A/N: Hullo, mates. This still isn't mine. I don't think it ever was. But at
least I had an idea.and idea that sparked..something. I don't know leave me
alone, it's late.
CHAPTER 9: THE REALITIES OF A NIGHTMARE
*~~~*
Almost a week had past, and as the gang made it through yet another day, they could sigh in relief, as tomorrow was Friday, and Sunday was a planned Hogsmeade day. Every day James would ask,
"Evans would you like to go out with me?" and every day: Lily would reply,
"No Potter, I do not have one fiber in my being that wishes to go out with you."
Cailie continued ignoring Peter, although he followed her around begging for forgiveness, and even bought her a dozen roses. She had thrown them promptly into the lake, nose in the air. Life continued on as normal. And so that world turned.
~~~Dream~~~
A small child was running, she was maybe five, six years old at the most. She had curly, dark brown hair and piercingly blue eyes. Her face was tear-streaked and she looked completely terrified. A deep, slurred voice rang out and the little girl heard stumbling footsteps down the hall. She ran into the closet and pushed the lock in, apparently trying to be as quiet as possible, but being a young child, she was not having much success.
"Caitie, c'mere, now," growled a drunken voice; "I want you to see your mother, in all of her damn glory. A wench and a bitch, she deserves every beating she gets. Don't be afraid, I just want you to see what happens to you when you don't live up to your wedding vows and RESPECT and HONOR you lawful wedded husband." The girl froze and tried to back farther into the corner, only knocking over an old, dusty bin.
"You little brat!" the man screamed, pounding on the closet door, "Did you not hear me? Do you know what the word respect even means? Come out here! I said COME OUT HERE NOW AND SHOW YOUR DAMNED FACE!" The closet door was suddenly ripped off the hinges and it came colliding down, missing the girl's head by an inch or two. The girl cowered in the corner, hugging her knees to her chest, but was ripped by the wrist by the man, with dark, wavy brown hair that stuck to his pasty pale face, which was sweating profusely, and mad icy-blue eyes that were constantly bugling out of there sockets. He half dragged his daughter down the hall by the arm, muttering insanely. The girl cried out,
"Daddy! Please don't hurt me!"
*~~~*
Caitie woke with a start and sat straight up in bed, drenched in cold sweat, shivering, and breathing very short, quick breathes. Her head was spinning and she felt like she was drowning in her own mind.
'Air,' She thought, 'I need air.' And with hat, she clambered out of bed, down through the common room, and down the hallway, face turning purple as a result of the lack of air getting to her lungs.
*~~~*
Remus Lupin was walking down the hallway anxiously, back from the Shrieking Shack, as tonight had been a full moon. But dawn had broken and it was time to get in at least a few hours of rest before starting the day. He was still not feeling a hundred percent, he knew it was the best he'd feel for right now, I mean, he had just spent most of his night as a werewolf; not pleasant, not pleasant at all. He was just about to go up the stairs leading to Gryffindor Tower when he noticed a girl racing down the corridor, panting and wailing madly.
"Smiley?" He asked tentatively, not sure he had seen anything but a smile on the young woman's face before. To his utter surprise and dismay, she began screaming and shouting at him at the top of her lungs,
"NO! GO AWAY! Don't you DARE come near me, you bastard! You may have mom under you little spell, but not me anymore, oh no. You can't hurt me anymore! Please! I hate you!" Remus looked at her in complete shock. With one last gasp for air, she collapsed to the ground and began to weep and shake uncontrollably.
"Ok, it's ok, everything going to be alright. Come on now, I'm not going to hurt you, it's ok," said Lupin soothingly. He was still completely lost, and a little bit dazed by all this, but he also knew it wouldn't look to good if someone were to walk by and witness him standing over a hysterical girl, who was in what could barely be considered a nightgown, and was screeching at him to stop hurting her and go away.
He picked her up in his arms like a small baby, and although his muscles flexed, he showed no sign of a strain under the weight he was carrying. Although tears were still running silently down her face, besides the occasional hiccup, she made no sounds or motions. He carried her up the stairs, and with each step he took, her breath seemed to be coming in slower, and much more deep. By the time he had carried her into the Common Room, she was resting her head on the crook of his neck and her eyes had closed.
He placed her on the crimson couch, and then, not knowing what else to do, sank himself into the matching armchair, watching the flames flicker across her now peacefully innocent face. For some reason, he was forcefully reminded of the sun at that moment.
*~~~*
"Where's Smiley?" Asked Jessi the next morning while they while they were all getting ready to go down to breakfast.
"Probably still in her bed, the lazy ass," sighed Ashley, taking it upon herself to go check up on her. She came back a few seconds later, a goofy sort of lopsided grin plastered on her face that reminded the rest of the group horrifically of Sirius. "She's not here."
"Ooh, I wonder who's bed she was in last night," Cailie said laughing, her words barely distinguishable. Ashley rolled her eyes and said,
"What a shmuck!" Cailie and Jessi both began to ask exactly what a shmuck was, but Ashley had already disappeared and moved on to the next important piece of information.
