Touched

Shadow of a Memory - Fifth Year

This chapter delves into traumatic pasts. Take care.

Sebastian POV

  
Sebastian woke from a nightmare in a cold sweat.

His parents had crumpled to the floor. The library acted as a gas chamber. It may as well have been built for that purpose. It was never used or remembered for anything else. He and Anne had stood, hopeless at the top of the stairs. He couldn't understand what had crashed, until he saw the lamp smashed to bits on the ground. 

Their names had withered in his mouth like dry ice. He couldn't swallow. He couldn't speak. There they were, eyes open, lips parched, mouths dry. They had barely uttered a scream. Sebastian had looked down at his sister. She had knelt to the floor, palms spread on the cool marble. A guttural scream had emerged from her, sobs heaving her body forward and back.

Sebastian collapsed at the sound of it. They should leave the library. They need to leave the library. Let's leave, Sebastian had tried to say. Did he say it? Did anything come out of his mouth? Grief had already consumed him. He was weighted down by an eternal darkness. Black spots pricked at the corners of his vision.

"Mum," he had whispered. "Dad. Anne." Anne! She was still there, crying. Her cheeks were flushed but her face pale. Sebastian had used a clammy hand to shakily stand himself up and grab the collar of Anne's frock.

"Anne," he croaked, knives slicing his throat as he spoke. "We need to go." His voice was begging, pleading his sister to get away from their bodies. They were gone. He couldn't bear to look at them any longer. Without thinking, he quickly wrote his uncle an owl. As soon as he'd written a word, he couldn't read it. He couldn't pay attention. He hoped it made sense. He had dragged Anne out of the library and into the kitchen. He numbingly made them some soup and placed it on the table.

They had sat for hours. Not crying, not speaking, not thinking. Numb. Until their uncle had come to get them and removed them from their happy family home. Forever.

Ominis POV

Ominis woke from a nightmare in a cold sweat.

"It proves your loyalty to the family, son," his father was trying to persuade him. They were standing on the cold tiles of the ground floor in the Gaunt Manor. Just below him, Ominis could hear the soft whimpers of a child curled up on the ground.

"Wh- what?" Ominis stuttered, stepping backwards into the wall. "I don't want-"

"They get over it, Ominis," Marvolo drawled. "Stop being such a git and just do it already."

Suddenly, a vicious cry echoed through the walls. "CRUCIO!" It bellowed. Marvolo had walked over to another victim and casted the curse. Ominis tried to cover his ears, but his father grabbed his hands and held them in front of him, forcing him to listen to the horrific cries of a child.

"Stop," Ominis shouted, tugging his hands, trying to release his father's grip but to no avail.

A long high-pitched scream echoed off the walls. A body writhed on the ground, wailing and coughing and spluttering, gasping for breath but not getting any, calling out, begging and pleading for something to stop the pain.

Finally, the scream cut off, and Ominis fell to the ground. He rubbed his wrists and felt the tears burn in his eyes. Marvolo laughed. He laughed.

"Do it, now," Ominis heard his father from behind him. "You will be punished, Ominis. You need to do it. You are loyal to this family. You are. It's just one spell."

"It's unforgiveable," Ominis cried. He heard footsteps come from somewhere around him. His head was spinning and he felt if he wasn't already on the ground he would have collapsed by now. His hands were sweating.

"Ominis," said his mother. "Marvolo didn't take this long. He was the most loyal to this family I've ever seen. You need to listen to your father when he's speaking to you."

Ominis couldn't have anticipated what would happen next. He didn't have time to think. Excruciating pain wrapped around his body like tendrils, like devil's snare, and he gripped onto his stomach as though that was where the pain originated from. He felt it in his eyes, in his head, in his arms and legs extended out to his fingertips. It was like liquid fire, pulsing from within him. His senses were not working, his throat was burning so he knew he was screaming. All at once he couldn't breathe, he couldn't hear. Surges of pain burst within his chest, and he came to a short realization that he wasn't breathing, the hyperventilation had stopped, and darkness had consumed his whole world.

He awoke to the cool floor on his cheek. He was lying on his stomach, he thought. Everything spun, his head pounded. With every dull pound he thought someone must be hitting him in the head with a mallet. His muscles ached, every single one. Sound was muffled in his ears and his breathing was labored. He was trembling, uncontrollably shivering as though all the warmth had drained from his body.

"Ominis," said a muffled voice.

Ominis heaved and dry reached, getting onto all fours. His hands shook. Nothing came out of his stomach. He could barely hold himself up. Finally, his stomach relented, and he emptied the contents of it onto the floor.

"Ominis," said the voice again, sounding familiar, but Ominis wasn't himself. He couldn't piece it together. "Ominis."

"What!?" he screamed, swallowing the urge to vomit again. "What the fuck do you want!?" He tried to stand but he couldn't tell what was up, what was down. Where was gravity, what was balance?"

"You know the incantation, Ominis," it said. "I know you do. Say it."

He knew what the voice wanted him to do. He heard the child not far from him.

"If you do not speak the incantation now, Ominis, I will do it again."

That was all Ominis needed to hear at the time. He spoke the incantation with such malice in his voice he was almost surprised. That couldn't have been him, he couldn't have knelt down to such standards to do that. He didn't want to be loyal to the family. He didn't like his family. He didn't want to hurt anyon-

He pulled his wand back. He was alert now. A child heaved on the ground below him.

"Wha- What, what have I done?" He breathed, stepping back. He collapsed to the floor. His parents were gone. The deed had been done.

Ominis let the sobs take over and they echoed on the walls as the screams did seconds before.