The Hogwarts Descendant

Chapter 26

{A/N - sorry, I mean to put this with my first update. Sorry for the spam of me updating all the chapters - I didn't change anything with the plot, just rephrased a few things and corrected grammar mistakes because they were *bugging* me.}

Hermione was disgruntled at the abrupt awakening she got. Both Dahlia and Ginny had run into the room, casting the lights on and desperately packing their things. Hermione was up the instant they barged into the room. She was groggy at first, but as soon as she heard Mr. Weasley was injured she was on her feet, talking a mile a minute as Ginny tried to explain what had happened. Dahlia was still pale, her hands visibly shaky as she started throwing clothes into her trunk. She was still running off adrenaline from her dream - if she closed her eyes she could replay it in her mind. Dahlia tried to bring her mind back to the present by tuning into Ginny and Hermione's conversation.

"So, Harry and Dahlia were together -" Hermione wasn't getting it, though she had mimicked their actions and started packing a trunk, responding to their urgency.

"No, no, no, Harry and Dahlia dreamt it." Ginny's impatiently snapped, huffing indignatnly.

Hermione stopped throwing clothes into her trunk to whirl around. Her normally controlled mane of hair was frizzy, piled inches higher than normal on her head, eyes wide as she swung her gaze to Dahlia. "You dreamt it?"

"Yes, keep up, 'Mione." Ginny started shoving books into her trunk, pausing to glance between Hermione and Dahlia before continuing. Dahlia was frozen in place, unable to speak a word as the horrors continued to replay in her head. Sirius's scream when Voldemort tortured him rang in her mind as though on a loop.

"Harry and Dahlia had the same dream?" Hermione turned back to Ginny when she got no answer from Dahlia.

"Similar, yes," Ginny chanced a glance at Dahlia, who ignored her completely, jerkily resuming her packing. Dahlia winced at Hermione's question; they'd been in the same place, but it certainly hadn't been the same.

"Both of them saw your dad get attacked?"

"Yes."

"Your father is alive?"

"As far as we know."

Hermione tackled Ginny in a hug, "Merlin, Ginny, I'm so sorry I was asleep."

Hermione released Ginny after a moment and turned to Dahlia, brushing a tear from her cheek as she approached her roommate. "I'm sorry I didn't hear you screaming. Normally in your nightmares you scream and I can make some noise to wake you -"

"You know about my nightmares?" Dahlia turned around for the first time to face the other two girls in the dormitory. Her eyes wide, taken back, her surprise was apparent.

"Y-yeah," Hermione admitted sheepishly. "S-sometimes you scream things, in your sleep."

"I used to hear you, y'know." Ginny added, tossing a miniscule smile in Dahlia's direction. "My dorm's directly beneath yours."

"U-used to?" Dahlia looked questioningly at Ginny. Her nightmares had most definitely not stopped - if anything they'd multiplied in number. Had she stopped screaming over time?

"I-I started to cast a muffliato around our beds after you went to sleep," Hermione whispered, casting an apologetic glance at Dahlia. "Some of the things you say... I didn't think you wanted other people to hear them. I wouldn't have intruded myself except I was worried that you wouldn't wake yourself up, so I expanded the Muffliato so I could hear you if you ever needed me to -"

"Thank you," Dahlia's eyes were watering as she threw her arms around Hermione's shoulders, gratitude swelling inside her. Her shoulders shook with the thoughtfulness as she choked by a cry. "I'm sorry I wake you."