Chapter 6 - Not Just a Dream

After the other DA members had left, the three searched the castle once more for any proof of Ginny's whereabouts and procured some books from the Restricted Area which they forgot to explore earlier in their disoriented state. The next day, feeling oddly tired and spent, they made their way half-heartedly to the Great Hall to have their breakfast. It had only been four days since the term had ended and yet it felt like years.

"I honestly thought this was going to be our best vacation ever..." spoke Ron heavily as if the mere effort of speaking drained him of energy.

"Yeah - with Voldemort gone, I had hoped that we could finally get together without the fear of being attaked." agreed Neville. "A party would be nice, I guess, but just hanging out without worrying about dark wizards would be pleasant enough."

"Sometimes, it's really difficult to be friends with Harry. Things always happen to him and we always get involved somehow." said Ron thoughtfully. "The only difference is that we usually do it with him but now, we don't even know where he is or if he's still alive..."

"Now, don't say that Ron..." said Hermione reproachfully and bent her bushy-haired head to continue perusing a book they had acquired the night before. It was really depressing to hear someone say it out loud. It made the whole thing seem more real. But Ron went on as if he had not heard her or if he had, he just chose to ignore her.

"Then, there's the thing with Ginny. Foolish girl, I don't know what came to her - leaving the castle like that, without so much as a note to inform us if she's safe!" He paused for a while to pour himself a drink. "She really scares me sometimes. First, that thing with that Malfoy git and now, this." He had a far away look on his face, then he shook his head slightly as if he was dismissing a negative thought.

"Hey! Look who just arrived." exclaimed Neville suddenly, jerking Ron back from his momentary stupor and startling Hermione into slamming the book shut in surprise. Her eyes immediately widened with bewilderment as she identified the approaching figures.

"Why are you all here again? I thought we all agreed to hunt for clues? We can't gather much information if we're all here." said Hermione in mild annoyance as she saw the former DA members drew near.

"Well, we just found out the hard way that the business atmosphere now is far from accommodating. We decided to close the shop until this whole ridiculous scam is over. People refused to buy our stuff now just because we're friends with Harry and some had already resorted to vandalizing our premises." admitted Fred ruefully.

"The fools seem to think that we had an evil conspiracy with Harry and that our products are basically dark objects in disguise. They didn't mind before though but now....I don't know. People are really gullible sometimes." said George with the same dejected tone.

Hermione crossed her arms over her chest and eyed Cho and Lee quizzically, not realizing that she presented a very uncanny picture of the stern Headmistress.

"I came here because I have nothing better to do at home and besides, Cho's coming too so I decided to go with her." said Lee sheepishly.

"And I came here for Luna. There's something that I need to discuss with her...if she's okay now, that is." said Cho calmly.

"About Harry?" asked Ron curiously.

"No, about Ginny." replied Cho and decided to change the topic before he could ask any more questions. "Have you found anything useful?" she turned to Hermione.

"Not yet. But maybe you could help us. There's a bunch of books upstairs that we need to explore and it's very time-consuming." she replied. Then she added in a mock undertone. "And of course, knowing Ron and Neville, I reckoned it would be best if I just do the reading myself. Think you're up to it? The books are huge and it would probably take me forever to read it all."

Cho stifled a giggle at that but managed to nod her head solemnly in assent.

"We heard that!" exclaimed Neville and Ron indignantly but the girls just ignored them.

"By the way, has Professor McGonagall permitted you to stay here?" asked Hermione after a while.

The twins immediately shot surreptitious looks with each other while Cho and Lee looked blankly at her. Obviously, they had not thought about it.

"Well, I suppose you could ask her now. It would be highly impolite if you just stay here without informing her." suggested Neville helpfully, seeing their discomfort.

