~Sequentia~ (Harry Potter Characters x Reader)

Whispers of the Phantom Queen [Oliver Wood]

Oliver Wood x Reader

[Theme: Student]

A deep, dark forest surrounds me. Tall trees with black leaves cover the night sky, blocking out the caressing moonlight. It wants to save me, but the power of the forest is too strong for it. Beneath my feet crunches hard soil, crumbling to pieces against my bare feet. The earth grits between my toes.

I press forward through the abyss, my heart racing with every step. A fox cries. A bird sings. They mock me. They know I am not for this world, yet it is the one I have seen every night my entire life. Since I was a child, I've come to this land. Still, it is foreign to me as the landscape warps every time.

It always ends the same way.

The tallest tree in the forest is rooted before me, standing tall and indomitable yet patched with rot. It has become a ritual for me to do what I must do. I inch closer, arm extended, until my skin touches the rough bark. A crow cries and lands behind me. I turn around and see it morph into the Phantom Queen.

She is beautiful and majestic. Her long, silky hair sinks past her shoulders to the small of her back. Everything about her reflects what she represents: nature, death, and my nightmares. Two more crows appear, one on each shoulder. She takes the left and plants a kiss on its beak before letting it fly through a gap in the trees, soaring above the nearby mountain.

Then, she takes the right and kisses it the same. My breath hitches as I know what comes next. The crow glides from the Phantom Queen to rest on my shoulder, beginning the sequence once again.

She steps forward gracefully until her hand, covered in symbols and rings, touches my cheek. Her skin is freezing, but she has done this move so many times that I no longer flinch.

"It is time," she says coldly, yet her eyes show a motherly love. "May all know the curse of the Morrigan and she of Badb and Macha."

An agonising pain fills my body, paralysing me. It is different than before. Instead of weakening me, a new power flows within—a sensation unknown.

"Hey, wake up! You're having a nightmare. Come on, wake up!"

.....

My eyes shot open to reveal the Gryffindor dorm room. Thick, blonde locks obscured some of my vision as my best friend, Grace, hovered above me, her hands shaking my torso. I sat up at once, trying to pull the covers over me, only to find them in a messy bundle.

Grace sat down beside me, her hand placed firmly on my shoulder. "Geez, I've never heard you yell like that before. Are you alright?" A small frown formed on her lips. She was clearly extremely concerned. I forget that most people don't know about my nightmares...

I nodded reassuringly. "Yeah, everything's fine; don't worry." It was a lie built to deceive a close friend, hopefully one that she wouldn't be able to pick up on. I rearrange my sheets nicely, noticing that the other girls in the dorm have already gone down for breakfast. They were always the early birds, understandably since they were the Quidditch gals.

"Yeah, it's just us," Grace explained, standing up and heading back to her own side of the room. "I don't know what's wrong with them. Imagine waking up at 5 AM every day to go ride your broom around a pitch in the middle of the pouring rain."

Her bluntness brought a chuckle out of me. She would always be a Muggleborn first and foremost, bringing out her innocent arrogance towards magical activities she couldn't understand.

"I know I couldn't do it. I think I'll settle for being the captain's best friend."

Grace's eyebrow shot up expectantly.