Weasley and Granger

Chapter 37: The Nightmare

A few days post midnight mistletoe kissing, Hermione was woken up in the middle of the night to the sound of someone crying.

She sat up in her bed, and pushed a large amount of hair out of her face. The brunette squinted her eyes and it took her a moment for her eyes to adjust to the light of a wand being on.

Thankfully the light wasn't right in her face but still, it was next to her bed and she realised that it was Professor McGonagalls wand. Hermione took in the Professor's appareance, as it wasn't normally how she would dress.

Instead she stood over Ginny's bed, across the room, in a mauve full lengthed night gown. Her hair was in a messy bun on top of her head, instead of the normally well maintained tight bun that was normally there.

"Hermione.... it's.... its..." Ginny choked out, looking pale as a sheet in the light of Professor McGonagalls wand.

"It's Mr Weasley." McGonagall finished for her.

"What's wrong?" Hermione paled and her mouth dropped a bit.

"Ms Weasley you really must come with me to Professor Dumbledores office." Professor McGonagall motioned for her.

Hermione sat in her bed watching them, concerned, but then Ginny gave her a look. "Hermione come with me." She almost whispered as the red head climbed out of her bed.

Quickly the bookworm nodded, and slipped out the side of her bed, she grabbed her dressing gown and threw it over herself as she didn't really want to walk through the halls of Hogwarts in just her old Panama pants and shirt. Besides it would be too cold for that anyway.

The girls followed Professor McGonagall out of the dormitories and down the stairs to the common room. There, standing in front of the burned out fire was the Weasley twins. Both of them were muttering things to each other, as they sat on the edge of a pair of chairs.

But both of their attention turned to the girls when they heard them enter the room. Quickly they crossed the room, Fred engulfed Hermione in an almost crushing hug. She nuzzled her face into his chest, and his usual aroma of just ignited fireworks, freshly cut wood, and something else she couldn't quite describe.

"He's going to be okay." Hermione muffled with her head still against his chest. She felt him nod his head then he rested it on top of hers.

"We don't have time for this, come on. Professor Dumbledore is waiting." Professor McGonagall said impatiently.

The pair pulled apart but Fred intertwined their hands and held hers tightly. Professor McGonagall turned on her heels and she promptly motioned for them all to follow her out of the common room.

"What about Ron?" Ginny spoke up, once they were all in the halls.

"He's already in Professor Dumbledore's office with Harry." McGonagall said over her shoulder. 

"What does Harry have to do with this?" George scrunched up his eyebrows.

"It'll all be explained when we get there. Come on, step lively now." McGonagall said picking up the pace as they turned a corner.

Soon the Gryffindors found themselves rushing through the halls of the school, trying to keep up with Professor McGonagall, as they headed to Dumbledore's office. Finally when they arrived at the Headmasters office door, they all had fast beating hearts. 

Not only from the suspense of wanting to know what was happening but because they had moved so quickly through the halls of Hogwarts to get to their destination. Professor McGonagall told the statue guarding the office door, the password, and it stepped aside to let them in.

They pushed open the doors, and the people in the office all looked to them. There was Harry, Ron, Professor Dumbledore, and the countless paintings on the walls, who were clearly faking sleep but really listening intently. 

Professor Dumbledore ushered them in, and quickly he told them of the situation. How Harry had had a nightmare that was more like a vision, about Mr Weasley being attacked by a snake at the Ministry, of which he had been seriously injured. He also told them how he had sent for help at once, from the Order. 

When he finished talking, all three of the Weasleys that had arrived with Hermione lost their balance, Ginny and George held onto each other, but Fred had dropped to his knees. Hermione swept in front of him, and she saw that he was completely pale. 

"Fred? Freddy?" She whispered, shaking his shoulders gently.

"Is he alright?" He mumbled just enough for them to hear. Hermione looked helplessly to Harry, then to Ron and around the room for someone to answer.

"Someone say something!" She let out after a moment of almost silence.

"Dumbledore, they've sent help down to the Department for Arthur, they should be arriving there soon." An elderly man said as he sat back in his chair in his painting on the wall on the side of Dumbledore's desk.

Hermione let out a breath, that she didn't actually realise she had been holding in. Then she turned her attention back to Fred, she held his face in her hands and she crouched closer to him. After a few seconds, he looked her in the eye, and she could see his fear. 

Her mouth dropped a bit, she was shocked, she hadn't seen that look in him before. He was always a happy, care free person, who didn't really care what others thought of him because he danced to a different tune. He and George always had, that's just how it was. 

They were the Weasley twins, the boys of their family that had never had great grades, or been Prefects. But they were Gryffindors, like their brothers, parents and sister, they were determined, they had passion, drive, and a will to succeed. 

But to Hermione, to see him be completely speechless, and have concern in his eyes, was something she didn't think was possible from him, not like this at least. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close, in an effort to say that things would be alright, even though some things were so uncertain. 

Slowly, Hermione felt Fred hug back, which made her smile. When they pulled apart, she was reluctant to, she stood up and realised that everyone else was in conversations of their own. George and Ginny were nervously asking questions to each other, Harry looked agitated about something, while Ron was just speechless also. 

Professor's McGonagall and Dumbledore, were standing on opposites sides of his desk while looking back and forth from another empty painting on the wall. They were no doubt waiting for the paintings occupants to return with news on Mr Weasley.

That was the worst part, the waiting, the uncertainty of it all. 

Fred stood back up to his normal, tall height, beside Hermione. "Thanks." He whispered, cracking a small smile.

"What did I do?" She smiled in confusion.

"You're here. That's more than others can say." He looked to the floor.

"Others?" The brunette frowned.

"Percy." He mumbled with a scowl.

Hermione's mouth formed an 'o', as she nodded knowingly. Percy and Mr and Mrs Weasley had had a fall out a while ago, during the summer holidays after school finished last year. From what Ron and Ginny had told her, Percy didn't believe what Harry was saying about 'You Know Who Returning.'

Instead Percy Weasley had elected to believe his boss, Cornelius Fudge, and the rest of the Ministry, and to just push off the news has 'hogwash made up to get attention'.

"Dumbledore, they've found him." The other painting spoke up, making them all look eager for more news about Mr Weasley.

A/N: Okay, so I said I would update weekly, and I just kind of did, right? Yeah, go me. I put off writing this chapter earlier in the week, I'm going to hopefully have the next one up earlier in this coming week. 

Side note, this was a weird chapter as I literally had to research, 'Describing how someone smells.' Let me tell you, that is some weird a** sh*t right there!