I could feel my heart beating so fast, it was going to jump upward out of my throat. The liquid salt falling from my face as I ran, hearing the sound of snarling echo, sounding like the laughter of a hyena. I dared to look behind me seeing the five large black, carnivores creatures. The three creatures looked like black jaguars, without tails with blood red pupils eyes. They looked like a skeleton, with the bat like skin clinging to their frames. What are these? Turning my head back, facing forward, I then saw a flash of a green light. I then came to a stop, hearing not the sounds of laughter, but screams coming from behind me. Turning around, I saw not the skeleton cats, but I saw three people lying on the ground. When I realized who they were, I fell too my knees. As I watched my family; My father, my mother and my sister as they screamed, as they seemed to melt before me. Begging for me to help, how could I stop them from melting, what spell melted people? This had to be a dream. Then I hear an eerie sound of hissing, as a snake, a large one went past me towards my family, going through the puddles of what was left of them.
"It's alright, love they're no longer going to hurt you." A voice behind me whispered, I looked at my bare knees. I then realized, I couldn't feel my legs. Something was wrong. Once it was realized, I felt a strong pain going through my back, causing me to fall forward, in reaction to the pain that came from my lower back, and the scene around me to change, as I let out a faint scream. It felt like I was stabbed in the back, something was wrong, the pain didn't stop. Why am I not waking up from this? Is this a dream? I then saw someone kneeling next to me, rolling me over, it hurt when they did, as I was forced onto my back. Looking up I saw the handsome face, of who I didn't know, but I recognized the face, I also saw another face, that belonged to Ginny, when I looked at her I saw her hands, they were crimson with blood on them. "What did you do? Why'd you get in the way?" The boy demanded, I looked at him taking in his beautiful face. The face I'd seen shared with Voldemort in my reflection, who are you? Then everything began to shake.
"Wake up!" A faint voice ordered.
"who are you?" I whispered at the boy, I needed to know his name.
"Amber! Wake up, stop what you're doing!" The faint voice got stronger, as the image faded, No, no, no!
I then woke up, sitting up breathing heavily, sweat trickling down my face. Sitting up, I felt the pain from my back, I saw sitting next to me was Daphne Greengrass, who was looking at me fearfully, and sitting on my bed. It was a dream? No way it was to real, the pain it followed me here. I wanted to scream, cry and hug her. The pain in my back seemed to start to fade, she saved me from whatever I was dreaming, or whatever was haunting my nightmares. I pulled her into a hug, holding her tight, grateful she had stopped the pain.
"Are you alright?" She asked lightly, hugging me back, "You screamed, and the lights kept going on and off" She informed me.
I looked at her, as I pulled away, what was the dream, that nightmare about? "I'm fine, I had a bad dream" I finally answered her.
She let out a huff of a laugh, "I think it's safe to say it was a nightmare. You're lucky the other three are such heavy sleepers. But I think you should go get yourself checked out, a nightmare causing lights to almost burst isn't normal."
I held back my eye roll. I wasn't going to go explain that a dream caused lights to flicker, I doubt it was even a dream causing it, I gave her a soft smile, "I will" I lied, reassuringly, "I think I'm going to get ready for class" I then got up grabbing my uniform and robe, I disappeared from the room, going to the shared girls room.
As I stepped under the running warm water, I looked down, leaning my hand on the wall. What was that even a dream? It felt so real. Staring at the drain, I saw crimsion water swirling around it. I backed out of the shower, thinking that maybe it was the shower head that was making the color change. But the water coming from it was clear, normal. What the hell? Stepping into the shower again, under the hot water, as it went down my back, I saw the red water again. Backing up, I looked myself over, it had to have been me, it had to have been me. Reaching my hand over the lower part of my back, just above my bum, I felt something there, pulling my hand away, I saw that there was blood on my hand. What the literal bloody hell? I stepped out of the shower, walking to the large mirror, that sat on the wall opposite, I turned around, so my back was facing it, holding my hair out of the way, I saw a cut on my back. Where did that come from? Was this from the nightmare?
The cut, it was still leaking the red liquid from my body. As I stood there looking at it. Utterly confused by it. Perhaps I should go get this looked at. I shook my head, no what would happen if I started talking about a nightmare that literally caused me physical harm? I can fix this myself. I placed my hand over the cut again, it was almost perfectly along my spine, only the ends curved to either side of my spine, making it look like a strange, backward S shape. Tergeo! I then felt the sharp burn and pain as the charm stopped the bleeding. Once the burning was over, I moved my hand, seeing only the scar that had been left be hind and the blood.
Out of the shower, out of the Slyhterin common room, with my bag and wand. I walked in thought, about the nightmare, Ginny had blood on her hands, did she do this? Did the dream version of her do this to me? Why? What of the young Voldemort? Was it even a nightmare, or dream? Or was it something else? Could I have just cut myself on, something? What of the lights?
Walking into the great hall I saw the usual people, the early birds. Also there were Harry and Ron, sitting at there table. I walked over to sit with them to ask a question, only to be stopped as the bat of a professor appeared in front of me. I backed up, looking up at Snape, should I tell him about the nightmare? The cut?
