Tom pulled out his wand and flung the first curse that came to mind at her.
The Cruciatus Curse. She was pushed over backwards by it, screaming in pain
the second it hit her. Tom held it on her for as long as he dare; he didn't
want to completely weaken her. She wanted a chance to fight him.
As soon as he pulled the curse off her, she scrambled to her feet, and sent the same spell at him. It hit him, and this time it was Tom's turn to be thrown to the ground screaming in pain. Courtney wasn't as lenient as he was; she kept the curse on him for what seemed an eternity before pulling it up.
Tom didn't bother getting to his feet before casting a spell on her. The first one to come to mind. He threw knives at her with this spell. Courtney fell flat to her stomach on the ground she saw them coming but not soon enough, a knife caught her in the shoulder. She screeched in pain when she landed on her front and the knife dug into her shoulder a little deeper. The knives that didn't hit her thudded uselessly against the wall behind her.
Tom was surprised at how fast she was back on her feet. She glared daggers at Tom as she set the Cruciatus Curse on Tom yet again. She kept it on him as long as she could stand his yells of pain. When she took it off, Tom was angry. He weakly got to his feet and put the Imperius Curse on her. Then, since she was in his control, he made her pull the knife in her shoulder out as hard as she could, causing her to scream a bloodcurdling scream that Tom could have sworn would be heard somewhere. He then told her to take the knife and stab herself in the leg, which she did. She screamed louder this time and Tom took the curse off her.
Courtney collapsed into a pathetic pile on the ground, blood soaking from her wounds. Tom almost went to her, half afraid he had killed her, but didn't. He simply stood there watching her limp form for a few minutes, half hoping that she would do something, half hoping that he had killed her and accomplished his goal. After a few minutes, the pile of Courtney began to twitch a little, then move, and finally the girl sat then stood up.
Tom couldn't believe his eyes. How could she still have enough strength to stand? She had been stabbed twice and under the Cruciatus curse once. How was she still alive?
It was then that he made the mistake. He looked into her eyes. They were soaked with tears and filled with a couple different kinds of pain, but there was an emptiness Tom knew he had caused. He didn't look long, scared by what he saw, but just one glance was enough. He couldn't do this to her. He couldn't. He loved her. The most he could do for her was put her out of her misery quick, with a single curse, those two words and lift of his wand, and she would suffer no more. How hard would it be to do that?
Nodding to himself as it to prepare himself, he lifted his wand and pointed it at her chest. He stood like that for a few minutes, his hand; his entire arm, shaking, trembling. It couldn't be that hard. He had killed before. He could do it again. What was stopping him?
'Do it, just do it. Get it over with. The longer you stand here, the longer she suffers. You are making your only love suffer, fool. Help her; kill her. It is the only way. Just do it!' His mind was trying to convince him, he realized suddenly. But did he need convincing? All he had to do was say those two words, just those two simple words.
Courtney just stood there, opposite him, her arms at her side. The look she gave him dared him, openly, to do what he was obviously trying to do. "Just get it over with Tom. Either do it, or don't. Don't stand there like the fool you are. I might decide to kill you and take immortality for myself." She broke the silence that was settling around them so suddenly, that Tom almost dropped his wand. But he held tight to it, his wand pointed at her chest, his mind telling him to just spit out the words, his heart telling him it would break if he did.
He nodded one last time to himself and took a deep, steadying breath to make himself stop shaking. "Courtney, I love you, and what I am about to do has nothing to do with anything about you. I'm sorry for all the times I have ever hurt you. I never meant it. I'm so sorry. Good-bye."
Courtney, obviously not expecting those words to come out his mouth, looked slightly startled, but didn't say or do anything. She just continued to stand there. Tom opened his mouth to say the words, to end her life. "Avada Kedavra," he whispered weakly, so quietly that he could hardly hear himself say them, much less expect them to do anything. A thin, weak green light managed to push itself out of the end of his wand, but it seemed to fade away before it had hardly moved away from his wand.
