AN: So, again I debated the ending with myself... it was a slightly tough one to write this time - I didn't have an essay to procrastinate from by writing... this =P So, it may seem shorter than the last one, but I'm sure the next few chapters coming up will make up for alll of that because I have some big plans for the end of this year at Hogwarts and I hope for it all to go out with an extra loud bang!
Please enjoy the chapter.
The Unfolding
Chapter 51
I woke with a start, breathing heavily, my pulse racing. I'd dreamed it again; the old house, the dark wizards... the snake... the thing in the chair. Throwing back the sheets I slipped out of bed careful not to wake anyone, and made my way to the washrooms.
I found myself standing in front of the mirror, splashing cool water on my face and neck. I was reluctant to actually look at my reflection – for I feared that my eyes were not my own tonight... after everything that had happened why this, and why now? Why was I repeatedly dreaming it... and why did it feel so darkly familiar?
Without thinking I looked up; red eyes. I staggered back, my back hitting the cold stone wall. In the blink of an eye they where blue... normal. Was it just a figment of my dreamy state of mind? After all, don't people always say; you draw to you what you fear? Had I simply imagined it, because I feared it happening again... or was there something really there, to me? I slid down the wall, resting my head against my knees as I tried in vain to stop the dream from replaying over, and over in my mind...
"The-the master wants to know, if it is working..?"
Then the twisted little man's eye landed on me, he smirked psychotically and clapped his hands
"At last... he has come back to us..."
I still couldn't move, my limbs held in place, moving upon their own accord... I felt myself smirk ruefully at the man before me. But my movements were not mine...
"Is...it working... worm tail... has he come... home-to-me?" The voice emerged from the chair, sick and wheezing, a coughing fit erupted from it... but I still could not see it.
Sinking deeper into the darkness I felt myself loose the sense that it really was a dream... as the sinking suspicion began to creep its way into my mind that this, all of it, was real.
I was determined to avoid every living soul that morning as I made my way to class – I'd managed it throughout weekend, but then again that was because I was able to lock myself up in the dungeons – how fitting – away from any curious eyes. Now, I would have to manage to keep distance between myself and Liz, which would prove... difficult. I was in a dark mood and my lesson with Moody wouldn't be until this evening... only then, once I was able to harness and release this putrid energy would I be able to face her without her noticing...
Then again, it is next impossible to evade Liz when she really sets her mind to finding you... or when you have the same class – I suppose.
Breakfast... not that I even felt like eating. It had been two days since the ball and all the glitz and glamour was still the main topic with everyone... and all I felt was shame, shame that I even cared. So here I was, sitting with the only person I knew who wouldn't be talking about the joys of the ball; Lisa, after all she and Jason were my best friends, if anyone knew me better than him – it was her. So I was confident she would understand.
I moodily pushed my cereal around, unable to bring myself to actually eat. "So..?" She asked.
I looked up to my old friend, and cast a glance over her shoulder towards the Slytherin table. "So," I sighed "he just... took off. But you know what? I suppose I brought it all on myself..."
"Oh?"
I dropped my spoon reluctantly into my bowl, the milk sloshed, sloping onto the table. "Well, for starters; I'd told him repeatedly I just wanted to go as friends, and before that I kissed 'crazy' Kevin shortly after Jason and I 'took a break' and then I repeatedly acted like a bitch... so... to say it wasn't my own doing would be nothing short of a lie."
Frowning Lisa nodded. "Well okay, so maybe it was your fault."
I shot her a little bit of a reproachful look – weren't friends supposed to oppose you when you claimed something like this?
"What I mean is," she pressed further. "You where having a hard time... and have been for a while now! This summer wasn't easy for you, to say the least. So... I don't know maybe you should get a 'get out of jail free' card or something?"
I shrugged moodily. "I still hurt him, and I guess this is just... karma biting back at all the bait I've so obviously let loose."
"Have you even talked to him about it – maybe he just... was tired and felt like the night was over? I mean it was over. You weren't planning on... 'extending' the night... where you?" She raised her brow suggestively, with a scrutinizing look in her eye.
"Lisa!" I nearly screeched. "I'm fourteen, we're all fourteen! I'm not... I wasn't... for god sakes child!"
Sighing she grabbed her book bag, I made for mine too, once again my eyes drifting off towards my favourite person's usual spot... nowhere to be found. Sighing I admitted one more thing; "No, I haven't talked to him... it's not like I haven't tried though, I have. But he's... gone A-Wall or... something."
"Do you... still have feelings for him?"
