Disaster, Despair, Disbelief
She opened her eyes, but still saw nothing but black. She felt the darkness envelope her and saw nothing but despair, felt nothing but fear. She heard someone shivering beside her and tried to turn to see who it was, but found she was chained to the damp, rough ground.
"Bugger, it's cold," muttered a familiar voice.
"George?" she called, gingerly.
"Padma? Is that you?" came the reply from the emptiness.
"Where the hell are we?" she asked in a high voice.
"Dunno. Can you move?"
Padma tried to shrug her shoulders but found she could not. "No," she replied dryly.
"I think we're under some sort of Charm. Hold on, I'll see if I can reach my wand - "His optimistic voice abruptly turned into a shriek of utmost terror.
"I wouldn't do that again if I were you." Out of the depths of the unknown came a voice that chilled Padma's bones. "No, Mr Weasley, I wouldn't recommend reaching for your wand."
"Who are you?" George asked in a hoarse voice. He was clutching his heart.
"Let's just say I'm someone who knows a lot more about you than you do. And you Miss Patil. I've kept a close eye on you both for years, but soon I won't need to anymore."
The voice turned into a cackle, then it was gone.
"George?" Padma called eventually. There was no reply.
ÒPadma? You okay?Ó George asked. He was not answered.
"George? George, where are you?" Alone in the darkness, she began to cry. Someone flicked a light switch on and drew back the curtains of her four-poster.
ÒOh my God, whatÕs happened to her?Ó It was all his fault. If only he had been able to reach his wand quicker. He got his wand out and muttered ÒLumos.Ó The light of his wand revealed his four-poster bed in Gryffindor Tower. He could hear Lee Jordan and Fred snoring.
"I can't believe it!" exclaimed Lisa. "Even in your dreams, you talk about him!"
"I - I don't understand," stammered Padma. "Where did he go?"
"Probably back to Gryffindor Tower," said Mandy, rolling her eyes. "You've only known him a couple of months - can't expect him to sleep with you yet."
"Not George," snapped Padma impatiently. "The voice."
Lisa and Mandy looked at each other. "You've had a bad dream," said Mandy gently. "It must have been tough, fainting in front of everyone."
"Listen - you've got to listen - " began Padma.
"No, you've got to sleep," interrupted Lisa firmly. She drew back Padma's curtains and Mandy turned off the lights.
"But after I fainted - I mean lost consciousness - George and I were taken to a cell and -"
"We don't really need to hear any more of your erotic fantasy," yawned Mandy.
"You fainted, and I brought you up here," said Lisa. "Good Night."
As soon as the morning light streamed into Gryffindor Tower, George woke his brother up. He had not slept all night, and was dying to know what explanation Fred could have of the night before. ÒWhat is it?Ó Fred asked grogilly. Òi have something really important to tell you...Ó Ten minutes later, after George had told his brother the night beforeÕs events, Fred was looking very solemn. ÒIÕve got something important to tell you too,Ó he said. ÒYeah?Ó asked George interested. ÒDo you know anything about what happened?Ó Fred took a deep breath. ÒIÕm sorry I was made Quidditch Captain and you werenÕt.Ó George was taken aback. Had Fred not heard what he had just told him? ÒWhat?Ó he asked. ÒAnd I know, youÕre just as good a player as I am and everything...Ó ÒFred, hold on, canÕt we talk about this later? I mean, this is really important.Ó Fred sighed again and spoke to George like he would have spoken to Ginny. ÒI realise what youÕre doing, you know. And it isnÕt the right way to go about it.Ó ÒGo about what?Ó George asked gobsmacked. ÒWell itÕs attention, isnÕt it? ThatÕs what you want. This episode seems like the perfect way to...Ó Fred trailed off because George was looking like he was about to be sick. ÒSo you think IÕm making the whole thing up, do you?Ó Fred snapped. ÒOh come on George, what the hell am I supposed to think? Last night you pretend to faint, have to be carried up here, and this morning you come up with this crap...Ó ÒSHUT UP!Ó yelled George. ÒYou think I find this funny?Ó ÒYou find nothing funny anymore! ThatÕs your problem!Ó ÒAnd yours is that you never take anything seriously!Ó George threw on some clothes and left in a hurry. He had to find Padma. "What you doing here?" asked Parvati. She was facing Padma in the bedroom that she shared with Lavender Brown and Hermione.
"Listen, something happened last night," said Padma breathlessly.
"I heard about you fainting yesterday," said Parvati.
Didn't do much to help though, did you? thought Padma.
"I didn't really faint, I had a sort of attack..."
"Look if this is the same crap you fed Lisa and Mandy this morning then don't expect me to buy it."
Padma's mouth fell open. She was shocked that her best friends that firstly told her sister and secondly, that Parvati had believed them.
"What did they say?'" Padma asked.
"They said that you were finally showing signs of being jealous of me."
"What, and you believed them?"
"Well, what am I supposed to think? You always wanted to get into Gryffindor, and now you're using George as an excuse to hang around with us all the time - "
"I can't believe I'm hearing this!" exclaimed Padma. "Do you realise what you're saying?"
"Oh get lost!" yelled Parvati.
Padma stood still. "Fine," she said. "It's obvious that you've forgotten everything we used to share."
She ran down into the common room to find George.
"Did I dream it?" George asked as soon as he found Padma. "There was a cell - "
"And a voice-"
"Fred doesn't believe me."
"Neither does Parvati."
"But it did happen, right? I mean we can't both have dreamt it."
"It happened alright. But we can't do anything on our own. We need to speak to someone."
"But who?"
"Hey guys." Padma and George spun round to see that Harry, Ron and Hermione had just entered the common room.
"Are you okay?" asked Hermione. "You took a nasty fall yesterday, both of you."
"Yeah, we're fine now," said Padma. "Only got a little problem..."
"Anything we can help with?" asked Harry casually. George glanced at Padma.
"Actually yes..."