Visions of the Past {Jakatra}

[Ryneira Riddle]

A bright jet of green light flashed before her eyes, reflecting oddly against the scarlet. She felt the force of the spell hit her chest and gasped, what would be her last breath, or so she thought. A look of minor surprise froze on her face as her eyes met with other scarlet pair only ten feet away. Her body hit the stone floor with a soft thud, as an unbelievably furious scream echoed through the hall, before the man who it came from, collapsed as well. As her mind sped through what seemed like an incredibly odd and fast dream, she wondered if that was truly all death was. However, before she knew it, she was awake; alive. She could feel everything around, the coldness of the stone floor. She could hear the confused and shocked voices, and then sudden screams of fear. Her eyes slowly opened to see those pleasantly familiar scarlet eyes staring back at her. She turned her head, trying to look under her as she could feel now that it wasn’t the stone that it was resting against, but her father’s knee. She gave him a small smile of relief. He returned it, though it was a very awkward smile and he bit at his lip. He placed a hand to the top of her dress and pulled it down the tiniest bit, just enough to reveal the tip of the star. He pressed the tip of a finger to it. Nothing happened, no pain, nothing. “Sh!t,” he hissed, almost silently. She looked down and whispered, “I’m sorry…” He shook his head, and gripped her hand, pulling her up with him as he stood up. He pulled her closer and whispered in her ear. “Everything will be fine,” he said reassuringly, before letting her hand go. Within moments, both were back out into the center of the hall, in the middle of the ongoing fray. Not long after that, everyone froze again. Molly Weasleys shout of, “NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU B-TCH!” was heard through the whole hall. Everyone but Molly and Bella, and the Dark Lord and his three opponents, were frozen. Then they began to back away, leaving the center of the hall open for the five. She wanted to run forward and help one of them, but another pair of strong hands seized hers. She looked behind her to see that it was Rodolphus dragging her out of the way. The second sudden flash of green light filled the center of the hall. She ripped free of Rodolphus’ grip with a scream. A scream, that was only barely beaten by her father, who had thrown McGonagall, Slughorn and Kingsley away with extraordinary force. Both pairs of scarlet eyes were locked on Bellatrix as she hit the floor. Both wands aimed directly at Molly Weasley. Out of nowhere, before either could curse Molly, there was a roar of, “Protego!” Cheers filled the hall as Potter revealed himself, standing smack-dab in the middle of the hall. She froze, rooted to the spot, as the Dark Lord and Potter began circling each other, taunting each other. She could barely keep up with what they were saying. It passed exceedingly fast. There was no way she could have ever been ready for their yells of incantations. Even less for the result. For less than a second, her hand covered her mouth, eyes widened to their fullest extent in shock. The fall seemed to last forever, his back arching slowly, the scarlet eyes rolling back, expression blank. Cheers for Voldemort’s final fall filled the hall. The shrill, high, cold scream that left her drowned out them all. It almost could have actually beat one of her father's. A chill blew over the hall and the few windows left frosted over, before exploding. The vial of blood on the chain embedded in her neck burst, spraying her front with blood. The blood connection broke when his body did.

She wanted to strike down everyone in her path, as she shoved through people hurrying to crowd around Potter, but knew that if she was going to make it out, with both bodies, she needed to hurry. The still surviving Aurors were already beginning to try and round up all of the Death Eaters left, as they attempted to flee. She placed a strong protection charm over herself as she finally made it to her father’s fallen body. Knowing that he weighed as much as she did, and that Bella would weigh much more, she gave his chest a prod with her wand, so that the weight would seem much lighter. She pulled his limp form over one shoulder, before forcing her way toward Bellaxtrix’s body, the Protego still holding up over both of them. Giving Bella’s body a tap as well, performing the same spell on her, she dragged her up and over her other shoulder. Moving as fast as she could with the bit of extra weight, she escaped the hall, fleeing out to the grounds. The curses thrown at her simply ricocheted off. Once she reached the gates, she disapparated from the Hogwarts grounds. With the weight of both bodies, she nearly lost her footing as she landed in the center of a thick patch of trees. It was the small woods surrounding the long abandoned Gaunt shack. She knew she could safely burn them there without being found. That was her plan, to burn both bodies, and somehow soon sneak back onto the Hogwarts grounds and burry the urns there. Quickly creating a small platform to put each body on, she pulled them back up and laid one on each. She rearranged Bellatrix’s messy black hair that was so like her own used to be, straightened the black and silver dress and then folded her hands on her chest, her wand placed between them. Giving a tiny smile, she bit her lip and moved over to her father. Before she could do anything to him, she finally broke down. A flow of silent tears streamed down her cheeks. Sitting down next to him, she bent forward and rested her head against his chest, before curling her legs up next to her. The silky fabric of his robes absorbed the continuing tears and she began to whisper into them in Parseltongue. “Thirteen long years without you, and I had myself convinced I would never really need you…but then I found you, and you were the only person who could truly know what I had been through…and I just wanted to hate you for everything you put me through, for passing on everything you knew and never giving me a break, and being such a hard-ass…and after all of it, I still failed you…I’m sorry, so sorry…” she softly hissed, the end cracking a bit. She laid there a little while longer, not wanting to get up and face the fact that it was the last time she would ever even see him. And there last true conversation, the day before, he had actually told her how proud he was, and how great she would do in the battle, and she had blown him off because she was mad over something stupid that she couldn’t even remember now.

Forty-two year old Ryneira bolted into a sitting position, unaware that her face was soaking in sweat and tears, unaware that when her sixteen year old self had screamed in the dream that her present self had too. She lifted a badly shaking hand and wiped the cold sweat off of her forehead. She had been going through another row identical of nightmares that week. It was years ago, twenty-six to be exact, but it still haunted her, constantly. Dreams, nightmares, of the night of the 'Battle of Hogwarts'. The three jets of green light. Her fall, Bellatrix’s fall, her father’s fall. His fall had seemed to last forever. Then her own high, cold, drawn-out scream. She would never forget it. She knew the memories would haunt her forever. After all, how could she just forget it, let it go? After everything she been through even before it, and then thought she had actually found someplace; for three extremely short years. After him turning her into a Horcrux, after him embedding the necklace, that was still on, into her neck. How had things gone wrong? How had she let herself be hit by that Auror’s killing curse, destroying the Horcrux? If that had never happened, if that simple little event would have gone differently, she would have been able to resurrect him. He would still be alive now, twenty-six years later. Everything would be different. Turning her head, her gaze immediately landed upon the mirror hanging on the wall. Her head instantly snapped back toward the other wall, as the deathly pale, slit-pupil scarlet-eyed, flat nosed reflection only reminded her of one other person. Heaving a sigh and shaking her head, she attempted to rid of the terrible memory. However, like usual, it would not leave. Throwing on one of her father’s old robes over her black, silky pajamas, she exited her room, reminding herself of her school days. She wandered down the hall, red eyes looking out for any students. Though, her thoughts were only partially on that. If one did happen to be out sneaking around, they probably could have snuck past her without her noticing them at all then. As she walked through the entrance hall and passed the great hall, the awful nightmare hit her clearly again. Shaking her head once more, she sprinted out of the castle and across the grounds. Though as she ran, a flash of bright green light repeatedly glowed in her mind.

Hogwarts. She loved the castle, but hated it all the same. She never ate in the Great Hall, never, for any of the meals. It was simply out of fear that she would have some sort of breakdown in front of everyone, students and fellow staff members. Every single time she so much as passed the Great Hall, the vision of parents being killed, and everything that came with it, returned. It did surprise her that she never had been asked why she seemingly skipped all meals, especially as all of the staff was supposed to be in the Great Hall for every meal, but she was glad. She dreaded the day that Jakatra or the Deputy Headmistress would try to tell her that she needed to join the rest of the staff. The sound of snapping twigs caught her ears and she looked up. Immediately, she realized that her feet had carried her to the Forbidden Forest. She leaned back against an oversized oak for a second, eyes and ears open for any odd sounds. Closing her eyes, Ryneira took in a deep breath and turned her head in the direction of the area that she had buried their ashes a week after the battle. A surge of terrible fury flowed through her suddenly, all sadness gone. Why did she let herself be so absorbed in the dreams and visions, let herself fall into a moment of weakness? That could not have been at all what he would have wanted. Shaking her head again, she slowly opened her eyes and began to walk. Hitting her head on a low hanging branch, she hissed and forced it up as she ducked, it cracked, the ending breaking off and falling as she walked away. As she walked, she drew her wand from her left pocket and slashed it through the air. This time the flash of green light was real, and it struck down a small rodent scuttling across the ground. Hissing again, she dropped down to the ground and picked the rat up by its tail. Putting her wand between her teeth, she pulled a small shard of glass from the robe pocket and began stabbing at the lifeless creature, slowly mutilating it and wishing she hadn’t actually killed it yet. So concentrated on the rat and her furious thoughts, she did not even catch the sound of someone else walking through the forest.

[Jakatra Lenox (HM)]

"MOTHER!" Jakatra had shouted as she sprinted over to where her mother was. She began slashing everyone who got into her way. She cut off limbs, and pushed them away. Getting to her mother was the only thing on her mind as she slid over towards her mother. "Mother?" She called out again and turned her over. Syria was shaking uncontrolably. "Ja..Jakatra?" her mother had said in a whisper. "Yes mother, it's me." Jakatra said as she craddle her mother's head as she removed the strains of hair that covered her mother's face. Syria's body was trembling as her blood rolled down her cheeks, and Syria made a quiet scream of pain. "Mom, Mom..what is it?" Jakatra called out as she looked down towards her mother's stomach and moved the end of cloak and saw the source of pain. Jakatra swallowed hard. "Oh mother..no!" she said as she saw that her mother was hit by an ice spell, and a powerful ice spell. Jakatra's eyes closed as the tears began to fill her golden eyes. "Oh..I'm alright..it's nothing." Syria said in a whisper as her body arched in pain. Dhaka had reached his mother as he was panting. 'What happened?" he said. Jakatra looked back at him. "Mother..mother has been hit by.." Jakatra said as she pointed down at her stomach. "An ice curse..a powerful one at that!" Dhaka had said. "Can you fix it?" Jakatra said, as she hoped that her brother could. Dhaka studied it, and traced a finger along the ripples. "Yes I believe I can. I just need to work fast since it has hit mother's vital organs." Dhaka said as he began to place a firm hand on the wound on his mother's stomach. "Don't!" Syria said softly, removing his hand. "But mother.." Jakatra began. "No buts. Don't waste your energy on me, my son." Syria said with a weak smile, as she placed a hand to his cheek. "Mother, please..Please let us save you!" Jakatra pleaded. Syria chuckled softly which seemed inaudiable. "Don't worry about me. I would rather die this way." Syria spoke as she clenched her hands as another eruption of pain, erupted through her body. "Stay with us mother!" Dhaka pleaded. Syria smiled as she placed a hand over her son's hand. "Don't you worry my love, I'm not going far." She said as she stroked his fingers. "Mother, don't you talk like that..Don't you say your goodbyes now..you hear me." Dhaka demanded. Syria just chuckled softly. "You..You sound so much like your father." Syria said as her eyes filled with tears."You want to know something?" She said softly. "The greatest accomplishment I've ever done was giving birth to you two. Even though you both were stubborn as hell." She chuckled. The twins chuckled as well, but Syria continued. " That was the greatest gift Tom Marvolo Riddle has ever given me and that I thank him for." Syria said thinking about the night the twins were born, each born with the blood of a Riddle and Lenox. It was that moment she found out that life was indeed beautiful. "I have always loved your father. More than he could ever know. I just wish I could have told him that, or at least have him understand that." She said as her mind began to wander from the time she had met Tom; how their eyes made contact and the other never blinked, from the time they were always together, nudging playfully each other. Their first kiss; their moments on holidays, Syria first getting branded, and going on missions, them dancing, them bickering over things that seem silly now a days, spending quiet nights alone by a roaring fire, the night the twins were conceived, the moment where she left Voldemort, the night the twins were born, the same night she found Voldemort dead and burned his first body. The day she met up with him in the Forbidden forest, only he had a different appearence. The night she was stayed at the Riddle manor, regaining her position back as a high-ranker, and now giving Tom the very last kiss in life. A single tear rolled down her cheek as her breathing stuttered. "Mum?" both twins said. "Mum..please don't die." Syria only chuckled as she looked at both of them and smiled. "Life is beautiful. Remember that! No matter how complicated or how nutsty it may get, all the memories you remember, will always get you through it." Syria spoke as she sighed slowly. "Dhaka, take care of your sister, protect her, as you Jakatra, you do the same for your brother. You two have eachother now, along with Ryneira. You two, take care of her as well. Promise me that! Promise me?" Syria said firmly. "Yes Mother..we promise!" the twins said softly. Syria only smiled as she relaxed her muscles and looked back at the castle. Syria had muttered something, something that was inaudiable to both Jakatra and Dhaka. Syria then turned towards her kids and smiled. "We shall see eachother again..I shall always be with you..S'Agapo." She said softly as her breathing began to cease. She said letting the last word out long and soft. Her heart started to beat slowly before it ceased to a halt. Before she knew it, would be the last breath she would ever take. The last tear that fell from her silver eyes, rolled down her cheek for the final time, only to fall to the ground, stating she had passed, and her body went limp. Syria Jakatra Lenox; Headmistress of Hogwarts, Professor of Astronomy and Divinations, Mother of Dhaka and Jakatra Lenox had fallen. She was gone, dead, never to walk the land of the living again. It was only the moon that shone high above the trees that could tell others, another soul was taken to the realm of the dead.

Jakatra had been gazing into the crackling fire for sometime now, and nothing seemed to disturb her thoughts. It had been twenty-six years ago since her mother and father had fallen, driven by the same battle they had supposely planned since they were sixteen, the same age Jakatra had entered the war. Jakatra could still hear her mother's quiet, calm breathing before it had ceased. She could remember her mother's final words as they rang through her head. She had closed her eyes as the image of her mother's limp body was placed on the plateform her brother had spent all day building. Syria had been dressed in her death eater uniform which was stained with blood, and then wrapped in her scarlet red cloak she had worn several time. Her face had been cleaned of all the blood that had been spattered and her make up was beautifully done as if it had never been touched. This took Jakatra at least a couple hours to do without bursting into tears for she knew those silver eyes would never open and gaze into hers. She then was carried by Dhaka onto the grounds of Hogwarts, where students, professors, parents, and others gathered occupied and placed her onto the plateform and then lit her the bottom of the plateform on fire. Syria had her hands folded on her chest, holding two black and scarlet red roses, along with a single photograph. Jakatra had revealed a photo of her mother high above so everyone could gaze on their fallen Headmistress, who had fought bravely in a war she wanted to fight in since she was a kid. Jakatra began singing a song in Greek as the wind began to blow gently. Jakatra opened her eyes as they had filled with tears but she quickly wipped them away. She hated to cry, mostly because it was a suppose weakness to her father. It was Ryneira that had told her their father had fallen as well. That brought her greif, knowing that even though not many knew, Jakatra and her father Tom did talk. From what she learned was that her father wasn't all bad, but just like her mother..unaccepted by those who should have cared, those who should have loved them. Jakatra did indeed say a prayer for her father's passing but never saw his body. Jakatra sighed as she leaned back into the grand leather chair and looked up at the full moon that had risen high in the starry night. She got to her feet and wandered over towards it, and gazed down at the forest that surrounded the castles. Her fingers instantly flew to an object that was around her neck. It was indeed a circular jewel that was suspended by a long thick string that was unbreakable. The jewel itself was indeed a bright orange, dipped in a darker orange that rested on a deep red. She gazed down at it. Her mother had given it to her as a rememberance of her. "It was a gift from your father on my eighteenth birthday. He had told me it reminded him a lot like the red moon, and what appeared on my birthday was indeed a red moon." Syria had said as she wrapped the string Jakatra's neck and straightened the jewel and smiled. "Take good care of it Jakatra. It possess a lot of good memories. It shall do the same fore you." Syria's voice echoed in Jakatra's mind. Jakatra shook her head. "I shall..I promise!" she said softly as her sixteen year old self did. Jakatra gripped the jewel tightly in her hand as a single tear fell from her golden eyes. She quickly wipped them away with her sleeve. "Emila I am going out. I will be back in a few." She told her Deputy Headmistress, and grabbed her cloak and exited her office and made her way out onto the grounds of Hogwarts.

The Forbidden Forest, was the only place in the world Jakatra felt the closest with her mother. For one, it was the destination where Jakatra had buried her urn, when there was nothing left but ashes. She had remembered placing her mother's ashes in a scarlet red urn, decorated with a single symbol that Dhaka had carved with the dagger Syria had passed down to him. Jakatra then took the Silver Serpent her mother had always worn and placed it around the urn, knowing her mother had told her it was the first birthday present from Tom, even though it was a higher commitment to him and ever should Syria take it off, it would kill her. In a way, Jakatra always pictured it as a marriage band between her parents, even though they were never married. Jakatra followed her footsteps and wandered over towards a spot in which she knew too well. Her smile had increased when she had reached it. It was here her mother had asked to be buried, right next to Tom, and so Jakatra honored her mother's wishes and buried her there, next to her father's first body. Jakatra's lips began to tremble as she kept that smile pasted on her face. Jakatra got down onto her knees and pulled out two long sticks that looked like short cattails and lit them on fire. Though there was no flame, there was a soft presence of smoke. She stuck them into the ground and crossed them to look like an X. She then bowed her head, and got up. "Hello Mother. It's me. Though I figured you already knew that." She said with a bit of laughter. "Nothing never got by you. You always had that eye me and Dhaka never quite figured out." She said as she played with the soil. "Sorry I haven't been down recently. The Ministry has been giving me orders to keep the security up since so many disappearences have been happening. You know how it goes!" She let out a chuckle as she gazed down at the ground. "I still have the necklace you gave me. I guess in a way it holds me close to both you and father, but I wouldn't know. Father wasn't into me as much as he was with Ryneira. I used to think he despised me, maybe he did cause I wasn't the heir he wanted. I still hear you saying he did care about me..and that he just didn't know me." She said as she started to choke up. She wipped her eyes. "Sorry..I miss you mum. Your never far my mind. I wish you could be here with me. I have no idea what in the world I am doing. I was never as strong as you or even powerful. Maybe that's what father had sensed about me..failure..no sense in power." She said as a few more tears began to fall. She had caught herself as she wipped them away. "I wish you could give me some kind of sign that your here with me. I need you." She said as she bowed her head. It was only until then a gentle breeze blew against her back and through her long black hair. Jakatra's lips curled into a smile. "Thank you mother..S'Agapo!" she said as she got up to her knees. "I need to go..you know how it is..I will be sure to come see you as much as I can. I hope you and father are together some where..I hope your happy. S'Agapo." She said as she bowed to her mother's grave once more and left, feeling the warm wind blowing through her hair and pushing through the leaves that had fallen from the maple trees that surround her. Jakatra began walking back through the forest when she had seen a green flash of light. "What the..?" she had said as she pulled out her wand and slowly crept through the forest, wondering who was in the forest. She knew her training her mother had given her. Her eyes flew right and left, searching for the inturder that may have stumbled onto her territory. It had taken her a while until she had seen a figure in the woods. There she crept quietly and crept up fast behind them. She placed the tip of her wand to the back of the person's neck. "Alright tresspasser! What are you doing on the lands of Hogwarts?" She had asked firmly, making sure the inturder knew she ment business and that she would strike them down if she needed to.

[/color]

[Ryneira Riddle]

That recurring dream of the night of May 2, 1998, the night of ‘The Battle of Hogwarts’, is what had woken Ryneira not long after falling asleep. It had been even worse than usual all week. Though she was used to the lack of sleep, she had been since she was very young, she knew she had been even more irritable than usual, with everyone. She had never thought that would be possible, and it certainly was not good, especially when it came around to classes with the first years. The midgets scared so easily. She, however, could not help the fact that she could have been her father’s identical twin in appearance and personality. There was no doubt in the fact that the parents did, though. Even when she kept up with her fairly kind and innocent act, she knew all they saw was Lord Voldemort in her, and wanted Jakatra to replace her. Things truly never changed. She managed to forget about that, but as she turned and caught her reflection in the mirror, the dream came right back to mind. Getting frustrated, she had pulled out one of her father’s old silky, black robes, threw it on and hurried out of the castle. She had quickly made it out on to the lawns and took the space between the doors and the forest at a run. Pausing to catch her breath, she rested against an extremely old oak tree, still thinking. Breathing and heart rate calmed down, she began to wander through the dark forest. Ryneira’s mind continued to race, that battle scene continuing to play, over and over in her mind. When she had finally snapped out of it a bit more, she had quickly pulled her wand from her robes, and hissed the killing curse. She gave the rat laying dead on the leaf covered ground a nudge with her toe. Shrugging, she had sat down and began to ‘play’ with it, even though it would have been even more amusing if the thing had still been alive.

So transfixed on the little furry, brown body, and the blood seeping from it, between her fingers, she did not hear the second person in the forest approaching the spot that she sat. The wand to the back of her neck and the voice came as quite a surprise and she almost dropped the glass and animal, but managed to keep her grip on both things. The person’s voice quickly registered with her brain as soon as she thought over what had been said again. She smirked a little, even with the wand still between her teeth. Dropping the rat, shoving the shard of glass back into her pocket and spitting her wand out into her left hand, she finally gave a soft laugh. “Well, forgive me Headmistress, I didn’t know that I still wasn’t allowed to go the Forbidden Forest, or be out passed curfew,” she said sarcastically and in a voice as close to sweet and innocent as was possible for her. Dropping the slightly immature attitude, she sighed. “Now, are you telling me that you seriously can’t tell who I am? Even in the dark and from the back, I would think you would know better. Who else around here is bald, has skin so pale it gives off a pearly glow in the moonlight and a chain embedded in the back of their neck?” she questioned, before reaching up and pushing her half-sister’s wand away. Ryneira pushed herself up to her feet and turned around to face Jakatra. “I didn’t think I would see you out here…or anyone for that matter,” she said, looking down at her hands, which were covered in rat blood. Looking back up, she tilted her head and studied the gold eyes. She got the feeling that something was wrong, but stopped attempting to penetrate her mind and looked up at what could be seen of the moon through the trees instead. “Good Evening, Jakatra,” she finally said, softly. “So, what brought you out here tonight?” she asked, still staring up at the dark sky.

[Jakatra Lenox (HM)]

Jakatra had been to her mother's final resting place many times, though now times made it differcult to visit her. Rumors about people being taken from their homes late at night and killed with a creepy grin upon their face. The Minister Of Magic had been working very hard to protect the citizens of the Wizarding World, always meeting with the minister of the muggle world, trying to come up with a solution to make both worlds safer. Jakatra only sighed. She had no idea what to tell the students, nor staff now a days. She was running out of excuses to keep the calm. She knew her mother would know many different ways of keeping the peace, but of course Jakatra didn't know how to lie as well as her mother had. maybe it was because Jakatra never grew up like her mother had. Jakatra had finally made her way down from her quarters of her office and outside into the cold late November weather, which was colder than expected. Jakatra could feel the half frozen ground underneath her feet. Her pace became more of a jog that headed off past Hagrid's Hut, and into the forest that surrounded the castle. In there, Jakatra had made a visit to her mother, and had just let of steam that had been bottled up inside of her. Later she began to make her way back, when she had seen a mysterious green light. She knew that light and it wasn't light of a friendly spell. Jakatra pulled out her wand and began creeping towards where she had last seen the light.

There in the center she had seen a figure in billowery black cloak, playing with something she could not see. Jakatra was not taking any chances and decided to quicken her pace and pointed the tip of her wand directly into the interuder's neck. She had command them to answer her question and finally let a sigh of relief when she realized who it was and chuckled softly. "Not unless you want me to enforce it onto staff as well." She said as she removed her wand from the back of Ryneira's neck and placed her wand into her cloak pocket. She shrugged her shoulder. "Sorry, you may never know who we can be now a days. I figured someone was going to dress a lot like father, just to scare the living crap out of people. You know how much affect he has now days, even though he's been gone.." she trailed off knowing talking about her mother and father was a sore topic. "I can't understand why people can never leave father alone." She finally said almost with a hint of anger. Sure she may have never known their father as much as Ryneira did, still he was indeed her father and talking about him like he was some kind of monster, it made her angry. Jakatra chuckled softly. "Nobody does really. They all figured I am still stuck up in my quarters working on new security uses that the Ministry keeps sending me. I come out here to blow off some steam." Jakatra said as she looked up at the silver moon. "I knew you would be around..didn't know it would be the forest tonight." Jakatra said as she turned her gaze from the full moon to Ryneira's scarlet red eyes that were so identical to her father's that sometimes she hesitated to look into them directly. "Good Evening Ryneira." She greeted Ryneira back. Jakatra just shrugged her shoulders. "Visiting my mother. It's been a while since I last talked to her. How about you?" Jakatra asked, wondering why Ryneira would be out and about, especially in the forest.

[/color]

[Ryneira Riddle]

Ryneira had wandered through the Forbidden Forest with the intentions of going to visit the exact spot that she had buried her father, Lord Voldemort, and mother, Bellatrix Lestrange, even though the forest had not been her original destination. However, once she had reached the forest, consumed by memories of both of them, though her father more so than her mother, she had decided on that. Getting distracted with taking out a little bit of anger on the way, she turned to slicing apart her prey, a rat, instead. As she had her bit of fun, she continued to think. About her father and his death. About their connection and relationship that had grown so fast over those three years. She remembered it from the beginning, that sunny August afternoon in 1994. Peter, disguised as a young muggle woman, had been trying to adopt her for her father. Her stubborn little thirteen year old self had not wanted to believe that yet another family was going to take her in, and tried to evade the staff of Wool’s Orphanage by jumping through a third floor window. She remembered hearing her father’s voice for the first time as she was brought back to consciousness. Her own high-pitched scream of horror at seeing her father is in baby-form rang her mind. Ryneira shook her head and dug the glass deeper into the rat’s back. That amazing fire serpent, that she nowadays could make a perfect copy of, but had then been in awe, flashed in her mind, her father standing next to it in the atrium of the Ministry of Magic. His cackle of laughter echoed in her head as clear as if she was back in the atrium with him, hidden behind the magnificent fountain of magical brethren. The shard of glass sank deeper. The Ministry… Ryneira thought to herself, torn between wanting to laugh and scream.

