So like I said, more Luna perspective!
Hope you like it!
The crying never stopped at night.
He was always the only one awake, the only one pacing the cold marble hall. He didn't know why he paced. He didn't know why he didn't just remain upstairs, locked away occupying himself with a book, or something equally as useless. The pressure of everything had began grinding on his sanity; he wandered slowly to and fro in front of the door, night after night battling with himself, clenching and releasing his grip on his wand subconsciously, desperately wanting to unlock the door but always holding back out of fear.
It had created a masochistic side within him, bubbling violently in the pit of his stomach, feeling her pain become his with every passing night, with every stifled sob. He was trying to offer comfort that couldn't be received, and wasn't even aware of this.
He just pictured her, isolated from daylight, warmth, comfort, with only strangers for company, stale bread and shallow bowls of murky water. Imagined how she hugged her knees to her chest, her clothes dirty and torn; her face tearstained.
Luna's eyes flew open. She remained perfectly still underneath her bed sheets, feeling her heart hammer against her ribcage, not daring to move a muscle until it calmed to almost it's normal rate, when she finally released some of the tension in her body.
I'm running, running so quickly through the dark, damp maze, the panic in me rises as I meet a rusty gate at every corner I turn
She swallowed painfully, ridding her mouth of the dry sensation caused by her disorientating dream.
The soles of my feet are swollen, bruised and cut, striking the uneven floor audibly as my pace increases, and comes to a dead halt once again
Luna cautiously wiggled her toes before pulling her legs up to her torso. She took in a deep breath, intentionally silent and slow. She closed her eyes again, waited for her pulse to slow a little more.
I run into another gate. The surface of the bars is cracked and discoloured. I lunge myself at it, gripping them with my palms tightly, opening my mouth, yet nothing comes out but a horse whisper. "HELP, SOMEBODY HELP!" I scream inside my head until my throat hurts and I know my vocal chords are sore. I take my hands off the bars and inspect my palms. Tiny cuts appear, growing longer and deeper, the blood slowly protruding, and I just stand there, watching them. Alarm bells jingle inside my head, but I am suddenly calm, curiously watching as the crimson liquid seeps through my fingers and begins to drip onto the stone floor. My vision blurs; the outlines in the dark maze become indistinct. I'm crying. Why am I crying? I hear footsteps above me; pacing. The pacing stops; someone screams.
Luna opened her eyes again and glanced down at the bundle next to her nightstand. The Emerald lining contrasted against the black of the Slytherin robe in the sliver of moonlight that shone through the bottom of the heavy curtains. With a thoughtful sigh, she rolled over in her bed to face the other way and pulled her duvet to her chin.
Curious, I haven't had that dream in months...
"One marvels at the power of the subconscious mind." She finished her trail of thoughts in a quiet murmur, shifting uncomfortably as she wrapped her arms around her bedding. She laid there for a good while, her mind racing with nonsense, until her eyelids finally became too heavy and she drifted back into a calmer sleep, still hugging her pillow.
The nightmare had drained Luna's ordinary bubbly energy, leaving her feeling somewhat deflated and lethargic the next morning. She traipsed through the corridors to the Great Hall a little sluggish, laden with Draco's bag and his now neatly folded robe. As she arrived at the colossal doors, she stood in the frame for a few seconds as she scanned the Slytherin table briefly before she spotted him in his usual seat next to Blaise. She began striding towards the table when she noticed Astoria Greengrass on his other side, who seemed to find it impossible to keep her hands off Draco, constantly preening his unusually messy-looking hair and straightening his tie with a flirtatious smirk.
Luna slowed, reconsidering her actions. She recalled when Cho told her about Astoria threatening Pansy Parkinson with a Pimple Jinx for sitting next to her boyfriend one time in the library. Luna wasn't particularly afraid of the 1 year-younger Astoria; however she was in no mood to be on the receiving end of stares that could kill or unpleasant surprises. She had a feeling this day would prove to be difficult enough.
With that decision made, she briskly walked over to the Ravenclaw table and lowered herself onto the bench between Padma Patil and Su Li, glancing over her shoulder to the other end of the Hall before greeting her friends and helping herself to a portion of scrambled eggs, which she dowsed in Pumpkin syrup. Her friends exchanged repulsed looks, but knew better and eventually shrugged.
"Draco!" At the mention of his name he jumped, startled as he re-adjusted to his surroundings. He must have dozed off.
"Draco, are you coming or what? You know Vector is going to kill us if we're late again." Blaise said, rising from the bench and picking up his bag. As he looked around, Draco noticed the Great Hall was almost empty as everyone began heading to class.
