bad dreams|Titus

[Cory Titus Simpson]

He had no clue what started the fight. All he had been doing was walking and suddenly, a group of boys jumped him. He was hurt badly. The school nurse couldn’t do anything for him. He had to go to St. Mungo’s. Cory did all he could to remember clearly what the boys had said to him, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t remember anything except the boys jumping him. He was sure it hadn’t been fair; then again, he was sure it was Slytherins and they were never fear. Cory hadn’t been attacked during his first year, but, now, with the dark lord in charge, apparently, the Slytherins were worse and they were going after anyone and everyone. Cory was ready to bet that if his dad didn’t get control again soon, he was going to end up getting killed. He may even welcome death.

The nurse forced something down his throat and in a few minutes, he was sound asleep. This wasn’t exactly safe. He still had nightmares from when he was kidnapped by that muggle man. In fact that was where his mind went. It had been a great day. He was about seven, his birthday was coming up and he was excited. Cory never could wait for his birthday. Erik was walking next to him, trying to get him to calm down. He looked up to say something and they were gone. No where to be seen. Cory walked, alone, calling for them, but they never came. There was one point where he called for Daddy, but he never came either. He was lost, alone, and afraid that he would be here forever.

The man looked nice enough and Cory always was very trusting. He never did understand why he needed to watch out for some people. He didn’t see bad in any of them. Besides, the man offered to help him find his parents. Of course he was going to take it. Cory got into the man’s car, telling him a bit about himself and where he had last seen his mother and brother. He did get confused when he went the opposite way and wouldn’t listen to him when he said that he mentioned that. There was nothing that he could do though. He was tied up in a chair, down that creep’s basement.

“Daddy!” he cried on a daily basis, down there. This time when he called it in the dream, it sounded different, like he was saying it out loud. Cory suddenly sat bolt upright, sweating and crying. “Daddy!” he cried again, staring down at the white blankets that were still covering his legs. He hated having these dreams and he wished that they would stop, but he didn’t know how to stop them.

[titus]

Titus was in his office trying to figure out how to get control again. In fact he wondered how he losted it in the first place. One minute he was fighting and the next minute it was lights out Titus. He didn't like that feeling at all. He truely didn't like that at all. And on top of that he was worried about his youngest son. After the war had started he was wondering how things went wrong. They were't supposed to let the Dark Lord taken over things. He was really lucky to keep the position of the Minister of Magic and that Neville kept the School. He had to get the order together and he had to get them now.

Dressed in his usual jeans and t-shirt he had gone into thought without realizing it and started pacing. He came out of his thoughts when he heard a hoot and a felt a nibble on his finger. "Hey little owl what do you got for me today?" he asked the bird as he took the letter. "Great scotts I got to go over there." he said with a worried look on his face. "Take messages for me please I've got to go to St. Mungo's." he told his secretary. "Um Mr. Simpson St. Mungo's is the other way!" his a*sistant said pointing to the opisitite direction than he was heading. "Thank you!" he shouted over his shoulder.

Racing out onto the street he ran as fast as he his feet could carry him. "Good day minister how are you today?" the person behind the desk asked him. "Everything isn't okay where is my son? I know he is here." he told her with a worried look on his face. He was truely worried about his son. His youngest at that. "He's over there in that room sir!" the person behind the desk had told him. He walked in that direction and walked into the room. He saw his son laying there on the bed.

He leaned over him a bit and ran his hand over his son's hair. He placed a small kiss on his forehead before he realized he was sweeting. The next thing he was yelling for him. "It's alright son I'm here." he said and clearly he hadn't heard him the first time because he yelled again. "Cory it's all right my son. Daddy's here!" he said pulling his son into a hug. "Tell daddy all about it!" he said with a small smile. He had hoped he was going to be okay.

[Cory Titus Simpson]

He relaxed a bit when he heard his dad and felt his arms go around him. He felt safe. Nothing, and nobody, can hurt him with his dad in the room. Not that the guy would ever come in here and take him again. That was something he had to remember. His kidnapper had been a muggle, who knew nothing of the wizarding world. Cory was sure that he may have been able to get away from him if he’d not been so inexperienced with magic. Now he’d be able to take him on. Well, probably not. He was still very trusting of everyone that came around. That was a fault that he had to work on.

He soon stopped crying and was content with just leaning against him. While he was considering how to tell his dad about the dream, a nurse came in, no doubt shaken because of the screaming, but she didn’t say anything. After looking at them, she walked right back out again. “Daddy, I had the nightmare again. I have it too much, I just want them to stop!” Cory would love to be able to sleep soundly for once since that day. It was at a point now where he refused to sleep in his dorm or anywhere around people because he always woke up, screaming daddy. His roommates don’t even realize that he has nightmares. “How can I get them to stop?”

