The Enigma

IX

"Mommy." I whisper, taking slow steps towards the woman who raised me.
I bring a hand to her cheek, but my hand swipes through her like fog.

The room swirls around, and stops, now a completely different room.
We were at St. Mungos.

"I'm sorry, the best we can do for her is keep her comfortable till it's her time to pass." The doctor tells my father and I.
"You have to do something! You can't just let her die!" My father screams as the doctor.

Nine year old me flinches and takes a step away from the adults.
"Valentina, get back over here!" My father roars, making me flinch, and squeeze my eyes shut.

A hand grabs my hair and pulls me forwards, making me cry out, and open my eyes.
"You filthy girl! It should have been you that died, not your mother!" He screams in my face, shoving me into a wall very roughly.

"Crucio!"
I let out a loud scream, curling into a ball.
"Valentina!"

I scream louder when the spell stops and my father stomps on my arm repeatedly, breaking my arm before kicking my face. Everything goes black and I only hear white noise.

I blink rapidly, clutching my arm close to my chest, trying to feel around the area.
I let out a gasp when I fall through a hole.

Everything quickly turns back to color, and I fall onto my side.
"Fuck. Fuck, what the fuck." I pant, standing up.

The walls around me were made of cracked stone. Severely cracked stone. Some pebbles had fallen off the wall, and were left on the floor. These was a desk and a large bookcase. The desk was covered in notes and books, on the floor, some books had been thrown so they'd be open or on their sides, or closed.

I didn't recognize this place. I'd never seen it before.
"Sad, isn't it?"

I turn around, seeing my mother pursing her lips, looking around the room before her eyes land on me.
"Where am I?" I ask in a shaky voice.
"Your mind of course."

"No, I understand that, but I've never been here or seen this place before, so where am I?"
"This room represents you. Notice how the walls are almost crumbling? Almost as if one touch could bring them down." She explains, her hand hovering over the walls.

"It's a metaphor of sorts. If you get hurt once more, you'll crumble, break, fall apart, however you'd like to phrase it." She continues.
"Who are you?" I question

"Obviously not your mother." The thing scoffs. "No, I am your conscious. Well, the sensible, thinking part of your conscious at least."

"So your my brain."
"I suppose you could say that."
"Alright, brain, how do I get out of this place?"

"Through the door, of course." She scoffs.
"What do-" A door slowly forms in front of me, and I slowly approach it, carefully touching the knob and twisting.
It doesn't budge, and I twist harder before digging and backing away.

"It's locked."
"Of course it is, you'll need to find a key then, won't you?"
"Well where do I start looking for this key?" I snarl, losing my patience.

"Always hat a temper, just like your father." She tuts.
"Don't compare me to him." I growl, chucking the nearest thing at her.

The book simply goes through her and drops to the floor before it could hit the wall.
"As you wish. Now the key is something only you could find. Most likely in one of your memories." She explains further.
"Right, lets go there then."

She reaches out and touches my forehead with two fingers and we are in a new room. Well, not a room, more like a hallway. With many doors.

"Fuck."
"Language."
"Shut up."
"Ouch."