Hermione Granger raced through the castle to find the Headmaster. She rounded a corner with Penelope Clearwater, her eyes locked on the mirror the Prefect carried. In her fist, she clutched the sheet that had given way to her revelation- a page that she had unthinkingly written on and ripped from a book in her eagerness to impart the information to Professor Dumbledore.
After confirming her suspicion, Hermione had shut her eyes, leapt to her feet, and immediately thought of warning others. The conversation that followed had first amused and baffled Penelope. Hermione, knowing that Penelope was her only companion in the library at that moment, yelled at the girl to close her eyes and had pleaded with Penelope to take her seriously. Hermione had been gripped by fear that the snake or its master may have known of her discovery, and chose not to vocalize her findings to the other girl should they be overheard.
At Hermione's instruction, Penelope blindly rummaged through her bag to find the small mirror that she, fortunately, carried with her. The older girl then used the mirror to navigate to Hermione's table. Hermione wordlessly thrust the page at her, and after scanning it Penelope's eyes had risen to Hermione's, shocked. They'd immediately set off to inform Professor Dumbledore, agreeing that he'd most likely be at the Quidditch pitch.
The information scared them, and now merely traversing the castle seemed perilous. Nevertheless, they continued down the corridor, armed with their mirror.
What Hermione didn't account for was that her mind would automatically scan anything resembling a face for an eye. So when she saw the scaly curve of a head turn her way- before she had even a split second to think otherwise- her instincts betrayed her and met the eye of the monster in the mirror.
In the instant that she sighted the reflection of the monster, her heart leapt to her throat, her stomach dropped, and her ears began to ring. Her mouth gaped to emit a scream, but she was so terrified that her voice also betrayed her, and not so much as a peep escaped her. She froze in terror, and time slowed down beyond comprehension. She focused on the eye so intently that her own eyes went blurry. An eternity passed in the space of that moment.
Finally, after what felt like a lifetime later, and with a certainty that the yellow eyes of the snake had seared onto her consciousness as her last living sight, Hermione emerged, regaining awareness. Sound slowly returned to her, seeming distant and otherworldly. Her eyes, already wide open, contracted and adjusted. They tricked her; instead of seeing a reflection in a mirror, she saw a rather impressive nose and a furrowed brow. Her voice finally caught up with her, and she shrieked, "Basilisk!" into the steely face of her potions professor.
"That'll be Miss Granger awake, then," Madam Pomfrey said approvingly from the next bedside over.
"A day late and a Galleon short," Professor Snape grunted, straightening with an empty vial in his hand. He raised his wand and began running diagnostic spells on his student.
Hermione's heart slammed back into rhythm, racing so fast that she felt ill. Her body still suffered from her terror, and her mind from her confusion; and without further ado, she slumped into a faint.
Snape, convinced of the girl's health, looked pleased by this development. "You owe me another Galleon, Poppy."
Disclaimer: All due thanks to good ol' J.K. This is a snippet of a larger brainchild following Hermione (and maybe Snape?) through the series, and the rest will likely never see the light of day. Let me know if you enjoyed it!