Disclaimer: Anything in any way associated with Harry Potter belongs to J.K Rowling.
A/N: This was a sort spur of the moment fic that came to me in school. I really hope this hasn't been done before, because if it is, I'm not aware of it. And I have to give credit to my friend Mandie who actually helped me think of this idea. See Mandie? Told you I'd give you recognition! :)
Oh, and this takes place in third year, during the Defense Against the Dark Arts exam.
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Hermione stepped into the trunk and took a deep breath as Professor Lupin snapped it shut behind her. Gripping her wand she glanced around in the darkness, hoping to see a bit of movement. This was the last part of the test, but it was one that she was most nervous about.
Hermione knew all about Boggarts. How many times had she read about them in her textbooks? How many long nights had she stayed up studying, searching deep inside herself for her deepest fear and a way to make it funny?
And although Ron had joked that it would be "a piece of homework that only got a nine out of ten," in reality, Hermione had no idea what she was most afraid of. Years of reading had taught her that the fears of most people were things that, logically, are never as frightening as they are made to be. She knew that she was not entirely fearless, but things like spiders, mummies, or beasts just didn't strike fear into her heart. And because Boggarts (to her knowledge anyway) could not convey humans emotions like failure or loneliness, there was no way for Hermione to prepare herself for this part of the exam.
In a way, she was sort of eager to step into this trunk. She remembered that day in class when everyone was told to pick their most fearful thing. Much to her surprise, when she cast her mind around, she came up with nothing. And as she watched her classmates fight banshees, rats, and even their potions master, she began to grow nervous as her turn came near. What would she see? And how could she fight something she wasn't prepared for? But she never fought the Boggart. She didn't know what she feared most. And it was now, as part of her passing grade that she would find out.
Whether a second had gone by or a year, Hermione shook her head of spinning thoughts, and took a few steps into the trunk, which turned out a bit deeper than she realized.
"Hello?" She called, and immediately felt stupid. A Boggart wouldn't ans-
"Hermione?" Croaked a voice from the corner, causing Hermione to jump and drop her wand.
"Hello?" She squeaked, noticing the slight shiver in her voice. "Who's there?"
"Hermione.... help..." the voice said, quietly this time.
Trying to stay calm, she bent down and felt around for her wand. But instead of slim wood, her hand found something soft and warm. Panicking, she leaped back and lost her balance, falling to her bottom, but landing on her wand. She snatched it up and whispered "Lumos." The tip of her wand lit up and shown light onto to figure in front of her. She gasped in horror as her eyes fully took in what she was seeing.
Ron was sprawled out in front of her, crumpled on the ground, eyes half shut. A trickle of blood ran down the side of his face and into the pool beside his head. He looked up at her then, and stretched a shaking hand out to her.
"Hermione," he gasped, "I'm.... I'm dying," then with a quiver, his arm dropped and he was still.
And Hermione did the only thing she could do.
She screamed.
Scrambling to her feet, Hermione ran the short distance to the opening, shoved it open and burst out into the sunlight screaming.
"Hermione!" said Lupin, startled. He hurried over to her side along with Harry and Ron. "What's the matter?"
Hermione looked up. She looked from Lupin to Harry and finally on Ron. He was okay. He was perfectly fine. But how could she tell them what had happened?
"P-P-Professor McGonagall!" she gasped, pointing into the trunk. "Sh- she said I'd failed everything!"
Lupin nodded sympathetically and led her a short ways away from the other testing students, who were shooting her curious looks. Hermione looked back over her shoulder. Ron and Harry were talking in low voices. They probably thought she was crazy, her Boggart being something so silly. Her eyes fell on Ron, who was smiling slightly as he talked. She knew he was trying not to make fun of her. Maybe she should have told them the truth of what she had seen.
But she knew one thing. Out of all the things in the world she was most afraid of losing someone close to her. And not only was it her friend, but one of her best friends. But if this was her greatest fear, did this perhaps mean that she saw Ron as something more? Someone who meant much more to her than anything else? Hermione had found her greatest fear- losing Ron. And it was that alone that caused her to be frightened most of all.
A/N: Sort of short, I know. But the book says that she was only inside the trunk for about a minute so I didn't want to make it a huge story. And click that button down there and REVIEW (flames are used to keep my toes warm, btw)