"Bone of the father..." Echoed through Rodrick's head, a shaking voice seeping into his mind.
"KILL THE SPARE!" Overlapped the first words, a dark colder voice set Rodrick's body on edge... The Malevolence surrounding the words...
"Blood of the enemy..." Added on the shaking voice.
"AVADA KEDAVRA!" The cold voice spoke over the shaking one once again. Rodrick's sight was enveloped in a green light, suffocating him.
"Flesh of the servant..." The whimpering voice continued on, only this time there was an added tone of pain to it.
"NO!" Rodrick heard a familiar voice yell. It belonged to his classmate, Harry Potter. His vision was suddenly covered by a picture... A picture of someone, he'd seen them before, they were a Hogwarts student, the seeker for Hufflepuff.
The mantra repeated again.
"Bone of the father." The Whimpering voice spoke out, louder. Faster.
"KILL THE SPARE!" The cold, menacing voice overlapped once again.
"Blood of the enemy." The words echoed through again.
"AVADA KEDAVRA!" Once again the green light covered Rodrick's vision, shocking him, freezing him.
"Flesh of the servant," The whimpered voice finished.
"NO!" Harry Potter screamed again.
This time, however, a different picture showed up, they looked familiar... Rodrick couldn't place it. His mind wasn't in the right state; he found his thoughts themselves felt locked in place. The man was unshaven, had long hair brown hair flowing down to his neck... straining lines marred his face. Before he could even think about it, however, the mantra repeated... Faster... The dark voice, colder. It was echoing in his head. Each time a different image showed up, some he recognized... Some he didn't.
A square-jawed witch appeared, with close-cropped grey hair, she was dressed like a ministry official.
The mantra repeated again... There was a haunting echo in it, it was playing over and over in his head, threatening to send him to insanity. Another wizard showed up... one he recognized. It was Florean Fortescue.
The words played over again, faster... The killing curse sent shivers down Rodrick's spine, Harry Potter's scream throbbed his head. He didn't recognize the wizard that popped up this time. A tall thin figure, with cold, detached blue eyes. He had an unusual goatee on his face, with yellow teeth.
Rodrick grit his teeth when he felt the mantra repeat itself over in his head... 'When will this end? What am I even seeing?' He had the faint idea that completely unsettled him. The witch that showed up looked somewhat familiar to one of his classmates... only older.
The words repeated over even faster... The cold voice had him shaking... He could slowly feel his emotions start to lose control. The wizard that appeared was covered in scars; he had what looked a fake eye installed on to his face... Dark grey, grizzled hair crowned him. A wooden leg replaced a missing limb.
Each time the mantra played over in his head, Rodrick slowly felt himself sink into the ground... it was growing painful...
Rodrick watched as the image of the next wizard showed up, it looked like a middle-aged wizard, keen yellow eyes, grey streaks in a mane of tawny hair and bushy eyebrows.
He braced himself for the sudden start of the ritual... It didn't help, each time it hit harder, faster... More malevolent than the last and in Harry's case... More desperate. Rodrick clutched his knees on the floor as the next image appeared. Another wizard he didn't recognize. It was an old aged man with pure white hair and a thick bushy beard.
He flinched as the haunting words echoed once again, as the light of the killing-curse filled his vision, as Harry's scream broke his will further. The image that appeared however stilled him completely... He recognized them... Rodrick's mouth opened up in horror... It was his Potions professor, Severus Snape.
Still shocked by the sudden image...He had not been prepared for the sudden repeat, he felt pushed back by the sudden force of the ritual... It was growing stronger... Restless... The Killing Curse dazed him more and more. The person that showed up was someone else he recognized... His defense professor... Remus Lupin.
It repeated again, even faster, Rodrick could hear it whizz by him quickly... The light of the killing curse did not fail to hurt him though... A rat faced man showed up this time.
And again... Another familiar face... Malfoy's former house elf...
The next one shook him more... He definitely knew this one... it was one of the famous Weasley twins...
