Hurried footsteps echoed. The repeated sound should have been a comfort to her, but tonight with the full moon high in the deep blue night sky, they signalled danger. She had always loved this sleepy road, houses identical with perfect lawns and cheery coloured doors. Having often walked down this idyllic road she had studied the different flowerbed the lazy bees the sleeping cats under cars, tonight she ran.

Turning the corner to the main road she slipped. The sharp sound of gravel the only indication of the fall as Rea righted herself, running with her lithe body hugging the ground as close as could be managed without another fall. Hands out to her side she gripped the lamppost to push her forward on her burning legs. Just two steps more she urged herself mentally. Breathing laboured and skin clammy she continued her escape…

…The door slammed as she ran inside. Safe. Her only thought as she dead bolted the door and dropped to the floor. Her long dark red hair sticking to her face with perspiration. The loose curls tumbling from the braid she wore along her right side. Rea's chest rose and fell rapidly, the heart beat and pulse reverberating in her skull. The light cotton tee she wore clinging to her sides and back. Rea rose to change. Everything stopped and darkness fell.

Rea woke up tangled in her bed-sheets the soft light from the rising sun filtered out by the drapes around her bed. The pale pinks and oranges from the dawn coloured the walls as Rea looked around, adrenaline pushing through her numb veins increasing her heart rate. That was the second time this week she'd had that dream, still she convinced herself it was only a dream nothing more or less. Rising out of her bed Rea slowly walked to the small en suit. With the shower filling the room with a dense steam Rea undressed and began her morning routine. It was early, much too early for the others to be awake. Stepping out of the shower and wrapping herself in a towel Rea moved towards the mirror to tame her hair. The deep red with crimson highlights curled from the wet heat. Pulling it up above the nape of her neck Rea sighed. The only thing they had told her about her mother was "she had untameable curly hair, deep brown it was…" Rea knew nothing about her parents. The 'boarding school' she attended held no records of them, she'd looked several times.

All around Rea her dorm mates slept soundly. None of them had nightmares. Rea tiptoed down the staircase to the Ravenclaw common room. The sun had fully risen and bathed Ravenclaw tower in the weak autumn sunlight. The first full day back at Hogwarts was beginning and this year, Rea's fifth year, she planned to finally understand who her parents where and why she was left as a small child in the care of 'friends'.

Rea pulled her robe on and walked towards the door. Breakfast should have started by now and toast and tea without others sounded wonderful to the hungry Ravenclaw. "Rea?" the sleepy voice of her best friend called out just as she passed into the corridor. A tall lavender-blonde, still clad in her house coloured pjs poked her head out. "Are you off already Rea? Will you save me a seat I won't be too long?" Rea nodded and the Blonde returned to the common room. Mazie Topps had forced her friendship on Rea as first years. With her waist length hair and pale lilac eyes Mazie always had students following her around but she wanted the shy awkward Rea.

The hall was empty when Rea sat down. The tables laden with food, the air scented like a high end coffee shop rich and moreish. Rea sighed, she loved this place, the hall, the classrooms and the grounds, hell she even loved the dungeons this morning. At long last Mazie slunk into a place next to Rea and poured herself a coffee. "Rea, you never wrote back this summer was everything okay? I tried to get dad to take me to Kent to see you but he was busy with the book store" Mazie carried on talking rarely did Rea need to talk in their conversations that's was Mazie's job Rea just listened and gave a few head nods.

Time tables where handed out and Rea and Mazie swapped to write the others down. "Awesome only two different lessons this year" Rea tucked her timetable in her bag and stood up. "I've got to send a letter Maz. Will I see you in class later?" she took off heading for the owlery, she had no letter to post but the hall was filling up and the noise still upset her. The nightmare haunted her still, she didn't even know why she was running or infact who she was running from but she knew it had to be about her parents.