FINAL CHANCE
By: Shadowedheart89
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters, nor do I claim to.
Chapter 8: Nightmares and Moonlight
Dinner was very uncomfortable. There was a lot of tension between Hermione and I, Harry was acting quite withdrawn from everyone, and even Ron seemed to be in a sour mood. I didn't even try to start a conversation, in hopes of preventing another argument with Hermione, and she barely acknowledged my presence which was fine with me.
Since there wasn't much to keep me occupied, I studied the other occupants of the hall. At the teacher's table, Xavier and Severus seemed to be having some kind of debate, most likely about potions. With two people who were as passionate about the art as they were, it promised to become a bit dangerous. I just hoped that Xavier would win, even though it would mean that Severus would be more unbearable than usual. At the Slytherin table, Draco seemed to be having an amicable conversation with his friends. Every once and a while he would glance over at my table, as if to check up on me. Occasionally he would catch my eye and smirk before returning back to what ever conversation it was that he was having. I decided that it was better not to bother him, so I just sat at my table picking at my food for awhile
Despite not eating lunch, I wasn't very hungry, so I ended up finishing my dinner before everyone else, and heading back to the common room by myself. I grabbed my homework from my bed and sat by the fire in the common room to finish up. I was just putting the final touches on my essay for Defense Against the Dark Arts, when Harry, Ron, and Hermione entered the common room, creating quite a commotion. They seemed to be getting into some kind of argument and were causing quite a commotion.
"You two are over reacting!" Hermione nearly shouted at the two boys.
"How can you say that? You heard what Malfoy said," Ron yelled at her, his face nearly red enough to match his hair.
"You can't possibly expect us to just take it from him, can you?" Harry asked his anger was also evident in the tenseness of his body.
"Well it's better than letting yourselves get into trouble," Hermione shot back at them.
"What's going on?" I asked when they took their seats around me.
"Your boyfriend," Hermione almost spat, "tried to start a fight with Harry and Ron." She was looking at me as if it was entirely my fault.
"Really," I replied, feeling my own anger swell. "It looks like I'll have to have a little talk with Draco."
"Do you honestly think that you can make a difference?" Hermione asked.
I looked at her and smirked, "You'd be amazed at the things I can do." I glanced at Harry and saw how upset he appeared and sighed. "Okay, so I can't make any promises. Draco is incredibly stubborn, but he should lay off a little bit if I ask him to. Despite what you see, he can be a reasonable guy."
Ron shook his head. "I honestly don't know what you see in that guy."
I smirked at him. "Well I hope not. I wouldn't want to have to be worrying about you stealing my boyfriend."
Harry laughed and Ron turned bright red. "That's not what I meant," he mumbled.
"I know," I said laughing. "Maybe one day you guys will see some of what I see in him."
"I wouldn't hold my breath," Harry said.
"I'm not, but I would find it very interesting. You would be surprised at what you found." I stared into the fire for a few minutes, thinking about how different Draco acted from when we were alone to when we were around others. If I didn't truly know him, I wouldn't believe that it was the same person. I couldn't blame the others for hating him. I probably would too if I were in their situation.
I broke my train of thoughts, and announced that I was going to go to bed. I bade them all goodnight, and started up, but then turned back to Harry. "Try clearing your mind again before you go to sleep. It may help with the nightmares. And don't get mad if you can't do it. Remember, it takes practice and patience." He looked a bit embarrassed, but still nodded.
I got ready for bed, and just as I was about to climb into my four-poster, the dormitory door opened and I heard a timid voice, "Marlene?"
I turned around to see a nervous Hermione fidgeting in the doorway. "Yes," I said, a bit confused.
"Can I talk to you for a minute?" I nodded and motioned for her to talk. "I just wanted to apologize for earlier. Harry told me about your situation."
"Really," I said, feeling my stomach tighten in fear of what he might have said. "What exactly did he tell you?"