"Thank you for your thoughtfulness, Mister Longbottom. I heard everything and I'm allowing them to stay as long as necessary. You could all stay at Gryffindor Dormitory." They were all surprised to see the Headmistress appear behind them. "Oh, I forgot to mention something. Madam Pomfrey requested for a few days of rest so Miss Lovegood shall be staying with you as well. I trust you know what and what-not to say around her. I don't want her to have a relapse now that she's making so much progress." The headmistress said and turned to leave.

"I hate it when they do that!" said Fred when the headmistress was gone.

"What?" asked Ron. "Always telling us what to do like we're a bunch of stupid kids?"

"No - just appearing out of nowhere. She's just like Dumbledore. Caught us unaware several times before with that stunt." said George.

"What were you doing then?" asked Hermione curiously.

"Must you ask?" said both Fred and George with a grimace.

"Trust me, Hermione, you wouldn't wish to know." said Lee in amusement and gave her a knowing look.

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The seven teenagers awkwardly looked on as the Headmistress led a nervous Luna inside the dormitory. For practicality's sake, all the girls had to stay in one room and the boys at another. There was no problem with that arrangement. However, they were still ill at ease at having Luna there since her presence would hamper them from discussing anything related to their present predicament and excluding her will make her feel unwanted.

"Um - Professor, are you sure it's alright with them?" queried Luna as she noticed their strange expressions. The Headmistress glared at the seven before replying.

"Of course, dear. Why would it not be?" She replied kindly and gave her a smile that was rarely seen by students, even those from her own house.

"Oh, okay!" said Luna, still appearing unconvinced but decided to let it pass. "Where's Harry?"

"Harry is on vacation, too. You'll see him soon, don't worry." replied Professor McGonagall and shot warning glances at the other teenagers who still had not spoken a single thing. "I'll be leaving you now. Take care of yourselves."

The awkward silence continued as they watched the Headmistress leave. It seemed that everyone was quite unsure of what to say with one another especially Cho who was currently staring at Luna with such intense concentration but couldn't seem to find the words to express herself. Even Fred and George had nothing funny to say to break the ice. The silence only ended when Luna self-consciously sat down and pre-occupied herself by writing something on a piece of paper.

The boys immediately excused themselves and went back to their room while Hermione suddenly found it imperative to take a shower. Cho, still uncertain of what to do, stayed for a while, thinking that this was the perfect opportunity for them to discuss what she had in mind but she had not even uttered a word yet when Luna smiled weakly at her.

"It's okay, Cho. You don't have to stay just because we're from the same house. I can manage." said Luna before returning to what she was doing.

Cho felt her heart wrench with sympathy as she heard Luna say that. Poor girl! Always assuming that nobody wanted her around. If she only knew that she got the boy every girl was dreaming of, she would not feel so insecure. But she could not tell her yet...or could she? Before the tragic incident, they had already gotten along well and were the only ones to suspect Ginny of deception. She wanted to talk about it with someone who would understand and that someone was Luna. Unfortunately, pushing the issue now might be harmful to her. 'No, this is not yet the time for that She thought and she left quietly before she could change her mind.

Luna tried to push away the tears that threatened to fall as she watched Cho leave. She should have stayed in the hospital wing. At least there, she would not feel so hurt if anyone ignored her because nobody else was there aside from Madam Pomfrey who was always busy with her healing potions anyway. Her only visitor was Harry and she was contented with that. He made her laugh with his jokes. He told her funny stories about Hogwarts life...He taught her several magic tricks that she had not even imagined possible before...and most of all, he made her feel special and proud of herself. But he was away now and she was stuck in this dormitory where nobody even bothered to show her around. And they had been acting very odd...very odd indeed.

As she continued her musing, she noticed a newspaper peeking from behind the cover of the sofa on the opposite side. It looked as if it someone had shoved it there rather hastily. Feeling slightly amused and curious at the same time, she pulled the paper and began to read the front page.

HARRY POTTER MURDERED A HUNDRED MUGGLES AT A PARTY IN LONDON!!!

