Disclaimer: I still own nothing.
Chapter 2: A Jolt of Pain
The next morning the trio and Ginny met in the common room, greeted each other then went to breakfast. About halfway into their breakfast Ginny asked Harry, "So what did Cho want last night?"
"Oh, she wanted to ask me if I wanted to go to the first Hogsmeade trip with her but I told her I would be going with you as you were my girlfriend. And I have to say she looked more than a little disappointed.
Just then Cho passed by looking daggers at Ginny. She was closely followed by Malfoy who sneered at them. Cho and Malfoy walked out of the Great Hall and Hermione wondered if they were leaving together. What would they be doing together? Hermione wondered. She decided she didn't care what they did and shrugged it off.
The first weeks of classes went by so fast, they got tons of homework. The first trip to Hogsmeade Village was going to be this coming Saturday. Ron and Hermione were going together as were Harry and Ginny. As Saturday drew nearer Cho grew more and more unbearable. She would always start laughing and pointing whenever Ginny passed her. Her and her friends never passed up a chance to make fun of Ginny. Of course Cho was careful not to do this whenever Harry was around. Cho would sometimes come up to Harry when Ginny was with him and just pretend like Ginny wasn't even there.
Saturday had arrived and Hermione and Ginny were getting ready to go to Hogsmeade. They met Harry and Ron downstairs in the common room. When Filch had called all of their names and they were outside they saw Cho and Malfoy walking and talking together. Hermione was reminded of the first day of school when she saw them leave the Great Hall together. She didn't know why but seeing them together gave her a funny feeling.
At Hogsmeade they split up. Ron and Hermione went one way and Harry and Ginny another.
"Where would you like to go?" Ron asked.
"How about a coffee shop?" Hermione suggested.
"Ok." Ron agreed.
Once they were at the coffee shop, sipping their warm mugs of coffee, they began chatting about what they were planning on doing for the winter vacation.
"Well I'm going to The Burrow. Bill and Charlie are going to be there so I'm really looking forward to seeing them." Ron said.
"That's good. What about Percy, is he going to be there too?" Hermione asked.
"Yeah, but I only mentioned Bill and Charlie because they live abroad so I don't see much of them but I see Percy a lot." Said Ron, "So, what are you planning on doing?"
"My parents are going to rent a cabin by a lake. The lake will probably be frozen by then which is really good because I like to ice skate so, you know, that'll be fun." Hermione answered.
After finishing their coffee they went to Honeydukes and bought some candy. When they left they spotted Ginny sitting alone on a bench. Ron and Hermione went to her and asked what happened.
"That bitch Cho! She just came to us and told Harry that she wanted to tell him something then practically pulled him away. And he didn't even try to stop her! He just threw a quick 'I'll be right back' over his shoulder and kept going." Ginny said.
"Did you see where they went?" Hermione asked Ginny.
"I think they headed toward the Hog's head." Ginny replied.
"I'm going to go try to find them." Hermione said then turned to leave.
"We'll come too." Ron called.
"No you guys stay here. I need to knock some sense into Harry. I won't be long" Said Hermione.
Hermione was on her way to the Hog's Head when a lady stood in her way.
Hermione said, "Excuse me." then tried to walk around her but the lady blocked her and said, "Won't you please come in?" and gestured her hand toward the building right next to them. Hermione surveyed the building. I don't believe this, she thought.
"Look lady I don't believe in fortune telling so, will you please get out of my way? If you don't mind I really need to do something." Hermione tried to walk around the fortune-teller again but she kept blocking her way. Hermione tried to go from the left then from the right then the left then the right but it was no use the fortune-teller was too fast for her.
"Urgh!" Hermione was so frustrated.
"It was written in the stars that you would cross this path." Said the fortune-teller matter-of-factly.
"Yeah, yeah…" Hermione muttered. "Fine I'll go inside for one minute—but that's it. Then you have to get out of my way."
"As you wish, my dear." And they both went inside.
The fortune-teller sat at a round table with a crystal ball on it. The crystal ball started to get foggy when she looked into it. "Ah … yes … uh huh … ok.…" The fortune-teller looked up at Hermione. "I see here that you have potential … that you are worthy."
Hermione was expecting her to say that something tragic was going to happen to her, which was what Prof. Trelawney would've done. But this actually intrigued Hermione and she sat down at the table and asked, "Worthy of what?"
"Give me your palm." Said the fortune-teller.
Hermione extended her arm across the table so the fortune-teller could reach her hand while asking, "What do I have potential for?"
