Magic

Thanks to their little adventure, Ophelia and Paul got back to Birmingham two days after the rest which automatically meant the other orphans would ask questions. They didn't. They were eager to ask but director Blair was ready to punish whoever dared speak a word about that unfortunate event. That was the code name: unfortunate event. If children wanted to speak about it, they'd call it that or the fairy event. The girls were sure that fairies kidnapped Paul and Ophelia and they let them go when more people entered the forest. The boys wanted to believe it was the Tree Monster, character made up by Paul.

It was very strange for the next months. Paul could vaguely remember things from the forest but Ophelia's memories about that incident were completely erased. She tried to make something in order to remember but it was in vain. All the peculiar stuff around her intensified to the point she almost caught fire in her own bed. By the time director Blair came in, the children were confused and the fire around Ophelia vanished. Moments like that followed in the next year until something amazing happened.

"Pheli, come! There's a family here! They want to adopt you!" Rosaline whispered, urging for her roommate to follow her.

There was a family, a man and a woman, looking very posh. The door to director Blair's was closed but there was a certain crack in the wall, a small hollow made by Marcus and the other boys. Ophelia peeked inside and listened.

"Are you sure you want to adopt her? She's a bit peculiar." The director whispered to a man who was twice her height.

The man nodded, "We've seen her at every visit and my wife fell in love with her."

"Are you sure? Once you adopt her, she will get attached to you and your wife. She's not a toy, Mr. Molley."

"I am very much aware of that, Mrs. Blair. I want to raise this child as if she's my own flesh and blood." Mr. Molley answered coldly, a bit offended.

"Very well then. You have to know that Ophelia's mother died during a robbery and her father has been missing for a while. From what I know, he doesn't want anything to do with her."

That might have been correct but Ophelia frowned. She's never met her father but she wanted to; she wanted to ask him where he has been all this time.

Mrs. Blair continued to give more details about the custody process but Ophelia retreated into her room. Rosaline and Evelyn followed her and sat down on her bed.

"You should be happy. You'll have a family." Rosaline started, playing with her cherry blonde hair.

"It feels like I'm being tossed to some strangers." Ophelia mumbled, leaning her chin on her knees. "Besides, I do have a father."

"He doesn't want you. You've been here for three years and he didn't visit once."  Evelyn mumbled sorrowfully, "My mother is the same. She gave me away just to run off with a French man."

"But I don't want to leave." Ophelia mumbled, feeling lonelier than ever before.

But it wasn't her choice. Richard and Gloria Molley adopted the 9 years old Ophelia and after a few months, she moved in with them. Unlike what she imagined, life was happier. There were a lot of things Ophelia didn't know and Gloria Molley was delighted to teach her daughter everything. But peculiar things were still happening to her; she just kept them hidden from her new parents.

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 During a birthday party in the neighborhood, a magician came over to perform. A bunch of ten years old children were enjoying themselves with parents watching over them from their little table.

"See this topper? I can make funny things appear from it!" The magician told the children. "Abracadabra, mini moo!" He chanted, swaying his hand over the topper. He walked in front of a boy and pushed the topper closer to him.

The boy pulled a colorful scarf from it. Next, the magician asked for another one who pulled a rabbit. Ophelia was a bit offended, knowing those were easy tricks. She grabbed a jelly bean and watched from the side.

"Now, let's make someone disappear! Here, this magical cloak will send you to another world, full of chocolate and magic." He said, grinning wildly at the children. "What about you?" He asked Ophelia. "Come, come! Don't need to be shy!"

She couldn't believe she had to go in front of everyone. Ophelia glanced at her mother but Gloria only urged her to go and have fun. Well, she wasn't the one covered, it seemed. The birthday girl came up as well and asked to be sent to this wonderful place for children.

"Then, let's change this a bit!" His smile cracked a bit but he agreed anyway, "You, what's your name?" He asked Ophelia.

"Ophelia." She answered with no enthusiasm at all.

"Take this cloak, Ophelia, and cover your friend with it. Say the magic words Abracadabra and we'll see what happens." He said, sweating already.

Ophelia covered the girl and said the magic words but something was different. She felt her hands tingle and quickly pulled the cloak off. The girl was gone.

"Bravo! Now, let's get our birthday girl back!" He said.

They couldn't. No matter how much they tried and how much they checked, the girl was gone. While parents got up and ran to their children, accusing the magician, Ophelia felt guilty. That tingling in her hands made the girl disappear. It was her fault.

"Mom, I swear. I did it! I made her disappear and now, I don't know how to get her back!" Ophelia continued like that for the whole way home but Gloria didn't even consider it.

"You're a child. You did nothing wrong but went along with that so called magician. He probably kidnapped the poor girl. Did they announce the police, Richard?"

Richard Molley was a detective so he knew first if there was something wrong in Birmingham.

"I called Martin and he's got that magician at the station already. If he doesn't recognize tonight, I'll make him say everything tomorrow morning." Richard said in an authoritarian tone.

Ophelia tried to say something but Gloria's glare made her run into her room and hide under the covers. While standing there, in silence, she opened her palms and moved them side to side. Nothing happened. She closed them in tight fists and opened them again, this time something amazing forming in her palms. Her eyes widened and decided to keep that a secret.

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Next day, Richard went to work without having breakfast. Gloria had a meeting and Ophelia was supposed to stay over at a friend, Elena. For the whole morning, Ophelia kept her hands on her lap or behind her back, afraid that her mother would find her secret. Nothing happened, even at Elena's place.

The two girls were in the park behind Elena's house when she noticed a man standing a few feet from them.

"We shouldn't speak to strangers." Elena whispered.

"Something about him seems familiar, though." Ophelia said tilting her head to the side.

She got up and got lured to the mysterious man.

 "Do I know you?" Asked a ten years old Ophelia.

He beckoned her closer and smiled suavely.

"You don't remember me, do you Ophelia?" He asked softly.

The girl shook her head, confused. "Should I?"

Those empty eyes of Tom Marvolo Riddle softened only a tiny bit at the sight of his daughter. Ophelia was definitely different from what he imagined her to be: she was witty, stubborn and held a desire to control everyone and everything around her. She was much more like him than she was like Lillian and it pleased him. He could see it in her eyes, the desire to affirm herself.

Tom's smile shifted into a smirk and he said something that earned Ophelia's curiosity.

"You can do great things, can't you? Things that your friends or parents can't do." He whispered, her green eyes widening.

"I don't know what you mean, mister."

But Tom grasped his wand and made flowers appear around her. She squeaked in delight and looked up at him with those green eyes of hers.

"I can teach you how to do it too but you have to keep it a secret. When time comes, your guardians will understand."

A year later, Ophelia finally understood what that man meant. On the morning of her eleventh's birthday, Ophelia Molley got her Hogwarts letter.