**NOTE: Some of the story may be confusing, 'cause it switches back and forth every odd time to a dream. Now... *Hides begins 'I Shall Go Without A Name', her bodyguard against Flamers* R&R!!! R&R OR I'LL WHACK YOU WITH ME TITANIUM SPOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!!!... Tee hee hee.
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She rubbed her eyes and blinked into the sunlight. She stood in a field of lush grass and daisies... Where was she? Certainly not back at Hogwarts... Sandra turned around, looking here and there. Nothing but grass, daisies, and a blue cloudless sky overhead. Lost. She began to run... Running to the left... Footsteps crushing the grass beneath her, ever going, ever running, determined on returning back to Hogwarts... She screamed a piercing scream that filled the air. Breathless, she fell to the ground, chest heaving, gasping for air. Teardrops spilled onto a flower, dampening a small caterpillar that was there. She cried out to the sun overhead, a scream of pain, a scream of rage... She wanted people to hear... She wanted to be saved... Sandra had never felt so alone, so helpless, so desperate... She cried out again; this time a cry for help, then laid to the grass, sobbing, throat sore. Her white clothing was grass-stained. Everything seemed to be moving so fast: She felt the sun grow high in the sky in a matter of minutes, she spotted a bug near her hand that skittered along quickly, it was almost like elapsed time... Then the night fell.
Eternal darkness shrouded her, and she felt alone again. Where were here friends? Where were Ginny, and Pam and Alec? And Ron... Where were they? The fabricated world dissolved in an array of violet and black light, leaving her encased in a raven cubicle of illusion and intrigue. She shuddered: beads of sweat trickled down her cheek, mingled with tears, entwined in blood. She was dealt a crashing blow to the head by some invisible force, and she screamed; crimson flying everywhere, splattered against the cubicle for her to watch as she waited... and waited...
The confinement was torn open. A rending burst, a godly rip, tear, slashing of such power that it felt like the world itself was being destroyed. Sandra was thrown back against an invisible wall, as a face peered through the fissure between universes, and she was struck with horror. She screamed in such utter terror, shielding her eyes, curling away from the demonic mass of black light structure... It pierced her very soul... It touched where nothing else but her could ever reach inside... She felt her life slowly ebb away and began to sob; hacking, throbbing sobs as this evil titan moved forwards... She cried out in fear to her friends, her family, anything that could help her... Life was fading... fading quickly... and It drew closer...
She awoke.
Sandra sat bolt upright in bed, clutching the thin sheets protectively to her body. She buried her face in them, sobbing, sweating profusely, her auburn hair dampened, memories of the Dream still lingering in her mind. She took a moment to look up, azure eyes scanning the dark room around her. There was the window; that was familiar, and the beds too; they were familiar, set around the circular room in the same fashion. Yes. She was back at Hogwarts again, not trapped inside the Dream; she was back to reality. She sighed, drying her eyes with a corner of the sheet, and laid back in bed. Her own bed, in the Ravenclaw Girl's Dorm. She felt such relief was over her, she felt like crying again. But, controlling herself, she didn't. Her eyes were still open, staring at the ceiling, when out of the corner of them she saw a light flicker on at teh far side of the room. It was by Pam's bed.
Pam was Sandra's best friend at Hogwarts. Even before. They found out together that they were both witches and were to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She never forgot that moment: It was like heaven for both of them. They bought their things at Diagon Alley together, sat on the bus together, took classes together, they did everything... together. Now they were both 15, and both attending their 5th year at this School. There was only one thing that Sandra could ever remember them arguing about: The fact that they both had a crush on Ron Weasley, Ginny's older brother. Ginny was another one of Sandra's good friends. But certainly not as close as Pam...
"Ugghmmm... San... what's up?"
Sandra didn't answer. She heard the sound of a curtain being flung aside, and footsteps plodding across the room. In a moment, Pam was at her side, bits of her wispy blonde hair hanging over her face, covering a light blue eye.
"Yo, San, you alive?" She waved a hand in front of Sandra's face. Sandra waved it aside and sat up, offering Pam a seat beside her.
"I'm fine." Was all that Sandra could manage. She was still being haunted by memories of that horrible dream.
"What's WRONG, San? I heard you crying. What's up?"
She shook her head. "Just a dream. It's nothing... really."
Pam nudged Sandra gently. "You're going to tell me what that dream was."
