Spiral into Darkness
Prologue - Endings and beginnings
SUMMARY: Tom hated everyone. And everyone hated Tom. The same held true for one peculiar Ravenclaw who seems to stare into his soul. Would she be able to pull Tom away from his fate? Or will they both succumb to the sweet lure of Darkness? Includes: timetravel, dark magic, Grey!Luna
DISCLAIMER: Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling. I own nothing you recognise.
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1936, Wool's Orphanage
It was a few hours after midnight. A lone figure crept down the dark empty corridors in search for a midnight snack from the grimy orphanage kitchen, which had easily seen better days.
Quick fleeting feet carried Tom to the locked door and with a quick hand gesture, the lock clicked and the door swung open. Wrinkling his nose in disgust of the familiar stench of gruel that had long been embedded onto the kitchen walls, he took careful steps into the cold tiled floor and he wandlessly Summoned a bowl of biscuits from a shelf. With the bowl tucked protectively under his arm, Tom was on his way back to his room when a sharp knock reverberated down the hall. The peculiar sound startled the thieving boy into flinching almost violently.
Curiosity overwhelmed reasoning, as he slid to the temporary refuge of underneath a wooden table where orphans often ate their meals. A multitude of questions washed through his head as he fixed his gaze in the direction where the sound had resonated from.
The echo traversed down the long windy hall, which lead to the double door entrance. The splintered wood almost fell apart at another series of knocks. Tom held his breath as the obvious struck him – someone requested entry to the orphanage.
Mrs Cole was a very light sleeper. Tom had discovered that titbit the hard way on a past journey to the kitchen. So it was with great confusion that nobody had answered the door after a few minutes. The unnaturally empty hall would have amplified any sound.
In his wait, Tom slid his hand into his bowl and devoured a crispy sugar-coated biscuit. Despite himself, he allowed himself to indulge in the sweet taste of the delicacy as it slid down his throat. A nice refreshment from the sour gruel he was forced to eat every day.
After four biscuits later and what seemed like eternity, the telltale footsteps of the orphanage matron thundered in approach. Leving enough room to observe the door and the old lady's reaction, Tom shrunk back further underneath the table to avoid capture.
The loud knocks had resumed as Mrs Cole walked up to the front door and flung it open. The little-used door groaned in protest as it swung open to reveal a small child, who must have been no more than ten years old. Thunder echoed outside as the pouring rain that accompanied it begun rushing into the building.
Tom risked a few moments of capture as his poked his head out to snatch a better look at the stranger. A girl with dirty blond hair and stormy grey eyes draped in a long cloak which was a few sizes too big for her greeted his brown irises. Her face was dirty and ashen and when Tom strained his eyes, he could make out tear streaks making pathways through the grime. Automatically, he would have sneered at the sign of weakness when he caught another startling aspect of the girl. She seemed to be coated in a layer of blood.
Mrs Cole was understandably shocked at the sight but was spared any words as the girl's hollow yet clear voice such rang out eerily through the orphanage. Her voice was one which seemed too old and experienced for her age and it chilled Tom to the bone. And her eyes were not focused on Mrs Cole – they were latched directly onto Tom's.
"My parents are dead. They died in war."
As if on cue, a brilliant flash of lighting filled the scene as Tom caught a flicker of change in the girl's irises. They were blood red.He blinked and rubbed his eyes with alarm and inwardly sighed in relief as he saw the ordinary grey resumed its place in her eyes. Perhaps it was only a trick of light.
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62 years later, Hogwarts grounds
Luna Lovegood's feminine scream joined many others as the infamous jet of green light spiralled towards the boy who exhibited eyes of the same colour. Hit squarely in the chest, the force from the Killing Curse caused him to collapse backward onto the battleground. At the same time a sinister hissing laugh filled the air, overriding the cacophony of screams, shrieks and yells that were already present. The tense atmosphere of the battle tightened as everyone latched their attention onto the lifeless body of Harry Potter.
"See that? Your so-called saviour is no more!" Lord Voldemort declared proudly, levitating the dead body several feet into the air for all to see, as if nobody was aware of it.
The dark lord's announcement reverberated through the school grounds, the echo almost mockingly repeating the same words over and over again. And when the words faded away, so did many hopes of the Light. They watched with fear and hopelessness as the limp corpse was paraded around the air. Both the Order of the Phoenix and Aurors alike began to fight with desperation against the gleeful Death Eaters who resumed the fight with renewed vigour.
