Year V

Chapter Seven

Of Dream, Death, and Diggory

Sibyll Trelawney, self-proclaimed seer, teacher of Divination, and part-time dweller in the realm of reality found herself walking the grounds of Hogwarts. A feeling of dread crept over her as she walked the towards the great hall. The castle itself was dead quiet and there was no sign of activity except for the flickering torches that lined the walls. She didn't even see any of the school ghosts, a fact that frightened her even more.

She thought she heard a noise coming from the great hall as she approached it. "H-hello?"

No answer, although she thought she could hear someone humming on the other side of the door that led into the Great Hall. She opened the door and gasped as fog rolled out of the great hall and found herself now standing in Diagon Alley. Hogwarts had disappeared and she found herself standing in a deserted street in front of a burned out building that she recognized as Quality Quidditch Supplies. That was when she remembered, something had attacked Diagon Alley, destroying some buildings and killing a lot of people. She had read in the Daily Prophet that people were certain that He-who-must-not-be-named was behind it. But the Ministry flatly denied the allegation.

Sibyll herself wasn't sure what to believe. The Dark Mark had appeared and showered Diagon Alley in flames, an act that the dark lord would have performed…and yet…something didn't feel right…and where were all the people?

She heard the humming again. It was a woman's voice and it was coming from nearby. Sibyll turned and saw a young woman with very pale skin and black hair looking in the display window of a nearby shop. What really caught Sibyll off guard was the way the young woman was dressed. She appeared to be wearing muggle clothing and very tight-fitting at that, similar to what the Muggle culture referred to as gothic style nowadays. Around her neck, she wore a necklace with a sliver ankh.

The young woman looked up from the window display to glance in Sibyll's direction and smiled. "Hey, Sib, how ya' doing?"

"Do I know you?" Sibyll asked, wondering how this person even knew her name.

The other woman laughed softly…it sounded like the laughter of a happy child. "Kind of," she said as she walked over to where Sibyll was standing. "Each year, you keep telling a student that I'm going to meet up with them, especially that poor Potter kid. Don't you think he's traumatized enough already?"

Sibyll gave the woman a confused look. "What are you-" Then her eyes widened in horror as she realized who she was talking to. "But that would mean-"

The young woman put a finger to her lips. "Shhhhh…relax Sib," she said, "I'm not here for you. I've been kind of busy lately after what happened here, and I decided to take five and do some window shopping."

"But why am I here?" asked Sybill as she gestured to Diagon Alley with her arm.

"Beats me," replied the other woman. "You're the seer, I'm just the collector. Been having any weird dreams, lately?"

"Now that you mention it, I did have a bizarre vision about a dragon flying around Hogwarts," said Sibyll. "At first I thought it was a nightmare about one of Hagrid's pets escaping."

The young woman laughed again. "Rubeus and his pets. Really sad about what happened to Buckbeak though, so I wasn't too miffed when I had to let him go back. Hippogriffs are really gentle creatures, ya know."

"But that doesn't say anything about my dream."

"No, I suppose it doesn't." The woman paused as she grabbed a hat out of nearby window and tried it on. "But according to my brother, that wasn't a dream. It was a message…something bad is about to happen, Sib."

"If you're referring to the return of You-know-who, some believe it has already happened."

The woman shook her head and the smile faded from her face. "I'm afraid this is worse than that, Sib. Voldemort's return is just the opening act to something far more reaching and Hogwarts is about to become ground zero. It's not set in stone yet, nothing ever is because one person's actions can totally alter the course of things forever."

"And what does this have to do with me?"

"Like I said before, you're the seer." The woman smiled again. "It's your job to read the signs and act before it's too late."

"But what do you mean by-" Before Sibyll could finish her sentence, the world suddenly swirled around her and she felt herself falling…until she hit something hard and familiar. Once again, she realized, she was lying on the hardwood floor of her bedroom.

* * * * *

Images flashed around him, images and pain…that burning sensation that felt as if he was being eaten from the inside out. And then there was the added bonus of choking on his own blood and feeling his muscles spasm as the Cruciatus curse responded on cue. Needless to say, Jesse wanted to be somewhere else and not in the middle of Diagon Alley being attacked by another elemental. He wasn't sure how he knew it was the other elemental. He only sensed the attack coming and instinctively blocked it as he yelled at the others to get out of the building. The result was ten seconds of pain and agony as he relived the most painful memory of his life. For a moment, Quality Quidditch Supplies vanished and he found himself back in Italy.

It was kind of strange, because he found himself standing off to the side as he watched a younger version of himself writhing in agony and screaming while a smirking Lucius Malfoy stood over the child with his wand pointed at him. Jesse could also see his mother there, being held back by two large men dressed in black.