HARRY POTTER GONE DARK TO AVENGE HIS GIRLFRIEND'S FATE!!!

HARRY POTTER -- THE NEXT DARK LORD???

With trembling hands, she forced herself to read the articles underneath the shocking headlines but the tears flooded her vision before she could even finish the first paragraph. "NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!"

'This cannot be true!' She thought to herself then her head throbbed painfully as she attempted to process the information she had just discovered. 'So, this is why everyone's acting so weird. But this can't be true...this can't be true...' Then as the painful pounding on her head continued, several alarming images flashed dangerously in her mind. She saw her father screaming in anguish as Voldemort threw her to two death-eaters... She saw Voldemort disarm his opponents... Then, she witnessed as a death-eater shot the killing curse on her father... "NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! FATHER!!!!" She struggled to stay conscious but the pain was unbearable. The last thing she heard before her body succumbed to the excruciating sensation was the terrified yells of her current dorm mates.

"LUNA!" called Hermione but was shocked to find her unconscious form lying on the ground with one hand still clutching what looked like the previous day's newspaper. She carefully removed the paper from the girl's grasp to confirm her suspicion. "WHO LEFT THIS PIECE OF GARBAGE LYING AROUND?!?" she angrily asked the others, waving the offensive paper in front of them.

Ron shuffled his feet nervously as he stared from the paper to the sofa. "S-sorry, Herm. I was in a hurry...I guess I di---"

"-- YOU DIDN'T THINK - TYPICAL! HOW WE ENDED UP TOGETHER IS STILL A PUZZLE TO ME!" said Hermione in exasperation then she carefully levitated Luna's body and placed her to a more comfortable place. "McGonagall will be livid. She hasn't even spent one night here and look what happens."

"What are we going to do now? Shall we inform the headmistress?" asked Neville timidly.

"Not right now. Let's wait until Luna comes around first then we'll take it from there." said Cho as she surveyed Luna's face. 'I should have stayed...'

"I think that would be wise. We'll take turns at keeping an eye on her until she wakes up. Cho and I can take the first turn, Fred and George next, then Neville and Lee, then Ron. Ron will have no partner because this is his fault." said Hermione and pushed the boys away before they could voice out any objection.

"I feel terrible..." admitted Cho when the boys were finally out of sight.

"Me, too." said Hermione ruefully. "I should have checked the room but I guess it escaped my mind."

"But what's done is done. Let's just hope that Luna's alright when she wakes up." said Cho in resignation.

"I hope this accident triggers her memory back." said Hermione and they both fell silent as they watched the girl who had already suffered a lot. The first hour had passed...Luna was still unconscious....Second hour....No change at all and the two girls were already feeling their eyelids droop from fatigue and lethargy...Third hour....

"No, don't harm him anymore....please..." The two shot up at once and stared groggily at Luna.

"I guess she's dreaming about her father." whispered Cho, trying her best to stifle a yawn.

"Luna...Luna...wake up!" Hermione shook Luna's shoulders to jerk her away from her nightmare.

"No.....please.....please....don't hurt him..." the girl pleaded and her body convulsed as if she was in terrible pain.

"Cho, you better get McGonagall now...I'll get the boys." said Hermione at once as Luna's cry was replaced by a howl of pain.

Within a few minutes, all were gathered around Luna while Professor McGonagall tried to locate the school nurse immediately.

"LUNA! LUNA! WAKE UP!!!!" They all shouted at once then feeling desperate, Hermione slapped Luna's left cheek forcefully.

"I saw it in a muggle movie once and it worked." she explained as the others stared at her in puzzlement. Amazingly, Luna started to flutter her eyelids slowly until she was able to pry them open. Neville quickly offered a glass of water which she gratefully accepted.

Then Luna glared accusingly at each of them. "Why didn't you tell me? And what is the meaning of those ridiculous articles?"

