Disclaimer: I do not own HP.
There is nothing like a dream to create the future. Victor Hugo
A scream filled her ears and she could feel her heart race as the footsteps drew near.
Tick, tock. Tick tock.
The ticking and tocking went to slow for her frightful heart and to fast for her frozen mind. The beating drum that came from the foundations shook the house and forced her further up the stairs as the steps drew ever closer. Never stopping but never reaching their destination.
Tick, tock. Tick, tock.
A countdown perhaps?
A death toll?
A scare tactic?
Tick, tock. Tick, tock.
Once again, the drum pounded and lightening lit up the house as it cracked. Rain poured, drowning her in her own fear. Her own cowardice.
Tick, tock. Tick, tock.
The deepened voice called to her, its tone dripping with seduction and murder.
As she made her way up the stairs, she could see the fire. The fire that mocked her and licked at her toes and moaned for her skin.
She slipped and turned around as the fire surged for her. It glinted off her skin and matched her hair in color as it surrounded her and consumed her.
Tick, tock. Tick, to-
There was a scream and everything stopped along with her heart. She slipped into a bedroom and slammed the door, the clicking of the lock not calming her in the least. She pressed her back to the wall and slid down the wall, letting the rain fall on her as the steps continued their journey to her, seeking her with a vengeance. Her chest heaved as she struggled to breathe, her red hair plastered to her face as she felt cold beads of sweat make their way down her brow.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
The drum continued, shaking the house and delivering an atmosphere of chaos as the door began to jerk, the outside longing to be in and the inside longing to be dead.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
She inched to the corner of the stormy room and her eyes grew when the outside charged in, brown eyes seeking her out.
Getting off the floor, her mind stopped upon seeing her father, glaring at her.
"You left me. You left me!"
No… that couldn't be!
She would never abandon him. She begged and pleaded for him to understand, but he still approached, hell on his heals and Satan on his shoulder, whispering to him.
Screams.
Boom. Boom. Boo-
Opened eyes revealed a vast nothingness at first then focus brought in a line of trees that protected another line of trees against nature's icy fury.
With chattering teeth, she turned around and gasped upon seeing the Burrow.
What?
Whispering.
She whirled around and her heart stopped once more.
There were at least a hundred of them, if not more.
Death Eaters.
They approached from the forest, creeping in the snow as they moved up to the Burrow like death. The snow covered their tracks as they moved past her, regarding her presence as the wind around them. She tried to call a warning, but no sound came and she watched in horror as they entered the house and screams exited along with the souls of those inside.
Falling to her knees, she closed her eyes and tried to scream.
Suddenly she was plunged into the forest and hit the ground running.
Desperate to escape, she found herself running from the evil that so obsessively pursued her. Her heart pounded in her ears and she knew it could hear it. It wanted her blood but she would not let it have her.
The thoughts of her father came crashing around her as she flew through the bushes and stumbled over sharp rocks, leaving a gleaming red trail behind her.
She skidded to a stop and looked around, her lungs burning as she struggled to breathe.
A vast lake was before her with nothing but a large rock in the middle. On the other side, Hogwarts stood in all its beauty.
Screaming.
She turned to see it standing there, glaring at her through red eyes. Its eyes roved over her body in lust, from her torn legs to her wet hair that stuck to her face. Its mouth pulled back into a wicked grin, exposing sharp white fangs that knew only one purpose.
Kill. Kill. KILL!
She screamed and turned, running right into the water. Before she could make another sound, she went under and silence ruled her world.
Silence.
There was no more wind and no more snow, but the deafening silence of a place unknown.
Opening her eyes, she found herself on a rock. Surrounding her was a lake and far off was the silhouette of Hogwarts. Fireflies danced around as the moon lit up her pale skin and her red hair. She noticed that a small trickle of blood was making its way down the rocks and into the lake. She then realized it was coming from her legs.
Why was she here?
She moved to the edge of the rock and looked down into the crystal waters, surprised at how clear it was. Her hallowed reflection stared back at her through scared blue eyes and she felt a cool breeze float over the waters towards her. Everything about the place seemed unreal. The water, the moon… even Hogwarts looked ethereal.
She looked up and around, wondering how she was going to get off when something drew her attention back to the water.
She gasped.
The girl beneath the water seemed to be screaming as she pounded her fist against the invisible field that separated them.
"Hermione!" Ginny screamed, reaching down to the water but not able to get to her friend.