"He told me how your parents took your education a little bit too seriously, how they never let you have a real childhood, and how at every other school you went to, people acted like I did. I'm sorry Marlene, I was out of line." I bit back a bitter remark and remained silent. "But why didn't you just tell me?"
"I'm tired of trying to explain myself to everyone. No one ever believes me, and I really don't think that I should have to. Do you have to tell your life's story to everyone when you first meet them? Do Harry and Ron know everything about you? All of your secrets, about everything that goes on in your family?"
"You're right," she said looking as if she was a bit ashamed of herself. "I didn't mean to be so rude to you. I didn't know what to make of you, so I just assumed the worst. It was wrong and unfair. It's just that Harry is one of my best friends and I want to protect him."
"I'm not here to hurt anybody, if anything, I can help," I said angrily.
She sighed. "It wouldn't be the first time someone was here to hurt him. He's come so close to being killed so many times. People we trust end up turning on us and trying to hurt us. If something were to happen to him…"
"Nothing is going to happen to him," I tried to reassure her.
She gave a little bitter laugh. "Every year something happens to him, and every year it gets worse. Do you honestly think that you can change that?"
"Everything that has happened to him has made him stronger so that he can face what will happen next. I can't promise that nothing bad will happen to him, but I'm sure that whatever does happen, will be something that he will be able to handle. Of course, he will need his friends though, and I don't want to get in the way of that."
"What if he can't handle it?" she asked earnestly. "What if it's too much?"
"Don't you think that maybe I could help though?"
"Maybe you can," she said a bit hesitantly.
We were both quiet for a minute before I said, "You really care about Harry, don't you?"
"Of course I do. Like I said, he's my best friend, and I would do anything to protect him," she told me, all anger and dislike disappearing from her voice. We were silent for a few seconds before she looked around a bit uncomfortably and said, "Well, I'll let you get to bed now. Good night."
"Good night," I told her as she turned towards the door. "And Hermione," I stopped her before she left, "thank you for this."
She nodded, and went downstairs. I climbed into my bed feeling exhausted. It had been a very interesting day, and all I wanted was a nice peaceful night of sleep.
Unfortunately, that didn't happen. Once again, in the middle of the night, I woke up to a nightmare. This time, I could remember everything that happened:
Draco and I were holding hands, running through a forest with the harvest moon as our only light as we stumbled and tripped over the brush that blocked our path. We were being chased by a crowd, but were so injured from battle that our pursuers were quickly gaining on us, and my powers weren't working. We came to the middle of a clearing and stopped. In front of us stood Voldemort, Lucius, and the rest of the Death Eaters. We turned around looking for an escape, and behind us Uncle Albus, Harry, Hermione, Ron, and members of the Order of the Phoenix were closing in on us. Everywhere we looked people from either side were surrounding us and coming closer and closer. Draco and I held on to each other as if to protect each other and prevent the others from tearing us apart.
"Join me and you will live to rule us all," Voldemort said, his eyes glowing with all of the power that he possessed and promised to bestow upon us. I could see Draco and me standing on top of the world, everyone giving us everything we desired. Everyone was our loyal subjects, and the whole world was our kingdom.
"Join me and restore peace," Uncle Albus said, his eyes pleading with us to set the world free of the horror of Voldemort's reign. I could see Draco and I being happy. All of our friends surrounded us, and they were all getting along. No one was fighting, no one was running in fear, no one was dying.
Draco and I looked at each other, not knowing which way to go. He wanted power, and I wanted peace, but neither of us wanted to let go of each other.
"Choose or perish," Voldemort and Uncle Albus said together raising their wands at us, their voices intertwining to create the most omnipotent and horrific sound I had ever heard.
"We can't," Draco and I said together, and I could feel the tears streaking down my face.
"Then you both shall perish," they called, and sent identical green streams out of their wands at us.
