Night of the Broken Glass

C8: Breaking

[A/N: They played nice music last time.  Enjoy!]

[Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns the original concept and characters, but I'm borrowing that.  However, I do own my own original stuff.  Don't steal and don't sue.]

"It's been a while, Virgil."

Virgil stared at the large man at the opposite side of the courtyard under the pulsing red and yellow sky.  His raven hair was shimmering in the red sunlight and his crimson eyes glinted.

"So how are you faring with the Potter girl?  I hope you're helping your father's successor."

"If you're asking me to get Kendra for you, I won't do it." Virgil replied, glaring hard at the man, "Sorry, Anton, but I never said I was going to help you at any time."

"Presumptuous brat!" Anton snarled, "I would have thought that the true son of Voldemort would stay with his father's allies!"

Virgil stood his ground, listening to what Anton spoke.  His name was Riddle, and his father…

"Yes, I am my father's son!" he replied, "But I am not Voldemort's son!"

"If you are my master's son, you will eventually bring hell to your friends." Anton said in a warning tone, "Don't forget that."  Anton's third eye glinted angrily in the red sunlight.

"But I still see hell in your eyes…just like your father had in his."

Virgil's crimson eyes snapped open.  They slid slowly over and glanced at the window.  It was still a bit dark out, but the dream was too vivid for him to sleep.  Virgil yawned a very cat-like yawn and sat up, rubbing at his eyes.  He turned around and spotted Tac snoozing on his pillow peacefully.

"You little sneak." Virgil smirked, "You were on my ankles when I fell asleep."  Tac opened one red eye, yawned, and closed his eye again.

The Riddle boy stretched and slid from his bed quietly, as not to wake the others.  He dressed quickly, intending to wait down in the common room for Kendra or Rima to waken.  Which, he reflected, could take a very long time on a Sunday.  With that thought in mind, he scooped Tac up off the pillow, grabbed a book he had been reading the night before, and went down the stairs.

He stopped short at the base of the stairs, seeing one person in particular in the room.

"Kendra, why are you up so early?" he questioned as he strode over, Tac in his arms.

"Peeves is a real jerk, did you know that?" Kendra muttered with a sarcastic smile, "Blew in my ear around four-fifty."  Virgil covered his mouth, but still snickered a bit.

"Well, if you'd like, we could just wander around the grounds." he offered, "It's better than waiting for our late-sleeping friend to wake up."  Kendra smiled and stood up, nodding.

A crow cawed loudly in the still air of the morning.  There was little movement in the early hours of the morning, save the nocturnal beasts and creatures.  The sun was only beginning to rise over the edge of the horizon and the fog hanging low over the ground was turning a dull crimson.

"So are you worried at all about exams?" Kendra asked.

"No." Virgil replied, "I'm only worried at how far Snape will be.  To you, especially."

"You think he'll be unfair?" Kendra blinked in question, "Why's that?"

"He seems the type." Virgil smiled a bit.

The sun was now a half-circle, rising slowly.  It glimmered on the lake as a cool breeze rippled the water.  A leaf fluttered down from a tree and dropped to the water's surface.  The fog was starting to fade faster with the arrival of sunlight, and another breeze, quite cold, rippled the water even more.

"Have you had any other dreams?"

Kendra looked at Virgil in question.  She hadn't expected any questions about dreams.  She hadn't actually expected many questions.

"Not exactly." she replied, "Only fragments of a throbbing red sky."

"Say that again?" he inquired.

"Well, there's not much of a way to describe it…" she murmured, "Maybe this works."  She crouched down, picked up a rock, and tossed it into the lake.  The ripples were large, pulsing outwards in large rings.

"Kind of like that?" Virgil questioned, "What an odd sky."

The two watched as the ripples calmed.  The rising sun glinted brightly on the lake's surface and the wind picked up again.

"You!  Potter!"

The two looked up to see Lex Talionis walking towards them, his face expressionless.  He turned to Kendra, and his crimson eyes glinted.

"That little wolf guardian of yours is looking for you." he murmured, smirking, "I advise you go."

Kendra glanced at Virgil once, but he simply shrugged.  With that, Kendra strode past Talionis.  Talionis turned to watch her walk away, and the two first-year boys stood there.

"Seal hasn't been looking for Kendra, has she?"

Talionis smirked and sniggered.  Virgil frowned at him and slid a hand inside his pocket, fingering his wand.

"Of course not." Talionis turned around with his wand in hand, "Helbolt!"

Virgil had no time to draw his wand before the spell hit him.  He was thrown backwards off his feet and slammed into a tree.

"Why in the name of your father would I help a pathetic creature like her?" Talionis waved his free hand, a sneer marring his face, "What do you think I am?  A Mudblood?"

Virgil slowly lifted his head as he drew ragged breath.  He tried to move his hand to draw his wand, but his throat tightened and he froze.

"A curse that stops your breathing." Talionis grinned, "If you fight it, it gets worse."

Virgil grit his teeth, but didn't move.  The grip in his throat lessened a bit and he stared at Talionis.

"Why did you mention my father?" he said in a choked tone, "You don't even know who he is."

"The late Dark Lord?" Talionis questioned, "Who doesn't know who he is?"

"What are you talking about?" Virgil tried desperately to get enough air, "My father—"

"Was Tom Marvolo Riddle." Talionis finished, "Otherwise known as Lord Voldemort."

