Real
December 1995
Seventh Year
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Leili sat up with a startled gasp, promptly collided with Jo's forehead and then fell back against her pillows. "Ow," she groaned.
"Are you ok?" Jo asked
"Fine, just a little sore. It probably won't even bruise. Why're you over here?"
"You were thrashing in your sleep. I was trying to wake you. What was it about?"
"What was what about?"
Jo smacked Leili's arm lightly. "The nightmare," she said, an expectant eyebrow raised.
"Oh. Nothing." Jo smacked her again. "It was just a nightmare!"
"About?"
Leili huffed a sigh and mumbled, "The graveyard."
"And why don't you want to tell me about it?"
"I don't want you to worry."
"Bah. Scoot over," Jo said as she sat down and then lay down beside Leili, her head propped up on her hand. "Lie down and tell me anyway." Leili flopped back down and sighed again. "Quit stalling. You'll feel better if you talk to me; you know I'm right."
"We were back in that stupid graveyard. We were back in that stupid graveyard where I killed somebody. I murdered somebody, Jo! ME! I didn't think I would ever do that that, I didn't think I ever could do that! You were hurt and I all I could think was that I couldn't let it happen and with a spell and a flick of my wand I killed a guy. I. Killed. A guy. It shouldn't be that easy... Gods, why is it that easy?" Leili choked and sniffed hard.
She let out a stuttering breath and said, "In the dream, I couldn't get to the cup and you were bleeding out. You were dying and he was laughing as I… as his... crony blew up. He was laughing and I couldn't do anything. I had to watch as he killed you, Jo. He cast the curse and you were dead. And I had to watch him do it. And then it was me he was killing and we were both dead."
"That's it?" Jo asked softly after a moment, not meaning to belittle the trauma, just to ask if that was, well, it.
Leili let out a wet chuckle, "Well it was more detailed, obviously, but yeah pretty much. Gods, it just felt so real…"
Jo took her hand and gave it a hard squeeze, just enough to be both reassuring and slightly uncomfortable. She lifted their hands and wiggled them in front of Leili, "Real," she said.
Leili grinned, "Real," she repeated, giving Jo's hand a squeeze back. They fell asleep like that, holding each other's hand. Leili didn't have another nightmare that night. Of course their dorm mates were shocked and very confused and just a little embarrassed to find them curled around each other in the morning. It was well known that the girls were very close, but the rumor mill just took that as an opportunity and even Hufflepuffs weren't immune to the rumor mill.
There would be teasing tonight!