To Live Again

Chapter One: The Stone and the Ghost

There was something strange about the rain that had been pouring for the last four days. Kimberly Hale couldn't help but notice that even while all the other students at Hogwarts didn't think it as anything too strange. With their Herbology class canceled for the week, Kimberly and her friends sat outside under the cover of the castle, talking about homework and wondering if the rain would make their weekend trip to Hogsmede be delayed to the next weekend. "I hope it lets up soon. I really wanted to pick up some sweets...My mum stopped letting dad send me some." Rose Weasley sighed. "Something about how it will be better for my teeth. I brush every day!" Kimberly looked at her red-headed friend and laughed. "Just take some of mine. I bought too much last time. I'm getting a stomach ache."

She took a handful of candy from her robe pocket and handed it to her, making Rose, Albus and Scorpius laugh. They were her best friends. Albus and Scorpius were in Slytherin while her and Rose in Gryffindor but they were inseparable. Her hazel eyes turned to the forbidden forest and she bit her lip. "My headache is bad. I'm going to go to the medical wing." Kimberly mumbled, standing up. Albus rose a brow and took some of the candy. "Didn't you say it was a stomach ache?" he questioned. Kimberly looked down at him. "An ache is an ache." she teased.

Kimberly made her way down the outside corridor and when she turned around the corner, she started to speed walk. She pulled the hood of her cloak over her head that all of the students were wearing because of the wet day and looked around to make sure no one was watching or nearby. As odd as it sounded, she had been having dreams ever since the rain had started. In those dreams she saw herself walking into the forest and walking towards a tree surrounded by rain water. Usually she didn't look too much into her dreams, but when it was so vivid and so frequent, she had to at least try.

When she finally walked into the forest, Kimberly felt chills going down her spine. She wasn't allowed there and every hair on her body knew it. Biting her lip, she continued to walk forward and look around. It was dark within the forest and she could barely see. Rain dripped down the back of her cloak and twigs pulled at the bottom of her robe. Noises echoed around her but Kimberly couldn't stop. Her legs kept moving and she felt like she was being pulled in a certain direction. When she felt her foot step into a large puddle of water, she retracted her leg and narrowed her eyes to see.

Standing before her was the tree surrounded by water. It had been raining so much that it all went to a small dip in the land. It was muddy water with loose rocks and dead bugs floating in it. It wasn't a beetle that caught her attention, though. Instead it was a glint that managed to come where there was no light. She leaned down and picked it up with two fingers. What she picked up was a smooth, black stone that was diamond shaped. She held it up to her eyes to take a good look in it and felt warmth come from it. Slowly turning around to get out of the deep puddle, she glanced up and caught a look of bright red hair. "Oh hello." was the last thing she heard before jumping from the scare and slipping. A knock to the back of her head from the tree rendering her unconscious.

This time her dream was of a man she had never met before.

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Kimberly couldn't remember every regretting waking up. The moment she opened her eyes, her head hurt like hell and she didn't want to move. She looked around to see it was the middle of the night and she had ended up in a bed in the hospital wing. Suddenly she was starting to wonder if the forest was a dream and she really did come here with a headache. She sat up slowly and pulled over a glass of water to drink some.

"You know it's rude to knock yourself out when someone says hello to you." Kimberly spit out the water.

She turned around quick enough that her head throbbed and stared at a man sitting at the end of her bed. He had bright red hair that reminded her of her friend Rose and quite the sarcastic smile. She crawled back slightly and stared. "I'm sorry I uh...I don't..." Kimberly was interrupted with laughter that rang joyfully through her ears. It was the sound of a man who hadn't laughed in a long time. "I didn't expect you to actually apologize. It was my fault that you slipped and hit your head." he hummed, "The professors here haven't lost their touch. The moment you were out, they were there to pick you up."

Kimberly pushed locks of her brown hair out of her face. "And they didn't punish you for being in the forest? They couldn't punish me because obviously I was out but...and why are you here? I doubt they let non-injured students here after curfew." she said, trying to figure out where she had seen him before. The man smiled and put a finger to his lips. "They didn't see me there. And I'm not a student." he said, winking. "I would say...that I've been dead for about 24 years now...give or take a few years. I'm a ghost."

She stared at him for a while and there was complete silence. Finally she snorted and shook her head. "Okay. And I'm a hag." she laughed. Kimberly was used to jokes by now. Anyone related to a Weasley had lots of them and not all of them were good. The man laughed with her and suddenly reached over. His hand went through her head. Her eyes widened in fear and she slowly started to move out of the bed. She tripped instantly and heard a clink. She looked at the stone from before and when she looked up, the man was gone. Kimberly took a deep breath and picked it up with a shaking hand. The man was back.

After a few more tries, she learned she could only see him if she had the stone. "Are you done playing with that rock?" he asked. Kimberly sat back down, tired suddenly. "A ghost that no one can actually see..." she mumbled, in shock. She looked over at him and frowned. "You aren't going to leave me alone are you?" The man leaned back on the bed and shook his head. "I haven't had anyone to talk to for over two decades. I'm bored and lonely. Can't you be this old mans friend?" Kimberly rolled her eyes. "I hit my head too hard. But it's not every day one can say they meet a ghost that no one else can see at Hogwarts."

He seemed pleased with her response and stood up, he gave a playful bow that was probably a substitute for a handshake. "I'm Fred Weasley." he said. Kimberly stared at him and nodded. No wonder he had the same hair as Rose. They were related somehow. "I'm Kimberly Hale. Pleasure to meet you." she said slowly.

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When the next morning came, Rose came into the room and started to lecture her about sneaking into the forest and then knocking herself out somehow. "It's dangerous in the first place yet you had to go when the place was practically flooded!" she said, huffing and puffing. Kimberly bit her lip and snorted. "Hey Rose...maybe you should have been in Hufflepuff...." she said, holding back laughter. Her little brother Hugo laughed and so did Fred Weasley who was still in the room but unseen by the rest of them. Rose calmed down then pinched her cheek making her hiss. "Ahhhhh Hey I'm sick and or injured here." she whimpered.

Rose shook her head then hugged her. "Stop being reckless. You put Albus and Scorpius to shame." she said. Kimberly looked around, not seeing any sign of them. "Speaking of those two, where are they?" Rose went over to the window of the medical wing and opened the curtains. The sun shined brightly outside. "The rain stopped some time after you left us yesterday. They're enjoying the dry warmth." she pointed out. Kimberly got out of the bed and went to the window. Sure enough the rain had stopped and the sky was a bright blue. She had a feeling it maybe stopped after she passed out but didn't want to dig too deep into it. "Well that's funny isn't it..." she hummed.