Dean Thomas ; Shattered Glass ; Gryffindor ; Death Eaters
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
is a disorder that can develop
following a traumatic event that
threatens your safety or makes you feel helpless.
The vase crashed to the ground, clattering loudly against the hardwood. Shards of violet and flecks of blue caught Dean's eye as he glanced at the sound of the noise. The flowers fell softly onto the ground, making no noise whatsoever as a puddle of water formed around the mess.
Flashbacks played in Dean's head.
The common room was filled with screams. Young children, not at all aware of what was going on, searching for help. They weren't even supposed to be here, but hadn't left when McGonagall told them to.
"Help!" a little girl screamed as a large, beefy man wrapped his hand around her upper arm. Dean surged forward, wand held tight, shouting the first spell that came to mind. The beefy Death Eater dropped the girl, who scrambled away with tears streaking down her face.
The Death Eater, who Dean didn't know the name of, turned to look at him angrily. It was obvious a small curse wouldn't be enough to take this guy down, but Dean wasn't sure what to do. He had never been interested in fighting, anyway, he realized. He didn't want this kind of life.
"You'll regret that, boy." the Death Eater whispered menacingly. Dean's body shook violently and somewhere in the distance, he heard a window shatter as glass sprayed his face.
"Dean!" his wife shouted now, bringing him back to the present. He looked up at her, not sure how he had ended up on the floor. She was crying, holding him in her arms and rocking back and forth sadly. "It's going to be okay..." she whispered, wiping away her tears silently.
He wanted to assure her, but he didn't know anything anymore. Life was twisted and complicated now. The battle had left so many scars, and this was just the first...
This comes from a deep place for me. My brother-in-law is a soldier, serving our country still. He had a hard time on his first tour and came back with severe PTSD. It is a truly terrifying sickness and I hope this brings up some awareness about it. If you have any questions about the illness, it's all over google, and I wouldn't mind answering questions either. Thank you for reading(: