Whispers of the Past
By: ChoCedric
She's in her fifties now, working as a teacher. With each student she helps, she feels a great sense of accomplishment. There's a lot she's wanted to do with her life, and she's so glad this is working out for her.
The days are full of students laughing, joking, and misbehaving at times, but her nights are different. She still has nightmares of what happened about forty years ago, still wakes up in the grip of terror. Much of her thinks it's ridiculous that she still can't get her head out of the past, but the more she tries to stop those awful, vivid memories showing up again and again, the more they come. She remembers Him, His smirk, His voice, the way He scared her so badly she thought she was going to die. And every night she worries that He'll come back for her.
She also often wonders about the boy who went through the trauma with her, the boy named Dennis Bishop. Does he still have nightmares about Him too? Does he wake up sweating and crying out like Amy does? He stole their innocence, He stole their childhoods, and God, it isn't fair, it isn't fair at all.
And one night, as she's sitting eating dinner at her kitchen table, it happens. Deep in her heart, she knew He'd find her. She'd lived in fear of Him for forty years and it is now coming to fruition. Her door is blasted open, and there He stands.
And oh, God! What has He done to his eyes? They're red, unnaturally red, and His face! ... It's too horrible to describe! ... And He's holding a funny stick in His hand. Amy always knew the things He could do were unnatural. She knows it's Him because of the way He smiles; it's been so long, but it's still the same. The way He looks at her also hasn't changed at all; to Him she's just a speck of dust that isn't worth anything.
And then she hears His voice, high and cold and sinister: "Hello, Amy Benson. I am sure you have not forgotten me."
And she can't help it as shivers run down her spine and she cowers in fear. "Tom-Tom-please don't do this. Please!"
And He laughs, the most evil, twisted sound one could hear, and His stick is pointed at her. "Crucio!"
And if she thought she was in pain in the cave forty years ago, it's nothing compared to now. The shrieks coming out of her mouth are unearthly, and she's never felt so awful in her life.
What feels like hours later, the pain stops. But Amy can't move. She's paralysed on the floor, looking at Him with wide, terrified eyes. Him. Tom Riddle.
And then she sees Him point His stick at her again and mouth two more words. She remembers watching some of those magic shows on TV, and she realizes the words He utters sound similar to the jibberish the children chanted. It sounds very much like He just said "Abracadabra," but it's still slightly different.
But Amy Benson doesn't have time to ponder this, because she's suddenly enveloped by a flash of green light ...
And then, there is only darkness.