Sandra sighed. "Fine, FINE... I woke up, away from Hogwarts, in this beautiful field, full of daisies. I started to run... but it was like I was trapped. Then time started to elapse, I was crying, out of breath, screaming, screaming for home... then I plunged into darkness, and I was trapped in a cube, sobbing and bleeding. Then someone---- something---- hurt me and the world began to rip, tear and bend. Oh, Pam, I thought I was going to die! It felt so real... then... this Demon poked its head out from the tear between universes. I was paralyzed, Pam, and I was dying. I could feel the life... slowly escaping me... All I could do was sit and cry for home, for Mom, for you, for... never mind. And this Demon kept getting closer... and as soon as it touched me... as soon as I died... I awoke."
Sandra was sobbing quietly again by this time. Pam grimaced, taking Sandra's head in her arms and cradling her. "Hush, now," she said, "You'll wake the others." But they slept on.
"Thanks, Pam," Sandra said, and pulled away, drying her tears.
"No prob," Pam muttered. "What did this 'Demon' look like, anyway?"
Sandra's reaction was quite unexpected to Pam. Her face went pale, she backed away from Pam, and her eyes went wide. She sliced her hands through the air, and choked on a single sob, a look of utter terror on her face. "N-no..." she stuttered. "NO! I c-can't t-tell you... it's too horrifying... it's too... no..."
Pam nodded, patting Sandra on the shoulder. "Okay, then. Geez, you sure can be weird sometimes. Listen, I'm off, you try to get some sleep, hunh? Just no more nightmares." With that, she got up and walked away.
Within a few minutes Sandra could tell by the soft sounds arising from the other side of the room that Pam was asleep. But Sandra still sat up in bed, sheets clutched up to her chest, a look of terror etched on every feature of her face. And she remained awake like that for the rest of the night, listening to the soft snores and grunts of her fellow roommates, and half expecting this world to tear open and a fearsome Demon to enter and kill her... again.
The next morning, up earlier than the rest, Sandra got ready and went down to the Great Hall for breakfast. Very few people were here at this hour---- a couple stray Hufflepuffs, some Slytherins, she was the only one at Ravenclaw, and at the Gryffindor table was Seamus, Harry, Hermione, and--- her heart skipped a beat--- Ron. And she was *sure* he had smiled at her. She smiled back, and waved. He waved back before turning to talk to Hermione. Quite red in the face, Sandra averted her eyes to look down at her plate: scrambled eggs, burnt toast and bacon, with Pumpkin juice to drink.
She lingered there for a while, lightly picking at her food, while people slowly began to file in. When Sandra caught sight of Pam, she waved to her, and Pam came and took her usual seat next to Sandra.
"You know," Pam whispered to her, once seated. "I think you should go see Professor Trelawney, about those dreams, I mean. Perhaps she could help you."
Sandra gave Pam a disgusted look. "THAT old twit? No way, Pam. I loathe the old bag. And anyway, you know she'd only give me her usual bullshit about "'The Star Positions"' and '"Celestial Patterns"'. If I told her about my Dream, she'd simply take it as a genuine opportunity to feast off my fear and relish in telling me that I'm soon meeting my Doom."
Pam shrugged. "Maybe. Just a suggestion." She bit off a large chunk of her toast.
They ate the rest of their meal in silence. The Mail came, and though Sandra was expecting a letter from her parents, her Tawny Owl (Fegora) was nowhere to be seen. She sighed. After they were finished, they left the castle and went for a walk around the Lake like they always did during vacation.
The ground was crisp and hard, covered with a thin layer of frost. The air was fresh and cool, and in the distance the trees of the Forbidden Forest resembled delicate glass ornaments, frosted and tipped with icicles. Off to one side, Hagrid's hut could be seen, sporting tiny icicles, and even the lake itself had a thin layer of ice overtop.
Sandra and Pam didn't bother to wear furs, it was nice just to wear slacks, a T-shirt, and perhaps a scarf. Sandra sighed happily, sitting by the edge of the lake, watching her cloudy breath dissolve in the air.
"San?" Pam asked. "Yeah?" said Sandra, rather absent-mindedly. "D'you think Ron likes me?"
And there she went again. Sandra sighed. Pam always asked this. And Pam knew what the answer'd be, too. It's not like Sandra could ever say, "No. He doesn't like you." or anything. She did it just to be mean...-Pam can be insensitive like that sometimes,- Sandra thought. -As if it doesn't matter WHO likes Ron, 'cause '"He was her's'", and he was "'Called for'", and all that shit. Well, it's not like I stand a chance against her anyway. Pam's so pretty, popular, trendy, witty, silly, courageous,... perfect. I'm only popular 'cause I'm Pam's best friend.-
"I'm sure he does," Sandra said finally. Pam seemed happy enough with that. Just then, Ron approached the two.
"Uh... Hi Pam. Hi... Sandra..." he said, blushing crimson at the ears.
"Hey Ron," Pam said with a hint of flirtation. Sandra looked up at Ron and smiled, concealing completely her anger towards Pam at the moment for flirting.
