14. AWAKE ME FROM THIS NIGHTMARE

A while later, Elara's eyelashes fluttered as she opened her eyes slowly. "Lara?"

She looked to the side and saw her best friend sat there, holding her hand, hair messy as though he had been anxiously running his hand through it, which he had. "Theo."

"I was so fucking worried."

"I'm sorry." She frowned. "I didn't mean to worry you."

He sighed and wrapped her in his arms. "It's alright, I know you didn't. What happened?" He looked at her, and she looked very upset. A tear drop rolled down her cheek and he brushed it away. "Are you alright, love? You don't have to tell me."

"No, no, I want to. I just- I keep- uhm." Elara was stuttering over her words and couldn't form a proper sentence. "Theodore." She whined lightly. "Please never leave me."

"I won't ever do that. I promise on my life. What brought this on Elara?"

She sniffled. "The Killing curse- it- it made- made me relive- it made me relive seeing Uncle James- his- his dead body." She let a few tears drop. "I know it's been 14 years since then, but I keep reliving that night, and I get nightmares, and some of them are memories, and some of them are Voldemort killing people I love. He kills Harry, Dad, Draco, Freddie, Georgie, The Weasleys, Bia, and Theo, he always kills you. He tortures you, and you scream so loud, so fucking loud, and then he kills you. And you always beg me to help you and I can't help you, Theodore I can't.

At this point, the girl was sobbing into her hands. "Hey, Lara. Listen to me, please." She sniffled and lifted her head, eyes red and tears still running down her cheeks. "I won't ever leave you, and I promise that. I won't ever leave you alone, and Voldemort won't ever get your loved ones, because I won't let him. I won't let him hurt you more than he already has. I'll be there to help you Elara. Anytime you have these nightmares, you come and you tell me, promise?"

"Promise." She smiled shakily and he sat on the bed beside her and wrapped one arm around her while the other held her free hand and laced their fingers. Harry and Draco ran into the hospital wing.

"ELARA!" They both yelled, causing Madam Pomfrey to shush them.

"Are you alright?"

"What happened?

"Are you hurt?"

"Are you gonna be okay?"

The two fourteen year old's bombarded her with questions. Theodore glared at the two of them as Elara swung her head from left to right and went to clench her fists but she noticed bandages around her hands, when she shot Theodore a questioning look, he sent her one that said he would explain later.

"Harry, Draco, thank you for coming to see me, but I'm alright. I just haven't been sleeping very well, and I fainted from exhaustion."

"Glad you're alright, El." Draco hugged his cousin.

"Of course, Dragon." She waved as he headed out.

"Please be careful, El."

"Can't promise anything, Harry." She winked, before the young Potter hugged her, and ran after Draco.

"You lied to them." Theodore pointed out, as his best friend sat back down beside him and leaned her head on his shoulder. He dropped his head atop hers silently.

"Yeah, don't think Harry would take it very well if I told him that I'd been having nightmares about seeing his death father, or either of them when I tell them I'd been imagining them dead. Hey, do you mind if we try the sleeping alone thing for just one more night, and if it doesn't work, then I promise from tomorrow, I'll sleep in your dorm. Maybe I should just move in."

"You're very welcome to. What about Bianca?"

"Bianca will probably want me to do that. She wants to get rid of me. Don't get me wrong, she loves me, but I don't think she enjoys sharing a dorm with me, sure you don't mind?"

"Of course not."

"Great."

And so later that night, the pair said good night, Theodore headed off to his dorm alone, and Elara went to hers, arms linked with Bianca. Elara got dressed in some green silky shorts and a matching tank top before she threw herself onto her bed and got under the covers.

She got a little potion out that Madam Pomfrey gave her. It was a potion designed to make someone sleep, but not for too long. It was made to send them to sleep, it was for those who had trouble falling asleep. It didn't last that long, and it didn't prevent dreams, because Elara didn't want to stop her dreams, as she had good ones sometimes, and they made the bad ones worth having.

