The Sleepers Awake

Chapter 5: The Morning After The Night Before

BOOM! CRACK!

A loud rumble of thunder and lightning woke Severus from a deep dreamless sleep. The first such sleep he had had for years without the aid of a Sleeping Draught. He looked at the still sleeping figure in his arms. "This is no dream," he said to himself as he smoothed Erszhebets dark hair back from her face.

Severus adjusted himself a bit and Erszhebet gave a little sigh as she frowned in her sleep; she stirred only for a moment. He gave only the most fleeting of thoughts to the contrast of her dark honey skin against his paleness as his eyes passed over her small hand on his chest.

Severus allowed his mind to review the events of the previous evening as he unconsciously stroked Erszhebets back, his black eyes unseeing as he stared out of the large window nearest the sofa. Everything was happening fast, too fast. Dumbledore obviously knew something; he had to if his letter was anything to go by. But Albus was obviously leaving Severus to the painful realities of getting to know Erszhebet own his own terms by himself. For the first time in his life, Severus would have to open himself up and he was not relishing the prospect. Not in the slightest.

Severus was going to have to broach some painful subjects sooner or later and he needed some answers about what happened last night. "You are thinking with your prick, that is why it has all happened so fast; you should end this charade and take your leave," he chided himself as a sneer rose to his lips. "If that were true, you wouldn't be here now; and certainly not like this," said the other small voice inside him.

Severus watched her sleep and became conscious of her head on his shoulder and her limbs entwined with his. "No, I don't want to leave her," he thought. She was no less attractive to him now than she had been before the intimacy of the night before. He felt no less for her now than he did before last night. "Running away won't solve anything," he told himself. It was a bitter pill to swallow as he tried to give into sleepiness once more. His conscious would not let him rest.

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BOOM!!! CRACK!!! BOOM!!!

Erszhebet jumped, the thunder and lightning jolted her up from her sleep, but she was not awake. She had always been afraid of violent storms, but Severus did not know this. She had a look of absolute terror on her face, like a deer caught in headlights. Still asleep, Erszhebet wanted to scream and couldn't, her lips moving as if she were trying to say "No"; she was breathing hard. She was unable to move, paralysed with fear. She knew she needed to wake up, but somehow could not.

"It's ok; Erszhebet wake up, it's ok," Severus shook her gently but firmly. "Open your eyes!"

She began to struggle; her mouth moving wordlessly and her eyes en and unseeing.

"It's ok; I'm here, wake up," said Severus. She was obviously in the throes of a nightmare and he tried to help her; to bring her out of it. It was not working.

"Erszhebet!, Erszhebet!" he shouted grabbing her twitching arms.

"Why isn't she waking up?" he thought. This was not right, not at all. A memory returned; a very dark memory.

"No," he thought, "No it can't be; NOT AGAIN!"

[[[]]]

"No, no - please, no," Erszhebet panted. "Go away, go away," she pleaded. She was crying now; her voice getting louder. "Not me, please, not me!" She was hysterical, not awake and not able to wake up. But she was trying to, Severus could see it. He could feel it. Erszhebet was fighting with her life.

"Erszhebet, please," said Severus. "It's Severus! I'm here damn it, I'm here!"

Severus slapped her gently on her cheeks to no avail. She could not wake up. She was crying still and her face was bright red. "Please, please, no," she begged.

"SOMEBODY HELP ME PLEASE!!" Erszhebet screamed as she struggled against...what? "SEVERUS? NO!! PLEASE, NOT SEVERUS!!! DON'T YOU TOUCH HIM!!!" she screamed.r>
Severus' eyes widened in shock; no, it could not be! He had not experienced it himself for the last few years since the Dark Lord's fall. It was the kind of thing one would only know of in relation serious study and application of the Dark Arts. It was one of many Dark techniques that Voldemort had developed and used with devastating consequences.

"LEAVE HER ALONE, DAMN YOU!!" he roared, "TAKE ME!!"

Severus had never seen it like this. Erszhebet was fairly strong in mind and spirit; especially spirit. If the capabilities she had demonstrated so far were anything to go by, she should have been able to fight it off.

Suddenly Severus' mind raced to the contents of the trunk Dumbledore had sent.

