Title: Dreamcatcher
Rating and Warnings: M for violence
Main Character(s): Epilogue kids, Ron, Hermione, Harry, Ginny, Neville, Jaden (OC)
Pairing: Ron/Hermione, Harry/Ginny
Status: In Progress (Chaptered)
Synopsis: What is a dream? Some times, a dream is not a wish that your heart makes, but rather a locked away memory from a troubled past that, for one reason or another, comes back to haunt you. Follow Jaden (OC) and the Epilogue Kids as they try unravel the secret of the Shadow Mage.

A/N: I've had this story archived away for a long time. I wrote it during a particularly bad stretch of insomnia. It was originally set during the Marauder era, but after looking at it, I thought that it could be re-written as an Epilogue kids fic.

Rated M for some adult themes, but the first few chapters are pretty much the darkest that it gets. It lightens up once the story gets rolling.

I haven't had this fic beta read, so please excuse any gramatical errors.

Ron is lying unconscious in an abandoned subway tunnel. He slowly stirs, but finds it hard to move. His body aches. He eventually finds the strength to roll over onto his back, when screams echo through the darkness. Ron tries to sit up, but the slashes in his abdomen and chest make it almost impossible. He rolls over onto his stomach again, and pushes himself up with his hands and knees. His clothes are soaked from lying in his own blood for however long it was that he was knocked out.

The screams echo through the tunnels again. Ron determines which direction the screams are coming from, and staggers into the darkness. The screams grow louder as he gets closer. Ron can see a light in the distance, and quickens his pace. He finally reaches the source of the carnage to find bodies everywhere. A group of homeless and malnourished muggles, most of whom were children, was being slaughtered by a group of hooded people. Ron looks around for something... anything that resembles a wand. A few feet away, he spots his Holly wand. Ron lets out a painful groan as he reaches for the wand, which is tacky from the pool of blood in which it was sitting. He picks up the wand, and tries to utter a spell, only to double over in pain from the strain on his already weak body.

Ron looks up from his knees, to watch in horror as the group of attacking hooded figures literally tearing the weaker muggles apart. In one corner of the abandoned tunnel, Ron sees a big, rangy man with matted grey hair raping a young girl. Tears fall from Ron's eyes. His normally mesmerizing green eyes are wracked with pain as he watches that monster have his way with the shrieking girl who Ron perceives as no older than 16 years of age. The girl turns her head and looks at Ron. Her eyes red and tear soaked from crying, call out to Ron for help. Much to Ron's torture, he can barely stand, let alone be of any help to anyone.

Finally bored with his plaything, the beast uses a slashing motion of his wand to eviscerate the poor girl making sure not to hit any of her vital organs, which would have killed her instantly. She is lying on the ground, the voiced garbled by the blood building in her throat. He stands up looking at his fallen prey, and then turns his head towards Ron. He gives Ron a devilish grin as he licks the blood off of his hands like a feral dog.

Ron reaches down, and grabs his wand. Ignoring the excruciating pain, he utters a curse only to be overcome by pain again. He hunches over in agony and his spell backfires. The ensuing explosion sends Ron's tattered body hurling into the air, and landing next to the eviscerated girl.

Ron turns his head to see that he is face to face with the girl that he was helplessly watching. Blood trickles from the corner of her mouth as she struggles to breath. Ron forces himself into a sitting position, and pulls the girl into his lap in a futile attempt to comfort her in what is surly her final moments.

She looks up at Ron with her hazel eyes. Ron is enchanted by her eyes, which although strained from crying and filled with terror, are two of the most beautiful things that he has seen in his dark and shadowed life. All the sounds of the occurring massacre fade away around him as her eyes draw him in. Time seems to stop and the only thing in the entire world at that moment consists of Ron, and the dying girl in his lap. Her breathing quickens until her pupils dilate, and she lets out one final trailing breath.

Ron bends over, and hugs the girl, her body limp in his arms.

"RON!!!!! RON!!!!!" a worried Hermione shouts as she tries to wake up her husband. "WAKE UP RON!"

His bushy haired wife shakes Ron awake. He sits up in his bed, his pulse racing, and his face drenched in sweat. Ron hunches over and rests his head in his hands.

