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The clock started ticking as the sun rose through the sky on that bright Tuesday morning at the start of November. It was a beautiful morning, the sun rose through the sky with renewed hope and energy. The sky was bluer than it had ever been and even the birds seemed to be singing jovial hymns. To any other wizarding family that day would have been one of mass celebration, but for the Snyde family, it was a timer counting down.
Merula awoke to the sounds of her parents’ tears and loud whispers. At first, the words were incomprehensible, but as she wandered down the hall to the family room, their words and fear became starkingly clear.
“How is this possible!” Her mother screamed, her voice quivering.
“I don’t know,” Her father’s voice was frail. He sounded tired and defeated. Her entire life Merula’s father had always been alive with a righteous fire, but the fire had been burned out and only a shell was left. “The papers say the child—”
“I read it!” Her mother slammed her hand against the table. She dragged her clenched fists from the wood and let out a long calming breath. Her next words left her lips slowly, being dragged by the sound of tears. “It just shouldn’t be possible.”
Merula could no longer be silent, she walked into the room. “What’s going on?”
Her parent’s eyes snapped to their daughter and they both suddenly looked very ashamed. Her father gestured for Merula to sit, so she did.
“How much of that did you hear, darling?”
“Just the end, but I don’t understand. Are we in trouble?”
“No,” Her father shook his head. He looked towards her mother, before finally saying, “Your Mum and I may be in a bit of trouble, but it’s nothing you should worry yourself about.”
“What’s going on?” Merula asked again.
“It’s just adult things,” her mother said, a sad smile on her lips. “You’ll understand when you’re older.”
Even at that age, Merula understood that when adults said that, it meant that something really bad had happened. But she wanted to be a good daughter, so she smiled and nodded and pretended to believe them. Trusting that whatever it was, they would soon solve it.
Merula was only nine when her family was ripped away from her.
In only a month after that beautiful November morning, her parents were being dragged away to Azkaban.
She wasn’t allowed to be at the trial, her uncle wouldn’t allow it and since he was replacing her parents she had to listen to him.
Merula hated living with her uncle. He didn’t want to play games with her and there wasn’t anything fun to play within the house. Worst of all they never went outside, they couldn’t because every single wizarding community nearby knew what had happened to her parents.
Death Eaters.
It was a term she had only heard a few times before when her parents were engaged in hushed whispers. They said the word with honor and reverie. Her parents were proud of being Death Eaters.
Her uncle and the rest of the Snyde family was proud of them.
Merula was proud of them and she swore to herself that she would make them proud.