Elara downed the potion and immediately began feeling drowsy, the potion dropped from her hand and landed on the side of the bed, as her eyelids shut and she fell asleep.

Hours later, past midnight, most people were asleep, other than the odd person sat in the common room poring over their homework, and scribbling down last minute essays. Suddenly a scream broke out in the Slytherin common room, and it came from the girls dormitory. It woke people up and they all rushed down to the 6th year girls dorm where the scream came from.

Theodore heard it and sat up in his bed, confused. He heard the scream but was still half asleep and could not identify it to be Elara. People were still crowding around the dorms. The door was thrown open and people could see Bianca leaning down beside Elara, a panicked look on her face because she couldn't do anything to help. This had never happened before, usually Elara's nightmares didn't involve her screaming, just thrashing around and whimpers.

Elara was laying still in her bed, tears streaming down her face and screams coming from her, just screams, but then they turned into her yelling "THEODORE!"

And that was when Theodore heard it properly. It was Elara. He pushed his dorm door open and raced down the corridor and then turned into the entrance to the girls dormitory, where people whispered and gave him curious looks. He stopped in front of Elara's dorm to see her in her bed calling out for him while asleep.

Bianca saw him and sighed in relief. "I didn't want to wake her, I was scared, but then she started screaming your name."

Theodore walked to her bed. "Bianca, there's so many people around."

Bianca frowned before she turned to them. "Thank you all for the concern, but we have it handled. Back to bed everyone." And with that, they all left to their own dorms. The other girls in the dorm with Bianca and Elara sat on their beds, watching Theodore.

He sat beside her still body, and cupped her face with his hand. It was hot, and wet with tears and sweat. "Lara. Lara. Wake up. It's Theodore. I'm here. ELARA!" She gasped and sat up in her bed, looking around, eyes wide.

Then she noticed him sat there, and she leaned against. "Theodore."

"I'm here Lara." He hugged her and placed his chin atop her head. "Told you I wouldn't let anything hurt you. But that's enough, you aren't getting any sleep, let's go. You're coming with me."

"To your dorm?" She muttered into his chest.

"Yeah." He pulled away. "Stay there while Bianca and I pack your things."

"Ok." She pulled her knees up to her chest, eyes still glimmering with tears, and her hair slightly sticking to her forehead. Bianca helped Theodore in stuffing her things in her trunk with their wands.

"You're taking her to your dorm?"

"Yeah, we talked about it. She sleeps better if there's someone with her, and I do too. So she said she'd sleep in my dorm, then changed her mind and said she'd just move in." Theodore explained quietly, casting a look at the beautiful black haired girl.

"You love her don't you?" Bianca asked. "No point trying to hide it from me. You both do it."

"More than you'll ever know."

"She feels the same way, you know?"

"I'd really hope so, but fate hasn't been that kind to me."

They finished and Theodore shrunk her trunk before stuffing it in her pocket and turning back to Elara and holding his hand out. "Come on."

She grabbed his hand and let him lead her to his dorm. And when they got there, Elara threw herself onto the bed and closed her eyes while Theodore enlarged her trunk and waved his wand so all the clothes arranged themselves in the closet.

Then he laid his head on her stomach and waved his wand, turning the lamps off. He brought the covers up and felt Elara's fingers dig into his hair, running her hands through it. "I love it when you do that." He commented.

"I know." She responded.

"What was it this time?"

"It was you, but at the end. He started with Dad, but didn't kill him, then he dragged you in, and he hurt you. And hearing you screaming in pain, Theo, I never want to hear that ever. It was the most painful sound I've ever heard in my life."

He felt something wet land on his cheek, and realised she was crying, so he sat up and in the dark found her hand and held it tightly. He could see her face, but barely. Her hair was messy, but her grey eyes pierced right into his soul.

"Lara, I need to tell you something."