"Now, I will ask you again, Simone. Where is the Stiehl?"

"I don't know!"

"Hmmm…pretty persistent about that, aren't you? CRUCIO!"

Jesse closed his eyes and shook his head as he heard his younger self scream. "They're not real," he whispered to himself and his vision began to blur. "It's just a memory, it's not real…it's not real…it's all in your head."

"Jesse, are you all right?"

Reality snapped back into focus and the pain subsided a little as he looked over at Harry, Ron, and the twins. He was about to assure them he was okay when he sensed another attack coming. "I said get outta' here! I don't know if I can hold it off much longer."

"Hold what off?" asked Ron.

Jesse didn't have a chance to answer. Another burst of flames shot down from the sky and it took all his effort to block it and keep it from incinerating the surrounding area. That was when he realized that the attack was directly focused on him and he felt the power from the other elemental start to increase. Jesse screamed in agony as he pushed his power to the limit, he did not want to go out like this. The burning from within and the Cruciatus curse both hit him at once, and everything started to ripple around him. He could hear Lucius Malfoy's voice again…

"Crucio!"

And then the voice of his younger self screaming in pain as the curse ripped through his body…or was that him screaming in agony in the present?

No, he screamed silently, I'm not going out like this. It's not real! It's just a damn memory!

He kept repeating the same line to himself, even as he could feel the last of his defenses start to crumble. It wouldn't be long now, he thought, a few seconds more and he'd be incinerated…

"STUPEFY!" he heard Ron yell.

"EXPELLIARMUS!" shouted Harry.

And suddenly, the firestorm stopped. Jesse dropped to the ground, half-conscious as he started to feel reality start to shift on him again. "It's not real…" he kept saying to himself as he started to fall once more into his own mental hell. "Not real…the pain's not real…"

And then…darkness…

* * * * *

Harry stumbled through the fog, trying to keep his balance even as he tripped over an unseen rock. He wasn't sure how he got there, or where "there" exactly was located. One moment, he was sitting in the Leaky Cauldron trying to drink some pumpkin juice after surviving the attack on Diagon Alley, then stumbling through a thick fog the next.

"Hello?" he called out.

But there was no answer. He took a couple steps forward, but tripped over another rock and fell face-first to the ground. When he pulled himself back up to his knees, he stopped and felt his blood go cold as he realized he looking at a gravestone with a name engraved on it.

Cedric Diggory 1977-1995

He reeled back in horror, scrambling on his hands and knees a couple feet until his back hit something…another gravestone.

Hermione Granger 1980-1995

The fog lifted and Harry found himself surrounded by gravestones…all with names he knew.

Fred Weasley 1978-1995

George Weasley 1978-1995

Ginny Weasley 1981-1995

Ron Weasley 1980-1995

Jesse McCade 1979-1995

The gravestones appeared out of nowhere…Longbottom, Finnegan, Parkinson, Chang, Patil, Creevey, Crabbe, Goyle, Dumbledore, the rest of the Weasleys…

"No!" he screamed. "This is not real!" He got up and ran, hoping he could lose whatever was haunting him in the fog. The gravestones stopped appearing, but he could feel the air getting even colder around him…and then he heard them.

…Harry…

At first he thought it was voice…a whisper…but it was more than one.

…Harry…Why did you leave us?…

…So much for the boy who lived, chided an all too familiar voice…that belonging to Severus Snape. More like the boy who failed.

…You abandoned everyone and everything…why?

"Stop it!" he yelled, trying to wave away the icy tendrils fog that wrapped around him like chains.

"Harry?"

"NO!"

Harry felt something grab his shoulder and the world suddenly exploded around him. He brought his head up and suddenly saw Ron and Hermione sitting across the table from him with concerned looks on their faces. He looked off to the right and saw Mr. Weasley standing there with his hand on his shoulder.

"Harry, are you okay?"

It took a couple seconds for Harry to realize that he was back in the Leaky Cauldron. "Y-yes," he managed to say. "What happened?"

"You fell asleep at the table," said Hermione. "You've been out for a couple hours. We were going to wake you, but thought you could probably use the sleep."

"Until you started mumbling about gravestones and then started screaming," added Ron with a grin.

"What about George?" asked Harry. "Is he alright?"

Ron nodded. "Yeah, he's upstairs resting in one of the rooms. A healer mended his leg and gave him a sleeping draft. As for McCade…" he held up an arm so Harry could see the scratches on it. "That damn cat of his won't let anyone touch him."