The others shifted their gaze uneasily. They had never witnessed Luna on an angry fit before and seeing it now made them extremely uncomfortable. She's almost like Harry when he's really upset about something.

"Luna, we wanted to tell you but Madam Pomfrey forbid us to do so. She said we had to let you heal on your own." said Cho in an apologetic tone.

"S-she also said that you might have a nervous breakdown or something...so we had to wait..." said Hermione.

"And what about the news? Haven't you bothered to correct them? That's really preposterous! Harry would never ever do those horrible things! Has the wizarding world conveniently forgot what he did for them? The sacrifices he made? How he almost died so that the others may live?" yelled Luna angrily, ignoring the others' attempt to calm her down.

"Luna, you're right. The news is rubbish. But there's a huge problem and the only thing that could help us right now is to pretend that we believe those stories." said Professor McGonagall who had just arrived along with Professor Snape and Madam Pomfrey.

"Luna, drink this potion. It will help you calm down." said Madam Pomfrey as she examined her patient. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Yes, thank you." replied Luna and turned her attention back to her housemates.

"We're sorry about what happened to your father, Luna. It must be really terrible." said Ron sympathetically. He could identify with her because he had almost lost his father at the ministry too.

Luna's expression softened immediately at the mention of her father. She remembered every unpleasant details of her life now. Her father joined Voldemort's army to ensure her safety but in the end, it had all been a lie. Voldemort never kept the promise that he would let her live if her father followed his commands. In the end, her father dropped all pretense and rushed to save his only child but he failed. He was killed mercilessly by one of Voldemort's loyal followers.

"By the way, I'm sorry if I hurt you. You were having a nightmare and we're already getting desperate so I slapped you." said Hermione.

"Nightmare?" Luna looked blank for a moment.

"Yeah...you were pleading for someone not to hurt your father." said Cho. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes, I'm perfectly fine, especially now that I can recall everything. But who said I'm dreaming about my father?" asked Luna anxiously.

Hermione and Cho looked at one another. "Well, actually, we just assumed that you were having a nightmare about him." said Hermione.

"No, I'm not. It's Harry. He's being tortured." said Luna apprehensively and glanced back at the papers. "That's why those stories cannot be true. They've got him and we need to rescue him NOW."

"Harry?"

"Luna, you know it's just a dream...."

"No, it's not just a dream... I cannot explain it but it's like Harry was sending me a vision of what's happening to him..." said Luna desperately.

"Hey! Maybe it's just like Harry's vision when dad was bitten by a snake!" exclaimed Ron in astonishment.

"But Luna's not a seer!" countered another.

"And neither is Harry - but his vision had been accurate!" said Ron heatedly.

"MERLIN! DON'T YOU WISH TO KNOW WHO GOT HIM?!?" yelled Luna in frustration.

"Who got him?" asked everyone with great interest.

"Voldemort, of course. Who else?" answered Luna with much annoyance as if she thought that it was pretty obvious and that they were just wasting their time talking when Harry urgently needed to be rescued.

"V-Voldemort?" croaked the Headmistress nervously.

"But he's dead!" exclaimed Fred and George at once.

"No, he's not!" she insisted.

"You passed out...you didn't see everything. Harry was able to kill him." Lee argued once more.

"NO, HE DID NOT!"

"Miss Lovegood, please be reasonable. The nightmare is over. Harry defeated the Dark Lord last October." said Professor McGonagall, adopting her stern demeanor once more to settle the brewing dispute.

"NO, HE DID NOT!!! HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU?!? WE NEED TO GET TO HARRY BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!" screamed Luna vehemently. This time, the enormous glass jar on one corner of the room suddenly exploded into tiny pieces. Then Luna's pupils vanished and her eyes blazed white with fury, scaring the wits out of those who witnessed the shocking transformation.

"How do you know?" queried Professor Snape stonily as he glanced curiously at the shattered jar and at her glowing eyes.

"Because Harry said so..."