After a few minutes of sitting there, he broke away from his dad and lay back down. Cory wanted to get his mind off of the dreams, think about something that wasn’t so depressing and scary. His thoughts went to the fight and exactly what started it and how it happened. “Do you know what happened, Daddy? All I know is a fight, but I don’t know anything else. I think it was about you.” That was a safe bet. Anytime Cory got into a fight, it was about someone talking about his dad, though he never fought. He always tried to talk with them first. “I don’t think I did any fighting. I rarely do fight.” He shrugged. “I’m sure I’ll remember something soon.”

[titus]

Titus looked at his son for a moment. Wondering what to say to him at that moment. He wasn't exactly sure how he could get his son to stop dreaming the nightmares of the kidnapping that happened when he was seven. "Sport you know what I betcha if you got yourself very very busy where it tires you out so much that you are too tired to even dream the nightmare." he said with a small smile on his face.

Titus listened to his son speak. He of course let his son go when he pulled away. He knew that his son well enough. Sitting down near him on the bed he looked his son in the eyes as he spoke. Wondering what to say to his son. It seemed like everytime he was being talked about. Even in the Daily Prophet there was something about him. Like they were trying to get him to admit defeat and now his son got beat up because of him.

"You were in a fight because of me?" he asked surprisingly. "Sport don't fight unless you need to but if anyone talks about me ignore it because you know whatever they say isn't true." he told him for a moment. "And I know you rarely fight. I raised you liked like that. And I think we should keep this from your mother." he said with a small smile. "And you can tell me when you remember something. I'm only an owl away if you don't remember today!" he said with a small smile. "How's your puppy that I got you doing?" he asked him for a moment. Well at least trying to distract him from his worries.

[Cory Titus Simpson]

Cory thought about what his dad was saying. It might work. Maybe he could practice quidditch before bed every night. That always made him tired. Plus, he’d get better at it and maybe he could make the team next year, considering that he just wasn’t good enough this year. Cory didn’t understand why they thought that. He was just as good, if not better, than the other players. He had to wonder if it was a personal reason. Maybe they didn’t want him on the team because of his dad. Okay, now he was being paranoid and regretted thinking that. “Maybe I could play quidditch before bed. And maybe I’ll get good enough that they’ll let me on the team next year, considering that I wasn’t good enough this year.”

He knew everything that was being said about his dad. He saw the newspapers. He heard what others were saying about him. There were even Slytherins going around saying that he was going to get killed because he won’t step down. That made Cory scared. He was worried that one of these days he would hear that his dad was killed. Sometimes, he just felt like screaming at his dad to give up the post. There’ll be another war and maybe he could get it back after that. Cory understood why his dad didn’t want to give it up, so he never did say that. He did admire his dad for being so courageous.

He couldn’t believe what his dad was saying. He didn’t want Cory to stand up for him? He didn’t think that he’d be able to do that. Every time he heard something said about him, he had to get involved. He always tried to stop it before it got too far, but sometimes it didn’t work. Slytherins were just drawn to fighting, and apparently, a small Hufflepuff was the perfect victim. Slytherins were wimps. “I can’t stop standing up for you, Daddy. I can’t ignore it when they say you’re going to get killed. It’s not that easy.” Cory nodded at what his dad said. He would do that if he remembered something. He beamed when he mentioned the dog. “Scrappy’s fine. He loves to run around the grounds.”

[titus]

Titus looked at his son for a moment and got lost in thought for a moment. “That is a good idea.” he said for a moment. Though when he had heard his son say he wasn’t good at making the team this year it worried him a bit. “What do you mean you weren’t good enough this year to be on the team?” he asked his son for a moment. “I’ve seen you practice at home and you got talent. You got the talent that I didn’t have at all. I wasn’t good at all for the team but you are better at Quidditch than I am. But I did teach you how to fly.” he said with a small smile. “But you also got better training from Oliver Wood last year. I don’t get it?” he wondered about it for a moment. “Oh well there’s always next year sport just remember that.” he said with a smile on his face.

He began to think he should admit defeat and give up. He wondered if this was not the last time that he would see his son in St. Mungo’s. “Sport listen to me for a moment. Everything you read and year about me is a lie well at least most of the things they are saying about me is a lie and you know that. I’ve actually head some of the things as well. I have a hard time at times at work but I choose ignore them.” he said with a small frown. “I know what I’m getting into and I know you don’t really want me to risk anything and believe me if I could give up this position as the Minister of Magic I would but I also can’t disappoint the other people out there and I’m proving to the Dark Lord that I’m not going to let him win Cory.” he said with a smile on his face. “Do you believe me?” he asked him for a moment.

