Chapter Eleven
Nightmares
A piercing scream met her ears. And then there was silence.
Lily's breath caught in her throat and her heart nearly dropped to the floor. The scream still rang in her ears echoing in her mind over and over again. She held her breath listening in the silence for some type of noise. There was nothing but quiet for endless seconds. Then the world seemed to come suddenly back to life.
James was taking the steps two at a time. He ran over to Lily who was still standing frozen in the Dormitory's entrance.
"Was that you?" He asked in a whisper.
She shook her head and pressed a finger to her lips signaling him to be quiet. Someone was moving around in the Dormitory.
"Arabella? Allison? Gloria?" Lily called out.
"I'm here." A voice replied.
Lily crept slowly into the room. Someone was on their feet fumbling around for the light. She heard a match light and saw Allison's silhouette appear on the far wall as she lit one of the lanterns. Lily was relieved to see that she only looked a little shaken up and nothing more.
"What's going on? Did you scream?" Lily asked stepping into the circle of light with James protectively standing by her side.
"No I didn't scream." Allison said shaking her head.
"Then who did?" James asked.
"I don't know." Allison said her voice unsteady.
Her blue eyes were filled with confusion and she was more bewildered then scared. She held up the lantern shakily and began searching the room. Lily and James stood on either side of her peering into the dimly lit dormitory.
"Where are Arabella and Gloria?" Allison asked her voice rising slightly finding both beds empty.
"They weren't in the common room." Lily said quietly.
The three looked at each other.
"Allison was anyone in here when you came in?" Lily asked.
"It was dark. I couldn't see a thing." Allison replied.
"Well then where are they?" James asked.
"If I knew that do you think we'd be standing here?" Allison said getting slightly frustrated.
"Ok. Let's not panic." Lily said taking a deep breath to stop her from panicking.
"This is not good." Allison said biting her lip.
"It's about to get worse." James said.
Footsteps were approaching the Dormitory. They froze listening as they came steadily closer growing louder with every second. Lily could hear her heart drumming in her ears nearly drowning out the sound of the approaching steps. The door creaked open and they whirled around to come face to face with the intruder.
"Arabella!" Lily exclaimed in relief.
"Uh hi Lily." Arabella said not knowing what was going on.
Her hazel eyes darted from Lily who looked like she might die of relief, James who was not supposed to be in the dormitory and then onto Allison who was carrying a lantern and looked extremely pleased to see her.
"Thank Merlin you're alright." Allison said aloud.
"Yeah I'm happy to see you three too." Arabella said still very confused.
"Gloria's with you right?" Lily asked hopefully.
"No." All three faces instantly fell.
"Hey what happened to Arabella we're so glad you're here?" Arabella said jokingly.
"Yeah we're glad to see you too, but it's Gloria we can't find." James said crestfallen.
"They don't like you Arabella, just face it." Said a loud voice from the doorway.
Sirius stepped in grinning.
"Don't sneak up on us like that!" Allison exclaimed catching her heart for the second time.
"Now don't get too excited to see me." Sirius said sarcastically.
"Oh I'm sorry let me rephrase that. Sirius we are so happy to have you grace us with your presence." Allison said pretending to be enthusiastic.
"That's much better." Sirius said grinning causing Allison to roll her eyes.
"Guys stop joking this is serious." Lily said glancing around the room. She thought she had heard something.
"No this is Sirius." Sirius joked.
"That's not funny." Arabella said glaring.
"Please just shut up for a minute." Lily pleaded straining her ears for that sound.
"Well if you would tell us why we weren't on the guest list for the candle party in the Girls Dormitory, maybe we would." Sirius replied.
Allison looked as if she might say something smart but Lily held up a hand silencing them all. Whatever she had heard had stopped, for now.
"We're looking for Gloria." James said calmly.
"Why?" Arabella asked.
"We heard a scream in the dormitory and it wasn't me, Lily or you. And Gloria's gone." Allison explained.
"Gone?" Sirius asked.
"She's not here and she's not with you." Lily said once again trying to block out their voices.
"It might just have been her singing. You know my cousin sounds like a banshee sometimes." Sirius joked though he looked slightly uneasy.
