Dear Mom and Dad,

I don't know if you heard, but Voldemort, the wizard that failed to kill Harry as a baby, is now at large. I am writing this to you so you don't hear it from another source, and to tell you that I am fine and perfectly safe at Hogwarts. As long as Dumbledore is here, nothing can harm us. Please don't worry too much about me. Can't wait to see you for the holidays!

Lots of Love,

Hermione

"How's that?" Hermione shoved the parchment under Ron's nose, he read it quickly and said bluntly, "It's brilliant." and returned to his homework. He and Hermione were sitting in the common room side by side on the couch by the fire.

They were waiting for Harry to get back from Occlumency lessons. Because of the incidents of just the previous year, when Voldemort had succeeded in tricking Harry into coming to the Department of Mysteries by putting images in his head, Harry had to reluctantly return to Occlumency lessons. And, much to his dislike, with Snape again, because Dumbledore did not have the time.

Hermione had already finished her homework, and was writing a letter to her parents while Ron did his punishment homework for Snape. Ron had called him a dirty ex-deatheater after he had taken off fifteen points for the expression on Ron's face. In consequence, he was forced to write a five foot essay on Erklings. "You know, that's just not fair! He's being so immature. He's acting like…like Malfoy! When he was a member of the "Inquisitorial Squad" he took points off for the stupidest things. Now Snape is just being an overgrown teenage git." Ron complained for the hundredth time.

Hermione said, annoyed, "OK Ron, I get it. You've been complaining for an hour, and look, you've only got a foot of your essay done." Ron turned to his work disgustedly. "Yeah, yeah I know. But I just can't help it. He's such a -" but at that moment Harry burst through the portrait hole, looking pleased, but slightly pale and sweaty.

Ron was still blabbing as if nothing had happened. "--fart head!" he ended. Harry plopped down on the couch between Ron and Hermione. "Harry could I use Hedwig?" "Sure," Harry replied distractedly. "Wouldn't be talking about Snape would you?" he then asked Ron with a smirk. Ron looked up at him and stopped insulting his essay. "Oh hey mate. How was your lesson?" Harry readily answered, apparently waiting for one of them to ask.

"Actually it's better than I thought." Hermione was now by the window, sending Hedwig off with her parent's letter. She congratulated him, "That's wonderful Harry, I knew you could do it!" Harry shook his head. "No, no not that. I mean I've found out some more stuff about Snape." Hermione frowned. "Harry that's not the point of the lesson--" Harry seemed not to have heard, and Ron suddenly became interested. "Although I'm not quite sure I understand it…"

Hermione became frustrated. "It doesn't matter whether you understand it or not, it's not your business!" She continued, "Besides I thought he told you not to use the shielding charm any more?"

Harry looked at her accusingly, "No, you told me not to use it anymore. But I bet he wishes he could tell me that." They both looked at him quizzically. "You see, Dumbledore made some rules for our lessons. And he told Snape that I was to use any means necessary to try and fight him off. So Snape can't do anything about it. He was so furious that I'd gotten into his thoughts again, you should've seen the color of his face." Harry laughed.

Ron smiled. "What'd you see?" he asked eagerly. Harry faked a serious face. "Well I probably shouldn't tell you since Hermione thinks it's so bad." Harry turned to look at Hermione's don't-bring-me-into-this look. Ron turned to her too and leaned a little further out to look past Harry. "Ooohh, come on Hermione! Please!? We're just having a little fun! What will it hurt?" She gave in, "Oh alright. Have it you're way then." And although she tried to hide it, she looked slightly amused at having that kind of power over them.

Ron cheered and urged Harry on. "Well I can't make much sense out of it, but it's like, there's this woman, a very beautiful woman at that. She had long flowing black hair, a slender face and body. Her fingers were long and thin. She kind of looked like Sleeping Beauty or something. And Snape looked about 15 years old. He's in the room with her, slowly walking towards the sleeping woman. It's so weird, I mean, it looks like he's trying to stop himself, but he can't. And he's looking at her with this weird look on his face, it's hard to explain….sort of like….hunger."

