A/N:  Ok, this chapter is short, but it needs to be.  This is the very first dream sequence in the story, and yes that means there are going to be more.  And oh my God, there is plot in this chapter.  You'll start to see more and more of that sort of thing.  Can I also say holy shyt.  I just posted the second chapter at 4 pm and then I started the third, and I'm done already.  I can't believe how fast I wrote this chapter, my hand just flew across the pages.  Any who I hope you like it.

Chapter three

Chaos and confusion

        Leaves and twigs, crunched and snapped under the weight of walking feet.  The footsteps made their way hesitantly through the forest.  There was no moon in the night shy making the darkness in this cold place seems even darker.  The steps never faltered but continued on as though they knew where to go.  James's hart was racing a mile a minute while his feet carried him deeper into the woods.  He looked at his surroundings with growing fear, he had absolutely no idea where he was, or even why he was here.  No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get his feet to stop, and take him back they he had come.

          It was so dark here, he could barely make out the trees that loomed tall around him.  This had to be a dream he thought for he couldn't remember how he had gotten to this place of evil.  Evil!  That was the feeling running down his spine, making him dread whatever lay ahead of him.  He could feel hundreds of eyes watching him as he walked through the darkness of the forest, but he knew with out a doubt, that he was the only person here.  He shivered at the realization, that trees truly did have eyes, ears, and they had mouths as well, for they were now moaning in whispery voices.  James strained his ears trying to make out their whispered words.  They were whispering things, that were important, he knew but it was so hard to hear what they were saying.  James could only catch a few words that seemed to be moaned louder then the rest. 

"NO HOPE"

"DARKNESS FALLS"

"POWER"

"HE'S COMING"

"KILL"

"DARK MARK"

"TIDES ARE TURNING"

"HE WILL BE LORD"

"YOU CAN'T HIDE"

"ALL WILL JOIN HIM OR DIE"

James listened with growing fear, as the trees began to repeat their words over and over again.  They were ringing in his head, pulling his sanity apart at the seams they wouldn't stop.  They seemed to get louder, and the things he hadn't been able to hear were forgotten by the trees as they all came together to sing their deafening mantra.   James raised his hands to cover his ears, he tried in vain to block out the whispers that had grown to screams, but they seemed to be speaking to him from inside his head now.  The pain was unbearable, dropping to his knees, on the cold wet ground, a scream ripped from his throat, as the trees roared on.

"NO HOPE"

"DARKNESS FALLS"

"POWER"

"HE'S COMING"

"KILL"

"DARK MARK"

"TIDES ARE TURNING"

"HE WILL BE LORD"

"YOU CAN'T HIDE"

"ALL WILL JOIN HIM OR DIE"

James eyes were shut tightly, as his body shook with the force of the voices penetrating his mind.  He vaguely realized that he was still screaming, as the pain coursed through him.  Then it stopped, there was nothing but an eerie silence filling his head, his mind was his own once more.

          James kept his eyes closed, as he calmed his breathing.  He moved his hands away from his ears slowly, not truly believing that the trees had stopped their torment, bringing them down he lay them on top of his bent knees.  He didn't want to see what had made the roaring trees stop.  He knew he wasn't alone in the forest anymore, he could feel a presence stronger then anything he had ever felt before.  The sound of a twig snapping under a heavy foot made James stiffen in his kneeling position on the wet ground.  Who ever was there, was getting closer, with each rapid beat of his heart.  James let out a little cry when the person, or thing placed a hand on the top of his down cast head.  A sense of calm flooded him with that one touch.  It was as if a gentle wind had swept through him, slowly opening his eyes he looked up at the person standing above him.  He had no idea how he had gotten here, and James also realized in that frozen moment, that he was in a clearing surrounded by the forest he had been in but a moment ago.  He looked at the offered hand of the boy, and let the boy help pull him to his feet.  They stared at each other for what could have passed for hours, blue eyes bore into bright blue eyes, until James could take the deafening silence no more.

"SIRIUS!  WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?"

James yelled, as the fear, and confusion he had felt while in the forest got to him.

          Sirius just stared at him, with sadness, James had never seen in his eyes before.  James couldn't believe that this Sirius standing before him, was the same Sirius who is his best friend.  He had never seen Sirius, looking this serious before.  (A/N: no pun intended.)

"Why aren't you answering me Sirius?"

James asked in a whisper.  He was beginning to get the feeling that whatever Sirius said was going to be important, and he knew that it wasn't going to be good if it made the life in Sirius's eyes dark and non-existent.

"Because you ask the wrong questions James."

Sirius replied in a monotone voice.  He seemed to speak with out speaking at all, his lips never moved and James shivered at the realization of that.

"I don't understand."

"You will in time James."

"Am I dreaming all of this"

"Yes, and No."

"Sirius!  I'm being serious here.  How can I be dreaming and not dreaming.  I'm either dreaming or I'm not.  It can't be both, it's not possible."

James yelled in exasperation.  He also noted the small fact, that Sirius didn't dispute him about being serious, like he usually did.

"You're not really him are you?"

"No I'm not really Sirius, this just makes it easier for you to hear what I must say.  I can't tell you the answers James, that is something you have to find out on your own."

"Then why am I here?  Can you answer that."

"You're here because you must find the light."

Sirius said while never taking his unseeing eyes off of James.

"The light?  What light?"

"Its beautiful James, if you could only find it."

