Toujours Pur | Euphemia Black

Chapter 32 | A Suspicous Summer

Tom Riddle's meeting in the Riddle Manor was only the first of many meetings of that kind that summer in 1950. Prejudiced pureblooded  families from around the country grouped together to discuss what they were going to do about the muggles, half bloods and blood traitors that were 'dirtying' the global community. There were rumours and whispers of a possible war but some people were doubtful it would get that far - it was just another rebel gang causing trouble....right?

That was what many people thought anyway as murders of people like Amy Stratton were hushed up and not mentioned in any wizarding newspapers because they simply didn't know about it. The Knights of Walpurgis operated their dark plans in secret and kept everything about them hidden, from the secret meetings to the spontaneous killings.

It reminded many of the people that knew about Tom Riddle's plans about the dark times and of the previous war - how Grindelwald worked in the dark before unleashing his deadly plan upon the world. It was a scary prospect, really, that Riddle was doing the same as one of the darkest wizards to ever have lived did in his running up to power.

The summer at the end of Euphemia's third year already felt rather daunting and scary to the girl before she had even reached her home because she was absolutely dreading getting off the train. She sat with her old friends for a bit on the train but left after they all started trying to persuade her to stay with them and not go home.

Minnie even offered Mia to go home with her to the McGonnagal family but Euphemia refused - she had dug this hole and created this problem so it was her duty to dig herself out of it and defeat the dilemma. Charlus and Florean were both deeply and clearly worried as both boys told Mia to be careful, only to be met with exasperated looks from the Slytherin.

When Euphemia actually got off the train, she immediately saw her mother and father stood to one side, eyeing some of the half blood families and the blood traitors with disparaging glances and sinister glares. Their expressions didn't change as their eyes fell on their daughter and Cassiopeia actually sniffed in distaste and disgust before Arcturus grabbed the sleeve of Mia's robes and disapperated with her, clutching onto her fabric as if it was filth and didn't deserve to be touched by his oh so holy pure blood hands.

Euphemia stumbled as they arrived on the Black Manor drive, she had to steady herself so that she didn't fall onto the gravel that coated the driveway as she knew that would hurt - she had once grazed her knees very badly on that very drive when she was younger whilst flying a broom that she wasn't meant to be using and her parents had refused to heal them as she had broken the rules of no girls flying. Mia had had to hobble around with stinging and bleeding knees for a good half a day until Tibet the house elf took pity on her and sorted them out with her elf magic.

Arcturus and Cassiopeia didn't say anything to Euphemia after they landed, they simply walked off with their noses in the air and Mia couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief that they weren't going to start yelling at her just yet. Euphemia eyed their retreating backs for a little, making sure they were a good distance away from her before she picked up her heavy trunk and dragged it across the driveway, kicking up clouds of white dust from the stones in her wake. Her parents were nowhere to be seen as she entered the manor and so Mia simply dumped her trunk at the bottom of the stairs, removed her shoes and ran upstairs in her stockinged feet.

Although Euphemia didn't actually know about it, a meeting was taking place in the parlour of the Black Manor with a certain group of very shady people who were all discussing dark plans in low voices. Tom Riddle was among them, his clear and cold voice hissing through the gloomy darkness of the room as he took control and charge over the group of adults despite only being young himself.

He already had power grasped in his very palm and he was relishing in it as he revealed exactly what he wanted his loyal companions (he referred to them as thus, though he actually thought of them secretly as servants). However, Mia didn't hear any of this - even as she scuttled past the dining room because the girl was just so anxious to get to her bedroom and out of sight and harm of her parents that she didn't think to check what could possibly be happening in her parlour.