"A-Are you alright?" Hermione asks her visibly distraught husband.

"Yeah, I-I'm fine," Ron tries to reassure his concerned wife.

"You were screaming. I-It sounded bad," stammers Hermione, clearly concerned for her husband.

"I-I was just having a bad dream love,"

"It was the second one in as many nights Ron." Hermione points out, "Are you sure that you are alright?"

"Yes..." is all that Ron can say.

Hermione doesn't believe him, but she lays back in their bed, still concerned for her husband's well being. She wants to find out what it is that is troubling her one and only love, but she knows that Ron is not going to say anything unless he wants to. Hermione glances over at Ron one last time before pulling the covers over her. As Hermione rustles under the covers, she hears her normally strong-willed husband, one of the most well known wizards of his generation, quietly sobbing.

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A young boy about 11 years of age with shoulder length jet black hair tied back in a ponytail strolls by a closed London pawnshop. He stops and looks through the front window, which is further secured by iron bars.

He looks up and down the street to see if anyone is watching. Up the street, he sees a tall man. His face hidden by shadows, which is strange considering that he is standing directly under a street lamp. Although the boy cannot see this stranger's eyes, he can feel them boring into him. The boy glances uncomfortably away for a second. He hears a muffled pop, and when he looks back, the tall stranger is gone.

Now alone on the street, the boy peers through iron bars until he sees a shadow about his size in the back of the shop, behind the counter. He backs up and disappears into a shadow cast onto the street by a nearby light post.

Moment's later; he steps out of the shadow in the back of the pawnshop. He gives a quick look around the shop, and then spots what he is looking for. He walks up to the cash register, and, with a flick of the wrist, pulls out a butterfly knife. He uses the knife to pop open the cash register, and proceeds to clean out the register of all its cash. He then starts to walk around the shop looking into the display cases for anything that might catch his eye. He is about to open one of the display cases when he hears a low growl from the other side of the counter. He leans over to see what it is. Much to his dismay, a large German Shepard is standing there, its eyes fixated on him. He slowly backs away from the dog. The dog lunges at him, and he just barely is able to dive out of the way. He looks up from his hands and knees to be nose to snout with the growling guard dog. He slowly backs away from the dog, never taking his eyes off of him. The German Shepard barks, and chases him through the shop. The boy sees his way out, and dives into a shadow behind a display case leaving the bewildered guard dog sniffing the area where he disappeared.

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Albus Potter is sitting at a desk in his temporary room in 12 Grimmauld Place. Although, he always thought that the house was creepy, Albus found that he didn't mind it so much this evening. This is because he and his parents were going to Diagon Alley in a few hours to get his things for his first year at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Albus and his family usually lived in a house in Devon, but his parents had brought him and his older brother, James, and younger sister ,Lily, to Grimmauld place because it was located in London, which would allow them to get an early start in Diagon Alley.

Amidst complaints from the kids, the five Potters loaded into the family car and drove from Devon to London.

"Why can't we just use floo powder?" complained James and Lily in turn.

Albus never really understood why his father always insisted using the car on trips when there were so much faster ways of traveling. Still, he sat quietly (or at least he did whenever his brother wasn't making trouble to him) in the back seat enjoying the country scenery. After having dinner at Grimmauld place, his parents insisted that he and his siblings go to bed. This was hours ago, but he was too excited to sleep. After spending several minutes, which seemed like an eternity to him, staring at the pealing paint on the ceiling, he gave up the futile attempt to sleep. Albus decided to read over his list of school equipment for the umpteenth time.

Albus sat at the desk thinking of feathery quills, bottles of ink that change color as you write, fresh rolls of parchment. He hadn't decided if she wanted an owl or a cat yet, but above all else, the one thing that Albus was most looking forward to was getting his wand. He sat in a daze dreaming of the things he would finally be able to do once he had gotten his wand. Excitement continuing to build in him, Albus rose from his chair, and started moving about the room, pretending to cast spells. He jumped from the floor onto his bed pretending to shoot a spell over his shoulder at an unknown opponent. Albus bent over to shoot a spell between his legs when he sees his mother standing in the doorway.

"I thought I told you to go to sleep?" his ginger haired mother smirked.