"Err, Sandy... can I speak to you alone, then, for a moment?" Sandra's heart skipped a beat. -Sandy. That was his name for her. His special name. No one else called her that.-
"Kay, sure." With a confused shrug at Pam, she stood and followed Ron to a bush near the castle wall. She could see Harry and Hermione not too far away, Hermione chattering away excitedly to Harry.
"Uhh, listen," he began. "I know... the Yule Ball's coming up... and I was wondering..." his ears turned bright red, a flare of colour coming to his nose and forehead as well. "Umm... I was wondering if you would, well... want to go with me..."
Sandra let out a wild squeal of excitement and hugged him. "Yes! Of COURSE I will! Yes!!"
Ron looked relieved. He smiled at Sandra. "Great, see you tomorrow, then... I'll meet you at the entrance hall, 6:30." With that, he tucked his head in his furs and ran off to join Harry and Hermione again, while Sandra, like lightning, ran back to Pam. "Pam!" she squealed. "Ron asked me to the Yule Ball!!!"
The colour faded from Pam's face. She looked as white as the snow around them, and ready to throw up. "That's... great." she said blandly. "Listen, I uhh... have to get back inside... see you later." With that she stood, backing up a few steps, then turned on her heel and left Sandra by the lake, a slight feeling of guilt beginning to creep up upon her.
For the whole day, Sandra had been looking for Pam, who had disappeared. She'd asked so many people; but no one knew. Finally, when she asked a second-year Hufflepuff, she said: "In de girl's washroom, ah think. Bin dere all day. Better go check." Sandra thanked the girl and headed in a mad dash towards the washroom.
On her way, she ran into Severus Snape. Oh, how she loathed Snape...
"Now... where might you be going in such a rush, on such a relaxing day like the present?" He sneered, clearly enjoying Sandra's panic.
"I, uhh, I have to use the loo, REAL bad," she said, and tried to sidestep Snape. He blocked her.
"Aah, do you? But, perhaps, shouldn't you still be aware of the rules? Perhaps the fact that you are to walk through the halls in a civilized manner, at all times?" He said this in a slow, drawling, tedious, monotonous voice.
"Yes, sir, I'm sorry Professor Snape, but did you say under *all* circumstances? Say a rabid ogre---- no, a troop of rabid ogres were chasing you down a hall. Don't you think you'd be running madly, screaming like a banshee?"
Snape fixed Sandra with a loathsome glare, before stepping aside. "Very well, you may pass. 15 points off Ravenclaw: 5 for running, and 10 for your cheek. Be on your way."
Sandra walked along until Snape was out of sight before continuing on at a run, muttering curses to Snape under her breath along the way. She entered the washroom moments later, panting, and sweaty. "Pam?" she breathed. "Pam, I know you're in here. It's Sandra. Come on out." She heard a sniff come from the farthest cubicle. She went to that door and knocked on it. "Pam! Come out. You can't stay in here forever, you know."
"Just watch me," came a bitter voice from inside.
"Pam!... Please."
Sandra stepped back as she heard a click, and the door swung open. There was Pam, standing there, red-eyes from crying.
"Pam..." Sandra began. "Aren't you... happy for me?"
"YES, oh, of course I am San!! I'm very happy for you... it's just that... I thought..."
"I know, I know. You thought that Ron liked you..."
Pam nodded, and sniffed again. Sandra hugged her tightly. "You mad at me?" she asked warily. "No," came the swift reply.
Pam pulled back from the hug after a while. "Oh, I'll get over it," she muttered. "Let's go back to the Common Room." Grinning, they set off, grinning and laughing as they went...
Until Nightfall.
Then the Dreams returned.
Sandra got into bed, confident she was to have no more nightmares. Saying good-night to her friends, she switched off her bedside lamp and slowly drifted off to sleep...
She awoke the next morning with a strange sensation prickling her face. She rubbed her hand against it, and at that moment a huge, gruesome, hairy spider fell onto her pillow. She screamed bloody murder and sat bolt upright, her face contorted with fear. She slowly looked up... on the top of her canopy were three other spiders, each one huge, each one terrifying. She threw herself as far away from the bed as she could get, too petrified to scream or make a sound. Spiders---- she shuddered. The worst, most horrid creatures on this planet... She went to Pam's bed and shook her awake. Pam sat up in bed, rubbing her eyes, and looked around in a confused manner as if wondering what had awaken her. "Pam!" cried Sandra. "There's spiders in my bed... THREE of them!! Do something..." Pam ignored her. "Pam??" said Sandra. She waved a hand in front of her face. "Stop ignoring me!!! What's UP with you, anyway??" Pam proceeded to get up, dressing tiredly, and to comb her hair. Sandra walked back to her bed, frustrated as hell, but when she got there... the spiders were gone. She stared at her bed in amazement, then began to flip over the covers, shake the canopy, and even flip the mattress. Nothing. Stunned with disbelief, she sat there, until, pulling out of her trance, began to get dressed, still rather confused.
