As September slipped into October, Ellen’s dreams started to change. They went from just the threat of Voldemort and the feeling of people near her, to actual images of people, flashing by in the darkness.
Three nights after the dreams changed, Ellen found that she no longer woke up screaming. She now woke up as Voldemort finished his threat, and lay in bed, lingering on the faces of people who had flashed by.
The people confused her. “They don’t make sense. None of them are ones I’ve ever seen or met,” Ellen explained to Molly one afternoon in the library. She had stopped working on her Transfiguration essay to confess to Molly about the dreams. Last night Ellen had seen more people then ever, and it was deeply worrying her. “In fact,” continued Ellen, sucking on the end of her quill, “the people seem random. They vary from elderly wizards to young women. I can’t even tell if the people are witches and wizards, or Muggles!”
Molly shrugged her shoulders, wrapping her cloak around her thin frame. The library wasn’t even chilly, but it was a security gesture. “Maybe it’s stress that’s causing the dreams,” she offered slowly. “Maybe you’re letting the stress and fears of the war penetrate into your sleep.”
Ellen gave her a look.
“O.K, fine. Scratch that. Everyone is stressed about the war,” Molly relented, piling up her books. Ellen started rolling up her unfinished essay, slowly and methodically. “Sorry, Ellen, but I’ve got nothing else,” Molly smiled sadly, brushing her fluffy bangs away from her light brown eyes.
“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it,” responded Ellen, tucking her parchment into her bag. “They’re just dreams, after all,” she said, trying to convince herself of that. But deep down, Ellen was still worried, and a bit disappointed that Molly had no answer to her situation. But someone else might have the answer for her…
“Let’s go to lunch,” suggested Molly, happy to get off the subject of the dreams. Ellen tried to return the smile that Molly flashed her, but her mind was already forming another conversation.
*
“Jonathan, do you ever have nightmares?” Ellen asked. Jonathan looked up from the book he was reading, a curious expression on his face. There was no one else around them; the library was quiet and full of sunlight, no sound but the scratching of Madam Prince’s quill, aisles away. Jonathan and Ellen were seated at a small oak table during lunch.
Jonathan had short, spiky black hair, and crisp hazel eyes. His face was more of an oval then a circle, and he was around five feet and seven inches tall. He was also what people in other houses called, a ‘true Ravenclaw”; one who bolted down their food and drink to rush off and go read books. He was what Ellen called a great friend.
“Nightmares?” echoed Jonathan. “Err, yeah, I’ve had a few. Why?”
Ellen took a strand of her hair and started twisting it around her finger, slowly and absentmindedly. “Well… it’s just that, you know, I’ve been having a couple about…him.”
Jonathans face changed from concerned to disbelief. “Ellen, if you’re having nightmares about a guy you like, I would much rather you leave me out of it,” he stammered, starting to pack up his books. “My advice is don’t date him.”
Ellen gave a small laugh. “Jonathan- it’s not about a guy I like.”
“Oh,” said Jonathan, obviously relived. He unpacked his books, feeling a bit foolish. He smiled. “Who is it about, then?”
Ellen shuddered as the face of Voldemort popped up in her mind. “Voldemort,” she whispered.
All traces of humour vanished from Jonathan’s face. Ellen felt as though by just saying the name, the sunlight in the room had decreased by half; the air was thicker; the noises in the distance, swallowed up.
Jonathan didn’t say anything for a couple of moments, only stared at Ellen, and then at his books.
“I don’t know why I dream about him. I just do,” Ellen continued, hoping that when her story was complete, he would have some answer for her. “And he’s not the only one in the dream. There are random people, and- shapes.” Ellen frowned, unsure how to explain the presence she felt when there was no visible person. Jonathan frowned again, and glanced out the window.
“Let’s go for a walk,” he suggested, knowing the library wasn’t the right place for this discussion.
Fifteen minutes later, Ellen and Jonathan were strolling the edge of the lake, watching the giant squid’s tentacles drift lazily across the water.
Ellen had told him everything about the dreams she could remember, more then she had told Molly. She had tried to explain every feeling, every bit on non-existing ness that went on in the dreams.
“At first, I thought that my subconscious just played up the fear of him,” Ellen said, breaking the silence that surrounded the two of them. “But as the dreams repeated, over and over again, I decided it must be something else… but I don’t know what,” she sighed angrily. Jonathan only shook his head. He stopped walking, and stood gazing at the lake. Ellen stopped, too.
“Why can’t I have normal dreams?” asked Ellen angrily. “I am so sick of seeing his face, hearing his voice, and watching people I don’t even know go by! They’re my dreams! Why can’t I dream about flying dragons, or evil cauldrons, or- or- just something normal?” Ellen ranted. She crossed her arms across her chest, and stared out over the lake. She took a quick glance at Jonathan.
“Any ideas about why I dream this stuff?”
“Ellen, I know these dreams are creeping you out, and I don’t blame you,” Jonathan started slowly. “They’re like no dreams I’ve ever heard of, and the subject itself is awful. But, did you ever think that, I don’t know…”
“What?” asked Ellen quickly, impatient for the next sentence, the words that would put everything back into order.
Jonathan turned to face her; his hazel eyes had a small smile in them. “You’re just afraid to die?”
Ellen’s hopes fell. He didn’t have the answer. This wasn’t it. “Jonathan,” she said slowly, looking him in the eyes, “who isn’t afraid to?”
*
Ellen found it harder and harder to fall asleep each night. Now that her Jonathan plan had fallen thought, it seems to have only spurred on her dreams. Every time she fell asleep, the images would start, flashing faster and faster until all movement stopped, and there he was, Lord Voldemort, his blood red eyes setting her soul on fire.
But that wasn’t all. The dreams started to change, again, one night in early October.
Ellen was casting a spell in her Charms classroom, enjoying herself as she caused objects to float higher and higher through the air. She and the other sixth years laughed as they floated the objects, like clouds above their heads. She turned to tell Molly a joke, but instead, she found red eyes penetrating her mind. All the light was gone, all the objects non-existent, all the joy taken away and destroyed, piece-by-piece. Ellen looked around for her classmates, but no-one was there but Voldemort and herself.
Voldemort smiled in the sudden darkness; his smile was controlled and full of grim pleasure. Ellen was petrified with fear, but ready for the words that always came out of his mouth.
“You thought you could run, or hide? Wrong. Lord Voldemort always finds who he wants,” he said slowly, drawing out his long, dark, wand. “And, I always murder whom I want.”
Ellen opened her mouth to protest, confused as to why the words were different, but the green light shot out of Voldemort’s wand too fast for her strangled words. She waited for the impact, for the death she had dreaded to come, but nothing happened. The light avoided her, and went for something past her. She turned to see a woman who had just appeared behind her become stuck by the green light. The green light illuminated the details of the woman: her round, frightened face, her black hair, just past her ears. Her white hands held up in front of her, as if that would some how help to stop the curse. As the Killing Curse made contact with the woman, she fell slowly to the ground, the scream in her heart and eyes never reaching her lips.
But Ellen’s scream made it out.
And that night, for the first time in a month, Ellen woke up screaming again.
Demons and Dream People by Trivia Camlee
Chapter Notes: So here is the second chapter in Ellen's unfolding drama! All comments and critiques are very welcomed, bad and good. I hope you enjoy it, and thank you for reading :)Once again, a huge thanks to my awesome beta, Zackie, for her superb skills! Thank you, Zackie!! :)