Chapter 9

Skuld Weasley yawned as she watched her mother disappear through the chimney. Only she remained, feeling the weight of her family's expectations.

They didn't worry about whether there was enough Floo powder left or whether the address was called out correctly. 

"Diagon Alley!" she called, stepping into the beautiful green flames and closing her eyes tightly. This annoyed her mother.

With a thud, Skuld fell to her knees, only to have Ginny tumble to the ground beside her. Someone extended a hand to her, and she accepted it, standing up without acknowledging the gesture.

"Are you okay, honey?" her mother asked, brushing soot from her orange hair.

"Yes, thanks, Mom," Skuld replied with a smile. But her expression changed abruptly as she turned and walked away, nodding and quickly seeking her own minor blessing.

Her heart ached. They had confused her with her sister. They preferred Ginny. They didn't want her.

With a sigh, she didn't bother to remove the soot since she couldn't do it alone. As she looked around, she noticed that certain emerald eyes were missing. *What if he has gone into the dark alley?* 

Skuld had always wanted to explore that place, to investigate and discover new things—particularly the Dark Arts. She felt a thrill at the thought.

No one noticed when she separated from her group, placing the house insignia from her pocket at chest level on her black sweater. As soon as she entered the alley, the air felt heavier, the atmosphere charged with secrecy. 

People walked with their heads bowed, hiding their faces from curious glances. She caught her reflection in a shop window, walking with her head held high, proudly displaying the snake insignia.

Suddenly, she crossed paths with the Malfoys. Draco instantly recognized the orange hair.

Draco didn't want to admit it, but the Weasley had caught his attention. Well, who wasn't intrigued by Skuld Weasley? The only Weasley in the Salazar house, with a unique personality and, according to what his father had told him, family contempt.

"Skuld?" the platinum blonde asked, even though he knew it was her. He would recognize her anywhere.

"Oh, good morning, Draco," she smiled slightly, trying to maintain composure. "You must be Mr. Malfoy, it is an honor to finally meet you."

Lucius Malfoy savored that.

"You must be the decent Weasley," he commented, his tone dripping with condescension.

"I wouldn't say it like that, but yes," she replied, clearing her throat and glancing nervously to the sides.

"What are you doing here alone?" Draco asked, curiosity sparking in his eyes as he scanned the area for another Weasley. "Are you lost?"

"No, I came alone," she said defiantly. "I was curious to enter here since my mother always forbids us."

"You can come with us," he suggested, looking pleadingly at his father. Lucius didn't seem to mind, he admired her for standing up to her family and possessing that magnetic attitude.

If she weren't a blood traitor, he would approve of her as a potential daughter-in-law.

They began to walk toward a store that Skuld obviously didn't know, but it emanated a dark aura. She entered without hesitation, listening intently to what her new friend Draco was telling her.

On the other side of the store, hidden in a closet, a boy with the green eyes Skuld had missed couldn't believe what he saw.

"Don't touch anything, Draco," he warned.

"I thought you were going to buy me a gift," the boy replied, peering over the curious objects in the shop.

Skuld was mesmerized by her surroundings. Borgin & Burkes was a completely different world than what she was used to. *But I could get used to this,* she thought, a smile creeping onto her face.

Harry flinched as green eyes landed on his hiding place, almost convinced she had winked at him. She had recognized those unmistakable eyes and moved away slightly, surveying the area around her. 

It felt abnormal to desire knowledge of the Dark Arts so intensely and yet not want to leave this fascinating store, especially when she sensed Harry's urgency to escape.

"...with his son's young girlfriend..." Mr. Borgin's voice rumbled, pulling Skuld's attention.

"Oh, no, Mr. Borgin," Lucius denied, catching her keen ears. "She is Arthur Weasley's daughter, the only sensible one in the family."

"I heard something," Borgin murmured, almost in a growl. "The one who made all that scandal during the time of the Dark Lord."

He turned his head slightly, pretending to look at Draco, who was examining a severed hand.

"Scandal?" Draco queried, glancing surreptitiously at Skuld. "Was she the baby?"

"The only Weasley born in 1980," Borgin agreed. "A scandal, quite a scandal. In my opinion, exaggeration."

They suddenly fell silent, realizing that Skuld had heard them. They returned to business, forgetting they had revealed information unknown to her.

---

As soon as Skuld and the Malfoys left the shop, and Mr. Borgin was out of sight, Harry emerged, covered in ash, with broken glasses and confusion etched across his face. 

