Chapter Four: Dark Dreams
Your smile reminded me of...
The letter arrived late at night as a familiar tawny owl gave a quiet hoot and tapped discreetly on the window of his dormitory. Harry looked up from his Transfiguration text book and smiled.
"Hermes," he whispered, going to open the window. "I've been expecting you." Hermes obediently stuck out its leg and Harry untied the letter from it. "I'm sorry, boy, but I don't have any treats on me." The owl seemed to glower at Harry, disappointedly, but no more.
Harry sat on his bed and went under the covers. "Lumos!" he muttered, and read the letter by wand-light.
Harry–
Though unethical, your request is not uncalled for in the slightest. Consider this, shall we say, "bending the rules" my apology for underestimating you last year. Enclosed is the complete list of missing wizards that has been reported to the ministry in the past six months. I will not ask what you need these names for, because I know you wouldn't tell me anyway. I have enchanted the parchment to help you in your search, whatever that may be. Tap your wand to a name and a physical description, as well as details of their disappearance will appear on the right side of the page. In some cases, you may find personal notes, such as possible leads or theories onto what happened to them. Do not be startled to find that next to some names, the words 'possibly deceased' may appear at the end of their report.
Hoping to be helpful,
Percy Weasley
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Harry was often tormented by nightmares. But none like these. Dreams of a dark room, with flickering shadows, half there, half not. Dreams of Ron slumped pale and raw in a chair, half dead, half not. And whispers wishing he could be.
"End it," Ron would say. "Just end it now."
These dreams disturbed Harry to no end. He almost didn't want to go to sleep at night. But he didn't tell Hermione. The last thing he wanted to do was upset her. She was trying so hard to make him happy, and he could tell she was just as stressed as he was.
It was very early morning, and Harry had just awoken from one of those horrible dreams. He decided to go to the Quidditch field, because he had practice soon anyway. He couldn't go back to sleep, for he knew that dank dark room would be waiting there for him.
But there was something else waiting for him when he reached the Quidditch field.
A tiny figure sat in the stands, hugging her knees. Harry probably wouldn't have known who it was if it wasn't for her vivid red hair. Curious, Harry went up to see the girl.
"Couldn't sleep?" he asked. She looked up and smiled wanly.
"No," she said, frozen tears streaked on her face. Harry looked down at his shoes, then back up at Ginny.
"Me neither," he said, sitting down next to her. "You know who's subbing for... Who's playing keeper?" he asked her.
"I got Dennis to do it, but he's awful really," said Ginny, sadly. "Do you remember when you gave me the captaincy?" Ginny asked him, looking up at Harry. "You remember Ron?"
Remember? Of course he did. With Angelina, Katie and the Weasley twins graduated, four new spots had opened on the team. Ginny had taken one of the Chaser positions, allowing Harry his old place as Seeker. Seamus Finnegan stole the second position away from everyone. Harry had never seen such a flier! As for beaters, two vivid (and violent) third year best friends, Andrew Greggo and Lawrence Carter, rose to the challenge. Andrew was especially young, only twelve years old. Meanwhile, Ron had kept his position as Keeper. As for team captain... all, including Alicia Spinnet, the remaining Chaser, had elected Harry as their new team captain. However, Harry resigned his title to Ginny, who had been utterly shocked to receive it. Harry had seen tremendous leadership skills in that girl, but he'd worried that Ron would be upset that Harry hadn't given the title to him. But when everyone was applauding Ginny, Harry'd looked over to Ron to find him beaming brighter than any of his teammates, and clapping twice as loud. He was proud of his sister.
Ginny sighed, sadly, looking up at the fading stars.
"Where is he, Harry?" she said, longingly. "Where is my big brother?"
"I really wish I knew," Harry said honestly. "If I did, believe me... Things would be different. I would do everything in my power to find out that he was OK, and if he wasn't, to save him."
"You don't think anything's happened to him, do you?" Ginny asked. Harry looked away from her. He couldn't honestly tell her that he didn't. He knew that Ron wouldn't disappear of his own accord without telling anyone. Ron knew better than that.
"I thought so," Ginny sighed, dejectedly. Harry put his arm around her.
