Shut Up, Padfoot!

40

Gloomy skies beckoned thunder and storms.

And more indoor lectures.

The cold of the oncoming rain sent chills down my spine and I uncomfortably shifted in my seat. I know we can leave once we're finished with our work, but I feel that I should stay a little while longer.

"Stop fidgeting. I can't concentrate," Lily demanded distractedly.

"Have you had any nightmares lately?" I ask, completely ignoring her comment.

"No. I don't have dreams or nightmares. If you're finished with your work, go wait for dinner," she replied dismissively.

I huffed in frustration over the ordeal of my friends' nightmares and her annoyed tone. Packing my things up, I pushed out of my chair.

Sirius and Peter left earlier, my boyfriend having pressed his hand into my shoulder before leaving the classroom. Moony and Prongs still working quite diligently and I guess the maturity and stress of the sixth year have gotten the best of them.

The door of the classroom creaked as it pushed against its hinges. I stepped away from the doorframe and into the corridor.

"Cry." I heard.

Turning around, I peeked at whoever said my name. My heart fluttered in excitement as my eyes flit towards Iris. I'm glad she's talking to me. And I'm glad she's okay.

"Hey.. how are you?" I softly greet.

She smiled slightly and approached me. We sort of stood in the doorway so I gestured for us to start walking down the hallway. She matched my pace well and I clutched my bag's strap in anticipation.

"I'm good, I'm good. How are you?" she responded.

I swallowed and looked at her in the corner of my eye. I'm not really used to regular small talk. I don't usually talk to anyone outside of my friends. My heart's pounding picked up and I tried calming my nerves.

I can be outgoing when I want to be but the simplicity of mundane greetings just makes me a bit offset. I'm used to diving right into personal conversation and joking around. I forget sometimes that I can't be so comfortable with those I have yet to know.

"I'm all right as well," I said.

I cringed. That's all I can say? Now the conversation will go dead. Not so great at socializing, Cry.

I noticed her nod her head and her feet lightly skid on the floor as she walked. If any of my friends let their shoes scrape across the ground, I'd give them shit for it. But I don't know her so my pet peeve is slightly not as peeve-y.

"I'm sorry you got points taken away," she added.

Furrowing my brows, I turned my head to her so I can look at her fully. Her robes look so comfy. There's just something about the students here that know how to place their personality into their house robes.

Like Pandora and her neatly pressed clothing. Or Moony and his ruffled fabric lined with red. Even I will catch a few Slytherins with their cuffs rolled up so they wouldn't drape or drag. Hufflepuffs know how to make anything cozy.

"Don't say sorry. You didn't do anything wrong," I denied.

"Right right..." she trailed off.

A silence enveloped us for a few more moments. The normalcy of making simple friendships shouldn't have made me so emotional, but it did. I've been so caught up in my life and death situations that I haven't been living like other students.

Her demeanor showed that she wanted to tell me something. I can just tell that what she wanted to say was on the tip of her tongue and she was pondering whether or not she should say it.

"What's up?" I questioned.

Iris' mouth parted as she turned her whole body to me. Our footsteps echoed along the hall but it drowned out with the chatters of the paintings.

"Oh.. well.. it's a bit weird but I've been having.. uhm-"

"It's okay, you can tell me. You have no idea what I actually consider weird," I giggled out.

She didn't laugh with me or smile. I grew alerted at that fact and realized that this must be serious. She picked at her dark nail polish on her thumbnail and chips of it flickered off.

Iris stopped in her tracks and I did too, realizing that she really didn't want me to take it the wrong way. Trying to come off as welcoming and non-judgmental as possible in my stance, I awaited her statement.

"I've been having some vivid nightmares with you in it," she murmured.

Once again, time and time after hearing similar phrases from my friends, the blood in my veins froze. The dangerous feeling I felt around Tom crept up my throat.

Thunder roared outside the castle and we both jumped at the startle.

Shaking it off, I felt searing cold immerse my body. I don't know how many times I'm going to continue being afraid. I don't know how many times I keep hearing about someone I care about being in a place of danger. I just know that as the experiences become more frequent, my fear grows.

"It's weird, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything," she muttered to herself more than me.

"No, no. It's not, I swear. I just- What happened in the nightmare?" I stammered.

Her eyes scanned the hallway behind me then behind her before she faced me once again. With a hushed whisper, she said, "It's usually raining in the nightmares- kind of like right now. But you're laying on the ground. Just laying there. But somehow I know you're dead."

Again.

Like my death is officially in the hands of Tom Riddle.

"Is there anything else?" I urged.

"Yeah.. I heard a- a train whistle? That's all," she answered.

Now where has the significance of a train come from? I wonder where.

"Shit, okay, uhm.. thanks for telling me," I said.

Her brown eyes went back and forth between mine, trying to figure out what I'm really thinking. She tangled her fingers together and twisted them nervously.

"How come you don't seem all too surprised?" she began.

Then realization flooded her pupils and she barely nodded to herself.

"It's because you heard of something like this already. Is it true? That you really went up in flames?" she rattled off.

My skin prickled at the question. The memory of that day flashed through my mind and I almost got winded. The trauma and absolute inhumanity in that event keep me scared of what I can do still.

I stumbled backward at the suddenness of her tone and she stopped talking when she noticed me get lightheaded. Placing a hand to my forehead, I tried breathing in and out slowly.

"Goddamnit... okay, Iris, have you ever been inside the Gryffindor common room?"

-lana