Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or the series.
A/N: So many questions...
Forever Red
Chapter Two: A Child's Laughter
I rubbed my head. Her bright red eyes glowed in the corner of the infirmary. I wrapped up in my sheets. It was dark, and I could barely make out anything. Was I dreaming again? "Who are you?" I asked the woman again.
The eyes rose upward; I think she was standing up. A child's laughter came from behind me. I turned around, but I felt her eyes against my back. I flung myself back around. It looked as if she was just floating towards me. I backed myself up against the backboard of the bed, just to make sure nothing was behind me. "Selene," the figure said softly, as more of her features seemed to appear to me.
"It's a pretty name," I said, trying to be as civil as possible.
Dream or not, I still needed to be polite. Her smooth face was solid to me. Her pale lips smiled. "Who are you?" she asked, her red eyes looking through me.
"Ron," I said, putting out my hand.
"Ron?" her eyes looked down to my hand. She leaned over and my eyelids grew heavier. I closed my eyes and I felt her cold lips press against my forehead. Her voice blocked out the child's laughter. "I'll be waiting..."
I opened my eyes again and Hermione's hand was in my face. "Did you know your eyebrows raise when I tickle your nose?" she smiled.
"Fuck you," I muttered and turned over.
Harry was on the other side of me. "You've been out all day," he said.
I smiled. "Did I miss class?"
"Of course," Hermione said. "I got all of your homework."
"Bah," I said. "More work."
Madam Pomfrey walked in. "Mr. Weasley, do you have any clue about what happened?" she asked.
I shook my head. "Nope," I said.
"Do you think you can get up?" She asked.
I sat up lightly. I felt slightly dizzy. Red flashed in the corner of my eye. "Yeah."
"Well..." she said, waiting for me to get off my duff.
I stood up, carefully, and quickly needed to use Harry as a balance. "Fuck," I cursed quietly, growing dizzy.
The eyes grew closer. Am I still dreaming? "Selena?" I asked.
My legs were weak again. Harry put his arm around my waist quickly. She blinked at me, but the eyes were all I could see. Madam Pomfrey raised an eyebrow. "What is he looking at?" Hermione asked, quite frustrated with me.
Madam Pomfrey touched my forehead lightly. "He still has a fever," she said.
"Does that mean I'll be here for a while?" I asked, watching Selena's blood red eyes stare at me.
"You don't have to stay here, if you pass out again I want you back in here though," she said. "I trust Miss. Granger and Mr. Potter will take care of you."
Score! "Thanks," I said.
I walked out, using Harry as I crutch. I hoped that she didn't notice. If I was going to see Selena, then I'd rather be in my room. "You saw her, didn't you?"
I looked at Harry. "Yeah," I said. "She told me her name."
Hermione looked at us. "Her? What?" she asked rather confused.
"What's her name?" Harry asked, ignoring Hermione.
She grabbed my arm. "I don't like being out of the loop, please explain," she said.
Harry and I looked to each other for any sense of guidance. "I've been having reoccurring dreams with this girl haunting me," I said.
"I wouldn't call her a girl," Harry said. "The thought of someone invisible following us around creeps me out."
"What's her name?" Hermione asked. "Maybe she's in a yearbook."
"Selena," I said. "She never told me her last name."
Hermione pointed out her arm. "To the library," she said.
Harry let go off me. "Can you walk alright?" he asked.
"Yeah," I said. "I'll be okay."
We walked into the library together. "Wait here," Hermione said. "I'll bring over the yearbooks."
I slumped into a chair and looked around for any sign of the girl. I felt my shoulders relax as Hermione returned. "Got enough?" Harry asked.
"Hardly any of them," she sighed lightly. "We need to find out why she's pestering Ron."
"I wouldn't call it pestering," I muttered.
Harry sighed. "What exactly is she doing?" he asked.
"Just talking!" I said.
Hermione smiled victoriously. "So you want her to keep haunting you?"
"No..."
"Then help me look!" she snapped and glared slightly.
From the corner of my eye I watched Minerva McGonnigal walk into the library, directly to where we were. "Feeling better Mr. Weasley?" she asked.
"Sometimes," I said.
She raised an eyebrow; probably doubting I was actually ill. "I hope you're catching up on what you missed," she looked at the pile of yearbooks.
"I will," I said.
Hermione looked to her. "We're trying to figure out the source of Ron's illness," she said.
"Source?" she questioned.
"Nightmares," Harry said. "We think it has something to do with it."
She pulled a chair from another table and sat down with us. She looked at me as if I could break easily. "What's it about?" she asked me.
