The Sunrise of My Heart
Chapter Twenty-three: Apprehensions and Conversations
The next couple of weeks passed in a blur. Through constant writing to Sirius, I was able to deal with the dreams a little better, which helped me to deal with everything else better. I was able to keep my grades up, keep everyone fooled, and stay fairly happy. But still, the images, the memories, the painfully constant nightmares loomed on my mind like dangerous storm clouds. I wasn't sure if their reappearance meant anything, but I hoped not. Last time... No, I definitely hoped not.
Before I knew it, the third task was just around the corner, and with its rapid approach, I began to feel more and more uneasy. Soon, my feeling of unease was battling for dominance in my mind with the horrific dreams, and because of it, the dreams altered. The scenarios were basically the same, but the people dying in them were becoming the four champions. And on occasion, there would be a high, cold laugh after each death, making me wake up in a cold sweat, panting for breath.
Finally, I decided I would take my uneasy feelings to Dumbledore and see what he thought. So one Saturday afternoon, when everyone else was sitting outside and enjoying the sunny weather, I made my way to his office, hoping he would listen and be able to help pacify my troubled mind. At least on this one subject. I got to his door and knocked, already feling a little calmer upon hearing his cheerful 'Come in'.
"Professor Dumbledore?"
"Ah, Miss Carson. To what do I owe this pleasure?"
"Well, I was hoping I could talk to you. It's about the third task. I just have a really bad feeling about it."
Dumbledore motioned for me to sit down in a chair across from him, and I did so, watching as he sat down in his chair on the other side of his desk. He silently folded his hands together and watched me, giving me his full attention.
"I just have a really bad feeling about it. And lately I've been having these dreams." His eyebrows went up here, and I remembered that he knew a bit about my dreams. "Yeah, and in each one the champions are dying, and lately they've been ending with this laugh. It's a very familiar laugh, one that I would recognize anywhere."
"How long have you had these bad feelings?"
"For quite awhile. A month, at least. But I got distracted from them by... by other things. Other dreams."
"Ah. I see. And these newer dreams, the ones about the champions, how long have they been going on?"
"About a week, maybe a little longer. I've tried to put my apprehensive feelings to the side, but I just can't ignore them. I have a really bad feeling about the third task."
"And you're sure the third task means trouble? Might it just be bad dreams that make you feel anxious?"
"It could be, I guess..."
"But it would be foolish to bet on it," he finished for me. "I'll see what I can do." But I saw in his eyes a look that he tried to hide. In his eyes, I saw what he wasn't going to tell me, despite knowing I could easily handle it. There was nothing to be done. The third task, and whatever doom it might bring with it, was going to happen no matter what I felt or thought. Because Dumbledore might believe me and understand that my worries were probably going to come true, but no one else would.
Before I knew it, the third task was just around the corner, and with its rapid approach, I began to feel more and more uneasy. Soon, my feeling of unease was battling for dominance in my mind with the horrific dreams, and because of it, the dreams altered. The scenarios were basically the same, but the people dying in them were becoming the four champions. And on occasion, there would be a high, cold laugh after each death, making me wake up in a cold sweat, panting for breath.
Finally, I decided I would take my uneasy feelings to Dumbledore and see what he thought. So one Saturday afternoon, when everyone else was sitting outside and enjoying the sunny weather, I made my way to his office, hoping he would listen and be able to help pacify my troubled mind. At least on this one subject. I got to his door and knocked, already feling a little calmer upon hearing his cheerful 'Come in'.
"Professor Dumbledore?"
"Ah, Miss Carson. To what do I owe this pleasure?"
"Well, I was hoping I could talk to you. It's about the third task. I just have a really bad feeling about it."
Dumbledore motioned for me to sit down in a chair across from him, and I did so, watching as he sat down in his chair on the other side of his desk. He silently folded his hands together and watched me, giving me his full attention.
"I just have a really bad feeling about it. And lately I've been having these dreams." His eyebrows went up here, and I remembered that he knew a bit about my dreams. "Yeah, and in each one the champions are dying, and lately they've been ending with this laugh. It's a very familiar laugh, one that I would recognize anywhere."
"How long have you had these bad feelings?"
"For quite awhile. A month, at least. But I got distracted from them by... by other things. Other dreams."
"Ah. I see. And these newer dreams, the ones about the champions, how long have they been going on?"
"About a week, maybe a little longer. I've tried to put my apprehensive feelings to the side, but I just can't ignore them. I have a really bad feeling about the third task."
"And you're sure the third task means trouble? Might it just be bad dreams that make you feel anxious?"
"It could be, I guess..."
"But it would be foolish to bet on it," he finished for me. "I'll see what I can do." But I saw in his eyes a look that he tried to hide. In his eyes, I saw what he wasn't going to tell me, despite knowing I could easily handle it. There was nothing to be done. The third task, and whatever doom it might bring with it, was going to happen no matter what I felt or thought. Because Dumbledore might believe me and understand that my worries were probably going to come true, but no one else would.