Elektra Black I

Chapter 2 | Fear

"Don't run." 

Tall century-old trees filled the dark, storming sky above Elektra's fragile soaked body. Ice cold rain ran down her face hiding long-awaited tears as a giant black dog chased her through what looked like the forbidden forest. A voice was calling out to her, a deep, dark, raspy voice with such desperation to it. It wasn't someone she knew, yet it felt familiar. Almost like an old song that she had forgotten the words to. "Elektra, please! Don't run." She wanted to turn around, look into its piercing eyes, but she couldn't. Her body kept her running until she tripped on the nearest tree trunk, and it all went black.

"Do you think she'll go looking for him? You know what she's like..." A small voice said in a hushed tone. "I hope not. The minute she wakes up, her whole life is about to change. She looks so peaceful..." Another more high pitched voice called out. Elektra felt the bottom of her bed sink down as she slowly came back to the world of consciousness. Who was that? She slowly opened her eyes, adjusting to the light as she did so. 

Hermione and El's best friend Jada were sitting at the end of her bed with a newspaper in hand. "Did you miss me that much? I've only been out for 8 hours." El's cockiness never slept. It was a constant for her two roommates, who had to put up with her sarcastic remarks. Sometimes it got her out of trouble, and she ended fights just by a few threatening words. In short, she came in handy. 

"El, we have to tell you that-" Hermione paused momentarily, looking anywhere but El's piercing eyes. Jada quickly took over the conversation, "Something awful has happened. It's about your dad." Jada shouted quite loudly, trying to wake her up more. Elektra bolted upright in her seat, assuming the worst. "Is Remus okay?" she breathlessly asked, fixing her hair as she did so. "Remus is fine. I assume so anyway. This is about Sirius Black. Your father? He's sort of, erm..." Panic and anger overcame El. What could that man possibly have done now? What on Earth had happened? 

"Did he die?" She asked, somewhat hopeful and somewhat sad. Hermione shook her head and handed El the newspaper that was clenched tightly in her fist. "It's worse than that," Hermione grumbled as El unfolded the newspaper and stared wide-eyed at the front cover. It was her dad sprawled across the page in a breaking news headline. She'd never seen him other than old photographs of when she was born or in Remus' old polaroid album when they were at Hogwarts. He looked tired, angry, and someone you wouldn't want to cross paths with. He looked awful! His dark wavy hair was down to his shoulders, and his beard grew long and unkempt. He was wearing Azkaban prison clothes that barely fit his thin tattooed body. He looked most definitely mad! El shuddered at his face and read the title.

'Sirius Black escapes from Azkaban.' 

Escaped? He escaped! As she re-read the words repeatedly, it grew silent in the dorm room as fear overcame her. That's all she felt. Pure agonising fear. The same sort of fear that her dream entailed. Her heart dropped at the thought. What would he do if he found her? If he had escaped, that only meant one thing. "He's coming after me, isn't he?" She quietly asked, lowering the newspaper to see the two girl's worried faces. "If you stay at Hogwarts until he's captured, he won't be able to find you. Not under Dumbledore's protection. He wouldn't dare!" Hermione insisted, getting up off of the bed. Jada took El's hand in her hand and squeezed it tightly. "You have Remus, Dumbledore and us. You're going to be okay. When have I ever been wrong?" She smirked, her too getting off of the bed and moving to lie down on her own.

Jada was such an elegant girl. She had dark skin with the shiniest black hair. El always felt that Jada was by far the prettiest girl in their year! Most of the guys drooled over her except for her long time crush Joe, who didn't have time for dating- just like El. The two girls had met in their first year when the sorting hat placed them both in Gryffindor. Both found themselves sniggering over Neville Longbottom clumsily falling over Professor McGonagall's feet and just knew that they were destined to be friends. Three years later, they kept their promise.