A Wizard Among Bats

Chapter 2 - Nightmares

It was dark. And cold. And Harry recognized the graveyard around him and the grave he was attached to. He struggled to get out of the statue's grip, but it was no use. The more he struggled the tighter the grip around him became, but he couldn't just give up.

Suddenly, a face was above him, Cedric's face. Scared and terrified. "Harry, you have to get out, you have to help me," Cedric's voice pleaded.

"I can't!" Harry yelled, as he struggled harder, making himself bleed with how hard he was pulling against the bonds.

His parents were in front of him now. Almost see-through, wearing blank expressions. Harry found it hard to focus on them. "Come on, Harry, you can get out of this, you fought a dragon, you can do this."

"No! I can't! I just can't!" Harry screamed back, and he couldn't tell if it was blood or tears in his eyes.

"Of course you can't," Voldemort's voice echoed around him, accompanied by a painful throb in his forehead. Harry could feel his disgusting finger on his scar, making the pain increase. The pressure built and built as Harry kept hoping he would move his finger away, hoping someone could relive him of the pain.

Harry screamed as he shot up into a sitting position in his bed. His blankets were tangled around his legs, the pillow damp from his sweat, and he was panting for breath. He heard Uncle Vernon's angry shout at him to quiet down because some people were trying to bloody sleep. And he heard the thunk of, what he assumed was, Dudley's new high tech alarm clock as he threw it against their adjoining wall.

He knew he was breathing too fast, all the sounds seemed to be coming from far away, as if through a long tunnel. His hands were clenching at his hair, pulling to use that pain to distract from the pain in his head. An owl hooted from far away. Dimly, Harry registered the sound of his bedroom door opening, but ignored it in the hope whoever was at the door will ignore him.

A voice was talking quietly from far away, but Harry pulled harder on his hair, and the heavy sound of his breathing made it hard to hear anything anyway. He can still feel the cold horrible finger on his head and hear the echo of a high snake-like voice. He closed his eyes tight in the hope that it all will just go away.

Suddenly there was a weight on Harry's legs. Hands, gentle warm hands, are prying Harry's fingers from his hair. A voice, soft and soothing, is speaking to him in hushed tones. Harry let his hands be lead away from his hair and into his lap, where he fisted them tightly into the t-shirt he's wearing. The warm hands come back and cup Harry's face and he opened his eyes.

Dick Grayson's bright blue eyes were staring into his now. Dick's lips were moving, Harry attempted to focus on the words coming out of his mouth.

"You're safe, Harry. It's alright now. Just breathe. Harry, you are okay. Breathe, Harry. It's safe here. You are alright." Harry absently wondered how long Dick had been talking, but he took a slow deep breath, and Dick's encouragements continue, praising Harry for his renewed effort in breathing and continuing to remind him of where he was. Dick's thumbs were stroking over Harry's cheeks in a comfortingly repetitive motion.

Harry wasn't sure how long they were like that, with Dick balanced over his legs and helping him calm down. Eventually, Harry's breathing is regular and his hands loosen from the death grip on his t-shirt. Dick's words trailed off, and his thumbs stilled.

"You okay?" Dick asked seriously, and Harry felt himself laugh a little because clearly he was not okay. Okay people didn't wake up screaming. Okay people didn't need to be talked into breathing right. Clearly he was not okay. Dick smiled, like he understood what Harry was thinking.

"Yeah it's a stupid question, huh?" Dick answered his own question with a soft smile. "Wanna talk about it?" Dick asked. Harry shook his head, and was thankful that Dick let it drop. He gave a final pat to Harry's cheeks before making his way off the bed. He turned back to Harry with his hand out. "Come on, get up."