*~~~*
"Ok, fess up Pettigrew, which one of your little man-whore friends lured Smiley into their not-so-pure beds last night?" Asked Cailie accusingly, her French accent putting a horrible air of bitchiness to the tone. Peter just gaped at her, amazed at her beauty and the fact that she was even talking to him. After a few seconds Cailie rolled her eyes, turned on her heels and walked away, quite aggravated by the whole situation. Her friends were supposed to play hard to get, be incredible teases, that was what beauties like them were put on earth for, not to go roll in the sack with there womanizing best friends. She thought about all of this as she haughtily stomped away, flipping her hair around and shooting daggers at anyone who dare look at her to make sure her presence and mood be let known.
*~~~*
Caitie opened her bright blue eyes and discovered she was staring into a pair of chocolate brown ones.
"Morning' Sunshine, have a nice sleep?" He asked cheerfully, going back to sit in the chair. All of the sudden the flood of events from last night all came back to her. She looked at Lupin and her eyes flooded with tears,
"Oh my God! Remmie I'm so sorry!" She squealed putting her heads in her hands. Lupin, who had been expecting something like this, just smiled and said,
"Come here." Caitie sniffled and shuffled over to the armchair and sat sideways on his lap, so that her head was resting on his chest and her legs dangled over the side of the chair. He put his arms around her and rested his chin on her head.
The sat they're like that for quite awhile, maybe even a few hours, not speaking, not moving.
Finally, Caitie took a shaky breath,
"My father was -is- a horrible man. He thought he deserved the utmost amount of respect and attention, but he rarely gave much respect or attention to others, and gave none to my mom and I. He used to beat her for the most moronic things, like if she was talking to another man, even if she was just giving him directions, or if she wore her hair down in public. He didn't hurt me so much, but he threatened, and for a child, that can be worse." She paused to take a breath and Remus squeezed her hand, tears filling in his own eyes.
"He's in rehab now, 'cause he's a raging alcoholic. But it still frightens me sometimes. He instated so much fear into our lives, I guess it's kinda silly, as I'm in a whole different country now," she trailed off. Lupin put his hands through his sandy blonde hair to collect his thoughts, wiped some tears from the girl's cheek, and said solemnly,
"Not at all Smiley, it's not silly, not silly at all. You're ok now, I've got you here with me." He grave her a kiss on her forehead and then smiled, "Just don't call me Remmie in front of my friends, okay?" Caitie smiled and laughed weakly.
'The sun, so powerful and so beautiful, yet it can utterly destroy a person.'
CHAPTER 9: THE REALITIES OF A NIGHTMARE
*~~~*
Almost a week had past, and as the gang made it through yet another day, they could sigh in relief, as tomorrow was Friday, and Sunday was a planned Hogsmeade day. Every day James would ask,
"Evans would you like to go out with me?" and every day: Lily would reply,
"No Potter, I do not have one fiber in my being that wishes to go out with you."
Cailie continued ignoring Peter, although he followed her around begging for forgiveness, and even bought her a dozen roses. She had thrown them promptly into the lake, nose in the air. Life continued on as normal. And so that world turned.
~~~Dream~~~
A small child was running, she was maybe five, six years old at the most. She had curly, dark brown hair and piercingly blue eyes. Her face was tear-streaked and she looked completely terrified. A deep, slurred voice rang out and the little girl heard stumbling footsteps down the hall. She ran into the closet and pushed the lock in, apparently trying to be as quiet as possible, but being a young child, she was not having much success.
"Caitie, c'mere, now," growled a drunken voice; "I want you to see your mother, in all of her damn glory. A wench and a bitch, she deserves every beating she gets. Don't be afraid, I just want you to see what happens to you when you don't live up to your wedding vows and RESPECT and HONOR you lawful wedded husband." The girl froze and tried to back farther into the corner, only knocking over an old, dusty bin.
"You little brat!" the man screamed, pounding on the closet door, "Did you not hear me? Do you know what the word respect even means? Come out here! I said COME OUT HERE NOW AND SHOW YOUR DAMNED FACE!" The closet door was suddenly ripped off the hinges and it came colliding down, missing the girl's head by an inch or two. The girl cowered in the corner, hugging her knees to her chest, but was ripped by the wrist by the man, with dark, wavy brown hair that stuck to his pasty pale face, which was sweating profusely, and mad icy-blue eyes that were constantly bugling out of there sockets. He half dragged his daughter down the hall by the arm, muttering insanely. The girl cried out,
"Daddy! Please don't hurt me!"
*~~~*
Caitie woke with a start and sat straight up in bed, drenched in cold sweat, shivering, and breathing very short, quick breathes. Her head was spinning and she felt like she was drowning in her own mind.
'Air,' She thought, 'I need air.' And with hat, she clambered out of bed, down through the common room, and down the hallway, face turning purple as a result of the lack of air getting to her lungs.
