Reborn - A Harry Potter Fanfiction

i.xiii chapter thirteen

Autumn, 1991; The Quidditch Match

That night, Ember found herself asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. She was exhausted and every muscle in her body ached. Usually, she would struggle to close her eyes, in fear of the nightmares that haunted her. Mr Hammond and the green door to his study; but tonight, her dreams drifted elsewhere.

A bird with feathers as bright as the sun. It glowed as it shot through the night sky; its mighty wings forever keeping it high. Ember watched as circled the tall, turrets of the school before circling back round. To her. There she was, dressed in her white, nightgown, standing in the middle of a ring of large, stones. It was like some sort of alter, a forgotten relic. It seemed she was somewhere in the forbidden forest, for she could make out Hogwarts in the darkness of the night.

The firebird drew nearer, it's black eyes set on her. A strong, wind tangled her hair and Ember placed a hand on one of the ancient stones to steady herself. The creature was here. It glided majestically towards her, its large wings guiding it to the ground. There it stopped, when she at last came to face to face with the creature. Their eyes connected, at which a blinding light burst from the bird at every angle.

"Nameless. The one born from fire and ash."

A powerful voice spoke. It was the phoenix and its eyes glowed, ablaze with fire.

"You were chosen. Conceived in mortal flesh, yet rose again in the embers."

Her heart was pounding. She could not breathe.

"A time of great war comes. Be ready. He will come again."

"Who? Who will come again?" She asked, shouting above the howling of the wind.

"Be still" the firebird demanded, his voice authoritative and calm, yet terrifying. "He will come again and the one destined to destroy him will not possess the power alone. You will be faced with a choice. It is you who will be our salvation or burn us all in your own flames."

"What does that mean?!" Ember yelled above the wind that only grew louder and more wild. She was struggling to stay in once space as it pushed her further and further back. Ember gripped onto anything she could, but her fingers merely slipped off the smooth stone as she was thrown back.

"Be ready, nameless." The phoenix called as the wind carried her into the air. Ember watched as she was blown away and the light slowly started to fade into nothingness.

Ember awoke with a gasp, clutching her heart as she clawed for breath. It was dark, but as she looked around, she could make out the familiar layout of her dormitory. She was safe. She was awake. She wasn't dreaming anymore.

One...two...three.

Ember took deep breaths in to steady herself. It was a dream. It was just a dream. To her right, she could see Hermione and the others sleeping soundly. She was glad she hadn't woken them up. Quickly, she threw back the covers and darted to the bathroom. She was sweating all over and desperately needed to cool down. In a hurry, she turned on the sink taps and splashed her face repeatedly with cold water. As it hit her skin, immediately she was refreshed. What just happened?!

It had been so real, so lifelike. She'd felt the wind on her cheek and could smell the tall, pinewood trees. She could still hear the phoenix's voice inside her head. What was it talking about? Nameless? A great war? He will come again? Who the hell was coming again?!

Ember clutched the rim of the sink and pinched her eyes shut. It was just a dream, she repeated over and over. Obviously, the events of yesterday had gotten to her. Maybe she really was sick and this was all some fever dream? Whatever it was, Ember dared not roll back into the covers of her bed, in fear of what would appear if she did.