The Abuser

Bad Dreams

I was as pure as a river, but now I think I'm possessed. You put a fever inside me, and I've been cold since you left.

- Haunting by Halsey

.......

"Knock, knock. Werewolf girl?" Ginny swings the bathroom door open, grinning mischievously. 

I put down my damp cloth with a snort of faux annoyance. "Ginny!" I whine, turning to her with a petulant frown.

"What?" My ginger friend laughs, moving next to me to wash her hands in the bathroom sink. "You forget that my brother was also bitten, so it's okay for me to tease."

I laugh, wiping the remaining traces of my recent bloody nose away with the cloth. "Fine, fine. How is your brother anyway?" I'm not a big small-talker, but around Ginny I really feel like I can open up and become inquisitive.

"You know, he's really good." She pulls a tube of mascara from her makeup bag, setting it on the counter. Immediately, the tube unscrews, floating into the air and applying itself to her lashes as she begins to release other cosmetics into flight. "His face isn't so great; you better be grateful that old Fenrir didn't take a chunk out of your nose! Still though, Phlegm and he are married now, so I suppose that she can't be that bad."

"Sorry, Phlegm?" I crinkle my nose as clouds of power begin to swirl from Ginny's brush, settling around the bathroom.

"His wife. That snobby little witch from the Tri-Wizard Tournament; Fleur Delacour." Ginny sighs, shaking out her freshly painted nails. "I say, this polish is something else! I'll have to thank Hermione for giving it to me- if I ever see her again. Muggle inventions." She laughs, but I can tell that her hilarity is simply a mask to cover the tears that have risen suddenly to her eyes. Clearing her throat quickly, the younger girl motions towards the door. "If you're hungry, Neville's just popped down to the kitchen. He made sure to get your favorite."

"Thanks." I'd stay to comfort her, but I get the distinct feeling that she'd like to be alone. Ginny has been such a strong leader; so stolid that it's sometimes easy to forget that her ex-boyfriend, brother, and close friend are Merlin knows where, possibly walking strait into the waiting arms of death. I push through the restroom door, into the enormous room in which nearly all of the D.A.s now live. It's been over two months since school started, and I'll freely say that I'm more than sick of being trapped in the Room of Requirement. Things are better now that I have so many roommates, but that doesn't change the fact that almost a quarter of a year contained in such a limited space is enough to make a girl go insane.

I've only been able to visit Draco twice so far, and though our first meeting was fraught with tension, the other was much better. I miss him more than life itself. It's not that I am dependent on him, but simply that I worry for his life. Susan Bones said he was beaten after refusing to Crucio a first year; the thought fills me with a mixture of pride, relief, and horror. I haven't seen him in nearly four weeks, but from the descriptions given by my friends, he's clearly suffering with illness and the effects of torture.

"Neville!" I run over to hug the round-faced boy. "Did you get me anything to munch on?"

Longbottom nods, digging a squashy package from his grocer's bag. "Yeah. How can you stand the stuff? You'll get poisoning if you keep it up."

I shrug, patting him on the shoulder. "It's called being a werewolf; or at least, half a werewolf. I can't help it if I have sudden cravings for blood." I use my creepiest tone of voice as I back away from him, smirking at his uneasy expression. "I won't bite!" I call reassuringly as I settle into my hammock to eat.

"Hello. How are the Nargles faring, in your opinion?"

Luna's dreamy voice in my ear causes me to start, nearly dropping my enormous raw steak on the floor. "Bloody- Luna... don't do that!" I pant, holding my sides to still my pounding heart as she hops up next to me.