*~~~*
Remus Lupin was walking down the hallway anxiously, back from the Shrieking Shack, as tonight had been a full moon. But dawn had broken and it was time to get in at least a few hours of rest before starting the day. He was still not feeling a hundred percent, he knew it was the best he'd feel for right now, I mean, he had just spent most of his night as a werewolf; not pleasant, not pleasant at all. He was just about to go up the stairs leading to Gryffindor Tower when he noticed a girl racing down the corridor, panting and wailing madly.
"Smiley?" He asked tentatively, not sure he had seen anything but a smile on the young woman's face before. To his utter surprise and dismay, she began screaming and shouting at him at the top of her lungs,
"NO! GO AWAY! Don't you DARE come near me, you bastard! You may have mom under you little spell, but not me anymore, oh no. You can't hurt me anymore! Please! I hate you!" Remus looked at her in complete shock. With one last gasp for air, she collapsed to the ground and began to weep and shake uncontrollably.
"Ok, it's ok, everything going to be alright. Come on now, I'm not going to hurt you, it's ok," said Lupin soothingly. He was still completely lost, and a little bit dazed by all this, but he also knew it wouldn't look to good if someone were to walk by and witness him standing over a hysterical girl, who was in what could barely be considered a nightgown, and was screeching at him to stop hurting her and go away.
He picked her up in his arms like a small baby, and although his muscles flexed, he showed no sign of a strain under the weight he was carrying. Although tears were still running silently down her face, besides the occasional hiccup, she made no sounds or motions. He carried her up the stairs, and with each step he took, her breath seemed to be coming in slower, and much more deep. By the time he had carried her into the Common Room, she was resting her head on the crook of his neck and her eyes had closed.
He placed her on the crimson couch, and then, not knowing what else to do, sank himself into the matching armchair, watching the flames flicker across her now peacefully innocent face. For some reason, he was forcefully reminded of the sun at that moment.
*~~~*
"Where's Smiley?" Asked Jessi the next morning while they while they were all getting ready to go down to breakfast.
"Probably still in her bed, the lazy ass," sighed Ashley, taking it upon herself to go check up on her. She came back a few seconds later, a goofy sort of lopsided grin plastered on her face that reminded the rest of the group horrifically of Sirius. "She's not here."
"Ooh, I wonder who's bed she was in last night," Cailie said laughing, her words barely distinguishable. Ashley rolled her eyes and said,
"What a shmuck!" Cailie and Jessi both began to ask exactly what a shmuck was, but Ashley had already disappeared and moved on to the next important piece of information.
*~~~*
"Ok, fess up Pettigrew, which one of your little man-whore friends lured Smiley into their not-so-pure beds last night?" Asked Cailie accusingly, her French accent putting a horrible air of bitchiness to the tone. Peter just gaped at her, amazed at her beauty and the fact that she was even talking to him. After a few seconds Cailie rolled her eyes, turned on her heels and walked away, quite aggravated by the whole situation. Her friends were supposed to play hard to get, be incredible teases, that was what beauties like them were put on earth for, not to go roll in the sack with there womanizing best friends. She thought about all of this as she haughtily stomped away, flipping her hair around and shooting daggers at anyone who dare look at her to make sure her presence and mood be let known.
*~~~*
Caitie opened her bright blue eyes and discovered she was staring into a pair of chocolate brown ones.
"Morning' Sunshine, have a nice sleep?" He asked cheerfully, going back to sit in the chair. All of the sudden the flood of events from last night all came back to her. She looked at Lupin and her eyes flooded with tears,
"Oh my God! Remmie I'm so sorry!" She squealed putting her heads in her hands. Lupin, who had been expecting something like this, just smiled and said,
"Come here." Caitie sniffled and shuffled over to the armchair and sat sideways on his lap, so that her head was resting on his chest and her legs dangled over the side of the chair. He put his arms around her and rested his chin on her head.
The sat they're like that for quite awhile, maybe even a few hours, not speaking, not moving.
Finally, Caitie took a shaky breath,
"My father was -is- a horrible man. He thought he deserved the utmost amount of respect and attention, but he rarely gave much respect or attention to others, and gave none to my mom and I. He used to beat her for the most moronic things, like if she was talking to another man, even if she was just giving him directions, or if she wore her hair down in public. He didn't hurt me so much, but he threatened, and for a child, that can be worse." She paused to take a breath and Remus squeezed her hand, tears filling in his own eyes.
"He's in rehab now, 'cause he's a raging alcoholic. But it still frightens me sometimes. He instated so much fear into our lives, I guess it's kinda silly, as I'm in a whole different country now," she trailed off. Lupin put his hands through his sandy blonde hair to collect his thoughts, wiped some tears from the girl's cheek, and said solemnly,
"Not at all Smiley, it's not silly, not silly at all. You're ok now, I've got you here with me." He grave her a kiss on her forehead and then smiled, "Just don't call me Remmie in front of my friends, okay?" Caitie smiled and laughed weakly.
'The sun, so powerful and so beautiful, yet it can utterly destroy a person.'