The fortune-teller didn't answer. She started reading Hermione's palm then said, "Yes … the crystal ball is indeed right." She looked at Hermione, "You need to know that a time will come when the ones you used to trust can not be trusted and the ones that could not be trusted will be the ones you can trust."
"What's that suppose to mean?" Hermione asked.
The fortune-teller ignored her question again and continued reading her palm. "Sometimes we see things that may appear as if they are as plain as day but if you look hard enough you might find that they're not what they appear to be at all."
"But what does that mean? I don't understand any of this." Hermione was so perplexed.
The fortune-teller released Hermione's palm and said, "I can not tell you, my dear, but please remember what I said."
Hermione looked at her palm and tried to see what the fortune-teller just saw. But all she saw was her palm, the same palm she saw everyday of her life.
"Great." Said Hermione irritably, "you just wasted my time. I should have known. Fortune telling is such rubbish." Hermione got up to leave.
"Wait!" said the fortune-teller, "You have been chosen. You must take it." And she put her hand out as if she wanted to shake Hermione's hand.
Hermione was confused about what the fortune-teller had just said but thought, the faster I shake hands the faster I can leave. So she raised her hand to shake the fortune-teller's hand.
As Hermione's hand touched the fortune-teller's hand a tiny jolt of pain shot up from her palm, through her arm but faded away before it reached her shoulder. Whoa! Hermione thought.
She was about to ask the fortune-teller 'what happened?' when all of a sudden a toad came hopping by her feet then Neville dived on the floor to catch it.
Hermione looked back at the fortune-teller. "Remember what I said dear." She said and then went into the back room leaving Hermione bewildered.
"Were you having your fortune told?" Neville asked Hermione.
"Um … yeah I guess." Hermione was still in a daze. She tried to snap out of it. "Well I gotta go." She told Neville.
"Can I come?" Neville asked hopefully.
"Uh …" damn! She couldn't say no. "Well, ok but I'm going to the Hog's Head to look for Harry."
"Ok." Said Neville.
They went into the Hog's Head but Harry wasn't in there. Neville went and asked the bar tender if Harry Potter had been in here today (after all, who didn't know the famous Potter) but the bar tender just said, "What's that you say? A Firewhisky? Ok." And he put a bottle of Firewhisky on the bar in front of Neville.
Neville looked a little freaked out and went to Hermione and said "Maybe we should leave."
Hermione agreed right away because she was starting to feel a bit perturbed herself. She could tell that all the masked people were staring at her.
Hermione and Neville went back to where Ron and Ginny were sitting and told them that they couldn't find Harry.
"Maybe we should look in other places." Ginny said.
They all looked everywhere in all the stores and shops until it was time to go back to the castle.
"Where could he be?" Ginny said heatedly.
"I wish I knew." Said Hermione.
"I guess we'll just have to meet him at the castle, "Ron said looking at his watch. "It's time to leave."
Neville tagged along with them all the way back to the castle so Hermione couldn't tell Ron and Ginny about what happened with the fortune-teller. But she kept thinking about all those things she had said while Ron, Ginny and Neville talked until Ron asked her, "Why are you so quiet?"
"No reason." Said Hermione then joined in on their conversation.
"Ron, can I talk to you?" Hermione asked when they were back in the common room after dinner.
"Yeah, of course," Ron replied then waited for her to start speaking.
"Um, I kind of don't want anyone else to hear…" Hermione said coyly.
"Ok, wonna go outside? Ron asked quietly.
"Sure." Hermione said, her voice as equally audible as Ron's.
They walked along the Hogwarts grounds as Hermione told Ron all about the fortune-teller and the jolt of pain she felt when she shook her hand.
"Try not to worry about what that crackpot said. You know fortune-tellers are nutters." Ron said.
"Yeah … but … she wasn't like Trelawney … she seemed pretty sane to me…" Hermione was talking slowly while trying to recall everything from her encounter with that Seer. "She also said something … right before we shook hands … it was important I think … but I can't remember what it was…"
"I'm sure it'll come to you." Ron reassured her.
"You're right, I shouldn't stress myself out. But I don't understand why I felt that jolt shoot up my arm when I shook her hand."
Ron put his arm around Hermione's shoulders and said, "Don't fret over that, I'm sure you're fine. But if you want to go to the hospital wing just to make sure…"
"No that's ok." Hermione said then changed the topic of conversation to Harry.
"Where do you suppose Harry is?" She asked Ron.
"I don't know." He answered. "But I feel sorry for the bloke. When he finally decides to show up he'll have to endure Gin's wrath. Was she still angry the last time you saw her?"
"She was livid not to mention quite jealous too because she's sure that Harry is with Cho." Hermione said.
