Chapter Thirteen
Disclaimer on opening note
Ruby woke the next day and Snape was gone. She didn't really expect him to have stayed the whole night, but she had slightly hoped. She was surprised to find Lupin there.
"Good morning, Ruby."
"Good morning," she said groggily.
"I'm glad to see you've gotten some sleep," he smiled.
"Some."
"Ruby, I just wanted to see you and say that, well, if you need to tell someone about your dreams, if you think it would help, I'm more then willing to listen."
"Thank you, Professor."
That clearly wasn't the answer he was looking for. "Dumbledore told me you may have been having dreams about he-who-must-not-be-named."
"He did," she acted surprised. "Look, Professor, I will tell when I'm ready, nothing against you at all. I'm just not ready, ok?"
"I'm sorry for bothering you. This was not a good idea, not while you were sick."
She smiled weakly as he left. She rolled over and fell back asleep and dreamed again.
She stood alone in an empty room. She walked over to the moon-lite window. She had to climb up on a chair to see out. She saw hundreds of black figures surrounding Hogwarts. Dementors? she thought. No, not all of them there were to many. She saw students leaving the castle, then the teachers, each bond by some curse. A door opened behind Ruby, but she did not hear it.
"Beautiful, isn't it?"
"It's so dark." Tom Riddle turned Ruby around and lightly touched her hand. "We can rule that together. We can rule the wizarding world."
"You need me?"
"Yes, Ruby. I need you." He pulled her closer. She felt like she did the night he had taken her to The Chamber. She felt a darkness growing inside her, but this time, she was to weak to stop him.
* "She isn't waking up," said Pompfrey. "And her fever has climbed." Dumbledore looked at Ruby's body on the bed. The tears streaming down her cheeks. Snape and McGonagall watched as well.
"She is dreaming again," Dumbledore stated.
"Is it the Dementors," asked McGonagall with some hope.
"I wish it were so," Dumbledore answered. "That can be taken care of. We will have to watch and wait."
"I'll stay," Snape suddently said.
"I'm the head of her house, Severus. I will stay."
"No, I insist."
"Minerva, Severus will be the best to watch over her. This diease is really more in his expertise."
"If you insist, Head master." *
Ruby melted into another dream, she was walking a very dusty road. She felt she knew the place, but couldn't remember from where. She happened upon a small village where most of the buildings were tents. It was still night, and she saw a fire further away, she walked towards it, hearing conversation as she passed.
"She will be as good as her father."
"Of course she will. I wish he could see her now."
"I think he is. He is watching her from the far plane."
Farplane? Tents? I'm in Besaid. Ruby stopped in here tracks. No, no he just wants me to think I'm in Besaid. As if hearing her thoughts, the dream shifted to another one, making her wish she had stayed in Besaid.
*
Snape sat in the chair by Ruby's bed. He hadn't left it that whole day. He did eat or sleep, he just watched her, knowing she would wake up any minute. But she hadn't yet and he didn't know why.
"Miss Kennedy," he would say occasionally to see if it would wake her up. "Miss Kennedy, it's just a dream. Wake up."
*
Wake up, she told herself. Tom Riddle sat in front of her.
"Ruby, do you believe me?"
"I don't understand."
"Do not play games."
"I'm not."
"WHAT DID I SAY," he yelled. She started to cry again. She hated herself for it. She never cried this much before. "What is it? What is wrong?"
"I want to wake up."
"This isn't a dream. I am not a figment of a fayth's imagination. I will not disappear."
"I'm sick."
"I will make you better. You will be with me and I will never allow you to feel any pain."
"No one has that power, not even Dumbledore."
He sneered. "Are you comparing me to the likes of Albus Dumbledore?"
"Are you afraid of that?" He didn't answer. She cried, "You can't even numb your own pain, how dare you try to take away mine."
* Ruby shook violently in her bed. Inwardly she was fighting, not only the poison, but the darkness that was in her as well. Snape tried to keep her still by placing his hands on her shoulders.
"You can't help me. You can't even survive," she screamed aloud.
"What are you dreaming," Snape yelled back. He heard Pompfrey run out of the infirmary to get Dumbledore.
"I won't. I will not let you own me!"
"Who?" * Tom looked at her, strangely calm. "I am the great Lord Voldemort. I own many. Even some at Hogwarts."
"BUT NOT ME!"
He laughed and Ruby screamed.
"IT'S ONLY A DREAM," Ruby heard yelled over her scream.
"THEN HELP ME," she yelled back and faded into darkness.
* "I don't know how," Snape answered when she became quiet.
"Severus, what happened," Dumbledore asked.
"She was talking." Snape explained what she said as Pompfrey took her temperature.
"Pompy?"
"Her fever has broken."
* * *
Ruby slept soundly until the following morning. When she woke up, Snape was asleep in the chair beside her.
*Confusing? Well, I didn't know any other way of doing it. The small dream about Besaid was foreshadowing. WOOT!