"Mum…" sputters Albus as he drops onto his bed, bouncing slightly. "I'm too excited to sleep!"

"Well, you have to sweetie. We'll be leaving early. We have to meet you're Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione at the Leaky Cauldron," said Albus's mother. "You don't want to be grumpy when you see your cousins do you?"

"But Mum…" Albus whines.

With a glint in her eye, Ginny moves towards the bed while Albus scoots over to make room for his mother. "Tell me about Hogwarts again Mum."

Ginny sits on the edge of the bed next to her son. "Hogwarts is a wondrous magical castle with many towers and battlements. The castle is built atop a cliff overlooking a lake, which is home to many incredible creatures…"

And just like that, Albus was sound asleep.

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The longhaired boy, Jaden, walks into a motel on the outskirts of the city. As he walks by the front desk, the clerk is about to harass him for his rent money. Before he has a chance to say anything, Jaden throws some money onto the desk.

"That should take care of this and next week, and I need fresh towels," he says walking by, not even breaking stride.

He enters his room, and begins to empty his pockets. With the exception of almost being eaten by a dog, it was a good night. Almost a grand in loose cash which was more than enough to keep him fed and off the streets for another two maybe three weeks if he didn't spend too much.

Jaden takes off his black leather jacket, and pulls out his red t-shirt, which he usually keeps tucked into his pants when he goes out, especially on his bi-monthly cash with, drawl trips.

He looks in the mirror, and ruffles his hair before plopping on the bed, and turning on the TV. Its past 2:00 in the morning, but the time never fazes him; a drawback of chronic insomnia. He lies in his bed watching TV. Part of him wants to get some rest, but he is terrified of what he will see if he ever goes to sleep.

Jaden clicks through the channels trying to find something that is not an infomercial, when he springs to his feet at the sound of a knock at the door. "It's probably just the desk clerk with fresh towels," Jaden thinks to himself. He makes his way to the door, expecting to see the desk clerk, but is surprised to see a tall round-faced man holding a stack of fluffy white towels.

"Hello… Jaden is it?" says the man before calmly stepping into the shabby room. He hands Jaden the pile of towels, and closes the door behind him.

"A-hey," says Jaden as he looks incredulously at his uninvited guest.

"I have to admit, you are a hard person to track down, I've been trying to find you for two weeks."

Jaden drops the towels, and quickly takes a defensive posture.

"Calm down there boy, I'm not going to hurt you, I just want to talk," says the tall stranger.

Jaden scans the room, and starts to back into a shadowy corner.

"Oh no you don't," Says the tall man as he draws a wand from his coat pocket. He points it at Jaden and calls out, "Lumos." To Jaden's surprise, a bright light erupts from the tip of the wand illuminating Jaden and the corner that he is now standing. Jaden looks around to see that the shadow that he was attempting to escape through was gone.

"What do you want from me?" snaps Jaden.

"Like I said, I only want to talk, but I can't do that if you disappear into another shadow again."

"How do you know about that?"

"I thought that I already explained that I have been trying to track you down for two weeks," remarks the tall man, coolly. "I was having a rather difficult time following you. For awhile, I thought that you were apparating, but for someone so young to be able to do that would be truly remarkable."

"Apparating… What are you talking about?" chirps Jaden, still rigid in the corner of the room.

"Well, that's for another time," notes the tall man. "So, tell me Jaden, how long have you known that you are a Shadow Mage?"

"A what?"

"How long have you been able to disappear into shadows?"

"Why should I tell you anything?" yells Jaden.

"I told you, I only want to talk. If you promise to not vanish on me, I'll put my wand away, and we can have a seat and talk," says the tall man. "Do I have you word? I only want to talk."

Jaden stares at the tip of the wand, and then looks up into the stranger's eyes. Jaden is not sure why, but he has the feeling that he can trust this person. Jaden nods hesitantly.

At that slight gesture, the tall man retracts his wand, and mutters what Jaden thinks sounded like, "Nox." For a split second, the thought occurred to Jaden to just drop out of the room through the shadow behind him. However, aside from pulling a stick on him and shining a light in his face, the stranger has done thing to that could be interpreted as threatening. Jaden slowly moves towards a nearby chair and takes a seat while the tall stranger sits on the bed.

