Disclaimer: Nothing of Harry Potter belongs to me.
Warnings: Story contains dark themes and character death later on.
Chapter One
A frightened whimper echoed off the walls in a dark room. A single figure stood in the centre, hands pressed together and body rigid in fear. Wide eyes searched for aid but there was nothing but the darkness that covered everything, so remaining still seemed the only option.
A hiss sounded through the room, sounding close by, sending shivers down her spine. The girl frowned when it stop and saw a slither of light filter into the room from a curtain that was wobbling back and forth, making her breath catch in her throat.
"Sage..."
The mysterious, whispery voice was unfamiliar. It made her freeze where she stood and the frown deepen. Somehow it was different to other voices but she couldn't understand why something was wrong. The voice slipped from her mind as the shaking of the curtain stopped but the slither of moonlight remained. Instantly, the urge to run to it was overwhelming.
But she didn't. Instead, she managed to move slowly with one step in front of the other towards it. The ground felt rough beneath her feet, almost wrong, as though the surface was more expected outside than in. With the third last step she took, her foot connected with something solid and it sounded as though it rolled away.
At reaching the window, she stopped and a thud emerged behind her. It sounded heavy and alive as a great hiss erupted from it.
"Sage... Turn around... Sage..."
The girl began to shake uncontrollably. The voice was still strange but that's not what bothered her anymore. It was the fact that it knew her name.
"Come here, Sage... You belong with me..."
Slowly, she closed her eyes and with shaking hands she reached out for the curtains. With each hand she gripped either side, ignoring the roughness of them that sent goose bumps along her arms.
"Do not open them," shouted the voice in a raspy tone. "Just come to me and I will tell you everything."
But she didn't. Just as she yanked the curtain open, she opened her eyes. A terrible scream ripped from the thing behind her and she turned. The scene had changed into a graveyard with blackened bones that lay atop of the grass and tombstones larger than herself.
On the other side sat the thing haunting her. A tall, pale man in black robes that surrounded him like mist stood a wide distance from her with a long snake at his feet. Both of them hissed at her and the snake lunged forwards, its body sliding along the ground effortlessly. With a frightened yelp, she jumped back at the sight but didn't get far as she hit a statue that stood directly behind.
It depicted a bald man who was crouching over, wearing a long cloak, holding a sickle in one hand. It loomed imposingly over a single grave and her eyes moved toward the name etched in the grimy stone. But before she could get there a screeching shriek rang out through the cemetery, making her turn away as her blood ran cold with the piercing sound.
The pale man lifted his head and the face made her sink against the looming statue, her hands clinging to it as though her life depended on it. The face was inhuman; lipless, noseless and eyes like a snakes. They were red and glowing and felt as though they could see right through her and read every thought and touch every feeling.
"Come with me," he said, straightening to his full height. "I can give you what you seek."
The words went unheard as panic rushed through her body, making sweat seep from each pore and her breathing deepened as the feeling in her chest worsened. Sounds disappeared as blood flooded her ears and her heart pounded loudly against her ribcage as her eyes watched the snake that continued to advance.
"No..." she muttered, her fear getting the better of her and the sound of her words going unheard.
Suddenly, the ground began to shake, rattling the bones on the ground and an angry hiss rose high into the air as the pale man seemed to float upwards. The girls eyes widened as she watched, not knowing what to do. But it didn't matter. The pale man let out a huge roar before soaring back towards the Earth, his path directed her way.
She attempted to move but her legs wouldn't budge. A terrified scream left her mouth in complete silence as though her voice had been stolen. And as he crashed into her and his final words echoed in her head, the nightmare was over.
Sage bolted upright in terror, clutching at her chest with one hand. A check of her dimly lit bedroom confirmed that she was alone and she lay back down, eyes drawn to the ceiling. As she lay there, panting slightly, the words slipped from her mind and an uneasy sleep soon reclaimed her.