Through Her Eyes

Chapter 42

From that tearful day on, Ophelia decided she would like to keep everything as it was. She didn't need a redecoration and the house seemed content with its recent condition. Cerberus was funnily enough a good guardian, always coming for lunch and dinner just so they could eat together. It was still curious what exactly his job was but with Dumbledore coming around once at a few weeks, she knew it was related to Hogwarts.

June passed with the deaths of three important figures in her life and July passed with a lot of amusement from Cerberus. No one came around, except Mr. Potter now and then just to check up on Cerberus' adult skills. But nothing else happened and Tom didn't reach Ophelia at all; not until August.

She was in the garden, looking at the fountain fondly when she saw a cloaked figure in the forest behind the house. Actually, the forest was everywhere and the next muggle house was approximately 100 km away. The old lady that Spinnard talked about before was an old hag that lived up on the hill and even if it was around 50 km to her house, she could see everything from her window.

"You can't step on the land, can you?" She asked before anything else, even before a polite greeting. The cloaked figure smirked but nodded nonetheless. "Does that make you a dark wizard?"

"Aren't you one as well? You are my daughter." He spoke, sending a shiver down her spine. "Come with me. You need a proper place to study." He added, already walking further into the forest.

Ophelia looked at the fountain then glanced at the house over her shoulder. To be able to live on, she needed to be able to protect her inheritance and for that, she had to learn from the best.

Tom didn't lead her far but once she caught up to him, he grabbed her wrist harshly and disapparated. The place that they went to was emptier than any room she had seen, with little elves running around, arranging and dusting off. They looked worse than slaves and their conditions were very strict. She could see that one of them had been hit by something very hard against his face.

Following her father, he gave away his cloak and led her into a room with one table in the middle and a fireplace on the side. If there was any more furniture, she couldn't see it with how dimly lit it was. At the table were seated a number of vile looking men. She could see the resemblance in Malfoy Sr. and maybe a bit in Mulciber Sr, and Rodolphus was there as well.

"My friends, I'm glad you could all make it. We will begin our discussion right away but first, I need to ask your son, Aeron, to accompany me upstairs."

Rodolphus got on his feet faster than his father could respond. Tom smiled contently and nodded at Ophelia before he walked back into the corridor and up the stairs. They didn't enter a room because Tom turned to Lestrange and nudged Ophelia forward.

"This is a task of utmost importance. I need you to teach Ophelia everything you have been taught. No! No questions, just do as I say." Tom hissed, his eyes dangerously staring at the young Lestrange.

Rodolphus nodded but that didn't mean he liked the idea. Probably that was the main reason he tortured Ophelia numerous times all throughout August.

"Do you have everything?" Cerberus asked, pacing in front of the chimney nervously.

"I do," she said, coming down the stairs with her trunk and cage.

Willy seemed extremely content with the new arrangements. He loved flying around at dawn and he suddenly became interested in delivering her correspondence.

"Alright, so everything is done so now...well, yeah. You should go first." He rambled, eventually turning to her with a smile.

"How?"