Fractured AIAOY 6

Chapter 12

"I'll be back later." Rebecca patted the top of Harry's head and took the Invisibility Cloak from the edge of his bed where he had laid it for her.  "Sleep well."

Harry yawned, tired after practise and classes and grateful Rebecca had made it clear she wanted to go to the tunnel for Fred's meeting on her own.  "Did you finish your Defence essay and-"

"Yes, Hermione."  Rebecca waved and stepped out the door while Harry settled into his bed with a smile, the first of his roommates to bed.  She put the cloak over her head in the hall and crept out of the not-emptied common room.  

November had dragged by and there had yet to be any word from Fred in the tunnel about anything--including the still unknown whereabouts of Remus and Sirius.  

The castle was silent as it slept, exactly as it should have been at the middle of the night in the week before the students returned home for the holidays.  Rebecca's homework had mostly been finished and her hours spent in the Room of Requirement through term had left her with a trunk's worth of goods created on behalf of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes.  The only responsibility--and this was a loose use of the word--left before term officially ended was Professor Slughorn's Christmas party.

Rebecca had kept herself busy with the hope that running herself ragged would have made it seem as if time had flown by; it hadn't.  She had to restrain herself to a brisk walk as she wanted nothing more than to sprint through the halls.  Without a word from Fred, her heart had yet to let go of his last letter.

Weeks earlier, the tone in the Daily Prophet had changed dramatically over night.  All reports of missing or murdered witches and wizards disappeared, any mentions of attacks along with them.  Rebecca knew too well to think that the lack of reporting meant that the tragedies weren't happening.  No, she had come to the same conclusion as Hermione: The Prophet had been taken over, too.

All of the dark thoughts plaguing her melted away as she turned down the corridor with the One-Eyed Witch.  The tunnel's entrance felt like an old friend as Rebecca passed through it towards the point where Fred was supposed to meet her.

Key word: 'was.'

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"What do you mean he didn't show up?"  Harry hissed over his eggs and sausage.

"What I mean, Harry, IS THAT HE DIDN'T BLOODY-"

Hermione shoved a piece of bread into Rebecca's mouth to cut off the shout that had begun to echo around the very-full Great Hall.  

Harry looked down at his plate, wrestling his frustration with Rebecca's smart-arsery under submission.  A slow breath later, the Great Hall's momentary silence at her outburst filled once more, Harry was able to speak calmly.  "I'm sorry."

"Yeah?"  Rebecca had taken the toast shoved onto her out of her mouth and reached for her cup.  "Me fucking too."

Hermione glanced at Harry nervously.  Rebecca's tone sounded like trouble, to a hurt reaching far deeper than any of them were accustomed to.  "I'm sure he's fine."  Hermione tried to reassure.

"No doubt, Rebecca."  Harry leaned forward, forcing Rebecca to look him in the eye.  "He wanted to be there, I'm sure."

Rebecca chewed at her cheek until she could taste blood, trying to keep herself from screaming at them.  "What would have kept kept him away?"  It wasn't meant for them to answer and Rebecca couldn't imagine sitting at something as normal as breakfast a second longer.  She stood and put her bag over her shoulder.  "Trouble."