"ACCIO WAND!!" he shouted; his wand did not come. "ACCIO WAND!" Still his wand did not come. He must be too far away from it as it was in his frock coat underneath all of his other clothes which were upstairs on the other side of Erszhebets bedroom.

"Damn it to hell!" Severus roared, angry with himself. He would have to risk leaving her for a moment or two; it was the only way to get what he knew would help her.

Severus raced up the stairs and grabbed his wand from his coat.

CRASH!!!

He raced down the stairs taking two steps at a time. "NO, ERSZHEBET, NO!!"

Erszhebet had been hurled against one of the large floor to ceiling windows and it shattered letting in the howling wind and pouring rain. Severus raced over to her and grabbed her with one arm pulling her back to him as he pointed his wand at the shards of glass and metal with the other.

"REPARO!" he roared. The window was now intact, but she was cut and bleeding and still unable to wake up. "Fight it, Erszhebet, fight it!" he shouted trying not to sob. He needed a potion; but the right potion.

Severus held tightly to his struggling lover and made his way to the trunk in the hallway. "Alohomora!" The lid sprang open. It was a miracle that he held onto her, but he knew he must not let Erszhebet go. She had almost gone out the window. Even from this height the fall would have most certainly killed her.

Severus spotted a bottle of a purple liquid, Réveillerum, and ripped off Erszhebets bandage. He applied three drops to her Third Eye, the area between her brows where her injury was, and then tapped three times with his wand saying "Réveillez-vous" thrice. Severus prayed the Waking Serum wld work; there were no guarantees.

After a moment, the struggling stopped - as if something let go of her, repelled by the serum. The potion must have given her the extra power she needed to fend off the psychic attack as it was intended to. But, Erszhebet was barely breathing now, her face had a bluish cast to it.

"Open your eyes, my love, open your eyes," Severus pleaded quietly to the now still figure in his arms. "It's ok, you are safe now; you open your eyes," he said hoarsely. "Please don't let her die; please don't let her die," he prayed." Goddess help us please!"

If Erszhebet died in her dream, she would never wake up. Ever. She would be dead. It was not a myth. Not anymore, Voldemort had seen to that. But this; no. It had never been like this.

"Don't leave me damn it," Severus whispered.

Tears rolled down her cheeks as Erszhebet finally opened her eyes after what felt to Severus like an eternity. She started to tremble and initially could not speak from shock. The last vestiges of whatever had commandeered her body and mind relinquished her.

Severus leaned over Erszhebet as she lay bleeding on the floor stroking her face. He gathered her up and trembled as he held her in his arms choking back sobs.

"S. S. S. Sev. Severus," Erszhebet croaked.

Severus looked at her with red rimmed moist eyes. "I'm sorry," he whispered," I'm so, so sorry."

"It, it's not your fault," she croaked, her tears mingling with the blood on her face.

"O Gods, what have I done?" Severus was blaming himself, even though there was no rational reason why he should. But there was no other explanation he could think of as Voldemort was dead.

The Death Eaters may be in Azkaban, but there were still enough collaborators free. But none of them could have done this; they did not have the knowledge or the power - unless some Death Eater had been careless in their swaggering bravado. It did not make any sense.

"Severus, I know it wasn't you, it was not your fault." Erszhebet said in a whisper. "I know you would never do anything to hurt me - and not willingly anyway."

Severus kissed her as he rocked her back and forth in spite of himself.

Erszhebet now had a raging headache and her entire body was throbbing with pain.

Severus picked her up to carry her up stairs.

"Locomotor Trunks!" he muttered softly under his breath pointing his wand surreptitiously, to bring his luggage upstairs behind them so he could tend to Erszhebets wounds.

"We need to talk, Severus," Erszhebet said softly.

"Yes, we do," he replied, "I just wish the circumstances were different."

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Erszhebet lay quietly on the bed after Severus had bathed her and tended her wounds in silence. He had rather an intense cool look about him as he sat to the side of her facing her and Erszhebet knew to keep her own counsel until he was ready. Severus had lit a fire in the fireplace and she felt comfortable and safe.

Severus took a deep breath and took her hands in his. "I have some explaining to do," he said. "I am not mad I assure you; just hear me out."

Erszhebet nodded yes, not letting go of his hands.

Another deep breath.

"I don't know where to start, this is difficult," said Severus.

Erszhebet met his gaze.

"How about 'Erszhebet I am a Wizard'," she proposed quietly.