"Keeps Rainin' All The Time" (Harry/Tom Riddle)
Title: Keeps Rainin' All The Time
Author/Artist: chokolattejedi
Prompt: S9: "Don't know why there's no sun up in the sky/Stormy weather/Since my man and I ain't together,/Keeps rainin' all the time- Stormy Weather (Judy Garland Version)"
Pairing(s): Harry/Tom Riddle
Word Count: 1,162
Rating: PG-13
Warning(s): Character Death, Angst
Disclaimer:Harry Potter characters are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.
Notes: AU to at least DH. Much thanks to my beta, CG!
Summary: Ginny finds out the war is over. Unfortunately, not everyone is pleased.
"Ginny!" Ginny woke abruptly at the sound of her brother's panicked call. "Ginny, thank Merlin!"
"What?" she asked groggily. Around her the Hogwarts Infirmary swam into view. Most of the beds were full, and she saw her parents hovering across the aisle over one of her brothers. But Ron was right next to her, in all his loud obnoxiousness.
"You're awake!"
"Yes, I am now Ron, thanks to you," she growled. "Why did you wake me?"
"Why are you so grumpy?" Ron grumbled. "You-Know-Who is dead; you should be as pleased as the rest of us!"
"He's dead?" Ginny gasped. She frantically looked around the room, but Harry was nowhere to be found.
"That's why I woke you!" Ron declared, losing his anger. "I wanted you to know! We can celebrate now!"
"Where's Harry?" she asked.
Ron frowned. "I dunno. He slipped out of here as soon as he woke. Madam Pomfrey wants his head, I can tell you."
Ginny didn't hear the rest, as she was already throwing off her blankets. Ignoring Ron's confused babble, and the shout of the Mediwitch, Ginny bolted out of the Infirmary. When she reached the school doors, she skidded to a stop. Panting, she looked around. There! Over the Forbidden Forest! Ignoring the stitch in her side, Ginny ran for the only storm cloud in the sky.
o)(O)(o
Harry felt the rain pound onto his skin, and it felt good. The water was cool, cold, and it should have felt wonderful when it hit his burning skin. But all the rain did was hold off on the flames that burned inside him. It didn't quench, didn't flood, didn't rinse away his feelings. Still they burned.
He didn't know how much time had passed, but eventually he felt someone walk up and sit beside him. They were silent, and with the rain pounding through him, Harry couldn't use his other senses to identify the figure. Still, he knew who it was. He desperately wanted to believe, wanted it to be Tom, but part of him felt the truth. She was like Tom, touched by him too, but not as good. Never the real thing.
Finally Ginny spoke, "I just heard." she whispered.
He didn't want to think about that. Didn't want to think of the way she would have heard: of the way they told him. He kept silent, and let the rain pound him. He wished it would turn to hail and beat him clean of his sins, but he wasn't that good at controlling the elemental magic yet.
"How long has it been?" she asked quietly.
Harry didn't know. He hadn't been looking at his watch or tracking the sun or anything. "Seven hours, and a quarter." And yet he knew. Knew exactly how long it had been.
They lapsed into silence again, except that the forest was never silent. It was filled with the movements of animals, and the rustle of plants, and the sighing of the wind. Deeper in the forest a series of lakes spawned softly lapping waves, and water dripped in caves far below the groaning earth. And now they all were joined by the pounding of the rain. But none of it was loud enough to drown out the memories playing in his mind, so he called it silence. "How did you find me?"
Ginny let out a strained chuckle. "I followed the only storm cloud in the sky," she teased him.
He hadn't been concentrating. He should have covered the whole area - should have made all of them feel the weight of the rain too. After all, it was as much their fault as it was his. That was something Ginny had finally taught him, after months of hormonal rage. It was just as much their fault.
He wanted to fix that. Wanted to fill the sky with clouds, but he wasn't sure he had the strength. Last night had been an accident. A freak of nature. A predicted event that he had never wished would happen. Last night he should have died too. But he had woken up in the Hogwarts Infirmary, to their... glee. He wanted to die. Wanted to be with Tom again. What was the point, without his lover? They would all worship him, but why should he go on living? Because he wasn't strong enough to end it? Just as he wasn't strong enough to fill the skies, or bring the hail, or save the one person who mattered to him in this entire world?