"Who-Who are you?" stammers Jaden

"Professor Neville Longbottom"

"Professor?" says Jaden quizzically who was more surprised at hearing such a strange name than the fact that he was a professor. "S-So, you're like a teacher or something?"

"Yes. I teach at a school called Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," Neville says proudly.

"What? Witchcraft?"

"Well, how would you explain what it is that you do?"

"W-Well, I never really thought about it, I just sorta just did it."

"I have to admit, that it is rather remarkable, especially for someone as young as you."

"So, what did you call it? Shadow Mage?"

"Yes, it took me awhile to figure out how I kept losing you. Fortunately, I have a friend at the ministry who is really good at researching things. Thanks to her help, I was able to figure out how you were giving me the slip."

"So, what is a Shadow watsit?"

"You're a Shadow Mage," Neville says whimsically. "To be honest, not much is really known about them. According to my friend Hermione, they are very rare, and because of the stigma of being associated with the dark arts, those who are Shadow Mages don't go around advertising it. But disappearing into shadows is one ability attributed to shadow mages."

"Is that why you are here?" says Jaden as he quirks an eyebrow at Neville. "Because I'm a shadow watsit?"

"Well, it is part of it. The real reason that I'm here is to notify you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts."

"For what? Why?"

"Because you're a wizard, and the purpose of Hogwarts is to educate those with magic abilities, and from what I have seen while trying to track you down, that's you."

"How much does it cost? I-I don't have any money to pay for school."

"Don't worry about it, if you decide to attend Hogwarts, there are funds set aside to assist those who have the financial need." Neville looks at the confused young boy. He didn't blame him, it was a lot of information to have sprung on him in such a short time. "Look, it's late, and I'm sure that there is a lot that you have to think about. Why don't I leave, and you can sleep on it."

Jaden's head snaps to attention at the thought of sleeping, and locks eyes with Neville.

"What do you say we meet for lunch tomorrow, and I'll answer whatever questions you may have?"

Jaden nods.

"Good. Do you know where Charing Cross Road is?" asks Neville as he rises from the bed and shuffles towards the door.

Jaden nods again.

"I'm staying at an inn called the Leaky Cauldron. It's on Charing Cross road next door to a record store. Shall we say noonish?"

Jaden has no idea what to make of any of this. Some stranger just walks into his room, and now they are making plans to meet for lunch. Almost eaten by a dog, and now meeting a supposed Professor from a school that teaches kids how to use magic. It's by far the strangest night Jaden has had in awhile, but what does he have to lose? Disappearing into shadows is not a normal thing, not by a long shot, and to be honest, Jaden never really gave it any thought. There were dozens of television shows in which people could do odd things that were not scientifically explainable, but the existence of witched and wizards?

Jaden was normally very hesitant to trust anyone. It's probably one of the reasons that he was able to survive on his own for so long. Two years without having to rely or trust anyone. Could he trust this person, Neville Longbottom? If he wanted him dead, Neville could have easily killed him in this room without anyone being the wiser. Charing Cross road was a busy street, so it would be a lot safer than sitting alone in a motel room with someone whom he had just met. Curiosity was getting the better of Jaden. After what seemed like an hour, Jaden looked up at Neville Longbottom, whom was not at the door, and gave a hesitant nod.

"Excellent," exclaimed Neville. "Tomorrow at Noon then. I understand if you decide not to come, but I deeply hope that you come and hear what I have to say."

Neville's eyes go wide, as he checks his watch. "My goodness, it is late. I think that we both should get some sleep… Oh, you might find this interesting," says Neville as he hands Jaden a piece of parchment. "See you."

To Jaden's surprise, Neville shoots him a cheerful smile before turning on the spot and disappearing with a slight, "Crack."

Still not sure what to make of any of this, Jaden slowly makes his way to the window. He pulls back the curtain slightly to see if anyone is outside. Once he is sure that there is no other would-be visitors are waiting outside, Jaden heads back to his bed to continue the futile search for some non-commercial related programming.

"Me… a Wizard?"

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I hope that you enjoyed chapter one, please leave a review.