Title: In Dreams
Author: Wildecate
Email: Wildecate@hotmail.com
Rating: R
Summary: Two redheads are sharing the same dream

Bill Weasley opened bleary eyes to see his brother bending over him. The sun was high in the sky which meant he had slept most of the morning away and yet he still felt exhausted as thought he had not slept at all. They were hiking through the mountains, their usual yearly trip. Bill remembered nothing of the journey, of the conversations he had with Charlie, only feeling relief as the night drew on and he had the chance to close his eyes again. Charlie observed his brother as he slept. He had never seen him like this before, withdrawn and silent, it was as if something was troubling which he could not speak of, not even to Charlie, his brother and one of his closest friends. Bill seemed to crave sleep, his energy sapped and had closed his eyes as soon as he had the opportunity.

The wizard did not understand what was going on in his mind, only that this nightmare had haunted him for many days now. He could not remember the last time he had slept the night through peacefully and despite being deeply troubled by this, he could not bring himself to talk about it.

"Let's stay here a while" Charlie suggested while Bill was awake. Bill was too tired to object or even worry himself why Charlie would be suggesting such a thing.

"I'm going for a walk" he said and headed away from the camp into the forest which normally gave him such solace, such peace. But there was none to be found, instead he was constantly looking over his shoulder, thinking that there was someone with him, a presence, but he was alone.

The excitement of working for Gringotts was wearing thin but the idea of a life of a scholar, a desk job, did not sit well with him and he had taken up the life of a treasure hunter, the constant travelling, the hunting and fighting had occupied much of his life. He considered himself extremely lucky that he and Charlie got on so well and this trip, something they had begun at the age of sixteen, had become a yearly event and the two had travelled many a road together, watching each other's backs, healing the other's hurts. But there was nothing Charlie could do for him now.

Bill returned from his walk carrying two rabbits which would provide dinner for them. He could not deny that he was looking forward to resting again and with a sigh of relief closed his eyes to the night sky.

He was standing shrouded in darkness. There was no way to tell which way was which. And as he had done every night, he began walking. He picked what he thought was a different direction every night but there was no way to measure time or distance in the place he was in. There was a silence that weighed heavily upon him, even his footfalls were muffled. The feeling of solitude of this dream place stayed with him, even when he was awake. It was as though he was searching for something which could not be found.

He carried on walking, straining his eyes in the darkness, desperately trying to see where he was, what he was walking to but there was no sign of anything except the thick velvety dark.

In the silence came the quietest of sounds, on the very edge of his hearing. He paused and listened again, and yes, there it was. He carried on moving and as he did so the sound grew louder. It was a heartbeat, not his own, he was not alone here.

Bill picked up his pace and coming towards him, lit by the faintest of lights, was a tiny figure, a shock of red hair crowning a face lit with green eyes and a luminous smile. She stopped before him, looking up at him, her glowing smile spreading across her face. He could not help himself and smiled back. Was this love? Was this what was called love at first sight? Could this girl exist anywhere except in his dreams? As if she were aware of the questions running through his mind, the girl reached up and laid a finger across his lips, the shock of gentle contact running through him.

"No questions now" she whispered.