You know the drill.

I'm so sorry I missed the twin's birthday. Though I did spend the day looking at all the amazing TikToks about them! petrazclaire is actually doing some videos about this fic! They are so nice and amazing and I freaking love them.

Chapter 17: Bad Dreams

It was a surprisingly quiet breakfast. Kat and Boston had woken up tangled in each other and one of the quilts Molly made. Ginny didn't say anything about them being in the same bed, but Kat thought she probably had questions about it.

The truth was, neither felt comfortable sleeping alone.

Since there were so many children in the Burrow that were going to Hogwarts, Molly and Arthur had opted to call for taxis to take them all to King's Cross Station. Harry, Ron, and Hermione where in one cab, Hedwig and Pigwidgen's cages banging together, Molly, Arthur, and Ginny where in another. That left Fred, Kat, George, and Boston to try and squeeze into the last taxi. The only issue really was that Fred had packed some fireworks in his bag and as the poor man who was loading the bags dropped it into the trunk, they all went off right in the driver's face.

It was truly a Merlin Blessed day that Molly was in another taxi and therefore couldn't scream and yell at the boy.

They made it on the train with little issue. Bill and Charlie had Apparated to see them off. George and Fred where pulled in by them saying that they wished they were going to Hogwarts this year and how amazing the year of going to be. Kat just rollled her eyes at the obvious attempt to get their attention.

Kat pulled Boston into an empty compartment and stood in the doorway so George couldn't get in.

"Oh come on, Kat," he said.

Kat shook her head, some of her hair flopping over to the other side of her part. "No. Go play with your other friends. It's a girls trip."

Fred scoffed from behind his brother but there was a smile creeping on his face.

"Fine. We'll see you at school," George said.

"Wonder what Lee did over the summer," Fred mused allowed as they walked further into the train.

Kat slid the compartment door closed and throw the lock so no one else would think that they could come in. She then grabbed the horrible gray curtains and slid them so they covered the window.

"You ready?" Kat asked Boston.

Boston hadn't looked at Kat all day. She nodded though.

"Right. I know you're not okay. Have you written to him?" Kat asked, sitting across from her friend.

Boston knew she was asking about her guardian. She nodded. She had written him immediately she had gotten back to the Burrow. She had told him that they were all okay and that he didn't have to come and get her.

Boston was wrapped in thoughts about her strange little family that had added a member only a few months earlier. She didn't even notice when Kat's head tilted against the window to the cold outside and her eyes closed.

Boston finally looked up at her normally loud friend to see what had caused her to be so quiet. She couldn't help but smile. Kat was fast asleep against the glass. Her mouth was wide open and a line of droil was already forming in the corner of her mouth. Her cheek was pulled and the friction between it and the glass was the only thing keeping Kat's head upright.

Boston realized then how tired she was and moved to lay on the booth so she had some room to spread out and her neck wouldn't hate her like Kat's would surely.

Kat was back in the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. It felt real but Remus Lupin was standing at the front of the class with a large cabinet. It felt so familiar but like she was remembering it through a hazy film.

Kat knew there was a Bogart in that cabinet before Remus even asked. It was Alicia that had answered his question though, she was somewhere behind Kat.

Kat instinctively reached for Boston's hand as they all lined up to take their turns facing the Bogart.

Boston was first in line and from what Kat could see was furious.

"Right, Boston, you're up," Remus said.

Boston swung her head to the Professor who was working on getting music set up. She scowled harshly at the man and flipped him off before stomping back to the tables that had been pushed to the side.

"Now, you don't have to participate but you can not use that sort of language in my classroom. 10 points from Gryffindor," Remus said.

There where a few whispers behind Kat about what had just happened with Boston, but she was more focused on her impending fear being broadcast to the whole of the classroom.

It felt as if she had left the door in nothing but her knickers, which had only happened in dreams thankfully, but it would be on a day like this where the nightmare would come true.

George placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. Kat looked up at the gigantic ginger boy and smiled. Georgie. It was always Georgie that was giving her comfort like this.

Fred just crossed his arms, an amused smile playing at his lips.

"Why don't you go first, Fredward?" Kat asked smuggly, gesturing to the spot in front of her.

"Oh no, Kitty Kat. Ladies first," Fred mused.

"Age before beauty," Kat retorted.

"I would hate to take the spotlight from you," Fred said.

Kat crossed her arms over her chest, a heated response on her tongue, but Remus cut in. "One of you go. We haven't got all day here."

That was when George pushed his brother in front of Kat and she chuckled.

"Right, Fred, wand at the ready," Remus said before Fred could argue.

Remus flicked his wand and the cabinet door opened. Fred stepped out of the cabinet. The Fred in front of Kat started laughing before he even cast the spell.

"Is my worst fear meant to be myself?" He asked through the laughter.

The Bogart Fred seemed to get angry at this said simply, "You, and only you. Where is George, Fred?"

Fred's face fell then. There was no more laughter. The classroom was silent.

Fred raised his wand and aimed it at the eerie version of himself. "Riddikulus."

The Bogart Fred didn't move, not an inch, then suddenly he exploded into about 10 multi-colored fireworks. The whole class started laughing, but it didn't feel like true laughter.

Kat cast her eyes towards Boston who was picking at her nails, trying desperately not to look at anything.

Kat backed up into George, who in turn wrapped his arms protectively around her shoulders. She didn't want to be next. She didn't want to face her biggest fear, not yet. She could opt out like Boston had. She knew why Boston had stalked away, understood it, but herself, she didn't have a good reason, not really, she just didn't want to face her fear.

