Chapter 3! I hope you all enjoy. Feel free to leave Constructive Critique!
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A/N The friend of mine who drew the Cover Art has helped me go over the story, so a few things have changed edited for spelling or grammer, or for the sake of clarity.
She's going to help me which each chapter from now on, so they'll probably come out a bit slower then usual.


I was surrounded by Darkness.

A thick darkness. It felt heavy against my body; a noticeable, tangible weight.
But apart from this weight, there was nothing else, expect the sound of dripping liquid.
Loud and steady, it echoed inside my skull. I did not know if it was water, or my blood, slowly draining from its source.

I knew I couldn't move. Not because I had tried, but because I just knew that it wouldn't work.
I just knew that no amount of effort or struggle would help.
I knew that there was no point.

So I was there. Alone. In the darkness.
The infinately heavy, oppressive darkness.
The only sounds the steady dripping of an unknown liquid against a floor I could not feel or sense.

Over time, I began to hear the scraping sound of footsteps.
They were very quiet at first, hidden by droplets, but slowly, they became louder, and closer.

Panic rose in my chest as the scraping footsteps progressed.

They continued for a long time, slowly getting louder and closer.
Soon they were so close to me, barely feet away from where I was.

I heard them slow; the scrape became slower, though closer.

Slowly, a step landed inches away from my ear.

Then Silence.

"Lumos."


"Are you okay?"

"Amanda?"

I could barely register their voice.

"You were crying in your sleep…are you okay?"

A girl's voice, the thought floated through my mind. I could barely grasp hold of it.

"Amanda, if you don't answer me, I'm going to get Madam Pomfrey."

She sounds worried, I thought more solidly, maybe I should answer.

I opened my mouth to say something, but only a low, garbled groan just came out.
I felt a hand on my forehead, and then my right eyelid was pulled open.
There stood Hermione, her usual worried expression covering her face.

"Amanda, you're really scaring me."
Her voice was low, and wavered slightly in panic.

"Nightmare…" I managed to groan, and then she let go of my eye. It snapped closed unceremoniously.

"You had a nightmare?...Can you move?"
I tried to move my head but I couldn't get the muscles to co-operate.

"Noooo…" I moaned.

"Hmm," she spoke thoughtfully, you're probably having sleep paralysis."

Another pause; then I heard her sigh.

"You'll have to wait that out, then. You can't do much until you wake up properly."
The bed weighed down at one side.

"I'll wait with you."


"Sleep Paralysis," Hermione began, "is rare but only happens when a person is waking up. Basically, you're awake before your body is awake."

Thankfully I was able to move again and had already dressed for class. I brushed my hair slowly; more interested in her speech then my actions.

"How does that even work?" I asked, "I couldn't move at all! but I could still breathe...and barely talk."

Hermione nodded, looking excited to explain her answer.

"When you're in the REM portion of your sleep schedule, your brain releases chemicals that temporarily paralyse you. You're still able to breathe, but it prevents you get getting up and walking around, or worse. Sometimes, you wake up while those chemicals are still affecting you."She spoke matter of factly, "Unfortunately, people can still 'dream' in this state, and will see things around them. They're not usually the friendliest of apparitions…" she trailed off, and shuddered.

I guessed then that she had fallen victim to her own brain chemistry before. I supposed I was lucky to not see these apparitions, only my friend.
But was all of it sleep paralysis? Did those echoing footsteps belong to Hermione, just enhanced by my Paralysis? Or were they apart of the dream?
My stomach tensed as I remembered the darkness. So oppressive. That had to be apart of a nightmare.

"Thanks Hermione," I said, throwing the hair brush on my unmade bed, "for waking me up and staying with me."

She gave me a small smile and picked up her bag from beside her bed.

"It's alright," she said, "come on, let's go to breakfast, before we miss out."

I smiled back, and did the same.


When we got there, The Great Hall was all but abandoned.
It was nearing First Period, and practically all the students had already left for their classes.

"Running a bit late, Amanda?" Ron chortled, giving me a humorous look. He, Harry and Candice had waited for us at the almost empty Gryffindor table.

"Oh, just having a waking nightmare, Ron, can't leave without saying a proper goodbye, you know." I responded with an exasperated expression as if I had been stuck talking to chatty relatives.

Ron's eyebrows shot up in surprise and Harry nodded sagely, pretending as if he knew exactly what I meant.
I gave a short laugh, and took a seat on the next to Candice, Hermione sat opposite her.
Candice gave Hermione a small smile, and poured her a cup of Pumpkin juice. I suspected that Candice had asked Hermione to check up on me, but I wasn't sure.
I looked at the leftovers from Breakfast that sat on the table, but felt an incredible lack of appetite.
I decided to skip the most important meal of the day.

"Charms first up," Ron reminded us, "No homework due."

"Thankfully." I added, pouring myself some water, "I'm sure some will be set today, Flitwick likes making us work over the weekend."

