metanoia | tomione

1.0

"They joined hands.
So the world ended.
And the next one began."
― Sarah J. Maas, Queen of Shadows

(i)

she was looking at him with her hair braided in two plates. the silence has grown into an uncomfortable sensation that tingled her skin as if she had put her hands into water full of ice. he was passive and stared at her as if she was a worm. he was six and he wanted to crush her, revolt her fragile body with his tainted soul. her lips wobbled but she didn't waver from his mute interrogation.

"so, you decided to tell toby that i had his book?" his lips moved slowly dragging each word and she felt her chest suffocating. "why?" brown brows furrowed when he circled her person. the pages of philosophical novel ran through her mind, trying to think of another lie.

her palms were wet with her nervousness.

"it wasn't yours," his icy irises burned holes in her skull as if he wanted to see how her brain worked. the sound of rain and painful realization of what she had done made her shiver. "you would have destroyed it!" the fire behind her voice oozed through whole of her lithe body. his sharp jaw clicked and his perfect, god like features turned into an ugly scowl.

"you want to fight for a story full of nonsense and fairytales? you are so pathetic, mudblood" his mocking tone and the way he said that horrible word triggered her fury. "the name you are given is also poignant," short insult from the back of his throat resulted in unwanted tears in her amber eyes. she curled her fingers in the hideous apron and choked on her own sob.

"still it's better than your average one!" she didn't dare to look back when her feet carried her far away from his room.

tom riddle was bully and she hated him.

(ii)

brown locks of her hair stuck to her forehead while she was running in her white nightgown through maze of the orphanage. the heavy steps of mrs cole echoed in her ears when she jumped from few stairs in a vain hope of escaping that horrible woman. eyes wide open she took in every door looking for the ones which she usually omitted.

"you little wench, come here now!"

there was her breathing so audible that she had to put a hand over her lips to prevent shaky gasps of terror and utter despair. blood that ran from her nose dropped on her pyjamas with soft thuds. 22, 23, 24, 25, 26 she counted and almost laughed out loud when she saw a familiar number on old, greyish door. her heart broke into tiny pieces when she recalled how stupid she might have looked like. she didn't bother to knock and slamming his door she was met with his piercing gaze.

"make her go away," she whispered standing close to the older boy. she swore that there was amusement in his eyes when his nonchalant brow rose. "please, tom!" she could hear the screams of their guardian. when the doorknob shook suddenly the doorframe erupted in fire. she gasped, not only from fear but from the crystal force of magic rushing through both of them.

"freaks!"

when mrs cole finally left them, she wiggled her wrist to stop the bleeding but in fact she only smeared it more on her face. there was irritating sound in her head but she couldn't grasp what it was, something along breathless words and howling of wind.

"it's red,"

her brown eyes met ice and she let out small giggle.

"did you honestly think it would be mud?" she put her dirty hand on his pale shirt and smiled. "that's for you to remember" the imprint of her limb stood out in the contrast of his almost white skin. making her way towards corridor she stopped and looking at him she whispered

"thank you, tom"

maybe she didn't hate him so much.

(iii)

she stared at his clothed form as she sprinted towards him only to be met with huge pair of arms suffocating her person. he had small suitcase next to him and she wanted to tear it away from him. he couldn't leave her here. mrs cole told her to shut up but her screams tore the peaceful night.

tom looked at her and sent her most of the cruellest things he could do.

he smiled at her.

(iv)

"hermione, are you alright?"

she repressed her defensive mood and looked at the small girl next to her. the train restrained her movements so she sat next to the window with her loose hair. people at beauxbatons weren't so friendly with her, always judging her by her orphan status.

hogwarts, was it going to be something different?

her lips cracked and she silently nodded at the intruder's question. she didn't even bother to know her name, it wasn't necessary right now. the gentle sound of patter made her oddly nostalgic. memories from past invaded her nostrils.

will she be able to find home?

after all of this years that she spent deprived of the felling of belonging. something tore her gaze from the landscape.

she was going to have to face tom riddle again.

(v)

she was glad that her sorting was done quietly, far away from suspicious glances and judgement. her mind swirled on new thoughts, her legs moving faster than she imagined them to. she was almost sightseeing, the ceilings of her new school were beautifully done. hogwarts smelled like forest, full of mysteries that waited to be resolved. looking at the small map that professor has given to her, she made her way towards her new dorm.

it was different, the feeling of belonging crushed upon her when she had entered the grounds of this famous place. as if she was always part of here. her soft eyes stopped at the sight of two staircases and with a frown she decided that she would wander more. climbing faster and faster she was met with breathtaking sight. starry sky and the vision of foggy forest made her skin alarmed. the fresh air sucked her lungs while it was transported to her mouth where she could feel the easiness in which she could breathe.

finally at peace.

"it's past the curfew," she jumped around, her wand focused in the direction of the voice. where he stood was complete darkness, surrounding him as a cloak. only silver badge on his chest made him more visible. "what are you doing here? where is your school attire?" her brows furrowed when strange feeling of familiarity hit her mind.

"i don't have any now, i'm a new student," she wanted him to move, to show himself but both of them stood there for a few seconds in complete stillness. "you shouldn't be here too" her accusation flew from her mouth before she could register sudden movement.

the sound of steps and rustling of his cloak resulted in changing angle of her hand. she thought her eyes played some tricks on her when from the abyss emerged god. his tilted head and neatly styled hair made him look like a statue that she saw in paris, so god a like but at the same time so cold and out of reach. almost lifeless. his features were so sharp that if she stepped closer she would have been cut on his cheekbones and high nose. they were perfect, his bones created at the resemblance of divinity. lips so thick and ghostly pale as his skin formed small smirk, enough to call it a movement.

she could feel the trembling of her fingers when for once she stared at his eyes. those icy, blue eyes that crashed her as a waves would do. his expression changed into blank one and suddenly into something akin to the bland surprise. her heart wrenched painfully when she took him fully and she bit her lips so hard that they almost tore.

drip, drop.

"hello, tom" her treacherous voice broke at its ends when she felt same pain which she had felt when he left her alone in that abominable orphanage. corners of her lips cracked when his cold gaze didn't waver.

"hermione"

he was deadly now.