Riddle's Plea

Savior*

(T.M.R. October 30th, 1943)

    "Has she lost her mind?!" The Weasel's voice broke through my thoughts, as I watched the bubbles where Vienna was disappear. Yes. She's insane. Who goes jumping into the Black Lake while it's freezing cold outside?  I anxiously watch the Lake, looking for any sign of Vienna or the stupid boy she dived into the water for. "Did someone go get a teacher?" Matthews voice is absolutely panicked, as she holds onto the little girl Vienna had, only moments ago, been comforting. "I'll go get one." I look to Malfoy beside me, who was already sprinting up to the castle. The Weasel was pacing in front of me and it was making me angry. "Would you stop pacing?" I ask him, throwing him an angry glance at his surprised face. "Well i'm sorry Riddle for making you nervous, but in case you haven't noticed, Vienna just dived into the Black Lake, and has yet to return." He says throwing his hands up into the air in exasperation. "Yes. I've noticed that Weasel." I say to him causing his face to flush with anger at my nickname for him. "What did you just call me?" He asks, taking strides towards me and pulling out his wand. "You heard me. Weasel." With my words I pull out my wand and point it at him, causing him to stop in his strides towards me. "Would you two stop? We have more important things to worry about." Matthews calls out towards us, and I glance over at her tear stricken face. Sighing I lower my wand and give the Weasel one last angry glance. Another time. 

    "How long has it been?" I ask no one in particular. "I don't know I wasn't exactly watching the clock." Weasel spits out rolling his eyes in the process and causing me to almost curse him. "It's been too long." Matthews says, her eyes trained on the lake in front of us. I rake my hand through my hair, and turn to check to see if Malfoy had gotten a teacher yet. My head starts going over all the facts I've learned over the years. Healthy humans can hold their breaths for two minutes, maybe more, and glancing around I realize it's been more than two minutes. Suddenly a figure comes bursting out through the lake, and lands in a heap on it's shore. Weasel was there first, pulling up the drenched first year boy and checking him over for injuries. I watch the lake a little more, and when Vienna doesn't appear I stride up to the boy and grab him by the collar of his school robes. "Where's Vienna?" I growl out to him, and relish in the boys obvious fear of me. "S-she's down there. I-I tried t-to pull h-her u-up. B-but s-she made me l-let her g-go." He stutters out, either from the cold or from his fear of me. I push the child away from me harshly as I feel my heart stop. 

    My head had begun spinning, and I couldn't catch my breath. I was looking around wildly, not focusing on anything and my heart was beating rapidly. Is this what panic feels like? Why was I feeling it? I was gasping for breath now, my brain trying to comprehend what was happening, but only focusing on one thought. Save her. With the thought, I felt determination flow through my veins, and I began striding to the Lake ridding myself of my coat and school robe. "What are you doing Riddle?" The Weasels voice calls out from behind me. "Saving her." I say, as I begin splashing into the Lake. "Tom wait!" Matthews calls out, but I ignore her call, and dive into the water. 

    I don't feel the cold, only the adrenaline pumping through my veins as I start swimming downwards. Lumos. My wand lights up in front of me, and I push through the water, eyes trained for a flash of white. Where is she? My lungs begin burning and the panic starts to replace the adrenaline coursing through me. I'm sorry Tom. The soft voice of Vienna fills my ears, and in the distance I see the white of her hair. There she was, floating in darkness, her white hair surrounding her like a halo, and her violet irises wide and unseeing. No. She can't be dead. I reach her within seconds, my panic propelling me forwards, and soon I'm wrapping an arm around her. I push her hair out of her face, and my heart stops.  She doesn't react, or even look at me, instead she stares into the darkness, not seeing anything anymore. I resist the urge to scream, and instead grip her tighter to me, and point my wand upwards. Ascendio. Within seconds we're bursting to the surface, and I gasp for breath. Vienna doesn't move, and I shake her wildly to try to get her to do anything. "VIENNA?!" Matthews voice reaches me, high pitched and terrified. I begin awkwardly swimming to shore, but before we could reach it, Weasel had come splashing into the water and began helping me to get Vienna to shore. "NO!" Matthews voice calls out again as I lay Vienna on the ground, her eyes still wide but blank. 

