The Boy Who Wanted to Live

Dreams? No. Nightmares? Always.

Harry sat up in his bed. He smiled and scooted back leaning against the bed frame. The sunlight streamed in the room and burst into sparks when they landed on an object. He smiled at the sun ridden chamber and looked around at the other boys who slept in the room. Gared was curled in on himself under the blankets, drool spilling from his open mouth. Harry turned to look at the other three boys on his right. Daniel was lying on back, his feet propped up on his head-rest; A book lay open on his stomach as if he had fallen asleep while reading. Harry let out a small giggle and continued to the next boy. Ernie was buried under the blankets so only the spikes of his blonde hair were visible. The last boy, Marcus, was sleeping, hanging half off the bed. Harry smiled softly. A sunbeam fell on his face and his vision was blurred with brightness. He grimaced and rubbed his eyes, his eyesight going black for a second. He looked around the now dark room, crying out in terror as the image changed. Gared lay in a pool of blood on his bed, his stomach cut open. Harry paled as he saw the intestines still steaming from his corpse. His head snapped to the other boys, Daniel was propped against the bedframe, feet tied above his head so he couldn't run. Harry winced while he watched horrified as the boy's throat was sliced open by some invisible person. Daniel whimpered, murmuring through the tear. His blood bubbled like froth through the gash and dripped into his nose, his mouth. It slicked his hair like gel. Harry gagged as his friend's wide eyes turned red with broken blood vessels as he suffocated, choking on his own fluids. The boy's face grew purple and slowly the grumbles of pain turned to silence. Harry felt cold dripping down his cheeks and reached up expecting tears on his cheeks. When his fingers pulled away they were coated in a thick layer of scarlet. He slowly turned his head up towards the high ceiling. Ernie- or more his body- was tied to the roof with barbed wire. His blood- long since turned cold- was slowly dripping onto the living boy. Dripping into the jet black hair and horrified eyes. Harry let out a shout of shock and jumped out of bed, not even bothering to look at Marcus, nor to check if the boy was dead. Harry slammed his way through the bedroom door, running down the stairs towards the common room. 

"Help!" he screamed, looking around the empty room with terror "Help me, please! Somebody!" 

The yellow room was abnormally silent, especially to the cry of its own. Harry stumbled on the thick carpet. It turned to goop bellow his feet and he sunk further in it. Harry struggled against the quicksand of carpet, forcing his weak legs to move towards the door. Hannah suddenly appeared before him with a frown. 

"Hannah!" He yelled with relief "Quick! Help me!" 

"Why would I do that?" She smiled, blood pooling down her chin from her mouth, "Why would I help a murderer?" 

Harry gasped, his heart tightening in fear. 

"I'm not- I didn't!" He denied, trying to pull himself from the deathtrap which had risen to his waist. 

"You did. You killed them, Potter," she spat "You killed all of them. Ernie, Daniel, Gared, Marcus. You killed them. You even killed your parents." 

"No," Harry whispered, the breath leaving his lungs. 

"Yes. Without you," she said, her voice deepening and splitting off into splinters that surrounded Harry and buried their sharp edges into his heart "they would be alive. Without you, they would be happy." 

Harry looked up to see a dark circle swirling in front of him. His parents appeared in the depths, smiling, dancing. Only to fade when he stretched to reach for them. He fell to his knees as they turned to ashes. 

"Without you, Cadence would have a father who is not afraid to call him a son. Without you they would have a life together." she said, mercilessly "Without you I would be happy. Without you Draco would be safe. Without you your aunt and uncle would have their perfect life. Without you-"