Disclaimer: Everything except for Franky, the Plot, and Dreamsters belong to J.K. Rowling!

R&R

Hermione waited patiently in the common room of Gryffindor Tower on the bright Saturday morning. When Ron and Harry finally trudged down the stairs into the well-lit room they found her sitting in an armchair with one of the many library books propped up in her lap, more than half of the pages already read.

The moment the two boys had entered the common room, Hermione looked up from her book and smiled, far too cheery for their tastes that early in the morning.

"Well then, let's hurry and get down to breakfast then," she said, standing promptly as she closed her book, the page she had left off on already burned into her memory.

"Right, right," Ron mumbled and shuffled toward the portrait hole, followed by a half awake Harry and a cheerful Hermione.

After a few minutes the three Gryffindors reached the Great Hall and took a seat at their table. Freshly baked biscuits and gravy perked Ron up to a level that could be considered something more alive than a zombie, but hardly sparked Harry's interest.

"Harry?" Ron said as he grabbed five biscuits.

Harry glanced up at Ron, his droopy eyes trying to close.

"I thought you loved biscuits and gravy!" Ron said, ladling gravy over his biscuits.

"Oh, I did," Harry said, sighing as he watched Ron ladle on the smooth gravy. It made his mouth water.

"Did?"

"Over the summer my Aunt Petunia tried to make biscuits and gravy from a recipe that Uncle Vernon had been given by Aunt Marge years ago," Harry said, letting out another sigh. "Some how large dogs forced their way into the kitchen and in the frenzy, Aunt Petunia threw the pan of gravy right at me. Left a nasty bruise and a few burns. Sometimes I'm really glad I'm a wizard." For the third time, he let out a sigh. "Put me off biscuits and gravy for quite some time though."

"Wow, I'm sorry Harry," Ron said and then shoveled the biscuits and gravy into his mouth, making satisfied noises as he ate it all. Harry looked at him with his droopy eyes and then turned away, grabbing for some marmalade and toast instead. As he reached forward Nearly Headless Nick popped through the table.

"Morning, Harry, Ron, Hermione!" Nick said and tipped his head to all three. "Wonderful day, isn't it?"

"Hardly," Harry grumbled as he took a piece of toast out of the transparent form of Nick.

"Come now! Everything's so wonderful!" Nick sang and spun higher into the air. Hermione and Ron tilted their heads back and watched him curiously.

"Nick," Hermione began as she sat her fork down on the plate with her remaining scrambled eggs. "What has you in such a cheery mood?"

"The Headless Hunt have created a few new rules," Nick began and floated back down to the table, convinently perching right where the pitcher of pumpkin juice was, which happened to be the aim of Harry's hand at first. A grumble slipped through his lips as he jerked the pitcher through Nick and poured himself a glass.

"Okay," Ron said and gave Nick his famed puzzlement look. Hermione rolled her eyes at Ron and ate another bite of eggs.

"And this means I may just be able to convince them to let me join under their new rules!" Nick said cheerfully. "I haven't had a chance to look at all of them, yet, but under the rules I have read, I could easily join now!" Nick gave a cheer and then waved as he zoomed off.

"I hope the Headless Hunt don't turn him down," Hermione mused as she picked up her abandoned fork. "But I suppose if they did, it would only continue to fuel his desire to join." She shrugged her shoulders and finished off her eggs.

Once breakfast was finished Hermione herded the boys out of the castle and toward Hogsmeade.

"You really are quite eager about this, Hermione," Harry pointed out as they passed through the gates of the School Grounds. "You'd think that maybe Ron would be the one rejoicing in this visit."

"Well, I just don't want to have to hear Ron complain about any more Dreamster occurances," Hermione said and looked at Harry. "Do you?"

"They are amusing," Harry said, smiling for the first time that morning.

"Hey!"

"Oh be quiet, Ron," Hermione said as they walked through the entrance of Hogsmeade. "Harry has a point."

"He does?"

"I do?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. This is what she got for having two boys as best friends. "Yes, Harry has a point," she concluded, glancing momentarily as the Three Broom Sticks. "It gives you something to talk about other than your usual topics of interest. Like Quidditch and food."

"There's nothing wrong with Quidditch," both boys put in together.

"Or food," Ron finished. "Speaking of which, I need to stop into Honeydukes for some—"

"Watch out!"

Out of nowhere a blur of an owl came zooming toward Ron. His head and the owl would have collided, probably resulting in something of a bloody mess had a resident of Hogsmeade not shouted. Ron ducked just in time to see the owl crash into a bush near a shop.

"I think its Pig," Harry said as the three crept toward the now rustling bush. In a few moments the tiny owl burst out of the foliage and zoomed straight for Ron. Luckily, for both the owl and Ron, there were only several feet between the two. Ron caught the excited owl in his hands and let him settle down for a few moments before opening his hands and looking down at the small bird.

"You could have knocked my head off, you crazy animal!" Ron scolded, attempting to keep his fondness of Pig out of his tone, and almost succeeded, but Pig still noticed. The tiny owl bounced in Ron's hands as Ron took a letter out of under the bird, which happened to be heavier than anyone thought Pig could carry. "It's from mum."

"What do you think it's about?" Hermione asked as both she and Harry leaned in closer.

"No clue." Ron let Pig bounce up to his shoulder as he opened the letter. For a few moments he skimmed the letter quietly. "What? How does she know about the dreamster?"

"You told Ginny the other night," Harry said, a curious expression on his face. "Um, don't, well, remember?"

"No!" Ron whined, looking at Harry. "Why would I tell my little sister about my Dreamster? I didn't want mum and dad to know!"

"Maybe the Dreamster wanted to to know?" Hermione suggested, raising an inquisitive eyebrow at Ron. "You were apparently sleep walking if you don't remember."

Ron's face fell. And that entire week he'd thought he was free from the Dreamster.

"I thought maybe the stupid creature had lost interest in me," Ron said and folded the letter up, shoving it deep into his pocket.

"We can assume that's not the case," Hermione said, watching Ron closely.

"At least you haven't seen it," Harry said, in an attempt to cheer his friend up.

"I might have," Ron said quietly.

"Might have?"

"Well, the other night I thought I saw a large spider in the middle of the dormitory," Ron confided. "But I convinced myself I must be seeing things, or dreaming. I guess I had myself convinced it had left."

"Which isn't the case," Hermione added.

"Not at all," Ron sighed.

Pig started to bounce about on Ron's shoulder and make what might have been noises indicating it wanted food. This act broke Ron's concentration on being miserable and he turned his head ever so slightly toward the bird.

"You really are annoying," he said and then grinned.

"Best feed him, shouldn't we?" Harry suggested and the rest of the group nodded in agreement.

"Otherwise he might nibble off my ear," Ron said. The three, plus Pig, started walking again, headed toward the Pet Store.