[2] after darkness → tom riddle

Chapter Thirty-One: Back to Normal

"Well? Aren't you going to answer me?" Morgandy asked.

Ophelia looked at her, "I will, but that really fucking hurt, Morg. Merlin's beard, you've got the hardest slap going."

"You would know wouldn't you?" Morgandy crossed her arms. She sighed and did a little strop and looked back to Ophelia, opening her arms, "come here, you idiot!"

Ophelia and Morgandy embraced each other lovingly, after all, the two hadn't seen each other in almost four months. The embrace was long and neither one wanted to pull away, but eventually, Ophelia pulled away.

"I'd like to meet Evelyn, please," Ophelia smiled.

Morgandy nodded her head and walked out of her bedroom door and into Starr's and Evelyn's room. Both Starr and Abner had disappeared from their beds, so Morgandy assumed that they had headed downstairs. Evelyn, on the other hand, was still lying in her cot but this time she was awake.

Morgandy picked up baby Evelyn and started to kiss her little hands. Ophelia watched in awe as she remembered how small both Fionn, Emma and Nikolai once was. It was obvious Morgandy was in love with Evelyn, from the way she kissed her small hands ever so gently to the way she whispered: "good morning, my little munchkin".

Morgandy turned to Ophelia and smiled, "want to hold her?"

Ophelia nodded her head and opened her arms for Morgandy to place Evelyn in. Evelyn was small and delicate, so Ophelia took extra care when it came to holding her. "She's beautiful, Morg, she's the spitting image of Starr!" Ophelia spoke softly to Morgandy as she watched Evelyn move her hands to reach a strand of her hair that had fallen from her bun.

"Thank you," Morgandy smiled. "I think we should go downstairs. Emory deserves to know you're okay, even if you do go disappearing again."

Ophelia turned to Morgandy, "I think you should know I'm back for good. No more disappearing, my work is done. I was just waiting for you to see everything."

Morgandy eyed up Ophelia, "why did you need me to see? What's so significant about me in this?"

"I think you know the answer deep down," Ophelia avoided the question. "Come on, I want to see my husband."

Ophelia handed Evelyn back to Morgandy. Morgandy took the lead and went downstairs with Ophelia following closely behind. When Morgandy walked into the kitchen with Evelyn in her arms, Michael smiled and took her from Morgandy. "She's finally awake! How'd it go upstairs?" Michael said.

"I would tell you what I saw, but I think Ophelia will be able to explain properly considering she was the one to properly experience it," Morgandy answered. Morgandy stepped aside and Ophelia walked into the kitchen, immediately catching Emory's eye.

Emory ran to her and hugged her so hard the two fell to the floor. He began to cry as he hugged his wife for the first time in a while. "I'm so sorry about it all! I should have heard you out before I went and left!" Emory whimpered as he pulled out the hug from his wife, he was holding her face in his hands as he looked his wife directly in the eye.

Ophelia shook her head, "it's not your fault, Em. I should have been honest with you," Ophelia looked to all her friends and family, "I should have been honest with all of you about Fionn and Tom."

"He's just like you, you know. He's loud, outgoing, down to earth and so much more, he's nothing like Tom!" Emory admitted. "He's my favourite student, he's a third year and he's so advanced in ancient runes already. I've got him to do NEWT level stuff and he finds it easy."

Ophelia laughed through her tears, tears that were brought on by her husband who spoke so fondly on her son. "I can't believe you, Fionn's your favourite pupil? I would have thought you'd have held a grudge against him."