3 March 1992, Hogwarts
As usual, his sleep was peaceful until something happened. In the middle of the night, Harry heard something scream. Something horrible had happened. He looked around and saw that no one seemed bothered by it. No one seemed to hear it in the first place. The screaming persisted during the night, and Harry didn't get a whiff of sleep because of it.
Harry got the breakfast with his friends with red eyes, and eyebags visibly sagging. He was obviously grumpy to everyone around him and kept grumbling to himself.
Daphne gave him a comforting hug, "Still can't sleep, huh?"
The Potter scion repressed to urge to snap at her. It wasn't really her fault that he hasn't been able to sleep for over a week. Normally, Harry treasured his Arcane Hearing, but he didn't expect such a downside. Every night for a week, magic itself cried out. Something was wrong, violating something truly fundamental to the world. It was horrible.
It felt like someone was being tortured over and over again, and Harry was the only one capable of hearing them scream. The worst thing was that it was so loud. Harry had no idea where the noise came from, nor who was responsible for it, only that magic itself was suffering, and it made its pain known to anyone who could hear it.
It only happened at night, that's the thing, when the castle is asleep, after midnight, the infernal screaming made itself known and did not stop until the sun rose once more. Harry hasn't been able to have a wink of sleep for almost a week, and the professors were starting to notice it. From falling asleep during class and the occasional potion mistake and miscast spell, the professor expressed their disappointment whenever it happened.
Harry took their scolding without truly caring. Nothing could really compare to the screaming he was forced to hear every night. Maybe nothing ever will. And worse, the Potter scion still had to attend his detention with Longbottom of all people. He still had no idea what was happening.
As if it was mocking him, a small note appeared next to his cup of coffee. It spelt the following,
'Your detention will take place at eleven o'clock tonight. Meet Mr Filch in the entrance hall. Professor McGonagall'
Harry grumbled to himself about his miserable position. He was already having trouble sleeping and the detention was in the middle of the night.
Tracy looked up, "Did you say something?"
He shook his head, "Nothing. I'm just tired."
"Just take a dreamless sleep potion. Pomphrey would give you a dose if she saw how sleep deprived you really are," Blaise said.
Harry stifled another groan; they seem to think that he has nightmares. A dreamless sleep potion wouldn't do anything to help him. The only thing he might need is a way to sleep without waking up, and the only potion that fit was the Draught of Living Death, which Harry was not prepared to risk. But it's not like he could tell his friends what was really going on. They wouldn't understand really, and his Arcane Hearing was something he knew in his gut that he needed to keep as secret as possible. And Harry trusted his gut.
The young Slytherin had no intention of arguing with his friends again, and just grumbled and walked away from the table. He slowly made his way to the seventh floor, to the Room of Requirements. Harry had desperately tried to enter the room while wishing that the noise would stop one night. It did not work one bit. The screaming was as agonizing inside as it was outside. But since the screaming only happened at night, Harry had no issue just sleeping during the morning. It was the weekend, after all.
Harry had done his best in completing his assignments either during classes, or during the previous day, and now he had a day of rest.
Things weren't looking good for Harry. His entire magical education was on pause. He hadn't practised his Occlumency for a week, and he has barely had time to read a book either. He was barely handling dealing with his schoolwork with little sleep, he did not have the energy to experiment with his magic.
Harry went to the Room of Requirements and walked in front of the hidden entrance while repeating, 'I wish for a place to sleep. I wish for a place to sleep. I wish for a place to sleep.'
As expected, the Room turned into a giant bedroom with a ridiculously comfortable bed. Harry had almost immediately fallen asleep when his head touched the pillow.
When Harry woke up, he was strangely comfortable. Oh, he was nowhere near his best, but he could at least think clearly. As if by reflex, he cast, "Tempus!"
He stood up suddenly when he realized that it was almost time for his detention. He had slept for over thirteen hours. He needed to rush and not risk the caretaker's ire. Heaven knows that he's already sadistic enough already.
After running down seven floors, Harry barely arrived at the entrance hall in time. Filch was already there, as were Longbottom, Weasley, and Hermione. Harry stifled a groan; he really didn't have the energy to deal with them.
"Cutting it a little close, aren't you, Potter?" Filch remarked, "No matter, follow me."
He lit up a lamp and lead them outside and started acting creepy.
"I bet you'll think twice about breaking a school rule again, won't you, eh?" he said, leering at them. "Oh yes... hard work and pain are the best teachers if you ask me... It's just a pity they let the old punishments die out... hang you by your wrists from the ceiling for a few days, I've got the chains still in my office, keep 'em well oiled in case they're ever needed... Right, off we go, and don't think of running off, now, it'll be worse for you if you do."
.....
Want to read ahead by more than 60 chapters. Then join my p@treon Right Now.
Link: p*atreon.com/BookReaderBoy (Remove the *)
Also Free members get 2 advanced chapters for Free as well.