Disclaimer: According to the voices inside my head J.K Rowling owns Harry Potter. Did anyone else know that? :)
Chapter 2: Reality
Hermione Granger's Room.
She sat up in the bed, drenched in sweat breathing heavily. It was just a dream she told herself, just a dream.
"But it's not just a dream," she mumbled, "it's my reality."
Meanwhile, down in the Great Hall.
"What the hell was that Albus?" the Scottish woman shrieked. They had just been talking about the effects of muggle sweets on children's teeth, and were going to ask Hermione her opinion on the subject when they heard the scream.
"For once in my life Minerva, I really do not know."
As soon as Albus had finished speaking all the lights in the Great Hall flickered, then went out. Leaving them all bathed in darkness.
"Albus?" a voice called.
"Over here Severus," he said, worry starting to cloud his voice.
"What do you think happened Albus?" Severus asked as he made his way over to them, their voices telling him roughly where they stood.
"As I said to Minerva before, I don't know."
"Perhaps a student or an attack?" she suggested while trying to find Severus, by holding her arms out in front of her and moving around. Had the lights been on it would have been a funny sight to see; the Transfiguration teacher aimlessly wandering about, her arms in front of her.
"Or perhaps it was meant as a joke," he snarled, "see how long it takes for the teachers to get out of their nice, warm comfortable beds on a Sunday morning when everybody should bloody be asleep."
Although they couldn't see him, they both knew how he would be stood; his arms folded across his chest and a scowl upon his face.
"Really Severus it is close to 10am, most people are awake by now!" she exclaimed. "Is that you Albus?" she said after she felt an arm that didn't belong to her.
"Yes dear," Albus replied, "and before you ask where Severus is, he's right next to me."
"Well some of us aren't most people, Minerva. Some of were spies, and some of us were woken up by the Headmaster in the early hours of the morning."
"Why were you woken up by the Headmaster, Severus?" she enquired, feeling around Albus to find Severus.
"Because he wanted to know what colour socks to wear!" he huffed, not pleased that he was having an inane conversation while waiting for the lights to come back on. He was tired and he was cold, all he wanted to do was go back to bed.
Dumbledore knew what was going to happen and it would not be pretty. The same thing had happened once before, and in the end it had gotten so bad that he had to disarm both of them which left them furious and wandless, not a good combination for two people who were proficient at hand to hand combat. After they had thrown a few good punches he had managed to separate them, making them sit in opposite corners of the Great Hall to think over their actions. Neither of them were pleased with being treated as children and when they had been allowed out – as Albus had warded the area they sat in against them leaving – they conspired between them and stole his Lemon Drops.
Severus started to stalk off, planning on going back to bed when the lights suddenly came back on. However, they only stayed on for a few moments before Great Hall was plunged into darkness once more.
The man in black was starting to loose his temper, "With all due respect Headmaster, I believe that it would be best to take this conversation up into your office."
"In case you have forgotten, there are no lights Severus," said Minerva, an exasperated look upon her face. Not that they could see it though.
"Really Minerva. I hadn't noticed," he drawled. "There's also something else you may have forgotten, you're a witch! And you can do magic!"
"Really Severus. I hadn't forgotten," but the embarrassment was clear in her voice.
Dumbledore pipped up, "Perhaps we should take this up to my office. Severus, Minerva, shall we?"
But Severus had to have the last word, or at least something close to it, "Now Minerva, pay attention. Répéter après moi. Lumos."
"Oh, honestly Severus grow up!" Severus just smirked, he enjoyed teasing her.
The lights flickered back on and all of the teachers had to cover their eyes from the intensity of the glare. As soon as the lights had gone back to normal the teachers started to file out, grumbling about marking essays and missing beauty sleep.
"Now that the lights are back on I suggest we move," Dumbledore suggested humorously.
Hermione Granger's Room.
"It was just a dream. Just a dream Hermione, get it together girl," she murmured to herself.
As she got out of bed and made her way to her bathroom she thought over Albus' decision to give her private quarters. He had given her a choice, and that was to either have her own room or stay with the remaining seventh years. Needless to say after the summer she had had, the privacy was greedily welcomed and she jumped at the chance to have her own quarters.
Nightmares weren't foreign to her; she regularly had them, but then again so did every single member of The Order. While she, Harry and Ron had been camping on the run, they had found out just how regular their own nightmares were when they had had to set up a system. If any of them thought that another was having a nightmare they had to wake the person who was having the nightmare up. The reason for doing so was that they had discovered the hard way Voldemort was accessing their minds during the nightmares. While the action of waking each other up all the time made them exhausted, but it saved them in the long run.
"Nightmares are worse now though," she muttered to herself.
One thing that Hermione never asked Albus was why he gave her the private quarters, as she thought doing so would be rude. However, if she had to guess why he had she would put it down to him knowing something was wrong and, unabsolved guilt. She knew the Headmaster carried a lot of it around with him; almost like a weight that could never be lifted, and if letting her have her private quarters helped somewhat to ease the guilt then she wouldn't complain.
As Hermione looked at herself in the mirror, she swore silently; it looked like today she would have to put on a full body glamour. That was something which she loathed to doing, it drained her power until it was non-existent which consequentially made her performances in class weaker.
