Dark Dynasty || Tom Riddle

ii. greek goddesses

A few hours later Victoria had gotten everything she needed. She walked for the second time that day towards Flourish and Blotts, the greatest bookshop of Diagon Alley, but now she did so to use their fireplace for travel by the Floo Network. While she watched her reflection in the store windows, she passed a pet store and lingered. She looked into the large pockets of her cloak and still found enough galleons strumming silently. Her fist clenched around some of them and with a determined expression she entered. The store reeked a little bit, but that was to be expected. At least, everything seemed clean and the animals were taken care of.

As Victoria passed through the room she absent-mindedly caressed a ginger cat's fur while walking past her. Countless eyes, glowing in the darkness of the chamber, followed her every step. Some cats purred and the owls hooted softly. It almost sounded as if they were gossiping about the intruder. One magnificent, black owl at the back sat silently, but as Victoria neared her, she snapped her beak angrily. In a careful manner the young witch approached and when she didn't receive a further reaction Victoria lightly stroked the owl's soft feathers.

She was beautiful; her midnight black plumage sprinkled with small brown dots that were barely visible. Her yellow eyes looked menacing but prepossessing nevertheless. The owl was neither small or exceptionally large, just about the right size.

Victoria felt something moving behind her and swiftly turned around. The owl shied away at the sudden movement. In front of Victoria stood a scruffy crone with grey curls and a very round and very wrinkled face.

"This one is not for sale," she snarled.

Subsequently, the younger one raised her brow questioningly. "I'm terribly sorry, but is this not a pet shop?"

"It is."

"And why can't I purchase this owl, then," she asked, falsely sweet.

"Tis damn owl is nothing but trouble. I've sold her three times already and three times she got returned," the old witch explained.

"Well, I still want her," Victoria demanded, receiving a suspicious look from the woman.

"I won't take her back this time," she made clear. Victoria had never seen a murderous owl, but the one next to her came very close. Owls were indeed very wise creatures and this one didn't particularly like human beings, especially if they took the from of stupid, reeking witches.

"That won't be necessary," Victoria reassured the witch coolly and a few minutes later she left the store with an owl in her cage and a proud smile on her pretty face.

In Flourish and Blotts she greeted a few acquaintances she met and then walked through to an adjoining room where the building's chimney was situated. It was usual that some people frequently used this room for transportation matters. Especially young witches and wizards like Victoria, who were not old enough to apparate by themselves. She took a handful of the floo powder and quickly enchanted it to bypass her manor's protection spells. Since she'd been accepted into Hogwarts a few days ago, Victoria now had to deal with the trace placed upon her, but she dared to use magic either way, because Diagon Alley was way too packed for someone to know it was her who cast the spell either way.

Victoria grinned like the Cheshire Cat herself as she used her new wand. It felt so easy to cast magic. Easier than with her broken one that often backfired spells at her. She pointed the wand at the fireplace.

"Incendio," she said. Green flames erupted. Victoria threw her powder, stepped in with her belongings and exclaimed, "Greengrass Manor!"

❦

James Greengrass stood before his daughter, his foul mood evident, as he talked to her superficially cool, but anger boiling beneath his pale skin.

"What is this?" he hissed through gritted teeth, pointing at the caged animal sitting on the ancient table.

"I think it's quite obvious," Victoria answered calmly. But that was what it took to drive her father over the edge and he began to scream at his daughter.

"Don't you dare speak like this to your father! Did I permit you to get this, this thing? Did I?" He spit out saliva in his rage. Thankfully, Victoria was used to his behavior and she had learned not to be fazed by it. It was not the animal itself that was the matter, but that she did something he did not explicitly tell her to do.

"Everything went wrong today! Everything! He's not pleased with us!" His face turned a remarkable shade of red. "And you! You spoiled brat, you keep disobeying me," James Greengrass continued. He kept losing track of what he was saying and by the end of his tantrum he was barely understandable anymore. "Get out of my sight. Just go!" Victoria left silently and softly closed the door behind her.

She went up the stairs and sat down on her mahagony bed. Victoria's room was darkly coloured. The furniture was thoroughly made of polished dark wood. Colorwise, almost every item was silver or green; even if she wasn't a Hogwarts student until now, her family still was very bound to Slytherin. She always thought this affiliation to be strange, but just like everyone in the Greengrass family, Victoria, of course, also wanted to be sorted into that particular house. Not only did she want to please her relatives, but she felt like she could truly achieve greatness in Slytherin and in Slytherin only. She didn't want to imagine the things her family would say and do to her if she would dishonor them by being chosen by a different house.

Thinking about her father's words she decided to write back to Hogwarts. Although he never spoke about it, it wasn't a secret what he did these days. But mostly Victoria didn't know what he was up to exactly, so she wondered what had happened earlier that day to leave him in such a foul mood. Maybe one day her father would recognize her as equal and tell her about what he was doing in his favour. Snapping out of her thoughts, she placed her curvy, fancy signature underneath what she had written.

"With uttermost respect, Victoria Celeste Greengrass."

❦

Victoria felt her eyelids growing heavy and she placed her book on the small table next to the bottle green armchair. Stifling a yawn she walked over to the magnificent owl still waiting in her small cage. Victoria opened the hatch and watched her newest treasure sit down on her outstretched arm. The owl's claws dug into the flesh of her naked skin, drawing blood.

"I shall name you Nyx."

Victoria grabbed the handle of the window and pulled. Fresh air hit her, carried by a cold wind. As she drew in a breath, she admired the sparkling stars. They were unmoving, eternal and so detached from the worries of smaller beings. How she longed to be just like them.

The owl flew skyward. "Your name shall be Nyx," she repeated, "after the greek goddess of the night." But the animal was too far away to hear it.

Victoria went to bed, the window still opened wide. That night, cuddled into the soft silken sheets, she dreamed of the stars.