corrupted | sirius black

prologue

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Daela Riddle stared out of the train window, watching as the landscape blurred into a mosaic of greens and browns. The rhythmic clatter of the Hogwarts Express on the tracks was a constant, almost hypnotic backdrop to her thoughts. This journey was unlike any she had undertaken before.

It wasn't merely a trip to a school—it was a mission, a chance to prove her worth to the only figure who had ever mattered to her: her father, Voldemort.

Growing up, Daela had always felt the weight of her isolation. Hidden away from the world, shielded by layers of secrecy and darkness, she had been fed on tales of bravery and heroism that she knew did not fit her own narrative. Those stories, which spoke of saviors and noble deeds, were foreign to her reality.

She was not a hero. She was a shadow, a tool of vengeance. Everything she did was driven by self-interest and her unwavering loyalty to her father's cause.

Her father had rarely spoken of her mother. The stories she had gathered were fragments—disjointed pieces from the past that painted a picture of a woman whose memory had been eclipsed by the Dark Lord's rise to power. All Daela knew was that her mother and father had once walked the hallowed halls of Hogwarts together, long before he became the figure feared as Voldemort. The absence of her mother's presence in her father's life was a void that Daela had grown accustomed to, but it never ceased to gnaw at her curiosity.

Now, as she sat on the train, her resolve was steeled by the gravity of her mission. This was her chance to step out of the shadows and into the limelight. For the first time, she had an opportunity to prove herself—not just to her father, but to herself. She had been trained in isolation, hidden from the world's scrutiny, and she was determined not to squander this chance. Failure was not an option.

As the Hogwarts Express continued its journey toward its destination, Daela's thoughts were a maelstrom of determination and apprehension. She knew that the path ahead would be fraught with challenges and dangers. Yet, her resolve was unshakable. She would not let anything or anyone stand in her way. This was her moment to prove her worth and earn the approval of the only person whose opinion mattered to her.

Her gaze fixed ahead, Daela's heart raced with a mixture of anticipation and cold resolve. The shadows of her past would not define her; she would carve her own path, and nothing or no one would deter her from her mission.