Unexpected Encounters | Tom Riddle

It was dark outside when Lilia followed Penelope all the way up to the Astronomy Tower. This was where she spent so many nights just talking to Theo, but instead of feeling reassured by the memory, she was dreading the words of the blonde girl.

Your pureblood friends. Your dear Celeste Meadows . The tone was enough to make Lilia want to throw up her stomach's content.

"Lilia, I heard that you came to Hogwarts to escape Grindelwald's war in France." Penelope began, leaning against the wall and crossing her arms.

Lilia stood awkwardly in front of her and wrapped her arms around herself too. "Yes. I had to seek refuge outside of France." She confirmed the lie smoothly.

"So, I assume you don't exactly agree with what Grindelwald is doing."

"I would never."

"You lost people in the war too."

Lilia raised an eyebrow at the statement and Penelope was prompt to clarify how she knew that. "I share some classes with Weasley. He told me about you."

"Oh." She was not particularly fond of the way information about her was just spreading around but there was not much that she could do now.

"You do know about your friends' stance on the matter, right?" Lilia nodded, feeling some shame creeping up her body. "I don't know how you can do it when you were personally victimised by the war."

"We are in the same house. And they are kind to me." The last sentence had a defensive tone that Lilia couldn't help.

"Right, to you, they are kind. To me? Not so much." Penelope scoffed. "Are you even pureblood?"

"No, I'm a half-blood."

"It is surprising that they put up with you. They are all purebloods. Malfoy. Nott. Lestrange. Meadows. Selwyn. Riddle." Riddle was not pureblood but if he was always seen with the others, it made sense that the school also believed he was one.

"I don't really know why they put up with me. They didn't really ask me about that." Lilia explained, dread filling her stomach.

"Lucky you. Well, this is my advice as someone who has not been as lucky as you because of how I was born. Because of something I could not even control."

Lilia gulped and nodded for Penelope to continue, silently praying that it was nothing too serious. "They have found a way to always remind me of my low status as a mudblood." Penelope informed the black haired girl solemnly.

The blonde girl shrugged off her robe and unbuttoned her blazer and blouse. Lilia watched with halted breaths as she turned around and her hand flew to her mouth in shock.

On her back, the word 'MUDBLOOD' had been carved and the injury looked so raw and tender.

"Celeste cursed it. It is meant to keep hurting for every second that I am alive." She did not elaborate but Lilia knew what that meant. Penelope Johnson was meant to live with it until she could not take it anymore because of her blood status.

"Since when?" Lilia asked quietly.

"Since April."

It was such a long time and Lilia could not even begin to fathom how she was able to put up with this pain for so long.

Lilia swallowed back sobs and she took out her wand.

"Let me help you with that." She whispered and ran a diagnostic charm across the cursed mark. She felt a weak dark source lodged inside Penelope's spine. "Penelope, this might hurt." The blonde girl grit her teeth and nodded. Lilia moved her wand in circular motions for five minutes until she was fairly confident that she had the source wrapped properly before she began to pull. A shrill scream left Penelope's mouth before she clenched her teeth together to endure the acute pain in her back.