Lily was losing patience fast. She could hear something just barely but if they continued to talk she'd never discover what it was.
"Then how do you explain her disappearance? What do you suppose she just sang and pop the banshees picked her up to join their world famous choir." Allison said glaring at him.
"Well actually yeah…"
"Just give me another minute." Lily begged them her voice rising above everyone else's.
This time everyone shut up without any objection. It was deadly quiet for a moment but each of them felt as if something strange was going on. Standing together, they didn't dare speak as they waited for something to happen.
Lily's pulse quickened as she tried to shut out all of the other noises and concentrate. Yes, there it was again. She could feel it, hear it almost see it in the blackness. There was something in the room that shouldn't be. Fear passed over her and she paled. It was growing louder.
It filled the room like a low rumble that sent tremors through the floor and down her spine. Now she could easily identify it, as her friends noticed it for the first time. It was a low growl and it was growing deeper and louder by the moment. That could only mean one thing; it belonged to a fierce large animal.
Lily grabbed James by the arm nearly cutting his circulation off.
"Do you hear that?" James asked her and the others nervously.
There was no time to answer. The growl had stopped once again and Lily felt the uneasy silence pressing down upon her like a heavy weight. Slowly, they turned, glancing around for the source of the sound.
"Oh my gosh." Allison said suddenly gasping.
The others followed her line of vision, there in the back of the room, was a place that they had forgotten to check. But now they saw the half-open closet as Allison lifted the lantern. A pool of light fell onto the closet revealing the terrifying scene. Lily clamped a hand over her mouth, stifling a scream.
Sticking out of the closet was a motionless hand. It was a hand that belonged to a child, a child that could only be Gloria.
*
"Did you hear that?" Remus Lupin sat up suddenly.
"What?" Peter Pettigrew asked sleepily.
"That noise." Remus exclaimed.
"No. I didn't hear anything." Peter's voice was fading as Remus got up and changed into his clothes. It sounded like it had been coming from the common room or perhaps from one of the other dormitories.
"Come on Peter." He said grabbing his wand off of the table.
Peter didn't answer. The boy had fallen asleep and was now beginning to snore.
"Thanks a lot Peter." Remus muttered.
He walked out of the Boys Dormitory alone, seeking for the source of the sound.
*
James' heart stopped when he caught sight of her pale hand. He was only vaguely aware of his surroundings. Lily was hanging onto his arm for dear life, unintentionally sending pain through his arm as her nails dug into his skin. Arabella had grabbed onto Sirius and Allison causing the girl to nearly drop the lantern. And something was panting close by. James was numb and deaf to it all as his eyes grew wide with fright.
"No." He whispered.
His legs seemed to be rooted to the spot. He willed himself to go and suddenly found himself dashing forward. Lily grabbed him stopping him in mid-step.
"Let go of me!" He said trying to push him off of her.
Lily held on with strength that he didn't know she possessed. He fought her but he was still numb with shock and Lily seemed determined to keep him at bay.
"Stop it." She said in a hoarse whisper.
He was forced to look into her eyes. They were filled with fear.
"Think before you act." She said her voice dying as the fear heightened in her eyes.
Lily turned back to look at the closet. Just as she had suspected, they were not alone. Something was moving around inside. She pulled James slowly back a step and then pulled him back a few more steps until they were in line with Arabella and the others. A growl thundered through the room. The closet was now rattling and shaking and they drew subconsciously closer to each other until they stood in a close huddle of five against the wall.
A shadow crossed into their circle of light looming over Gloria's white hand. They held their breaths waiting for it to strike. Lily shut her eyes and braced herself for the worst.
Endless seconds passed in silence.
Lily cautiously opened her eyes.
BANG!
The closet doors burst open, pieces of splintered wood flying every where. Lily put her hands up just in time as a large piece of wood came hitting her arm. She winced in pain as more of the former doors showered on them and various "ouches" were heard coming from her friends. Allison yelped. The lantern smashed to the floor and their only source of light was gone, leaving them to fend in the darkness.
