the dawn of darkness | t riddle [incomplete]

Chapter 8: Fear Him

Chapter 8

The chill of the air caressed her skin with an unforgiving cold as she lay defeated, the uneven ground beneath her a harsh bed of stone. Each breath was a battle, her lungs heaving for air that seemed to weigh down on her with the density of the storm clouds overhead. Her heavy exhalations spiralled upwards like mist, mingling with the air like spirits lost at sea.

Stillness began to claim her, her consciousness tethered to the ground by the weight of Riddle's curses. They had come at her with a ferocity that spoke of untold power, his wand movements not just casting spells but splitting the very air between them. In those moments, his strength had surged like a tide, overwhelming and relentless, leaving her to drown in the realisation of his true nature and who he had become.

Alden had warned her. Tom had warned her. But she ignored them both. She refused to believe that he had outmatched her. She was too proud and too stubborn. But now, as she lay on the cold ground as the stormy clouds above gave out a low, thunderous rumble, she realised she'd never been in so much danger as when she set foot into Malfoy Manor. And she realised that he was far more powerful than her.

It was true - everything he had said. She was blinded by the past and the Tom she once knew. She was pining for what they once had and the notion that he could be saved and she was a strong enough opponent. But the way his eyes had gleamed with cruel triumph and a pulsing dark challenge, and a pure and formidable darkness flowed black through his veins, she knew he was not a force to be messed with. Not anymore.

She felt a trickle of warm liquid run down her cheek and pressed her fingers against it. Blood. She didn't even feel the pain as the defeat and the realisation consumed her. All she could think about was how powerless she was against him. And that all her worst nightmares had come true - he had truly beaten her.

She continued to stare blankly up into the thundery sky as a sudden flash of lightning lit up the clouds followed by a low vibration of thunder. Then the sky broke, and the rain poured down harshly - thrashing onto the stone ground with loud thuds - each droplet freezing her skin as she made no attempt to move.

She lay there - letting the rain soak her clothes and hair as the blazing flame within her slowly extinguished. She closed her eyes and felt the rain pour into the wound on her cheek, washing away the blood when she heard footsteps coming down the stairs to the manor.

A male voice swore under his breath and she heard a distant voice telling her to get up but the world around her seemed to blur and it wasn't until then that she felt a horrible pulsing pain on the back of her head. And with a final clap of lightning, the world went black.

***

Her mind awoke before her body did. Unable to move, all she could sense was the sound of distant clinking and bubbling that slowly grew louder as she gained consciousness. Her eyes eventually flickered open and adjusted to the dim light. She stared up at the stone ceiling, and out of the corner of her eye could see clouds of different coloured smoke and steam rise up to the stone.

She immediately knew where she was. She was in Alden's potions chamber, and she was laying by a blazing fire that warmed her skin until it tingled. She made to get up but grimaced and swore loudly when she felt the piercing pain encompass her skull.

"Easy." Said a calm voice from somewhere beside her. A pair of green eyes and a cloud of blond hair came into her vision and she scowled up at him in acknowledgement. "Well, what a lovely greeting. Hello to you too, sunshine."

With a grimace, she tried again to sit up, the room swaying in protest as her head pounded. She hissed at the pain but sat up nevertheless, shivering against her damp clothes and hair.