That Was Then

Chapter three

Dreams

Teya's Dream

I stand at the mouth of a great abyss. It's black and empty. On the other side stands every thing that matters. The child I raised but isn't mine, my friend who doesn't know me but loves me, and my books. Hundreds of books my only escape from the bleakness of my world.

I look into the abyss and I see every thing; school, home, family, life people and all the things that don't matter. All the things that never really did.

Suddenly beneath my feet I feel the ground slipping. I'm going to fall in! I don't matter. I never have. I'm only an empty soul laboring through the dark. Serving the one I can't escape. So I fall as always into nothingness, to join all things.

I feel my self falling, my stomach twists, my feet reach out, but touch nothing. I feel completely helpless. I reach out grasping at nothing. Then suddenly a hand reaches down and catches mine. He pulls me up from the emptiness, wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me to him. All I can see are his eyes, his fathomless dark eyes.

In my mind I know I don't need to see anything but his eyes. His eyes hold the world in them. Innocence, knowledge, kindness, love and understanding. Every thing that matters.

"Why didn't you let me fall in?" I ask, my voice seeming to echo in the emptiness.

"Because you matter," he said, his voice was so soft and kind. Teya's eyes filled with unwelcome tears, something about the way he said those words. It was almost like he meant it.

Teya's eyes flew open. She sat up strait in bed.

"What the hell!" she said aloud.

That had never happened before. Who was that guy? Why was she dreaming about a guy? She didn't dream about guys'! She dreamed about gruesome murders and the people who committed them. Not dashing guys come to rescue her.

That's disgusting! A little voice said. Teya usually silenced this voice, but just now, she happened to agree. Dreaming about boys, Honestly! What next? Would she be giggling about asinine words like "it" and "erect"? Teya fell back onto her bed for once hoping for the nightmares she usually dreaded.

Sirius's Dream:

Sirius stared at his best friend. Only it wasn't, couldn't be James. He looked almost identical to him and if it weren't for the boy's eyes and a strange lighting bolt shaped scar on his forehead, Sirius would not have doubted that it was James. Instead of James's Hazel eyes though, this boy had fierce green almond-shaped ones. They were rather amazing looking actually.

At the moment however, they were filled with unmistakable hate. A hate so powerful the boy was positively shaking with it. His wand was out and pointing strait at Sirius's heart. The boy was yelling something about Sirius having killed his parents.

Suddenly Sirius was transported to a house or more appropriately what was left of a house. Sirius made his way cautiously inside. What he found was more horrible then any thing Sirius could have imagined. A slightly older James Potter his eyes wide and unmistakably dead. Sirius couldn't breathe. James couldn't be older then twenty-two or so.

Almost against his will Sirius continued to move farther into the house. He picked his way through what was left of a front room, and finally into a small bedroom. What was visible of the walls was painted a soft baby blue with a border of golden snitches. Sirius couldn't suppress a smile. James had decorated this room. His smile, however melted off his face as his eyes strayed around the rest of the room. Sirius seemed to hear a faint crying coming from what looked like it was once a closet. Rubble was piled around it and the door was leaning off its hinges so that Sirius couldn't see what was inside.

Sirius walked toward it inexplicably dreading to move away the door. Slowly he grabbed it and pulled it back. He screamed. Inside the closet laid a woman with long auburn hair he eyes wide with terror. She still had tears dripping down her pink cheek. She can't have been dead long. Her body was slumping over a crying baby in a little seat. The baby had dark curly hair, his mother's almond-shaped green eyes and a jagged lighting shaped red cut on his forehead. The little boy looked up at Sirius, and screamed.

Sirius gasped and opened his eyes. He was shaking. He got up, grabbed the water jug by the window and poured himself a glass. He drank it in one gulp and poured himself another. He sipped his water and stared across the grounds, all was quiet. He could see the womping willow flailing its arms in the distance. He stood and watched it for what felt like hours. Until a voice pulled him from his stupor.

"Sirius?"

Sirius turned to see Remus sitting up in bed staring at him.

"What?" he asked quietly so as not to wake the others in the room.

"Can't sleep again?" inquired Remus unnecessarily.

"Nope,"

"Was it the dream again?" asked Remus quietly.

"How do you know these things?" asked Sirius not really as annoyed as he sounded.

"You only scream when it's the dream. Once about midway through and once at the very end,"

"Sorry if I woke you Remus," said Sirius not wanting to think about screaming in his sleep like a child.

"Oh, don't worry you didn't. I woke up a little bit ago to go to the toilet and couldn't get back to sleep," Remus replied, lightly climbing out of bed and strolling over to Sirius.

"Have you seen James by the way?"

Sirius smiled, that explained it. Remus couldn't sleep for worry. James wasn't back and Sirius was. Wether he'd admit it or not Remus was concerned. Remus was easily the most mature of their friends. It seemed to be a part of the Werewolf package. This had caused him to worry more than most seventeen year olds. Though generally speaking he did pretty well at pretending he didn't care as much as he really did.