Ron looked amazed, with his mouth slightly open, that Snape would actually be in the same room as a beautiful woman. But Hermione seemed to have lost all anger and was looking very interested. She started slowly, "So, then what happened?" Harry was thankful for her change of attitude, so he didn't ask questions. "Dunno. Snape stopped me before anything else happened." "That's interesting…" and she stared into the fire, deep in thought.

Ron finally spoke. "Wow Harry. I wonder what it means…" Harry agreed, "Yeah, I really wanna find out who that woman was." then he added humorously, "We should go ask Trelawny. She'll probably say I'm gonna drown in a cauldron of pickle juice or something." Ron laughed. But Hermione seemed not to have heard, for she was still staring deeply into the flames, as though she found them very interesting.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Harry offered. Ron looked at him, baffled. "Just a muggle expression, don't worry about it." Harry explained. Ron nodded and turned his attention to his homework. "Harry, why wouldn't Snape put those memories in the Pensieve if he didn't want you to see them?" Harry thought for a bit, then came up with an answer. "I guess I must have resurfaced some memories maybe, I dunno." She nodded. "Yeah…I guess that makes sense." And returned to gazing at the fire.

Harry thought for a bit, but decided he wouldn't be able to figure it out without more information. Which he planned on getting next time. He changed the subject. "Hey Hermione." She looked at him. "Hmm?" "What did you need Hedwig for?" "Oh I was just sending a letter to my parents." "Can I ask what you wrote?"

"No problem. I was just telling them about Voldemort-" Ron shuddered. "Get over it Ron! For Pete's sake--anyways, I was just telling them that Voldemort-" she looked pointedly at Ron who glared at her. "-is now at large. But that they shouldn't worry about us because, you know, we've got Dumbledore."

Harry replied, "Gotcha. I was just wondering that's all." He then let out a big sigh, closed his eyes, and leaned back into the couch. "Now what's on your mind?" Hermione insisted that he tell her everything these days when he seems to be even a slight bit worried, or exhausted about something. Sometimes, Harry was grateful, but at other times, he wished she would leave him alone. At the moment though, he could care less, he was just so tired.

"Many many things Hermione." Harry half-heartedly smiled and turned to face her, still leaning into the couch. "Well speak up, I've got plenty of time. Let's start with one thing and go from there." She looked at him kindly. He gave in. "Alright. It's just I've been so worried about what Voldemort's up to. I mean, I never realized how important it was that he…well… killed me. And now that I do it's just…." he trailed off.

Hermione finished for him. "Overwhelming?" He sighed again. "Yeah." Harry told them all about the prophecy and everything Dumbledore told him in the beginning of the year. They took it better than he thought. He figured they might have been expecting he had something to tell them, but they were waiting till he was ready; which Harry greatly appreciated. "Go on." Hermione urged him on softly.

"And I've been having these weird dreams…." he saw the look of worry on Hermione's face and said quickly, "No, don't worry. It's nothing like the one's I was having with Voldemort. They're just regular dreams. But it's the same one almost every night…." he trailed off. Then they both realized Ron was listening when he said, "Well come then Harry. You can tell us, right Hermione?" he looked at her and she said quickly, "Oh-yes-of course."

"Ok, but it's so confusing, I mean, it's hard to understand…." he paused, looked at their eager faces, and saw that they weren't going to give up. "Alright. There's this room full of coffins. The room never ends it just goes on and on. And I'm just there, I didn't walk in or anything, I'm just there. So I don't know where it is, but anyways, the coffins have people inside them. But they're not dead. They're trapped inside and they're screaming my name to let them out. And I'm all confused, it's all mixed up and I don't know who to help first. But then I hear one voice, and all the others are faded out. It's Sirius. He's yelling, screaming for me to get him out." his voice sounded choked.