The day went by slowly and horribly. Everyone was ignoring her---- teachers, students, even the animals. The only one who wasn't- and for this, she was relieved- was Ron. But he still wasn't as friendly as usual. After lunch, they met in the Entrance Hall, Sandra frustrated beyond belief. "Ron! Everyone's ignoring me!! The teachers, Pam, everyone in Ravenclaw, everyone that I've talked to today, even the animals!! THE FUCKING ANIMALS ARE IGNORING ME, RON!!! What's wrong with me?? Do I have a zit or something? I'm so angry..."
Ron shrugged, gave her a small hug, and walked off wordlessly.
Then came the Night. Sandra and Pam were supposed to get prepared for the Yule Ball together, but since Pam wasn't talking with her, she decided to ignore her as well. -Fine,- she thought, -If Pam's going to be such a jerk, then I can ignore HER.-
Even though she was being deserted by everyone, she still felt a small pang of excitement as she looked at herself in a mirror. Now, she was wearing long, flowing emerald robes, and she had curled her dull, straight auburn hair and now it looked simply magnificent. She applied a small bit of makeup, then checked her gold wristwatch. 6:20... Hadn't Ron told her to meet him at 6:30, in the Entrance Hall? Panicking, she slipped on her heeled shoes, and dashed away as quick as she could to meet him.
She arrived just as the people were beginning to file in. She saw Ron and waved; he saw her and beckoned her over. He was wearing black robes, but they were trimmed neatly and waved at the bottom, and his red hair was gelled and spiked. he looked gorgeous, in Sandra's opinion. He smiled at her and she smiled back. Together, they linked arms and walked into the Great Hall.
She looked around for Pam, and saw her dancing not too far away with David Zenier. He was an O.k guy, she thought. Not the brightest or the cutest---- but a nice guy. A slow song began to play and she and Ron embraced, beginning to sway back and forth, slowly circling on the spot. She inhaled a whiff of his cologne, which smelled like daisies... The Daisies... she shuddered with memories of the Dream, but tried to push it out of her mind as they danced.
What Sandra couldn't see... Behind her, Ron had flicked a long steel knife out of his robe sleeve. With a wicked grin, gripping it in his hand, he slowly slid it in...
Sandra screamed. The Hall fell silent. She fell to the floor, landing on her back, thus driving the knife in further. She writhed in pain, everyone in the hall was now looking at her for the first time today: Blank, expressionless looks. Only Ron's face held emotion. A wicked, malicious grin spread 'cross his freckled face, eyes glinting with happiness. He kicked her to the side and tore the knife out of her back. Blood was now gushing in crimson pools onto the floor, her eyes were wide open, staring ahead. She could faintly hear jeers and taunts arising from the others. Ron, gripping the knife again, slashed it through the air... tearing the world open.
Sandra's life was quickly slipping away. She groaned lightly, rolling over, and was again stunned by fear at what she again saw emerge from the tear between universes.
The world around her shattered and fell in a thousand sharp shreds: the people, the building, her surroundings... She was left alone with Ron and the Demon in a void of nothing, floating through abyss, nowhere to run... nowhere to hide...
The Demon stared long and hard at Ron, who fell before him, bowing deeply and murmuring things in a low-toned demonic language. Suddenly, Ron shattered as well, sending glass pieces piercing deeper into Sandra. Some unexplainable magic force was keeping her alive each second longer, keeping her in pain and torture. Again the Demon began to advance on her, again she felt her life ebbing away...
And again she awoke.
She sat up in bed. Rays of rising sunlight shone in through the window. Her forehead and palms were sweating profusely, a pool of wet on her bed from---- blood? She thought with a jolt. But no. Only sweat.
Shakily, she rose, and made her way to the washroom. Once there, she turned on the tap and dunked her head in the cold water. She felt herself begin to relax. She let out a few shuddering breaths then looked into the cracked mirror, and realized she was crying. She dried her tears and slowly began to make her way back to the Common Room, deep in thought about this Demon that kept haunting her dreams... and Ron... was this some sort of prophecy?
"Macomber Inocuu," she murmured to a portrait and it swing open, revealing the Ravenclaw Common Room. Instead of heading back to bed, she sat in a big fluffy chair by the fireplace, and sat there looking at the charred logs and ashes until the others awoke.
