Forever Yours [Book 2]

Chapter 15

Severus woke early; the sun barely peeked through his curtains. He had haunted dreams of blood-curdling screams, flashes of light, desperate sobs, and rot. He laid there, a cold sweat drenching his sheets. What had started as reliving his nightmares slowly changed to someone else's. He knew for a fact that they were not his because he had never heard that weeping before or even the lights flashing. Slowly he pushed himself up and clutched his comforter to his chest as he stared at the empty fireplace.

The lights intrigued him the most; they had flashed in strange patterns and looked almost unnatural and bright. "Whose dreams did I slip into?" Eventually, he forced himself to get out of bed, get dressed in a black button-down shirt and his usual black pants and belt. He did not feel like being overly festive at the moment, and he did not think anyone would blame him if they saw the bags under his eyes.

He stomped out of his quarters and through his office; the haze of the potions had settled overnight and no longer tried to cling to each surface. He glared at the stone floors as he found his way to the kitchens; the House-elves did not bother to look up as he grabbed food and drinks. However, his presence in the common room drew whispers from the students as he sat in front of the large glass window, staring out into the murky waters. Who are you, and why did you scream like that?

Amilia bolted awake the lingering presence of the mirror wrestled with her eyes, beckoning her to fall back to sleep and continue visiting the images of her family. "No!" She yelled as she threw a pillow in the corner of her room. She sighed heavily as she swung her feet over the side of her bed; Edgar gurgled from the other room. "I am coming." She grumbled as she pulled on the new slippers. Scott was so proud of himself; he picked them out all on his own. Amilia's chest swelled with pride as his cheeky grin flashed in her memory. He was turning out to be the perfect little gentlemen.

Amilia flung back the curtains in her sitting room and gazed out at the beautiful scenery before her. Snow fell gently, and the air was cold as she opened the window for Edgar to fly. His black feathers a stark contrast to the winter wonderland. Amilia stood on tiptoes to look at Bubbles; she shook her feathers for a moment before hopping down to the ledge and taking flight.

Amilia went back to her bedroom and fished out her clothes for the day; A black knee-length dress with long sleeves and slipped on her emerald flats but set aside her black kitten heels for the feast that night. She rummaged through her wardrobe and spotted a cream-colored sleeveless cardigan. Amilia hung them up together to get a better look at the combination, "Hmm." She held her elbow with one hand and tapped her lips with the other; she knew exactly what this needed.

Amilia pulled the dress over her head as she walked over to her nightstand, snatching up the box of her mother's hairpins. Inside she found the holly and berry one that was always worn for Christmas and some silver earrings. She set each of these aside before leaving the room.

The door swung open to the common room, but Severus could not hear any footsteps, but the thoughts were loud and clear. She was trying to shake off the dreams she had the night before, each time she closed her eyes she saw his back turned to her and heard his name catching in her throat as she pleaded with him to stop. He could smell her, that jasmine and rose scent that always followed her, as she walked past him towards the piano. With ease, she lifted the lid and pulled out the bench. He could see that she had spent some time fussing over an outfit for the day, hoping that it would chase away the thoughts that rattled around in her skull, but it did not work.