"Well," said Hermione, "you did kind of toss the kitten aside and told him to get out of the way as we brought Jesse up there."

"That thing's a menace," grumbled Ron and Harry couldn't help laughing. Ron and cats didn't seem to get along for some reason.

"Harry?" Harry looked over at Mr. Weasley who still had a look of concern on his face. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Harry nodded and managed a smile. "Yes, I'm fine. It was just a bad dream."

Mr. Weasley shook his head as he sat down at the table. "There seems to be a lot of that going on. The healers are looking over Jesse and they don't know what's wrong with him. He got away with light burns, but it's like he won't wake up. Of course, there was also the effects of the Cruciatus curse, but I-" he suddenly stopped and Harry saw a guarded expression on Mr. Weasley's face.

"Cruciatus curse?" asked Harry. He remembered how Jesse looked after the attack on Quality Quidditch supplies, his body shaking and arms contorted as if he were having a seizure. "No one was using a Cruciatus curse on him, he was blocking the fire."

"And he wasn't using a wand," said Ron. "His eyes were glowing too."

The expression on Mr. Weasley's face turned deadly serious. "I don't know what you boys saw in there," he said slowly, "but I'm asking you to simply forget what you saw."

"But, we were right there, and we saw-"

"This is important," Mr. Weasley hissed. He leaned forward and dropped his voice to barely more than a whisper. "Please forget what you saw," he said softly. "And whatever you do, do not bring this up with Jesse, he's off-balance as it is."

Harry studied the expression on Mr. Weasley's face and noticed the man's ears were turning a dark pink…just like Ron when he was trying to lie or cover up something. "Mr. Weasley, what's going on?"

It looked like Mr. Weasley was struggling internally with what he should tell them, but after a few more moments of hesitation, he shook his head. "I'm sorry, Harry, but now is not the time to talk about it."

He pulled out a pocket-watch to check the time. "Now, it's getting late, and I strongly suggest the three of you get to bed. We'll be heading back home tomorrow." Before Harry could say anything, Mr. Weasley had gotten up from the table and was calling for Tom, the proprietor of the Leaky Cauldron.

"Well," said Ron, "that sounds suspicious. Makes me wonder what other bad things are going to happen to us this year."

"What makes you say that?" asked Hermione.

"Think about it, Hermione. Ever since we first got together, bad things always seem to happen to us." Ron started counting off with his fingers. "First there was the whole thing with the Philosopher's Stone and me nearly getting killed by a living chess piece."

"You only fell and knocked yourself unconscious," corrected Hermione.

Ron ignored her as he kept counting off. "Then there was the Chamber of Secrets and the Basilisk the next year. Don't tell me you forgot that, Hermione."

"I'm sorry, but I was too busy being petrified at the time."

"Hmmm…yeah, you were. It was kind of quiet and peaceful in the common room during that time…OW!" Ron rubbed his arm after Hermione hit him before he continued his rant. "Then we had the whole ordeal with the Dementors and Sirius Black."

"And you accusing my cat of doing horrible things," added Hermione. "Instead, he was only trying to protect us."

Harry couldn't help smiling, just listening to Ron and Hermione argue almost seemed to cut the tension and lighten the mood. But it still didn't chase away the memory of the nightmare he just had. Though he wanted to believe it was just a bad dream, he kept feeling that it was a vision of the future and there was nothing he could do about it.

* * * * *

Jesse found himself back on the island of Isola Bella. To many people, Wizards and Muggles alike regarded the tiny Italian islet as a beautiful place to visit, especially with its scenic castle and lovely gardens…but to Jesse, it was hell. Because he had only been there once…the night Lucius Malfoy tracked him and his mother down and tortured them both.

He visited this place quite a few times…mostly in nightmares or in flashbacks when he tried to use his elemental ability. Unlike the flashbacks, the nightmares didn't make his body relive the effects of the Cruciatus curse, but Jesse considered them to be worse. The pain that accompanied the flashbacks usually subsided when he stopped summoning the fire, but the nightmares provided him with a ringside seat to his own torture session, sometimes played over and over again. And each time, he was a bystander who was powerless to do nothing except watch as his five year old self thrashed around on the floor while his mother cried out in anguish, begging Lucius Malfoy to stop hurting her son.

"It's not real," he said, his voice seeming to echo through the darkness.

But the people there never saw him or heard him. He was just an invisible, intangible ghost they couldn't see or hear. So instead, they merely re-enacted what had happened.

"I will ask you again, Simone. Where is the Stiehl?"

"I don't know…we haven't found it yet!"

"Hmmm…I still think you're lying…CRUCIO!"

