14; SHE'S BACK

Everything was going well this winter holiday. Well, as well as it can be after Mr. Weasley being attacked by a massive snake and Harry seeing every bit of it in a dream. But, things went smoothly after, until one night at dinner, when Sirius silently handed his daughter a copy of the Daily Prophet.

She looked at the front page which had multiple pictures of known Death Eater, and the title 'AZKABAN ESCAPEES' at the top. But the one escapee that caught her eye was none other than Bellatrix fucking Lestrange, her aunt and her father's cousin.

"She's out?" Came the younger girl's weak question.

Her father smiled sadly. "I'm afraid so, love. But, you're safe, and you're strong. You'll be alright."

That wasn't what she was worried about though. Elara knew she was going to be fine, but she didn't know if her family and friends would be that fortunate. Bellatrix's daughter went to school with them, and she could be reporting Elara's every move to her mother. Everyone she loved could be targeted. The Weasleys, Harry, Hermione, The Greengrass siblings, Blaise, Bianca, Draco, her father, and Theodore.

Theodore. Theodore bloody Nott. The absolute love and light of her life. He could be targeted just because she was related to that damned woman. He could die or be brutally tortured because of her. And those were the lovely thoughts that consumed her mind when she laid in her bed later that night, wanting to drift into a black abyss and forget everything.

But, awake thoughts become asleep thoughts, and fortunate as she may have been to be able to fall asleep that night, her sleep was plagued by nightmares. As they usually were if she managed to sleep. But this one was particularly horrific.

//NIGHTMARE//

Elara opened her eyes to see nothing but black. She was in a room that seemed to never end. As she began walking, her foot made a little plop when she set it down, and she looked down, seeing a dark liquid on the ground.

Not wanting to dismiss it or assume things, she knelt down and stuck the tip of her index finger in it. When she lifted it, it was red, and upon smelling it and inhaling the faint scent of iron, she confirmed it was indeed blood.

She eyes widened and her brow furrowed in worry, and she followed the faint trail of blood, further and further into the darkness. Elara stopped when the blood stopped and suddenly all around her was a cackling laugh. A woman came out of the darkness. A familiar woman.

A woman with crazy, curly black hair, mad dark eyes, sunken skin and rotten teeth. A crooked wand gripped in her hand, and a ripped black dress adorning her body. "Hello wittle Black. Wook at you, so gwown up and stwong."

Bellatrix.

"Bellatrix." Elara snarled, reaching for her wand, only to find it wasn't there. Her next instinct was to thrust her hands out and hope her telekinesis would knock the bitch over. But nothing happened, and Bellatrix cackled once more.

"Oh, darling, that won't work. You're helpless. How will you ever save your lover?" She pointed up, and Elara looked up, and the sight she saw was the most horrific one she had ever seen.

It was Theodore, hanging upside down from the ceiling, a wooden pole thrust into his stomach, and his arms and face all cut up and bruised. Blood dripped from his lips, which lead her to believe that his lung was punctured by stray wood.

"This isn't painful, enough, is it?" Bellatrix frowned at the immobile Elara. She was stood there, eyes heartbroken and mouth slightly open. No reaction, for she could not believe that this was real. "How about his memories?"

A wave of her wand and Elara was sucked into a memory of Theodore sat in a chair, tied down with silver chains around his wrists and ankles. Bellatrix stood in front of him, wand in one hand and dagger in the other. Her wand glowed a dangerous red.

"Where's your little girlfriend, Nott? Hmm?"

"Safe, away from you." He spat back. Bellatrix laughed.

"No one is safe from me. Especially not you."

Elara watched, screaming and crying at Bellatrix tortured her boyfriend, cutting him and impaling him, and casting the Cruciatus curse on him, causing him to let out the most blood-curdling, pain-filled screams that caused her heart to break and tears to rush even more out of her eyes.

"THEODORE!" She yelled, not caring if he couldn't hear her.

"ELARA! SAVE ME! HELP ME! HELP ME PLEASE! PLEASE" He kept repeating, and Elara had never felt more helpless in her life. She tried to pull Bellatrix away, but this was merely a memory and she couldn't do anything.

"THEODORE!"

