Chapter 16 - (The world looks white) The world looks red

Dread had piled in his gut and sent shivers down his body since he had entered the maze.

The fog was sickening, and the traps kept him on edge, anxiety burning his muscles, yelling at him to flee or fight something. A bewitched competitor attacking everyone only served to intensify it all.

Like in all the similar situations he had found himself in over the years, he filled his chest with courage he was supposed to have, and persevered.

All of it fled when he found himself in a place that tormented his recent dreams, and when he read a feared name on a tombstone.

It refused to come back when his head started burning, and a sickly but familiar face appeared.

It felt like it would never return when he saw a man he barely knew die right in front of his eyes.

He begged with everything he had for it to not leave him alone as he was tied to stone, cut open, and forced to watch the man that took everything from him rise from smoke and dirty water, shadows coalescing around his revolting frame like a cloak.

Courage abandoned him in that cold, fearful place. But rage took its place, spreading through him like boiling strength.

As he stood in defiance to a man about to kill him, he hoped it would be enough.

The first shot was taken, he didn't remember who from, and everything became a blur as his body moved on its own.

All he remembered was his parents telling him what to do, a dead man begging him to bring his body back, and an uncomfortable pull followed by a bright flash of light.

For a blissful moment all was quiet, and he begged for it all to be the worst of nightmares.

The still warm body beneath him shattered all his hopes.

He lost himself, crying over the friend he barely knew.

As his tears fell, Harry wondered if he would feel brave ever again.

Bleary eyes opened slowly, the blue sky the first thing they saw.

Nathan lay unmoving, watching the clouds lazily move, head completely unfocused and foggy. Feeling slowly returned, spreading from the tips of his fingers to the rest of his body. His ever present dread returned with it.

He slowly sat up from the cold hard floor, head on a swivel as he tried to recognize his surroundings. A stone tower loomed in front of him, the castle on his back. Now on his feet, he could see the forest, far away in the distance.

Nathan didn't know if his lack of reaction was due to still being confused from his awakening, or if the place where he had slept did not faze him. But no thoughts in his brain were about sleeping outside for a second time in a row.

What the fuck was that? His wide, frantic eyes gazed past the floor, hands on his head as his thoughts raced in circles. Most of the things in the dream had been recognizable, places or people he saw everyday. It did not make him any less terrified. Why Hogwarts? Why Harry? Why now?

Nathan dragged himself through the castle, walking like a corpse, feeling the most exhausted he had ever been, in spite of the previous full nights of 'sleep'. The hallways were full of students, the anxiety of the last exams mixing with the anticipation of the final task. Their voices and shapes were clear to him, no ghosts hanging in their shadows. What a silver lining.

On auto pilot he walked; To the dorm to brush his teeth. To the great hall for some toast and coffee. To his classroom to take his last test of the year. His whole body felt numb, this time from the weariness rooted deep in his bones.

The bell rang signaling the end of the exam, but Nathan only noticed when the teacher swiped his parchment from the table. He got up and walked out without batting an eye.

He sat in his personal classroom, strumming the guitar absentmindedly in familiar patterns, eyes still glued to the floor, looking at something only they could perceive.

Movement from the window drew his attention, the bird that sometimes appeared sitting there, looking at him. A little life returned to Nathan's eyes, as he mustered a brittle smile to the creature, stroking its feathers gently. It chirped at him, and settled down to sleep.

With a sight, Nathan got up, carefully putting his guitar on the table, and stepping out, wandering through the castle, a single blue bell flame keeping him company.

A cacophony of excited voices assaulted his ears, pulling him out of his thoughts. The great hall stood ahead, chants and laughter echoing out of the opened doors. He felt no desire to step inside.

His eyes focused on a group of people, walking out of the enormous doors and down a corridor. The blindingly colored robes of the headmaster were easy to see even from a distance.

Task must be starting. He thought as he checked his watch. Only a few minutes till it began.

His neck cracked loudly as he raised his head with a snap, gaze instantly zeroing on the shortest champion walking nervously. Clarity returned to his fogged up mind at once, gaze finally clearing as he ran as fast as he could.

