Antonia's eyes fluttered open as she felt warm sunlight bathe her face. She groaned and slowly sat up, only to be assaulted by a maddening headache. She held her head as images started to flash before her eyes: a tall, grey-haired man with a cold gaze; a large black marble room with a young man in the centre; and finally, only the feeling of white-hot pain travelling through her body.
Jumping up, she tried ripping off her shirt to see what was underneath, but just then, the pain intensified, causing her to fall to her knees.
Bending forward, she screamed into her mattress, tears streaming from her eyes.
It felt as though a red-hot iron had been laid across her skin, burning itself into her flesh.
Retreating into the back of her mind, Antonia tried to hide from the pain, from the terrifying images she was seeing. She would have gone mad if it weren't for two bright lights illuminating the darkness that engulfed her mind. One was Vinny, a house-elf who had become like a mother to her since her death, and the other was Rodolphus, her brother who had become like a father to her. Empowered by the happy memories she shared with those two, Antonia slowly began to push those dark emotions away and lock them deep inside herself.
She sat up straight and tried to control her ragged breathing. Having the memories of this body certainly had its benefits, but at the same time, it had increased her already high anxiety ten times over. Knowing where she was and what the future held, she knew that she needed a plan.
Originally, just like most people, she had wanted to go to Hogwarts, wanted to meet all the characters she had read about. But now that she actually had the chance to, all she felt was fear. The fear of death, the fear of more pain and suffering, and the fear that her intervening in the story might cause it to turn out worse.
She shuddered and hugged herself tightly. "You can do this, you can do this, you can do this," she kept repeating to herself over and over again, trying to build up the confidence to get off her bed.
It was about five minutes later when her eyes finally snapped open to reveal a pair of determined maroon eyes. She jumped up and stormed over to the desk next to the window, her nightgown flapping about her. Sitting down in the chair, she grabbed a loose piece of parchment, placed it down before her, and, not seeing a pen, started rummaging around for one. She didn't find one, so, seeing a quill, she quickly dipped it into the ink jar and placed the tip on the parchment.
Firstly, I need to know the date, something that the memories I received didn't reveal to me. She quickly noted down two dates: Well, I should be somewhere between 1965 and 1975. Taking the quill off the parchment, she placed it back in the ink jar. Now the next question is, where exactly am I? From my memories, I can deduce that I'm in the mansion of one of the Death Eaters, but which one exactly might be harder to find out. I suspect it's most likely Lestrange Manor, but then again, they might be moving around since Rodolphus has just graduated Hogwarts.
Standing up, Antonia quickly moved over to the window and pushed the curtains open; for a second, the bright light of the rising sun blinded her. As her eyes got accustomed to the bright light, the silhouettes of large pines slowly came into view. She tried to open the window to get a better look at her surroundings, but just like in her memories, it was locked. A frown creased her forehead, and just to make sure, she walked over to the door and tried to open it; again, it was locked too.
Her breathing quickened again upon hearing footsteps approaching the door. She panicked and ran over to her notes, quickly hiding them in one of the drawers. The door slowly swung open, and in walked a small creature only about a head shorter than her, with long bat-like ears, large brown eyes, and a long sharp nose. Seeing the creature, Antonia instantly recognised it as a house-elf. She smiled at the creature, and it smiled back.
"Vinny greets Mistress Antonia," the house-elf, who had cared for her like a mother, said, bowing.
Trying and mostly failing to curtsy back, Antonia greeted the house-elf, "Good morning, Vinny."
The house-elf's eyes widened, and Antonia nearly panicked as she thought that it would start crying. But contrary to her expectations, Vinny stormed towards her and grabbed her hands. "Mistress, is your condition worsening again?" Vinny asked worriedly.
Shaking her head, Antonia stepped back. "No, I'm perfectly alright."
The house-elf frowned. "If Mistress doesn't tell me the truth, then Vinny can't help."
Antonia bit the inside of her cheek and glanced around nervously. "It hurt," was all she managed to force out.
Vinny carefully closed the distance. "Tell me, what hurt?"
Tears started to form in the young girl's eyes, and she looked away, not wanting the house-elf to see them. "Everything."
Nodding solemnly, Vinny slowly began to pull Antonia over towards the tall, gold-framed mirror. "Alright, Vinny understands. Please, Mistress, you must relax, and Vinny will take care of everything."
Antonia didn't resist, allowing herself to be pulled along and placed before the mirror.
"Now Vinny will see what's wrong," the house-elf said, smiling up at her, and for some strange reason, that simple smile gave her some strength. Raising her hand, Vinny snapped her fingers, and in an instant, the nightgown disappeared.
Antonia gasped and stumbled back in horror, forcing Vinny to use magic again to stop her from falling. Before her was a sight that terrified her more than the simple thought of having to face Voldemort in a head-on fight: a tattoo—one of the largest she had ever seen, in fact—stretching from her right ankle to her left shoulder. It was of a snake, its long body curling around Antonia's form. Black scales rippled under the light as Antonia shifted, making the snake seem alive.
"Vinny, please support me," she said shakily.
Shock after shock had really drained Antonia of all her energy. Feeling her legs give way, she prepared herself for the hard fall, but just then, she felt Vinny's tiny arms catch her.
"It's alright, Mistress, Vinny's here to help you. Will inform Master Rodolphus that Mistress is having a lie-in, I will."
Antonia smiled, relieved. "Thank you, Vinny. I really do appreciate what you do."
"It's my pleasure," the house-elf said, floating her over to the large bed.
A sense of relief washed over the young girl as she sank onto the soft mattress. Her eyelids began to feel heavy, and a wave of sleepiness washed over her.
"Rest well, Mistress. Vinny will prepare breakfast for when you wake."