I scanned the Great Hall as the others continued talking about Charms. It was almost impressive how few students littered the tables. The Hall felt so much larger. The Hufflepuff Table was abandoned, Ravenclaw had a few stragglers. Our table consisted of our group and a few of the older students who knew the exact time down to the second it would take to make it to class, and the Slytherin table was empty, expect for-

"What's Malfoy doing there by himself?" Ron suddenly grumbled, glowering at the lonesome prefect, "shouldn't he be taking points off the first years?"

I studied Draco; he looked gaunt and sullen, as if he had spent the night locked up.
Maybe he had? The thought shot through my brain, maybe he had a nightmare too?

"Silly." I said out loud to myself. Ron looked at me.

"What?" He asked, confused.

"...He's silly to be here," I saved, "Slytherin have Herbology...no way he going to get to the greenhouse in time."

Ron made a face, but turned his attention back to the conversation. I chewed the inside of my cheek in worry and watched Draco for a while longer.

He just stared at the table, resting his chin on his hand. His face forsake only a sliver the anxiety I'm sure he felt..

"If we don't leave now, we'll never make it to Charms," Candice said suddenly, looking at the pocket watch I had given her last year for Christmas,

"We really should go…"

Hermione nodded, and picked up her bag.

"Don't have much a choice when they're ready, ay." Ron muttered, and did the same.


"Alright Students, Today we're learning the Silencing Charm." Professor Flitwick spoke loudly in his musical tone.

He pointed his wand to a small yellow bird that sat in a cage made of bent twigs on his desk.

It was making high pitched tittering noises and bouncing around excitedly.

"silencio" He said sharply, and immediately the bird's chittering ceased. It continued to bounce, and attempt to make sounds, but it's vocalings were no more.

"This charm is difficult," the Professor said, "So I don't expect you'll get it today...Which is why practising it will be your homework if you do not succeed in casting by the end of the class."

I groaned, knowing now exactly how I was going to spend my weekend.

The Professor spent some time showing us the right way to flick our wands, the correct way to pronounce the charm, and how to remove the charm in case we needed to.

"And you will need to, because what happens if you do not perform the Silencing Charm correctly?" The Professor asked with a smile on his face. Hermione's hand shot up, and he pointed to her.

"If preformed incorrectly, the silencing charm will cause the target to swell to an incredible size and make loud, deafening sounds."

"Correct!" The Professor grinned, "5 points to Gryffindor."
Hermione smiled to herself.

We collected our birds from the next room and set them up for practice.

"Alright," I said slowly, "Do we get any earmuffs for when we screw up?"

"Punishment for imperfection." Candice grimaced, and readied her wand.

I blocked my ears with my fingers and she smiled slightly while rolling her eyes at me.

Silencio, I saw her mouth the word. The bird was still for a moment, so I assumed the best and took my fingers out of my ears. Then the bird expanded rapidly in size, and a shrill squawking filled the room, which was then joined by more birds as other students also failed their first try.

"We're going to have so much homework." I grunted, although it was impossible to hear.


"That went well." Harry said as we exited the classroom.

"WHAT?" Ron yelled, temporarily deaf.

Harry shook his head and waved his hand in dismissal. Ron gave a confused look, but continued normally.

"At least we have plans for the weekend." I spoke encouragingly, "Just means we have to push Qudditch practice back even earlier." I scoffed, "will anyone else even be awake? Or will we have to bring in one of the charmed birds as an alarm clock?"

Harry and Ron laughed, and looked at each other as if they were considering it.

I looked behind the group to Candice dawdling behind; already reviewing the two feet of notes she had scribbled down during class. Poor thing, I thought, she tries so hard. I absently remembered how often she studied; barely a moment went by where she wasn't.
I nudged her and spoke quietly;

"Hey Candice, want to come watch us practice tomorrow morning?" breaking her out of her trance.

"Um, maybe," She replied, "I might read ahead on Potions…"

"Come on, Candice, some freezing cold winter air might be good for your soul," I joked, "maybe we'll even get Hermione to come with. You can study with her in the seats."

"well…" she said, though it looked like she had already decided to go; the mention of Hermione obviously sealing the deal. I gave a chuckle and looked up to scope out the other three from the crowd, but the pale blonde hair of Draco Malfoy stopped me short as I saw him step into an empty classroom; the same worried face he had on this morning.

"Hey…" I started, "I think I left something in Charms…" I patted my pockets in a feeble attempt to trick her, "I'll have to go back and check...I'll see you in Transfigurations, okay?"
Candice nodded, and went back to her notes; walking slowly as not to walk into anyone or anything. I frowned slightly in disbelief at her just accepting my lame excuse, but walked back and waited around the corner until she had left before making my way cautiously to the classroom Draco had ducked into.

I knocked twice softly on the door.
No answer.
Obviously, I thought, He's hiding. Duh.

I slowly turned the handle, and opened the old, wooden door.

Draco sat on a desk facing the back of the room; his feet on the chair. He was slouching, leaning his arms against his thighs and resting his bodyweight on them. He gave me a sullen look as I closed the door behind me.

"You skipped class." I spoke matter of factly.

"How do you know?" He frowned, lifting himself up a little, obviously interested in what I had to say.

"You had Herbology," I said, "Class has barely just ended, and yet you're third floor."