Amongst the blood and heat of the battle, many witches and wizards tried to run to get to the body of their saviour. But Voldemort held his ground. The man seemed almost bored as he floated Harry's dangling body above their heads. A defensive field of magic surrounded him as he did so, assuring him protection from any angry avengers.
Ron Weasley cried out vain vows of vengeance as he battled his way towards what was left of his first friend. With livid tears streaking down his face, the red-headed boy ran in full speed toward the laughing Voldemort only to be thrown back violently by the magical field.
Luna was brought out of her shock as a jet of yellow light came whizzing past her head. She dodged the attack and flicked the Blood Boiling Curse back in retaliation. The anguished scream of a Death Eater joined the howls and yells in the air, confirming her that her attack was successful. She whirled around to attack another Death Eater, almost slipping on the blood stained ground.
Even though Harry Potter was dead, the battle continued until the early hours of midnight but even then, a blind man would have been able to see that the Light were fighting a losing battle - not that there even were a shortage of blind people. The atmosphere reeked of death and curses and hexes continued to spring back and forth. Voldemort had glided lazily above the battle and shot numerous killing curses around. Bodies of witches and wizards were strewn anywhere he went and occasionally a Crucioed scream would fill the air.
All the while, the lifeless body of Harry Potter hovered above in the sky, striking intense emotions into anyone present.
Exhausted to the point of collapse, the only thing holding Luna up was sheer willpower and determination to bring as many people down with her as possible. Her body wracked uncontrollably with the after effects of the Cruciatus Curse and blood was seeping freely out of a large gash in her neck. A group of Death Eaters were in front her and they simultaneously fired curse after curse at her.
She wielded two wands in both hands as she wild fired the Killing Curse around herself in random. Any Auror, Professor or Hogwarts student were either dead or out of her reach. It was pure luck that Luna was still alive and kicking. Or maybe enemies had under estimated her. Either way, it was clear that she would not make it out of battle alive.
A stray Killing Curse flew in her direction and she jumped out of the way into the path of another. One sent by none other than Voldemort himself. Apparently he had finally found the time to come and finish her off.
It was almost cliché that time seemed to slow down as the Avada Kedavra sail towards the defiant Ravenclaw. She knew it would be her last living moment as she aimed her wand into curse and fired the first thing that came to her mind.
"REDUCTO!"
To the utter shock of Luna and everyone around her, the Reductor Curse sped into the green light with deadly accuracy and as it collided, a shower of red sparks exploded, blinding all the occupants of the battle.
And then Luna knew no more.
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When she came to, the first thing she noticed was the light drizzle responsible for soaking her robes. Eyelids fluttered open as her eyes flickered about. She was in an abandoned unfamiliar park. In the distance, there were rusty swings and a slide which was falling apart. Darkness had fallen and the night sky was littered with twinkling stars. Luna was in a spread-eagled position on the grass and she had no intention of getting up. She gazed up at the sky and cracked a small smile, after the events of the battle, simply staring at stars was a pure joy. Speaking of the battle...
Luna blinked as she wondered where she was. The first thought that fleeted into her mind was, 'Am I dead?' followed by, 'Is this what death feels like?'
A soft hoot reached her ears as a reddish brown owl fluttered towards her nearby.
"Abeautiful night, is it not?" It hooted.
Luna didn't say anything, though she wondered if it was normal for dead people to be greeted by owls.
"You're not dead."
That was a surprise. Luna blinked with disbelief at the comment.
"I was hit with the Killing Curse."
The sound of sweet laughter provided her only answer. The owl hopped beside Luna and gazed into her eyes.
"Don't you recognise me?" It said.
Before Luna could say anything, a rush of fire burst out from the owl and faded away to reveal a humoured phoenix.
"Fawkes." Her voice was neutral, lacking in emotion. Nothing surprised her anymore.
Said phoenix bobbed her head.
"Three things." It trilled, apparently excited for some reason. "1. I healed you. 2. It's 1936. -"
"Really?" Luna asked with such casualty that she may have been asking about the weather.
"- Last but certainly not least: 3. The fate of the Wizarding world is now in your hands. Much like yourself, the Dark Lord you once knew is a ten year old. It is up to you to change Tom Riddle." With that last comment, Fawkes burst into flame. The light rain pour quickly put out the fire, leaving nothing but soggy ash.
A childish giggle escaped her lips as she spoke to black pile.
"Isn't it Harry's job to change fate of the Wizarding world?"
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N/a:
What do you think? How do you think little Tom will react to Luna? Leave your thoughts in a review!
Thanks for reading.
