[author's pov]

Riddle had followed the young girl out the common room. He had a tendency to do so. But just this once, he figured he'd maybe release Victoria's potential she had always been afraid of.

Riddle selfishly wondered if it was obtainable from another host. This dark magic, he had been studying for years in hopes to obtain yet he couldn't help but wonder how a girl like her could end up with power as worthy as Salazar Slytherin's.

He stepped past the broad double doors and was taken aback by the sight. It was a storm like he'd never seen before. A dark yet majestic force of magic was dancing around the room. Then without a warning, it wildly shot across the room, a great wind pulling Riddle into the centre.

His wand flew from his hand and he rushed after it, struggling to see in the darkness. It surrounded him quickly like sand... yet the magic glistened like thick molasses. In the midst of the black chaos, he saw Serenity's face. His tie was loosened and he whipped his head in every direction, trying to find the girl who had summoned the darkness. The familiar magic pointed in only one direction he knew of. Now and then, he'd hear a voice fly by and when he had taken enough, Riddle motioned a shove against the magic with an incantation.

"Sile malum!"

There was a green flash and the darkness disappeared. In the middle of it all, was Victoria. It finally occurred to him. The darkness hadn't disappeared after all.

It was simply in hiding.

[victoria's pov]

I woke up with a pounding headache and a ring in my ears. The sun blinded me through my closed eyes as I pulled the comforter over my face. The unfamiliar scent reached my senses and I sat up, looking around in alarm.

I was not in my room. Though from familiarity, I knew I was still at Hogwarts.

"You're finally awake," a voice said and I turned my head to see Riddle adjusting his tie. He had his school uniform on and stared himself in the mirror as he spoke to me casually. After last night's events...

I slid out of his bed quickly with realisation.

"Your dormitory was locked last night... you were out cold. Jeez you can be quite pathetic at times."

Some part of me couldn't find myself to hate Riddle. After all, we both had blood on our hands.

"Thank you, Riddle," I said, standing at the foot of his bed. He finally looked away from the mirror and faced me. The tender look in his eyes brought me back to what happened last night... in the strange room.

"What happened last night?" I asked, trying to recollect my thoughts. "What was that- that room?"

"You don't remember a word I said last night?" Riddle questioned me. I shook my head and he approached me slowly with an interrogating look. "Think, Locke. Train your mind to be strong to overcome the voices."

Since when did he decide to become my professor? I remembered the cold touch of the snow. My fingertips frostbitten and the shuffling noise I made against the ground as I crawled away from-

"Serenity," I gasped. "She's alive, Riddle."

Riddle sighed deeply and said, "No. We got past that."

I furrowed my brows and opened my mouth to speak. No words came out and I shut it with a spark of frustration. Riddle's patience began to wear off as he took steps toward me and shook me by the shoulder.

"Think, woman!" he exclaimed. "For the sake of Salazar, keep your head!"

His touch made my body feel a ripple. His intense glare was intense enough to force me back to last night. His words echoed in my mind.

"I'm an obscurial?" I gasped with my mouth agape. Its name sounded vaguely familiar.

"That's right," Riddle said with a slight smile as he let go of my shoulders. He crossed his arms.

"What's an obscurial?" I demanded.

Riddle backed and leaned on the pole of his bed. "It means you're a hostess of a dark parasite called an obscurus. From my suspicion, there is repressed trauma from a young age that resides in the back of your mind–hence why your magic has begun to spiral towards your fullest potential."

"My potential?" I asked.

"Your potential means your ability to control this magic," Riddle said. "If you can't learn to control it, it'll eat you whole."

I thought for a long time in silence, you could hear a pin drop. It finally occurred to me where I'd heard it from. Newt Scammander's tales speak of one...

"I don't understand," I thought. "Why now?"

Riddle grinned guiltily. "That may be because of the projected memories you witnessed in my diary. It had to be an awakening call, something that reminded your subconsciousness of your repressed past."

I fumed. "So it's your fault this is happening now!" I pressed my finger against his hard chest as he glared down at me.

"I merely delayed the inevitable. If you don't desire this path, I would gladly take it off your hands if I could. That magic of yours can be quite powerful if obtained properly."

Knowing what Riddle was already capable of at this very moment was uneasy enough as it was. The thought of him obtaining my magic would be devastating upon the future.

"Only in your dreams," I said, backing away from him. "What happened furthermore last night?"

"You collapsed after you grabbed your wand. Your magic is tethered not only to your wand, but your memories," Riddle said, standing straighter. "Your magic is growing stronger as your memories resurface."

"My magic... it's tied to my forgotten memories?" I asked. "How do I stop them from surfacing?"

"The question here is how you can control your potential," Riddle scowled. "Before it's too late."

I paused and examined the ground. It all made sense to me now. I wasn't cursed... I was born this way.

"How do I control it, Riddle?" I asked, looking him in the eye. "My memories, they're the reason why Serenity might be dead. My magic-"

"Viridian is gone," Riddle said. "I will prove it to you all in a good time. As of now, you have to keep your dark magic-"

"Dark magic?" I exclaimed.