George gave her a quick squeeze then get in front of her, taking her place. She felt hollow.

The fireworks swirled into what looked like George sitting at a desk, but he was older. He was doing paperwork, lots of paperwork. The pile of paperwork just kept stacking up. He was afraid of...Kat thought for a moment. A desk job maybe.

A desk job would not suit either boy at all.

George flicked his wand. "Riddikulus."

The desk job George started levitating and all the paperwork turned into paper plains that flew him around the room for a moment before landing back in front of George. The whole class laughed again and it seemed very real this time.

Then it was Kat's turn. There was no one else to buffer for her. She faced the flying George and it started to spin in a blur.

It didn't stop spinning until it was so big it covered the whole room in darkness.

She couldn't see anything except the pitch black room and her own figure. There was no noise, no people, nothing.

She spun in place looking for anything but was met with only a never ending void of black.

"Hello?" She called into the nothing. "Hello?"

She might have continued to spin but she wasn't sure.

"Fred? George? Boston?" She called.

She felt very cold all at once.

There was no one and nothing. She was left all alone.

"Remus! Help! Someone help!" Kat could feel tears on her cheeks and her eyes burned slightly.

She felt pressure on her knees and realized she had sank to the floor. "Boston!" she screamed.

She hugged herself tightly. She had to shut her eyes, but then she would be even more alone with her own thoughts. Too many thoughts.

Of course she was alone.

It wasn't like this was a surprise.

She was always alone.

She wasn't sure what happened next but she was sure that she was screaming.

There were hands on her face, on her shoulders. There was light. Boston came into view, worry creasing her face.

Kat stopped screaming.

Boston cast a horrid looking glare at Remus and practically snarled.

She was lifted up by her shoulders, but by who she couldn't be sure. She had passed out not long after that.

"Oi! Get up!" It was Fred's voice Kat was sure. He was standing in the now open door of the compartment looking down at her. He was already in his robes.

Kat stretched away from the window with a stiff grunt. Her neck felt like it had been kicked by centaurs for the last hour.

She looked over to the empty booth across from her and panicked slightly, only to see the familiar shape of Boston sprawled across the floor. Kat gave her shoulder a slight kick and Boston's head snapped up. She could see lines on her cheek from the carpet and smiled only to feel harsh lines on her own face.

"You guys slept the whole ride, yeah?"

"If you could call it that," Kat answered horsley, as if she had really been screaming.

It was a common dream for her. That DADA class. She had woken up in the hospital wing with Boston fussing over her and glaring at anyone who got too close.

A panic attack is what they called it.

She had to spend the night for observation Poppy Pomfrey had said. Boston wasn't happy about it and was even angrier when Kat had told her to go to her own bed, practically stomping out of the room.

Draco had stopped by, way later than he should have. Poppy noticed, but didn't say anything. His arm was still in that silly sling that he didn't really need, but Lucy was paying attention to him, so she understood why he kept it on.

He brought her a chocolate frog and gruffly told her to get better.

Her little cousin was always angry these days.

"Come on, we'll miss the carriages," George said, breaking Kat out of her own head.

Kat looked at Boston who was gathering her robes in her hand, no real intent on putting them on. Kat followed suit and they followed George out of the train, Fred not far behind them.

As soon as they stepped off the train, they were drenched by the rain that was coming down in freezing sheets. Kat was already shivering when she lifted her robes to block the rain from her head, but it did nothing to help the wind flinging the water right in her face.

The four of them grabbed a carriage with Lee Jordan as it set it's course to Hogwarts. Boston looked at the front of the carriage as she always did and sighed silently as she crowded up against Kat who was crowded against George. Fred and Lee where sitting opposite, contemplating doing the same, just to leech warmth from each other.

As the carriages stopped, the five students bolted for the doors which where currently bursting from the amount of students trying to get in. As they started up the steps, Minerva Mcgonagall locked eyes with the girls and was saying something about robes.

Peeves, who Kat didn't notice flying above them at the entrance, took that opportunity to throw a water balloon straight at Lee's head. He missed by a centimeter and it broke on Boston's shoe instead.

Kat pulled Boston quickly into the crowd and called over her shoulder, "Sorry, Minnie. We didn't hear you, but it looks like you've got your hands full! Glad to see you again!"

They quickly sat themselves at the Gryffindor table to wait until Minnie sorted the first years. Fred and George took the seats next to Kat and Lee, Katie, and Angelina where across from them. They all soon started talking about their summers and when they all got up to, purposefully ignoring the events at the Quidditch World Cup.

Kat was quiet for a long moment. The dream on the train was bugging her more and more.

"What's going on, Kat?" George asked, nudging her with his elbow.

She shook her head. "I just had a bad dream on the train," she answered.

George looked at their friends but none of them where paying much attention. "Do you want to talk about it?" He asked.

"It was just the Boggart."

George nodded, understanding.

He focused on Kat for a moment. She looked, well wet for sure, but also tired. The purple in the corners of her eyes had spread and it looked almost bruised. When she did smile at something Lee said, it seemed hollow.

Boston was looking at Kat the same way George was, thoughtfully. It wasn't the first time he was thankful for Boston. Maybe Kat would talk to her.

George thought back to Boston. She had her stomach exposed again and she was vibrating so slightly it was almost unnoticeable. She was cold.

George cast a quick warming charm on Boston and Kat and went back to his conversation with Katie and Fred about this year's Quidditch team without Wood.