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And so concludes the first part of the series. So these Dreams mean something? Are they a prophecy, or paranoia? And what WILL happen at the Yule Ball, anyway? Who's the Demon continuously lurking in her dreams... You must read on, and find out! P.2 up later.
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She rubbed her eyes and blinked into the sunlight. She stood in a field of lush grass and daisies... Where was she? Certainly not back at Hogwarts... Sandra turned around, looking here and there. Nothing but grass, daisies, and a blue cloudless sky overhead. Lost. She began to run... Running to the left... Footsteps crushing the grass beneath her, ever going, ever running, determined on returning back to Hogwarts... She screamed a piercing scream that filled the air. Breathless, she fell to the ground, chest heaving, gasping for air. Teardrops spilled onto a flower, dampening a small caterpillar that was there. She cried out to the sun overhead, a scream of pain, a scream of rage... She wanted people to hear... She wanted to be saved... Sandra had never felt so alone, so helpless, so desperate... She cried out again; this time a cry for help, then laid to the grass, sobbing, throat sore. Her white clothing was grass-stained. Everything seemed to be moving so fast: She felt the sun grow high in the sky in a matter of minutes, she spotted a bug near her hand that skittered along quickly, it was almost like elapsed time... Then the night fell.
Eternal darkness shrouded her, and she felt alone again. Where were here friends? Where were Ginny, and Pam and Alec? And Ron... Where were they? The fabricated world dissolved in an array of violet and black light, leaving her encased in a raven cubicle of illusion and intrigue. She shuddered: beads of sweat trickled down her cheek, mingled with tears, entwined in blood. She was dealt a crashing blow to the head by some invisible force, and she screamed; crimson flying everywhere, splattered against the cubicle for her to watch as she waited... and waited...
The confinement was torn open. A rending burst, a godly rip, tear, slashing of such power that it felt like the world itself was being destroyed. Sandra was thrown back against an invisible wall, as a face peered through the fissure between universes, and she was struck with horror. She screamed in such utter terror, shielding her eyes, curling away from the demonic mass of black light structure... It pierced her very soul... It touched where nothing else but her could ever reach inside... She felt her life slowly ebb away and began to sob; hacking, throbbing sobs as this evil titan moved forwards... She cried out in fear to her friends, her family, anything that could help her... Life was fading... fading quickly... and It drew closer...
She awoke.
Sandra sat bolt upright in bed, clutching the thin sheets protectively to her body. She buried her face in them, sobbing, sweating profusely, her auburn hair dampened, memories of the Dream still lingering in her mind. She took a moment to look up, azure eyes scanning the dark room around her. There was the window; that was familiar, and the beds too; they were familiar, set around the circular room in the same fashion. Yes. She was back at Hogwarts again, not trapped inside the Dream; she was back to reality. She sighed, drying her eyes with a corner of the sheet, and laid back in bed. Her own bed, in the Ravenclaw Girl's Dorm. She felt such relief was over her, she felt like crying again. But, controlling herself, she didn't. Her eyes were still open, staring at the ceiling, when out of the corner of them she saw a light flicker on at teh far side of the room. It was by Pam's bed.
Pam was Sandra's best friend at Hogwarts. Even before. They found out together that they were both witches and were to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She never forgot that moment: It was like heaven for both of them. They bought their things at Diagon Alley together, sat on the bus together, took classes together, they did everything... together. Now they were both 15, and both attending their 5th year at this School. There was only one thing that Sandra could ever remember them arguing about: The fact that they both had a crush on Ron Weasley, Ginny's older brother. Ginny was another one of Sandra's good friends. But certainly not as close as Pam...
"Ugghmmm... San... what's up?"
Sandra didn't answer. She heard the sound of a curtain being flung aside, and footsteps plodding across the room. In a moment, Pam was at her side, bits of her wispy blonde hair hanging over her face, covering a light blue eye.
"Yo, San, you alive?" She waved a hand in front of Sandra's face. Sandra waved it aside and sat up, offering Pam a seat beside her.
"I'm fine." Was all that Sandra could manage. She was still being haunted by memories of that horrible dream.
"What's WRONG, San? I heard you crying. What's up?"
She shook her head. "Just a dream. It's nothing... really."
Pam nudged Sandra gently. "You're going to tell me what that dream was."
Sandra sighed. "Fine, FINE... I woke up, away from Hogwarts, in this beautiful field, full of daisies. I started to run... but it was like I was trapped. Then time started to elapse, I was crying, out of breath, screaming, screaming for home... then I plunged into darkness, and I was trapped in a cube, sobbing and bleeding. Then someone---- something---- hurt me and the world began to rip, tear and bend. Oh, Pam, I thought I was going to die! It felt so real... then... this Demon poked its head out from the tear between universes. I was paralyzed, Pam, and I was dying. I could feel the life... slowly escaping me... All I could do was sit and cry for home, for Mom, for you, for... never mind. And this Demon kept getting closer... and as soon as it touched me... as soon as I died... I awoke."