Courtney started laughing then, amused by his pitiful attempt at the Killing Curse. Tom glared at her, aimed again at her chest, and tried again. "Avada Kedavra!" he shouted, loud as he could, and a green light came shooting out the end of his wand to hit Courtney square in the chest.
Courtney flew over backwards, her body as stiff as a board the moment the curse hit her. She landed with such a sickening thud on the ground that Tom felt sick. He stared at her stiff body for a moment, then fell to his knees, tears pouring out of his eyes. You did it, fool, why are you crying? You got it over with! You will be immortal in just a few days from now! WHY ARE YOU CRYING? But he continued to cry, though he knew that he had accomplished his goal, of her death anyway. The hard part.
Tom struggled to his feet and stumbled his way over to her, his sight blurred by the unwanted tears. He managed, somehow, to make it to her side, where he stumbled, almost gratefully, to his knees. Make sure she is dead, something said in the back of his mind. He gently took hold of her wrist and felt for a pulse.
Tom was shaking so badly he couldn't tell if what he felt was her pulses or just him trembling. Angry at himself for not being able to hold still, he dropped her wrist and put his ear to her chest, listening for a heartbeat. When he heard her heart beating strongly within her, he closed his eyes, disappointed yet happy. He knew what had happened. He hadn't been able to put the right emotion into the spell and it therefore hadn't done what he had wanted it to. It had only knocked her out.
He straightened up a little bit and stared down at her. She was defenseless right now. He could easily kill her, have it done with. Tom took out his wand, pointed it at her forehead, but instead of the Killing Curse, he said, "Obliviate!" Then he got up, dusted off himself as best he could, wiped the tears from his face, and left her there.
He hurried back to the Leaky Cauldron, where he cleaned himself up, packed his stuff together, paid the owner, and left. Then, with his stuff in his pocket, much as it had been when he had come, Tom walked through London. He didn't even look back once at what would have been a good life. He had a different path now. He would follow it and take what it brought him. Maybe money. Hopefully power. No doubt, however, that it would be easier than leaving his one and only love, Courtney. He would miss her, but life would go on. He would be a sorcerer that all of the world would remember. These were just the first steps into that world.
As soon as he pulled the curse off her, she scrambled to her feet, and sent the same spell at him. It hit him, and this time it was Tom's turn to be thrown to the ground screaming in pain. Courtney wasn't as lenient as he was; she kept the curse on him for what seemed an eternity before pulling it up.
Tom didn't bother getting to his feet before casting a spell on her. The first one to come to mind. He threw knives at her with this spell. Courtney fell flat to her stomach on the ground she saw them coming but not soon enough, a knife caught her in the shoulder. She screeched in pain when she landed on her front and the knife dug into her shoulder a little deeper. The knives that didn't hit her thudded uselessly against the wall behind her.
Tom was surprised at how fast she was back on her feet. She glared daggers at Tom as she set the Cruciatus Curse on Tom yet again. She kept it on him as long as she could stand his yells of pain. When she took it off, Tom was angry. He weakly got to his feet and put the Imperius Curse on her. Then, since she was in his control, he made her pull the knife in her shoulder out as hard as she could, causing her to scream a bloodcurdling scream that Tom could have sworn would be heard somewhere. He then told her to take the knife and stab herself in the leg, which she did. She screamed louder this time and Tom took the curse off her.
Courtney collapsed into a pathetic pile on the ground, blood soaking from her wounds. Tom almost went to her, half afraid he had killed her, but didn't. He simply stood there watching her limp form for a few minutes, half hoping that she would do something, half hoping that he had killed her and accomplished his goal. After a few minutes, the pile of Courtney began to twitch a little, then move, and finally the girl sat then stood up.
Tom couldn't believe his eyes. How could she still have enough strength to stand? She had been stabbed twice and under the Cruciatus curse once. How was she still alive?
