A/N - So apparently I am on a serious roll tonight, typing this chapter just after I finished my previous chapter. Yay! No more writers block.
-O-O-
The nightmares tore through Hermione. Ro could feel the fear wafting off of her even in her sleep. It started first as just a tensing of her body, then progressed into trembling, then full shakes. Ro drifted between waking and dreaming until the first ear piercing scream shattered the relative quiet of their Cairo hotel. Instantly alert she realized that the tensing and shaking had become thrashing and screams. The first thing that went through the older woman's mind was that Hermione was in trouble. She had to help Hermione.
-O-O-
Hermione was running. She could hear Bellatrix cackling madly behind her. She glanced back and could see the witch following her, but her feet didn't touch the ground. She was floating. Turning back she froze, as the once open air in front of her was filled with thousands of knives. All replicas of the one that the mad woman behind her had used to carve the ugly word into her arm. She turned back around and watched as the psychopath drew nearer and nearer, taunting her with the blade. She turned her face away and tried to shield herself from the woman. When nothing happened she looked back and screamed. The psychotic woman standing in front of her held the knife to Ro's throat. But it wasn't just Ro. The woman kept changing between the flying instructors face and Minerva's.
A sound, like metal falling on stone, caught her attention. Looking down she saw that evil blade at her feet and her own hands were smeared with blood. Looking back up she saw both of them, Ro and Min, were laying there dead. Their throats had been savagely slashed. Hermione screamed and hit her knees. She couldn't breathe, she couldn't move. All she could do was stare at her hands and scream. The horror that coursed through her at what she had done wrapped its icy tendrils around her mind. She screamed and screamed and buried her fingers in her hair, nails digging into her scalp.
-O-O-
Hermione was jerked awake. Steel bands that were wrapped around her arms held her in place. Confusion and panic took over and she began to thrash. She screamed and threw herself around in an attempt to escape from whatever held her. Slowly however, a noise began to filter through her ear to her mind. A voice shushing her, telling her that it was ok, she was safe.
Ro held the panicked young woman close, her heart aching, wishing she knew the visions that haunted this beauty's dreams. When the thrashing had calmed to shaking, and the shaking to trembles, she loosened her hold. Immediately Hermione rolled over and grabbed her. She ran her hands over every inch of Ro's body, from her face to her legs and back, frantically checking for injury. When none was found her worry turned to Minerva.
"Minerva. She's in trouble, we…" Ro placed a finger on her lips to silence her.
Rolanda moved quickly to the fireplace. She grabbed a handful of floo powder from a small bag hanging from the brick. Tossing it into the fire, she called out for Minerva.
"Rolanda? What's wrong? I thought…" Minerva's voice was heard from the other end of the floo call. She sounded tired, her voice thick with sleep, as if she had just woken from a deep sleep.
"Hermione is worried about you." Came the immediate interruption.
"Min?" Hermione questioned.
"Hermione? What's wrong?" Minerva's voice floated through the room, concern for the young woman evident in her tone. Ro watched Hermione shake her head and bury her fingers in her hair her shoulders giving evidence to her silent crying. Kneeling down she whispered things that the younger woman couldn't hear.
Moments later a set of arms enfolded her and pulled her close. The scent of ginger and expensive whiskey enveloped her. Her hands shot from their position on her head to fist in the tartan dressing gown that Minerva was wearing. The older witch rocked her back and forth as her shaking slowly died and her tears dried. When she was sure Hermione was asleep she whispered, "What happened?"
"I'm not sure. She woke up from a nightmare, screaming and thrashing. I held on to her. When I finally got her calmed down enough to recognize that I was the one holding her, she panicked again and started touching me. She was frantic about something. Whatever she was looking for she didn't find it." Ro sat down on the bed next to her longtime friend, looking down at the young woman who was so contently curled against her chest. "That's when she started saying that you were in trouble. I flooed you right after."
"Well, now that she is calm again, and asleep, I should get back to the school." Minerva made to stand and Hermione whimpered digging her nails into the fabric she held. Carefully trying to pry her fingers from the material was no use. When a single tear made its way down the young witch's cheek, gold met green and both nodded. Ro reached out and carefully lifted Hermione into her arms, while Minerva stretched out on her back in the space that Hermione had formerly occupied. Rolanda very carefully laid the younger witch down next to her. Then as the brunette curled herself into Minerva with her head on her shoulder, the white haired witch slid in behind her and tucked herself around her spooning, with her arm around her waist. In this position, the flying instructor inhaled Hermione's scent, oddly but comfortingly mingled with Minerva's and it lulled her to sleep.
Rolanda's face was inches from Minerva's neck and the ebony haired witch could feel her deep and even breaths, hot and moist in her sleep, against her skin. It made her spine tingle in the same way it always had. Hermione's soft curves pressed into her side didn't help. Turning her head away, she closed her eyes and listened to the deep even breaths of the others as they slept. A deep rooted longing settled around her heart as she wished that she could share what the two women beside her had found. With these thoughts in her mind, she dozed off.