"Something from your past haunts you," Riddle said. "I may have triggered the beginning of this, but Serenity Viridian's death was what lit the fuse. That's why you're hearing her voice and seeing her corpse. You need to move on from this peacefully and discover after all these years, what trauma you've forgotten."

"Can't you just use legitimacy on me?" I asked Riddle.

"Believe me, Locke. I've tried."

It was hard to believe I had a dark past. I remember almost everything past to the point I was raised at Feathering's orphanage. Almost everything.

"How do you know so much?" I asked Riddle, stepping away. "How do I know you won't kill me and take my magic for yourself?"

Riddle scoffed. "It's not like stealing sweets from a child."

"How do you know so much?" I repeated.

He leaned in closer as if to tell me a secret.

"You never realise who's watching you when you're busy playing detective," he said. "But you can trust that my interests in you are purely beneficial to me. Even if it means I have to give you a hand to control your memories."

"I will not be your experiment," I said with a scoff of my own.

"No, of course not," Riddle said. "I'm offering you a hand. You should take it."

"Why do you care so much?" I scoffed.

Riddle's mouth twitched with amusement. "I don't care as much as you believe. It'd just be such a shame for dark magic such as yours to go to waste."

We were interrupted when someone walked into the room, opening the door loudly. Abraxas stood in his new captain uniform. He was soaked from head to toe and followed behind him was-

"Nott," Riddle noted.

Surprise was written all over Theo's face. His expression was unreadable then his brows arched slightly before Abraxas welcomed himself.

"The team misses you, Locke," Abraxas said as he dug through his drawer for something. I backed away from Riddle, noticing Theo's stare. His rage was transparent and I could tell. Though it wasn't the right moment to speak to Riddle or explain myself without it sounding like an excuse so I made my way out the door. I passed Theo quickly before entering my dormitory without meeting his eyes. It'd kill me.

As I entered my dorm, I came across Druella. Her hair was no longer black. It was changed to her natural blonde now. She turned around and noticed me. For a split second, I thought she would pretend to see right through me. Then she slowly took steps toward me.

"Feeling confident about N.E.W.Ts?" she asked me.

"In all honesty, no," I replied, almost in surprise at her new behaviour.

Druella nodded and frowned. "Victoria... what happened to Serenity affected the both of us differently. It just took me longer to understand how you felt. It's been a while without her and I'm beginning to see why you didn't want me to have hope... it's harder to accept that she's gone."

Her voice cracked and a lump grew in my throat.

"I'm sorry," I said. "I'm so sorry, Druella. I never meant to put our friendship on hold for so long..."

Truth be told, it wasn't what I was sorry for. I felt sorrowful for tearing apart the bond between the three of us. For killing the closest person we had to a sister. My own family.

Druella sniffled and hugged me tightly. I had forgotten what that kind of embracement felt like. The one that tells me to not leave. Serenity's the last one I gave a hug like that to. And it felt like a part of her continued to on in Druella.

——————————

The following days are spent without voices. Even in the large castle full with students, Druella's company filled part of my loneliness. I'd always leave an empty part for Serenity.

"Fifthteen remaining minutes!" Professor Merrythought declared to all the students in the great hall. N.E.W.Ts were coming about and I overlooked my scroll one last time. A ripple of muttering filled the hall and we were silenced by Professor Merrythought once again.

The great hall was filled with students. Tables were lined and assigned seats were given. At the very corner of the room sat an empty chair. On the desk in front of it, was a scroll and quill. The name written on the scroll? Serenity Viridian.

I didn't see the light in that. How could I...

A few minutes ago, Theo had left, already finishing his test. Yet there were a handful of students who stared hard at their parchment and scrolls. I thought back to when I figured O.W.Ls were a handful. Typically, I felt well about preparing for N.E.W.Ts–but as I sat in this dim room, my back felt like I was being stared at by daggers. I slowed my breath and set down my quill, feeling my face heat up as I walked past Riddle's desk.

I approached Dumbledore slowly to hand him my scroll. For the first time since my last nightmare, I remembered Dumbledore's relevancy to my family. I held out my scroll and he reached to take my scroll. I froze, seeing his scar.

"It can't be," I thought. The identical scar from my dreams. The same scar that always painfully marked Dumbledore before I woke up in hysterics. Dumbledore raised a brow and Professor Merrythought noticed my sudden behaviour.

"Dear, are you alright?"

I let go of my scroll quickly and responded politely before rushing out to the corridor. A sick shove in my stomach grew. The same drowsiness occurred once again and as I rushed to Myrtle's restroom, I collapsed against the fountain. I forced myself to get up as my legs grew weak.

Nothing else was on my mind besides the constant gnawing pain of my memories trying to surface. I stumbled into the last stall and spat blood into the bowl, my breath pacing just as fast as my heart.

The only voices I heard were the ones that came from the corridor. Otherwise, it was quiet. My breathing slowed. And I stared at the blood stained floor that traced up my buttoned shirt.

Just when I thought things were getting better.

-------

December 23rd, 2023.