It was then that he made the mistake. He looked into her eyes. They were soaked with tears and filled with a couple different kinds of pain, but there was an emptiness Tom knew he had caused. He didn't look long, scared by what he saw, but just one glance was enough. He couldn't do this to her. He couldn't. He loved her. The most he could do for her was put her out of her misery quick, with a single curse, those two words and lift of his wand, and she would suffer no more. How hard would it be to do that?
Nodding to himself as it to prepare himself, he lifted his wand and pointed it at her chest. He stood like that for a few minutes, his hand; his entire arm, shaking, trembling. It couldn't be that hard. He had killed before. He could do it again. What was stopping him?
'Do it, just do it. Get it over with. The longer you stand here, the longer she suffers. You are making your only love suffer, fool. Help her; kill her. It is the only way. Just do it!' His mind was trying to convince him, he realized suddenly. But did he need convincing? All he had to do was say those two words, just those two simple words.
Courtney just stood there, opposite him, her arms at her side. The look she gave him dared him, openly, to do what he was obviously trying to do. "Just get it over with Tom. Either do it, or don't. Don't stand there like the fool you are. I might decide to kill you and take immortality for myself." She broke the silence that was settling around them so suddenly, that Tom almost dropped his wand. But he held tight to it, his wand pointed at her chest, his mind telling him to just spit out the words, his heart telling him it would break if he did.
He nodded one last time to himself and took a deep, steadying breath to make himself stop shaking. "Courtney, I love you, and what I am about to do has nothing to do with anything about you. I'm sorry for all the times I have ever hurt you. I never meant it. I'm so sorry. Good-bye."
Courtney, obviously not expecting those words to come out his mouth, looked slightly startled, but didn't say or do anything. She just continued to stand there. Tom opened his mouth to say the words, to end her life. "Avada Kedavra," he whispered weakly, so quietly that he could hardly hear himself say them, much less expect them to do anything. A thin, weak green light managed to push itself out of the end of his wand, but it seemed to fade away before it had hardly moved away from his wand.
Courtney started laughing then, amused by his pitiful attempt at the Killing Curse. Tom glared at her, aimed again at her chest, and tried again. "Avada Kedavra!" he shouted, loud as he could, and a green light came shooting out the end of his wand to hit Courtney square in the chest.
Courtney flew over backwards, her body as stiff as a board the moment the curse hit her. She landed with such a sickening thud on the ground that Tom felt sick. He stared at her stiff body for a moment, then fell to his knees, tears pouring out of his eyes. You did it, fool, why are you crying? You got it over with! You will be immortal in just a few days from now! WHY ARE YOU CRYING? But he continued to cry, though he knew that he had accomplished his goal, of her death anyway. The hard part.
Tom struggled to his feet and stumbled his way over to her, his sight blurred by the unwanted tears. He managed, somehow, to make it to her side, where he stumbled, almost gratefully, to his knees. Make sure she is dead, something said in the back of his mind. He gently took hold of her wrist and felt for a pulse.
Tom was shaking so badly he couldn't tell if what he felt was her pulses or just him trembling. Angry at himself for not being able to hold still, he dropped her wrist and put his ear to her chest, listening for a heartbeat. When he heard her heart beating strongly within her, he closed his eyes, disappointed yet happy. He knew what had happened. He hadn't been able to put the right emotion into the spell and it therefore hadn't done what he had wanted it to. It had only knocked her out.
He straightened up a little bit and stared down at her. She was defenseless right now. He could easily kill her, have it done with. Tom took out his wand, pointed it at her forehead, but instead of the Killing Curse, he said, "Obliviate!" Then he got up, dusted off himself as best he could, wiped the tears from his face, and left her there.
He hurried back to the Leaky Cauldron, where he cleaned himself up, packed his stuff together, paid the owner, and left. Then, with his stuff in his pocket, much as it had been when he had come, Tom walked through London. He didn't even look back once at what would have been a good life. He had a different path now. He would follow it and take what it brought him. Maybe money. Hopefully power. No doubt, however, that it would be easier than leaving his one and only love, Courtney. He would miss her, but life would go on. He would be a sorcerer that all of the world would remember. These were just the first steps into that world.