Metanoia~ Tom Riddle

Chapter 27

Veruca was weary in her decision to go back to Hogwarts… but here she was. It was late, very late, almost 2 in the morning and she had hoped that everyone would be asleep by now, still, she hesitated. Her plan B was ridiculously dangerous and seemingly impossible, but then again, so was plan A.

With a deep breath, she entered the castle and tiptoed to the seventh floor. 
As she approached the door to the Room of Requirement, she stalled- she heard shouting.

The voice was too muffled to distinguish the words it was speaking, but something in the girl stirred anxiously when she realized it was Tom. She backed up a few paces, taking cover behind a nearby tapestry as the door opened. She just barely noticed the cat stroll out of the room as the doors closed.

Veruca waited a moment, before scurrying over to the cat, “Moony!” she whispered.
The cat turned half-heartedly glancing at Veruca before continuing his stroll. Veruca felt slightly disheartened as she realized she couldn’t communicate with him the way she used to.

She then shook herself of the minor setback, snatched the cat up, and held him in front of her face, “Moonwatcher, it’s me! Veruca!”  

The cat looked bored for a moment longer, then a look of utter horror crossed his features and he scrambled away from her letting out a terrified meow. Veruca dropped him, for fear of getting clawed and stepped back as he leaped away from her.

He was still mewling like he had been wounded, when she knelt down and whispered, “I’m sorry, I know how much you hate being held. But, I had to get your attention.” 

The cat looked up at her and rolled his eyes, he started meowing to himself. When Veruca looked at him helplessly, he stopped and nodded in the direction of the stairs. He led her down a few floors, then into a spare classroom.

He hopped up onto a desk and stared at her expectantly. She sighed and pulled a notebook out of her pocket.

“This is going to be difficult because we can’t have a two-person conversation, so you just have to shake your head yes or no, okay?”

Moony nodded. Veruca smiled at him, "Okay, good.”

She had many questions to ask, too many for a feline unable to answer verbally. But, she did her best to ask only yes or no questions.

"And what about my necklace? He has that too? Has he been talking to you?" She asked.
Moony nodded.

"Has he asked about me? Have you told him anything?"

Moony nodded again.

Veruca looked to the ground, Tom was asking about her. The frustrating part was that she couldn't even ask what he had been asking.

They spent well over an hour together, Veruca trying her best to narrow her questions to yes or no, and Moony trying his best to answer with as much detail as a simple shake of the head could offer. Veruca was thrilled to be able to talk to her friend, she had missed him dearly. She only wished she had more time.

“He found my diary?” she asked, with a scoff, “-and then continued to read it? How rude.”

Moony snickered, as well as he could, to portray his amusement. Veruca shrugged, “I suppose that’s a good thing, is he searching for others?”

Moony nodded and then it was Veruca’s turn to snicker in amusement, “That should keep him busy then,” Moony gave her a questioning look and she smiled, "-there aren't any others.”

Moony nodded, wishing he could slap her, even he had thought there were others. After all, who writes one journal entry in one book? And then nothing else? He rolled his eyes, Veruca did, evidently.

“Well, I wish I could stay longer but I have to get going, there’s no time to waste. Just one more question?” Moony nodded, urging her to continue.

"Have you ever seen a Time Turner around here?"

Moony's eyes widened, he wanted desperately to ask her why on earth she needed a Time Turner. She had previously told him he couldn't know, but still, his curiosity was killing him.

When Moony shook his head at her, Veruca smiled, "No worries," she scratched behind his ear and kissed his head, "I've got to go now."

She stood and made her way to the door of the classroom. She turned and smiled at him, "I don't think I ever told you before, but I love you Moonwatcher. Thank you for being my friend."

She tiptoed out of the room and away from the door, and Moony sat there still as a statue. He was going to miss her, wherever she was going.

*

Veruca made her way through the hidden passages quietly, pausing every few steps to listen for wandering people. She hadn't originally planned to visit Dumbledore, but upon realizing that one crucial artifact to her plot was missing, she thought it may not be a bad idea to say hello.

As she turned a corner of the stone corridor, she came to a dead end. This is where the magic happens. She thought, and she brought her wand out of her pocket.

"Per me, amabo te," she whispered.

A shimmer, just above Veruca's head, set the corridor alight and drew a line to the right, then down, then to the left, then up, and finally, to the right again, to meet its starting point, which created a rectangular shape.

The stone at the center of this rectangle started rippling, like water when you throw a rock through its surface. The ripple slowly stretched to cover the rectangle.

Then, the rippling stone slowly vanished, right before Veruca’s eyes. She smiled, "I love magic." Then, she stepped out of the tunnel and watched as the doorway disappeared. 

She began the short trek down some steps, towards Dumbledore’s office. She paused at the door, listening carefully. If anyone else was already inside, she'd have to wait.

After hearing nothing but the soft scratching of a quill on parchment, she gulped and held up her fist to knock.

But before she could knock, Dumbledore’s voice met her ears, "You can come in, Veruca."

She paused, questioning how quiet she had really been, then she tentatively opened the door. Dumbledore was sitting at his desk and he hadn't looked up as she came in. The door shut softly behind her and she took a seat.

There was a moment of silence as Dumbledore finished his writing, then he put his quill away, set aside his parchment to dry, and looked up at her with that familiar twinkle in his eyes and a small smile on his face.

"I haven't seen you in a few weeks, how have you been?"

Veruca wanted to ask why he wasn't scolding her for leaving the way she did, then she realized the past meant very little now and there was no use dwelling on it.

"I've been busy, and since my first plan failed-"

"Did it?" Dumbledore asked, cutting off her statement. He had this look on his face as if he were begging her to reconsider giving it up.

Veruca paused. Did it really fail? Maybe she should’ve given it another chance. She could have come back the very next day, confronted Tom, told him the truth, and gone from there. She shook her head at herself, That wouldn't have worked.

"Yes, it did."

Dumbledore nodded solemnly, "That sometimes happens," he sighed. His eyes grew sad and he stared at Veruca with such grief the girl had to look away.

She nodded, "Yes, it does."

There was a moment of silence between the two, then Veruca smiled, "But, I haven't given up. There is a newly formed Plan B."

Dumbledore seemed to will himself to look happier, before returning her smile, "Is there now?"

Veruca nodded, "Yes, but there has been a minor setback in progress."

"And what is that?" He asked.

Veruca took a deep breath, "I need a Time Turner."