Alright, I'll admit going to potions and hiding out in the corner wasn't the best way of avoiding Liz... but I couldn't afford to miss class and it wasn't like we where potion partners anymore... so really what did it matter? I figured she'd just, take the hint – well no... maybe I'd hoped that she would take the hint... obviously I was wrong.
Biting my tongue I tried to avert eye contact but she was sitting in the seat in front of me after all, not to mention she was staring directly at me, eyes all scrunched up and appearing to be in nearly as sour a mood as myself.
Finally, after about five minutes of her nonstop staring I met her eyes, I knew I was glaring back – but like I've said... I was not in a good mood. After the last few nights of the same tormenting dream I needed to talk to someone... and it couldn't be Liz... if it was some side effect of learning the dark arts then she couldn't know...
"Jason!" She finally blurted out angrily. "You are avoiding me again."
"I know that," I growled. "Hence the; me not being around."
"Yet," she persisted, her eyes flashing with an unmistakeable glint of anger. "You're here – where I am. So... have anything you want to say to me?"
I frowned; did she have some weird psychic ability to just automatically know when I was directly not telling her thing important? "That depends," I muttered. "Do you need to know every detail of my life Martin?"
Her lip curled, brows knitted in a point and eyes became slits. Joy... "Martin," she scoffed. "Martin? You're not even calling me – your 'best friend' by my first name... have you officially turned into Draco – or did you guys become 'best-bro-buddies' over the past weekend and form an elite alliance to call everyone you know by their last names?"
"I would never go near that snob... especially after what he did to you." My mind was on fire, she was just egging on the anger and darkness inside and it was so willingly threatening to release itself. Please, Liz let it pass... for once...please...
She looked ashamed; I hadn't meant to shut her down so much... I hated to see her hurt... in anyway – especially when it was by my own doing. "Jason," she said quietly – almost in a whisper. "I – I..."
My anger began to subside... maybe I'd make it through the day after all. How could I have thought she'd be bad for me in this state..? She always was able to bring me back to my senses, in the long run. I stood up; causing her to look alarmed, flashing her a reassuring smile I hopped over my table to sit beside her. "Liz," I tried my best to keep my voice calm and softer sounding... even if it was hard at the moment. "You know you can tell me anything – what is it?"
When I walked into class and saw him sitting there I was A, kind of furious. B, insanely excited to see him. And C, nervous to even bring anything up... what if Lisa was right and he'd just thought it was late... and was that even what I really wanted to talk to him about anyways?
"I..." I sighed, why couldn't I say anything?
"Wow," he said, a bit of a cocky grin forming on his face. I rolled my eyes. "Liz speechless, never thought I'd see the day..."
I toyed with forcing a fake smile; he noticed and dropped his smug expression for a more worried one. "Look, it's not the place... we'll talk later."
I turned away, facing towards to front. When he didn't move away, even after other students and our potions partners filed in I finally excused myself and went to sit beside my assigned partner, leaving a slightly confused Jason behind.
Maybe it was for the best... not telling him, or even asking him anything about what happened the other night...
"You're not putting your all into in to it boy," he accused as he finally sat down.
I was panting; I'd done my best but all I was able to manage was evade his oncoming attacks – unable to produce my own. "I know," I growled, slumping back against a tree as I rubbed my wounded arm.
"Well then," he muttered. "What's holding you back? If you want to excel at wizardry you need to stay focussed."
"I don't know..."
"I know when someone's lying to me boy, spit it out or we might as well stop here – if that's all you've got."
"No," I hissed. "No, I want to succeed... I need to or else... I need to get rid of these thoughts which are turning my mind so... sour, twisting my dreams..."
He looked me over sharply, "What is it then, we haven't got all night. I don't plan on staying out here simply to listen to you blather on about your problems – I just want you to get that mind of yours to focus, or else this will all have been a waste of my time."
"I know," I snapped. "I know! But how can I focus when the darkness inside me rises, and seeps into my dreams... showing me images of things which haven't happened, of people I don't know and places I've never been? How can I focus when... when I look at myself I see someone else in my eyes, staring back at me?"
He didn't say anything, just sat there... maybe I'd started to turn bad – maybe he was going to leave, and refuse to continue teaching me to control the darkness. Maybe...
"These dreams," he said roughly, standing and walking towards me. "What do they remind you of – what do they look like, what do they feel like?"
I backed away a little; the intensity of his maddened stare was a little too much to bare. "I don't know, they feel like... like a distant memory... they feel familiar yet foreign at the same time... fragmented dark... choppy... but... real. Very, very real. I don't think they are a dream Professor, I think that it's actually happening – like someone is... drawing my mind, my consciousness to them while I sleep. Is that even possible?"