Thunder rumbled overhead, and even through his closed eyelids, Harry could sense the lightning strike. Hogwarts had a dozen lightning rods arrayed on her roof, tuned to both magical and natural assaults. He couldn't hurt her with a simple strike. But he wanted to.
"It's a bit cold." Ginny said a while later.
She shouldn't be out here, sitting in the rain with him. It would soak through her clothes and she would get sick. Tom was his love, but Ginny was his sister. He should care for her. He should protect her, as she had protected him and Tom.
"I can make it stop." He offered. He didn't want to, but he would do it for her.
"No, I like the rain," she replied. "It shouldn't be sunny today."
No, it shouldn't. On that he agreed with her. There should never be sunshine again, now that Tom was gone. Now that they had forced him to...
Harry squeezed his eyes shut tighter, and thankfully the rain began to beat down harder. His skin had gone numb long ago, but the fire within him ebbed a little as the liquid pounded into his flesh. He wanted to look up into the sky, wanted to see the clouds he had created, and feel the rain fall into his eyes and clear them. But he had tried that already, and he already knew the truth. When he opened his eyes, all he saw was green. Not the dark black-green of the forest, but the bright lime green, curse green, that had stolen his love.
The green that had come from his own hand.
The burning finally burst out of him, and Harry screamed as the magic and rage poured forth. It pounded through him in waves, while the rain pounded down in drops against him. Pounded and pounded inside and out, until there was nothing left of the man who had killed his beloved.
When Harry regained his senses, he felt cool arms around him, pushing back the burning with a gentle swell. Ginny. Small, hot drops fell onto his collarbone, and somehow he could tell that these were different. These were hers, and his own. Mingling with the rain that still fell. That would always fall on him.
"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I didn't want to."
She didn't reply; she knew the words weren't meant for her. But somehow, in the beating rain, Harry received his answer.
Silence.
Author/Artist: chokolattejedi
Prompt: S9: "Don't know why there's no sun up in the sky/Stormy weather/Since my man and I ain't together,/Keeps rainin' all the time- Stormy Weather (Judy Garland Version)"
Pairing(s): Harry/Tom Riddle
Word Count: 1,162
Rating: PG-13
Warning(s): Character Death, Angst
Disclaimer:Harry Potter characters are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.
Notes: AU to at least DH. Much thanks to my beta, CG!
Summary: Ginny finds out the war is over. Unfortunately, not everyone is pleased.
"Ginny!" Ginny woke abruptly at the sound of her brother's panicked call. "Ginny, thank Merlin!"
"What?" she asked groggily. Around her the Hogwarts Infirmary swam into view. Most of the beds were full, and she saw her parents hovering across the aisle over one of her brothers. But Ron was right next to her, in all his loud obnoxiousness.
"You're awake!"
"Yes, I am now Ron, thanks to you," she growled. "Why did you wake me?"
"Why are you so grumpy?" Ron grumbled. "You-Know-Who is dead; you should be as pleased as the rest of us!"
"He's dead?" Ginny gasped. She frantically looked around the room, but Harry was nowhere to be found.
"That's why I woke you!" Ron declared, losing his anger. "I wanted you to know! We can celebrate now!"
"Where's Harry?" she asked.
Ron frowned. "I dunno. He slipped out of here as soon as he woke. Madam Pomfrey wants his head, I can tell you."
Ginny didn't hear the rest, as she was already throwing off her blankets. Ignoring Ron's confused babble, and the shout of the Mediwitch, Ginny bolted out of the Infirmary. When she reached the school doors, she skidded to a stop. Panting, she looked around. There! Over the Forbidden Forest! Ignoring the stitch in her side, Ginny ran for the only storm cloud in the sky.
o)(O)(o
Harry felt the rain pound onto his skin, and it felt good. The water was cool, cold, and it should have felt wonderful when it hit his burning skin. But all the rain did was hold off on the flames that burned inside him. It didn't quench, didn't flood, didn't rinse away his feelings. Still they burned.
