Chapter 8~The Dream That Happened.
Ginny didn't sleep that night, so terrified that she had stayed awake in her bed,
staring at the ceiling. She had no idea what had happened since she'd fallen asleep until the
time she'd gone into the bathroom to clean up. Obviously, something very bad had gone
on.
When the castle started to show signs of the others waking, Ginny miserably rolled
to her side and pretended to be sleeping. No one came to wake her, not even Shannon.
This made her in worse condition than before, and when she finally did drag herself out of
bed, she knew she'd missed breakfast and was likely to have a major headache later, with
lack of both sleep and nutrition.
No matter how much she tried, she couldn't explain the blood and feathers she'd
found that night. What could possibly have happened? Ginny had no idea and she scared
to ask. Surely she would be found out, that she was acting guilty for being associated with
she didn't know what.
Ginny pulled on a white, homemade sweatshirt underneath her robes and she
grabbed her black diary on the way out of the dormitory. She had a bunch to talk with
Tom about. What if she was in deep trouble? Tom would know what to do.
There was actually some time in her classes to do write in it, since no one was
really paying attention near Halloween anyway and the teachers had given up on getting
everyonr to work. When everyone else went off with their friends to talk and laugh in
Charms, Ginny retreated to the farthest nook she could find. Tucked away in her own
corner, Ginny wrote furiously, pouring out everything to the invisible friend she had.
Something has happened, Tom.
The answer didn't come immediately, and Ginny started to worry as she hunched
over the little book, willing words to come through the print. Just as she was about to put
the book away and sleep, the book came alive, like it was waiting for her to get desperate.
So sorry, dear. Just not used to being awake this early, Tom wrote back.
Ginny sighed with relief and scribbled back.
I forgot it was so early. I didn't sleep at all last night.
Whatever happened?
Ginny preceded to pour out the whole story, though she wasn't able to supply
much details about what happened. She felt silly writing this now, realizing that there was
nothing that Tom could do about it, since she didn't know the whole story herself.
You woke up from a nightmare covered in blood and feathers? How strange. I
don't know what to say, Ginny. If you hadn't cleaned it off yourself, I would just have to
say you were dreaming.
I wish I was. But it's too real, Tom!
Calm down. I'm sure there's an explanation.
Ginny shook her head sadly. She knew there couldn't possibly be any explanation
for what was happening. None of it fit together, the little bits of information that she had.
Tom, she feared, really didn't know what he was talking about. She decided to leave the
diary and catch up on some sleeptime.
I really should try and nap. I'm horribly tired.
No, no! You can't sleep when you have this type of thing happening to you. Talk
to me, Ginny. Please? I'm ever so lonely when you don't write in this.
Oh, I'm so sorry! I had no idea.
The rest of the day, in each class, was spent checking in with Tom. Except in
Potions, of course, where Ginny kept the book shut and buried under all her other books,
having explained to Tom that she couldn't possibly have written anything with Snape
breathing in the room. She couldn't barely keep her eyes open during the class anyway,
and she was snapped at anyway.
"Ms. Weasley, if you would kindly wake up!" Ginny's eyes shot open and she
stared into Snape's dark eyes, pulsing with hate. She shrank away, but didn't hear a word
of his ugly remarks. Somewhere in her mind, she was plotting a way to get rid of him. An
easy slit across the throat, a single drop of poisen into his goblet at dinner, cursing him
with a wand that worked deadly.....
Ginny shook herself mentally. Where did those thoughts come from?
~~~~~~~~~~~
Later, in the common room, Ginny sat herself in a corner, again, and wrote to
Tom, horribly disturbed by news she'd just overheard from Ron, Harry, and Hermione.
She feared something that made all the puzzles of the night before come together.
Remember my nightmare, Tom? And how I couldn't remember it, even if it was
terrible?
Yes?
Ginny scanned the room to make sure she was still invisible to everyone and she
focused again on the page.
I remember it know. It wasn't a nightmare either.
I think you lost me, dear. Tell me more about this...nightmare. How'd you
remember it?
I overheard Ron talking about how Hagrid had found the rooster dead this
morning, very bloody. This image came into my mind. I strangled that bird, Tom! I know I
did. The nightmare actually happened. After I had gone to bed, I'd woken up and gone to
the chicken coop and killed the rooster. I remember taking those steps and the blood...I
didn't even notice it. All I knew was that I had to kill that rooster. I don't know why
though, Tom!
Ginny, dear, do try and calm yourself.
Ginny couldn't be calmed. She was too nervous and upset to even think straight.
She wished so much that life was simpler, without all the complicated ways the wizarding
world worked. Trying to get it out, and figuring it was a diary, Ginny scrawled her
thoughts to Tom.
I really wish sometimes, that I wasn't a witch at all, that I was just a normal
Muggle without any problems.
Don't say such things, Ginny! Being a Muggle....that would be horrible!
Ginny stared at the page, watching the words disappear. What did Tom mean by
that? she wondered. All her life, she'd never seen what was so bad about Muggles, except
that they couldn't use magic. In fact, she thought it made their lives much less
complicated, being able to just live without having to worry about such things like spells,
wierd dreams that were real and Dark Magic. Tom had acted like she said she wanted to
kill them.
Ginny? Are you still there?
"What are you doing, Ginny?" Ginny jumped about five feet, heart pounding. She
slammed the diary closed quickly and hunched over it. Then, she looked up into Shannon's
face. Relieved it wasn't Harry, Ginny tried to smile, though another thought occured to
her. What if Shannon had read what she was writing?
"I haven't talked to you in forever. Do you want to play a game of Chess with
me?" Shannon asked, setting down a box in front of herself, obviously having planned to
play with Ginny anyway. Ginny kept a sigh to herself and agreed, partly grateful to not
have to respond to Tom's strange outburst. What did he have against Muggles?