She cast a non-verbal Tempus and was shocked to discover that it was 10am; she didn't normally sleep in that late, even if she had been out on the grounds.
Hermione thought back to her dream last night, only remembering parts of it but she didn't need to dream it to remember it, it was with her if she was awake or asleep, the burning pain in her chest reminded saw to that.
"Each time you see me – even for a second you will relive this moment. What's to happen is you will feel pain, pain which is worse than you are feeling now and being the kind person I am, I will give you a scar to remember me, not that you need it though. The scar will burn your flesh each time it is touched, no one will want you and no one will care for you."
His words were unforgettable and she remembered them as though they were a potions text. They were always with her, never willing to go away. It was like he had managed to carve them into her brain, but how could she forget them? They were true.
A tap at her window alerted her to the fact that she had been standing in the same place for quite some time and she was shook out of her flashbacks when the tapping sound continued. A quick Alohomora, aimed at the window and the bird flew into her room, dropped the letter off and flew out without as much as a squawk.
Before opening the letter she decided to get dressed, attempting to delay the inevitable. After even more time had passed – her hair wouldn't co-operate with her – she grudgingly made her way over to her desk where the letter lay.
The calligraphy on the envelope of the letter made her skin crawl; it was Malfoy's. It pained her to say that she knew it well from the countless letters that were sent to her over the summer.
There was one thing that he had failed to mention after he left her in the forest, and it was that even his essence would set off the spell, the one that kept the pain raging. Of course, the letters he sent contained part of his 'essence'. The only time she relieved what happened in the forest fully was when he was near her; it had only happen a few times before but every time it had happened the shear intensity of the pain had brought her to her knees. Luckily no-one else was around but she knew that he would not be so kind next time. Next time he would stay and watch her suffer.
A stray though entered her brain, what would happen if Malfoy acted – dare she say it – altruistic? Hermione laughed aloud at the thought of Malfoy being unselfish and giving, the thought was enough to distract her from opening the letter a few minutes while she imagined him giving flowers to women and stroking a puppy then scratching it behind the ear.
A gnawing feeling in her stomach drew her attention back to reality. She had delayed opening the letter long enough. With trembling hands she broke the seal and watched, dispassionately as the wax seal fell to the floor. The letter dropped onto the table top and as she picked it up she felt the familiar ache of her scar.
Dearest Hermione,
It has come to my attention that you are currently the only seventh year to be at Hogwarts over the Christmas break, what a shame.
Hermione scoffed when she read this, wincing when the action pulled at her scar.
I have decided that an unexpected visit is in order, just to make sure that everything is in working order.
And by that she knew he meant the curse.
As a School Governor I have to make sure that I the welfare of the students and it faculty is on top form and that no adjustments to the school are in order. I will arrive tomorrow morning and I expect for you to wait where we meet last time, I am sure you remember. If not I suggest you ghost your hand over a certain line, you know the one I mean.
Until tomorrow,
Lucius Malfoy, School Governor.
The letter fluttered to the floor as she wiped her hands on her trousers, she felt dirty. All correspondence with him – always unwelcomed – made her feel dirty. Suddenly the room felt small and she walked over to her window, opening it fully with a flick of her wrist and she let the cool air dance over her face.
"'You know the one I mean'," she mimicked.
Dumbledore's Office.
"Severus stop," he said this to the man who was currently wearing a whole the carpet by pacing the entire length of the room. Severus was muttering to himself about doddering old fools as Albus thought it would be funny to trip him while he was walking up the stairs.
"What Albus," he snarled, "if you hadn't noticed I am busy!"
"With your pacing, yes I can see that. But back to the matter at hand I think."
"Yes Headmaster," he sighed, taking a seat in the chair next to him. After a few moment had past Severus put his head in his hands, the permanent scowl taking its residency upon his face again.
Albus looked at him, a frown upon his face. There was something else going on with Severus he thought, and it wasn't due to the fact that he had woken him up to ask him what colour socks he should wear toady. He made a mental note to talk to Severus – by himself – later as they had to solve the problem of the scream. He turned to face Minerva; wanting to know her opinion on the blackout and the scream as he had already had Severus' opinion.
"Minerva."
"Yes Albus?"
"What's your take on all of this?" Minerva glanced at Severus. Normally Albus asked Severus everything and it had always been a sore point for her; she was the older and wiser one and yet he went to Severus first for everything. Albus only seemed to ask her if Severus didn't know the answers he sought. Yes, she knew that Severus was a spy, but it didn't hurt for him to include her once in a while.
"Like I said before Albus, I don't know. But, Severus could be right. I mean the Weasley twins did - if you remember – pull this type of stunt a while ago," she admitted.
"Severus?" he asked, only the slightest hint of tentativeness betraying his worry for the spy who lived.
"I stand by what I said before Albus," he said. Not bothering to look up from where he sat his head still in his hands.
"Very well then, I shall see you both at lunch then."
They left Albus to ponder what was wrong with his spy.
Malfoy Manor
Lucius Malfoy sat in the chair behind his desk, his fingers steepled together as he looked into the crackling fire.
"Just you wait Mudblood, just you wait."
*Insert Evil Panto Music (Jazz Style)*
Ohhhhh and don't forget the scary laugh.