"A girl," I started. "I don't know. She's just following me around and such. Something about her is depressing."
"Did you know her name?" she asked.
Harry and Hermione looked at me, waiting to see if I'd give a response. "Selena."
"Selena?" she said. "Do you think she's a spirit?"
"Maybe..." I said.
She leaned over the table. "I knew a Selena. Not well. She was in the Slytherin house and I was in Gryffindor. She passed away during our Seventh year. It wasn't murder or anything, she was just ill," she said.
She stood up, slightly nervous. "Thank you," I said.
"It's no problem, she might not even be the same girl," she left quickly.
I looked at Harry and Hermione's expression. "She knows something," Hermione smiled. "Let's look at the years Professor McGonnigal was in school."
She opened several yearbooks to the same Selena, just different ages. I watched her grow up. It was definitely her. "That's her," I said, leaning over the yearbooks. "Shouldn't she be haunting someone in the Slytherin house?"
I looked at her picture. She had long hair and bright eyes. It was hard to tell what colour they were, since the pictures were in black and white. Harry was looking through the latest yearbook. "Look, it has an article on her about it," he said and passed the yearbook over to me.
I looked at the picture of her with someone's arm around her. I didn't recognize him, not that I would. I read the quotes from the other students to myself. "Well, anything interesting?" Hermione said.
"I haven't finished..." I said.
Hermione read over my shoulder. "People wrote what they thought of her," she said. Harry rolled his eyes slightly. Her finger jabbed the paper, startling me. "Severus Snape!" she exclaimed.
"What?" I asked.
"He made a comment," she said.
"Well they were probably in the same house," Harry said.
She read his comment aloud. "She could always put a smile on anyone's face, even if they were hopelessly grumpy."
Harry's eyes lit up. "They must have been closer. You should confront him," Harry said to me.
I looked at my friends. "Alone?" I asked.
"He'll probably won't say as much if we're all there," Hermione said.
"But I don't want to be alone with him..." I said.
Hermione smiled. "Tomorrow, in class get yourself into detention," she said. "Then you have an excuse to talk to him about it."
I smiled back at her. "That's great!"
I leaned back in my chair, already unraveling the mystery of Selena. I noticed her eyes watching me from a dark corner. I wish I had started to unravel it earlier.
A/N: So many questions...
Forever Red
Chapter Two: A Child's Laughter
I rubbed my head. Her bright red eyes glowed in the corner of the infirmary. I wrapped up in my sheets. It was dark, and I could barely make out anything. Was I dreaming again? "Who are you?" I asked the woman again.
The eyes rose upward; I think she was standing up. A child's laughter came from behind me. I turned around, but I felt her eyes against my back. I flung myself back around. It looked as if she was just floating towards me. I backed myself up against the backboard of the bed, just to make sure nothing was behind me. "Selene," the figure said softly, as more of her features seemed to appear to me.
"It's a pretty name," I said, trying to be as civil as possible.
Dream or not, I still needed to be polite. Her smooth face was solid to me. Her pale lips smiled. "Who are you?" she asked, her red eyes looking through me.
"Ron," I said, putting out my hand.
"Ron?" her eyes looked down to my hand. She leaned over and my eyelids grew heavier. I closed my eyes and I felt her cold lips press against my forehead. Her voice blocked out the child's laughter. "I'll be waiting..."
I opened my eyes again and Hermione's hand was in my face. "Did you know your eyebrows raise when I tickle your nose?" she smiled.
"Fuck you," I muttered and turned over.
Harry was on the other side of me. "You've been out all day," he said.
I smiled. "Did I miss class?"
"Of course," Hermione said. "I got all of your homework."
"Bah," I said. "More work."
Madam Pomfrey walked in. "Mr. Weasley, do you have any clue about what happened?" she asked.
I shook my head. "Nope," I said.
"Do you think you can get up?" She asked.
I sat up lightly. I felt slightly dizzy. Red flashed in the corner of my eye. "Yeah."
"Well..." she said, waiting for me to get off my duff.
I stood up, carefully, and quickly needed to use Harry as a balance. "Fuck," I cursed quietly, growing dizzy.
The eyes grew closer. Am I still dreaming? "Selena?" I asked.
My legs were weak again. Harry put his arm around my waist quickly. She blinked at me, but the eyes were all I could see. Madam Pomfrey raised an eyebrow. "What is he looking at?" Hermione asked, quite frustrated with me.
Madam Pomfrey touched my forehead lightly. "He still has a fever," she said.
