– Chapter Six –

Travel

Romi did not talk about what had happened with Draco. They carefully avoided the subject and pretended like nothing had happened at all. Romi thought that this was the worst approach she could have with it, but she didn't know what else to do about it.

Draco didn't want to do a whole lot the first couple of days; he was still too sore. Eventually things fell back into their normal routine, but Romi felt like there would always be something different.

She found it the most difficult when Uncle Lucius was around. He didn't say anything about the incident, and continued on as though Romi still didn't know. Or worse, that it was just like normal. Romi could barely look him in the eye the day afterwards.

At least in two weeks they would be back at Hogwarts again, and there Draco would be away from his father. At least there maybe he'd be able to gather some more courage so that it wouldn't happen again.

The weeks slipped past them quickly and the Quidditch World Cup was rapidly approaching. They were only spending one night at the Campground, so they did not actually pack up to leave until the morning of the twenty-first. Romi went to bed that night extremely excited, after a long evening with Draco outside watching the stars. She didn't think she'd be able to sleep at all that night.

She kept tossing and turning throughout the whole night, wondering if she'd ever be able to sleep.

The next thing she noticed she was standing amongst fire again. The flames were so hot against her skin; she stumbled, trying to get away from the heat. But everywhere she looked there was absolutely nothing but agonizing fire. She had to close her eyes from the smoke and heat, it filled up her lungs and it made it very difficult to breathe.

Romi squinted into the distance, and tried to make out anything that wasn't just fire. As she looked out, she thought she saw something. She thought for a moment that it was just the fire playing tricks on her, as it swirled and leapt around, covering everything the eye could see.

But then, the shape of four horsemen appeared, riding towards her, awash in flames, their eyes burning black.

Romi stumbled backwards, but she was unable to look away from the black eyes of the horsemen riding closer and closer to her. The horses' hooves pounded against a ground that Romi could not see, strangely echoing over the roar of the fire. Romi could hear each snort of the horses as they approached.

The men on the horses were nothing but flame, she couldn't see their faces except for the staring black eyes.

Someone grabbed her arm and pulled hard.

The fire disappeared, and she was standing in an empty field, full of grasses and flowers. The leaves on the trees in the distance were fluttering in a light breeze. The memory of the fire lingered on her skin, but it was no longer burning painfully hot.

"What were you doing down there?" asked a voice to her right. Romi turned and saw Diomeda Odessa standing beside her. She looked no different than the last time Romi had met her, except for looking a bit more anxious.

"What?" Romi asked after a moment, trying to understand what was happening to her.

"Why were you down there?" Diomeda Odessa asked. "Why would you choose to go down there?"

"I don't even know what 'there' is," Romi replied, distractedly looking around herself at the field.

Diomeda Odessa narrowed her eyes.

"You should try not to go there," Diomeda Odessa warned, putting a comforting hand to Romi's shoulder.

"Yeah," Romi said, "That would be fabulous. I don't like it there. Too much fire, but really, I have absolutely no control about what I dream."

"Hmm," was all that Diomeda Odessa replied. She dropped her hand. "Perhaps you should work on that ability."

"Is it an ability now?" Romi asked, "I thought it was just your subconscious mind doing back flips or something."

"Your subconscious can do a lot more than just back flips," Diomeda Odessa answered. "You have to be careful this year."

"Why this year in particular?" Romi asked.

"I'll let you know when I can," Diomeda Odessa said. "Some things need to happen, and you're too early in the time stream."

Romi just stared at her for a moment.

"What does that mean?" she asked finally.

"And you are way too early in the time stream for that information," answered Diomeda Odessa. "I promise to tell you when you need to know. Wake up now, it's time for you to leave."

Romi jerked awake again. She paused, thinking about what had just happened. She looked out the window and saw that the eastern sky had shifted from pitch black to a deep blue and was slowly getting lighter. There was a knock on her door and her mother poked her head inside.

"Up you get, Romi," Charis said. "We're leaving in twenty minutes."

Romi sat up, rubbing her eyes and thinking about her dream. Her mother disappeared again after seeing that Romi was awake. Romi dragged herself out of bed and went to her dresser.

She dressed as quickly as she could in her sleep deprived state and went downstairs. Uncle Lucius, Aunt Narcissa and Charis were standing in the front foyer, checking last minute things.

Uncle Lucius was wearing a very fine Muggle suit, and both Aunt Narcissa and Charis were wearing bright summer dresses. They must have to been told to wear Muggle clothing to the World Cup. Draco and Romi pretty much always wore Muggle clothes when they were away from school, so she was already dressed for the occasion wearing jeans and a t-shirt.

"Where's dad?" Romi asked, running her fingers through her long, red hair as she approached them.

"He left two hours ago," Charis said, pulling a cardigan over her shoulders. "He's going to meet up with us when he can. The delegation from Bulgaria is arriving today, and he's been heading the negotiations with them for months. He figured he should be there early."

Draco appeared seconds later, looking just as groggy as Romi felt, his blonde hair sticking up at all angles.

"Why can't we Apparate there?" he asked as they got ready to leave. "Maybe we wouldn't have to get up so early."

Aunt Narcissa insisted on flattening his hair before they walked out of the door. He didn't fight her and just gave Romi a little roll of his eyes.

"No side-along Apparations," Uncle Lucius said swiftly. "Something about Anti-Muggle security. And you two aren't old enough yet to do it by yourselves. Thus, a Portkey must be taken."

Romi and Draco couldn't argue with that and they all left the house five minutes later. Romi linked arms with Draco and closed her eyes as they walked, letting him guide her.

She felt like they walked for almost twenty minutes when, Draco finally told her to open her eyes.

They were in a large clearing with no one around. Uncle Lucius was striding up towards what looked like a punctured football. He stooped over, picked it up and brought it back to the rest of them.

"Three minutes," Charis said, taking a look at her watch. "There isn't anyone else around who are leaving today, is there?"

"I believe not," Uncle Lucius replied. He held out the football. "Everyone place a finger on it."

Romi and Draco reached out and put a finger on the old football and waited.

"Are you excited?" Charis asked them as the seconds' ticked downs.

"Yes," Romi replied, trying to look like it, but she was still groggy from lack of sleep and from her strange dreams.

"Well you'd better wake up a bit," Charis said with a smile, "you've got a long way to go before bed time."

"I will," Romi said, forcing herself to be more awake.

"Three… two… one…" Uncle Lucius said and suddenly there was a wrenching around Romi's navel, her finger was stuck to the football; she could feel Draco and her mother bumping against her shoulders as she was being whisked away into unknown territory.