Sorry for the delay! I was trying to get my muse to strike, but she seemed to be on strike (stupid writer's strike!). Here it is though, chapter nine.

Chapter Nine

Luna, Neville, and Ginny didn't show up for the rest of the evening and Daniel went to bed more than a little concerned. Of course the three students could have taken refuge for the night in the Room of Requirement, but somehow he felt it in his bones that they were in worse trouble. He turned over in his bed and sighed. At the other side of the Dormitory, he heard the creaking of bed springs telling him that Travis was also awake and restless. Daniel wondered how his best friend felt about their mission. Did it succeed? Fail? Was it his fault if it did fail? Would it have been better if he never volunteered and let an older, more experienced DA student take the job?

Daniel stared up at the ceiling, taking in all the contours and curves in it. Shadows cluttered the stone, only broken up where moonlight splashed across it. The shadows began to shift as the moon moved across the sky and he could almost see faces and shapes and animals running across the ceiling. He could see a cat prowling about and Selene smiling at him and one of the firework dragons flying at breakneck speeds and it opened its mouth and a burst of flame shot out, lighting up the ceiling with its brilliant yellows and reds and oranges. Only the ceiling seemed to have vanished and was replaced with the velvety blue night sky, scattered with diamond-like stars. Daniel felt weightless and realized he was on a broomstick hovering hundreds of feet in the air and even though he never rode a broom before, he felt safe and natural because all of the other students and teachers were on brooms up with him. Then the Carrows swooped in and pulled out their knives and wands and fired off hexes and slashed at the students and the kids screamed and fell off their brooms towards the ground below. The teachers tried to grab the falling children and pull them to safety, but the Carrows blocked their path. Daniel could see other students dive-bombing the Death Eaters and rescuing the falling students and even though they were in the line of fire and Daniel wanted to help, he was paralyzed and he knew that somewhere in the darkness, Snape lurked like an overgrown bat, waiting just out of sight, prepared to strike. And then the Carrows looked Daniel right in the eye and against his will, Daniel turned his broom towards the nearest student, a scared-looking third-year girl with short blonde hair, and speed towards her and he could see the look of fear in her eyes and a look that said she knew he betrayed her and her mouth was open in a scream as she fell and no sound came out so no one knew she was falling and –

"Fine! Don't get up. Just don't complain to me if you're starving by lunch."

Daniel sat up in bed, his heart hammering and his mind reeling. For a second, he tried to remember why he felt so scared and guilty. Then he remembered and groaned.

"What's the matter?" asked Travis. "Bad dream?"

"Yeah," muttered Daniel, recalling every vivid detail.

"You're awake now though. And it's not real."

"I wouldn't say that," muttered Daniel.

"How's that?" asked Travis distractedly, trying to locate one of his socks, which was apparently lodged somewhere under the bed.

"Nothing," sighed Daniel. "I'm awake now. You go on ahead, I catch up to you in the Great Hall."


It wasn't so odd, Daniel reflected as Travis left the Dormitory. Dreams were a product of whatever was on the dreamer's mind before sleeping. He was worried about the heads of the DA. And tied up in the DA was his guilt.

He sighed again and rubbed his aching forehead. His brain felt like it was clogged full of sludge. At least it was Saturday. No lessons to bother him. He'd eat, try to get his homework done, maybe try to check the Room of Requirement for Luna, Neville, and Ginny. Anything to get his mind off of that dream.

But no matter what, he couldn't get that look out of head. That scared look on the girl's face. It was identical to the one before…