Before anything else could so much as cross her mind, that jab of the tip of a wand had found the back of her neck. Recognizing the Headmistress, her half-sister’s, voice, she had just given a soft laugh before replying with sarcasm. After replying again, seriously the second time, she had stood up and turned to face the other woman. “Oh, I would be more than happy if you were to enforce it on the rest of the staff,” she said with a slight smirk. Ryneira sighed and nodded. “Yes, I suppose you are right. I wouldn’t be surprised if someone did start doing so, what with the recent attacks and all,” she said softly. Ryneira twisted her wand between her long fingers and shrugged. “It’s understandable. Look what he did to the wizarding world,” she said with a faint smile. “It’s just not right,” she added firmly, barely keeping the anger out of her own voice, though the scarlet eyes burned with fury. Ryneira nodded, giving a soft chuckle back. “I suppose that is true…but more new security methods?” she questioned, tilting her head and eyes narrowing slightly. She nodded again to Jakatra’s comment on coming out there to let off some steam. “Oh yes, I have been at the castle all day today, actually, just locked up in my office,” she said quietly. She knew that Jakatra knew that she often only stayed at the castle for her classes each day, and then left, always having something else to do outside of the Hogwarts grounds. She had studied Jakatra’s golden eyes for a moment, before looking up to the full moon. Ryneira nodded to Jakatra’s answering, thinking about what to say back. “Well, I intended to go visit father, but…got sidetracked,” she said, giving a small laugh as she glanced back at the shredded rat. She turned back to Jakatra, thinking. “So, besides the fact that you’re getting even more work from the Minister, what do you think of these new attacks happening all over?” she asked, keeping her face completely free of expression.

[Jakatra Lenox (HM)]

Jakatra let out a soft laughter as she removed the tip of her wand from her half-sister's neck. "Well I can't just enforce one half of the staff members over others. You know that. Besides I have heard from the Ministry is that they are planning to keep everyone inside the castle at all times, even moving Care Of Magical Creatures inside, where there would be a diagram of the animals instead of the students seeing the animal up close and in personal." Jakatra said softly as she slipped her wand back into her pocket, feeling another in there, which she knew was her mother's and sighed softly. Jakatra scoffed at the thought of someone dressing up as Lord Voldemort, and start killing these families one by one, just as he had done when the first wizard war, and the second arised. "I quite agree with you. Even though I never knew father as much as you did, I still don't think it's right. Even with what he had done, even before we were both born, still doesn't give people right to do it." Jakatra nodded in agreement. Jakatra turned towards her sister and nodded. "Yup. Minister Malfoy plans on getting more security plans for the safety of the students, staff and citizens of the wizarding world. The Ministry itself is still trying to find a way to keep the dementors at Azkaban, hoping that another Dark Lord won't find a way to control them like father had, and use them against us." Jakatra explained as she looked up at the full silver moon that casted a pure silver light. "I hate the silver moons now a days." Jakatra confessed. Jakatra chuckled softly. "I know what you mean by that. It's been over a month since I visited my mother. Just certain things got in the way." Jakatra said as she gazed down at her deep red nails. She had taken a liking to her mother's nail polish that she often worn it herself now a days. "I'm surprise I can live up in the Headmistress's quarters now a days. Seening there's a portrait of my mother sitting in there. Sometimes I have the urge to take it down and put it somewhere I don't have to see it." Jakatra said softly, as the picture of her mother formed into her mind.

She looked into her sister's eyes. "I take it, it was a hard day?" Jakatra asked softly, knowing there were times Jakatra herself locked herself in her office, not wanting to see anyone. "Have you been back to the Riddle Manor, after father's death?" Jakatra asked, knowing she wanted to go back, just for old time sake, but of course so many memories, so many bickers with her mother and father both, but yet in a way, maybe it would help her mend some wounds that were still opened. Jakatra chuckled softly. "I think someone is trying to stir up trouble. Probably getting tired of all the peace and quiet around here. I believe the attacks are creative, especially with a wicked grin upon their faces, and I don't mean the horrified ones that father used to leave on those of his victims, but grins of happiness, grins of the past being reborn again." She said as she looked back at her sister. "What do you think?" Jakatra asked.

[Ryneira Riddle]

Ryneira nodded with a light laugh. “Yes, of course. Then, by all means, enforce it over all of us, but you know I just won’t listen,” she said with a small smirk. She turned her head and looked around the trees surrounding them. Ryneira sighed. “The Ministry…” she said, shaking her head. “They go from one extreme to the other, don’t they? With doing things like sending old Umbridge in when there was a real threat, and now to doing things like locking everyone up after a few little attacks,” she said thoughtfully. Ryneira nodded again. “No, it doesn’t,” she agreed. Ryneira listened with curiosity to the Minister’s newest plans. Malfoy. She thought to herself. It was funny, how people like Malfoy were forgiven so quickly and easily. Why? Because they had been too cowardly to really do anything in the final battle? Ryneira pulled herself out of her thoughts and nodded to her sister. “Why, has something given them the idea that whoever’s doing these attacks is going to try to?” she asked, brows lifting. Sure, she had thought about doing so, in time. After all, she had all of her father’s old plans, powers, everything; but she had made no move whatsoever toward that yet. A few minor attacks, and they were all in an uproar. It was quite amusing. Ryneira looked up at the moon again at Jakatra’s comment. “I hate the red moons,” she said in reply. Ryneira gave a small smile. “Same here. I don’t remember when was the last time I came down here to see him…them…all three of them,” she quietly. Her father, mother and Syria. She began twisting her wand between her fingers again, glaring down at it as she did. Ryneira looked back up into Jakatra’s eyes. “I am surprised that you do, too. Though, doesn’t that give you a way to speak with her?” she asked, knowing that all of the portraits of the past Heads were alive in there own way, even if it was not quite the same as a real person being there, they could still talk.

Ryneira continued to simply stare into her sister’s gold eyes for a minute before saying anything. She finally gave a shrug. “It was fine,” she lied easily, before looking up at the silver moon again. “You know I just prefer to work alone, be alone, as much as is possible,” she said softly. She gave a soft laugh, thinking of her father always keeping himself locked up in his room, only coming out to all of the Death Eaters for meetings. Ryneira heaved a deep sigh, before turning away and beginning to slowly pace, from Jakatra to a tree some five feet away. Back and forth, over and over. “Yes, I have. I returned right away, about a week after the battle, to get everything of mine and his. After that, I…er…I go back every New Year’s Eve and spend the night there,” she finally finished, stopping by the tree. The wand moved slower between her fingers as she gripped it tighter, turning it around and around in anger. Ryneira looked back over at Jakatra, jaw clenched and scarlet eyes burning into the gold ones. Her expression lightened the slightest bit, and she made a small humming noise to Jakatra’s answer. “I agree that it is just someone trying to cause a stir. But, I think that it’s going to turn out to be nothing. Just someone knowing how easily they can scare the whole wizarding world into believing that there’s yet another new threat. No real ambition of trying to take over or anything. As for the style of the attacks, maybe it’s just something different to try and put everyone off track,” she shrugged. Truly she wanted to laugh. She wanted to yell out the obvious truth to Jakatra, simply for the fact that she couldn’t believe that, not only was the rest of the wizarding world too blind and trusting to see it, but that Jakatra and Dhaka were too. Dhaka. She turned back to Jakatra. “I haven’t heard anything from Dhaka lately, have you?” she asked, knowing that Jakatra kept better contact with him than she did.

[Jakatra Lenox (HM)]

Jakatra just crossed her arms and chuckled. "Yeah I know you wouldn't. You didn't even listen to father half the time." She said with a chuckle remembering fond memories of those moments. She had remember her father, always demanding a lot of things for Ryneira to do, and she would do it whenever she felt like it. Jakatra just shook her head out of the thoughts when she had heard her sister's high voice, the same voice that her father had. Jakatra let out a snort. "Yeah, they do. I am surprised they haven't done a maxium lockdown on the whole world. I remember when I first came here, people could hardly wander the streets of Diagon Alley, or Hogsmeade because of the dementor attacks and death eater. I never really understood why my mother wanted me to stay in the Riddle Manor..but I guess being a teenager, you really don't think what could happen." Jakatra said softly. Jakatra shrugged. "I try not to think about it too much, mostly because it brings up that night, and I try not to think about it as much as I can." Jakatra said softly as her eyes squinted up at the moon, and looked around at the surrounding trees around her. "I also try not to think about it because it does bring back memories of my mother and father, though I think father was more into the all night planning, and my mother going out to get him files upon files of security updates, and other things he needed." Jakatra looked at her sister. "I don't blame you." she said as she knew why. Jakatra chuckled softly as she removed a strain of navy blue hair and placed it behind her hair. Jakatra nodded. "Yeah it does, but I don't want to hear her voice. I already hear it in my head plenty of times." Jakatra said, remembering the portrait of Syria. "Though I think she enjoys smirking and gazing down at everyone who comes into the office." Jakatra chuckled softly.