"Yeah, he's downstairs snuggled up on the couch with some pretty little hottie," Sirius replied rather enjoying the look of shock on Remus's face.

James was very rarely found snuggled up with girls. Remus knew more about it then Sirius did. Another thing about Remus was he had a lot of insight and understanding about things that Sirius and James couldn't seem to grasp. For this reason James tended to talk to Remus about his love life more then to Sirius. Not that Sirius didn't get all the fun details, but after one to many confused looks from Sirius, James took his emotions to Remus.

"Hmm," Remus replied looking thoughtful "He must have found her,"

"Found who?"

Lily's Dream:

Lily's dreams were glorious. Everything was perfect, almost picturesque, birds singing, the sun shining. It was all just sweet. She sighed softly in her sleep and snuggled closer to James. His chest was warm and soothing against her face. Somewhere in the back of her mind Lily wondered if such perfection could possibly be real. Against her will Lily seemed to hear Teya's voice in the back of her mind saying

"If it's too good to be true, it's probably not,"

Lily tried to block out Teya's skepticism. She couldn't. Teya had an uncanny knack for knowing things. Not to mention the fact that Teya had much more experience with boys than Lily did.

Lily stirred uncomfortably in her sleep, not liking where her dreams were taking her.

"Shut up, Teya," she mumbled softly without waking.

Then for not apparent reason James kissed her again. Not passionately just a little peck. It was enough. However, to calm Lily's mind and her dreams returned to their former bliss.

James's Dreams

James's dreams were amazingly like Lily's. Cheerful and lovely. He also felt strangely at peace. As though whatever had been bothering him the past few years had been resolved. He smiled to himself and wrapped his arms more tightly around Lily's warm body.

Remus's Dream

Remus finally closed his eyes after Sirius fell asleep again. His usual wolfish dreams did not come. Instead he felt as though someone was following him. Someone very dangerous. He was aware that he was in a forest from the rustling of the tree surrounding him. He heard footsteps coming up behind him and the unmistakable swish of a cloak.

Suddenly a face leered out at him from the darkness. Its eyes were wide and red. Its skin was almost entirely white. It's nose flat and snakelike.

"Remus," it hissed "You must serve me, Remus."

The voice of the creature made Remus's blood run cold. He knew he would not serve it.

"No, I'm not serving you. I don't serve anyone,"

"If you do not do as I say, I will kill all of your little friends! Not even a werewolf could protect them from me. If you value their lives you will obey wolf!" the creature said coldly.

"No you can't kill them! I-I'll warn them," Remus yelled feeling an intense desperation.

"You will not warn them! They'd think you were mad," laughed the monster cruelly.

"No! No! You can't hurt them, I'll protect them if it's the last thing I do I'll defend them to my dying day!" shouted Remus.

The monster stopped laughing.

"Your oath will cost you your life and the life of all you love Wolf. I will see to that,"

Remus jerked awake breathing heavily. Sweat had plastered his pajama top to his body, he pulled it off. What was I dreaming about? Something... he couldn't remember.

He looked over to make sure Sirius was still breathing. Then he turned to his other side to check on Peter in his own bed. They were both fine. Remus realized with a start that James was gone. Then he remembered Sirius's words earlier "downstairs snuggled up with some pretty little hottie,"

Better check just in case. James was fine too. Even knowing that all his friends were fine. Remus still couldn't really get to sleep the rest of the night.

Peter's Dream

"Peter," called a voice, "Peter, come to me."

Peter obediently walked toward the direction of the voice. The voice filled Peter with fear, it was horrible. Peter turned a corner and faced the owner of the voice. He was terrible, he fit perfectly with his evil voice. His voice was pale and snakelike. His eyes a deep red.

"Peter" hissed the man, if indeed you could call it a man.

"Peter, you are mine Peter."

Peter looked around, praying to see one of his friends. His friends could help him. Surely they would protect him from this evil creature.

"Your friends are not here Peter. They cannot save you now!" the man said laughingly " You will serve me, won't you?"

"W-why should I?" asked Peter his voice shaking with fear.

The man smiled. Not a nice comforting smile, but the kind that chills you to the very marrow of the bone. The kind that haunts your dreams forever after.

"Because Peter, I will kill you if you do not. I will not kill you quickly either. I'll do it slowly just so I can hear your screams,"

"Wh-what is it you want me to do?"

"Nothing for now, but your word that one day when I do want you, you will not hesitate to obey. I will ask you one last time Peter. Will you serve me?" the end of his statement came out in an evil hiss.

Peter, shaking so badly he could barely speak. Then uttered the words that would one day condemn his soul to the deepest level of hell.

"I will,"

The man laughed high and cold.

"Peter!" Remus yelled "Peter wake up!"

Peter rolled over with out opening his eyes. He had an odd memory of his dream. He'd done something evil in his dream.

"Oh give it up Remus," Peter heard Sirius say "We'll just go to Hogmeade with out him,"