Second Book. Sequel of It Has Always Been You. (Oliver Wood X READER)
Y/n struggles with her relationship with Oliver. As a new girl from France attends Hogwarts. Y/n begins to notice Oliver change as both grow more distant. Does Oliver still love Y...
For Muriel—the Grand Black Witch—hers began in fire and screams.
She was only seven when the witch hunters came. The scent of iron and smoke clung to the wind as torches flickered against the darkening sky. She had been gathering wild herbs by the river when she heard the shouts. By the time she returned, her home was swarmed.
She hid among the trees, small hands trembling as she watched strangers burst through the wooden door. Her mother fought desperately.
"No! Let me go!" her mother cried, struggling against their iron grips.
"Shut up, witch!" a hunter snarled, striking her across the face.
They dragged her through the dirt path to the village square, where the whole town had already gathered like vultures.
"Kill the witch!"
"She is the devil's bride!"
"Burn her!"
The town priest raised his hand for silence, his voice cold. "She is found guilty of witchcraft. We do not tolerate the devil's influence in our sacred land. Witch hunter—do what must be done."
"No..." Muriel whimpered, lips trembling. Her fingernails dug into the bark of the tree she clung to.
The witch hunter stepped forward with a torch, flames began to burn the wood rapidly, as the witch screamed in agony of pain. Fire burned through her skin, as the crowd erupted in cheers watching the witch burn.
It was a grotesque symbol of false justice. Something inside Muriel shattered that day.
The Ministry did nothing—silent, complicit. Hidden behind their golden rules and bureaucratic shadows, they let it happen. Hundreds of witches murdered. Lives lost. Magic erased.
Muriel learned the truth young: mercy was a lie the No-Majs told to sleep at night.
She would make them remember. She would make them pay.
_____________________________
Ilvermorny – First Year (1895)
Horned Serpent Common Room, after the Sorting Ceremony
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The stone walls of the Horned Serpent dormitory shimmered with enchanted runes, glowing faintly like breathing veins through the granite. Muriel sat stiffly on the edge of her new bed, her trunk unopened, her mind still spinning from the Sorting ceremony.
She was happy to join a magical school, away from the muggle world. She was glad the Horned Serpent to have chosen her.
The door creaked open.
"You must be Muriel Addams," came a voice—light, confident, and distinctly upper-class.
Muriel turned. A girl with neatly combed brown curls and a sharp glint in her eyes stood in the doorway, already wearing the Horned Serpent crest with pride.
