Dose of Darkness | Tom Riddle |

Chapter Twenty: Home Again

December 22, 1944

Silence fell across the Parkinson household to the extent that a pin could be heard hitting the floor.

The sound of the Malfoy Manor's front door opening could be heard from down the road if anyone had listened carefully enough.

The world felt like it stopped moving for the family. But in fact, the air still moved, bringing a draft through the hallways now void of any liveliness and the sun still took its route over the mansion only to be replaced by the stars soon after like it did every day.
The world did not stop just because the people in it were too distracted to recognize the beauty of its cycle.

But in the bedroom of Eleanor Peverell, there had been a groundbreaking movement in her own conscience that did stir the stars above just a little.

The sound of harsh waves, jolting her body back and forth, and the gasping for air replayed in her slowly wakening mind as if she were still trapped beneath the waves. A vivid memory of staring up at the surface growing farther away made her wince in her sleep, being the most movement she has made so far. Blurs of moments in between now and then were seemingly forgotten memories until they appeared now.

It all passed by too fast for her to recall which was true and which was a dream; being carried by unfamiliar people, seeing her father's face, choking on the salty water that filled her lungs and burned.

However, if there was one thing she was unknowingly holding onto was the Gaunt ring and its glow in the dark; her light in her darkness.

Everything had been leading up to the brim of Eleanor's awake and more and more she became aware. The vivid dreams soon expanded to the touch of the soft fabric covering her then to taking her first breath of air.

Just as her eyes peeled open they had shut again as a new life filled her lungs.

To no avail, the world around her was too bright and her lungs did not welcome this new life and Eleanor was left in a coughing fit as tears burned her already pained eyes.

"Oh! Oh my, this was-- you're awake!" someone cried.

The voice rang through Eleanor's ears and she winced slightly, blinking rapidly as she focused on her soft blue sheets in her lap that smelled like home, trying to recollect her senses before she tried thinking too hard.
Everything was painfully awaking in her body, her nerves tingling and heart pounding with the exception of the internal throbbing in her upper body.

By the time she was able to look up, she recognized a woman dressed in the traditional St.Mungos uniform.

A healer.

"What happened?"

Eleanor was taken back by the rasp in her voice, coughing more as she realized she had to clear her throat from something that felt like it was sitting for a long time.

The woman did not answer though and her footsteps drifted away, giving Eleanor some time to recollect herself.

It should be relieving to have everything return to her, yet, she was troubled by her conditions.

With the exception of being in the familiar setting of her room, everything else had drew a blank.

Taking in her surroundings, she focused on her breathing and the fact that her legs were of no use. That was one of the last few memories she could withdraw from her aching mind.

It felt like she had been slammed into a wall.

The doors in front of her were left open, revealing her hallway and also giving her the ability to hear the sounds from further away. She began to hear footsteps and frantic voices, suddenly fearing the commotion that was about to enter her room just minutes after waking up.