Jakatra sighed as she leaned up against a tree with her arms crossed. "Your lying, but yes I do know you perfer to be alone or work alone." Jakatra said. Jakatra sighed. "I am thinking about going Christmas eve, you know kind of visit the first home I had since I came to England." Jakatra said knowing that she wanted to get away from Hogwarts for at least a while. "You want to know something crazy?" she asked as she kicked a stick out of the way. "I wish father still had his horcruxes, so we could ressurect him, even though him and I weren't close, I would rather have him up and about instead of gone." Jakatra confessed. Sure her and her father didn't have as many social conversations, she had felt close to him in a way, even now with the single necklace that was drapped around her neck. Jakatra laughed. "Yeah, I wonder what is next up their sleeve?" Jakatra said as she began to play with the single circular gem that was around her neck. Jakatra shook her head. "Not since our birthday. The last time I got a letter from him, he was in Sicily." Jakatra replied. "Say, would you like to go back to the Riddle Manor, for old time say?" Jakatra asked.

[Ryneira Riddle]

Ryneira gave a small smile and chuckled. “No, I didn’t. Only when I knew he was in a really foul mood, and I didn’t feel like getting my arse kicked,” she chuckled softly. She remembered testing his nearly non-existent patience. Always refusing to go do something, except for when he had that murderous look in his eyes, and everyone knew not to mess with him then, if they wanted to live. Not that many of the others ever had the guts to anyway. Ryneira shook her head. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they did,” she said. She laughed softly. “Then, of course, there was father who was the exact opposite, not caring at all if there was something he wanted. But then there were the times he was so overprotective I wanted to kill him myself,” she said, shaking her head. “Yes, I know what you mean,” she agreed. Ryneira looked straight at Jakatra again and nodded. “Yeah, that was exactly it. With everyone. He sat on his arse, while we all went and got him what he wanted,” she said softly, a hint of a smile on her face. Ryneira nodded in understanding. “I definitely know what you’re saying there, though with father, of course. Though, I do often wish he hadn’t shredded his soul into pieces, so that he could have come back as a ghost at least,” she said, looking down at the ground and kicking up the dead leaves. Ryneira chuckled. “I bet she does,” she replied softly.

Ryneira closed her eyes and shook her head again. How was it that she could lie to anyone, including Jakatra or Dhaka, about anything else, yet something like saying she was fine when she wasn’t, she couldn’t pull off? She sighed, before opening her eyes and looking at Jakatra. She nodded. “It’s a habit,” she mumbled with a small snort. “I take it, that it will be the first that you have been back there since ninety-eight?” she asked. “What?” she said to Jakatra’s question. Ryneira gave a soft hiss of anger, turning away and beginning to pace again. “Horcruxes…” she hissed, trailing off. Ryneira just stood there for a minute, head bent with one hand covering the lower half of her face as she glared at the ground, back still to Jakatra. “Yeah, and that’s all my fault that we can’t,” mumbled, taking her hand away from her mouth. She picked at the robes on the spot covering what was now a useless star-shaped scar, her other hand moving up to the back of her neck. “You can be sure I’ll never forget that either,” she said, feeling the back of the chain through her skin, and remembering that flash of green light right before it had hit her square in the chest. Ryneira gave a soft laugh, as she turned around to face her sister. “Who knows, maybe nothing at all, I guess we will all just have to wait and see,” she said with a shrug again. Ryneira nodded with a quiet, “Oh,” of reply. Ryneira opened her mouth, but nothing came out right away. “Yeah, alright,” she said after a moment.

[Jakatra Lenox (HM)]

Jakatra chuckled. "Well the only ones that actually listened to him were the ones who kissed the heims of his robes, and then shook their haggy arses at him during the holidays." Jakatra shuttered at the memory of that, even though there was a good time that her and Ryneira tortured the whole female clan there, making sure they would never shake their arses around, but of course that was the last time their father would ever see Christmas again. "Well at least we gave him a good laugh at that didn't we?" she said with a little laugh. Jakatra only smirked. "Yeah me either, I wouldn't be surprised if they set the dementors at every entrance, to protect us from "the bad people". " Jakatra said as she did the quote-on-quote with her fingers. "And that Umbridge character who I have heard from my mother, sounds horrible. Though the time I came, we had Slughorn, and he hugged me and I didn't understand why, til he told me I reminded him of my mother than he was winking at me." Jakatra shook her head. "Told father that, boy I thought his eyes were going to pop out of his head." Jakatra said. Jakatra laughed. "Yeah he did didn't he, though we; me, you and Dhaka tried to see if he does anything else besides pace along the floor, or sit in that chair of his purring to Nagini, or stare at the wall like it's going to blow up any minute." Jakatra said, trying to catch him doing something, even dance or reciting a poem of some kind that didn't involve death or destruction. "I don't think my mother mind it much, mostly because she was trying to prove she was always loyal to him, but I wouldn't know if he ever got it." Jakatra said. "Well at the School Of The Mist, we were taught that even when someone dies, they have a choice after death to come back as a ghost, and even father should have been able to since he wasn't acceptive of death as my mother was, and even she had a choice of coming back. Maybe once you think about it, Father could be back at the Manor, or around here some where. Even in Hogwarts, still thinking he's alive." Jakatra said as she looked up at the moon. "I wish he was back too. I miss him agruing with himself." Jakatra said as she looked back at her sister. Jakatra let out a chuckle. "Yes also she likes to start fires in her portrait, but sometimes she gets a little sad. I think it's because she misses Tom, but I wouldn't know. She doesn't talk sometimes. She did when I was first directed as Headmistress of Hogwarts, but I ignored her, because you know.." Jakatra trailed off. "If you want, you can come up to see her if you want.." Jakatra added. "I know she was sort of like a mother to you." Jakatra said.

Jakatra chuckled. "It's alright. You have the same look as father did when he tried to lie. Kind of when I asked him if he missed my mother..so it's alright." Jakatra said. "Well I was there, grabbing my mother's things like clothes and items, but I did prepare her body there, since I know it was her first home here." She said softly. "But yes it would be the first time I would be back." She said. Jakatra nodded. "Yes I do and I think you inherted father's pacing cause Dhaka sure doesn't do it, and neither do I." Jakatra said as she watched her sister pace back and forth, back and forth. "Why do you say that Ryneira? It wasn't your fault father got killed." Jakatra said as she walked over towards her sister. Jakatra sighed slowly. "It effected both of us. I don't know about Dhaka. He keeps his feelings to himself. I think that's why he moved a year after our parents were killed." Jakatra said remembering that her brother had grew into his looks and did indeed almost identical to the Tom Riddle that the Hogwarts staff had remembered. Jakatra chuckled. "I guess we have to will, though it will be a pain in the arse since the Minister will be flying over to Hogwarts and all over the place." Jakatra said with a chuckle. Jakatra nodded. She knew that Dhaka was over there working on studying animals and working with them. He was also working on his healing abilities that Syria had told him about. Jakatra chuckled. "I'll see you there." She said as she apparated in the dark black smoke with a hint of orange in it.

[Ryneira Riddle]

Ryneira laughed. “That is true. Though, that was most of them…besides you, me, Dhaka, and Syria,” she said with a small chuckle. She remembered that Christmas that she and Jakatra had decided to torture all of the female Death Eaters who were trying to dance and sing for their father. Midori had decided to pick one of the most intoxicated to have for her dinner, and then to really piss all of the females off, she had gone and cuddle up in her father’s lap. Ryneira nodded to Jakatra. “Yeah, we did,” she said with a little laugh. Ryneira almost rolled her eyes. “I wouldn’t be surprised either. Then again, maybe it would show that they are actually taking things seriously right away this time. Not just sending in the Minister’s assistants to try and take over,” she said with a laugh. Ryneira scowled. “You’re lucky you came after that fuzzy pink b!tch left. She was awful, though I did always have fun fighting with her,” she chuckled. Ryneira shook her head. “Slughorn. I think he always hated me, because I reminded him of father, and how things went between them. I don’t really know though, he never talked to me, didn’t even call on me in class,” she said. Ryneira chuckled. “Yeah, and that was about all he did, well and don’t forget, working on his world domination plans,” she said. Ryneira sighed. “No, I don’t think he did. I think Tom did though,” she said. Ryneira shook her head. “No, he couldn’t have. I am sure he would have, if he could have, but he couldn’t. It’s part of the Horcruxes. Once you split your soul so many times, and have the pieces destroyed when the Horcruxes are, it becomes too damaged to be able to leave its imprint to become a ghost,” she explained. Ryneira chuckled lightly. “I miss that too,” she said. “I can see her doing that,” she said with a small smile. She nodded to what Jakatra said about ignoring Syria at first. “Maybe I will sometime…she was…” she said.