"So I start running to every coffin listening to check if it's Sirius. I can still hear him pleading with me. I'm his only hope and I can't find him. He starts to scream louder, and at that moment there is nothing, I mean nothing more important than anything else in the world, than it was for me to save Sirius." Harry gulped hard. He was not going to cry in front of his friends. Hermione said timidly, "It's ok Harry. You don't have to finish if you…I mean if you don't want to." Harry didn't want them to think him a coward.

"No." he said firmly. "I'll finish it." he took a deep breath. "So I'm trying to find him….right. And his voice is getting closer. I finally found the coffin that he's trapped in. I started talking to him. I said I'd get him out and he stopped screaming. Instead he was talking to me. He said to get him out and he was mad at me. He was saying it was all my fault that he was dead; that I lured him to the Department of Mysteries on purpose. I'm trying not to listen to him as I pry at the crease in the coffin. But it won't budge. I…I told him it was stuck and he said that the only way it'll open is if I avenge his and my parents death. I asked him how and he said I knew. Then…I wake up."

Hermione had a look of pity, and sadness on her face. Then, she leaned across the space between them, and hugged him. Harry was shocked at first, but put his arms around her too and realized this was just what he needed as he felt his worries leak out of him just from a simple, but meaningful hug. She squeezed him tight. "Oh Harry I'm so sorry." and she meant it. She sounded as if she was about to cry herself. "It's not your fault Harry and you know it. It was only a dream." She whispered.

Ron looked as if he should be doing something too, so he awkwardly patted Harry on the back. "Er-yeah Harry, Sirius wouldn't really say those things, I mean- he knows you didn't do it on purpose." Hermione pulled away and Ron stopped patting his back immediately. Harry smiled thankfully at them. "Thanks," he whispered. He was debating on whether he should tell Hermione a hug was just what he needed. Would it sound awkward? He decided to tell her after Ron left; he figured it would sound kinda corny in front of him.

He smiled warmly at them and they returned it. He forced a yawn and watched satisfactorily as Ron instinctively mimicked him shortly after. "I'm off to bed." Ron said. "Coming Harry?" "Yeah I'll be right up." Ron disappeared up the stairs leaving him and Hermione alone. "Thanks a lot Hermione. That hug was something I really needed right now. You don't know how much it meant to me." She smiled again. "Your welcome Harry." She glanced around the room franticly, trying to find something o talk about.

"So uh--" she started. Harry yawned for real and said, "I'm going to bed Herm. Occlumency sure wears you out." Hermione seemed keen to find something to talk to Harry about and keep him down here. But Harry didn't notice and scooped his bag off the table, turning towards the boy's staircase. "Harry?" Hermione grabbed his arm and looked anxious. "Umm-…" she suddenly became disappointed. "Well, good night." and she let go of his arm. He looked at her with a questionable look, but shrugged it off. "Night," and he too disappeared up the staircase. Hermione gathered her things and retired to her dormitory as well.

As soon as Harry entered the room he knew that Ron had already fallen asleep due to the soft snore coming from his four-poster. Harry so longingly wished he wasn't tired as he dressed into his night clothes. He didn't want to dream that horrible dream again. Fighting sleep became useless as he unwantingly drifted into it; wishing he could sleep as peacefully as Ron and Hermione.

But to neither Harry's nor Ron's knowledge, Hermione was not sleeping as peacefully as Harry thought. In fact she wanted to sleep, but could not. For Hermione had something on her mind. A certain someone has come to her attention lately that she can not get out of her mind. In fact, this was bothering her so much that she was falling slightly behind in her school work. And, however frustrating it got, she couldn't stop thinking about it. When enough time had passed to make her drowsy, she forced her mind blank, and fell uneasily into sleep.

A/N: I'm pretty sure unwantingly isn't a word….all well, it is now! Please review, it will make me so happy!