    Matthews practically pushes me out of the way to get a good look at Vienna, and I growl in frustration. She begins shaking the dead girl, "Vienna! Please! Wake UP!" She's yelling again, causing me to flinch. "Where's the teacher?" Weasel's voice was also just as panicked, and he was looking around trying to spot Malfoy and a teacher. I was running both of my hands through my hair, gasping for air as I looked at the girl laying on the ground. She was blue, and her hand was cold as ice. A thought came to my mind suddenly, and I was pushing Matthews back out of the way. On one of our summer beach trips at the orphanage, one of the children had drowned in the sea water, and Miss. Cole had done chest compression to expel the water out of his lungs bringing him back to life. I lay my both my hands, one on top of the other, on Vienna's chest. "What are you doing?" Weasel asks me, and I roll my eyes at the question. I begin pushing with all my might, and flinch at the sound of bones cracking. 

    Come on Vienna. Push. You need to wake up. Push. You can't die. Push. You need to live. Push. Please don't die. Push. Please. Push. After what feels like hours, Weasel is pulling me away from her, and I'm struggling to get out of his grasp. "Knock it off Riddle." I watch as Matthews slowly lowers Vienna's eyelids, and I wrench myself out of the Weasel's grip. "No. I can bring her back." I say, resuming my chest compression, before Matthews gently rests her hand on my shoulder. I look over at the girl, noticing her face full of absolute sorrow and tears streaming down her face. "She's gone Tom." She says quietly before breaking down into sobs. 

    As if hearing her words, all the strength and determination leaves my bones, and I'm left with a familiar numbness, and something...else. Grief, you're feeling grief. It feels like my head was going to explode as I looked at the girl below me, and the denial seeps in. "No. She can't be." I whisper to no one, and my hands reach towards Vienna's face. I cradle her face in my hands, her skin no longer warm and soft. Why was I feeling this way about a girl I barely know? I begin gasping for breath and my eyes begin to sting. "Vienna. Please. Wake up." I say to her, shaking her again, and my heart stuttering with her lack of movement. "Vienna. Wake up!" I was practically yelling now, and I bring my face down to hers, resting my forehead against hers. "Wake up Vienna. You can't leave, not yet. Please. You're the only one who makes me feel." I whisper to her, shutting my eyes tightly. "I'll do anything. Anything Vienna, please." My voice begins cracking with each word, and I could feel myself slipping. 

    I begin to lean back away from her, resisting the urge to shake her violently, and begin to turn away before I notice her eyelids flutter. "Vienna?" I ask, laying my hand on her shoulder and shaking it. Her eyes open then, her violet eyes are calm, and they meet mine for a split second before she begins coughing, struggling to bring oxygen into her lungs again. "Vienna!" Matthews was crying tears of joy, and behind me I can hear the Weasel's sigh of relief. I notice Vienna trying to gasp for breath, and I gently roll her onto her side. She begins coughing up all the lake water that filled her lungs, and her eyes fill up with tears as she coughs. "What is happening?" The voice of Professor Slughorn fills my ears, and I turn to the giant man who was trying to breath himself. "Really? You went all the way to the dungeons to get help?" I ask Malfoy, giving him a disapproving look and trying to hide the absolute relief filling me. "Professor we need to get Vienna to the Hospital Wing." Weasel says behind me, as I turn my gaze back to Vienna who was looking at me in shock, holding her chest and still trying to catch her breath. I flinch remembering the cracking sounds I had heard while trying to get her to breath.  "You saved me." It was more of a statement, rather than a question, and I nodded my head at her words. Her eyes widen further, before she throws herself into my arms, and for once in my life, I don't mind a hug.