Ryneira chuckled and shook her head. “Yeah, I remember that look,” she replied. Ryneira nodded. “I was going to do the same with father, but had decided it would be too obvious…I didn’t know if Aurors would follow or anything…they tried to stop me as I left the castle,” she said, shaking her head. “So, I took him over to Grandma’s old place instead. He liked her better anyway, I think, even if he never knew her,” she added with a chuckle. “That was something I never got…why he took over the home of the man he so despised,” she shook her head. Ryneira stopped moving at Jakatra’s comment. “I suppose I did, didn’t I? I picked up a lot of his odd little habits, I think,” she said, before resuming the slow pacing. Ryneira made an odd movement with her head, something like a mix between a nod and a shake. “No, it was not my fault that he was killed, but it was my fault that he could not be resurrected again,” she said softly. She took a deep, calming breath, before turning to look at Jakatra out of the corner of her eye. “I…” she paused. She picked at the spot on the robes again. “I was his last Horcrux,” she finally said, fast and so soft it was barely audible. “The Horcrux that would never be destroyed, because I could protect it myself…but I didn’t. Not long before he was killed, I was hit by an Avada Kedavra, but instead of killing me, it destroyed that last Horcrux. It was so stupid, too. I was so stupid. It was a misaimed curse that was supposed to be for Rodolphus. And Rodolphus, he saw it coming, and he tried to push me out of the way, but I wouldn’t budge because I was too stubborn, trying to fight someone else,” she whispered, the end trailing on in a hiss. “I remember father’s scream of rage right before I fell. I think he saw it coming, like Rodolphus,” she mumbled, closing her eyes as she watched it all happen in her head again. She nodded. “He’s smart. Anything else and I would too, but…I don’t know,” she muttered, shrugging. Ryneira chuckled. “Yes, I suppose it will be, especially for you,” she said. Ryneira nodded to Jakatra, right before she had disapparated, and then immediately repeated her actions, disapparating in a cloud of black and green smoke. She opened her eyes as her feet hit solid ground again, to find herself right by the front door, inside of the Riddle Manor. Not even looking over at Jakatra, she walked off toward the stairs and up them. She stopped again at the top of the staircase and looked down the hall, gaze coming to rest upon the oak doors. Taking a deep breath and slowly letting it back out, she walked to the doors. Placing a hand on one knob, she slowly turned it and opened the door with a tiny creak. Swallowing hard, she went over to the now empty desk and sat down at it, before crossing her arms on the surface and resting her head against her arms.

[Jakatra Lenox (HM)]

Jakatra chuckled. "Now why would we shake are arses in front of him for? I don't think we really wanted to gain his attention. We, well mostly you gained his attention for being his daughter." Jakatra said. "The others well, they just wanted something that they would never get, but kept on trying. Probably because he ended up getting two women pregnant, maybe he was looking for more they thought." Jakatra shook her head. "Even though, me and Dhaka were never ment to happen." Jakatra said as she looked down, but didn't really get upset, mostly because they happened by fate, not by planning. Jakatra chuckled. "I am surprised to see only a few aurors here and there, them and their stupid looking black hats. I have seen them when I went to Hogsmeade only a few weeks ago." Jakatra confessed. Jakatra laughed. "I think I would have caused a lot of trouble, maybe even flung a piece of pink bubblegum in her hair like I had done to a lot to the lower class and those who made fun of my accent." Jakatra said shaking her head and laughing. "Ahh those days were great, though getting a lecture from father never got old. I think he adored Dhaka at that time since he did everything that father did while at school, always being perfect at everything, even though he was blind." Jakatra said as she rolled her eyes. Jakatra laughed. "Lucky. He wouldn't stop winking at me and smiling at me. I think the man was in love with my mother, which is a creepy thought. I had to ask her if Tom was indeed my true father." Jakatra said with a shutter. "He wanted me to enter the Slug Club, whatever the hell that was, but of course you know Dhaka, he joined right in." Jakatra said with a roll of her eyes. "Ah yes..how could I ever forget the World Dominiation Plans. Especially when he got into fights with himself over where to go and what day to do it on." Jakatra laughed, knowing Tom and Voldemort were always at wits with eachother. "You remember some where in January maybe it was Feburary we were sitting in his office and he was going over plans and just for fun me and you decided to toss in issues just to watch him fight with himself. Then he actually threatened himself with his own wand or he started choking himself." Jakatra chuckled. "Those were always some good memories." Jakatra said as she looked down at the ground. Jakatra nodded in agruement. "I think he did too. My mother wouldn't have betrayed him. Not ever. From the way she talked about him, she sounded like she would have died for him, let alone backstab him. I mean she did tell me some things about him, but wouldn't go into great detail about him." Jakatra said as she looked down at her fingers. "It always made me wonder why." Jakatra confessed. Jakatra nodded. "Ah I see. Well I wish he only made one at least, or two. All I have left of him is this.." She went into her cloak and pulled out photo that held two figures, embraced with the other with the snow falling behind them. Of course there was writing on the back and showed it Ryneira. Jakatra laughed. "Yeah she does it once and a while. Sometimes she dances with her fire, even snappes her fingers to make a single flame appear." Jakatra smiles. "Sometimes it even makes me..cry.." she said softly. Jakatra smiled. "Well my door is open if you ever decide to pop in to see her." Jakatra said.

Jakatra laughed. "Yes, father was a very good man, especially when he made a lot of diffferent faces. Half the time I figured he was just fighting with himself, or just being weird." Jakatra had confessed. "I don't blame you. Aurors are quite nosy especially when it comes to dealing with the Dark Arts." Jakatra shrugged. "Grandma's huh? The place down the road? The Gaunts?" Jakatra said, remembering seeing a little house that looked abandoned and highly overgrown with grass. "Well from what I had learned from my mother, she died in childbirth with him, and grandfather Riddle, had abandoned them both. I don't blame him picking her over him. I would have killed the bastard as well." Jakatra said as she looked up at the moon. "Well think about it. The Gaunts were a wizarding family, easy place to pick him out any day. The Riddle manor is a muggle house, who would suspect him being there, even if he despised the man, and his family. Plus could you imagine dealing with hundreds of arse shaking death eaters in that crowded space?" Jakatra said as looked back down at Ryneira. Jakatra chuckled. "Yes, plus haven't I heard somewhere you and him could be twins if you were born in 1926?" Jakatra said with a smirk. "Ryneira, you were a teenager then? I mean arin't we all stubborn, thinking we can take care of ourselves. Besides you out of every one of us were under a lot of pressure. Besides, maybe it was time for him to go. Not saying that I am happy with the outcome, but sometimes when our time is up..it's up. That's what my mother used to say. She knew that night was going to be her last. I think that's why she wanted to fight outside. I don't think she wanted Tom to see her die..no matter how much he didn't want to admit there may have been something there for my mother. She wanted him to not worry about her...you know what I mean?" She said, remembering her mother's last moments on earth. The way she fell hard to the ground. "Hey, I wanted to ask you a question? Is there anyone, besides you and father, who could perform an ice spell?" She asked, wanting to know if Ryneira knew. Jakatra nodded. "I know what you mean. I remember my mom falling. I never seen someone fall the way she did. Her body just shaking as if she were cold, and yet she was so calm. I never found out about father's death until the people inside had started chanting that Voldemort was dead, and how he had fallen." Jakatra said. "I wanted to curse about everyone who had spoke that. Almost did, but Dhaka had grabbed our mother and started off towards the Riddle manor so I couldn't." Jakatra said as her hands were making tight fists. "But don't blame yourself Ryneira. I'm sure father wouldn't." Jakatra said. "Yes he is, though I wish he would come up for a visit. I think he makes excuses though not come." Jakatra said. With a smirk Jakatra apparated and appeared at the Riddle Manor. "Man, I forgot how big the yard is." Jakatra said as she searched the grounds and followed Ryneira in. Jakatra took a look around and entered the sitting room. She had closed her eyes and remembered the grand speech that her father was giving. She knew where everyone stood, depending on their rank. She walked around and saw something on the ground. She moved over towards it and picked it up. She brought it towards her nose and smelted it. She moved it with disgust. "Alcohol. This looks like a muggle bottle. Some one has been partying at our HOUSE!" Jakatra said as her body shook with anger and squeezed the bottle until it shattered into millions of pieces. There were some glass enbedded in her skin. Her eyes scanned the ground and found something glistening in the corner. Jakatra made her way over towards the chair in which her father had sat in a lot of times and peaked over the side. What she saw made her anger grow. "RYNEIRA! she yelled, picking up a few bottles. Ryneira? she yelled again making her way up the stairs. "Ryn?" she said as she saw the door to her father's room opened. "Ryneira?" She said as she saw her sister sitting in the chair with her head down. "Ryn? Sorry to bug you, but.." She grabbed a hold of a few bottle and placed them on the desk. "I think we have company?" She said with a hint of anger in her voice, and anger that rose to her eyes, which caused them to turn blood red.

