Disclaimer: J. K. Rowling owns Harry Potter along with Scholastic and whoever else.  I only own my characters so DON'T SUE!!!

Six Feet and Falling

by Saerry Snape

Chapter 7 :: September 2,, 1995 :: Hogwarts – Early Morning

Sheyne crept downstairs into the Gryffindor common room early in the morning and walked over to the fireplace, thinking she was alone.  Until she heard a voice behind her.

"Bad dream?"

The girl whirled and saw Harry sitting in a nearby chair, his long legs tucked under him and one arm propped on the arm of the chair with his chin cupped in his palm, the other laying haphazardly in his lap.  The dying fire made his already brilliant green eyes glow.

"N-no," said Sheyne, cursing mentally as she stuttered.

Harry smiled tightly.

"Right.  None of my business.  I'll just leave you to think…"

As he unfolded from the chair, Sheyne lifted a hand, shaking her head.  "No," she said, "stay.  Please."

Harry nodded and settled back into the chair, watching her.

After a moment she asked, "What are you doing down here?  If I may ask?"

"Bad dream," replied Harry in such a tone that offered no more answers to questions asked.  Sheyne nodded and reached into the neck of the baggy shirt she slept in, pulling out the chain and its stone.  Light gleamed off of it and Harry leaned forward a bit.

"What's that?" he asked.  When Sheyne looked at him, he gave her a bemused smile and added with a little laugh in his tone, "If I may ask."

Sheyne gave a little chuckle then swept her eyes over the stone.

"My mother – my adopted mother – said it was my real mother's."

"Adopted?"

"Yeah."  Sheyne nodded and suddenly her whole story spilled out to a boy she'd only met the night before.  Harry's face turned stony at the mention of Wormtail and Sheyne asked him about that when she finished.

"Wormtail," spat the teen bitterly, eyes blazing. "Was my parent's Secret Keeper when Voldemort (Harry noted Sheyne did not wince at the name) was after them.  His real name is Peter Pettigrew but they call him Wormtail because his Animagus form is that of a rat.  He also gave my parents to Voldemort, killing them by doing so and giving me this scar and my twice-damned reputation."

"He nearly killed me.  But the gray-eyed one…Lucius, I think…hit him."

"Lucius Malfoy?"

"I don't know.  My father thinks so."

"Damn," said Harry.

The two of them sat in silence again, Sheyne fidgeting with her necklace.  She suddenly asked, "What was that shock yesterday?"

"I don't know.  Nothing like that's ever happened to me before."

"Me either.  What do you think it was?"

"I haven't a clue in hell."

"You seem to curse a lot."

Harry blinked then shrugged.  "Yeah, I've been doing that lately.  Generally, its Ron that does that."

"Ron?"

"The red-head who was sitting beside me.  Ron Weasley.  His sister Ginny – she's a year younger than us – was sitting beside you."

"There seem to be a lot of red-head's."

"Oh, you mean Fred and George.  Well, there are three more of them: Percy, Bill and Charlie.  You might like to meet Bill and Charlie but Percy…  Well, let's put this bluntly: he's a bore."

Sheyne laughed and Harry couldn't help but grin.  Then he yawned, causing Sheyne to laugh even more.

"Well," he said, "I suppose my body is telling me I need to get back to sleep, bad dreams or not.  See you in the morning, Sheyne."

"You too, Harry.  Hope those dreams don't bother you."

Harry turned his head to grin at her from where he stood with one foot on the stairs going up to the boy's dormitories.

"G'night.  And I hope whatever's bothering you decides to go spear itself on something very sharp and pointy."

Sheyne gave a bark of laughter and said, "Thanks.  I think…"

Harry chuckled and half-waved at her before heading upstairs.  Sheyne sat in front of the fire for a few moments longer before she headed back to her own bed, still wondering why she felt that she could trust Harry with anything.