Falling Star

Nightmares

"Here they are, at your service my lord," my father says pushing Draco and I forward roughly.

Voldemort stands before me, his eyes glowing red and his lips pulling back from his teeth in a deranged smile. He reaches out a slimy hand to touch my face. I cringe away from him.

"Don't touch me," I spit.

"Come now, child. I won't hurt you," Voldemort chides. "I just want to get a good look at who I'm working with."

"I will NEVER work with you!" I yell.

His eyes flash in anger, but the smile never leaves his face. "Pity. I thought we could do this the easy way."

He removes his wand from his cloak and points it directly at Draco standing beside me.

"Crucio!"

A flash of light expels from Voldemort's wand and arcs toward Draco. As soon as the curse hits him, he crumples to the floor, screaming and writhing in pain.

"Stop it! Stop it!" I scream. I try to lunge at Voldemort, but two Death Eaters have vice grips on both my arms. All I can do is stand there and scream.

"Dahlia!" a voice calls to me. "Dahlia!"

Someone is shaking me, and my eyes fly open. I'm gasping for breath as I take in my new surroundings.

Draco has his hands on both my shoulders and is staring down at me worriedly. "It was just a dream, Li."

A nightmare. It was just a nightmare. Voldemort isn't here. Draco is just fine.

I nod to show him that I'm okay, but I'm afraid to speak at the moment. My voice doesn't feel steady enough for words yet.

He releases me and goes to sit on the end of the bed.

I move into a sitting position, laying my head on my knees to catch my breath. After a moment, I look around. Through my cracked curtains, I can see weak morning light coming through. It must still be right before dawn. I definitely couldn't go back to sleep now anyway.

"Thank you," I whisper to my brother.

"I heard you screaming." I hear the unspoken again in his tone. The nightmares have been happening-to both of us-at least once a week for the past few weeks we have been home.

Last week I had been woken up in the dead of night by Draco's agonized screams. I rushed in and tried to carefully wake him. He was white as a sheet and looked terrified even after he had awoken. He didn't tell me about the nightmare, but I had a few guesses as to what it entailed. We ended up sitting together and talking about any and everything else until morning.

"I just had a bad dream," I say although he already knows that.

"Do you want to..."

"No."

I don't want to verbalize any of what happened in my dream. Just thinking about any of that coming true turns my blood to ice.

My nightmares are always some variation of this one. Voldemort is always there, wanting Draco and me to work for him. I am always refusing and either suffering the consequences of this myself or watching Draco suffer them.

The dreams remind me of facing my boggart during Third Year, where I watched my brother die before me and somehow had to make it seem ridiculous.

"Okay. Do you want me to stay?" he offers.

I consider his offer for a moment, but looking at him, I can see how exhausted he is. He needs to sleep. So I smile and say, "I think I'll be okay. Go back to bed."

He nods and pushes off the bed. "Try to go back to sleep, too, okay?" he says, ruffling my hair.

A few minutes after Draco leaves, I decide to get up and go for a walk. Some fresh air would help clear my head.

The morning air is slightly chilly and feels so refreshing on my face. A slight breeze plays with my hair. I close my eyes and breathe in deeply.

After walking around for a little while, I stop and sit in the garden. The sun is finally peaking over the horizon, paining the sky in brilliant hues of orange and pink.

I miss my friends. I wonder briefly if they are awake at their own homes watching the sunrise, too. I crave anything that makes me feel connected to them. I wish I could write to them, but I know my father would likely intercept any owl I try to send.

"Tea?"

I nearly jump out of my skin at the voice. I turn to see my mother beside me, holding out a cup of tea toward me.

"Geez, Mum, you scared me!" I grab the teacup from her hands. "Thank you."

She smirks. "I didn't mean to frighten you. I just saw you out here and thought you might want company. You're up awfully early."

I sip the tea, relishing the feeling of its warmth all down my throat. "I couldn't sleep."

"It's very peaceful out here, isn't it? I come sit out here myself when I need a break or just to think," Mum says.

"It's my favorite thing about this place," I admit.

My mother looks me over then, and I resist the urge to squirm like a bug under a microscope. "Are you alright, Dahlia? You and Draco both seem...off these past few weeks."

Such a heavy question. Once again, I'm glad for the tea. It gives me an excuse to not answer right away. How long has it been since my mother and I have had a serious conversation alone? Years probably.

I'm tempted to deflect: tell her about Draco's nightmares so she won't ask about my own. Telling her the whole truth would definitely not count as laying low like I promised I would this summer.

"It's just...there's a lot...it feels like everything's..." I try to explain but can't find the right words.

My mother nods in a knowing way that only mothers do.

"When the first war was fought, I was very young. I had just become a mother, and I was terrified. But your father did his best to keep this family protected and provided for. And everything worked out well for us. Your father and I will continue to keep Draco and you safe. You don't need to worry about anything, dear," Mum explains, her eyes warm and comforting.

I desperately want to believe her. I want to be that little girl again that believed her mother and father could scare away all the monsters living in the dark. I also know arguing won't get me anywhere nor make me feel better.

So I grasp onto this little string of hope she's given me that everything will be alright and hold it tight.