The wood had stopped bombarding them and relieved Lily picked herself off of the ground groping in the darkness for her friends. James found her hand and they helped each other shakily to their feet. Someone was groaning and she could just barely make out the dark form of someone else standing up.
The creature had stopped, probably stunned by its own power and the sudden darkness.
"Lily, James, Sirius, Allison?" Arabella called out in a panicked whisper.
"We're right here." Lily assured her. She reached across and found Arabella's hand. She was also standing but there was a large gap between them where Sirius and Allison should have been.
"Sirius, Allison are you alright?" James called aware that the thing was getting closer, but it was crucial to find everyone first.
"I'm okay. It's just my ankle but I'll live." Sirius said in a pained voice.
"Allison?" James asked again.
There was no reply.
"Where's Allison?" Arabella asked gripping Lily's hand tighter.
"She's right here." Sirius said quietly.
"Is she okay?" Lily asked urgently.
Arabella and James had gone quiet and Sirius was not replying.
"Sirius?"
Arabella tugged on her sleeve and pointed into the darkness, she was shaking uncontrollably. Lily's heart stopped as a growl only a foot or so away thundered through the room. She whipped around to face the darkness only to find that . . .
Two enormous red eyes were staring back.
*
"Help!" Remus cried.
His friends were in trouble, he just knew it. The Girls Dormitory was locked and Sirius, James, and the girls were no where to be found. He could hear something coming from inside but no matter what he did the door wouldn't budge. He had to get help.
"What's the matter?" Molly asked him coming up the steps to find the distressed first year.
"The door it won't open." Remus exclaimed tugging on the doorknob.
"Whoa, hang on a second that's the Girls Dormitory. You're not supposed to be in there." Molly said pulling him back.
"I need to get in there!" Remus said hitting the door with his fists.
"Calm down!" Molly ordered him.
"They're in there! And I know they're in trouble."
"Who?" Molly asked.
"Sirius, James, Lily, Arabella, Allison, Gloria" Remus named them all off.
"Okay what happened?" Molly asked still confused.
"I heard something, there's something happening in there. I know they're in trouble!" Remus once again threw himself at the door. A few students had wandered over and were now watching with curiosity.
"That won't be necessary." Molly said drawing him away from the door.
"Alohomora." She said pointing the wand at the door.
She grabbed the doorknob but it was locked.
"Alohomora!" She said again.
Still the door wouldn't open.
"I don't know why it's not work" She was cut short as a she heard a muffled scream from inside the dormitory.
Remus kicked the door but it was no use. Molly pressed her ear against the door listening.
"Get Arthur Weasley." She said suddenly.
Remus went down into the common room to search for the Head Boy.
"Frank, get Professor McGonagall immediately." Molly said pointing to a fourth year.
The student nodded and left quickly exiting the portrait before you could say quidditch.
Molly closed her eyes and listened helplessly to what was happening inside the Dormitory. She hoped Professor McGonagall came soon. She didn't know exactly what was happening, but whatever it was, it was bad.
"We're getting help. Hang in there."
*
Lily muffled a scream the creature was looming over them, its wild fierce red eyes preying upon their defenseless bodies. Now she could see as it opened it's mouth and snapped its jaw that there was a nice set of pearly white teeth that included two very sharp fangs. Not exactly a comforting observation.
The horrible creature took another step toward them they could see its large form moving in the pitch black. It was not a kitten that was for sure. Lily felt the floor shudder beneath her under its immense weight. Maybe the floor would fall in; somehow that seemed better then getting eaten by a ferocious animal with two possibly poisonous fangs.
"Run?" Arabella squeaked.
"Hide?" James asked her.
Lily realized that they had left her to make the five second decision. She forced herself to remain calm, she pretended that the monster wasn't even there. Sure they only had about a half a minute more to live but she could not panic, right now.
"A wand. Who has a wand?" Lily asked her fingers suddenly itching to hold one.
"You do!" James said.
She marveled at her stupidity and pulled the wand from the pocket of her robes. Bravely she faced the monster raising it.
"Get away or I'll blast you!" She yelled at it.
