( video ; seelie + unseelie )

[brainiest]

(ooc: link to a video representation here! tw for torture/blood)

THE DREAM;

[ It starts of as nothing more than blackness and screaming, the sounds flickering desperately and the panicked breathing soon taking over. When Hermione remembers this moment it's the pain that surfaces first, then the panic, then the horror of her memories, but it takes so, so long for the memories to crawl out and be more than just echoed sounds.

Then there are visions, flashes of a face bearing into her own, whispering to her and a wand moving in front of her eyes, the sound of a curse echoing around her body as she screams with the pain, twitching. Her vision swims, now, from the agony, even as she lies through her teeth - and she is lying, desperately, not expecting to be believed but relishing the fact that even now, when she's on her back on a cold floor with a witch trying to Crucio her to death, she can protect her best friends.

It doesn't take long for the other woman to come back and take over Hermione's light of sight completely, leaning close and shouting in her face even as she tries to bite back desperate sobs. It's almost impossible, not with the ravaging pain that's taking over her, and it's not until the woman moves to the side and jerks forward, body twitching as she does something out of Hermione's vision but she still screams, body lurching and everything twisting as she tries to get away.

Everything is burning pain and agony and there's nothing she can do but breathe and try to keep going, despite her tears, desperate sobs that overtake the entire nightmare. The one word that echoes, over and over, is Mudblood; mudblood, mudblood, each hiss like a stab to her heart and another cut to her body.

Eventually, finally, the screaming is over, her voice is hoarse, and she's left just... Staring. Her gaze is a little fuzzy and distant, a little lost, and her hands twitch a little, her body readjusting to it's pain threshold being pushed too far, too fast, pulling all her energy out of her and leaving her worse for it. Eventually there are more whispered shouts behind her and a hand lifts, grabbing her, a knife pressed to her throat and her best friends in front of her, their lives on the line again and she'd failed --

and then she wakes up. ]

ADDED ABOUT AN HOUR LATER, text;

I don't suppose there's any way to get rid of this, is there? I'm sorry for anyone who had to see that. I'm truly sorry.

Comments

[brainiest]

Well, no, but... A lot of people think I'm insufferable, or a know-it-all, and I'm not really very good at empathising with people sometimes. I'm blunt, too.

[teenyoda]

Right... so the dumb kids are pissed that you're not failing out of classes like them. Good to know your school is full of dumb kids. There's nothing wrong with blunt. I'm blunt.

[God, had she met him?]

[brainiest]

[ She can't help but laugh, even if, after a moment, it sobers. ]

A little bit of that. Also a bit of this.

[ And she taps her wrist, the scarred one, almost absently. ]

[teenyoda]

[His eyes flicked down to where she tapped, remembering the image.]

You got out of it, though. You're okay, right? That's what matters in the end, Hermione.

[brainiest]

Of course. I proved them all wrong, quite valiantly.

[teenyoda]

Good. There's nothing wrong with knowing stuff. Especially when some of that stuff is magic. That's kind of important, I'd think.

[brainiest]

I think you're only saying that because you want me to teach you magic, Stiles...

[teenyoda]

Not even a little bit true. I think it's great that you actually know stuff since you're going to be teaching me, but I wouldn't want someone who didn't have a clue trying to tell me what to do. I could bumble through it myself in that case.

[brainiest]

Oh. Well. [ She flushes, ducking her head, fiddling with the teaspoon in her cup for a moment. ] I - thank you.

[teenyoda]

[He watched her, grinning.]

There's nothing wrong with being smart, Hermione. You should talk to a friend of mine, Lydia. One of the smartest people I know and she doesn't let anyone give her shit for it.

[brainiest]

Oh, I know. I mean - um, well. I know being smart is a good thing, Harry would've been totally hopeless without me.

[teenyoda]

So then what do you care if someone calls you a know-it-all? That's not a bad thing to be. I'd rather be a know-it-all than a dumbass.

[brainiest]

Oh, I don't - not anymore. I got over it once I realised that it was saving lives and it wasn't anything to be ashamed of.

[teenyoda]

Good. So, now that we've established that people are idiots...

[A pixie flew in with a small basket hanging from her arms. The basket was placed by the table they were at and it was filled with an assortment of cookies. Stiles' eyes lit up and his hand shot out to grab one of the chocolate chip looking ones, feeling the warmth of it and figuring it had just been taken out of the oven.]

Ooh, cookies. Thanks.

[brainiest]

Does that include you?

[ She smiles, brightening a little, leaning over and gazing at the biscuits before she decides on one that looks a little like a ginger snap of some kind. ]

Thank you, all of you. I appreciate it.

[ The faeries flutter and seem to blush as Hermione looks over at Stiles, looking somewhat more comfortable. ]

[teenyoda]

Oooh, look at that. Witchy Boo's got some bite. Meow.

[He takes a bite of his cookie, chewing with a blissful expression on his face. Fresh from the oven cookies. Nothing better, man.]

I think they like you.

[brainiest]

Someone has to keep up with you.

[ She jerks her head up, looking over at the faeries, her eyes blinking. ]

They do?

[teenyoda]

See the blushing one. That one. Right there...

[The blushing one hid behind another, shaking it fist at Stiles.]

Yep. Pretty sure they do.

[brainiest]

[ She grins, leaning over and reaching out to let her finger brush over the faerie, cheeks pink. ]

Well, thank you. I appreciate it.

[teenyoda]

Should I go and leave you two alone?

[He wound up with a face full of pixie dust and one pixie sticking her tongue out at him before she flew off.]

Hehe, guess not.

[brainiest]

[ Hermione laughs, leaning over to pat his hand gently. ]

No more embarrassing fairies, I think.

[teenyoda]

You'd think it wouldn't be so easy. They're fairies.

[There was tittering from a few of the others, one coming over to help brush off the dust on his face.]

Thanks.

[brainiest]

[ She shakes her head, reaching out to rub out the last of the dust settled on his nose. ]

Much better.

[teenyoda]

[His nose wrinkled at the touch, but he grinned, saluting her with his half-eaten cookie.]

Thanks. So, now that we've established that fairies hate me and love you...

[brainiest]

I don't think they hate you...

[ She grins, though, glancing at the echoes of the fairies before she nibbles at her own cookie. ]