He allowed himself to be cleaned by Mrs. Weasley and stayed with them, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something was missing. *Oh, doesn't anyone miss Skuld like I do?*

"Mrs. Weasley, where is Skuld?" he asked, a note of concern in his voice.

It seemed as though no one cared about her absence. He looked at the redheads, wrinkling his nose slightly.

"Arthur!" she shouted. "Nike is missing!"

Mrs. Weasley said it almost relieved, something that bothered him and Hermione.

'How can they be happy that their daughter is missing?' he thought. *Skuld may sometimes be a little cold and a bit... curious, but she's endearing.*

"You know how it is, Molly," Arthur Weasley replied casually.

The conversation drifted, and they headed to Flourish and Blotts, surprised to find the bookstore packed with people.

Gilderoy Lockhart was signing books.

---

As Skuld walked with Draco through the bookstore, she shared a little about her vacation. Draco increasingly believed that she was remarkable. She could endure her family's expectations and move forward with a smile, unapologetically wearing the badge on her chest.

At one point, Draco wandered off, leaving her staring entranced at a book titled *First Wizarding War: Wizards and Muggles.* She knew she couldn't afford it since they could barely buy her school supplies, but she could always dream and seek it out in the library.

Feeling a strange sensation, she turned to where she last saw Draco disappear, curiosity pulling her along. 

What a juxtaposition—Malfoys against Weasleys, Evelyn, Hermione, and Harry.

She approached the center of the two families. 

"We were looking for you, Ni..." her father began, but she cut him off.

"Save it, please," she interjected, surprising the redheads. 

"My name is Skuld," she asserted, meeting her father's gaze. 

The tension thickened. "And we don't?!" Molly exclaimed, offended.

"You've never done it," Skuld shot back, unwavering. "Why should you do it now?"

Sarcastic laughter bubbled up within Draco.

"Skuld Nike Weasley..." her father warned, frowning.

"At least I know you remember my name," she shrugged, stifling a yawn. "I'm tired of this. I'm tired of giving love and receiving hate, now you can't demand anything from me."

Ron swallowed thickly, watching the confrontation unfold.

"Look, Weasley, even your daughter knows what a loser you are..." someone jeered.

A metallic sound resonated as Arthur Weasley lunged at Lucius Malfoy, knocking over his youngest daughter's cauldron.

An interesting fight ensued, with Molly trying to separate them, the twins cheering their father on, and Draco and Skuld observing in silence.

When Hagrid finally managed to separate them, Lucius Malfoy passed a book to Skuld, saying goodbye with as much pride and dignity as he could muster.

"Nike Weasley..." Mr. Weasley pointed out accusatorily.

"Skuld," she corrected with amusement.

"You are grounded for the rest of the summer," he declared firmly.

Her blood boiled, and she felt an overwhelming urge to scream. She wanted to pull out her wand and shout a spell she had memorized.

"No Quidditch, bacon, or sweets? You can't take something from me that I don't have," she replied, sarcasm dripping from her words.

That silenced everyone. They couldn't argue with her cold logic.

"This year you don't get a Weasley sweater," he replied after a moment. "You've embarrassed our family and indirectly defended the disgusting Malfoys."

"I don't have Weasley sweaters," she almost laughed.

They couldn't punish her with anything, she practically didn't value physical possessions, so they could take them away without consequence. Just the book no one knew existed—and now, the black notebook given by Lucius Malfoy.

---

As quickly as possible, she entered the attic and threw herself onto her makeshift bed. On one side, she had a small pile of books, and the walls, somewhat stained with humidity and lack of paint, were adorned with drawings and a poster of The Beatles, her favorite Muggle band.

She had personalized what was given to her as a discard.

It was nothing like Ron's room, based on Quidditch, nor like the twins', filled with jokes. It was a reflection of Skuld's changing personality. Above an old Gryffindor poster, there was a larger Slytherin poster—a special touch.

Taking a pen and a bottle of blue ink from a box, she opened the notebook.

*Tom Riddle.*

*Who is Tom Riddle?*

Noticing something strange in the notebook—a magic different from what she knew—she decided to do something daring.

"I know you're going to answer me, Tom Riddle Diary."

"I like you, redhead."

She smiled at her thought, feeling a spark of adventure igniting within her. This was just the beginning.

[T/N: Not bad, I may just spend more time on this book. If you like this chapter then leave a comment, write a review, and drop some stones! If you want to read some advanced chapters then check out my Patreon.]

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