Veruca landed, her feet colliding harshly with the stone cold gravel. She looked around, her lips and cheeks salty with tears. At first she didn't recognize her surroundings.
Then, it clicked. Like flipping a lightswitch, her eyes widened in realization. She stood in front of the ocean. She recognized the small walkway, leading down the cliff, from a different memory Dumbledore had shown her.
"What...?" Veruca whispered to herself.
She had no clue what made her think of this place. This awful, torture ridden place. She could feel magic pulsating through the air, it was very faint, but very prominent to a well educated witch.
Her eyes glossed with tears again, as her curiosity got the better of her. Curiosity is what lead her down that walkway. Curiosity is what lead her into that cave. And curiosity, her best friend, lead her to that back wall.
The magic, she could feel it more intensely here, was dark. It made her chest heave.. the darkness was like a cloud in her lungs, like a presence squeezing her windpipe.
"What happened here?" She whispered.
Veruca's voice broke and echoed, causing her to shiver. She took in her dark surroundings and noticed scratches on the wall opposite her.
She hadn't noticed she had walked over and was reaching out, until her finger tips had skimmed the marks. They were definite indentations, cold and ragged.
Claw marks.
From what?
Before she had much time to dwell on the wall, she heard the crunch of footsteps and pebbles fell over the entrance to the cave- signaling that someone was walking above her- and she froze.
Recent, traumatic events, froze her train of thought, pausing her fight or flight mode. Another few pebbles fell and she didn't know what to do about it.
When she stepped back from the wall, her head cleared and her mind began racing at its usual pace. Who or what was traveling down the path she had just minutes before?
Evanesco was apparently too dangerous, as Veruca seemed to forget she was invisible- so she made her way to a dark corner, darker than the one she was already in, and crouched behind a large rock. It was too small to cover her completely, but it'd do for minimal cover of darkness that she needed.
The thing, or more likely person, got closer. Veruca let a sigh escape her lips, then she had a clear head and time to re-think her life.
The friends she could've had.
The people she could've met.
The family she could've loved.
The life she could've lived.
The choices she could've made.
The places she clearly shouldn't have gone.
The things she clearly shouldn't have done.
The words she clearly shouldn't have said.
The risks she clearly shouldn't have taken.
The choices she shouldn't have made.
Another crunch of rocks brought Veruca back to reality and she gripped her wand tighter, ready to defend herself. She was tired and scared and... done.
But, the person to walk through the entrance was someone Veruca hadn't seen in years- either more or less after she traveled back in time- though she missed him desperately.
"Sev?"
YOU ARE READING
Metanoia~ Tom Riddle
Fanfiction[meh- ta- noy- ah] *Greek (n.) the journey of changing one's mind, heart, self or way of life ☆☆☆ Veruca Penderwick is an extraordinary witch. With her powerful magic and strong heart, she will be his second chance. She will be remembered as no mo...