"You're insane!" Virgil snapped, "Voldemort wasn't my father!"

"Such a poor liar." Talionis shook his head, "Noxsen!"  Virgil's head snapped backwards and when he opened his eyes again, he couldn't see.

"Talionis!" Virgil snarled, closing his eyes and rubbing at them, "What are you doing?"

"The first rule of battle." Talionis said, but from where, Virgil couldn't tell, "I'm incapacitating my opponent."

"What are you talking about?" Virgil questioned.

"Like I said, this is a battle.  You refuse to believe your lineage, so I shall make you believe it!  Memorando!"

Virgil screamed as a burning red light filled his mind, and witnessed his past.  Tom Marvolo Riddle, the infamous Lord Voldemort, standing over his mother, as she gave birth to a child with crimson eyes, just like his, screamed as he saw Voldemort reciting forbidden incantations over the child, the father and son's eyes glowing in the darkness in the room.

He saw the father place one of the rarest and most powerful stones known to the wizarding world, a bloodstone, carved to look like an eye, turned vertically, on the child's forehead, and watched it be absorbed into the skin.  His screams nearly reached the castle.

"This is the past you cannot run away from.  This is your legacy, Virgil Riddle!" Talionis began to laugh maniacally, and raised his wand again, "Now you shall see what a true dark wizard can do!  Prepare to have your mind reduced to splinters!"

Kendra was walking through the hallways, dodging around students as they passed her.  Where was Seal?

"Kendra, what exactly are you doing?" Dante had stepped out from a classroom, "What's the matter?"

"That Slytherin boy, Talionis, told me that Seal was looking for me." Kendra replied, "Do you know where she is?"

"Seal is asleep." Dante murmured, "Were you with somebody when Talionis came to you?"

Sweat stood out on Virgil's forehead, and his heart slowed to a stop as he prepared himself for the curse about to hit him.  Talionis was grinning, his face contorted in a rictus of both hatred and ecstasy.  He pointed the wand at Virgil, and, as a terrifying red light began to flow from the tip, it split in half, and the split continued up the wand, to his hand, where the split finally stopped at the junction of his hand and wrist.

This time it was Talionis screaming, as he clutched his hand to his chest, trying to stop the bleeding, and looking around feverishly, trying to see who had robbed him of his victory.  Then, out of the woods surrounding the courtyard, Dante emerged, wagging his finger at Talionis.  The sun was behind gray clouds.

"No, no, no, we don't attack other students, Mr. Talionis.  This is going to cost Slytherin a few points in the house cup, eh?" asked the vampire, "Shall I tell Dumbledore of this, or shall I just make you take the exams with no wand and one hand?  Decisions, decisions.  Get to the hospital wing, boy."

Talionis spat at Dante's feet, turned, and ran back towards the castle.

"He looks even more unhappy than you." Rima murmured as she glanced across the Gryffindor common room, "And all because of something Talionis did?"  Kendra nodded, staring at Virgil, who sat alone at a window.

"And then Dante cut his wand and his wand hand in half." Rima said thoughtfully, "That's a good technique.  Well, go talk to him."

"Rima, I—" Kendra protested.

"Talk to him." Rima ordered, scratching something down on a piece of parchment for something, "I'm sure he'd rather have you cheer him up than to sit around and mope."

"Rima, I'm no good at that." Kendra sighed, her eyes glistening, "Virgil's the one that cheers people up."

"Shut up and go talk to him." Rima said again, her voice taking on a darkened edge, "This is the last time I'll say it."

Kendra looked at Rima questioningly, but Rima didn't turn around to face her.  What the other girl had said made Kendra pause.  She looked back at Virgil and let out a soft sigh.  Kendra stood up, walked over to Virgil, and sat down opposite him.

"I'm sorry." Virgil said before Kendra thought of a word, "I shouldn't even ask your forgiveness."

"What in the world for?" she asked, truly and frankly bemused.

"For being the son of Voldemort." Virgil said in a rushed voice, "For being here.  For causing so much trouble and pain.  For—"  He stopped speaking as Kendra leaned to him and wrapped her arms around him firmly.  She put her forehead against his shoulder and let out a wavering sigh.

"I don't care who your father was." she said in a muffled voice, "I only care about what you do now.  I want you to stop worrying about your past.  Just take it.  Stop worrying and take it.  Please.  I don't want you to be so sad like this.  Please."

Virgil blinked at looked down at Kendra.  His heart hurt.

When my mother told me the truth, I pushed everything back down. he thought to himself, I didn't want to accept being the son of such an evil man.  I thought that if I didn't remind myself of it, I wouldn't turn into a Dark Lord like him.  But, maybe…if I hadn't been so scared…I wouldn't have had to make Kendra and Rima suffer like this.

He carefully moved his arms from his sides and returned the hug to Kendra.  He smiled a bit for the first time in many hours.

"OK, Kendra." he murmured, "I will.  But tomorrow's the start of exams.  We had better get a good night's rest."

Kendra nodded against his shoulder, and Virgil just chuckled a bit at that.

On the other side of the room, Rima had finished whatever she had been writing.  She read over it as the ink dried slowly.  She read one line in particular:

I fear that something wicked this way comes.

—to be continued—