Time Travelling Madness

18 - Night Terrors

Harry felt scared to go to sleep that night. He knew it was stupid - he was scared to sleep for Merlin's sake! - but he couldn't help it. He knew James noticed something when he flinched and bolted away from him when he said the words 'bed' and 'night'.

"Hey, Harry, come on!" Sirius begged. "It's night, I'm tired, James is tired, we're all tired!"

"I'm not," he shot back, glaring at the older boy as he picked him up. He hit Sirius' arm, not extremely hard though, but with the shock Sirius dropped him. He didn't believe that Harry would ever try to hurt him, but he had.

"Harry!" James exclaimed, picking up the struggling boy. He held him at arms length and gave him a stern look. "Why did you hit Sirius?"

"Because I'm not tired," Harry complained, acting very much like the child he was.

"There wasn't a reason to hit Sirius though, was there?"

"... No," Harry amended. "'M not going to bed though." He stifled a yawn. "Not tired."

"Harry, I can see the bags under your eyes, you're exhausted," Remus said, taking Harry from James and taking him to the mirror.

Harry saw small bags under his eyes and, although he wouldn't want to say it out loud, he did look exhausted. His face was pale and pinched and his eyes showed the words he refused to say.

"I - fine." Harry nodded at James, but before he got into his bed (Dumbledore had installed one when he knew Harry was coming) he went over to Sirius. "I'm sorry, Siri. I didn't mean to hit you, I guess I'm just... tired."

Sirius smiled at him. "No worries, Harry. It didn't hurt anyway, you have zero strength."

"Hey! I'll let you know, I'm very strong!"

"As strong as paper, or something? A feather? James when he's high? 'Cause that's not strong at all."

"Sirius!" James exclaimed. "He's a kid, don't talk about me getting high in front of him! I'm his role model! He's young, very impressionable."

"You're wrong, James," Harry said, struggling to maintain a straight face. "You were never my role model."

"Who is, then?" James challenged, but it seemed Harry was ready for that answer, for he replied almost immediately.

"Remus, of course!" He flashed the older boy a smile before sighing and getting into bed. "Night, I guess."

James smiled, turned the lights off (how did lights even work in Hogwarts?) and quietly walked out of the room, Sirius, Remus and Peter following suit.

Harry immediately found himself rushing out of bed, running toward the lights, turning them on before running to the small space by the window. He curled up into a small ball and stared outside, admiring the stars.

He felt his eyelids dropping and forced them open. He did not want to sleep tonight.

Unfortunately, he was fighting a losing battle.

He quickly fell asleep in the awkward position, not knowing the terror that would be inflicted upon him through his dreams.

*_*_*_*_*

"Look at me, Harry Potter!" Voldemort growled as he forced the young boy to look at him the eye. "I want to see the light leave your eyes!"

Suddenly Sirius leapt in front of Harry and held his arms out protectively. And the weird thing?

It was the adult Sirius.

"I won't let you kill him!" he announced bravely, although Harry could detect the shakiness in his voice. "Kill me instead!"