Draco and I clung to each other as we watched the beams of light come towards us…
Just as they hit us, I woke up almost screaming. I was panting and in a cold sweat, trying to regain a sense of my surroundings. I couldn't remember where I was at fore a few seconds. Everything seemed so unfamiliar and sinister and I huddled in my bed fearing the worse. Finally I was able to regain my bearings and headed down to the common room somewhat hoping that Harry would be there.
My hopes were granted as once again, I discovered a lone figure sitting by the fireplace. "More nightmares?" I asked Harry.
He glanced up from a book he was reading, looking a bit embarrassed. "Yeah, I can't even remember what it feels like to have a good night's sleep."
"Me neither," I said sitting next to him and glancing at his book, "So what are you reading."
He blushed a bit but turned the book so I could read the cover. "Madame Zuni's Guide to Interpreting Dreams, that's an interesting book. I myself prefer other's, but to each their own. Trying to find some answers to your nightmares?"
He shrugged. "I suppose." He gazed into the fire for a few seconds before he asked, "Do any of your dreams ever come true?"
"All of the time. I think that's the scariest part of a nightmare. You never know if it will come true, especially if other dreams do."
"Can you tell when they will come true, and when they won't?"
"Not really. I just have to wait and keep and eye out. Sometimes I can prevent it if I pay attention to what's going on and recognize them before its too late," I told him. He seemed to think for a while before I asked, "Are your nightmares coming true?"
He shook his head. "No, at least I don't think so. I hope not." He stared into the fire intently for awhile, and then asked in a voice so low, that I was barely able to hear him, "Do they ever make you think that you are going crazy?"
"Sometimes, but then I talk to someone like Uncle Albus, or Xavier, or even Severus about them and I know I'm not nearly as crazy as they are."
He laughed and asked doubtfully, "Severus?"
I chuckled, "Yeah, he has his insightful moments, but he is quite demented if you ask me."
"I can imagine," he said softly before falling back into a meditative silence.
I took a good look at him, and realized how dark the circles around his eyes were. He looked extremely exhausted. "When was the last time you got a decent night's sleep?" I asked, trying to steel myself for the answer.
He avoided my eyes, and answered hesitantly, "About three months since I've slept well."
I sighed, "Haven't you tried dreamless sleep potions or sleeping draughts?"
He shook his head. "I was staying with Muggles during most of that time. They don't exactly have potions."
"What about Muggle pharmaceuticals? They have over the counter sleep aids that are supposed to be quite helpful."
"They don't like me to take medication. They think its evil," he told me. It's was obviously a lie, but I saw something in his eyes that was begging me to stop asking questions, so I did. He feigned a yawn and said, "Actually, I'm started to get sleepy again. I think I'll head up to bed. Good night."
As he walked past me, I grabbed his hand and used my energy to try and calm his thoughts so that hopefully he would be able to get some sleep. "Sleep well," I told him.
He gave me a speculative look before nodding as if he had just discovered he had been right about something he had been questioning. "You too Marlene, don't stay up to late," he said and then began walking up the stairs looking as if he was in a trance.
I smiled to myself. Harry was going to get some sleep. That was for sure. Whether or not I would be able to sleep wasn't for certain. I started for my bed again, thinking about how well I slept last night in Draco's bed, and wasn't surprised that when I reached my bed, that it wasn't mine at all. On the other hand, was surprised me was finding that it was empty and Draco was no where around.
Feeling a bit aggravated at this delay, I closed my eyes and envisioned Draco. When I opened my eyes, I was standing on a tower. Before me, Draco stood shirtless, wearing only his green silk sleeping pants with his back towards me, leaning on the brick wall. The full moon made his pale skin and hair glow, making him look angelic and perfect in every way. A slight breeze began to blow, lifting his hair from his neck, revealing the smooth skin there. In that moment, he wasn't just handsome, he looked beautiful. He looked like a god looking down from the heavens.
