Who: Sophie Roper When: Saturday, August 19th, Near Midnight Where: Andrew's Home What: A nightmare. Status: Complete Warnings: Mentions of Torture
The sounds were inescapable. Rattling chains, howls, sobbing, people begging for mercy, anguished screams as their last shreds of happiness were ripped from their bodies. The sickening squelch of blades and wands cutting into flesh. The rough, dirty laughter. Wizards taking what they wanted from prisoners. The broken cries, the dripping of the water, the crash of the waves against the stone, the never ending howl of the wind. The sounds never ceased. Rest never came. She would sleep for a few minutes before another scream came, sometimes her own. It wasn't until her body broke and passed out from exhaustion that Sophie would get more than a minute or two of rest. Even then her mind was plagued by the Dementors. The endless torment continued while she was unconscious.
It was back. Floating into her cell, staring at her while she cowered in the corner. The longer she was there, the more often it came. She knew this one by sight. Eventually you could tell them apart. They had their favorites to visit and this one favored her. Yet, it still didn't come closer. Sophie closed her eyes tight and tried to pull up a memory, any happy memory. She wanted to cling to something good, something pure. Her mind raced towards Hogwarts, seeking out a familiar pair of eyes and an annoying smirk of a smile, but before she could pluck him from her mind, Sophie saw the snakes in her bed. She saw the cruel laughter of others. She saw her clothing going missing, her homework ruined. Sophie heard the comments, the hateful words, the constant string of verbal abuse.
It came closer now. Sophie squeezed her eyes tighter, searching for her one friend. He had to still be there, didn't he? They couldn't have taken everything from her. And then, she heard it. The door to her cell opening.
"No, please. Please. No. No. No."
But her protests didn't help. The witch was helpless. Pressing herself up against the dirty cold wall couldn't help her, but Sophie tried. She curled into a ball, but within moments she was flung against the stone, her head cracking on it hard.
"Crucio. Magic stealing bitch."
The pain was inescapable. Sophie screamed, her anguish adding to the chorus of misery around her. Her body twist and curled on it's own accord, trying to escape the pain. But relief wouldn't come. Not for Sophie. Not that day.
"Crucio. CRUCIO."
She screamed again, thrashing and twisting. Sophie kicked her legs and clawed at the wall. It had to stop. She was going to die if it didn't stop. She was going to die and she was never going to go home, never going to see her parents again, never going to see her best friend. Sophie wasn't going to go home, not this time. It came closer now, gilding towards her as she shuddered in pain. It's terrible mouth was practically upon hers now and she knew. It was it, this was the moment she'd known would always come.
Her chest tightened. She could feel it pull from deep within her. Sophie tried so hard to flee, but there was no where to go. She couldn't do anything. Nothing...
Gasping loudly as she sat up, Sophie blinked quickly. It was silent. No one was crying, no howls of evil came. The room was quiet and chilly, only the gentle breathing of the man never to her could be heard. Her eyes strained to peer into the darkness, trying to find any shapes hiding, but as her eyes adjusted, Sophie only saw Andrew's room.
"It was a dream," she told herself. "Just a dream." But why did her chest feel so tight? Why did she have goosebumps all over her body? Why was there a thing sheen of sweat on her forehead at the same time? Sophie curled up to Andrew and pressed herself to him, his warmth and size reminding her that she was safe, she was protected, she was home.