//NIGHTMARE OVER//

Everyone in the house rushed up the stairs at the sound of screaming coming from Elara's room. It seemed she had forgotten the silencing charm that night, in her panic about Bellatrix being released, and everyone was woken by her pleads and screams for her aunt to stop.

"PLEASE! STOP! PLEASE! PLEASE" She lay in her bed, thrashing and arching her back, eyes scrunched closed and tears rushing down her cheek as she sobbed silently. Her door was thrown open and her father came rushing in, headed right for her bed.

He shook her. "ELARA!"

"THEODORE!" She yelled. "PLEASE DON'T HURT HIM! PLEASE!" She sobbed. Theodore ran in, seeing Sirius by her side.

"Sirius, I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to ask you to move. This happens sometimes. She has the worst nightmares. Let me help her, please."

Sirius moved without complaint, and Theodore took his place beside her bed, knelt down and he reached out, taking her hand and placing his other one on her sweat soaked face. "Elara. Hey, love, wake up, come on. Come on. Everything's alright. You're alright."

She eyes snapped open and she gasped, sitting up, tears still rushing down her cheeks. She looked to her side and when she saw Theodore, an involuntary sob escaped her mouth and she clamped her hand to it. "Th-Theo."

He pulled himself onto her bed and simply wrapped her in a hug. "I'm alright. And you're alright. It's all alright. You're ok now, it's over. It's over, and I'm here and I love you."

"I'm safe, and you're safe." She repeated. "I love you."

The people stood at the door were ushered away by Sirius, who once they all left, leant against the poster of her bed. "El, love, you alright?" He had a worried look on his face.

"I'll be alright. This happens a lot."

"Even at school?"

"No, not there. Rarely does it happen there."

"How come?"

"Theodore and I share a dorm at school. Sleeping with him beside me, with him holding me, it-it helps with the nightmares. It keeps them away, and my insomnia goes away too. It really helps." She explained as she leant her head against Theodore's chest, his arm wrapped around her.

"Why didn't you ever tell me?"

"You're my father, I don't tell you that I share a dorm with a boy." She laughed tearfully.

"If it helps you, then I don't care. You could sleep beside 10 boys if it makes you feel better. I trust you. Enough that I'll let Theodore sleep in here."

"You will?" She wiped some tears from her face.

"Of course I will. I just want you to be alright. I love you little moon."

"Thank you, Dad. I love you too." She smiled before watching her father leave the room and close the door beside him. She then laid her head back on her boyfriends' chest, sighing.

"What brought this one on?" He asked quietly.

"Bellatrix. She escaped. And I'm afraid she's going to take you from me."

"Never. I will never let that happen." Theodore turned her face towards him and kissed her deeply before leaning his forehead on hers. "You got it?"

She smiled faintly. "I got it."

Elara was forced to slowly come to terms with the fact that her nightmares might come true, but she was going to do everything in her power to stop that from happening.

The night before the holiday was over, Harry had come to see her before bed. Theodore left the room to give them some space. Harry looked troubled. "What is it?"

"Snape. He's giving me Occlumency lessons."

"On who's orders?"

"Dumbledore's."

"Of course. While I wish you had another teacher, especially in a branch of magic like this, Occlumency is a good skill to have, even better for you considering it will help in keeping Voldemort out of your head."

"Couldn't you teach me?" Harry looked desperate.

"If I knew Occlumency, I would. But, I don't." Elara shrugged. "I never really felt the need to learn it. But, you're going to do fine, this will help you a lot. And if he gets too much, I'll personally send him a howler, yeah?"

"Yeah." Harry nodded. "Thank you, El."

"Anytime, Harry."

"Will you come visit us at school?"

"I'll try, love, but no promises. This is my first year with the Harpies, so intense training. I'll have more leniency next year. You'll see me in a few months anyways. You can come stay with me for a few weeks maybe. I'll take you to training."

"That sounds nice."

"When you go back, check on Draco for me, will you? I'm worried. Bellatrix is out, and she's his aunt. I don't want anything bad to happen. Narcissa cannot stand up to her older sister."

"Yeah, of course."

The next morning, she said her goodbyes to them at home, smiling sadly when they left for the station. Then, she hugged her father and Apparated back to Wales. Back to the Harpies, and back to training.