Hunted AIAOY 3

Chapter 19

Well past midnight, Hermione was woken up the not all-unfamiliar sound of Rebecca speaking in her sleep.  Instead of a random word of phrase as per usual, Hermione sat up and listened to her friend.

"Swing.  Double.  Rat.  Dog.  Dark.  Friend."  If Hermione had the ability to look into Rebecca's mind, she would have seen a darkness so black it was nearly liquid with horrible images rising and fading back to nothing randomly.

Rebecca's mind was pushed so far into overdrive she couldn't focus on anything more than the basic shapes of what she saw: Something shining swinging through the air, shadows of two people multiplying, a rat, a dog, and then nothing at all.

Rebecca's voice refused to raise itself more than a harsh whisper, though Ginny was woken by the sound of Rebecca's jerking limbs disturbing things on her bed.

Hermione felt the need to reassure Ginny, especially when the latter turned her worried eyes to Hermione with expectation of an explanation.  "I'm not sure what we're supposed to do.  I know you aren't to wake a sleepwalker, but...nothing about this."  Hermione gestured loosely to Rebecca.

Ginny climbed out of her bed and crawled under Rebecca's blankets, holding her middle firmly.

"I don't think we're supposed to-"

"I can't do nothing."  Ginny didn't sound angry, which might have filled Hermione with less anxiety than the worry in her voice did.  Ginny fixed the blanket over the two of them and was a little surprised to find Hermione on the other side of Rebecca in minutes.

"We won't do nothing, then."

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"Sleep poorly?"  Rebecca asked Ginny when she woke up.  Rebecca had spent the minutes Ginny was still asleep to busy her fingers with absently rubbing Ginny's back, wishing away the headache she had woken up with.  

Hermione had already woken up and started getting ready for the day, leaving Rebecca to think Ginny had climbed into her bed for reasons unrelated to her.

"What about you, huh?  Did you sleep poorly?"  Ginny asked, sitting up and looking down at Rebecca with an intensity Rebecca was unready for so early in the day.  "You're the one who woke us up flipping around like we needed a priest.  What were you even dreaming about?"

Rebecca reached for her glasses and sat up confused.  "I don't know.  I don't remember anything after going to bed last night.  What was I saying?"

Hermione came out of the bathroom ready for the day and answered for Ginny.  "Nonsense, like usual."

Ginny understood the message Hermione was sending, just not why.  When Rebecca went into the bathroom to get dressed, Ginny took the opportunity to ask.  "Why aren't we telling her?"

"First year.  Ours, not yours.  We had that detention in the Forbidden Forest, remember?"

Ginny nodded, remembering the chaos the Burrow had been plunged into when Molly and Arthur received the letter about what had happened.

Hermione continued after she could tell that Ginny knew what she was talking about.  "Those that were with her that night said that she'd mentioned something about 'dreaming the path.'  If this is another one of those dreams and she doesn't remember, it's probably for the best."

Ginny felt a shiver creep across the back of her neck.  "Were you there when she did it?"

Hermione looked into Ginny's eyes and was thankful that Rebecca remained in the bathroom.  "No.  I was in the other group and from what George, and Ron told us...we were the lucky ones."  Hermione left Ginny to tell Rebecca that she would meet them both downstairs before heading to breakfast under the guise of needing to post an owl.