The coolness of the air finally caught up to me and caused me to shiver. Draco must have sensed me because he turned his head slightly as if listening, before turning fully to face me. "Marlene," he said seeming surprised. "What are you doing here? How long have you been here?"
"I just got here. I was looking for you. What are you doing here? It's freezing," I said wrapping my arms around myself.
"I'm just thinking," he told me, looking back towards where he was staring out at moments before.
"You can't think anywhere where it's warm?" I asked, huddling against him for warmth.
"No where warm has a view like this, or the silence," he told me in a quiet, dreamlike voice, waving his hand in front of him to show me what he had been watching. The view was breath-taking. Below us was the lake, reflecting the full moon, and the grounds had a beautiful blue glow, making it almost look like it was covered with ice. Above us, the stars shone with a brilliance I had never seen before, and it looked as if there were more of them.
I looked back at Draco and saw him smiling at my reaction. "It's beautiful," I told him.
"I know. I found this place a couple of years ago. Its best when there is a full moon like tonight, or at sunrise, when it looks like everything is being set on fire. It looks like a whole new world," he almost whispered in my ear.
I summoned a blanket, and wrapped it around us. We sat down and he pulled me into his arms. After we got ourselves comfortable I said, "So I heard that you're already starting trouble."
He laughed. "You really know how to kill a mood, you know that?"
I pushed his leg and giggled. "Are you or aren't you?"
He sighed. "Are you talking about Potter and friends?"
"Well how many other people have you been trying to pick fights with?" I asked, turning so I could see his face.
He rolled his eyes. "They are just too sensitive. They always take my comments too personally."
"Well what did you say to them?" I asked, knowing that I was most likely going to regret this.
"I merely said that I hoped that Granger would be more bearable now that she had some one to snog her once in a while," he said in an innocent voice.
I stared at him for a moment, completely speechless. I couldn't imagine anyone saying that to Hermione. She seemed too prim and proper, and seemed to demand respect. As I studied Draco though, I could tell that he wasn't lying. I couldn't help myself, I started laughing. "Draco! You said that?"
"Yes I did. I just don't think they really found the humor or truth in it."
"You can't say things like that."
"Why not?" he asked, sounding genuinely curious.
"It's not appropriate. No wonder everyone thinks you're such a jerk," I told him laughing and turning back to face the grounds.
He shrugged. "I have other things to worry about besides what Potter and his friends think of me," he said, his voice taking on a solemn note.
"What's on your mind?" I asked entwining my fingers with his.
He kissed the back of my hand. "It's nothing for you to worry about."
"Is everything alright?" I asked. He was really worrying me. Something about how he was speaking gave me the feeling that something was really wrong. My nightmare was only making it worse.
"Everything's fine. I just have a lot on my mind, and I don't want to worry you about it. Just relax and enjoy the view," he told me, kissing the top of my head.
I gave in a let it go. We laid there for a while just watching the view, before I remembered his meeting today. "So how did your meeting go with Severus?"
"It was fine. He just had a few questions to ask. He asked me about you too."
I smirked. "What did he want to know about me?"
"He just wanted to know when we had met, how close we are, things like that." He stopped for a moment and started laughing.
"What's so funny?" I asked, turning to look at him.
"He asked me how I could put up with you," he told me between chuckles.
I rolled my eyes. "Yep, that's Severus alright. Did you tell him the truth?"
"Yes, I told him every grimy detail, from us snogging in the hallways, to how you just can't get enough of me," he told me grinning.
I just shook my head. "You are utterly hopeless," I told him, turning around to face the view again.
"So it seems," he said with the humor still in his voice. I yawned and adjusted myself to a more comfortable position, and he tighted his embrace on me, as if he thought I was going to leave him. I wrapped the blanket closer around us and watched as some of the night creatures scurried across the grounds in search of food.
We ended up falling asleep together on the tower, lying in each others arms, beneath the stars, with the occasional breeze blowing our hair. It was the best sleep I had gotten in years.
