The rain was finally calming over Hogwarts.
In the dining hall, Luna sat at her table. Her eyes, unmoving, stared at the last few raindrops dribbling down the window.
Pit…
Pat….
Pit…
Pat…
The relentless pattering of the raindrops was the only thing keeping her awake. She needed to stay awake. If she stopped watching the raindrops for even a second, she would fall asleep.
All of the Fifth Years were worried about Luna. Harry, Ron and Hermione in particular.
"It's like she's not even here anymore." Hermione said, glancing back at their friend.
The trio were watching her from the Gyrffindor table.
When she had first come to them, they assumed she was simply worried about one of the creatures from her imagination. Nargles, Barshalts, and the other creatures only she could see. But this time it seemed different. What ever was hurting her was real.
The hall went silent as McGonagall prepared to make a speech.
Just as she opened her mouth, Luna screamed.
She fell of her chair, convulsing and spasming on the ground.
"Get away from me! Get away from me!" She screamed.
Her eyes filled with a terror never seen before as she arched her back. Blood started spurting out of her neck as a giant gash appeared. It moved down her body, an invisible knife cut through her flesh, gutting her from her neck to her hips.
Luna was pulled into the air, floating above the Ravenclaw table. Her blonde hair spread out around her and her life-drained skin contrast to the crimson liquid covering her chest. Her lips moved, as the rest of her fell limp in the air, pulled up by her neck. Her lips seemed to be forced to move, as if someone was using her as their own marionette.
"He needs to bring the fear back." She said. "Freddy's coming for you."
Her corpse dropped.
...
Harry lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling. The gold and red patterns seemed to swirl together when his eyes drooped, making beautiful new colours.
He couldn't stop thinking about Luna.
People still couldn't explain what had happened in the hall, there were new rumours everyday though. An assembly was to be held tomorrow to dismiss those rumours and hold a personal memorial.
He also couldn't stop thinking about her dad. He had lost everything in the world, and that sort of thing can do anything to a man.
Beside him, Ron Weasley tossed and turned in his bed.
"Don't eat me…" He muttered in between snores.
"Ron! Wake up!" whispered Harry loudly, hitting his best friend with a pillow.
Ron shot up in his bed, his eyes still adjusting to the real world.
Harry stared at his friend, a questioning look on his face.
"Bloody nightmares" Ron answered, "A giant pumpkin pie was trying to eat me, revenge for eating so many of his brothers, no doubt."
This was the third night in a row Ron had had a nightmare. They usually revolved around pumpkin pie, although last night it was a stuffed potato.
"How come you're still up mate?" Ron asked, turning to face his friend. "Still not thinking about Luna are we? I know it was horrible, but you need to at least sleep in between your mourning periods."
"Not everyone has a conscience as clear as yours, Ron." Harry said, "I just can't help thinking that the thing that killed her may have been what she was worried about weeks ago. If it was then we could have stopped it."
Luna had come to them a short while ago. Her eyes were bloodshot and underneath them dark lines grew larger and larger. She asked about their dreams, or more importantly, their nightmares.
Next door, in the girl's sleeping quarters, Ginny and Hermione lay awake, whispering quietly too each other.
"It's always the same man," Ginny whispered. "Every night, he's there."
"What does he look like?" Asked Hermione.
"He's disfigured," said Ginny, shuddering as she thought about the man in her nightmares. "It's like he's been burnt, the skin seems to melt of his face as he talks."
"Well, every face you ever see in your dreams is someone you have met before, even if only through a train window, you're brain can't make up new faces." Hermione said. "But I don't think I know anyone who could walk around like that, are you sure he's not a dementor?"
"I don't think so, he says his name is Freddy."
Hermione shot up in her bed, turning quickly to her friend.
"Freddy was the name Luna said, right before she died."
The girl's blood went cold.
"Were going to talk to McGonagall tomorrow." Hermione whispered. "Even here, it's not common to have your dreams feature the same man last seen by a dead girl."
Hermione brushed a piece of flyaway, red hair from Ginny's face. She was sweating, and Hermione felt the cold beads of liquid stick to her palms.
"Just don't fall asleep, okay? I'll keep an eye on you."
Ginny lay down, closing her eyes for a second. She opened them, quickly, remembering what her friend had said.
Suddenly, Ginny heard a noise. It was almost to faint to be heard, but it sounded like singing.
"Can you hear that?" She asked.
"Hear what?" Hermione answered, "Besides Pansy's snoring of course."
Ginny got up, planting her feet on the soft rug. Slowly and carefully, she walked past the other girl's beds. The singing was coming from outside the dorm rooms.
Ginny took a step outside, into the long and deserted corridors of Hogwarts.
"Hello?" She asked, her soft voice echoing around the long hall.
She waited, but heard no reply, only the anonymous singing getting louder and louder behind her.
One, two, Freddy's coming for you….
Three, four, better lock your door….
Ginny turned around.
Luna was singing the song. Her light, twinkling voice was echoing around her, begging Ginny to come closer. Her pale white corpse, spun and twirled, dancing to her song. She was still covered in blood; it dripped down past her creamy thighs, landing in puddles on the floor. Her eyes didn't seem to be there. Her pupils, almost non-existent, looked straight through Ginny.
Five, six, grab your crucifix…
Seven, eight, better stay up late….
Luna kept singing, twirling closer and closer to Ginny.
Was stuck, frozen to the stop, unable to do anything but watch her friend's corpse dance.
Nine, ten, never sleep again…
Luna jumped; her face was directly in front of Ginny's face. It twisted and turned, morphing into the face from her nightmares. Freddy's face.
"Boo!" He cackled. The smell of his rotting breath burnt her nostrils.
Ginny screamed, running as fast as she could. She ran into the girl's bathroom, ducking behind a sink.
"Please don't find me," she repeated, rocking as she huddled into a ball.
The florescent lights flickered above her. Ginny sat there, praying and begging the lights didn't go out. She couldn't handle the darkness.
The lights went out, they came back on.
The lights went out, they came back on.
The lights went out, they came back on.
Ginny opened her eyes when they came on for the third time, then instantly screamed.
The walls of the bathroom were covered in blood. The red liquid was crashing out of the toilets, flooding the floor. The sink above her turned on, the taps gushing blood. It rained down on Ginny, covering her hair and her pretty face. She scrambled away from the sink, crawling frantically.
She felt her back rest against something.
"Why hello, beautiful."
Ginny turned around, looking up at the thing she was resting against.
Freddy picked her up, grabbing the collar of her shirt and turning her around to face him.
"I'd like you to get a message to your friends, seeing as the little blonde girl didn't work." He said. "Although she has become quite a good, little play thing."
"W-W-What's the message?" Ginny stammered, barely able to get the words out.
"Well, see this is awkward," Freddy said, biting his burnt lip. "See…. You are the message."
He slit into her, his finger-knives cutting into her delicate ribs.
Hermione ran to her friend's bedside.
Ginny was floating above her beg, her feet dangling slightly above her pillow.
She convulsed, screaming in terror as her torso split open. The other girls were awake, some screamed, some were too terrified to do anything but watch as Ginny Weasley's ribs broke apart.
Something was pulling her bones through her skin, ripping out her organs and spilling them on the bed to which she once lay. Eventually, Ginny dropped, the same way as Luna had, four nights before.
The same thing that ripped her open, seemed to be moving the spilt blood, writing a message for the students at Hogwarts…
Freddy's back, bitches.
Be afraid.