The monster's mouth closed and it seemed to be confused. Lily waved the wand threateningly and gold sparks emerged hitting its nose. The monster whined and stepped back. Lily was shocked that it was retreating.
"It worked?" No sooner had she said that, the creature came hurtling back at top speed bellowing loudly with fresh anger.
"I'll take that as a no." Sirius said from the floor.
"What do we do now?" Arabella asked as their backs came in contact with the wall.
"We are not going to die!" Lily exclaimed waving her wand and sending more sparks into the air.
"We aren't?" James asked.
"No." Lily assured him.
The monster roared triumphantly and the three first years suddenly realized they were cornered. They were going to die in this very room on their first day of Hogwarts and it would be all her fault. Lily flung sparks at the monster but it seemed to become even angrier. Defeated, she realized it was a hopeless situation.
"Now we're going to die." James said.
"I'm sorry." Lily whispered sadly.
"I'll be seeing you soon." Arabella whispered as the monster was coming for her first.
She watched as the monster's eyes filled with sick pleasure and it made a dash for Arabella's skin. Arabella sunk to her knees in a last attempt to avoid death.
Lily racked her brain trying to think of every possible spell she knew. It suddenly occurred to her that other then the Levitation Charm and the other two innocent spells she had learned she knew nothing. Her mind went blank and Lily found herself starting to panic, as the fangs loomed closer to helpless Arabella. If only she had learned some more spells, anything would've have done.
She saw everything as if it were in slow motion. She saw the monster finally discovering that Arabella was trapped on the floor. She watched as the monster lowered its head and opened its mouth. Then she watched as its terrible fangs headed for her quivering neck.
Arabella couldn't die; she was not going to let any of her friend's die. Fresh bravery flooded her bloodstream and Lily's green eyes filled once more with defiance.
In a desperate attempt to save her friend Lily raised the wand, her mind entirely blank except for one word that seemed to be rattling about. It came to the tip of her tongue and with renewed courage Lily pointed the wand directly at the monsters head.
"Obliviate!" She shouted.
A bright red light shot from Lily’s wand and hit the monster. The creature cried out and stumbled backwards. It tripped over an object and crashed to the floor with a loud groan of protest. Moaning it seemed to be too stunned to stand.
Lily stepped toward the fallen creature her emerald eyes blazing. Power radiated off of her like an aura as she slowly moved past her stunned friends and toward the center of the room.
“You will not have them! Maybe you have Gloria, but you will not have them!” Lily brought down her wand in a sweeping motion.
“OBLIVIATE!” She cried.
Her voice carried throughout the room and a red light burst from the tip of her wand and hit the creature for the second time. It screamed; an eerie noise that caused Arabella, Sirius and James all to cover their ears. Lily did not let go of her wand but let all of her emotions continue to pour through it; like a conductor for electricity it made for the screaming creature. Gritting her teeth she endured the pain that seemed to be coming from all of her emotions running through her. It wasn’t until it stopped screaming that she became satisfied.
Slowly she let go of the hot wood that was burning into her hands that had been gripping it tightly. The wand clattered to the ground. Her hands were a bright red and were searing with pain. The pain went straight to her head and slowly Lily sank to her knees. Her heart was beating faster then she could think and she was suddenly hot and hurting all over. Her body lurched forward as the room began to spin.
Far away she heard commotion as the doors burst open and light flooded the room. She was blinded by the sudden brightness and her weary body seemed to shut down. Her heavy eyelids started to fall but Lily fought to stay conscious.
“Lily!” James slid across the floor and she felt him take her hand. Arabella appeared a moment later hovering in her blurry line of vision. Arabella smiled and took Lily’s other hand.
“You saved my life.” She whispered.
James was nodding beside her.
“We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you.” He said in agreement.
“No.” Lily said weakly shaking her head.
She could barely hear them as suddenly several people swarmed around her pushing Arabella and James to the side. They were talking loudly but Lily was deaf to their cries. She wanted to go to sleep. Her eyes started to close. Someone slapped her on the cheek and others were yelling urging her to face them. Only one voice was heard above the rest.
“No! Lily don’t close your eyes!”
It was too late.
She was already falling into a tunnel of darkness.
Chapter Twelve