Breathe in, breathe out.
Breathe in breathe out.
Hermione's eyes were tightly shut and her head was swimming. Breathe in breathe out. She simultaneously repeated the words in her mind and focused all of her attention on taking oxygen into her body.
After several moments, she reluctantly opened her eyes and sat up straight. "What is happening to me?" she whispered to herself. Although she was exhausted, Hermione knew that she wouldn't be able to sleep, even if she wanted to, which she didn't. Sleep just meant more nightmares and she didn't know if she could take any more of them tonight. Instead, she shakily got to her feet and exited her room.
The head boy/girl common room was beautiful. Comfy leather couches and chairs surrounded the large, brick fireplace. There was also a round, wooden table in which Hermione often used for homework and studying. Normally every time she walked into this room, she was entranced by its beauty. Now, however, she didn't even stop to think about anything. She walked straight over to the small coffee table and poured herself a glass of water.
Just as she raised the glass to her lips, she felt something brush up against her leg. The glass fell from her hands and hit the hardwood floor, smashing it into a thousand pieces. Hermione looked up just in time to see something large and hairy crawl underneath the couch. She gave a sigh of relief; it had only been Crookshanks.
As she pulled her wand from her pocket, Hermione heard the door on her right slam open. A tall, thin, pale boy stormed from the room with a very annoyed expression on his face.
"What the hell is wrong with you, Granger? Some of us actually like to sleep around here!"
"Believe me, Malfoy," Hermione replied coldly, "If depriving you of sleep, was my intention, I would have been much crueler about it."
Malfoy just narrowed his eyes and gave her a sneer before storming back to his room.
Hermione muttered, "Reparo," set the glass back on the table and went back to her room to try and squeeze in a few hours of sleep before waking up again.