"Don't worry," he said. "It gets better than this. It has to."
Quidditch practice that day went surprisingly smoothly, except for the occasional messing around from Andrew and Lawrence, which was only to be expected. They often arrived at practice arguing, and today was no different.
They were late, as usual.
"... stupid git, I bet you wouldn't even be able to find your own knickers if your Mum didn't always lay them out for you," Andrew was muttering. Harry, Ginny, and the rest of the team was already waiting on the field, in uniform, for their beaters to arrive.
Lawrence hit his friend. "It's not my fault I lost it, you twit!" he complained. "Someone happens to be a slob, and somehow it got lost under your ruddy books!"
Andrew hit him right back. "Well then, I guess you don't want to share my ruddy books anymore, then, do you?"
"Would you two stop it?" Ginny snapped, frustrated.
"It's his fault!" Lawrence and Andrew said simultaneously, pointing at each other. Ginny rolled her eyes.
"On your brooms, both of you!" she ordered.
"But Ginny!" Lawrence protested. "Aren't you even curious as to what we were fighting about?"
"Not really," Ginny muttered.
"Virginia, dear," said Andrew sappily. "We'd discovered something of interest to you and Mr. Potter here. Unfortunately, this git lost it!" Andrew jabbed Lawrence in the ribs and he grunted and punched Andrew on the arm.
"Whatever," Ginny said, rolling her eyes and mounting her broom. "Harry, release the snitch, you two, get the bludgers."
"Harry, wait," said Andrew, holding up his hand. Harry watched the boy curiously. Lawrence was grinning next to him. Ginny fumed. She hated it when Andrew, a kid tree years her junior, challenged her authority.
"Virginia," Andrew began, with a business-like air to his manner. "Your brother..."
The blood was rushing to Ginny's face.
"How dare you even–"
"Hear me out!" Andrew held up his hands, defensively. "Listen. We were in Hogsmeade the weekend Ron Weasley disappeared. Anyway, Larry and I took to our ritual exploring of the village. We stumbled upon an alley at the far end of the village, one we hadn't yet discovered and went down it. Full of old, broken down shops and found out that the alley got narrower and narrower until it was a dead end– or so we believe, it got so narrow, not even skinny Larry here could fit through. Well, anyway, at one of the wider sections of the alley we came across a tiny piece of evidence the Ministry seemed to have overlooked– a photograph."
"A photograph!" Ginny said, outrageously. "Oh, call in the cavalry, they found a photograph!"
"Patience, Virginia," said Andrew. "Anyways, if my stupid cohort here hadn't lost it, you would be able to clearly see that you and your brother were in this photograph." Andrew looked over at Harry. "As were you, Harry Potter."
Ginny went pale. Harry dropped his broom.
"With... With the Weasley twins and... And Hermione Granger?" he stuttered.
"Yeah, they're in it too," Andrew nodded at Harry, happy that they were taking him seriously.
"Yeah," Lawrence piped. "And some dark-haired fellow. Looked a bit like– Say, Harry, was that–"
"Shut up, Lawrence," Harry said, sharply. He looked over at Ginny, his heart stopping, only to find her staring right back. Harry could count every single freckle vividly standing out on her pallid face.
Ginny swallowed her fear and the color returned to her cheeks.
"Right, everyone, I want you all in the air in thirty seconds."
And they were. When Harry rose above the field, he was vaguely aware of anything else but the brisk December wind– and what Andrew Greggo had just informed him of. He watched the two beaters carefully. They were quite the dynamic duo, but they often goofed around, chasing each other during games, whacking the bludgers away from their teammates, but at each other. Harry remembered once being very entertained by a game of catch those two had been having with a bludger during a game with Hufflepuff. So entertained, in fact, that he'd missed the snitch fly right by him.
As Harry flew around, not really searching for the snitch, a horrid idea struck him.
He'd seen that alley Andrew had described. He'd seen it in his dreams and meditations; when he'd tried to reach Ron, that was all he could see.
And he'd had an eery feeling when he saw that dark alley. It was the same feeling he'd had last year when he saw that door at the end of the corridor– for he knew there was something beyond it that he had to see.