"Err, yeah... I'll catch up with you." He uttered, running a hand through his hair. His friend shrugged, gave him one last pat on the back and walked towards the door. With a deep groan, he pushed himself off the bench and slowly sauntered towards the door. He brought his hand to his face and rubbed his eyes with his thumb and forefinger, urging the shadows under them to disappear, not to mention to try and wake himself up enough to get through the day.
Draco had slept less than 2 hours last night, unable to fall asleep again after his memory had haunted him so that he found himself sitting upright, his T-shirt clinging to his chest and his heart rate increased considerably. And he thought he'd finally gotten over it.
"Draco!" Again, he started as he heard his name being called, but this time by a melodic, female voice. As he turned to face the direction from which the call came he almost bumped into Luna.
This really isn't my week.
She held out his bag in front of her by the long strap with one hand, opening her eyes wide expectantly.
"Your robe is inside. I took the liberty of folding it up and putting it in there, as I thought you might not want to wear creased robes for the whole day, I hope you don't mind." She explained. He took the bag and opened it, grabbing the robe carelessly before putting it on.
"Thanks, I guess." As he looked at the girl opposite him, he noticed that although she looked as smart and presentable as ever in her uniform, she didn't have that energy she usually had: her hair was tied up into a simple ponytail and he spotted faint circles under her large eyes.
There was a moment of uncomfortable silence between the two, before Luna spoke up.
"I didn't tell Madam Hooch about yesterday evening. She thinks I let you go just before she got there, so you don't have to do extra detention. It seemed to me like you already have a lot going on and more detention wouldn't be very helpful." She smiled briefly.
"Thanks," Draco answered, a little surprised. "... Again" Luna shrugged, as if to say it was matter-of-factly.
She was just about to open her mouth again, as Draco spoke up. "Well, I've got class now, so I guess I'll see you this evening again." He said glancing over his shoulder to see that Blaise wasn't even in sight anymore. Luna nodded in answer and raised a hand quickly before walking past him and turning the corner towards the North tower for Divination. Draco sighed and walked in the same direction, taking a left turn instead towards Arithmancy.
Luna waited for the classroom to empty before approaching her professor. Tentatively, she stepped towards the jittery Sybill Trelawney. "...Professor?" Luna spoke softly.
A pair of extremely large, framed eyes met her gaze. "Yes, my dear?" Luna wasn't sure where to begin. Nervously, she shifted on her feet.
"Professor, I was wondering ... What can you tell me about recurring nightmares?" she looked down at her feet before meeting the eyes opposite her once more.
Her professor began to glow, obviously flattered a student was asking her advice outside of class; at least a student that wasn't Parvati Patil or Lavender Brown.
"Well, Miss Lovegood, as you know dream interpretation is one of the most vital components to Divination. Simply put, recurrent dreams or nightmares may be the most important dreams that one has, because your subconscious is desperate for you to understand the meaning of the dream with the purpose of ultimate resolution. For some people the outcome of the dream will change over the course of a few months and once the issue no longer is present, the dream will cease." Professor Trelawney said in her airy voice.
"I see," Luna began, considering what she'd just been told. "So, if the nightmare stopped, that would mean the root of it is disconnected, would that be correct?" she tried.
"I suppose so, yes." The professor replied, waiting for the pupil to go on.
"Then what would it mean if a recurring nightmare was to stop, and suddenly begin again after a long period of dormancy? Is that normal, professor?" Luna focused on keeping the tone of her voice neutral and to not raise it to reveal her concern.
"Well, nightmares often spring from traumatic events. So, logically speaking, if the event is ongoing, or unresolved, then so is the nightmare." She paused as she saw Luna's confused expression. "If there is a presence in your physical or spiritual life representing this terror, your nightmare will continue until you have made peace with it, or rid your life of it." Professor Trelawney let herself sink into her lumpy armchair and edged her crystal ball an inch to the left of the table with intricate precision, before looking back up at Luna with her ever-shocked expression.
Luna stood in silence for a moment, regarding the crystal ball and taking in what she'd just been told. As she straightened up, she thanked Professor Trelawney and gave a curt smile before turning to exit. As she made her way down the winding staircase, she pondered on her conversation with her professor. Most of it seemed highly logical, and was something most other people could have told her. But there was something else. Sybill Trelawney, renowned for her false predictions and dreary classes had spoken to her in a way so clear and profound, it was like she knew why Luna had asked; what the content of her nightmare entailed, and how to defeat it.
Luna wasn't sure at all how to go about setting herself free of those images, as it was not something she wished to relive again. But she knew that there had been a trigger; at least that was a start.
Just as a footnote if it stuck out to anyone or caught someone's curiosity (I highy doubt it but heyyy): most of the dream bits Trelawney tells Luna about are in fact true, I did a little bit of research on bit as to make sure I'm not babbling complete and utter horsecrap ALL the time at least ;)
So yeah, again, comment, subscribe, enjoy! :)x