Rodrick clutched his knees; he closed eyes in a vain attempt to ignore it... it didn't work. The image was of a pink haired witch; he saw her face morph into something else, before it was complete, however, the ritual repeated itself... It caused him to let out a whimper... It was getting to his head... It was hurting even more... This time, however, something changed.
"Bone of the Father." The whimpering voice started. Rodrick, however, raised his head when the man wasn't interrupted.
"Unwillingly given." His eyes widened at the sudden change.
"Flesh of the servant... Willingly sacrificed."
"Blood of the enemy," Rodrick watched wide-eyed, even the order had changed. "Forcefully taken."
Of all of his memories... This was one he didn't want to keep... He watched, no, he felt tendrils of fear seep into his very soul... The blank void had drawn up a small shadow... a shadow that slowly took on a face... A cold, pale face... Bloodshot red eyes... his nose resembled slits... It gave him the look of a snake. Rodrick could feel his bones going cold at the sight... The man was covered in robes of darkness... There was a cold Malevolent aura surrounding him.
The scenery took on a different outlook... Rodrick shuddered at the sight of the inhuman creature in front of him... He knew who it was... Deep down. No other man could release such an aura... Voldemort. Rodrick raised his head... wondering where he was before he hitched a breath... The place was unfamiliar, but the person in front of him wasn't.
"Grandfather..." Rodrick spoke out... He watched wide-eyed as the Dark Lord showed up.
The man spoke to his grandfather about something... He strained to hear it... No sound reached his mind. He watched as his grandfather laughed in the face of evil. Something stirred in his stomach at that... His grandfather showed no fear... while he'd went to the floor like a coward. When the Dark Lord raised his wand in anger. Rodrick watched, his heart slowly wretching itself open as his grandfather was killed.
The familiar scream echoed... It wasn't Harry Potter's voice though... Rodrick noted warily. He blinked his eyes open... He'd screamed himself... He was still shaking... Was it fear? Anger? Both? Rodrick took in the surprised looks surrounding him; five faces surrounded him.
Daphne, Tracey, Blaise, Luna, and Astoria... He heard them call out to him... their voices didn't reach him completely. He got up from his bed, watched as they tried and failed to urge him to sit back down. Madam Pomfrey had returned, she had a flustered look on her face.
"Rodrick! Where-" Daphne started before she saw the desperate look on his face.
"Later," Rodrick muttered, silencing any qualms as he walked towards the door.
"You need to rest young man. You've only been out of it for a couple of hours. You-"
"I need to see Dumbledore. Right now. It's urgent." He deadpanned. He didn't wait for the woman to respond as he walked away, he could hear her shuffling behind him.
"Rodrick, Sit down I will get the headmas-" The woman was about to concede before to her horror she watched as the boy took his wand out and disappeared from sight.
"Sweet Merlin That boy!" The healer shrieked.
Only after leaving did the healer's words occur to him, 'Hours? Is it still Friday?'
...
Arriving at the headmaster's office, Rodrick with a forlorn look on his face spoke out.
"Horcrux!"
The gargoyle's door opened swiftly at that, revealing the hidden staircase. Rodrick went up the steps in a hurry, anxiety eating at him. Inside he eyed the headmaster; the man had an amused look on his face.
"That is not the password... I must ask you to avoid sayin-" Dumbledore stopped on his track as he saw the state the boy was in, his face looked dejected... "Is everything all right?"
"I had another vision... I think it was one... I am not sure... it was quite jumbled up really..."
Albus eyes widened slightly at that, before he once again took note of the boy's state "You need some rest perhaps late-"
Rodrick shook his head, "It needs to be now... Before I forget."
Albus raised an eyebrow at that, "Forget?"
"I am not keeping this memory!" He snarled.
That took the headmaster back... What had the boy seen to require such a reaction?
"You can keep it here... can't you? You don't need to give it back..."
Albus nodded warily at that; the memories kept would become an after thought to the mind, it would only appear if the person thought about them intently.
Rodrick slowly walked towards the desk before he took seat on one of the empty chairs; he could feel himself lazily crash against it, the light in his eyes almost gone.
