NIGHTMARE ₁, Harry Potter °

vii. 𝘭𝘶𝘯𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥

LUNA LOVEGOOD

— ( chapter seven. ) —

Aurora had a troubled night's sleep. Her mother wove in and out of her dreams, never speaking; Mrs. Weasley sobbed over Kreacher's dead body, watched by Ron and Hermione who were wearing crowns, and yet again Aurora found herself badgered by a never-ending countdown that got shorter and shorter as the days past. She awoke abruptly with her head hurting to find Ginny already dressed and talking to him.

"...better hurry up, Mrs. Weasley's going mad, she says we're going to miss the train..."

There was a lot of commotion in the house. From what she heard as she dressed at top speed, Aurora gathered that Fred and George had bewitched their trunks to fly downstairs to save the bother of carrying them, with the result that they had hurtled straight into Ginny and knocked her down two flights of stairs into the hall; Mrs. Black and Mrs. Weasley were both screaming at the top of their voices.

" — COULD HAVE DONE HER A SERIOUS INJURY, YOU IDIOTS — "

" — FILTHY HALF-BREEDS, BESMIRCHING THE HOUSE OF MY FATHERS — "

When they were done, they rushed into Harry's room as he was pulling on his trainers. Hedwig was swaying on Aurora's shoulder, and Hermione was carrying a squirming Crookshanks in her arms.

"Mum and Dad just sent Hedwig back," —the owl fluttered obligingly over and perched on top of her cage — "are you ready yet?"

"Nearly — Ginny all right?" Harry asked, shoving on his glasses.

"Mrs. Weasley's patched her up," said Hermione. "But now Mad-Eye's complaining that we can't leave unless Sturgis Podmore's here, otherwise the guard will be one short."

"Guard?" said Harry. "We have to go to King's Cross with a guard?"

"You have to go to King's Cross with a guard," Hermione corrected him.

"Why?" said Harry irritably. "I thought Voldemort was supposed to be lying low, or are you telling me he's going to jump out from behind a dustbin to try and do me in."

"Might try and rob you when everyone's going in a hurry." said Aurora wistfully.

"I don't know, it's just what Mad-Eye says," said Hermione distractedly, looking at her watch, "but if we don't leave soon we're definitely going to miss the train..."

"WILL YOU LOT GET DOWN HERE NOW, PLEASE!" Mrs. Weasley bellowed and Hermione jumped as though scalded and hurried out of the room. Harry seized Hedwig, stuffed her unceremoniously into her cage, and set off downstairs after Hermione and Aurora, dragging his trunk.

Mrs. Black's portrait was howling with rage but nobody was bothering to close the curtains over her; all the noise in the hall was bound to rouse her again, anyway.