A/N:Hello all. In case you're confused, this is the first chapter of my new story, To Live a Dream. None of these characters are mine...nothing but the plot is mine,really. Ok, how about this: no matter how happy I am in denial, I do not own anything you recognise from the Harry Potter series. I also do not own anything else you recognise from random bits of literature, film or general state of being. Nothing is mine but the plot, and the words. Actually, all I've got to my name is sixteen dollars and a pixie stick. So, the moral of this story is: Please do not sue me, as I have nothing you want.

(That would be my disclaimer, for the mildly dim. For the whole story, I don't like putting the damn thing in every time I post a chapter.)

To live a dream

Chapter one- Elvis says hello

Hermione had always thought the moon looked more beautiful at Hogwarts. Now, standing at the edge of the lake and gazing into the sky that thought was confirmed. "Although it might just be the magic", she whispered to herself, and turned back to walk on the nearby path. It was getting late, and there was an essay due in March that she wanted to finish.

The leaves under her feet crunched as she walked and she pulled her sweater around her tightly. Hermione was wearing a long white dress with spaghetti straps and fabric that flowed around her like water. She also wore the aforementioned sweater to help prevent her from getting cold in the autumn air. It was also white, and soft like a baby's blanket. She took one final glance around and heaved a heavy sigh. "I guess he's not coming," she spoke to herself, and pulled out her wand to light her way to the castle. In the soft wandlight she saw that on her feet were white ballet slippers with their ribbons wound up her calves like vines, and that her hair had been relaxed to gentile waves. Hermione grumbled in confusion,but contunued up the path.

Hermione never really enjoyed walking in this part of the Hogwarts grounds. Up until now she had managed to avoid walking it on her own. She had always managed to drag Harry or Ron along with her when she needed to be here, but now that they had fallen out...

The thing about this area was it's proximity to the forbidden forest. It was far too close in her opinion,but one could never really get far enough away from some of the horrible things that lurked in there. Somewhere behind her a twig snapped and her hand reflexively tightened around her glowing wand.

Then all of a sudden she was running, her wand forgotten,her left shoe missing, and her hair in tangles as she ran deeper into the forbidden forest. Whatever was behind her was too close. Hermione didn't know what was chasing her, but she still had the common sense to know that she needed to get the hell away from it. Soon her feet ached from running,her side screamed in agony from a stitch, and her face bled from the assault of various tree branches whipping her in the face as she picked a path through the undergrowth of the forest. 'The trees are out to get me' she thought,irrationally,gasping for air and she ran.

The forest was so thick now that Hermione couldn't even see the full moon she had been admiring on the shore of the lake.She ran blindly, hoping like mad that whatever was chasing her would give up and let her be. Unfortunately fate seemed to hate her that day. A tree root appeared out of nowhere, catching her foot and sending her to the ground with an audible crack. Hermione let out a groan and scuttled to get away from her rapidly approaching persuer,pressing herself up against a nearby tree as if she would blend in with the grey bark. She heard panting, leaves crunching, sticks breaking, and if she had looked up she could have seen the moon for the first time since her fearful sprint began.

Hermione sobbed and tried to push herself farther into the tree before making a last-ditch effort to save herself. "Draco" she screamed,although it came out more like a screech. She could have seen the thing that had chased her cover it's ears in pain if she wasn't in a blind panic. "Draco! Help me, Draco!" she screamed again. This time, the shadow that had been drawing closer was angered. Hermione opened her mouth one last time, yelling...

"Holy shit! I've got to talk to Dumbledore!"

( A/N: This is based on an original fiction I had been messing with for quite a while now. I'm not really sure what genre to place it in, as it has a little bit of everything in it. It is a Draco and Hermione fiction, set before Half-Blood Prince, but in their seventh year. If you want to find out more, you'll have to review this chapter, so I'll have motivation to do the next one!)