Sandra was sobbing quietly again by this time. Pam grimaced, taking Sandra's head in her arms and cradling her. "Hush, now," she said, "You'll wake the others." But they slept on.
"Thanks, Pam," Sandra said, and pulled away, drying her tears.
"No prob," Pam muttered. "What did this 'Demon' look like, anyway?"
Sandra's reaction was quite unexpected to Pam. Her face went pale, she backed away from Pam, and her eyes went wide. She sliced her hands through the air, and choked on a single sob, a look of utter terror on her face. "N-no..." she stuttered. "NO! I c-can't t-tell you... it's too horrifying... it's too... no..."
Pam nodded, patting Sandra on the shoulder. "Okay, then. Geez, you sure can be weird sometimes. Listen, I'm off, you try to get some sleep, hunh? Just no more nightmares." With that, she got up and walked away.
Within a few minutes Sandra could tell by the soft sounds arising from the other side of the room that Pam was asleep. But Sandra still sat up in bed, sheets clutched up to her chest, a look of terror etched on every feature of her face. And she remained awake like that for the rest of the night, listening to the soft snores and grunts of her fellow roommates, and half expecting this world to tear open and a fearsome Demon to enter and kill her... again.
The next morning, up earlier than the rest, Sandra got ready and went down to the Great Hall for breakfast. Very few people were here at this hour---- a couple stray Hufflepuffs, some Slytherins, she was the only one at Ravenclaw, and at the Gryffindor table was Seamus, Harry, Hermione, and--- her heart skipped a beat--- Ron. And she was *sure* he had smiled at her. She smiled back, and waved. He waved back before turning to talk to Hermione. Quite red in the face, Sandra averted her eyes to look down at her plate: scrambled eggs, burnt toast and bacon, with Pumpkin juice to drink.
She lingered there for a while, lightly picking at her food, while people slowly began to file in. When Sandra caught sight of Pam, she waved to her, and Pam came and took her usual seat next to Sandra.
"You know," Pam whispered to her, once seated. "I think you should go see Professor Trelawney, about those dreams, I mean. Perhaps she could help you."
Sandra gave Pam a disgusted look. "THAT old twit? No way, Pam. I loathe the old bag. And anyway, you know she'd only give me her usual bullshit about "'The Star Positions"' and '"Celestial Patterns"'. If I told her about my Dream, she'd simply take it as a genuine opportunity to feast off my fear and relish in telling me that I'm soon meeting my Doom."
Pam shrugged. "Maybe. Just a suggestion." She bit off a large chunk of her toast.
They ate the rest of their meal in silence. The Mail came, and though Sandra was expecting a letter from her parents, her Tawny Owl (Fegora) was nowhere to be seen. She sighed. After they were finished, they left the castle and went for a walk around the Lake like they always did during vacation.
The ground was crisp and hard, covered with a thin layer of frost. The air was fresh and cool, and in the distance the trees of the Forbidden Forest resembled delicate glass ornaments, frosted and tipped with icicles. Off to one side, Hagrid's hut could be seen, sporting tiny icicles, and even the lake itself had a thin layer of ice overtop.
Sandra and Pam didn't bother to wear furs, it was nice just to wear slacks, a T-shirt, and perhaps a scarf. Sandra sighed happily, sitting by the edge of the lake, watching her cloudy breath dissolve in the air.
"San?" Pam asked. "Yeah?" said Sandra, rather absent-mindedly. "D'you think Ron likes me?"
And there she went again. Sandra sighed. Pam always asked this. And Pam knew what the answer'd be, too. It's not like Sandra could ever say, "No. He doesn't like you." or anything. She did it just to be mean...-Pam can be insensitive like that sometimes,- Sandra thought. -As if it doesn't matter WHO likes Ron, 'cause '"He was her's'", and he was "'Called for'", and all that shit. Well, it's not like I stand a chance against her anyway. Pam's so pretty, popular, trendy, witty, silly, courageous,... perfect. I'm only popular 'cause I'm Pam's best friend.-
"I'm sure he does," Sandra said finally. Pam seemed happy enough with that. Just then, Ron approached the two.
"Uh... Hi Pam. Hi... Sandra..." he said, blushing crimson at the ears.
"Hey Ron," Pam said with a hint of flirtation. Sandra looked up at Ron and smiled, concealing completely her anger towards Pam at the moment for flirting.
