Albus withered in his bed sheets as waves of torment poured over him. His brow dappled with a cold sweat as his body strained against the bonds of sleep that held him deep down in his nightmare. The dream tore at his brain with wicked claws, forcing him to look forward and watch as the scene unfolded before his eyes.
Two identical girls played in a sunny garden, skipping rope as little cries of delight spilled from their lips. Their ocher braids flipped and danced across their slender backs, matching blue eyes dancing as the girls released the ends of the rope. They grabbed each other's hands and leaped into the middle of the twirling rope that spun magically on its own. The twin girls bubbled with laughter, their feet moving in perfect time together as they skipped about the twirling rope merrily. Then the twin facing Albus froze and released the second girl's hands, her face turning into a mask of terror. The rope drops lifelessly to the ground and the sky darkens. The second little twin screams and cowers, the first twin thrusting herself in front of her twin sister, her icy eyes lethal.
Albus felt a silent scream rip from his throat as four black cloaked figures with twisted, evil silver masks set upon the twin girls. Three grab the first, defiant girl and turn their wands on her. She fell to the ground, withering and twisting in agony as a forbidden curse courses over her tiny body. The second twin was put in a limb locked and swept up by one of the masked intruders. The first girl reached out a tortured hand, reaching for her twin sister. Albus can't hear their screams but he feels tears burn at his eyes as he watched the masked menace drag the second girl out of the garden gate and disapperates. The three remaining masked people pulled back their wands and stepped away from the child. She lay curled up in the fetal position, sobbing. Her left arm remains stretched out far over her head, her hand still reaching for the second girl. The little girl raised her dirty, tear stained face from the ground, her eyes locking on Albus's face. A jolt like lightning rushes through Albus's body as he instantly recognizes the piercing, bitter stare of those broken blue eyes.
The breath rushed from Albus's lungs as he jerk out of bed. His heart thumped in his chest erratically as he fumbled with the twisted remains of his sheets. Albus thrust the mangled sheets aside and leapt out of his bed, tiptoeing to the window. He didn't want to wake his roommates over a foolish nightmare.
Albus paused a foot from the open window, the haze of sleep still entangled in his mind as his eyes tried to process the gigantic bird sitting in the window, watching him. Albus rubbed his eyes furiously and looked again, and still the huge bird was sitting and staring directly back at him. Albus felt his jaw drop as the moonlight played over the scarlet plumage of the mysterious bird, its golden eyes peering at him with quiet intelligence. Albus stared at the bemusing magical creature for a long, long time and it kept his steady gaze. At last, Albus took a tentative step forward and reached out to the bird. It watched his hand warily but allowed him to brush his fingers over its downy feathers.
Albus watched in amazement as a downy scarlet feather fell free below his fingers and started to drift lazily to the floor only to burst into flames half way to the ground. A light misting of ash danced across Albus's bare toes. He felt an unbelievable urge to grin as he looked upon the huge scarlet creature with new adoration.
"A phoenix," Albus whispered. The phoenix seemed to bow its head in a bird like nod of acknowledgement. Albus felt its golden eyes burn into him with new fervor.
"The dream," Albus whispered in a frightened breath, his mind filling with new dread as the phoenix nodded its scarlet crown once again.
"Was the girl…," Albus swallowed hard, "The little girl they used the Cruciatus curse upon… was that Tawny?" The phoenix blinked its big golden eyes in a look Albus could only call sorrow and ducked its mighty head a third time.
"Did you bring me the dream?" Albus implored to the phoenix, his voice raising.
"Al'us mate, who are you talk'in to?" Luke slurred his words sleepily, rubbing his eyes as he sat up. The young Welsh boy peered at the disheveled Albus curiously. Albus looked to the window, wondering why Luke didn't see the phoenix, only to discover the great magical beast was gone.
"No one," Albus murmured sadly, shaking his sweaty head, "It was just a dream."