Memories of Too Much Time

A/N: This was written for the "I'm about to die!"-competition (created by A Sirius crush on Moony) over at the HPFC forum. I would also like to give a great and wonderful thank you to eldritcher for the look over (you are amazing, dear!) and to CrAzY flamINGO for the amazing title (you are the best at this sort of thing, after all!).

Challenge Rules: (1) Must be a one-shot, (2) Must be first-person perspective

Provided Character: Nicolas Flamel

Memories of Too Much Time

You would think that after living for well over six hundred years, a man would be wise enough to make no more mistakes. Of course, this will never be the case. A man could live for thousands of years and still make the same mistakes as would a child. Fewer, perhaps, but mistakes nonetheless. 'Tis human nature and even after living for over six hundred and fifty years, I still have difficulty in understanding such things.

My first and greatest mistake was creating the Stone. I will always treasure the extra time it provided me with, but it was a curse just as much as it was a blessing. Man is not meant to live near as long as I have. The brevity of life is one of the universe's greatest treasures and should remain as such. To mess with that...well, I am only just beginning to understand the consequences of that.

Immortality will always be a tempting thing. The price that must be paid for such a thing, however, is never worth the gain. I fear the boy, Tom Riddle - Voldemort - will never understand this, and that others will forever pay for such ignorance, just as many already have. All I must hope for is that my decision will remove one more temptation from beneath his clawed grasp. The penalty - it would be much too disastrous for the world to handle.

I can only be thankful that my beloved Perenelle will not have to live to see the destruction that I fear is approaching. She has seen too many eras of devastation throughout her long life and they have sadly taken their tolls upon her heart and spirit. Such a lively woman she has always been. I have adored her since the first moment my eyes sought out her simple beauty. A love for the history books, many people have called our union. I hope that my love has been as enthralled by this life's ride as I have been throughout all my days.

Perenelle. One request 'tis all I had for my dying day. I prayed that I would not have to live one single second without her shining eyes in my life. Apparently, my mistakes have been far too great and too many, for she slipped from life's heavy embrace as I watched by her side, her hand held tightly within mine. Even if I only live five minutes without her, it is far too long.

I planned it so perfectly. We took the Elixir together, as one. My hope was for the both of us to slip away quietly, peacefully together, neither of us living one tiny moment without the other by our side. As we left one great adventure, I wanted us to journey into the next one together. Life, I have learned, is many things, but fair...no. Fairness has never been one of them.

I do hope that someone, somewhere will be able to learn from my mistakes, even if they are to go on and make different ones. Life is fickle in that sense, but it is also wonderful and majestic. Even as it slips slowly away and my grip upon my love's hand slackens and falls, I know that life is the greatest thing ever created. I know that living is the greatest adventure any soul can ever experience.