He didn't know how much time had passed, but eventually he felt someone walk up and sit beside him. They were silent, and with the rain pounding through him, Harry couldn't use his other senses to identify the figure. Still, he knew who it was. He desperately wanted to believe, wanted it to be Tom, but part of him felt the truth. She was like Tom, touched by him too, but not as good. Never the real thing.
Finally Ginny spoke, "I just heard." she whispered.
He didn't want to think about that. Didn't want to think of the way she would have heard: of the way they told him. He kept silent, and let the rain pound him. He wished it would turn to hail and beat him clean of his sins, but he wasn't that good at controlling the elemental magic yet.
"How long has it been?" she asked quietly.
Harry didn't know. He hadn't been looking at his watch or tracking the sun or anything. "Seven hours, and a quarter." And yet he knew. Knew exactly how long it had been.
They lapsed into silence again, except that the forest was never silent. It was filled with the movements of animals, and the rustle of plants, and the sighing of the wind. Deeper in the forest a series of lakes spawned softly lapping waves, and water dripped in caves far below the groaning earth. And now they all were joined by the pounding of the rain. But none of it was loud enough to drown out the memories playing in his mind, so he called it silence. "How did you find me?"
Ginny let out a strained chuckle. "I followed the only storm cloud in the sky," she teased him.
He hadn't been concentrating. He should have covered the whole area - should have made all of them feel the weight of the rain too. After all, it was as much their fault as it was his. That was something Ginny had finally taught him, after months of hormonal rage. It was just as much their fault.
He wanted to fix that. Wanted to fill the sky with clouds, but he wasn't sure he had the strength. Last night had been an accident. A freak of nature. A predicted event that he had never wished would happen. Last night he should have died too. But he had woken up in the Hogwarts Infirmary, to their... glee. He wanted to die. Wanted to be with Tom again. What was the point, without his lover? They would all worship him, but why should he go on living? Because he wasn't strong enough to end it? Just as he wasn't strong enough to fill the skies, or bring the hail, or save the one person who mattered to him in this entire world?
Thunder rumbled overhead, and even through his closed eyelids, Harry could sense the lightning strike. Hogwarts had a dozen lightning rods arrayed on her roof, tuned to both magical and natural assaults. He couldn't hurt her with a simple strike. But he wanted to.
"It's a bit cold." Ginny said a while later.
She shouldn't be out here, sitting in the rain with him. It would soak through her clothes and she would get sick. Tom was his love, but Ginny was his sister. He should care for her. He should protect her, as she had protected him and Tom.
"I can make it stop." He offered. He didn't want to, but he would do it for her.
"No, I like the rain," she replied. "It shouldn't be sunny today."
No, it shouldn't. On that he agreed with her. There should never be sunshine again, now that Tom was gone. Now that they had forced him to...
Harry squeezed his eyes shut tighter, and thankfully the rain began to beat down harder. His skin had gone numb long ago, but the fire within him ebbed a little as the liquid pounded into his flesh. He wanted to look up into the sky, wanted to see the clouds he had created, and feel the rain fall into his eyes and clear them. But he had tried that already, and he already knew the truth. When he opened his eyes, all he saw was green. Not the dark black-green of the forest, but the bright lime green, curse green, that had stolen his love.
The green that had come from his own hand.
The burning finally burst out of him, and Harry screamed as the magic and rage poured forth. It pounded through him in waves, while the rain pounded down in drops against him. Pounded and pounded inside and out, until there was nothing left of the man who had killed his beloved.
When Harry regained his senses, he felt cool arms around him, pushing back the burning with a gentle swell. Ginny. Small, hot drops fell onto his collarbone, and somehow he could tell that these were different. These were hers, and his own. Mingling with the rain that still fell. That would always fall on him.
"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I didn't want to."
She didn't reply; she knew the words weren't meant for her. But somehow, in the beating rain, Harry received his answer.
Silence.