𝐑𝐄𝐖𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐒-ℍ𝕒𝕣𝕣𝕪 ℙ𝕠𝕥𝕥𝕖𝕣❥

𝐇𝐁𝐏 𝟔

Emily ran through the corridors barefoot, her nightgown whipping around her legs, her hair streaming behind her in wild tangles. The castle loomed around her—dark and endless, the torchlight flickering across the stone walls as if mocking her. Her breath came in ragged gasps, each one sharp and painful.

She didn't know where she was running—only that she had to run. Away from the whispering portraits, away from the shadows that seemed to move when she wasn't looking. The tears blurred her vision, spilling hot down her cheeks, and her chest ached with the sobs she couldn't contain.

Her legs began to tremble beneath her, threatening to give way. But she pushed forward, desperate for an exit, desperate for air.

Then, a voice.

"You did this, Emily."

It was Sirius's voice. Her father's voice.

But it wasn't gentle. It wasn't him.

It rang through the empty corridor like an echo inside her skull, sharp and accusing. "You've killed me. You killed your father. And soon enough, you'll kill Remus, then you'll kill Eric, then Ethan, and then Draco. Because you... you are a killer!"

Emily froze, the words cutting through her like knives. Her heart pounded against her ribs. She clapped her hands over her ears, shaking her head furiously.

"No!" she screamed, her voice breaking, reverberating off the stone walls. "No! I am not!"

The corridor rippled. The torches flickered out one by one.

And suddenly she wasn't running anymore.

Hermione's voice pierced the darkness.

"Emily!"

Emily's body twisted violently in her bed, sheets tangled around her legs. Her face was drenched in sweat, her hair plastered to her forehead. She whimpered and thrashed, screaming out Sirius's name like she was still trapped inside the dream.

"Emily! Emily! Emily! Wake up! Oh, please wake up!" Hermione's voice cracked as she shook her friend's shoulders, her eyes wide with fear. She leaned over her, desperately calling her name.

Then, with a strangled gasp, Emily jolted awake.

Her eyes flew open—but the terror didn't fade. Her cries didn't stop. Her body still shook violently as if she hadn't truly left the nightmare behind.

Hermione's grip tightened. She twisted Emily gently by the shoulders, forcing her to look into her eyes. "It was a nightmare, Emily! Nothing but a silly nightmare! You're fine, I promise. I'm here! I am here!"

The words cut through the haze like light breaking through a storm. Emily blinked, disoriented, her breaths coming in shallow, hiccuping gasps. Slowly, painfully, the walls of the dormitory came back into focus—the moonlight spilling through the curtains, the distant crackle of the fire below.

Hermione didn't let go until the trembling began to ease.

—

An hour later, the two girls descended to the common room before breakfast. The world felt muted around Emily, as though the echoes of her nightmare still lingered at the edge of her thoughts.

Harry and Ron were already there, sitting by the fire, half-asleep and bickering quietly about the time.

To Harry's surprise, Emily crossed straight to him without a word. She stood close—so close that her shoulder brushed against his arm—and slid her hand into his, gripping it as tightly as she could, as though afraid he might vanish if she let go.