Kindred | Hogwarts Legacy

Chapter Nine: Nightmares

Sabrina had forgotten what nightmares felt like.

Since arriving at Hogwarts, she thought her bad dreams had vanished along with most of her anxieties, however this night was different. She had started in the dark, feeling the warmth as the sun rose over the valley that Sabrina usually found her dreams in. It was just as beautiful as it was before, but immediately Sabrina felt something different. Something wrong.

Then, just as soon as Sabrina felt this horrible feeling, the sky darkened. The clouds turned a deep red color, and the sun was now glowing a horrifying black. The ground began to shake violently, making Sabrina trip as she tried to run off away from the devastation that seemed to be coming straight for her.

Then, Sabrina came face to face with herself. But... this wasn't her. This girls' face was dark and shallow, her eyes a dark black and her face contorted in a horrifying scream.

"You impudent girl! You are unnatural, you are wicked! It's no wonder your mother left you on that doorstep! You horrible monster, you witch! Sit in the dark where you belong!"

"No, wait, please don't leave me!" Sabrina reached out to the figure as it walked away, not even glancing back. Panic was setting in, and Sabrina knew she couldn't stay in the dark alone. Even staying with a monster was better than being alone. "Please!"

"STAY IN THE DARK WHERE YOU BELONG!"

Sabrina woke up with a jolt and a scream. At first the darkness of the room and the shadows of her four poster bed made her cry out again, and it took Sabrina a good moment before she could try and take a few calming breaths. The fire in the fireplace had dwindled to embers, emulating a soft glow in the dark dorm room as Sabrina tried to grab her chest and the bed under her to make sure she was really still in Hogwarts and that she was, in fact, safe.

"Merlin's beard, Pryor, go to sleep and stop screaming!"

Imelda's sharp voice rang on the other side of the room. Sabrina felt her face burn, feeling ashamed at what had just transpired.

That's all that was. A nightmare. A horrible, gut-wrenching, traumatic nightmare.

Sabrina moved to the side of her bed, letting her bare feet touch the cold dungeon floor as she tried to hang onto something tangible, as if to convince herself that her dream was really over. She focused on her breathing, trying to calm her nerves as she felt every single hair on her skin standing up uncomfortably. Panic began to set back in again, and Sabrina knew she couldn't stay in the dorm room in the dark for another minute longer unless she wanted the dark to fully engulf her.

Putting on some socks, Sabrina quietly slipped out of the dorm room to head out to the common room. The main area was still lit up by the main fireplace, but it was otherwise deserted of students this late at night. Sabrina looked at one of the grandfather clocks and saw it was just a bit past midnight, but she was too wide awake to really care. As she walked further into the room towards the fireplace, she froze when she heard a voice call out.

"Sebastian? Is that you?"

Sabrina had failed to notice that Ominis Gaunt was sitting in the armchair closest to the fireplace, and she was very surprised to see that he seemed just as wide awake as she was. Like her, Ominis was in his pajamas and a black sweater, his lap holding a book and his wand glowing red in his right hand. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt or startle you," Sabrina told him honestly.

In the light of the fire, Sabrina could really see how sharp Ominis' features were. His blonde hair was still pulled back without a single hair out of place. His rounded face had softened when he heard Sabrina, a slight glimmer passing in his clouded eyes as he leaned his head towards Sabrina. She thought he truly looked beautiful, like a prince from a fairy tale. "Miss Pryor," Ominis said softly. "You did not interrupt at all. I was just sitting here reading. What are you doing up so late?"