"HARRY!" The boy in question startled and turned, eyes widening at seeing his friend hurtling towards him.

"Nate?" Harry asked, confused, before Nathan grabbed his shoulders forcefully, eyes wide and feral.

"Promise me you'll be careful in that fucking maze!" He said, shaking the small boy as if to give his words more weight. "Promise me!" He yelled when Harry remained silent.

"I-I promise." Harry said with a shaky voice, slightly afraid of his friend, that looked completely insane for a moment. Nathan deflated after his promise, the group resuming their walk, leaving him behind.

He stood on the empty corridor, alone and frozen, as if dead, cheerful voices drifting from the room behind him.

The sounds came closer, until it was all around him, and then in front, flowing like a river of people. Still he didn't move.

A hand on his shoulder spread goosebumps through his flesh, his head snapping to Hermione looking at him with worry.

"Sorry…" He said, letting his head drop to his hands as he rubbed his eyes. "I just really hate these tasks." A sigh left him as he stretched his slouched back, forcing himself to stand straight and to look at the girl. "The stress of the tests doesn't help either."

Hermione smiled, clearly forced, not an ounce of worry leaving her eyes. "I understand." Her hand on his shoulder traveled down his arm, gently grabbing his hand, and pulling him forward without a word.

His nerves intensified with every step he took, the loudness of the chatter around them not helping to distract him. By the time they reached the stands the hand Hermione wasn't holding shook incessantly.

They sat besides their yearmates, Neville on one side and Hermione on the other. His knees bounced ceaselessly as the headmaster droned on about the task, his words going in and out his ears.

The loud bang of a cannon made him jump in his seat, gaze falling to Harry and the other boy from his dream- Cedric-, rushing into the maze. Two more bangs filled the area after some time, and all the champions had started the task.

The music being played slowly stopped, being overtaken by students talking among themselves, trying not to succumb to boredom, as they waited for the return of the champion.

Was there no way to see the champions in the other tasks too? He idly wondered as Hermione rested one hand on his bouncing knee, an irritated expression on her face. His other leg started bouncing.

He could his disquiet slowly growing, scaling the walls of his stomach till it reached his heart. There it morphed into an ugly feeling of foreboding, so intense he could fill it physically, like a hand squeezing his heart.

And then all hell broke loose.

A snap sounded through the air, two bodies and a glowing cup appearing on the floor in a flash. From the distance he was sitting, it was hard to make up who it was, the colors in their clothing his only clue. But it did not matter. He knew who they were.

The earth shifted imperceptibly beneath his feet, and Nathan felt it deep in his bones.

Students jumped to their feet, screaming and cheering at the top of their lungs as they recognized the two Hogwarts competitors. Officials and professors flooded the field, rushing to congratulate the winner.

He watched through wide eyes as Harry cradled the body on his lap, screaming at the headmaster and the professors around him. He saw a man fall to his knees by the dead boy's side, yelling his grief to the heavens. He heard as the cheers of the crowd became shouts of despair as understanding finally dawned on them.

He watched the group disperse; Harry being dragged away by the creepy professor, the body carried by the man, the rest of the teachers escorting the students back to the castle.

Nathan was catatonic, being dragged by his friends to follow the students back inside. His gaze refused to move from the clearing, where the cup lay forgotten, illuminating glistening dark patches of grass.

The image refused to leave his mind as he was tugged up to his dorm by Neville. Not even Hermione's hug managed to dislodge it.

He laid in his bed, body stiff, unseeing eyes gazing past the ceiling.

Why was there blood? The question wouldn't stop circulating through his brain, the blue light on the dark red liquid painting it black, the horrific image slowly searing itself into his brain. Why was that the only thing different than the dream-

He sat up with a jump, eyes widening to the point of hurting, panic choking him

If that was real…

rrrrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn

Grains of sand filled his eyes, creeping up from the corners. He felt himself fall backwards, vision slowly turning dark, chest and head burning with pain.

nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn-

…Were the others too?

Darkness claimed him.