Nightmare Knows Best

Karma was not happy. Not at all.

This was the sixth time this week Nightmare had woken her up for food. It was as if she never fed the bloody beast, and the sleep deprivation was making her annoyed at everything. There were visible hallows under her eyes, and she looked worn. "You are going to get fat, and I am going to laugh, and then I'm going to make you exercise until you lose the fat, just to torture you." She told Nightmare as she pulled open the portrait that led to the kitchen. "I'm going to laugh while I torture you too."

Seeing her and Nightmare, the Elves set out two saucers, one with raw steak in it, and one with tomato soup. Karma sat on the bench in front of both and Nightmare hopped onto the table. This time was different than all the others this week though.

Instead of immediately devouring the steak, Nightmare sat on the table in front of Karma and just stared at her.

"What?" Karma demanded. Nightmare didn't move. "Why are you looking at me like that? Don't tell me you aren't hungry. You better not have dragged me all the way down here..." As she was talking, Nightmare leaned forward and put her nose against the edge of the saucer with the raw meat, and pushed it toward her.

Karma stared at her. Nightmare met her eyes and stared her down. They stayed like that for a few minutes before Karma reached over and picked up the meat in both hands.

"I don't see what you want me to do with it." Karma said. "Do you want me to throw it? Is that it?" But she already knew the answer. Nightmare was watching her patiently, so Karma did what her stomach and sharpening teeth told her.

She ate it.

The bones were harder to chew, but she liked it that way, and the blood seemed to rejuvenate her. The meat itself wasn't the best, but she liked the way it settled in her stomach. She felt better.

Nightmare purred and ate a new steak that the house elves had provided, calmly and slowly, like a practiced veteran.

Karma glanced at her as they both ate their second steak.

It seemed her Familiar knew more about her than she did.

They left for the Slytherin Girl's Dormitories ten steaks later.

Karma had never felt so alive.