Titus had to laugh for a moment at his son’s reaction to that. “You are an ambitious child just like I was. And I did the same when I was a kid. If someone made fun of my parents or siblings then I would fight and every time my parents keeps telling me not to do such things at all. And I would fight anyways though I always used words before that. I myself had landed myself in the hospital many times just like you just got yourself landed here in St. Mungo’s.” he said with a small laugh. “I didn’t say you couldn’t stand up for me. Go for it if need to but if they are calling me a Mudblood just ignore them and walk away because you and I both know that I’m not dirty blood. Sure grandma and grandpa may not be magical but we both know I’m just as good just as anybody when it comes to magic.” he said with a smile on his face.

“Scrappy? Is that what you named him?” he asked him with a smile on his face. He had to smile at the name and then he wondered why he named him Scrappy. He had talked things through with Oliver and they had a deal where Scrappy would go to his house during the summer and Cory would come over every three weeks claiming that he had to train for Quidditch the next year. And the week before they would have Dannielle Wood over for a week and she would learn about what the minister does when he’s off working. He could see that she was hurting inside though. He heard that she dropped out of the DA and hoped that she didn’t join the Slytherin Gang. He got Samantha to spend time with her and take her shopping in the muggle world. “Which reminds me! How’s Dannie doing?” he asked his son for a moment. “Is she still sad about her mother?” he asked him for a moment.

[Cory Titus Simpson]

Cory wasn’t going to mention that he thought Wood was why he didn’t get on the team. He didn’t think that Wood was that good a quidditch player. Something told him that Dad would get mad if he said that. His dad seemed to be rather close with Wood, thought the world of him or something. Cory didn’t understand why. He wasn’t somebody that a person would want to look up to. He’d spent a lot of time there during the summer to be near Scrappy and was able to see that the guy was depressed. He had also seen Wood drinking. He never told his father that though. It was only one drink and adults were allowed to drink. “Yep, there’s always next year.”

Yeah, he knew that it wasn’t true. It wasn’t something that he wanted to hear, though. And he didn’t want his dad to continue. He didn’t want to lose his dad because he got along better with his dad than his mother. What would his life be like if his dad got killed? Cory would probably not stay at home. He’d run off. He understood that well. Bravery was a quality that was meant to be admired and he did admire his dad for it. Cory didn’t think that he could do that. He wasn’t as brave as his dad was. He nodded. “Yeah and I understand why you won’t quit.”

No matter what he said, he wasn’t going to stop standing up for him. It was something that he had to do. He soon blocked his dad out as another thought occurred to him. What if he was kidnapped because his dad didn’t give up the post? What would his dad do? Would he continue with the fight, continue saying that he wouldn’t give it up? Or would he give it up? Cory, for a moment, thought about asking him. Just to see what he would say. Something talked him out of it though. He didn’t want his dad to think about that or worry about that. It was just something for him to think about.

He cleared his head of the thoughts and heard what his dad said. “Yes, I named him scrappy. You know, like on Scooby Doo. Scooby had a nephew named Scrappy. That’s how I named him.” Cory wished that he could see his dog a lot during the summer, but his mother didn’t know that he had the dog. He wasn’t sure if she just didn’t like dogs or if she was allergic, but his dad didn’t want to tell her. “Is mum allergic to dogs or something? I’d really prefer him to live with us.” When he mentioned Dannie Wood, Cory had to think for a moment. He hadn’t seen her much. He’d heard she’d been spending a lot of time with Gang members, especially Scorpius Malfoy. “I hear she’s been spending a lot of time with Scorpius Malfoy. I really don’t know how she’s doing because I haven’t seen her much.”

[titus]

Titus began to wonder though if the guy was really that bad. Oliver didn't look so well during the summer and maybe it wasn't a good idea if his son went there. He wasn't going to force him there anymore and then wondered about asking him that. He looked at his son for a moment. "Cory it's alright if you don't like Oliver Wood. Really it is. I'm not that close to him but I thought since that all of his kids had turned his back on him he could use someone like you to get his spirits back up." he said with a small smile.

