Fear of a Name

Chapter Three: Diagon Alley

I was woken the next morning by Mother yelling that if I wasn't up in the next minute then she was going to use the Cruciatus Curse on me, as usual. I got up, magically did my long, black hair into a French plait, magically brushed my teeth and changed into a clean set of ragged robes that were once my mother's.

"IVORY RIDDLE! COME HERE NOW!" my father shouted commandingly.
I ran up the stairs two at a time and came to a halt at the door, where I walked to him fearfully, well aware that the few Death Eaters that stayed at the Manor overnight would enjoy seeing my terror as my father spoke to me.
"Y-yes, Father?" I asked, trying to keep my breathing quiet.
"I have decided to allow you to go to Hogwarts."

I looked at him as if he had just sprouted an extra head, or something equally peculiar, so great was my shock.
"However, you go on two conditions: one, you will apparate here every Sunday and speak with me. Two, you will not befriend any Mudbloods, blood-traitors, or Harry Potter. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Father."

"Bella will take you to Diagon Alley later to get your school supplies. Act like a true Riddle, or I may rethink my decision. Understood?"
"Yes, Father."
"Good. Now go back to your room and put something more acceptable on."
"Yes, Father."

I turned and walked back down to my cell, not believing my luck. I was finally allowed to go to Hogwarts! I smiled as I thought of an outfit and clicked my fingers. Instantly, I was wearing a long, black dress with dark green gloves and shoes. It was a fitting outfit for the daughter of the Dark Lord, and I knew people would fear me if I even looked their way. Being the daughter of Lord Voldemort and Bellatrix Lestrange meant that everyone was afraid of me, and I didn't like that, but I knew I had to keep up the pretence that I was evil like my parents while I was at Diagon Alley today, otherwise I wouldn't be allowed to go to Hogwarts.

About an hour later, Mother came down to my cell, pulled me to the bottom of the stairs, and apparated into the Leaky Cauldron with me. Everyone went quiet as they saw us, and a few people visibly shuddered as I followed Bellatrix through the back door and into a walled courtyard, just a bit bigger than my room back at the Manor. I saw her tap the brick three up and two across, and then I gasped quietly as the bricks started to move around, finally settling in place to form an arch.

"Follow me, and remember, act like a Riddle, or else the Dark Lord won't be pleased," she hissed, pointing her wand at me behind her back. "Understood?"
"Yes, Mother," I murmured back, before stepping through the archway and into Diagon Alley.

I followed her to Gringotts, marvelling at everything. I had only ever been allowed out of the Manor once before, and that was to get my apparition licence. Yes, I know I'm too young to have one, but that's what happens when your father is Lord Voldemort and your mother is Bellatrix Lestrange: you get things you shouldn't have.

I saw a sign on the door to Gringotts, the letters glittering gold:
Enter, stranger, but take heed
Of what awaits the sin of greed,
For those that take, but do not earn,
Must pay most dearly in their turn,
So if you seek beneath our floors
A treasure that was never yours,
Thief, you have been warned, beware
Of finding more than treasure there.

I shuddered at the sight of the goblins; some of them reminded me of Wormtail, that filthy traitor. I had heard all about his faked death, his betrayal of the Potters, and how he'd got an innocent man locked up in Azkaban while I was eavesdropping on a few Death Eaters' conversation when I was six.

"Miss Riddle wishes to enter her vault."
Mother's harsh voice brought me out of my memories and back to reality. We were standing in front of a goblin, who was sneering at me.
Disgusting creature! Does he not know who I am?
I had always hated goblins, but I didn't know why.
"And does Miss Riddle have her key?"

I produced a solid silver key, moulded perfectly to look like a miniature snake was curled around the key at the top, and gave it to the goblin, who looked at me in fright. I didn't need to ask why. That key was my father's; it was said to have been passed down from Salazar Slytherin himself, although nobody could prove it. The goblins had learned to fear it.
"V-very well, Madam Riddle, Madam Lestrange, I will be back shortly with another goblin to take you to your vault."
He bustled away quickly, and I called after him, "I don't like to be kept waiting!"
Mother nodded at me, so I was clearly "living up to the Riddle name", whatever that actually meant.

A few minutes later, another goblin came and took us to the cart. It was a wild ride to my father's vault, for it seemed to be in the very centre of the earth. I put the key in the lock, and the door opened, revealing a second door, this one with metal snakes around the edge. My father had told me about this.
"I am Ivory Ferali Riddle, heir of Slytherin, daughter of Lord Voldemort," I said in parseltongue, "and I bring Death Eater Bellatrix Lestrange."

At once, the snakes began to move into the middle of the door, forming a circle, before opening it up completely. I stood there and stared in wonder, but, on seeing Bellatrix retrieving her wand from her robes, I hastily stuffed about a hundred Galleons into my purse, which had an undetectable extension charm on it, as well as a few Dark curses to make sure the money didn't fall into the wrong hands.

"We are done in here, please close," I said in parseltongue as I left the vault. The door closed and the snakes went back to the edges, waiting for the next time they would be required to open it. Mother closed the second door and I locked it, taking the key and putting it in my purse along with the money. Then, being driven by a terrified goblin, we took the cart back up to the main lobby area of Gringotts and stepped out into the sunshine.