The Fearsome Name of Riddle

Forbidden Forest

Abraxas Malfoy didn't speak with his sister often. It wasn't that she was unfriendly towards him, more that she seemed uninterested. Being four years apart in age, he found that they shared very little in common and their paths rarely crossed at school. After their mother died, Victoria grew more and more distant. With her engagement and intrinsic entanglement with Tom Riddle, Abraxas could feel that the day was coming when Victoria would step away from him completely. 

He shouldn't find her intimidating but as Abraxas stood behind his sister he could feel his heart racing against his chest. She sat in the Slytherin common room, relaxed on one of the long green leather sofas looking out at the large windows. Abraxas pushed mid-length blonde waves back from his face as he took a deep breath, praying for her good mood, and stepped into her field of view. 

"What do you want?" Victoria had barely glanced up from her book when Abraxas had drawn breath to speak. Her voice was cold like it was with anyone that wasn’t close to her. It stung a little. 

“Are you well?” he asked, fiddling with his shirt sleeves. 

His sister had taken ill and refused treatment from the hospital wing. Her secretive nature had been worsening and he worried. 

Victoria glanced up at him with an apprehensive frown. “I'm fine.”

She watched him without another word. He had to assume she thought him a spy for their father. Despite her orders, Tom Riddle remained her fiancé and Abraxas received letters near daily asking of his sister. 

"I wanted to… ask you something." Abraxas breathed slowly, focusing on a calm composure as if she was their father and demanded perfect decorum at all times. 

"Go on then." Victoria put down her book and met his eyes which made him shudder slightly but somehow her frown put him at ease. She seemed confused as to why he would be scared to speak to her. 

"I've lost my wand," Abraxas told her, sitting down on the sofa opposite her. She laughed at his admittance which only annoyed him. "I lost it and a Ravenclaw girl picked it and now she won't give it back." 

A single eyebrow raised, Victoria contained her laughter with a smile. "You were disarmed by a little girl?" 

"That's not what happened," Abraxas snapped, his knees tight together as he sat at the edge of his seat. "I misplaced my wand and she picked it up." 

"Of course." Victoria rolled her eyes, leaning back with her arm outstretched along the back of the sofa. "And you want me to do what? Go and win your battles for you? Are you incapable of defending yourself?" 

"She's older than me." Abraxas looked down at his feet, avoiding her judgemental eyes. "She's in fifth year and she said that if I went crying to you she'd snap it. Father would disown me." 

Victoria's smirk dropped, her glare was dangerous. "Why?" 

"She's mug- she's a mudblood, a mudblood took my wand and father will disinherit me for being weak." Abraxas's voice cracked as he spoke, Victoria could see the tears forming in his eyes. "I'm being bullied by a mudblood and I can't even defend myself. I should be disinherited."

"Abraxas," Victoria said with a chilled calmness, a hand reached over to rest on his shoulder. "Where is this girl? Do you know?" 

The fourteen year old boy shook his head, those blonde waves bouncing around his young face. Her chest tightened, her temper rising with a fury of pride. 

"That's alright," Victoria reassured him, ruffling his hair a little roughly as she stood up. "I will handle it." 

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