[/color]

[Ryneira Riddle]

Ryneira shook her head. “No, we didn’t, and if we did it was just to piss the rest of them off,” she said with a chuckle. “Yes, I think that is what they thought, and of course, he let them think they were right. Maybe he liked watching them shake their nasty arses more than he let on,” she said sarcastically. “Maybe not, but better an accident by his lighter half, than purposeful to be his most loyal servant by his completely loony half, if you ask me,” she said softly. “After all, in Tom’s opinion, I was a mistake,” she chuckled. “Yes, I see them around Hogsmeade, too. I always just smile at them when I catch them looking my way, and they always give me a nasty look. Remind them of father, I’m sure. Like everyone else,” she said, shaking her head. Ryneira chuckled. “I always got into shouting matches with her, and well…you can imagine how that would go, I’m sure. Apparently even everyone on the floors above and below could always hear me, and Syria would have to come break us apart. The best time, though, was the time I bit her. Even the Gryffindors cheered me on then,” she said with a smirk and laugh. Ryneira chuckled. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he was. I remember hearing from father about the time she came back to the Riddle Manor freaked out because he hugged her,” she said. Ryneira raised an eyebrow. “Slug Club, eh? I heard about that, though of course I wasn’t asked to join. Heard from Draco -and yes, Draco, I just don’t feel right calling my cousin ‘Minister’, even more so than referring to my father as ‘My Lord’- that he didn’t invite any children of Death Eaters, no matter how great they were. Not that I wanted to anyhow, what with…” she paused and looked down, eyes flaring with anger. She sighed. “What with Potter and his little Mudblood having been part of it,” she finished. Ryneira laughed. “Oh yeah, those were good times. I remember too one time, before you came, he almost stabbed himself…that was amusing,” she said softly. Ryneira nodded back. “He did, I’m almost positive. Between what Syria told me, and the constants fights I heard him having in his head over her…he did.” she said. Ryneira nodded again. “Yeah, I do too. But, he had his obsession with seven,” she chuckled. She pushed her right sleeve up, revealing the swirly ‘7’ tattooed there on her inner-wrist, under the word ‘Loyalty’. She shook her head. “I did that a few days before the battle; I was number seven. Though, it did always make me wonder if there was more to his claim to seven being so wonderful, after my girls were born on July seventh of ’07…even if those seven Horcruxes didn’t go quite right in the end. They saved him from death once,” she said softly. Ryneira looked at Jakatra and the picture she was holding out. She gave a slight smile at the picture, before raising her hand and snapping her fingers. A sheathed dagger fell into her hand. It was silver, encrusted with tiny emeralds and engraved with snakes. “Here, you have this, something else to remember him by at least,” she said, taking Jakatra’s empty hand and pressing the handle into it. “It was one of his favorite weapons. He used it all the time when he wanted to do more than just a quick AK. It was what he first trained me well in that area with. Stabbed me and himself in the leg with it and the other one like it during a couple training sessions. Keep that one, just take care of it, I have…too much left of him anyway. God, I can’t even look at myself in the mirror,” she said with a snort. Ryneira chuckled. “That sounds like her,” she said. “Ahh. And you know what father would have said to that. Crying is a weakness, Jakatra,” she said in a stern tone, before giving a soft laugh. Ryneira just nodded to show that she had heard the last part.

Ryneira chuckled. “Yes, that is definitely true. I think the best though was his excited face. As rare as it was shown, when it was I always wanted to laugh. You know, that face he made when he really got into tormenting somebody…like…” she said, trailing off and doing an impression as an end to her sentence. Her eyes widened to their fullest and mouth open. She let the expression fade and gave a chuckle. Ryneira nodded. “Yeah, the Gaunts’,” she said. “Yes, that was exactly how it went. I would have killed him, too,” she agreed. Ryneira shrugged. “True, but why not go somewhere completely unsuspected. Somewhere none of his family had been,” she said, shrugging again. Ryneira gave a light laugh. “Yes, we could have been. It’s quite…odd, now,” she said. Ryneira shook her head to Jakatra’s words. “That doesn’t matter. It shouldn’t have happened, but it was my fault that it did,” she said firmly. She slowly turned her head toward Jakatra, eyes widening. “Don’t you say that! Don’t you ever say that!” she hissed, features thick with rage. Her hands shook as they formed into such tight fist that her nails broke through the skin of her palms. “It was not his time to go! None of that was supposed to happen! Are you saying then that everything with Potter was more than luck and accidents? THAT POTTER WAS SUPPOSED TO WIN?” she said, finally losing control of keeping her voice down and yelling the end. She just glared at Jakatra, breathing heavy. Ryneira said nothing, just shrugged the rest of what her sister said, off. She shook her head. “No, there’s no one else who could, as far as I know,” she answered. She just nodded to the next parts, and looked down, only growing angrier again as Jakatra went on about the events of the night of the battle. Her scarlet gaze snapped back up to Jakatra’s gold one at the last comment. “You know that’s not true! That f*cking Horcrux was all he gave a d*mn about. The man admitted that the only reason I was ever born was to serve and protect him. I failed him,” she hissed. Nodding to Jakatra, Ryneira too apparated to the Riddle Manor. Leaving Jakatra to do whatever she had wanted to come for, Ryneira had gone straight upstairs, and down the hall to her father’s old room. She had sat down, rested her arms on the desk, and her head on her arms. Ryneira just sat there in silence, letting all of the old memories rush back in. She heard Jakatra’s sudden yell of her name, but ignored it. She remained still, attempting to tune her sister out as her she yelled her name a few more times. Finally Jakatra’s footsteps sounded in the hallway, and then she walked into the room. Hearing the clink of the bottles being set down and then Jakatra’s words, Ryneira’s head snapped up. She looked from the liquor bottles to Jakatra’s face. “Where did you find those?” she asked, standing up. “Lets search the rest of the house,” she said, drawing her wand. Ryneira quickly glanced around the room they were in from where she stood, before hurrying out and into the next room, her old room. There did not appear to be anything different there either, and so she moved on to the next. A glint of shining glass caught her eye as she looked over the room that had once been Bellatrix’s. She walked toward it, just as a strong wind blew through, and she realized that the glass was from the window. There were tiny shards scattered all over the floor and one pane of the window was broken. She knelt down and picked up a piece. “They were in here, too,” she said to herself, anger rising again.

[Jakatra Lenox (HM)]

