Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story or any other details from J. K. Rowling's books.

Spoiler Warning: Do not read this if you have not yet read all of the Harry Potter books and do not want some or the surprises spoiled.

The Final Choice

I open my eyes slowly, and I am momentarily blinded by the bright empty whiteness of my surroundings. Where am I? And for that matter, who am I? I look down at my hands—but where are my hands? I see another creature, red, scaly, slimy and raw, with its hands stretched out in front of me. It is as small as a baby, and as I try to move away from the gruesome thing, it follows exactly where I go. Then I understand: that creature is me. The question is now not only who am I, but what am I?

I look up again, into the large white expanse before me. Slowly it begins to take on form, a shape. It looks so familiar…the name appears abruptly in my head: King's Cross. Yes, for some reason, though I still do not know where I am, that name sounds right to me. For a moment I think I feel a presence at my shoulder, frowning, but I turn around and no one is there. The sensation disappears quickly, and I think to myself that it must have only been my imagination. I begin to despair that anyone will find me here, and tell me what is going on.

Then, suddenly, it all comes flooding back. Slowly at first…a small boy leading two shivering children into a dark cave…a tall bearded man setting a wardrobe afire…a handsome, pallid man talking to an old lady named Hephzibah with greed in his eyes… The memories come rushing back, faster and faster…a locket…a snake…a flash of green light and then another and another and another. With each flash a person fell, limp, to the ground. A defiant dark haired man…a pretty woman with green eyes, trying to protect her baby, and then the baby boy…but something was very different with that flash. Then, a blackness and more images, years later…a dark Albanian forest…a green stone in a mirror…a dark-haired green-eyed teenage boy…a tournament, a death, and a rebirth…a hall filled with glass globes…and a fight. I see that same teenage boy, older now, a man. Then there is a clash of red and green lights, and I hear words from the boy I now know is Harry Potter. "Tom", he says. "Try for a little remorse. Be a man…"

And realization struck me, hard. Tom. That is me, that inhuman creature, the feared Lord Voldemort. I see a boy asking a fat old professor about splitting a soul into pieces, seven pieces, and then a book, open to a page marked "Horcruxes". In the dim candlelight, I can barely make out a few words: "Splitting a soul…ultimate act of cruelty…murder". Then at the bottom of the page: "The only way to repair a soul once it has been split is to feel remorse for what you have done. The pain of it may easily kill you" I hear the young man's voice again, louder, clearer this time. "Try for some remorse, Tom…be a man".

And I do. I feel remorse for every one of those cruel deaths, the lives I have maimed, and the children who will now never know their parents. I see every horrible act of terror and inhumanity before me, too terrible to fathom. I scream a loud, piercing scream or mortal agony, and truly, all I want at this moment is to die. And then, even through the pain, I feel the presence again, and this time it seems to be smiling. Then, a remarkable thing happens: I felt like I am leaving that raw, small body; the pain is still there, but far away, as if it belongs to someone else. In the distance I think I hear a train whistle. And it may be only my imagination, but I think I hear the presence speaking to me: "And now Tom, on to the next great adventure".

THE END

Author's Note: I hope you liked this story; it is my first but I hope there will be more to come. Please, please, please send a review and tell me what you think and how I can improve! Ideas are always welcome. Thanks for reading!

17ginny17