The Story of Sheila Riddle (Harry Potter Fanfic)

Chapter 31

Eleven-year-old Sheila stood in the ruins of her old lab, feeling a rush of memories. She grasped the cloak she wore tighter around herself. It was the dead of night.

She stepped forward, remembering where she had placed the bottle of ashes eleven years ago. She had needed to make sure it was still there, still safe. Sure enough, there it was, tucked away in a niche in one of the broken walls. She gave a sigh of relief and turned to leave. A sudden shudder gripped her. It had gotten unexpectedly colder. Sheila looked around quickly, sensing someone's presence. There was no one in sight.

Suddenly she felt a blinding pain and everything went dark. When the scenery reformed itself before her gaze, it looked as though she were peering through the eyes of another.  She hit the ground, writhing in agony. She felt like she'd been pierced by a thousand knives. A voice echoed in her head, overtaking the sound of her own screams.

"Daughter," it said, "Daughter. Find her. Sheila..."

All at once, the pain stopped, and Sheila was looking through her own eyes again. She blinked rapidly a couple times, taking in her surroundings, making sure there was nothing unusual there.

She knew exactly who had spoken to her. Tom. And he had been telling her something very important.

He had a daughter. A daughter. Questions swarmed Sheila's mind. He'd had a daughter when, and with who? Why had he never told her? Why did he want her to find his daughter now?

Sheila Apparated to Godric's Hollow, where she soon found the dilapidated old home of the Potter family, the place where Harry's parents had died. She went in and sat down to wait for Barty to show. It wasn't long before she heard approaching footsteps and saw a dark-haired boy poke his head into view. Without waiting, she got up and greeted him with a hug, which he returned with enthusiasm. Eleven long years...it had been torture. She felt sorry for having to put him through it, but it had been necessary.

"Glad to see you made it," Sheila said, stepping back from their embrace.

"Glad to see you. Period," Barty replied, hugging her again.

"Sorry to put a dimmer on things, but I have some interesting news. I just came from my old lab. Tom was there. He entered me. He spoke to me. He told me something...something he wants us to act on. He had a daughter, Barty. Don't ask me for the details, because I don't know. If we're going to find her, we're going to have to talk to the Malfoys. They ought to know about it."

Barty stared at her for a long time.

Then he hugged her again.