"Err, Sandy... can I speak to you alone, then, for a moment?" Sandra's heart skipped a beat. -Sandy. That was his name for her. His special name. No one else called her that.-
"Kay, sure." With a confused shrug at Pam, she stood and followed Ron to a bush near the castle wall. She could see Harry and Hermione not too far away, Hermione chattering away excitedly to Harry.
"Uhh, listen," he began. "I know... the Yule Ball's coming up... and I was wondering..." his ears turned bright red, a flare of colour coming to his nose and forehead as well. "Umm... I was wondering if you would, well... want to go with me..."
Sandra let out a wild squeal of excitement and hugged him. "Yes! Of COURSE I will! Yes!!"
Ron looked relieved. He smiled at Sandra. "Great, see you tomorrow, then... I'll meet you at the entrance hall, 6:30." With that, he tucked his head in his furs and ran off to join Harry and Hermione again, while Sandra, like lightning, ran back to Pam. "Pam!" she squealed. "Ron asked me to the Yule Ball!!!"
The colour faded from Pam's face. She looked as white as the snow around them, and ready to throw up. "That's... great." she said blandly. "Listen, I uhh... have to get back inside... see you later." With that she stood, backing up a few steps, then turned on her heel and left Sandra by the lake, a slight feeling of guilt beginning to creep up upon her.
For the whole day, Sandra had been looking for Pam, who had disappeared. She'd asked so many people; but no one knew. Finally, when she asked a second-year Hufflepuff, she said: "In de girl's washroom, ah think. Bin dere all day. Better go check." Sandra thanked the girl and headed in a mad dash towards the washroom.
On her way, she ran into Severus Snape. Oh, how she loathed Snape...
"Now... where might you be going in such a rush, on such a relaxing day like the present?" He sneered, clearly enjoying Sandra's panic.
"I, uhh, I have to use the loo, REAL bad," she said, and tried to sidestep Snape. He blocked her.
"Aah, do you? But, perhaps, shouldn't you still be aware of the rules? Perhaps the fact that you are to walk through the halls in a civilized manner, at all times?" He said this in a slow, drawling, tedious, monotonous voice.
"Yes, sir, I'm sorry Professor Snape, but did you say under *all* circumstances? Say a rabid ogre---- no, a troop of rabid ogres were chasing you down a hall. Don't you think you'd be running madly, screaming like a banshee?"
Snape fixed Sandra with a loathsome glare, before stepping aside. "Very well, you may pass. 15 points off Ravenclaw: 5 for running, and 10 for your cheek. Be on your way."
Sandra walked along until Snape was out of sight before continuing on at a run, muttering curses to Snape under her breath along the way. She entered the washroom moments later, panting, and sweaty. "Pam?" she breathed. "Pam, I know you're in here. It's Sandra. Come on out." She heard a sniff come from the farthest cubicle. She went to that door and knocked on it. "Pam! Come out. You can't stay in here forever, you know."
"Just watch me," came a bitter voice from inside.
"Pam!... Please."
Sandra stepped back as she heard a click, and the door swung open. There was Pam, standing there, red-eyes from crying.
"Pam..." Sandra began. "Aren't you... happy for me?"
"YES, oh, of course I am San!! I'm very happy for you... it's just that... I thought..."
"I know, I know. You thought that Ron liked you..."
Pam nodded, and sniffed again. Sandra hugged her tightly. "You mad at me?" she asked warily. "No," came the swift reply.
Pam pulled back from the hug after a while. "Oh, I'll get over it," she muttered. "Let's go back to the Common Room." Grinning, they set off, grinning and laughing as they went...
Until Nightfall.
Then the Dreams returned.
Sandra got into bed, confident she was to have no more nightmares. Saying good-night to her friends, she switched off her bedside lamp and slowly drifted off to sleep...
She awoke the next morning with a strange sensation prickling her face. She rubbed her hand against it, and at that moment a huge, gruesome, hairy spider fell onto her pillow. She screamed bloody murder and sat bolt upright, her face contorted with fear. She slowly looked up... on the top of her canopy were three other spiders, each one huge, each one terrifying. She threw herself as far away from the bed as she could get, too petrified to scream or make a sound. Spiders---- she shuddered. The worst, most horrid creatures on this planet... She went to Pam's bed and shook her awake. Pam sat up in bed, rubbing her eyes, and looked around in a confused manner as if wondering what had awaken her. "Pam!" cried Sandra. "There's spiders in my bed... THREE of them!! Do something..." Pam ignored her. "Pam??" said Sandra. She waved a hand in front of her face. "Stop ignoring me!!! What's UP with you, anyway??" Pam proceeded to get up, dressing tiredly, and to comb her hair. Sandra walked back to her bed, frustrated as hell, but when she got there... the spiders were gone. She stared at her bed in amazement, then began to flip over the covers, shake the canopy, and even flip the mattress. Nothing. Stunned with disbelief, she sat there, until, pulling out of her trance, began to get dressed, still rather confused.
