Instalment Ten
Eyes, begging him, pleading with him. The never-ending screams, the howls of pain, the whimpers. The endless chorus of please and no. The darkness looming. A thousand hands pulling him down, dragging him down. The hiss of his name. The darkness. Manic laughter, lifeless eyes. The broken murmurs, the mechanical cries.
He awoke with a cry, his eyes wide in terror, fighting against the arms that were holding him steady.
"Regulus! Regulus." She held him fast, only flinching when he struck the newly branded mark on her left arm, until he stopped struggling and went limp, shaking. She ran a hand through his hair and waited for him to stop.
"It was… there was…" He tried to get the words out, but apparently whatever he had dreamt of, had scared him too much.
"Shh." She slowly released him, but held his hand, her reassuring presence comforting him. "It doesn't matter, it's not real."
He looked down at where her fingers were entangled with his, the gleam of her wedding ring assuring him he was awake. "It felt real."
She pressed a kiss to his forehead. "It's not," she promised, gently pushing his fringe away from his eyes. "It was just a dream." He nodded his agreement, but hesitated. "What?" she asked quietly.
"We killed those people," he murmured, still looking down at their joined hands. "What if-"
She smiled slightly, her thumb stroking his hand. "They would have stopped us. It couldn't be helped. They're… collateral damage."
"The girl was eight." The words burst from him before he could prevent it.
"She was a squib," Henrietta said quietly. "What kind of life would she have had?"
He nodded, allowing her words to calm his heartbeat. "I love you," he murmured, finally meeting her eyes.
"I love you too," she replied, gently kissing him. "But I would love you more if you could try not to have nightmares."