Open Your Eyes

Dark, everything was so dark. There was only one light anywhere around, and that light was coming from the full moon in the sky above me. I couldn't tell where I was, it was just too dark. I couldn't make out any of the details around me.

My entire body hurt. I could hear screaming, and part of me knew that I was the one who was screaming. I wasn't able to stop it. My entire body was screaming in pain, it felt like all of my bones were breaking all at once, and my skin was on fire.

The scream burned the back of my throat, made it feel like the soft flesh of my throat was bleeding.

And yet, even through the sound of my screaming, faintly off in the distance, I could hear what sounded like the howling of wolves.

"Amery, wake up! Wake up!" I could feel hands on my shoulders. I could feel hands on my arms, pushing my body back and forth harshly. The mattress dipped under the weight of my body. The hands never moved higher than my shoulders, but it suddenly felt like I couldn't breathe. Like my lungs had popped inside of my chest. They burnt from the lack of oxygen they were getting.

My body went shooting up and my eyes opened, I could breathe again. I sucked in all the air that my lungs were willing to hold, and they gladly thanked me for it.

Standing in front of me was Lily, Professor McGonagall, and a few other girls in Gryffindor house. They were all looking at me with wide eyes. "What's going on?" I mumbled, my throat felt dry as I spoke. Awkwardly, I stretched my arms and my body out. My muscles ached, and a few things popped as I adjusted myself on the bed. "Amery, you were screaming in your sleep. Like really loudly. As if someone was hurting you." Lily was the one to speak up before anyone else had a chance to. Something in her eyes told me that whatever happened had scared her.

"Miss Evans, please escort Miss Moon to the infirmary to have those cuts tended to. The rest of you, return to bed." Professor McGonagall spoke in a flat voice. She didn't wait for anyone to say anything or more, before leaving the rooms- her robes flowing behind her.

Cuts? What cuts? Looking down at my arms,I saw three nasty looking scratches running down my arm. Blood was pouring freely from one of them, while the other two seemed to have clotted over. Had I done this to myself?

Slowly, Lily wrapped a shirt around my arm before helping me crawl off of the bed.

Apparently my screaming had woken more than just those who had been standing in my room. I felt exposed walking through the common room in just my night clothes while all the other students were standing there. Including our new found friends Remus, James, and Sirius. When they saw the blood covering my arms, their eyes went wide.

When Sirius opened his mouth to say something, Lily simply shook her head and we pushed our way through the crowd. Once we were out of the common room, our walk was completely silent. Neither of us said a word to one another. To be honest, I really wasn't sure what to say about what had happened.

In the infirmary, Lily had only just gotten me sat down on one of the beds when we were met by Madam Pomfrey, Professor McGonagall, and Headmaster Dumbledore.

"Thank-you miss Evans, you may return to bed now." The Headmaster nodded his head ever so slightly in Lilys direction. "But, Headmaster, I would really like to be sure that Amery is alright." Lily was rather quick to object. "Miss Evans, I suggest you do as you have been told, you still have to attend your classes in the morning." McGonagall was definitely not fond of her students back talk. The expression on her face made that very obvious to me. Not wanting Lily to get in trouble, I reached out and put my hand on hers.

"Lily, just go. You need to get some sleep, I'll talk to you in the morning." I flashed her a reassuring smile and squeezed her hand slightly.

She hesitated briefly before nodding her head and walking away. She only made it to the doors before she turned around to look at me, as if asking me if I were okay. I nodded my head ever so slightly, and the Professors didn't even seem to notice. Instead, Madam Pomfrey went straight to work on patching up my arm-keeping the wounds from getting infected.

"Miss Moon, if you don't mind, I would appreciate if you would explain to myself and the Headmaster what exactly happened this evening." Professor McGonagall spoke her request in a soft voice. Almost as if she were worried that her request was going to upset me. Honestly, I wasn't sure how to even explain what had happened to me. All I really remember was going to bed early, and then they woke me up. "I dont, I don't remember. It was just such a strange dream, I can't remember it." I shook my head.

McGonagall and Dumbledore both turned to look at each other with some kind of look that I wasn't able to read. Yeah, that didn't make me feel any better.

Suddenly, Dumbledore took a step towards me, his hands clasped together. "My dear, it seems that this dream you've had tonight was exactly that. Just a horrible dream. The mind does have its own way of blocking these things out, but none the less Madam Pomfrey will get you something that you will take every night before bed, just to ensure that something like this doesn't happen again." Dumbledore spoke with an almost smile on his face. McGonagall watched the older wizard with a gasping expression as if his response hadn't been a good enough one.

We watched in silence as Dumbledore turned on his heel and walked out of the infirmary. Once Madam Pomfrey had finished wrapping up my arm with some bandages, she walked away as well.

"Miss Moon, you will be excused from your scheduled classes tomorrow if by morning you do not feel well enough to go. I wish you rest, goodnight." She nodded her head ever so slightly in my direction before she herself turned and walked out of the room. Leaving me sitting there completely alone. The only real choice I had was to lay down and go to sleep.