AURTHOR'S NOTE: I like writing short-fics because I like getting straight to the point; straight to the drama or whatever I'm writing. I don't like writing long stories and filling half of it with filler chapters so if that's what you're looking for, I'm sorry it's not here.

Now I'm still experimenting with different genres and this is my take on drama/mystery. If this totally blows, just tell me and I'll be glad to go back to what I'm comfortable with.

What you should expect in this: Draco and Hermione are close friends. Hermione moved in with Draco at Malfoy Manor; Narcissa fell into depression when Lucius got locked away in Azkaban so she barely speaks to anyone. Harry, Ginny, and Ron don't really like Draco but they still talk to Hermione whenever they can.

She was walking through the forbidden forest again. A dark green cloak wrapped around her shoulders and her face hidden within the shadows of the hood. The chilly air nipped at her bare feet although she couldn't see them because the forest floor was covered in a think blanket of fog. She didn't know why she was in the forest in the first place and she didn't know where she was going, but her feet seemed to know exactly where to go.

It was a dream, of course. She had dreamt of this place twice before. The first time was two weeks ago, but the dream had quickly vanished as her bare feet touch the cold earth and she awoke immediately. The second time was only last week and she got a bit further into the forest but as she came across a herd of Centaurs, she quickly awoke again; all traces of the dream gone. And now, this being the third week she had gotten the same dream, she got even further. When she came upon the herd of Centaurs, they made no indication that they knew she was there. She walked silently beside them and heard them muttering amongst each other but no-one glanced in her direction.

Following the path that her feet were currently leading her, she came across a more suitable walking path that lead into a darker section of the forest. She tried to turn around and head back into the lighter part of the forest but it was no use. Her feet kept her moving forward.

She finally came to a sudden stop and tried to take in her surroundings. Being that it was darker than earlier, she could only make out the outlines of trees and boulders. She found herself in a circular clearing, trees and boulders surrounding her but that was all she could make out.

She suddenly got the feeling that she wasn't alone anymore. It wasn't like the Centaurs earlier who had ignored her presence. It was different; very different. Someone or something knew she was there and they were watching her.

Drawing the cloak tighter to her body and making sure she kept her face hidden, she turned in every direction and tried to make out anything unusual. Her feet slid over the cold, mossy earth and every now and then, she cracked a twig beneath her feet. Since she couldn't exactly see what was beneath the fog, she didn't see that she kept moving closer and closer to a fallen tree log. A few steps further and she finally tripped, falling hard on her bum and getting her cloak wet with the damp earth.

Sighing to herself, she felt around for the log she tripped over and pulled herself up; sitting on top of the log.

"You're late." a voice whispered from behind, right next to her left ear. Upon hearing the voice, the girl in the cloak froze and listened with all her might; hoping and praying that the voice she just heard was a figment of her imagination. "I've been trying to lure you here for the past two weeks but you never came."

The voice slightly louder and much more clearer; sending a chill up and down the girl's spine. She knew that voice. She once came face to face with the owner of that voice. But the owner of that voice was dead. Has been dead for the past six years.

Gathering up her courage, the girl in the cloak turned herself slowly to face the person who spoke to her. As she lifted her head, she came face to face with Bellatrix Lestrange.

Heart thumping wildly behind her ribcage, the girl screamed and fell backwards off the log.

. . .

. . .

"Granger! Granger, wake up. You fell asleep in the library again." Hermione's eyes snapped open and she immediately shot upward, bumping heads with Draco. He flinched as he rubbed the newly formed red spot on his forehead. "Calm down. It's still dark out and it's the weekend. You're not late for work or anything." Hermione, who wasn't paying attention to a word Draco was saying, kept patting and feeling her shoulders and head. It was as if any moment now she'd pull off the cloak she was just wearing in the middle of the forest and it would confirm her fear. "Snap out of it, Granger." Draco waved his hand in front of her face. "It was only a nightmare."

Hermione, who finally realized that someone was speaking to her, looked up at him. "How do you know I was having a nightmare?"

"Well," Draco spoke as he took a seat where Hermione's head was just moments before. "You were squirming in your sleep and you kept muttering about someone being dead and you were also whimpering as well." He laid his arm across the back of the medium-sized reading sofa that they were both currently sitting on and Hermione took that as her chance to scoot closer to him and curl up in his side. "Care to let me in and know what that was about?"

She shook her head. "It was just a nightmare. Just a dream. It's nothing." Draco let his arm fall to her shoulders and held her closer, laying his cheek on top of her head. "Is your Mother still awake or did she finally fall asleep?"

"She's asleep." Draco answered. "Wheezy fed Mother her medications and led her up to bed."

Hermione nudged Draco in the ribs. "I really wish you would stop calling him Wheezy! His name is Winston." She playfully scolded him as best she could. The dream was still fresh in her memory but she didn't feel like discussing her dream with Draco.

"I can't help it. He loves his name, but he loves his nickname even more." Draco chuckled.

"House elves." She sighed. "I'll never understand them."

The two quickly fell into a comfortable silence, the only sound being that of their steady breathing. The library was dimly lit, only being lit up from the light the moon gave off and peeked through the curtains over the windows. Sensing that there neither of them were going to speak again, Hermione's eyes started to droop and she could feel herself drifting off to sleep.

"Back so soon?" a voice sounded in her head. The voice sounded sweet. Sickly sweet.

Hermione's eyes quickly snapped open once again and she leapt up from the sofa, slightly trembling. Unconsciously gripping her arm, Hermione stumbled away from the sofa and a confused looking Draco. "I, uh, I'm going to bed. Night!" And she rushed out of the room before Draco could bid her sweet dreams.

She stumbled up a couple of stairs but quickly regained her footing and rushed the rest of the way into the wing of the house that she shared with Draco. Being that she was close friends with Draco for a couple of years already, he offered her a place to stay when she had nowhere else to go. The Weasley's Burrow was overcrowded with people and Grimmauld Place was the house of a newly engaged couple. She didn't like the idea of intruding in on their privacy and when Draco ran the idea of her moving into Malfoy Manor, she quickly accepted. Mrs. Malfoy had been sick ever since Lucius got sent to Azkaban that she didn't care about anything anymore. Hermione rarely ever crossed paths with the Lady of the house so she was comfortable living there.

Finally coming up to the door that led to her bedroom, she threw it open and quickly locked it behind her after she entered. Her hand immediately went back to her arm that bore her 'mudblood' scar and she stroked it over her shirt. Without really thinking about it, she pulled off her long-sleeve shirt and stopped in front of a large mirror standing in the corner of her room. Glancing down at her arm, the scar that she now always covered with long-sleeves, was bright red and sensitive to her touch. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she did not let them fall.

After examining her scar, for what seemed like hours, she pulled her shirt back on, walked backwards and curled up on her bed in the middle of her room. She clutched a pillow to her chest and stared at the wall that had a built-in bookcase from ceiling to floor. Of course, being Hermione Granger, the bookcase was filled with books.

Sighing, she sat up and crawled beneath her bed covers and stared up at the ceiling that was enchanted to show off twinkling stars.

She had known of only one person with a cursed scar and that person just happened to be Harry Potter, the boy whose scar would hurt every time the Dark Lord felt a powerful emotion. But her scar couldn't possibly be cursed or connected to Bellatrix Lestrange.

Could it?

Sorry it was so short, but I hope it was just enough to get you hooked :) The rest of the chapters are still in the "editing" process so the next chapter will be up in the next couple of days!

Leave your complaints or compliments in a review!