sirius mumbled. "she actually cares about him?"

entering the dreaded room, melanie positioned herself so that she faced her father's back. turning to face her, tom riddle sneered, his face deathly pale, his hands like skeletons, his eyes blood red.

"melanie" he called, approaching her steadily, his voice like a snake ready to bite. "how many times have i told you" he said, grabbing the girl's neck, "not to go out without my PERMISSION" he howled like a wolf. a creature incapable of love. a sanguine monster. he threw her to the wall, whose hands didn't catch her, but let her fall to the floor. blood bloomed on her knee.

the audience either closed their eyes or turned away.

at a distance, behind her father, she sighted her brother, who had a finger on his lips.

"CRUCIO!" her father cried. melanie screamed. she felt her bones twist, pushing each other to tear through her flesh. joints, creaking like wooden flooring. her ribs, dancing to protect her heart. her blood, rushing to her brain. her nerves, mingling and twisting with each other till they formed bundles. her eyes widening with pain. her throat, pushing her cracking voice out. her lungs, clenching to let air in. she felt thousands of needles pierce her skin. she felt blood flowing out of her like distributaries of a river.

"that. is. horrifying" aphrodite muttered, her hair crazed.

"and definitely not good for health. she might die!" apollo alerted. the whole room held its breath.