Albus gaped at the boy in front of him... He looked so vulnerable... This wasn't the same boy he'd met, there was a look of complete dejection in his eyes, he was staring ahead as if there wasn't anything in sight, completely looking past the aged wizard.
"What did you see?"
Rodrick shook his head, "I can't explain... I don't want to." he shuddered.
Albus Dumbledore carefully walked towards the boy before placing his wand to his head.
Rodrick focused his thoughts on the memory and let the headmaster take it before he placed it to the Pensieve.
"I take it you don't want to come?"
Rodrick shook his head; he could slowly feel the memory disappear into the back of his mind, the light in his eye slowly returned. "Can I leave now? I need a bit of rest." Albus raised an amused eyebrow at that before nodding.
Rodrick thanked the headmaster before he left.
...
It didn't take long before he was back in the hospital ward, Daphne was the first to reach him as soon as he walked through the doors.
"Are you alright?" The girl asked frantically, her eyes laced with concern.
Rodrick nodded slowly; he was feeling better, somewhat. The memory was no longer at the forefront of his mind.
"Thank you," Rodrick muttered to the girl. His eyes widened slightly when he realized something, raising his hand to his face he was surprised the transfiguration was in place.
Daphne had a small smile on her face at that, "Dumbledore did that,"
Rodrick couldn't help the smile that appeared on his face. The girl slowly helped walk him back to his bed. He relaxed into it, he watched idly, somewhat amused as his friends tried to hold in their questions.
"It was a vision," Rodrick spoke up.
"Of?" Blaise asked.
Rodrick shook his head, "You don't want to know... It barely made any sense..."
"You forgot?" Luna pointed out smiling.
Rodrick barely managed a huff, "No, but I'd rather not remember it."
The girl nodded as if it was completely normal much to everyone else's amusement.
"What happened? In potions after I was knocked out?" Rodrick asked, changing the subject.
"Snape kicked everyone out before he called the headmaster, your Transfiguration wore off," Blaise spoke, an amused glint in his eye.
Rodrick's eyes widened slightly, "Did anyone see?"
Tracey shook her head at that, "Daphne threw your hood over your face."
Rodrick relaxed back into his pillow, "Snape kicked everyone out then?"
The three Slytherins nodded, amused.
"He blamed Longbottom for endangering your life, took 30 points off of Gryffindor."
"Of course he did," Rodrick scoffed.
He turned his head to the office, he watched amused as an angry looking Pomfrey walked towards him, she attempted to get everyone to leave before Rodrick intervened.
"It's my birthday let them stay..." Rodrick pouted.
Pomfrey twitched at the face, causing the students around the boy to start laughing.
"Sorry... About earlier... It was just really important... I couldn't wait."
Pomfrey stared at the boy in front of her; he didn't look physically ill.. she sighed before allowing them to stay.
"Where're my gifts?" Rodrick asked amused, hints of the memory at the back of his mind.
...
Albus Dumbledore had a grim line on his face. His mind whirling about the repercussions of the vision... It showed Voldemort returning... It showed the mans method of doing so... Perhaps if he found the burial place of the Riddle's parents? He didn't know how much time it would take... it could take months or even years to track down such a place. That was assuming the Dark Lord hadn't already moved them elsewhere... No, what was perhaps the most haunting was the images that had shown up, he recognised them all... Where they people Voldemort would murder? If it was it didn't make any sense... After all... there were two former Gryffindors there that didn't belong, Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew, one of them presumed dead, the other a Death Eater.
They could've been people he'd murdered in the past... No, the list would be much larger and most shown were certainly still alive.
Dumbledore sighed thinking of the boy who'd shown him this... The poor child had watched his grandfather die, witnessed the killing curse so many times... It was no wonder he wanted to forget the vision... Why he had received a vision like this was another matter entirely, it was almost unnaturally cruel to witness.
...
Elsewhere, a famous fraud jerked awake on his desk. A bewildered look in his eyes. When he looked down to stare at what he presumed was an unfinished book, he frowned. He blinked before he turned to stare at one of the nearby mirrors. He shook his head before he finally found something of use. A Daily Prophet clipping.
When he noticed the date however...
"Ah... Shit..."