Keep on dreaming, don't stop giving, fight those demons
Sell your soul, not your whole self
If they see you when you're sleeping, make them leave
And I can't even see if it's all there anymore
Afraid - The Neighbourhood
Things began to change at the end of their fourth year, marked by the death of Cedric Diggory. The Ministry and the Daily Prophet had been slandering Harry and Dumbledore, something that the public ate up without much complaint. It was easier to think that Harry was crazy and that Dumbledore was a manipulative old man than it was to accept that Voldemort was back. Hermione may understand it, but it didn't mean she wasn't incensed by it. She wanted to wrap Harry up in a blanket and curse all the people who dared to eye him the wrong way. Sadly, that wasn't in her power and Harry's cranky mood wasn't really helping the tension in the Gryffindor common room.
The only positive that came from the whole situation was that it had pushed Ron and her closer together, in an effort to rally Harry with a stable support network. Usually Harry acted as the glue, the middle man when they fought. It was a refreshing change.
"Are you okay Mione?" Hermione looked up from the same line she'd been reading for the last ten minutes. Ron had sat down beside her, and she hadn't even noticed.
"Yeah, just doing the reading for Binns class," Hermione explained, and Ron shuddered at the thought of doing extra reading for their History of Magic class.
"You seriously need to take a break; the OWLs aren't for months!" Ron exclaimed.
"You're going to regret saying that when you get your results." Hermione muttered and Ron snorted in response. He leaned back in the seat, surveying the common room. It was fairly busy as it was the time between last class and dinner. This was usually when everyone caught up and talked about the events of the day. She saw the twins whispering in the corner and she sincerely hoped they weren't planning on luring some unsuspecting test subjects again. She would hate to have to get into that same argument, especially when she knew Ron wouldn't stand up to his older brothers with her. He didn't take his position as prefect as seriously as she did.
"Harry wouldn't leave the dorm." Ron lowered his voice. Hermione sighed. She knew he was taking the backlash from the Prophet and Umbridge hard. It was more than that though. She wondered if he was struggling with the memories of what happened in the final task of the tri-wizard tournament. The meetings of Dumbledore's Army had definitely helped raise his spirits, but it didn't completely lift the dark cloud that hung over his head and it worried Hermione greatly.
"Maybe he'll come out when the others go down for dinner." She mused. Ron nodded, but looked doubtful. A silence fell between them. It felt wrong without Harry.
Things were definitely changing.
Rabastan Lestrange was saner than most of those that had spent over a decade in Azkaban prison. It wasn't a place to be happy or comfortable. It was built merely to keep its inhabitants alive, if his existence is what could be called being alive. He could occasionally hear Bellatrix cackle at nothing in particular and the mutterings of someone whose voice he didn't recognise.
There were no stimulants, no way to spend the time in his cell. It meant that Rabastan had spent a lot of the time in the last few years musing everything, in the manner of a great philosopher. He could probably write a book on all of his random theories. This habit had helped lessen the effects of the Dementors. If he had the chance, he'd advise Bellatrix to do the same just to get her to shut up. He knew the woman had no love for Rodolphus and the Dark Lord was dead, meaning she had no direction. It made the job of Azkaban's guards so much easier. It was pitiful really.
It could be the dimming of his own sanity, but he could feel the winds shift, as the ocean waves hit the stone walls that surrounded him.
Things were changing.
So this is dedicated to Violet97mc who hunted me down two years after I originally removed this story and asked me to repost it! Lucky I found it in my documents! I may perhaps continue it once more, but for now I'll post the couple of chapters I have! Hope you guys enjoy!