He then thought what would happen if he got kidnapped again. He for sure then pa*s over the position of Minister of Magic. He looked at his son for a moment. He had remembered all the good things they had together. He looked at his son for a moment. "You don't want me to be the Minister of Magic anymore do ya son? And it's alright you can tell me the truth. But I refuse to home school you!" he said with a small smile. "Hogwarts can teach you more than I ever can." he said with a small smile on his face. He could tell just by the look on his sons face that he didn't want him to be the minister of magic anymore.

He sat there looking at him for a moment wondering what he had to say or what he was thinking about. He couldn't believe that he was now thinking about quitting being the Minister of Magic. He had to talk to Harry. It was something he knew he had to do eventually and maybe he could this time around. He also had to ask him a question. And he didn't want to seem like a wimp to his son if he had quit being the Minister of Magic.

Titus had to smile at that one. "Of course Scooby Doo should have known you would name him after a cartoon character." he said with a smile on his face. It was true he should have known about that. He watched Scooby Doo with him every once in a while if he wasn't busy. "Um actually Samantha, your mother, told me if I ever buy you boys a dog without consulting her then I'd sleeping in the dog house with the dog and no joke about it." he said with a small smile. Then he smiled a bigger smile. "Tell you what while you are at school I'll talk to mom about getting a puppy and she wouldn't have to know that you just didn't get the dog but you'll have to act like you did." he said with a smile on his face. "This way it saves my behind. And my back for that matter." he said.

He was surprised to hear that Dannie was hanging out with Scorpius Malfoy. He was the one who killed the Grounds Keeper last year. He hoped that it wasn't too late to reach out for her. Maybe he could talk to Harry to talk to her about hanging out with Scorpius and hopefully get her back into the DA. He looked at his son. "Are you certain that she has been hanging out with Scorpius Malfoy?" he asked his son for a moment. He looked at him in eyes when he asked that. "Because that would mean four out of five had turned for the worse. Well three I know of and I'm pretty sure she hasn't joined the gang just yet there maybe hope yet." he said with a small frown.

[Cory Titus Simpson]

Was his dad able to read his mind or something? Cory looked at his father. “Dad, he’s not like he once was. The loss of his wife made him crazy. He isn’t good at quidditch anymore. Plus, he drinks. I don’t want to be around him if he’s drunk.” He knew what alcoholics did. They beat on anyone and Cory didn’t want the man to hit him just for being there. “Besides, not all his kids turned on him. Andy Wood isn’t in the gang yet. He may not be in the Army, but he’s not in the gang either.”

He never mentioned his dad homeschooling him. He may have thought it, but he never said it. Maybe he was reading his mind. Cory would never tell his dad that he didn’t want him to be the minister. He didn’t want him hurt, but he wasn’t going to be responsible for making him quit. “I want you to be Minister. This world needs you.” That really wasn’t a lie. The world did need him to be Minister and he did want him to be Minister. Cory just didn’t want him to be Minister during this time.

“My dog isn’t getting a doghouse. He’s going to sleep in my bed.” Cory would never allow Scrappy to sleep in a dog house. It was seemed so cruel to put the dog in a dog house. He wanted him to be in the house. “You can buy one for you to sleep in, but not Scrappy.” Cory grinned at him before yawning. “Yes, she’s been hanging out with Gang members. Can I sleep now?”

[titus]

Titus looked at his son for a moment. "I know son. Even before he lost his wife he hasn't been the same. I think it happened when he couldn't play Professional Quidditch that made him the way he was. He was stuck teaching kids how to fly." he said with a small frown. He didn't like how the guy turned out. He turned out to be an Acolohic and in front of his kids as well. That wasn't a smart thing to do. He began to wonder though that's why Dannielle was the way she was. "Andy isn't in the gang yet? Well that's good!" he said for a moment. He couldn't believe all of his kids are turning on him and he looked at Cory for a moment and hoped that he would not turn on him.

Titus looked at him for a moment. "You really mean that or are you saying that to make me feel better?" he asked him for a moment. "But you know what you are so right. The world does need me. But so do Erik, Brandon, and you." he said with a smile. "And your mother needs me too. And believe me or not I'm trying to juggle all that and I'm surprised my hair hasn't turned gray yet." he said with a smile on his face.

"That's okay son. Scrappy can sleep on your bed. I don't mind that." he said with a smile on his face. "But he does have to go outside at times especially if he needs to do his business." he said with a smile on his face. "And you have to clean up after him when he makes a mess." he told his son with a smile on his face. He saw his son yawn and began to wonder if he had been sleeping well at night. "I may have to talk to her at least get Harry to!" he said not intending Cory to hear that part. "Yes Sport you may sleep. You don't have to ask me!" he said as he kissed his son's head.