Neville sat up quickly in his bed, his eyes opened wide. He was panting and
sweating, terrified. He had no idea what his dream could mean, but he
doubted that it was good. He groped for his wand, found it, and muttered
"Lumos." With the light, it didn't seem quite so bad, but he was still
scared.
This was the fifth night in a row that he had woken up from a horrifying dream. It wasn't the same dream every night, but all of the dreams seemed to be connected. He could never remember them very well, just blurred images swimming before his eyes right after he awoke. There was something about Dumbledore, he was sure of that. And he seemed to think that his parents were somehow in the dream, but how, he had no idea. There was a lot of screaming, and perhaps a great battle. He wrote down all of the things that he could remember in the small bound parchment tablet he had started to keep on the shelf above his bed, but there wasn't much. He lit the candle that he had on the shelf and read what he had written in the past nights and tonight.
"August 14
Dumbledore kept on saying something about Harry and about Snape I think. He seemed really worried, which scared the hell out of me, since he's Dumbledore. McGonagall was there too. Don't remember anything else, except that it scared me to death, and I'm not really sure why. I had a dream kind of like it last night, but I went back to sleep really soon after I had it. I think that Harry and He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named were in it."
The next entry was very messy, and Neville could barely make out what it said, since it had been written moments after he woke up, while the memories were still fresh.
"August 15
Had another nightmare. My parents were in it, and they were acting like normal people, so I was incredibly happy for a moment, but then there was a bunch of yelling and I was petrified. I really can't figure out why I got so scared. Dumbledore was in this one too. It seemed to be related to my other dream.
August 16
In this dream, Ron and Ginny were trying to hide Harry somewhere because of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. I saw my parents being tortured. Scared me out of my wits and I woke up screaming. Good thing Gran's a bit deaf. She'd probably think I was going crazy. She's had a bit too much of that happen to her family. Merlin, I hate He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Gosh, it's too much of a bother to write all of that. He's not worth wasting time over. Voldermort. I hate him. I hate Voldermort."
Neville looked at the place where his quill had nearly gone through the thick parchment because he had been bearing down so hard. He had been angry that night. Of course he hated the man who had tortured his parents, who had made him almost worse than an orphan, but actually seeing them tortured, even in a dream, had outraged him more than he had known was possible. He felt the unfamiliar rage start to come over him, and he quickly started reading the next entry before he was filled with more fury than he thought he could handle.
"August 17
I think that maybe there was a big battle with Dumbledore and my parents somehow. Loads of yelling and screaming and curses. I think that I was screaming the whole time, too, but I don't know if I was actually screaming or just in my dream. These dreams are really starting to scare me. Maybe I should tell Dumbledore or McGonagall. I don't think Gran would understand, and she'd get upset if I mentioned my parents. Not that it really seems like she's upset, but I know how she is. I hope these dreams stop. I'm starting to get worried. But they probably don't mean anything. It's not like I'm good enough at magic to be a diviner."
He was already forgetting most of the dream that he had just woken up from. It was odd. He could hardly ever remember his dreams anyway, or much of anything else for that matter, but it usually wasn't this bad. He wondered if his dreams actually told of anything, or if it was just his stress over everything. He would be going back to school for his sixth year in a few weeks. He pondered whether or not he should tell Dumbledore.
"If I have the dreams for two more nights, then I will. Otherwise, it's not important enough to bother Dumbledore with. He has a lot of urgent business right now, I'm sure," said Neville quietly to himself. He blew out the candle and placed his wand, quill, and tablet back on the shelf, and then lay back down and tried to rest his troubled thoughts enough to get back to sleep.
This was the fifth night in a row that he had woken up from a horrifying dream. It wasn't the same dream every night, but all of the dreams seemed to be connected. He could never remember them very well, just blurred images swimming before his eyes right after he awoke. There was something about Dumbledore, he was sure of that. And he seemed to think that his parents were somehow in the dream, but how, he had no idea. There was a lot of screaming, and perhaps a great battle. He wrote down all of the things that he could remember in the small bound parchment tablet he had started to keep on the shelf above his bed, but there wasn't much. He lit the candle that he had on the shelf and read what he had written in the past nights and tonight.
"August 14
Dumbledore kept on saying something about Harry and about Snape I think. He seemed really worried, which scared the hell out of me, since he's Dumbledore. McGonagall was there too. Don't remember anything else, except that it scared me to death, and I'm not really sure why. I had a dream kind of like it last night, but I went back to sleep really soon after I had it. I think that Harry and He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named were in it."
The next entry was very messy, and Neville could barely make out what it said, since it had been written moments after he woke up, while the memories were still fresh.
"August 15
Had another nightmare. My parents were in it, and they were acting like normal people, so I was incredibly happy for a moment, but then there was a bunch of yelling and I was petrified. I really can't figure out why I got so scared. Dumbledore was in this one too. It seemed to be related to my other dream.
August 16
In this dream, Ron and Ginny were trying to hide Harry somewhere because of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. I saw my parents being tortured. Scared me out of my wits and I woke up screaming. Good thing Gran's a bit deaf. She'd probably think I was going crazy. She's had a bit too much of that happen to her family. Merlin, I hate He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Gosh, it's too much of a bother to write all of that. He's not worth wasting time over. Voldermort. I hate him. I hate Voldermort."
Neville looked at the place where his quill had nearly gone through the thick parchment because he had been bearing down so hard. He had been angry that night. Of course he hated the man who had tortured his parents, who had made him almost worse than an orphan, but actually seeing them tortured, even in a dream, had outraged him more than he had known was possible. He felt the unfamiliar rage start to come over him, and he quickly started reading the next entry before he was filled with more fury than he thought he could handle.
"August 17
I think that maybe there was a big battle with Dumbledore and my parents somehow. Loads of yelling and screaming and curses. I think that I was screaming the whole time, too, but I don't know if I was actually screaming or just in my dream. These dreams are really starting to scare me. Maybe I should tell Dumbledore or McGonagall. I don't think Gran would understand, and she'd get upset if I mentioned my parents. Not that it really seems like she's upset, but I know how she is. I hope these dreams stop. I'm starting to get worried. But they probably don't mean anything. It's not like I'm good enough at magic to be a diviner."
He was already forgetting most of the dream that he had just woken up from. It was odd. He could hardly ever remember his dreams anyway, or much of anything else for that matter, but it usually wasn't this bad. He wondered if his dreams actually told of anything, or if it was just his stress over everything. He would be going back to school for his sixth year in a few weeks. He pondered whether or not he should tell Dumbledore.
"If I have the dreams for two more nights, then I will. Otherwise, it's not important enough to bother Dumbledore with. He has a lot of urgent business right now, I'm sure," said Neville quietly to himself. He blew out the candle and placed his wand, quill, and tablet back on the shelf, and then lay back down and tried to rest his troubled thoughts enough to get back to sleep.
