Delyth Snape

The Nightmare

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The classroom was warm and stuffy, the droning voice of the professor lulling me into a sleepy haze. I was sitting next to a Gryffindor girl whose name I couldn't remember. She was focused on scribbling down notes, but I found myself barely able to keep my eyes open. The lesson—some tedious discussion about the properties of various magical plants—was dragging on endlessly.

My eyelids grew heavier with every word the professor said, and before I knew it, my head dipped forward, and sleep crept in like a fog.

I was in the woods, the trees looming tall and thick around me, their branches creaking in the wind. The air felt cold and damp, and I could hear something—someone—moving nearby. I looked around, my heart quickening.

"Professor?" I called out, my voice trembling slightly.

From the shadows, a figure emerged—Professor Lupin. He stood still, watching me with an expression I couldn't read. His face was pale, his eyes almost glowing in the dim light filtering through the trees.

"You shouldn't have come here," he said, his voice low and rough, almost like a growl.

A chill ran down my spine. "What? Why?"

He didn't answer. Instead, his gaze flickered behind me, and I felt a shiver of fear crawl up my skin. Something was there, something hidden in the darkness, watching, waiting. I spun around, but I couldn't see it. I could feel it, though—its presence creeping closer, a heavy, looming threat.

I started running, my feet pounding against the forest floor, the branches whipping at my arms and face. The sound of something chasing me grew louder, its breath ragged and heavy, but I didn't dare look back. The sky above darkened, and suddenly, the heavens opened up, rain pouring down in sheets, soaking me through. A terrible storm rolled in, the sound of thunder cracking loudly, the flash of lightning illuminating the twisted trees around me.

My heart pounded in my chest, my breath coming in sharp gasps as I pushed myself harder, faster. But the thing behind me—whatever it was—was getting closer. The growls echoed in the storm, almost in rhythm with the crashing thunder.

I stumbled, my foot catching on a root, and I fell hard to the ground. My hands scraped against the mud as I tried to push myself up, but it was too late. I could feel it looming over me.When I turned my head, I saw it—the black dog from Hogsmeade. Its eyes, piercing and bright, stared straight into mine, glowing with an eerie intensity. It was enormous, its fur matted from the rain, its teeth bared in a silent snarl. I tried to scream, but no sound came out.

The last thing I saw before everything went black were those eyes—cold, menacing, unblinking.

I woke with a jolt, my heart racing. The bell rang, pulling me back to reality. The storm from my dream had been replaced by a soft rain, the gentle tapping of water against the window providing a calming contrast to the terror I'd just felt.

I blinked, trying to steady my breath. The Gryffindor girl beside me was packing up her things, completely oblivious to my internal turmoil. 

I stepped out into the corridor, the bustle of students rushing to their next class swirling around me, but I felt detached, as if I was still caught between the dream and reality. I wandered aimlessly for a moment, trying to shake the lingering fear. As I passed by one of the large windows that overlooked the grounds, I stopped. The rain had eased into a gentle mist, casting a grey veil over the landscape. My gaze drifted toward the Forbidden Forest in the distance, where the trees stood tall and dark, their shadows stretching like long fingers over the wet earth.

Something moved.

I froze, my breath catching in my throat.

There, just at the edge of the forest, I saw it. A dark shape, lurking between the trees. The black dog. It was staring right at me, just like in the dream. Its eyes, even from this distance, seemed to pierce through the rain, through the glass, and into me.

I blinked, startled, and looked again.

But it was gone.

I pressed my hand against the cold window, searching the forest for any sign of the creature. The trees swayed gently in the wind, their branches brushing together with a soft rustling sound, but the dog had disappeared.

My pulse quickened as unease crept over me. Was I going mad? Had the dream messed with my head? 

I shook my head, forcing myself to step away from the window, but the feeling of being watched didn't leave me. I wondered if there was something more to it all, something I was missing.

Pushing the thoughts aside, I turned and continued down the corridor, my mind racing. But no matter how much I tried to ignore it, the image of those piercing eyes stayed with me.