[2] after darkness → tom riddle

Chapter Two: Empty Cups and Old Friends

After a long first day back at work, Ophelia had decided to spend some quality time with herself before heading home to her husband and children. She was sat by herself in a small coffee shop just around the corner from the ministry, she was nearing the end of her drink and but she was deep in her thoughts. Ophelia traced her mind back to what Archer had said earlier on, 'it's like they're all in a trance,' she knew he was right, they were and if only there was a way to reverse it.

She looked to the clock on the wall and seen that it was coming up for six o'clock, she knew if she wasn't home soon it was likely that Emory would send out a search party for her. After the last sip of her coffee was gone, Ophelia gathered her things and headed out of the door.

Walking along the unusually quiet pavement, she tightened her grip on her handbag and made sure she had easy access to her wand which was neatly hidden in her inner blazer pocket. An uneasy feeling ran through her and she knew something was about to happen.

She picked up her pace and focused on the pavement ahead, she was five minutes away from home, there she would be safe.

As Ophelia carried on walking, she saw a familiar face walking towards her, she slowed down her walking and a massive smile forming onto her face. The familiar face noticed her too and stopped in his tracks, he stared at Ophelia as though he was checking to see if she was actually there, and not something like a ghost that was haunting him.

He returned her smile, opened his arms wide as he realised she was running towards him. His strong arms wrapped around her upper back as she buried her head into his chest. They didn't speak as they embraced each other, they just took in the surrounding smells and sounds.

She focused on his cologne, his heartbeat, she took in everything that she could notice about him, the two things that changed since she saw him last was that his hair was darker and he wore a reading ring. They pulled away from each other, noticing that the other also had tears running down their faces. They took each other in and smiled.

Ophelia was the first to speak, "Hello, stranger."

"I haven't seen you in over sixteen years," Sullivan Fawley smiled as he held onto Ophelia's

hand, "not a day has gone by that I haven't thought of you."

Ophelia cried as she thought back to the time she last saw Sullivan, it was the day of Starr's and Abner's funeral, they knew back then as they bid each other goodbye, as well as many of their other friends, that it would be the last time they'll see each other.

The deaths of Starr Westenra and Abner Forrester destroyed the group, it ripped them apart as if they were nothing by rubble lying on the ground after the demolition of an old building. They knew Starr and Abner would never approve that half the group hadn't spoken since their funeral but the grief and pain became all too much.

"How are you?" Ophelia asked, wiping her tears away from her cheeks, "how's Raine? Well, that's if I'm assuming correctly by the ring on your finger, that you're still together."

Sullivan laughed lightly and nodded his head, "we're still together, yeah," he smiled as they caught eye contact, Sullivan lifted his left hand which fully revealed the gold ring on his ring finger, "we got married back in fifty-four and we've got two girls."

Ophelia began to cry again, but this time her tears were happy tears, "Merlin's beard, I'm so happy for the two of you, Raine always wanted two girls, congratulations."

The two hugged again and they smiled at each other.

"Hey, what about you? Huh?" Sullivan looked at Ophelia's left hand and saw the three silver rings, each a different style, on her ring finger, "who's the poor unfortunate soul stuck with you for the rest of his days?"

Ophelia laughed through her tears, "Emory," she looked down and back up with a great big smile on her face, "we got back together in fifty-two, married in fifty-seven, and we now have a three-year-old daughter and a son who will be two in February."

Sullivan's eyes widened and a huge smile formed on his face, "you've got to be kidding me! Wait until I tell Raine, she'll lose her shit!"

"We'll have to meet up again, with Raine and your girls, and then Emory and our two, and the others of course," Ophelia smiled as she looked up to Sullivan, who was drastically taller than her.

"Of course, but the others? Who do you still see?" Sullivan asked a confused expression had appeared on his face.

"Obviously, Dove and Rune, they've been married since forty-eight, their daughter was born a year later, Nicole and Theodore, they got married six years ago and their daughter was also born a year later, and then Morgandy and her husband, as well as their two children,

Archer and Ffion Wright who also have two girls, and then Harlen and Helen Ahern," Ophelia updated Sullivan.

"Jesus Christ," Sullivan smiled, "I can't wait to see them all again."

"Well, you can come a see Emory and probably Dove and Rune," Ophelia offered, "my house is just around the corner, and those two are always over, especially as they live next door."

Before Sullivan could answer, his name was called from behind him. "Sullivan, I've been waiting for the past fifteen minutes with the girls, it's about to rain, where have you been?"

Ophelia and Sullivan turned around to reveal Raine holding their younger daughter on her hip and her other daughter running towards Sullivan. Raine looked at Ophelia in shock, "you're okay," she sighed a sigh of relief, "of course you're okay, you're Ophelia Lockwood, you can survive anything."

"Oliphant," Sullivan corrected her.

"Pardon?" Raine looked at her husband.

"She's Ophelia Oliphant now, she married Emory four years ago," Sullivan smiled.

Raine ran over to Ophelia and handed her daughter on her hip to her husband before she embraced Ophelia.

"I can't believe it," Raine cried as she buried her head into Ophelia's neck, her arms wrapped tightly around Ophelia, "not only are you okay, but you're married to Emory, this is the best news I've heard in a while."

"I was saying to Sullivan, before you turned up, that he could come around and see Emory, Dove and Rune, my house is literally five minutes away," Ophelia smiled as the two pulled out of the hug.

Raine nodded her head and smiled, "I would love to see them again."

"Okay," Ophelia smiled, "we'd better hurray as A, it looks like it's about to rain and B, Emory probably already has a search party out for me."

Raine and Sullivan laughed. They followed closely behind Ophelia as they turned the corner and walked down the long street full of houses. They reach a house numbered '176' and walked down the small path leading to the steps of the front door. Ophelia opened the door and could already hear Emory sigh loudly.

She welcomed Raine and Sullivan in and took their coats as she closed the door behind them, she hung them up on the hook and walked into the living room. In there was her husband, her children, Dove and Rune, along with Morgandy and her husband, and their two children, and then finally, Harlen and Helen.

She saw her husband stand up, a worried look on his face, "Ophelia, where have you been?" Emory asked, his voice was filled with nerves, "oh."

Raine and Sullivan walked into the living room big smiles on their faces. Dove was the first to gasp and run up to hug Raine. Emory and Sullivan hugged each other.

As the group shared the reunion together, the mood was a happy one, the happiest it had been with them as a group. They all cherished the moment well, as they each congratulated each other on their success such as marriage and children.

But a distorted and hidden figure was watching through the window from across the road. A devilish smile had formed on the figure's face as it turned and disapparated into thin air.