Jakatra chuckled. "I think the only reason they got angry was because they knew we could get away with something like that, without getting our arses kicked, but then we would get that high and mighty speech." Jakatra said remembering all the speeches their father could come up with, spoken with high and passionate, yet so serious. Jakatra laughed. "Well it was fun getting them all pissed off at once. Especially when we threw in different kinds of rumors, just to get them all cat-fighty, and see them duel to the death." Jakatra said as she remembered most of them were pulling eachother's hair, bashing the other one's head into the fireplace, or even taking a couple swings with the fire poker. "I guess it never really mattered to father how many females he lost. He probably got tired of them. I had heard from my mother that he had giggling girl following him around when he was here at school. I believe a few of them called him Tommy." Jakatra said as she thought about it. Jakatra rolled her eyes with a soft chuckle. "Then I guess he may have about a thousand "heirs" out there." Jakatra said as she shuttered at the thought of father having more than three kids out there, somewhere. Jakatra chuckled. "Well by fate as my mother would put it. She had told me that the night Dhaka and I were conceieved, it was a lunar ecplise, which supposely means good luck, double great things, you get when I mean, and it happened on Valentine's Day, when they came back from their all Valentine's Blood Bath Massacre." Jakatra said, remembering her mother had told her that, when she was trying to scare Jakatra into stop flirting with the older men of the Death Eaters. Jakatra lifted an eyebrow. "Why would Tom think that? I mean he did protect you. He didn't try to kill you like Voldemort did tried to kill me since let's just say, I pushed his buttons a little to hard." Jakatra said. Jakatra chuckled. "I'm sure. I guess they want to forget about him, hoping that nothing will build up like he had done for some many years." Jakatra said softly. Jakatra nearly burst out laughing, but kept it quiet. "Yeah I know how it goes. It wasn't long before me, you, Tom and Voldemort had our shouting matches. I remember Dhaka would tell us all to shut up and that no one needs to hear about our pathelic problems. I guess I don't blame him. His hearing was enhanced and hearing us shout one hundred times greater than it was, must have given him a headache." Jakatra said as she remembered those moments. Jakatra laughed. "Really? You got my mother to come down from her quarters just to break you two up?" Jakatra laughed. "Father couldn't even get her out, but then again he always wanted something every minute of the day, and couldn't get to his every needs." Jakatra laughed. Jakatra's eyes widened. "You bit her?" Jakatra burst out laughing. "Now what did she taste like?" Jakatra asked. Jakatra chuckled. "Nah my mother would never get with that guy. Heck I don't think there was any other guy besides father she ever got with." Jakatra said as she leaned up against a tree. "Besides, I inherted the blank stare and temper from him." Jakatra said with a smirk. Jakatra laughed. "Well I can agree with you on that one. I didn't feel comfortable calling my father My Lord also. I only did it sarcastically, you know just to piss him, and plus that makes two of us that didn't join "the Slug Club" Jakatra said as she rolled her eyes. Jakatra laughed. "He almost stabbed himself? Geez Voldemort must have been desperate to sever his human half, or who he was before." Jakatra said wondering how weird it was to watch Voldemort try to stab himself, and then there's this other force that tried to prevent it. "I take it he ended up throwing the knife at a wall, door, or the floor?" Jakatra asked. Jakatra chuckled softly. "You know, I wondered if there was something there between them. I mean I used to watch their eyes flicker back and forth with eachother, like they were talking to eachother with their eyes. I mean back at SOTM, they said our parents were normally married at an young age, but when I had gotten here, they weren't married, both mother and father confirmed me of that, but it's like they had something more than marriage you know?" She said as she looked at her sister. "but then again, I guess they wouldn't have to be married. They usually bickered like an old married couple anyways huh?" She said with a bit of laughter. She wandered over towards her sister and looked at her right arm where she had seen the swirly 7 where she had seen the word Loyality under it. Jakatra only nodded. "I suppose Voldemort had planned you just in case he needed to be reborn or ressurected again if something were to happen to him, which you already knew that, but anyways you were the lucky one. Seven is ment as a lucky number." Jakatra smiled. "You were the most special and lucky one out of them all. The one he cared a lot more about." Jakatra said as she said it softly. Jakatra thought about what Ryneira was saying. "Yes, but you were damaged during the fight, along with the other ones that were remaining, he had nothing more, and well you know what had happened." Jakatra said softly, thinking about it. "Ryn? What would have happened if Voldemort would have marked me and Dhaka? Would we would have been eight, or eight and nine?" Jakatra asked, wondering what may have happened if her and her brother had been marked, would their father; hers, Dhaka's and Ryn's father be living today? She pulled out a photograph she had "burrowed" from their father's photo album. "I think Tom was looking for it. I had seen him frankically searching for it one day, but I guess I only took it because it makes me smile." Jakatra said as she looked at the back and saw the blood red ink in which she knew was her mother's, without looking at the signature on the back. " I had burned my mother's copy along with her body. She had told me it was her favorite photo." Jakatra said as she placed it back into her pocket and looked back at Ryneira. She watched Ryneira place a dagger into her hand. She took it and skimmed her fingers along the snakes and couldn't help, but to smile. "You know, a few years ago, this would seem all weird to me, since I really didn't know that being able to speak another language that others can't learn was called Parseltongue, and the person is called a Parselmouth, but it doesn't seem all that weird to me anymore." She said as she gazed at her reflection in the silver blade. She looked back at her sister. "Are you sure? I know you were much more closer to him than me and Dhaka. He would have wanted you to keep it." She said handing it back. "Besides, I supposely inherted his bone structure, half his blood, a wonderful language I can speak without worrying there are others speaking it, besides whenever I was up late at night, whenever our father and my mother were together alone, I had seen him." Jakatra said as she looked down. She looked down on her right arm and saw different color traditional beads around her wrists. "Here.." Jakatra said as she unraveled an emerald green set of beads. "I want you to have these." She said as she began weaving them around her right wrist. "My mom gave me these and she had mentioned to me, you were always like a daughter to her. I think she would want you to have it." Jakatra said as she finished weaving it around Ryneira's wrist. Jakatra chuckled. "I don't blame you. I remember you used to taunt me about those features." She said with an eye roll. Jakatra mouthed what Ryneira said about crying. "Oh yes, I know that. That's why I usually made smart arse comments to him." She chuckled.

Jakatra bursted out laughing. "Oh yes, I remember that look. I thought his eyes were going to bug out of his head the first time I had seen it." Jakatra confessed, and nearly fell to the ground laughing. "Don't remind me of that face. Too bad he didn't make it at Christmas time. We could have used it as a Greeting Christmas Card." Jakatra said. "I think that would be a..what punishment?" Jakatra asked. "Ahh, Father told me about them, only a little." Jakatra said with a nod. "Well think of it as this way. If you were freshy a graduate from Hogwarts and no where to stay, where would you go? I mean, you don't have to pay the electric bill, water bill, all that fun stuff to pay for. I think father was thinking, since he was sort of an heir himself to the Riddle fortune, why not take up the house. After grandfather Riddle, great grandfather Riddle and greatgrandmother Riddle were killed off, he is soul-heir to the place. "Ryneira!" Jakatra's voice had gotten louder. "LOOK IT WASN'T.." but she stopped and waved her hand and made the forest sound proof so no one could hear their high voices. " NOW..IT WASN'T YOUR FAULT THAT FATHER CANNOT BE RESSURECTED! IT NEVER WAS!" Jakatra said. "Look! I am not happy father is gone too, but you cannot tell when it is indeed anyone's time to go! Maybe it was his..You think I am happy my mother had died as well? It wasn't her time to go, but I accepted that! WHY DO YOU THINK THAT FATHER NEVER MADE ANOTHER HORCRUX IF IT WASN'T HIS TIME TO GO? ESPECIALLY WHEN POTTER HAD FOUND HALF OF THEM AND DESTORYED THEM!" Jakatra said as her voice boomed. Jakatra chuckled sarcastcally. "You think I wanted Potter to Win? I despised the "Special Boy, the boy who lived, the chosen one! YOU THINK I WANTED HIM AND HIS STUPID HALF-BLOODED ARSE TO WIN OVER FATHER! LOOK, I don't make death appear, but it's something that no one can control. NOT even father. You should know that, unless father poisoned you with you can live forever. NO one has proved that. Nicholas Flemmel, was 665 years old, sure it seemed like he could live forever, unless the stone was destroyed. If father had that, it would have been destroyed. Horcruxes, it's the same thing, if they are destroyed he will die..and Potter prove that. NOBODY CAN LIVE FOREVER! It's a force called Yin and Yang. Whenever there is a death there is life. Where there is life, there is death. Whether you hate it or not, I know father knew that deep down, why do you think he tried to save you, always. While other horcruxes were destroyed, why were you the one always protected more than any other one Ryn?" Jakatra said. Jakatra's anger started to grow more. It wasn't at Ryneira. It was at the death of her parents. Sure she had accepted that they were gone, but the way they died, she wanted revenage..she wanted blood, but didn't start things up for it cause the memories of that night to poke through and so she held the position of being the Headmistress her mother had trained her to be. "I ask you because that's what killed my mother. It was a very powerful ice spell and the only people I know who can even perform ice spells are you and father. "Here, I had draw a picture of the wound. Maybe you can tell what kind of ice spell it is?" She said as she pulled out a roll of parchment. "I know my mother had been hit with a bunch of ice spells, but this one..this one is totally different." She said as she handed a piece of parchment of the drawing of the wound that had killed her mother. "I wanted to do research to see what kind of ice spells there are, and I couldn't find any." She said softly. Jakatra only chuckled as she shook her head. "Oh really? Then how come out of any one of those seven magificent horcruxes he had, how come you were the only one he was most concern about it?" She said as pierced her golden ones into Ryneira's scarlet ones. "Why do you think after Voldemort found out about me and Dhaka, why didn't he just make us into horcruxes as well if he was so afraid of death? I say better the chances if any one of us were to get damaged." Jakatra said. Jakatra laughed. "And the man admitted that Tom never existed, but I had saw him. Did you watch his eyes?" Jakatra said. "You didn't fail him." Jakatra said. She apparated to the Riddle manor and had a look around. Remembering the Christmas party there. Her father sitting int hte grand leather chair, surrounded by women, trying to serenade him and yet failed. Her mother was usually in a corner somewhere, a couple feet from him, but always got a seat on the couch where she would stare into the fire as if to relive memories that had passed. Jakatra had looked over into the corner where a illiuminating tree would be. It was something that glistened in the corner that caught her eye. She had wandered over towards it and picked it up. A surge of rage went through her. "Muggles." She said as she threw it into the fireplace with a shatter. There it was again, behind the leather chair her father always sat in. She climbed over the chair and her eyes nearly bugged out of her head with anger. She shouted, and heard the echo. She had grabbed a few of these bottles and went upstairs to find her sister. She had found her and told her the news. Jakatra's eyes had turned from gold to blood red. "I had found these in the sitting room. Behind father's chair." Jakatra said. "Right." Jakatra said with a nod, as she went into a room that seemed a bit far from the others. She opened the door and realized it was her mother's old room. It seemed alright, nothing was disturbed. She had heard Ryneira's voice and followed it down to Bellatrix's old room. "Seems like we have uninvited guests, and they are mudbloods." Jakatra's fangs started to pop out. "I wondered if they will be back tonight." Jakatra said, picking up a few of the glass shards and looking at it, wanting it to shatter in her hand.

[/color]