Over the next two weeks, Lethe refused to talk to both her brothers, only telling Vinny what she wanted them to know. The reason for her anger? They married her off on Tom Riddle's orders. She even knew that it wasn't her brother's fault, but still, Lethe needed to vent her anger on someone, and the dark lord wasn't really an option.
She rolled over in her bed and groaned into the pillow. She didn't want to get up, her bed felt so comfortable, but apparently James was coming to visit. She was actually quite happy that he was coming over, it was one of the first interesting things that had happened all week. A knock on the door interrupted her thought, and she groaned in acknowledgement. A sigh escaped her chest as she felt someone sit down on her bed. "Yes?" she asked, rolling back over.
Lethe's eyes grew wide, and she bolted upright. Before her sat a young man with short black hair and blood-red eyes. He wore a pleasant smile, the type she usually saw on her mother's face when guests were over. "Good morning." Lethe smiled nervously and inclined her head, "My lord."
Tom Riddle tenderly touched her cheek, brushing a thumb over her lower eyelid, "You look even worse than last time." His eyes narrowed. "Is your condition deteriorating?" Lethe swallowed hard, she felt exposed as though he could see right through her. "I feel much better, my lord."
Pain, it burned itself into her, as though a white hot iron had been laid across her skin. Bright spots danced before her, and she grasped the bed covers.
A cold hand touched her shoulder, and suddenly the pain vanished. "The truth, child, tell me the truth," Voldemort whispered, his voice soft and tender. Lethe's eyes flew up to meet his, they bored into her, slit and ruby red.
"I-I don't know," she stammered, heart beating a million miles an hour. This time, no pain came to, but Riddle still frowned. "Alright, we will continue this discussion later. Apparently, the Potter boy has arrived." He smiled at her one last time before leaving, though Lethe still felt his gaze lingering.
After getting dressed into a beautiful blue and white dress, with the assistance of Vinny, Lethe slowly made her way downstairs into the foyer, carefully keeping close to the wall in case she needed assistance. She smiled softly, "Hello James" Her voice came out husky, and she coughed. James, who was sitting on the other side of the foyer, in one of the massive velvet armchairs, jumped up and, seeing her standing uneasily, quickly rushed over. "You okay?" he asked, stabilising her by holding her bony shoulders. Lethe nodded slowly, every move sluggish "Just tired."
He frowned and peered behind her. "Mr. Lestrange!" he called down the dimly lit hall. "Mr. Lestrange!" He called again, this time more urgently. Footsteps thundered down the hall, and suddenly, Lethe felt a pair of strong arms grasp her. "Are you alright?" It was Rodolphus, he held her tenderly, carefully controlling his strength. "I'm fine," she muttered drearily. She closed her eyes tightly before reopening them. "Just give a moment." She grasped her brother's arm tightly, taking in deep breaths.
James watched her warily, a deep frown contorting his features, "Maybe I should go, we can-" "No," Lethe exclaimed, she sighing and lowering her voice, "no, stay."
Looking up at Rodolphus, she smiled weakly, "You can let go now." He frowned, "Are you sure?" Lethe nodded, "I'll call you if I need help." Slowly releasing her, Rodolphus took a tentative step back, watching her warily. "You want to finish the game from last time?" Lethe asked, turning to James. The boy nodded slowly, still frowning, "You gonna be alright?" Lethe smiled, "Yes, I'll be fine, this just happens every now and then," she sighed, "no use in hiding it."
"How are you so good at this?" James exclaimed after their fifth game of wizarding chess. She grinned, knocking over his King, "I play a lot," gathering up the pieces, she began putting them back into the right positions, "My brother was the wizarding chess champion back at Hogwarts, and I learned a bit from him." James leaned back in his armchair. "Well, it's no fun if you win every time." Lethe laughed, and he felt his heart skip a beat. If he was being honest with himself, she wasn't exactly attractive, gaunt face, pale thin lips, and unnaturally skinny, but her voice was mesmerising. He shook his head. "Do you have any other games we could play?" Lethe pondered for a moment, "Well, we do have Wizard's Checkers." James raised his eyebrows, "Sure, but I bet you'll win again." That made her giggle, "Is that a no?"