"Does that mean I'll be here for a while?" I asked, watching Selena's blood red eyes stare at me.
"You don't have to stay here, if you pass out again I want you back in here though," she said. "I trust Miss. Granger and Mr. Potter will take care of you."
Score! "Thanks," I said.
I walked out, using Harry as I crutch. I hoped that she didn't notice. If I was going to see Selena, then I'd rather be in my room. "You saw her, didn't you?"
I looked at Harry. "Yeah," I said. "She told me her name."
Hermione looked at us. "Her? What?" she asked rather confused.
"What's her name?" Harry asked, ignoring Hermione.
She grabbed my arm. "I don't like being out of the loop, please explain," she said.
Harry and I looked to each other for any sense of guidance. "I've been having reoccurring dreams with this girl haunting me," I said.
"I wouldn't call her a girl," Harry said. "The thought of someone invisible following us around creeps me out."
"What's her name?" Hermione asked. "Maybe she's in a yearbook."
"Selena," I said. "She never told me her last name."
Hermione pointed out her arm. "To the library," she said.
Harry let go off me. "Can you walk alright?" he asked.
"Yeah," I said. "I'll be okay."
We walked into the library together. "Wait here," Hermione said. "I'll bring over the yearbooks."
I slumped into a chair and looked around for any sign of the girl. I felt my shoulders relax as Hermione returned. "Got enough?" Harry asked.
"Hardly any of them," she sighed lightly. "We need to find out why she's pestering Ron."
"I wouldn't call it pestering," I muttered.
Harry sighed. "What exactly is she doing?" he asked.
"Just talking!" I said.
Hermione smiled victoriously. "So you want her to keep haunting you?"
"No..."
"Then help me look!" she snapped and glared slightly.
From the corner of my eye I watched Minerva McGonnigal walk into the library, directly to where we were. "Feeling better Mr. Weasley?" she asked.
"Sometimes," I said.
She raised an eyebrow; probably doubting I was actually ill. "I hope you're catching up on what you missed," she looked at the pile of yearbooks.
"I will," I said.
Hermione looked to her. "We're trying to figure out the source of Ron's illness," she said.
"Source?" she questioned.
"Nightmares," Harry said. "We think it has something to do with it."
She pulled a chair from another table and sat down with us. She looked at me as if I could break easily. "What's it about?" she asked me.
"A girl," I started. "I don't know. She's just following me around and such. Something about her is depressing."
"Did you know her name?" she asked.
Harry and Hermione looked at me, waiting to see if I'd give a response. "Selena."
"Selena?" she said. "Do you think she's a spirit?"
"Maybe..." I said.
She leaned over the table. "I knew a Selena. Not well. She was in the Slytherin house and I was in Gryffindor. She passed away during our Seventh year. It wasn't murder or anything, she was just ill," she said.
She stood up, slightly nervous. "Thank you," I said.
"It's no problem, she might not even be the same girl," she left quickly.
I looked at Harry and Hermione's expression. "She knows something," Hermione smiled. "Let's look at the years Professor McGonnigal was in school."
She opened several yearbooks to the same Selena, just different ages. I watched her grow up. It was definitely her. "That's her," I said, leaning over the yearbooks. "Shouldn't she be haunting someone in the Slytherin house?"
I looked at her picture. She had long hair and bright eyes. It was hard to tell what colour they were, since the pictures were in black and white. Harry was looking through the latest yearbook. "Look, it has an article on her about it," he said and passed the yearbook over to me.
I looked at the picture of her with someone's arm around her. I didn't recognize him, not that I would. I read the quotes from the other students to myself. "Well, anything interesting?" Hermione said.
"I haven't finished..." I said.
Hermione read over my shoulder. "People wrote what they thought of her," she said. Harry rolled his eyes slightly. Her finger jabbed the paper, startling me. "Severus Snape!" she exclaimed.
"What?" I asked.
"He made a comment," she said.
"Well they were probably in the same house," Harry said.
She read his comment aloud. "She could always put a smile on anyone's face, even if they were hopelessly grumpy."
Harry's eyes lit up. "They must have been closer. You should confront him," Harry said to me.
I looked at my friends. "Alone?" I asked.
"He'll probably won't say as much if we're all there," Hermione said.
"But I don't want to be alone with him..." I said.
Hermione smiled. "Tomorrow, in class get yourself into detention," she said. "Then you have an excuse to talk to him about it."
I smiled back at her. "That's great!"
I leaned back in my chair, already unraveling the mystery of Selena. I noticed her eyes watching me from a dark corner. I wish I had started to unravel it earlier.