Tom Riddle had a secret - he had murdered his family. Arabella Chambers knew his secret - she had witnessed it.
After Tom Riddle kills Arabella Chambers, he steals her wand for safekeeping. But, unexpectedly, Arabella shows up at Hogwarts, very much...
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Arabella was usually the centre of attention. Life of the party. But this party was dedicated to her life and as grateful she was, she couldn't bring herself to enjoy it all that much.
She stood at the edge of the room with Edmund, the two of them leaning against the stone wall. The music and chatter of the party faded into the background as they watched the others. Izar was juggling glass baubles, trying to make Holly Hawthorne from Ravenclaw laugh, while Valerie chased Abraxas around after he'd snatched one of her poppies.
"You look deep in thought," Edmund said, his tone casual.
Arabella gave him a sidelong glance. "I'm always deep in thought."
"True. But this feels different. How are you really feeling, Bella?"
Her shoulders tensed, and she looked away, pretending to focus on the banner above the fireplace. "I'm fine. It's just another day."
"You're not fine," he said quietly. His voice was gentle but firm.
Arabella exhaled, her fingers curling into the fabric of her skirt. "How am I supposed to feel, Edmund? Another year of pretending. Pretending to care about birthdays, about milestones that I'll never reach. Everyone else grows up, grows old, but I'm... stuck. Forever."
Edmund didn't interrupt, letting her words hang in the air.
"I hate it," she admitted. "The immortality, the never aging... I hate all of it. I can't even... end it. Month after month, year after year. And I'm just stuck. I can't even drink human blood."
She caught his expression and added, "No offence. But my entire existence is cursed. I cannot die, I cannot drink the very thing I was sent here for. Do you know what that's like? To want to die but not be able to?"
His gaze softened and he placed a hand on her shoulder. "No. I don't. But... I'm here. Just like how you're here for me during the full moons."
She gave him a tight smile.
After a pause, he asked, "What did you wish for? When you blew out the candles? Well, when you extinguished them with a spell."
She hesitated, her lips pressing into a thin line. "At first... death."
The words lingered between them.
"But I realised that was foolish. Then, I thought to wish for my curse to be gone. And then I realised that was even more foolish. If I want my curse gone, I can do that myself. Wishes don't come true, especially not from birthday cakes. That's for children. I'm not a child, Edmund. It's stupid. I will lift my curse myself, I will get revenge on Albus myself and I will live for the rest of eternity all by myself. Because that's all I have. I'm all I have. So, no. I didn't wish for anything."
He didn't argue with her, just stood there quietly, offering her the only comfort he could: his presence. And for a moment, that was enough.