Ruby woke the next day and Snape was gone. She didn't really expect him to have stayed the whole night, but she had slightly hoped. She was surprised to find Lupin there.
"Good morning, Ruby."
"Good morning," she said groggily.
"I'm glad to see you've gotten some sleep," he smiled.
"Some."
"Ruby, I just wanted to see you and say that, well, if you need to tell someone about your dreams, if you think it would help, I'm more then willing to listen."
"Thank you, Professor."
That clearly wasn't the answer he was looking for. "Dumbledore told me you may have been having dreams about he-who-must-not-be-named."
"He did," she acted surprised. "Look, Professor, I will tell when I'm ready, nothing against you at all. I'm just not ready, ok?"
"I'm sorry for bothering you. This was not a good idea, not while you were sick."
She smiled weakly as he left. She rolled over and fell back asleep and dreamed again.
She stood alone in an empty room. She walked over to the moon-lite window. She had to climb up on a chair to see out. She saw hundreds of black figures surrounding Hogwarts. Dementors? she thought. No, not all of them there were to many. She saw students leaving the castle, then the teachers, each bond by some curse. A door opened behind Ruby, but she did not hear it.
"Beautiful, isn't it?"
"It's so dark." Tom Riddle turned Ruby around and lightly touched her hand. "We can rule that together. We can rule the wizarding world."
"You need me?"
"Yes, Ruby. I need you." He pulled her closer. She felt like she did the night he had taken her to The Chamber. She felt a darkness growing inside her, but this time, she was to weak to stop him.
* "She isn't waking up," said Pompfrey. "And her fever has climbed." Dumbledore looked at Ruby's body on the bed. The tears streaming down her cheeks. Snape and McGonagall watched as well.
"She is dreaming again," Dumbledore stated.
"Is it the Dementors," asked McGonagall with some hope.
"I wish it were so," Dumbledore answered. "That can be taken care of. We will have to watch and wait."
"I'll stay," Snape suddently said.
"I'm the head of her house, Severus. I will stay."
"No, I insist."
"Minerva, Severus will be the best to watch over her. This diease is really more in his expertise."
"If you insist, Head master." *
Ruby melted into another dream, she was walking a very dusty road. She felt she knew the place, but couldn't remember from where. She happened upon a small village where most of the buildings were tents. It was still night, and she saw a fire further away, she walked towards it, hearing conversation as she passed.
"She will be as good as her father."
"Of course she will. I wish he could see her now."
"I think he is. He is watching her from the far plane."
Farplane? Tents? I'm in Besaid. Ruby stopped in here tracks. No, no he just wants me to think I'm in Besaid. As if hearing her thoughts, the dream shifted to another one, making her wish she had stayed in Besaid.
*
Snape sat in the chair by Ruby's bed. He hadn't left it that whole day. He did eat or sleep, he just watched her, knowing she would wake up any minute. But she hadn't yet and he didn't know why.
"Miss Kennedy," he would say occasionally to see if it would wake her up. "Miss Kennedy, it's just a dream. Wake up."
*
Wake up, she told herself. Tom Riddle sat in front of her.
"Ruby, do you believe me?"
"I don't understand."
"Do not play games."
"I'm not."
"WHAT DID I SAY," he yelled. She started to cry again. She hated herself for it. She never cried this much before. "What is it? What is wrong?"
"I want to wake up."
"This isn't a dream. I am not a figment of a fayth's imagination. I will not disappear."
"I'm sick."
"I will make you better. You will be with me and I will never allow you to feel any pain."
"No one has that power, not even Dumbledore."
He sneered. "Are you comparing me to the likes of Albus Dumbledore?"
"Are you afraid of that?" He didn't answer. She cried, "You can't even numb your own pain, how dare you try to take away mine."
* Ruby shook violently in her bed. Inwardly she was fighting, not only the poison, but the darkness that was in her as well. Snape tried to keep her still by placing his hands on her shoulders.
"You can't help me. You can't even survive," she screamed aloud.
"What are you dreaming," Snape yelled back. He heard Pompfrey run out of the infirmary to get Dumbledore.
"I won't. I will not let you own me!"
"Who?" * Tom looked at her, strangely calm. "I am the great Lord Voldemort. I own many. Even some at Hogwarts."
"BUT NOT ME!"
He laughed and Ruby screamed.
"IT'S ONLY A DREAM," Ruby heard yelled over her scream.
"THEN HELP ME," she yelled back and faded into darkness.
* "I don't know how," Snape answered when she became quiet.
"Severus, what happened," Dumbledore asked.
"She was talking." Snape explained what she said as Pompfrey took her temperature.
"Pompy?"
"Her fever has broken."
* * *
Ruby slept soundly until the following morning. When she woke up, Snape was asleep in the chair beside her.
*Confusing? Well, I didn't know any other way of doing it. The small dream about Besaid was foreshadowing. WOOT!
