Poison Ivy | T. Riddle ✔

[38] Mutual Union

Demelza had put a lot of thought in the decision she was going to take, both for the sake of her safety as well as her son's. After the frightening encounter with Riddle at the Malfoy Manor, she knew that she had to take things into her own hands if she really wanted to steer out of the path of destruction initiated by Riddle.

It hadn't been easy for her to pull herself out of the mess she was thrown in by none other than the man she had loved so purely. Each time she looked at her son, she was reminded of Tom Riddle and each memory gave nothing but intense pain to her.

The bruises on her arms hadn't yet faded, purplish blue imprints created a stark contrast against her otherwise pale skin. Each time her eyes were caught by those marks, the horrifying scene would flash in front of her eyes when Riddle had forcefully grabbed her and threatened her. It was then she had seen the monster in him clearly for the first time, the red serpentine glare peeking through his grey eyes, boring into her as if he could kill with his stare alone.

It was that time when she had felt undoubtedly terrified of Tom Riddle and had clearly understood what Perseus had meant whenever he warned her against him. Riddle was no human; he was a monster through and through. The red in his eyes, the darkness in his stare and the venom in his words was all the proof she needed.

She had been foolish not to pay heed to her cousin's warnings. Perseus had been right in saying that Riddle was no less than the devil himself. Yet she had been blinded by the sweet words and charming facade he displayed before her.

But now she could see his true form as clearly as Perseus could years before. Whatever lies had hidden the demon in him from her sight were gone now, exposing the darkness and monstrosity within.

She knew that she had to do all in her power to keep herself and her son away from the monstrous Tom Riddle. She had to make sure that he didn't have any further effect on their lives and also that they remained safe from his wrath.

Demelza was well aware that she could never be safe from him since she was too deeply trapped in his web of conspiracies, but she intended to try her level best to break free from his clutches.

She looked down at her son, Eridanus, who was sound asleep with his head resting on her lap. Ever since the day when little Danny had stood up against Riddle, the breakout of magical power from him had exhausted him out a lot. He was still just a child and controlling such a lot of energy had not been easy for him.

Therefore, she had made sure to take extra care of him and spent as much time with him as possible. The way he had defended her had touched her deeply and she in return did her level best to restore him back to full health.

On the other hand, Nathan Whitburg had frequented his visits to the Burke residence. He had become sort of like a family friend to them and Herbert preferred his company a lot. Moreover his link to the long lost Perseus seemed to have strengthened his relations with the family.

Even to Demelza, Nathan had become a friend. She had narrated everything he had asked from her about Riddle and confided in him because she thought that he too was on their side, and he too wished to somehow free Perseus from Riddle's clutches.

Nathan hadn't known much about Perseus except for the brief meeting with him at the cottage. But he had always thought that Perseus would have been a rather exceptional young man. And the conversations with Demelza regarding him and Riddle had no doubt strengthened that notion in his mind.

However, in the meantime his former partner at the Ministry, Nobby Leach, had become very influential and was being promoted to the post of Minister For Magic; a development which had aided Nathan in taking him in his confidence and launching a terminating operation for the so called Death Eaters as well as clearing Perseus Burke's name from all the accusations that had been filed against him.

Just the previous day, he had written to Demelza; informing that a search party had been sent to Albania to track out Perce and bring him back. A ray of hope had lit in her heart upon knowing that and she prayed for her cousin's safety as well as his return.

However, the current decision she had taken was completely unexpected for her parents initially. She had to let them know of it eventually and even though they had been skeptical at first, Belvina had shown her support as always.

Herbert knew well not to question his wife's remarkable intuition hence he hadn't objected, therefore a letter was dispatched to Nathan Whitburg, requesting him to join the Burkes for tea at any time he felt convenient.

Nathan knew of it beforehand, due to the many private conversations he had had with Demelza. He had once offered her to join hands with him for he was willing to help the Burkes in any way possible, in order to somehow repay his life's debt to Perseus.

She had asked some time from him to consider for it wasn't an easy decision for her to take. She had to think thoroughly about the betterment and security of both herself and her young son. But after the incident at the Manor, she knew that there could be no wiser decision for her than to accept the proposal.

Nathan Whitburg was willing to help them and she knew she couldn't survive for long in the cruel world without the support of a truly sincere friend. Living as a widow though she wasn't even married yet, hiding the truth of her son's birth from all and subsequently doing whatever it took to survive... Demelza knew that time wasn't far when she would ultimately collapse under the burden of it all.

But Nathan had asked to be her anchor, to support her and her son no matter what the tides brought and to stand firm with them just like a sincere partner, defending them from the destruction Riddle had embarked upon.

Therefore, Demelza had eventually chosen to join hands with him and embark on the journey which was opposing the darkness spread by the rising Dark Lord. She only wanted to get out of the darkness woven around her for so long and for her son to be safe from the heinous future that could befall them if they were thrown at the mercy of the Dark Lord.

She refused to back down; Demelza Burke refused to surrender to Riddle. Just like her cousin, Perseus, she knew she would fight him and his evil charade off till the day it would all end or the day she would breath her last.

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