I was running, flashes of light flying through the air around me, green, red, white. My breath was coming in fast, shallow gasps. I paid no real attention to my surroundings, trying to maintain my balance as my feet trampled the either unconscious or dead bodies beneath me. A high, shrill voice pierced the air, I clamped my hands over my ears, not even the screams of horror around me could drown the sound out. "Harry Potter is dead." I felt my legs cave out from under me, sinking to the floor. I didn't cry, I didn't feel anything. I was empty, a shell.I awoke with a start, fear still swelling up inside me as though I was about the burst, "breathe, just breathe," I muttered under my breath, as to not wake the sleeping figure beside me. He admitted a small moan, and I knew in his head he was reliving some of very same moments as I.
I reached out, running my fingers through his red hair. Still sleeping he leaned towards me and put a hand on my side. He slowly relaxed his body, an indicator that his nightmare had ended. I removed my hand, and instead began running my fingers through my own curly locks. I sighed, this had to end, there was no denying it. The spark Ronald and I had encountered during our seventh year had faded, leaving nothing but empty promises and hurting hearts. This had to end, and it wasn't going to be easy on either of us. The signs were clearly there, we didn't have sex anymore, we barely kissed. Excluding the goodbye kiss I received every morning as he left for work, we didn't kiss.
There was no gazing lovingly into each others' eyes, no I love you's, no romance. The light had simply gone out, and there was nothing I could do about it. It was sad, yes. I admitted that much to myself. Harry and Ginny were celebrating their fourth year together, with marriage and talk of children. They had managed to remain so in love, why hadn't it worked for us? I had my suspicions, Ron sent me an owl at least three times a week from his job at Weasley Wizarding Wheezes to inform me that he had to stay late. I had questioned George about it numerous times, but he too was growing ever so distant, not that we had been very close in the first place.
I glanced at the clock across the room, the one Muggle invention we still had use for. I had brought it from my own home. I loved that clock, even if it was just a clock. 7:30AM, I should be getting up.
I sighed again, allowing myself to leave the warmth of the maroon blankets behind as I stepped onto the ice cold hard wood floors. My toes tingling. I sniggered slightly, Ronald hated maroon.
With a loud POP I found myself at the closet door. Normally, I would be giving Ron hell for having apparated to a location so close to where I originally stood, but it was particularly cold this morning, and I found myself in my laziest mood yet. I pulled on a black knee length skirt, slipped into my white blouse and with another POP apparated into the bathroom a mere ten feet away. My laziness had reached a whole new level.
I stared into the mirror, my bushy brown hair was sticking out in all directions, nothing a simple Sleekeazy's Hair potion wouldn't fix. Grabbing the bottle from the shelf on the left I squeezed what remained of the white goop onto my hair brush and began combing through the cowlicks and curls.
When it looked fairly decent, I again looked at myself in the mirror. You're a mess darling, you look tiredthe mirror said in a sweet voice. I ignored it, as I began charming away the bags under my brown eyes. "Yes well, that isn't going to change anytime soon," I finally replied, before turning around and apparating with another loud POP, just outside my office at the ministry.
Miss Hermione Granger, Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, the sign on the door read. I sighed once again, before pushing on the door slightly and walking into my stuffy office.
Boxes of books and files stood piled to the ceiling. I was very behind. I frowned, seeing a fresh letter on the pile of discarded quills and ink blotched papers that were my desk.
I reached for it, not knowing that my life was about to be turned completely upside down.