"Ginny! You need to get out! You need to get out, now!" came Hermione's muffled cries from the depths as she continued to pound on the clear barrier.
Ginny looked around. "What's going on? Why?"
"Behind you!" Hermione screamed, pointing to something behind Ginny's shoulder.
She turned just in time to see the evil shove her into the lake.
Ginny's body hit the ground so hard, it took her a few minutes to move again. Her eyes then bulged and she opened her mouth to take in air. She started coughing and turned over on her stomach and retched. Her red hair stuck to her face as she continued to cough, looking around.
The first thing she noticed was the graves.
Eyes wide, she backed away and gasped, seeing the name on the stone.
Harry James Potter.
It was if someone had hit her in the stomach and there was no air left to breathe.
Tears fell down her dirt-stained cheeks as she looked around. Pulling herself to her feet she looked around and nearly fell to pieces.
Ronald Bilius Weasley.
William Arthur Weasley.
Hermione Jane Granger.
Her brothers. Her parents. Her friends and loved one…
Backing up, she toppled over a destroyed tombstone and she gasped in pain when she cut her hand on the stone. She crawled over and wiped the dirt off the letters and then fell backwards, screaming.
Ginerva Molly Weasley.
"What happened to her?" Ron demanded as they stood outside of the Hospital Wing.
Neville shook his head, pointing to Luna, who seemed to not be paying attention since they had arrived back at Hogwarts.
Ron looked ready to lunge at her when Hermione took his arm and shook her head before going over to Luna herself.
"Luna, what happened to Ginny?"
Luna looked at Hermione with a slightly condemning gaze. "She said she felt bad about leaving you behind. I asked why she did and she didn't answer me. She was staring at something in the woods. Then she took off and before the Aurors could stop her, she disappeared. I found her behind Hog's Head, sounding like a grandfather clock," she said in a dreamy voice. "She sounded rather silly, if you ask me," she added.
Ron looked murderous and Hermione grabbed him before he could get his hands on the oblivious girl.
"It's not her fault. Ginny ran off and got in trouble. Be thankful she was alive when Luna found her," she told his friend.
"Ron! Ron!"
They all turned to see Percy and George running up the stairs and onto the landing where they were waiting. Ron frowned upon seeing Percy.
"What are you doing here?" he asked. He hadn't meant to sound rude or anything, but with everything going on at the Ministry, the Weasley's hardly ever saw Percy or Mr. Weasley. Percy hesitated for a moment, and then stood a little straighter.
"I was informed that Ginny was in trouble. I met Fred and George here," he replied stiffly.
"Where is Fred?" Hermione asked, slightly unnerved by the appearance of one twin but not the other.
George and Percy looked behind them and frowned, letting everyone know that they had obviously thought he was with them.
"Must have gone to see if Dumbledore was here," George muttered before turning back to them. "Have you heard anything about Ginny?" he asked, changing the subject instantly.
They shook their heads, glancing at the solid oak doors that separated them from the redhead on the other side.
"What happened to her?" Percy asked urgently.
Ron shot a look at Luna before moving off to the side. Hermione offered Luna an apologetic look which Luna missed and then went over to where Ron was standing, whispering to him softly. Harry had been quiet the whole time, his face pale as he stared out the window. They wouldn't get any information out of him. George looked at Luna and frowned, not knowing whether to ask her about Ginny or her mental health. Percy then turned to Neville, who had been silent since Ron had arrived in high form.
"Well?"
"Draco… can I talk to you?"
The blonde looked up from his reading and nodded, watching as Blaise Zabini entered the office and sat down in a plush chair.
"What is it?" Draco asked.
"The men are ready to go into Hogsmeade," the young man said, fiddling the Death Eater mask in his hands. "When do you want them to go?"
Draco looked up at Blaise and ran his hands through his hair.
"Not yet. We just gave Weasley back. I want to wait until tonight… then you're going to lead them," he said.
Blaise stared at him for a moment then smiled. "Really?"
Draco nodded. "I'll join you later, but I have to meet with some Ministry officials. They're promising a healthy amount for the capture of Hogsmeade," he told his friend.
"Does Bellatrix know?" Blaise asked.
Draco shook his head. "She doesn't need to know."
"She's dangerous, Draco."
"So am I," Draco growled, standing up.
Blaise shrugged. "I'm just saying that she might be using you for personal gain," he commented as he left the room.
Draco smiled as he gazed into the fire. "Then we wouldn't be that much different."
A/N: ...