Merope Riddle Jr

Chapter Five

Tom Riddle's P.O.V
July 31st 1981
It's been a year since Cadmus was taken from us, well me. Penelope went into mourning for months. A year, today. Not eating, or washing and from what the house elves tell me no sleeping either. She had confined herself to the nursery. I hadn't seen her since when I found her. On the floor sobbing, I carried her to the house elves where they patched her up, and then she disappeared into the nursery.
I sat in the throne room, waiting for Severus to bring news on the whereabouts of my son. Suddenly he came crashing through the entrance hall doors.
"My Lord!" he panted, "I've found him, your son. He's with the Potters, I don't know where, but they've, well they've," he paused as if gauging my reaction, "adopted him, his name is Harry James Potter, he has two green eyes and dark birds nest like hair."
"Blood adoption," I murmured to myself, "of course Dumbledore would use blood magic, now he is practically their son, but, not in the eyes of the goblins or the law, technically."
I began preparing a plan, that would see my son returned to me. Suddenly a house elf popped into the room,
"Master Riddle," Tilly spoke urgently, "you must come with Tilly to the nursery, Mistress Penny is sick, we must help her!"
I panicked, no, I couldn't loose Penny too, I can't loose Cadmus and Penny. I won't. I drew my wand and turned to run to the nursery, when Tilly stopped me.
"No Master, she warded the room, when she went in 12 months ago, we must use elf magics." She held out her hand for me to take, I grabbed the tiny hand in my large clammy one as she apparated us into the nursery.
I immediately rushed to Penelope's side, she was extremely underweight, to the point where you could clearly see all her bones, and her usually heart-shaped face, was bony a d pointed. Her skin was too pale, her once healthy glow was replaced with a sickly yellow tinge on paper. The worst were her eyes, they were so, lifeless. Dead. She looked dead.
"What happened to her, I thought you were looking after her!"
Tilly looked scared, "Tilly was looking after Mistress Penny, but then Mistress started screaming, when Tilly went, an old man with a long beard was standing over Mistress, muttering. When he saw Tilly, he tried to kill Tilly with green light, but Tilly banished him."
I softened my gaze, Tilly was only trying to protect Penelope, and she nearly died for us. "Thank you, Tilly. I am most pleased with your actions, but now we must get her to Narcissa, she will know what to do."

Tilly nodded as I picked up Penelope, who was even skinnier and more sickly than before, and Tilly apparated us to Malfoy Manor.