ꜱᴇʀᴘᴇɴᴛɪɴᴇ ꜱᴇʀɪᴇꜱ | ᴛᴏᴍɪᴏɴᴇ

Whispers from the Past, ch. 32

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

Harmony woke with the bitter cold nipping at her nose. Shivers racked up and down her body even though she was pressed firmly against Voldemort's side. Her heart thumped wildly in her chest as the lasting images of a dream lingered in her mind's eye. This dream felt exactly like the others she shared with Voldemort, only this was different. Horribly different. It was as though instead of Voldemort slipping into her dreams, she dropped unwillingly into his nightmares.

She was walking up a grassy hill surrounded by the night. Smoke and fog drifted over the horizon, creeping at her ankles as she ascended. Everything was silent except for constant, incoherent whispers in her ear. They were male, female, young, and old voices. She tried to listen; to her it sounded as though they were telling stories, long drawn out tales of their lives. But as she drew closer to the peak of the hill, the voices faded into silence. She smelled fire in the air, burning of coal, wood, and flesh. Shadows raced past her, all of which were undefinable through the smoke and fog. Her instincts sensed the danger, her Serpentine charm burned, but still she walked closer to whatever horror resided on the other side of the hill.

Footsteps behind her. She felt a little hand grasp her sleeve. Harmony looked down and saw the top of a little girl's head; her hair was as black as coal and curled down to her shoulders. By the child's height, she assumed the girl to be five, maybe older. Harmony spoke down to her soothingly, reassuringly. The child didn't look up at Harmony, but stared straight ahead. As Harmony turned her head to face forward, a shadow nearby caught her eye, slender and still. The shadow was unmistakable feminine.

A flash of green light caught her attention. She had reached the top of the hill and now realized her sense of danger was proven right. A valley dipped away from the hill and the land beyond stretched to infinity. Bodies, still and dead, littered the ground and fires raged through every building. A few lonely stragglers ran like frantic rabbits through the hellish scene, desperate to be free from danger. There was another flash of green and Harmony saw it emitted from a wizard standing a couple yards below her on the hill. It was him. He pointed his wand at the lonely stragglers and with another green cast; they collapsed to the ground, dead.

Harmony watched wordlessly as he went on and on, destroying the world without any hesitation. Harry Potter laid somewhere off to the side with Ginny and Ron close beside him. Thomas Riddle Senior was sprawled on her other side, near where her parents laid clutching each other lifelessly. She saw all this with grief choking at her heart, but she was helpless to put a stop to the destruction. The little girl gave a cry and she reached a hand down to run her fingers through her curly black hair.

When the spectacle before them was rid of every living human being, he turned slowly to face the feminine shadow standing near Harmony. The woman walked closer to them; the smoke and fog cleared and revealed Merope Riddle. Voldemort's mother wore a green gown only fit for a queen and she looked upon her son with unfathomable compassion and sadness in her eyes.

"Oh Tom," she sobbed, grasping a hand over her heart.

His eyes were black and cavernous as he stared back at his mother. His skin was paler than before, bringing direct contrast to his black hair. Harmony thought he looked dead, soulless.

He raised his wand and a beam of green light coursed through the foggy atmosphere and dispersed on Merope's chest. There was a small smile on her lips as she fell to the ground. He stared at the body for a silent moment.

Then he turned to them.

She tried to speak, but the child's cries preoccupied her and left her speechless. She hushed the girl, stroking her hair more ardently. He pointed his wand at them, but froze. She could see the hesitation in his eyes as he looked over Harmony and then the girl. The sight of the child made him drop his wand and something changed in his face. Recognition? Affection? He looked back at Harmony, then again to the child. He was trying to decide. Kill both? Kill one? Which one? Harmony could feel his emotions that came with each thought.