And Jesse could hear his own screams again…the screams of a five year old child writing in agony as the unforgivable curse burned its way through his body. He had had enough. He stepped up to Lucius Malfoy and did what he had always done countless times before during this dream…he swung at him with his fist, only to have his hand pass through Lucius Malfoy as if he were made of air. And, as always, Lucius Malfoy continued to torture the five year old on the ground in front of him.

Jesse backed away from the man and turned to look out in the darkness…something didn't feel right this time, not that this ever felt right to begin with. This time, however, he felt as if someone else were watching.

"Are you enjoying the show?" he shouted into the darkness. "I hope you get your money's worth out of it!"

His voice echoed through the dark as he continued rage at the unseen observer…unseen, but felt. "Why are you doing this?"

And then the dark answered him, an almost soft but cold rumbling. "Because I have no choice in the matter." Lucius Malfoy and the others suddenly vanished and the air in front of Jesse started to shimmer. A moment later, he found himself staring at tall man with pale skin and black hair wearing a black cloak. "For ten years, I had done this, and you never sensed me…not till now."

Jesse shook his head in disgust. "Oh gee, I'm sorry, but you'll forgive me if I object to reliving the worst night of life over and over again." Then he suddenly stopped as he realized what the man just said. "Hold on…did you just say that you've been doing this for ten years?"

The pale man nodded, a somber expression on his face. "Yes."

"Why?" Jesse hissed.

"For your protection."

Jesse didn't bother hiding the shock on his face. "My protection?" He shook his head in disbelief. "Making me relive this is for my own protection? Protection from what?"

"Yourself."

"Myself? You're making me relive all this for my own protection? From myself?" Jesse sat down on a nearby bench and gave the man a bitter laugh. "And how is this supposed to protect me, huh?"

"Because it's the only thing keeping you alive," he heard someone else say. He turned to see a young woman with pale skin and long black hair wearing gothic clothing approach him.

Despite himself, Jesse couldn't resist making a snide comment. "I'm sorry, but if you're looking to attend a rave, you're in the wrong place."

The woman smiled at him. "Sorry, Jess…no raves today. Although, I plan on being at one in about an hour…a couple people are expected to overdose and I need to be there to pick them up."

"Huh?" Jesse wasn't quite sure what she was talking about, until he saw the silver ankh necklace hanging around her neck. "Oh shit," he said as he realized who he was talking to. "If you're here, then that means I'm-"

The woman laughed at him and shook her head. "No…not here to take take you…at least not yet anyway. But if you don't wake up soon, I won't have much choice in the matter and neither will you."

"Do you really think I like being trapped here? If I could wake up, I would." Jesse then gestured over his shoulder to the pale faced man in the black robes. "But this sick freak over there seems to think otherwise."

The woman looked over at her make counterpart and laughed again. "Yeah, well, baby bro has always been a little on the dramatic side. But that's his job. Unfortunately Jesse, whatever happened out there nearly killed you."

"Nearly? But that means I survived. So why are you here?"

"Just in case you don't wake up."

"That bad?"

"Yep."

"Any ideas to get me out of here?" Jesse asked.

Death only shook her head. "Sorry, Jess…can't tell you that one."

"Then screw this," Jesse said as he got up off the bench and started to walk away. He needed some time to think and he didn't feel like dealing with the grim reaper and her moody brother. At least it got him away from the gruesome scene of watching Lucius Malfoy torture his five year old self again.

"Hey, where are you going?" Death called out.

"For a walk…now leave me alone."

Death watched Jesse disappear into the shadows, then looked over at her brother and laughed. "You know, Dream, I'm surprised that kid is still sane after what you've had to do to him."

The pale man nodded, but there was a hint of sadness in his voice when he spoke. "Yes, unfortunately, that sanity is only a thin shell. This nightmarish memory is the only thing protecting him from the truth. Perhaps it would have been better to just let him sit on that bench…and never wake up. His suffering would have ended."

"Perhaps," said Death as she sat down on the bench. "But Jesse doesn't strike me as the kind of kid who'd take the easy way out. Besides, he's the one that got up and walked off on his own, it was his decision." Then she smiled again. "I guess fate isn't through with him yet."

Jesse kept walking down a small path that led away from the garden. He wasn't sure how long he was walking…it could have been minutes, it could have been hours. He wasn't sure, but he knew the island wasn't that big. He found himself standing in front of the small castle on Isola Bella next to the marina, when he realized that the sun was starting to rise.

Wait a second, he thought, this never happened before.