"I don't know what light your talking about Sirius, but you have to listen to me, its important.  Some things coming, the forest was whispering horrible things.  I could only make out the words and phrases the trees yelled, they kept repeating them over and over again.  Can't you feel it?  Some things coming, some thing big."

James stated, taking the time to sweep his eyes over to the darkness lurking in the forest.

"No James, some things not coming, because it's already here.  He's here, his time of waiting has end, the tides are turning, we need to find out in what direction they will go."

          The tides are turning, seemed to ring inside James's head.  Sirius hadn't been in the woods, James was sure of that, so how could he possible know that the trees had whispered those words to him.

"Why do you say that Sirius?"

"Because it's the truth James."

"You have to look for the light James."

"It's so beautiful, and it's waiting for you to find it, James."

Sirius finally moved with that, he was coming towards him, with his hand out stretched, and in the centre of his palm lay a jewel.  James couldn't make out what kind of stone it was.  It was too dark, the gleaming little stone seemed black to the eyes.  James looked back up to Sirius's eyes, as he spoke again, only now his voice was loud and it echoed through the clearing the way fire would sweep through trees.

"IT'S GREEN JAMES.  ITS GREEN."

"JUST LIKE THIS JEWEL, THAKE IT.  IT'LL HELP YOU."

"But Sirius…I don't understand."

"THERE'S NO TIME JAMES.  FIND THE LIGHT, YOU'LL UNDERSTAND IN TIME."

"THE WORLD NEEDS THIS LIGHT JAMES, YOU'RE THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN FIND IT."

Sirius grabbed James hand, and placed the stone in it.  Then he turned away, walking across the clearing towards the waiting forest.  James watched him go until he disappeared into the waiting darkness of the forest.  James dropped his eyes to the stone that now lay in his palm.  He knew that this was just a dream, and he would wake any minute, but he heard Sirius's words all over again. "Yes and No" he had said.  Yes James knew with out a doubt that this was a dream, but he also knew that it was so much more, if he could only figure out what it all meant.  He shook himself from his thoughts and placed the stone in his pocket.  Turning he headed towards the whispering woods, but the closer he got to them the lighter it began to get.  James tried to shield his eyes from the now blinding light, but that wasn't working.  Quickly he closed his eyes tight, trying to keep from crying out with the pain the light was sending through his eyes.  When he finally opened them once more, the light, the clearing and the forest were gone.

*****************************

          James found himself staring at two faces, James gave a shout of fright, and the other two boys did the same.

"REMUS!  SIRIUS!  WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU.  YOU SCARED THE HELL OUT OF ME.  DON'T EVER DO THAT AGAIN."

"OY James, we should be telling you not to bloody well scare us.  We've been trying to wake you for over an hour."

Sirius said in a worried voice.

"Its true James, you were screaming some thing awful, I'm surprised you mum and dad didn't hear you."

Remus explained in a calm voice.  James looked between the two heads hovering over him, and he sighed.  He could already hear the questions turning over in their brains.

"It must have been a really awful nightmare, to have you screaming for half n hour, and then the rest of the time your where talking to Sirius in you sleep.  James are you alright?"

Remus said, then realized what he had just let slip.  James's eyes grew wide at what Remus had just told him.

"Did you hear every thing?"

"Only your side of the conversation Jamesie boy, oh and I never knew that you dream of me, should I be flattered?"

"Si, don't even go there.  Now listen, both of you go back to bed.  I need some time to think, and yes Remus I will tell you both every thing in the morning.  I just can't do it right now, I need to sleep ok."

James said tiredly, his head was beginning to pound with the memory of the dream.

"Alright James if that's what you want, we'll talk about it tomorrow."

Remus said, before making his way back to his own bed.

"James!"

"Sirius?"

"We're going to get our school stuff tomorrow remember?"

"Yes Sirius I remember.  Is there some sort of point your trying to make with that, because I'm really tired."

"Well yea.  How are you going to tell us about the dream when were going to be at Diagon Ally all day?"

"Sirius, I'm sure I'll find a few minutes where I can tell you all about the dream.  Don't worry, you'll know everything by tomorrow night.  Now please get some sleep."

"Sure James, but you really did scare me there.  I didn't know what to think, let alone what to do.  You're my best friend James, and I don't want anything to ever happen to you."

Sirius mumbled trying to keep the emotions that were welling up inside of him at bay.

"Si, I'm fine.  It was just a dream, and nothings going to happen to me.  Well except detentions, but hey you'll be there with me for those."

James said, trying to cover up his own emotions to Sirius's little revelation.  Sirius gave a little smile, even thought he had a horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach.  Everything was about to change for all of them, and he really didn't think it was going to be good.  Sirius nodded to James, then made his way over to his bed.  James just watched him go, and then sighed when Sirius got into bed, and rolled over.  For the rest of the night James lay there unable to fall asleep again.  He listened to the heavy even breathing of his to friends, while he thought about what was to come, and just how he was suppose to find some light.  It was impossible for his eleven-year-old mind to grasp.  He just hoped that it would be a few more years until he had to search for a light in the darkness.  He rolled over, trying to get comfortable when a sharp pain shot through his leg.  Sitting up he removed the offence of object from his pocket that had been the cause of his pain.  Looking down at his hand in shook, he stared at the little jewel that Sirius from his dream had given him; he spoke with out even realizing it.

"It's an emerald."