𝐋𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐬 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐜 |𝐇. 𝐏𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫

Chapter 30: dreams and lessons

A scream, Harry's scream. My eyes shot open and I sat up on the bed looking at freaked out Harry. His forehead was sweaty, his eyes wide, his breathing out of order and his heart was beating rapidly.

"Merlin! Are you alright?" He didn't reply, he just kept panting trying to catch his breath. "Fuck, I'm taking you to Minnie she'll know what to do better than me."

I dealt with nightmares for years. But they were my own. A part of my trauma, of what I went trough with him, and he way always there, lowly whispering all the terrible things to me whenever I went to sleep.
It took years, drugs and pills, for the nightmares to stop. There were a lot of people who were always there for me when I woke up screaming and crying, when I couldn't breathe after a nightmare. But I had no idea how to comfort someone else about nightmares.

I got up and pulled him off the bed by arm. I looked him in the eyes, poor thing looked so freaked out. I quickly hugged him running my hand down his back a few times trying to calm him down.

"Okay, I need you to hold onto my hand really tight. Because I am going to use vampire speed to get us to the totally different part of school and I don't wanna lose you somewhere in the corridors. Good?"

Harry nodded his head and i ran trough half of the corridors in matter of moments until we reached Minerva's office. I knocked on the door with my free hand while my other arm was around Harry's shoulder.

After a few moments Minerva opened the door, revealing herself in a tartan dress-gown and hairnet. She gasped loudly seeing the two of us. "What happened? Let's take him to Dumbledore, quick!"

All the Weasley's, Minnie, Harry and me were in Dumbledore's office. Harry was sitting in one chair, and I was behind him with a hand on his shoulder. And the Weasley's sat on the other side of the room.

"So in a dream, were you standing next to the victim or looking down at the scene?" Dumbledore asked Harry while pacing around the room.

"Neither it was more like ... - Professor could you please just tell me what is happening to me?" Harry asked breathlessly, but Dumbledore was too busy talking to a painting, telling it to find Arthur.

"Sir?" Harry asked Dumbledore who was now talking to another painting.

"LOOK AT ME!" Harry screamed angrily, "What's happening to me!?"

There was a minute of silence before Dumbledore turned to me. "Miss Y/n, could you please calm Harry down?"

It took me a moment to realize what he meant and when I did I glared at him. "What!? Heck no!"

"Y/n, please." He stated gesturing to very much not calm Harry.

"Albus you know I hate doing it." i replied walking up in front of Harry, "Especially on people I care about. But I'll make an exception because it hurts to see him like this."

Harry looked at me confused while I slightly leaned down looking him directly into eyes. "Look into my eyes . . . Yeah that's right."
His pupils visibly widened.
"Good, now listen to my voice. Its going to be alright, you are going to be alright. Now you are going to calm down and relax . . ."

I watched as his shoulders sunk down ad he let out a shaky breath. "That's right. You fine, everything is fine."

Harry nodded his head and I smiled at him. I straightened up and turned around to glare at Dumbledore again. "This was the first and last time I compelled Harry. Understood?"

"Yes Miss Lockwood." He replied.

"You wished to see me headmaster." I heard a familiar, calm and soothing voice behind me.

"Severus, I am afraid that we can not wait." Dumbledore said. "Otherwise we would all be vulnerable."

Severus started pulling Harry up by arm and dragging him to the exit of the office, but I was quicker to run over and block the door. "Where are we going?"

"We?" Severus questioned me. "There's no we. You are not coming Y/n/n"

"The fuck I'm not." I laughed. "Of course I'm coming Severus and you know you won't be able to change my mind."

He glared at me before Dumbledore spoke up. "Severus take Y/n with you, or you will all be stuck at my door for the rest of the night."

Severus groaned before pushing past me and dragging me by arm as well.  We went down the flight of stone steps, and into his office.

"There appears to be connection between the Dark Lords mind and your own. Whether he is yet aware of this connection is unclear... Pray he remains ignorant." Severus said rolling something on the table and moving some potions bottles around.

Harry sat down on the chair while I remained standing up holding his shivering arm. "You mean if he knows about it he will be able to read Harry's mind?" I asked.

"Read it .... control it ..... unhinge it." Replied Severus. "In the past it was the Dark Lord pleasure to invade the minds of his victims. He would create visions designed to torture them into madness. Only when he literally had them begging for death ... he would kill them."

A cold shiver ran down my spine. I know, I wanted to say, I know better than you do. I know better than anyone does.
Tom Riddle is manipulative, he's captivating, or he was. And he's the worst monster I ever faced in my whole life. He's the monster whose name I curse when I wake up drenched in sweat.

Harry's breathing and heart race quickened and he gripped my arm.

Severus went on totally ignoring this. "When used correctly, the power of Occulumency can help prevent access to your mind. In this lessons I will attempt to get into your mind and you will attempt to resist."

"Just so we are clear." I cut in. "I am going to help in this and may the starts be in your favor is you try to stop me Sev."

Severus turned to look at me with a small smirk. "I would honestly expect nothing else from you Y/n."

"Now prepare yourself." He said to Harry, "Legilmens!"

Harry winced in his chair. "You can do this." I mumbled, not really sure whether I was saying it to reassure him, or myself.

"Focus Potter! Concentrate."