" " He greeted, coldly handing over a paper, I looked it over, as he spoke, "You've been approved to take part in your own independent studies, however, these lessons will be advised by me as well as our terms from last year still stand." I looked up at him as he went on, "If it's noticed that your scores in your other classes drop, you'll be rejected from the studies. Dumbledore has also requested this be kept quiet, as some other, lesser peers of yours may demand to take part, which would ruin the entirety of independence of the time, that is why it's not on your schedule, for attendance purposes, you'll be sitting in on my first year classes on Mondays, Thursdays you'll be required to inform me what you've been studying"
I nodded, in awe, I wasn't even going to ask about getting the time, "Of course, I'd prefer to keep it that way myself" He nodded, turning to walk away, "But sir, why?" I questioned, thinking I already knew the answer.
"I am sure, you know exactly why, ." He stated, looking at me, "Do you really need to question it?" He then went up to the staff table. While I went towards the Slytherin table, forgetting to question Ron and Harry. So, they don't want me to turn out like Voldemort. Why would they assume I'd turn out like the white demon? I didn't even have any ideas as to what else I wanted to learn, being to caught up in my current life to worry about learning more. What all did Voldemort learn anyways? Legilimency and Occlumency, obviously. What else? I then recalled to when he and Quirrell were around. He seemed to not need to speak or use a wand to cast spells. Obviously he had incredible powers when it came to magic, dark-magic and from what Dumbledore shared, he was smart, I was almost up to par with him, or at least when he was a student. He also seemed to be able to escape death, at least from the first time he was thought to be dead. I looked across the great hall at Harry, how did he defeat Voldemort as a baby? I need to talk to him.
Everything went quiet in the great hall, that had filled up with students as loud yell came from the Gryffindor table. Looking where it came from, everyone, including me were staring at Ron, whom had gotten a howler from his mother. It was yelling angerly, about stealing a flying car, how they were spotted my Muggles and how Ron would be getting another letter about him being in trouble when he went home. Once the yelling was over, the paper tore itself a part. The Slytherin table ended up cracking up, laughing. I found it hard not to join in myself. Poor Ron, if only he and Harry had waited a little longer next to the barrier, they would've been fine.
The start of the new day went slowly. Our first class was Transfiguration, where we just talked about what the second year would in tale. Then there was charms, which was spent discussing the next spell we would be learning learn the skurge scorching charm, it was a lame spell in my opinion, it was just used to clean up ectoplasm, created by passing ghosts, also used to scare spirits. I couldn't recall ever seeing ectoplasam, neither could most of the other students.
"I hear you spent the summer at the Weasleys?" Draco sneered, in a whisper.
I rolled my eyes, "Only for three days. It wasn't my option, trust me. Dumbledore, didn't give me a choice." I informed him, "It was a stupid idea"
"Oh? So, how was your time at home?" He questioned, as he took notes of the lesson.
It sucked. "It went as well as expected."
The rest of the class was spent in quiet, our next class was defense against against the dark arts. I'm sure my eyes nearly popped out, when I rolled them, at the thought. As I walked alongside Draco, his two large friends behind us.
"I can't stand this cretin, he thinks he's so great" Draco grumbled as we made it to the classroom.
I couldn't resisted but to chuckle at the hypocrisy, "Don't you think you are?"
"I actually can back up my greatness, unlike him, I'd bet." Draco retorted, I only chuckled in response, I'm sure Lockhart thinks the exact same thing. The flamboyant ninny.
We made it to the classroom as the Gryffindors walked out, speaking of how pixies were released. I couldn't see Hermione or Harry to ask for the details on the incident. Instead, I filed into the classroom with the Slytherins.
"Lets sit in the back" Draco muttered, walking over to a table in the back. Just as I was about to take a seat, a hand gripped my shoulder, shocking me as the person proceeded, to pull me away. I pulled myself away from the hand, backing up, I whiped out my wand, pointing it at the person. Seeing it was Lockhart, whom backed up a bit, when my wand was close to his face.
Giving a nervous laugh, he then spoke, as I lowered my wand, placing it into my pocket, "My dear, Amber, good reflexes, come, you don't want to sit back here" He instructed, "come sit in the front, so you can get real comfortable." He suggested, though it sounded more like an order. What was with this guy? I rolled my eyes, reluctantly I walked to the front of the class, sitting in a random seat in the front row.
With a cough, he then took a stand in front of the classroom, "Fantastic" He said, flashing his white teeth at me, then at the class. What would it take for me to not have to sit in this class?
Lockhart then began class, introducing himself, I zoned out, not care much about the topic. Instead, I went on my thoughts about the timetable of Voldemort. Dumbledore said he was a student here before he became headmaster. It must have been back when he was the professor for transfiguration. It had to be. So at some point between 1938 till he became headmaster around the 1960s. That has to be. Alright. Now all I need to find out is how old Voldemort was as of now, then just use simple math to figure out when he turned eleven, the age when most students started attending Hogwarts.
I was brought out of my thoughts as a paper was set in front of me, what's this? I looked up at Lockhart, "... And I expect you to get a perfect score, my dear" I then looked down, reading the header of the paper;
Defense Against the Dark Arts
Second Year Essential Knowledge Test
Alright so a test, we're meant to be learning about creatures this year. However, as I read over the questions, I noticed, they had nothing to do about the subject. It was all about him.
What's Gideroy's favorite color?
Which is Gilderoy Lockhart's best side for photographs?
I hated this already. I mean seriously? I'd have more respect for this pompous bastard if he'd at least keep to topic with the work.
"Now there are fifty four questions, if you've done your reading, you'll do fine" He flashed another smile, "The person with the highest score will get my autograph. I'll share the scores next class"
Looking at the test I debated on how I would answer it, I doubt it mattered how these were answered. He probably wouldn't look anything over. At the same time I cared about my scores.