Restoration

Chapter Eight

***

The Great Hall slowly began fading away, as did everyone who'd been standing in it. Elara reached for Draco's arm, but he didn't even flinch, most likely too deep inside his dreams and thoughts he couldn't possibly think about someone visiting him in his dreams.

The room quickly changed completely, moving their surroundings elsewhere, to a much darker and stuffier place. High ceilings, Victorian architecture, and furniture made Elara think Draco was dreaming of some ancient place, especially because of how dark it was. It wasn't until she noticed the family portraits hanging on the walls, that she realized they were in Draco's home.

Suddenly, the light stormed in and blinded Elara for a bit, as she covered her eyes with her hands. When she opened them, the room had changed slightly, with a dining table stood in front of her. She immediately recognized Lucious Malfoy, Draco's father, and she only assumed the rest were his friends. Scanning the room for Draco, she noticed him standing in a corner, shivering with fear.

"Draco, dear, come downstairs," a woman with black hair gently called him. Elara noticed Draco had similar features to her, and she even had two streaks of blonde hair, just like Lucious and Draco. It was his mother, Narcissa Malfoy.

"Draco!" Lucious angrily shouted.

A small, scared boy appeared at the top of the stairs, slowly descending. Elara did not recognize him immediately, as he sank deep into his posture, staring at the ground beneath him. It wasn't until he walked up to his parents, looking into his mother's eyes as if to ask for permission to leave them. Elara walked over, still transparent like a ghost, observing their connection. The young boy was anxiously scratching his palms behind his back and biting his lip, as his father, Lucious, patted his back.

"Now, don't be so rude Draco, greet our guest," he cheered, as Narcissa shot him an angry glance.

"G-good evening...my lord," a younger version of Draco stuttered, still looking at the ground. Lucious grabbed his hand, squeezing it until Draco flinched, apologizing for being late to the dinner.

Elara's face dropped as she turned around to see Lord Voldemort sitting at the opposite side of the table, smirking at the terrified child. Just as she turned around, to check on the Draco she knew, everything turned to black, switching to another dream.

She began to search for Draco before she could even pinpoint her current location, as her vision slowly became clearer. Positive he was having nightmares, she tried to exit his dreams and call for Luna.

"I hear you're not doing so well in Dark Arts," Bellatrix greeted, circling Draco like a wolf around a sheep.

"I've been slightly preoccupied, in case you forgot," Draco sneered back. Bellatrix slapped him immediately, telling him off for being insolent to his superiors.

Meanwhile, Elara heard Luna calling for her somewhere far away, but she chose to ignore it, stepping away from the doors, hiding behind a curtain. There were others in the room with them, and Elara recognized most of them because she'd seen their faces in newspapers, under the 'Have You Seen This Criminal?' section. Death Eaters and Voldemort's supporters, they had all visited Azkaban at one point in their life.

"Now that daddy dearest is away in Azkaban, you need to step up," Augustus Rookwood, Ministry's traitor, boomed with a crooked smile.

"Don't forget about it," Narcissa Malfoy stepped in front of him, handing Draco a small box. He opened it, revealing a gorgeous opal necklace.

"Alright puppet, off you go!" Bellatrix sang before she apparated into darkness.

A bright light blinded Elara, and this time caused her physical pain, as she felt her eyes were on fire, her bones breaking as if someone tried to pull her limbs away one by one. She screamed in pain, even though Luna kept whispering "I'm trying to get you out!"