Hunted AIAOY 3

Chapter 18

"Wake up at once!"

Rebecca launched up in her bed, startled as to why Professor McGonagall's voice was heard throughout every bedroom of Gryffindor Tower.

"Students are to report to the common room and then proceed to the Great Hall under the direction of their prefects!"  The message was punctuated with every door being opened with a chorus of bangs.

Fear ignited in Rebecca's veins faster than an enchanted match. Her shoes were abandoned without a second thought, only her glasses being grabbed as she made it to the hall.  The few girls out of their room already moved out of her way or found themselves pushed to the side.  The stairs were taken two at a time, her attention wholly on the boys filing their way out of their side.

Stumbling slightly on the last stair and crashing into one of the shelves of books, Rebecca saw that Professor Dumbledore was at the top of the boys' stairs, waving them out quickly.  Harry and Ron were already downstairs, standing in a pair slightly off of Professor McGonagall. Hermione and Ginny reached the bottom of the stairs just as Rebecca nearly pulled the boys to the ground.

"What's happened? Why're-What is-"  She couldn't get a whole thought out, not when she was so lost as to why they were being evacuated out of their rooms.

Hermione, albeit it slightly more calm, was asking Professor McGonagall more questions than there were answers.

Raising a hand for quiet from the frantic children in front of her, McGonagall asked for control.  "The first step in any crisis is to maintain ca-"

"Fred, no!"

"CLEAR THE WAY!"

George and Fred's voices interrupted McGonagall all the way from the hall above and there was a collection of grunts and insults as Fred led the barrage down the stairs.  The Gryffindors in their way either got the message in time and moved or were moved.

Professor McGonagall didn't attempt any explanation, not when the attention of those around her were focused on the older twins forcing their way to them and running their own checks.  George turned Ginny's face up to him, turning it towards the light before doing the same to Ron with the same care.

Fred asked Hermione if she was alright, looking her over carefully and waiting until there was an affirmative before moving onto Harry and Rebecca at once.  Fred leaned down a little, laying a hand on Rebecca's shoulder. "What happened?"

"No one's hurt?"  George asked, confused.

"I could've died."  Ron said without the emotion his words should have brought.  "He was over my bed, slashed through my curtains and all."

"W-what?"  Rebecca looked to McGonagall for confirmation, Fred watching as the colour left Rebecca's face until she was startlingly pale.  "He was in their room?"

"I'm afraid so.  To the Great Hall, children.  Beds are prepared and the castle is being swept now."  Professor McGonagall walked them to the door before leaving them in the charge of the prefects and she returned to Dumbledore to survey the scene of the break in.

Action was all that was keeping Rebecca from tilting over the edge she felt dangerously close to.  This was their fault, hers and Harry's.  Sirius Black wanted them and in his madness, he'd gotten as close to them as ever.

Ron never slept in the middle of their Great Hall formation, but she moved him towards it and the look on her face left Ron unable to not accept it.

She walked around all of their beds, lingering at the ends of conversations until they wanted to bring her into it and she would make her excuse and move onto the next partnership.  When the announcement of lights out was given, Rebecca finally made it to her own cot.