The day went by slowly and horribly. Everyone was ignoring her---- teachers, students, even the animals. The only one who wasn't- and for this, she was relieved- was Ron. But he still wasn't as friendly as usual. After lunch, they met in the Entrance Hall, Sandra frustrated beyond belief. "Ron! Everyone's ignoring me!! The teachers, Pam, everyone in Ravenclaw, everyone that I've talked to today, even the animals!! THE FUCKING ANIMALS ARE IGNORING ME, RON!!! What's wrong with me?? Do I have a zit or something? I'm so angry..."
Ron shrugged, gave her a small hug, and walked off wordlessly.
Then came the Night. Sandra and Pam were supposed to get prepared for the Yule Ball together, but since Pam wasn't talking with her, she decided to ignore her as well. -Fine,- she thought, -If Pam's going to be such a jerk, then I can ignore HER.-
Even though she was being deserted by everyone, she still felt a small pang of excitement as she looked at herself in a mirror. Now, she was wearing long, flowing emerald robes, and she had curled her dull, straight auburn hair and now it looked simply magnificent. She applied a small bit of makeup, then checked her gold wristwatch. 6:20... Hadn't Ron told her to meet him at 6:30, in the Entrance Hall? Panicking, she slipped on her heeled shoes, and dashed away as quick as she could to meet him.
She arrived just as the people were beginning to file in. She saw Ron and waved; he saw her and beckoned her over. He was wearing black robes, but they were trimmed neatly and waved at the bottom, and his red hair was gelled and spiked. he looked gorgeous, in Sandra's opinion. He smiled at her and she smiled back. Together, they linked arms and walked into the Great Hall.
She looked around for Pam, and saw her dancing not too far away with David Zenier. He was an O.k guy, she thought. Not the brightest or the cutest---- but a nice guy. A slow song began to play and she and Ron embraced, beginning to sway back and forth, slowly circling on the spot. She inhaled a whiff of his cologne, which smelled like daisies... The Daisies... she shuddered with memories of the Dream, but tried to push it out of her mind as they danced.
What Sandra couldn't see... Behind her, Ron had flicked a long steel knife out of his robe sleeve. With a wicked grin, gripping it in his hand, he slowly slid it in...
Sandra screamed. The Hall fell silent. She fell to the floor, landing on her back, thus driving the knife in further. She writhed in pain, everyone in the hall was now looking at her for the first time today: Blank, expressionless looks. Only Ron's face held emotion. A wicked, malicious grin spread 'cross his freckled face, eyes glinting with happiness. He kicked her to the side and tore the knife out of her back. Blood was now gushing in crimson pools onto the floor, her eyes were wide open, staring ahead. She could faintly hear jeers and taunts arising from the others. Ron, gripping the knife again, slashed it through the air... tearing the world open.
Sandra's life was quickly slipping away. She groaned lightly, rolling over, and was again stunned by fear at what she again saw emerge from the tear between universes.
The world around her shattered and fell in a thousand sharp shreds: the people, the building, her surroundings... She was left alone with Ron and the Demon in a void of nothing, floating through abyss, nowhere to run... nowhere to hide...
The Demon stared long and hard at Ron, who fell before him, bowing deeply and murmuring things in a low-toned demonic language. Suddenly, Ron shattered as well, sending glass pieces piercing deeper into Sandra. Some unexplainable magic force was keeping her alive each second longer, keeping her in pain and torture. Again the Demon began to advance on her, again she felt her life ebbing away...
And again she awoke.
She sat up in bed. Rays of rising sunlight shone in through the window. Her forehead and palms were sweating profusely, a pool of wet on her bed from---- blood? She thought with a jolt. But no. Only sweat.
Shakily, she rose, and made her way to the washroom. Once there, she turned on the tap and dunked her head in the cold water. She felt herself begin to relax. She let out a few shuddering breaths then looked into the cracked mirror, and realized she was crying. She dried her tears and slowly began to make her way back to the Common Room, deep in thought about this Demon that kept haunting her dreams... and Ron... was this some sort of prophecy?
"Macomber Inocuu," she murmured to a portrait and it swing open, revealing the Ravenclaw Common Room. Instead of heading back to bed, she sat in a big fluffy chair by the fireplace, and sat there looking at the charred logs and ashes until the others awoke.
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And so concludes the first part of the series. So these Dreams mean something? Are they a prophecy, or paranoia? And what WILL happen at the Yule Ball, anyway? Who's the Demon continuously lurking in her dreams... You must read on, and find out! P.2 up later.