Dark AIAOY 5

Chapter 11

Rebecca felt the silence in the room fill her up, squeeze into every empty area inside of her and pull her every which way all while smashing her down.

"W-what?"  Fred's voice was the first to sound, his hands tightening on Rebecca's shoulders.  

"We were the snake."  Harry repeated.  Rebecca lowered her head, shame and guilt and a deep, sickening hatred growing inside of her.  A hatred for herself.

"What does-what does that even mean?"  Fred pulled Rebecca against his chest, trying to protect her from the words--the actions--she wasn't trying to deny.  "You would have stopped it."

"It wasn't like that."  She wished he wouldn't hold her so close, wouldn't tease her with this normalcy when everything was going wrong.  "I-I was in bed, asleep.  He had us-he made us watch--threatening us with-"  Rebecca's body wouldn't let her say anymore.  The fact that those most special to her had been threatened was too far over the edge.

"It was Voldemort."  Harry's words paled the room, Molly laying a hand over her heart.  "Voldemort did it and made us watch."

"I'm so sorry."  Fred whispered, pulling Rebecca closer so her arms could wrap around him.  "I'm so sorry you had to see it."

Ron stared at Harry, the only one unaware enough to ask what they were all thinking.  "How was he...you know...in your heads?"

Molly clasped her hands to her mouth, turning her back to Harry and Rebecca to shield them from her unfiltered fury.  "Ronald!  Use the manners your father and I have taught you and leave well enough alone!"

Ron rolled his eyes at the admonishment and sat in the seat besides the one Harry sank into.  "It's alright, Mrs Weasley."  Harry ran his hand down his face, so confused at how quickly the day had changed.  "He's right to ask."

Fred moved to sit down to hear the explanation, bringing Rebecca with him.  At that moment, he couldn't bear to imagine being even just a chair away from her.  

"Dumbledore...'  Harry couldn't look any of them in the eye as he spoke.  In fact, neither he nor Rebecca had yet to reach any of their eyes.  "Dumbledore says that there's a-a connection.  One between us and him.  He had Snape see if we could block him out, that's why we didn't come with you at first."

Fred looked to Rebecca, trying to get her to look at him and failing.  "Did it work?  Are you protected?"

"It's not that simple."  Rebecca answered softly.  The room was listening carefully though, enough so so that her answer was heard by them all.  "It will require practise and work and...and I can't drink the draught anymore before bed."

The thought of Rebecca going to sleep without the only aid they had to keep her from the premonitions--as well as the fear of what would happen if Voldemort used the link between them and Rebecca couldn't wake herself up--filled Fred with an icy terror he had only felt once before, on the rigging of the second task of the Triwizard Tournament.  Then too he had been unable to help or protect Rebecca.

"Right now, though."  George clarified, looking at both Harry and Rebecca in turn concerned.  "Are you safe right now?  How do we know if it's really you or not?"

"I don't know."  Rebecca sounded as tired and scared as she felt, which lit something inside of Harry he wasn't able to extinguish before it escaped.

"We're here, aren't we?  Makes us safe enough."  Harry snapped.

Fred shifted in his chair slightly, putting Rebecca farther from the argument breaking out and focusing on her completely.  "And your visions?  How will we keep them away without the tea and draught?"