Ron and Hermione then sat under a tree and started talking about how happy they were together.
"Well I'm just glad you finally worked up the courage to ask me to be your girlfriend." Hermione smiled at Ron.
"And I'm glad you said yes." Ron smiled back at her then pulled her close to him and brushed his lips against hers. He looked at her for a few seconds then said with a gentle voice, "I love you."
"I love you too Ron. So, so much." Hermione put her arms around Ron's neck and kissed him.
They continued kissing for awhile until they heard a sound come from the bushes.
"Who's there?" Ron called but no one replied. "I know someone's there. Show yourself."
They waited awhile listening for sounds but none came.
"I guess it was nothing." Hermione said. "Maybe we should go back to the castle," she looked at Ron's watch. "It's past midnight."
Ginny was the only one in the common room when they got there. She was pacing in front of the fire place.
"Harry's still not back" Ginny told them. "Where could he be? You know what … Maybe something happened to him. Maybe he's hurt! Ginny began to get frantic. "We have to go look for him right now! We have to tell Dumbledore!
"Whoa, whoa—Ginny please calm down." Said Ron pulling Ginny to sit on a couch. He kneeled on the floor in front of her, "I'm sure Harry is fine, Gin. We should probably go to bed and if he's not back by the morning then we'll tell Dumbledore, ok?"
"I guess you're right," Ginny said. "I shouldn't be so worried, Harry can take care of himself."
"Yeah that's right." Ron agreed. "Come on let's go to bed now." He stood up.
Ginny got of the couch and said, "I just need to gather my books and things." She went and started packing all her stuff in her backpack. "You guys don't have to wait for me if you're tired."
"Are you sure?" Hermione asked.
"Uh huh." Was Ginny's reply.
Ron went and gave Ginny a hug, "Goodnight." He told her. "Are you sure you're ok?"
"Yes Mr. overprotective brother, I'm fine, I promise." She reassured him.
"All right, all right." Said Ron smiling.
Now it was Hermione's turn to say goodnight. She went to give Ginny a hug. As Hermione put her hands on Ginny's back she felt that jolt again. Only this time it went through both her palms, up her arms, past her shoulders and to her head. When it reached her head she saw something. It looked like a guy slapping a girl. It looked blurry and kind of like it was a little bit in slow motion. But she could still make out their faces nonetheless.
It was Harry slapping Ginny. Was this her imagination caused by the pain or was it a vision? Something that had happened or maybe was going to happen? The pain stayed the whole time the vision was playing through her head. When it was over she opened her eyes and looked at Ron who was looking at her with concern in his eyes.
"What just happened to you?" He said.
"I—I don't know." Hermione said quietly.
Ron told her that as soon as she put her arms around Ginny she gasped and went rigid.
"Really?" Said Hermione. She didn't know if she should tell them what she saw. They might think I'm crazy. Maybe I'll just keep it to myself for a while, she thought, I don't even know what it means.
Just then the portrait swung open and in came a very disheveled Harry.
"We'll give you two some privacy." Hermione said. "Come on, Ron."
As they were walking to the spiral stair cases that lead to the dorms, Ron murmured, "Night." And gave Hermione a quick peck.
"See you tomorrow." Hermione said, and then they went their separate ways.
As Hermione was climbing the spiral stairs to the girl's dorms she could hear Ginny and Harry arguing. Their bickering is going to wake everyone up, Hermione thought, I should go back down stairs … quiet them down.
Hermione turned around and headed back down the stairs. As she approached the door she could hear Harry and Ginny's voices getting louder. What she saw when she opened the door gave her a strange feeling of deja vu. She saw Harry slap Ginny. It looked exactly like how it was in her vision. Now she knew the visions showed the future.
Ginny put her hand on her now red cheek and glared at Harry, tears in her eyes. Harry met her gaze with expressionless eyes.
Hermione walked over to them and as soon as Ginny noticed her she ran to her dormitory. But Harry just stayed standing in the same spot without saying a word.
Hermione went to Harry and asked, "How could you do that to Ginny!?" He didn't answer. "Hello! I'm talking to you, look at me. Look at me damn it!" Hermione clapped her hands in front of Harry's face which finally got his attention. "What is going on with you?" She asked.
Harry surveyed her for a while then just said flatly, "I'm going to bed." And left.
Hermione watched him go up the stairs to the boy's dorms then she went up the ones that lead to the girl's.
When she reached her dorm she got into her four poster bed with her mind reeling. She couldn't wait for the next trip to Hogsmeade Village.
A/N: I hope you liked this chapter. Please review, I want to know what you think. To the people who reviewed the first chapter, thank you so much, you guys are great.