A/N Kay, basically this is the first fanfic I've ever posted, so be gentle! (: Anyways, basically all the stuff in this fic is owned by J.K. Rowling, however, I did tweak and add stuff to the description about a certain Weasley's Wizard Wheezes product, which I lifted from the H-BP. I'd also like to thank my friend for looking over this fic for me/prodding me into uploading it :P
Anyways, read on and enjoy.
Hermione fiddled with her wand, seriously contemplating whether to pull her bushy hair out in frustration. She was currently sitting in the Hogwarts library during her free lesson, with absolutely nothing to do.
The essays that she had been set by Professor McGonagall were already mostly finished when she had started, so it had taken her around 10 minutes to complete.
Snape's essay just needed a retouch on the conclusion, but she would sort that out when she would go and meet up with Ron and Harry in the Gryffindor common room. This was so that she could try and send them, or at least Harry, a subtle hint that they needed to get on with theirs, instead of playing bloody wizard's chess. It would probably take Ron a few more minutes to catch on. Hermione scowled slightly at the thought that Lavender might be dangling off of Ron's arm again, and decided to stay in the library a little longer.
Heaving her bag onto the table in front of her, Hermione rummaged through, determined to find something to take her mind off the direction her thoughts were heading. Deep down in the depths, underneath her many text books, parchment, spare quills and other bits and pieces the littered her bag, Hermione's fingertips grazed something covered in wrapping paper. Curious as to what it was, Hermione extracted the parcel carefully so as not to attract the attention of Madam Pince, as she would definitely not approve of wrapping paper being left in her clean library.
The small, rectangular parcel, wrapped in Christmas-themed paper, had been given to Hermione by Ginny, and she still hadn't opened it, months later. Feeling slightly guilty, she read the note attached to it.
To Hermione,
Merry Christmas! I hope you like this just as much as I did.
Love, Ginny xx
Hermione wondered what Ginny had meant by that, and quickly unwrapped the gift. She gasped at the contents.
Inside was a plain black box, labelled:
"Patented Daydream Charms
Special Extended Edition
One slightly-more-complicated incantation and you will again enter a top quality, highly realistic FORTY-minute daydream, with another, yes, another big difference. This time, YOU choose that special someone to accompany you into your deepest fantasy. Easy to fit into the average school lesson and virtually undetectable (side-effects include vacant expression and minor drooling). Not for sale to under-sixteens."
Hermione looked furtively around, a blush tingeing her cheeks. No one had spotted her holding the box, had they? Luckily for her, Madam Pince was examining returned books with a magnifying glass, to make sure they were in pristine condition. The only other people she could see were a boy and a girl, who were too deeply engrossed with one another's company, or, more precisely, one another's lips, to pay her any attention.
Hermione's gaze slipped back to the box that had been stowed on her lap under the desk. There could be no harm in trying it, could there? After all, she had wanted to examine the quality of the charm when she had first seen it in Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, but had replaced the box hastily, even though she had been offered the original "Patented Daydream Charm" from Fred and George in the first place.
Opening the box that was still on her lap, she pulled out the instructions and placed them on her desk. Reading through them carefully, she managed to get the gist of the incantation. Shifting in her chair, so that she sat more comfortably, Hermione whispered the incantation to herself and performing the necessary wand gestures.
Instantly, Hermione could no longer see. She was still sitting down, but the hard wooden chair she had previously been sitting upon had changed, it was now softer, the chair seemed to have armrests, and it had a higher back.
Hermione was feeling panicky now. Had the spell not worked? Had she done something wrong? Admittedly, unlike what had been written in the instructions, she had not pictured the one who she wanted to have a fantasy about, but that was because she did not know herself who she wanted with her. A fleeting image of blonde hair, black robes and refined features had flitted across her mind, but she had banished them. The faces of Harry and Ron swam before her eyes, but that had been way too weird to imagine. The same had happened when she had imagined Viktor Krum. No other images had sprung to mind. Was that why she was now sitting in total darkness? She moved to get up, but a fireplace suddenly sprang into life to her left, making her drop back down in her seat.
The light of the fire showed that she was in a large hall, with wooden flooring and stone walls. It looked like it was the same size as the Great Hall at Hogwarts, but there was not a scrap of furniture anywhere, there was a real ceiling in place, and there was only one large door. She moved to get up, and noticed that the texture of her clothing had changed. Looking down at herself, she was now wearing an outfit similar to the clothes she had worn for the Yule Ball, 2 years ago. She reached up, patting her hair, and discovered that it, too, was similar to how she had worn it for the Ball.
"Well, well, Miss Granger. Isn't this a… delicious surprise." a voice whispered in her ear, hot breath tickling her neck.
Hermione spun around, holding back a scream, and came face-to-face with Lucius Malfoy.
End of the first chapter. I hop you enjoyed it, as I was quite nervous about posting this. Anyway, keep an eye out for more chapters, which should (hopefully) be soon!