"Of course it hasn't." Jesse turned and saw a boy maybe a year or two older than he was sitting at a table outside the small café by the marina, sipping what appeared to be some pumpkin juice. "I have to admit, Jesse, you've got an interesting life. Elemental, nightmarish past, and being American…it's a wonder you're still sane."

Jesse looked back up towards the garden, but saw no sign of the people he left behind. "Whoa..um…what's this?"

"This?" the other boy said with a gesture to the rest of the now sunlit island. "Think of it as a slight change from your usual nightmare. Any other questions?"

"Um…what happened to-"

"Death?" the boy finished for him. "Long gone, I guess you got up off the bench and walked away. As for her brother…well…he has other people to terrify." He handed Jesse a glass. "Pumpkin Juice?"

"Sure." Jesse took the glass and sipped some juice. "So…um…I don't mean to be rude, but who are you?"

"My name is Cedric."

"Okay…Cedric…next question. What are you? I mean, are you like Death, or some being from the afterlife."

Cedric smiled at him. "Something like that. You're an Elemental, right?"

"Yeah, cursed since I was five years old."

"Cursed?" Cedric gave him a curious look. "Why do you say that?"

"Well, gee…let's recap, Elementals…dangerous magical beings, feared because they're insane monsters…any of this ring a bell?"

"Ah, I see…so, do you consider yourself an insane monster?"

"No," said Jesse with a laugh. "But I'm from California."

Cedric laughed. "Well…while some people might think otherwise, being from California does not necessarily mean you're insane. On another note, you ever wondered why Elementals were treated that way? Granted, some of them were insane monsters, but most of them…well…let's just say Muggle society isn't the only group that shuns or fears what it can't understand."

"Yeah, I remember the stories…uncontrollable powers, talking to the dead that aren't there…which I don't get, because ghosts are dead, and people see them, right?"

"True, but spirits are a different story. Lost souls who are trapped between here and beyond, because something's holding them back. Elementals, for some reason, maybe it's because they're more in tune with the natural world…who knows…can see them."

"Okay," said Jesse, "so maybe I'm not a monster, but that still doesn't tell me why you're here."

"Because you can see me," replied Cedric. "Which is kind of amusing in a way. Those that trapped me here, aren't even aware…but you…you are."

"Whoa, hold on a second. What do you mean by ‘those that trapped you here'?"

Cedric sighed and pulled out an old pocket watch. "Wish I could tell you, but I'm afraid our time is up for now."

"Huh?" Jesse leaned forward on the table. "Cedric, what are you talking about? And what do you mean our time is up?"

Cedric smiled at him again. "Sorry, Jesse. But it's time for you to head back to the land of the living." He got up from the table and started to walk off. "But don't worry," he called back over his shoulder. "We'll talk later."

"Wait a second!" Jesse started to follow him, when he felt something hit him in the face. He wasn't sure what it was…at first he thought it was the breeze coming up off the lake until it hit him again…a furry breeze followed by what sounded like a soft rumbling thunder. And why was he starting to smell raw fish.

"What the-"

The world suddenly flashed out of existence around him and he could hear the rumbling get a little louder as he felt the invisible furry object hit him again. And then…blackness…

Of course it would be blackness…his eyes were closed, and there was something sitting on his chest. He opened his eyes and saw Joscoe sitting on his chest, purring contentedly as he continued to chomp on a piece of salmon.

"Joscoe…get off," Jesse said weakly as he tried to push his cat off his chest.

"Oh, you're awake."

Jesse's eyes started to adjust to the candlelit room and he saw Ginny Weasley standing there.

"Um, yeah," Jesse said. "How long have I been out?"

"A few hours," Ginny said as she reached over and scratched Joscoe behind the ears. The calico purred louder as he continued eating his salmon. "Mum and Dad were worried that you weren't going to wake up. But your familiar didn't seem too worried. He just sat there."

Jesse managed to laugh, even though it hurt. "Sounds like him…the world could be blowing up around us and he'll just be sitting there, eating."

Ginny smiled and picked up Joscoe who didn't seem to mind. Instead, the kitten rubbed his head against Ginny's hand.

Jesse's eyes suddenly widened in realization. "Ginny! Put him down before-"

He was cut off as Ginny disappeared in a flash of white light with his cat. And just at that moment, Arthur and Molly Weasley entered the room. "Jesse, you're okay," said Mr. Weasley.

"How are you feeling, dear?" asked Mrs. Weasley as she felt his forehead.

"Um…I'm fine."

"I'm surprised Ginny didn't tell us you were awake," said Mr. Weasley. "We left her up here watching you…" he suddenly stopped as he realized something. "Uh, Jesse? Where's Ginny?"