"And how do you know that I had Herbology," He quizzed, his expression slightly lighter.

"I used to make it my business to stay out of your business." I said with a smile, and took a few steps towards the middle of the room where he sat.

"I wouldn't want to cross paths with you or anything," I said cheekily.

Draco chuckled and looked up at me.

"That's pretty pathetic, Marlin." He replied, his grin lingering. I cocked an eyebrow.

"I'm pathetic? then what are you doing on the third floor?" I spoke with a sly smile, and he gave me a defeated look.

"Well," he said, "I used to employ a similar practice."

"Shocking." I laughed, and leant against the desk opposite his. We sat in silence for a few moments, staring at the floor.

"Are you okay?" I asked quietly, "I saw you this morning, at breakfast…"

"The food here is terrible," he replied in a joyless tone, "anyone would look like I did if they existed on a diet of it."
I gave his a tight lipped smile. He was trying to evade the question.

"It didn't look like it had to do anything with food. There wasn't any on your plate."

"I was starving to death and wondering if my plate would complement the pumpkin juice." He evaded again.
I grit my teeth in frustration. He's upset, so obviously upset, but if he doesn't want to talk, then I can't force him to.

"Look, Draco…" I started, and he looked up at me. His eyes were dark, tired and bloodshot. I felt a pang of guilt, knowing I that if I had to to push him, it would hurt him. It overcame me and I folded.
"Nothing goes well with ceramic plates, you know that."

He looked down, ignoring my quip. I stared at him. He looked 100 times worse than how he was at the start of the year. I didn't know what was causing this. The workload? His Parents?

I gingerly reached my hand out, and rested it on his arm; he looked at it but didn't shrug me away. I squeezed slightly, attempting to comfort.

"You don't have to tell me anything. Not ever, if you don't want to," I spoke slowly, softly, staring into his eyes in case he looked up at me, "even if I'm in a different house, even if we used to sneer insults at each other and attempt to hex each other's shoes...I'm here for you."

He didn't look up; he just stared at my hand. I let go, and his gaze followed it for a moment before looking away. We sat for a few minutes in silence, and I watched him as he slowly regained his composure. He looked up at me and nodded, before scooting off the desk.

"Marlin." He said my name once.

"Draco." I replied. He walked past me and left the room, closing the door softly behind him.
I sighed in relief. At least he felt better now.


"Where were you?" Harry asked me as we lined up outside the Transfigurations Classroom.

"Hmm?"

"You weren't with us a break," He repeated, "Neither was Candice."

"Oh, I left something behind in class, and I think Candice wondered off to study." I answered, and saw Candice turn into our corridor, still reading the same 2 feet of parchment.

"She probably walked straight here," I joked to Harry as we watched her slowly plod along.

The Transfiguration door opened and the line started to file into the classroom. I walked off and grabbed Candice by the arm and lead her in, so she wouldn't be late. She didn't look up; She was already used to me doing this.

"Good Day, Gryffindor Students," Professor McGonagall greeted us, "How are we today?"

"Pretty good!" A student called out, to the chuckles of a few others. McGonagall seemed in a good mood today, giving the room a stern smile for their response.

"Good," She replied, and pointed her wand towards a tea cup that sat on her desk.

"Today, we are transfiguring Ceramic Cups into Glass Cups," she began, "We have covered something similar before, with turning Ceramic Cups into Wooden Goblets, so I expect everyone to be able to do this by the end of the lesson."

I glanced at Candice, who gave me the same look. We sighed in unison.


"Progress is Progress," Hermione said cheerfully to Ron, brushing fragments of glass off her clothes, "You and Candice are doing really well compared to last time."

"Splinters," Ron shuddered, "so many Splinters."

Harry and I laughed, and I shook my tote bag vigorously, dislodging the evidence of my own failed attempts. We carefully made our way out of the Transfiguration Corridor, which was already being blocked off by Filch for an emergency cleaning.

"Defense against the Dark Arts," Ron announced, "We'll be there after a good 10 minutes travel time."

"Yuk," I pretended to gag, "no thanks."

"Don't like Defense the Dark Arts, Amanda?" Harry said with a small smile, baiting me to react.

"Don't you start," I hissed back. Harry chuckled.

I glanced around to find Candice who was again straggling behind, her head in her notes.
I slowed down and walked next to her, dramatically sticking my nose in her work.

"Progress is progress, Candice," I said, affectionately mimicking Hermione, "You've come a long way from splinters."
Candice frowned slightly at me. I knew what she was thinking, that glass shards weren't good enough but what Hermione said was true.
We walked out to the Grand Staircase and waited behind a group of younger students as they descended the stairs.

"Got your stuff ready for Defence?" Candice said, watching Hermione, Ron and Harry begin to descend the stairs as they conversed together.

"Eh, I'm never ready for that class. It's almost as bad as Sn-augh!" I huffed, the breath forced out of me. I fell forwards, tripping on the steps and falling down the staircase. I felt my shoulder cruncn as it hit a step, and heard a crack in my neck. A high pitched scream rang out, and then…

There was darkness.