"What happens in them?"
I gulped, "Always the same thing," I said, glancing around the dark forest as I lowered my voice. "I'm off to the side – back in the shadows... watching these people talking to someone – or something in a chair. I can't make it out because the back of the seat hides him from my view... there's a snake I think... but she doesn't speak much. They say something like... like they've finally brought me to someone... like I've 'come back' to them..? I don't understand it... what does it mean Professor?"
He sized me up, silent and stunned for a moment. "I don't know," he said, turning away from me and limping back to his seat. "But I do know you need to listen to these dreams Frost... try to speak back next time – learn more about it... draw the dream out... Control it, let them know you are there, watching."
I stood frozen in place as he marched out of the woods; I guess the lesson was over... until next time I would have to try and maintain the darkness – without releasing it... and I wasn't too sure I would be able to handle that.
I sat sprawled across the dark green carpet, the fire crackling away in the distant fireplace. My silver Prince sat in the high backed chair, toying with his still stiff writs. He looked regal, as always. "So," I drawled out, twisting and twirling my hair as I looked up at my Draco. "We're officially out of the game then?"
He smirked. "I know its fun to play darling, but it is time to step aside and let the masters take hold of matters."
I pouted slightly. "But Ray-Ray I wasn't finished yet... we never got our revenge!"
He stroked my hair softly, and pulled me onto his lap. "Like I said, it's no longer our place... for now all we need to do is sit back and watch as he spirals out of control."
"Ignorant fool," I giggled. "Doesn't he know not to play with fire?"
"Obviously his Mother never taught him," an evil glint flashed in his eyes, the corners of his mouth pulling upwards.
I gave him a marvellous grin as I pulled him closer to me, breathing in his sent.
The first flowers where beginning to bloom, the wind which passed over the lake no longer held it's bitter chill, and is seemed that even if the mornings dew still turned to frost, it would melt by midmorning and dampen the blades of grass as they began to show hints of their old emerald shades. Spring was officially in the air – or so I liked to tell myself. Jason and I never really had our 'talk', but I suppose it was for the best... what happened with the Yule Ball was nothing horribly unheard of, after all... it was late and we were just friends.
Though, for friends... it became apparent to me as the days began to pass that Jason kept to himself more than ever. Maybe it was because we were drifting apart, and were no longer romantically involved... but something nagged at me, in the pit of my stomach, which made me question my judgement.
I started to spend my meal times more often than not with Lisa, sometimes Jason would join us... other times he wouldn't even show up in the great hall.
So today, when I walked out and breathed in the rich scent of the melting earth beneath my feet – a smile tugging at the corners of my mouth – I decided that I might confront Jason, and ask what had been troubling him...
I fought the unbearable instinct to dance and twirl like a fool as the breeze swept across the lake, catching my skirt in its current as I made my way to Herbology.
"I have something you might want to see," in that moment, my insane and childish urge to dance around like a fool shrivelled up. "Remember what we agreed to, in the courtyard during the Ball?"
Foul miserable... "Yes," I said, my voice oozing fake sweetness. "Kevin, I remember quite well actually."
"Well then," he said. "Tonight, meet me at the east end of the castle – outside."
I sighed... all I really could do was agree – after all... maybe it would be worth something in figuring out what had been happening with Jason. "But," I said. "You should know: He can't be breaking any rules, they've got him on a pretty tight leash now. So, obviously whatever you want to 'show me' isn't quite what you may think it is."
He shrugged smugly and began to walk away. "What time shall we make it?" He called back over his shoulder.
"Eight O'clock, before they close the door!"
"Alright," he said. "It's a date."
Huffing I pulled my textbook from my bag and threw it after him, hitting him square in the back of the head. "It is not! A. Date!"
Bending down he picked it up and shook his head, a smirk played at his features. "Oh," he said, tutting at me. "I needed this - lost mine, you see. Thanks Liz, you always know the best way of pleasing me... Oh and don't forget; the second task is coming up tomorrow, I'll save you a seat!" And with a wink he was on his way, strutting cockily back into the castle.
Gritting my teeth I swiveled around; if only that book had been a great big wooden stake!
AN: So, I know it's shorter than you all may have liked, particularly with how long the last few were BUT there is reason; I just need time to study and this way you all get a dose of Dreams and Reality and I get my study time. So, until some time after the 15th you won't be seeing much of this up anytime soon.
I hope the chapter was enjoyable, and I hope you look forwards to the next one too.
