Aaaaand we've got another chapter! Shocking, isn't it? ^^ Leave a comment and tell me what you think...
Disclaimer goes to the usual, JKR you are the man! Um, woman! ...Author!
She woke up with a scream, hands reaching desperately to cover her eyes.
"No!"
When her mind caught up with her surroundings, she realized what had happened.
Her hair was in place, so were her eyes and she -unfortunately- still had her virginity intact.
It was just a bad dream.
"Just a dream..." she echoed her thoughts, leaning back against soft pillows.
Pillows?
She was in the Hospital Wing, the stark white sheets stinging her eyes and the smell of alcohol burning her nose.
Her hand rose, gently touching the bandage that covered part of her head. She must've fallen in the bathroom, hitting her head on the marble.
"Yeah, sorry about that, didn't think about the losing conciousness part of my trip down memory lane"
Hermione's eyes snapped wide open as her mouth formed an 'o' of shock.
Not a dream?
"Nope" Medusa's gleeful voice informed her.
So she was crazy...
"Nah, not crazy...i'll explain later. Just try to act sane while the nice healer examines you"
While Hermione had been having a silent -almost- conversation with the voice in her head, Madame Pomfrey had arrived at her bedside, looking at her with a worried expression.
"She just asked you if you were alright and that you should swallow the potion she handed you" Medusa interjected her confused thoughts helpfully.
Thanks.
"Don't mention it." was the response she got from...the voice in her head.
"I mean, seriously...don't mention it...if you do, both of us will be in serious trouble..."
Hermione nodded absentmindly, swallowing the foul pink potion.
"Yes, I'm fine now, Madame Pomfrey. Thank you...when may I leave?"
–
She was in Myrtle's Bathroom again, head resting against her hands as she had a...conversation with the voice – Medusa- in her head.
"Perseus was a liar and a fake, he scratched my neck with his wimpy blade and returned home with tales of how he had slain me...when they wanted proof, he said that Athena had taken my severed head to put on her shield to scare away her opponents...and the stupid morons actually believed him!" Medusa explained, a low cynic chuckle resonating in Hermione's mind.
"I lived for a long time because of that myth...they believed me dead and thus left me alone...until Perseus shared the truth with one of his grandchildren...who shared it with his friends...and their children...who created a cult with the sole purpose of finding me and slaying me, in the name of their ancestor, the great liar Perseus."
There was silence, as Hermione absorbed the knowledge.
"...and did they succeed?"
"They preformed a ritual...to remove the soul from the body...they captured my soul in a tiny box and left my body to perish in a cold grave somewhere underneath the temple they inhabitated. After they got to me, they became drunk with power, determined to...uphold the balance of the world...and that was how The Brotherhood was created. They find what they deem 'to powerful' , 'too wise', 'too whatever' for the world, capture it and lock it tight, before hiding it for...forever. They think they're helping the universe keeping balance between good and bad, powerful and weak, black and white...but hey, the universe was doing fine before they came along, thank you very much..."
Hermione nodded, accepting the tale as facts now that she had seen, felt, smelt, heard the same things as Medusa had been forced to do, once.
"Why are you...in my head?" she asked, curiousity getting the better of her.
"I have no body. So I need a...host."
At those words, Hermione blanched. Her thoughts flew to Quirrel and Voldemort during her first year, a dark power inhabitating someone...needing a host...a demon seeking life through someone else.
Hermione rose quickly from her seat on the toilet and ran out of the bathroom, determined to find a way to make this...demon exit her body.
No entity; ancient, friendly, mythological or evil was allowed inside of her without permission. Trips down memory lane be damned!
She was going to the libirary, there she would find her answer.
–
... easiest way to slay a demon is by dipping a silver dagger in dragonblood and a virgin's tears, before stabbing it through the eyes, heart and genitials...
Hermione gagged at the picture accompanied to the text and pulled another tome closer to her, eyes searching desperately for a more...sanitary solution to her new...company.
"...You know, I can read that too...and I must say that I'm feeling a little unwelcomed...even hurt by your behaviour, Hermione"
Hermione rolled her eyes and flipped the page, reading another paragraf on the butchering of demons.
"Can't you just accept that I'm here to stay?" Medusa asked.
A resounding "No!" was mentally shouted and she could feel the demon cringing in her mind.
Good.
"Fine...both can play that game." was the mischevious response she got, accompanied by the sound of various hissing snakes.
Hermione pretended not to hear the threat, picking another book from her big stack, labelled: Hearing Voices and How to Get Rid of Them!
–
She sat in the great hall, fork poking dejectedly at the food infront of her. She'd been famished when she arrived, piled her plate high with anything that looked pleasing to the eye. Famished, until her darling friends joined her for lunch. Ron seated himself right infront of her, so she got a good view of him shovelling down food inside his mouth. To her right sat Ginny and next to her, her sweetheart The Boy Who Lived. They sat close enough for her to hear the sounds of their murmurs of affection, of lips connecting...breaking apart...to become one again. Her eyes were locked onto her plate, but the sounds still reached her ears. The wet sound of tongues meeting, of teeth nibbling at lips, of sighs and fingers meeting eachoter underneath the table.
To her left sat Lavender Brown, who continiously flipped her long blonde hair and giggled at gossip shared by her friends, all the while giving Ron sweet glances.
Ron ofcourse was as oblivious as always.
"Oi, that's my sister you're snogging, Harry!" Ron -finally-, interrupted the happy couple while simultaneously spraying a good part of the contents of his mouth on the people infront of him, Hermione included.
Hermione Scourgify'ed the mess away, happy that the infernal noises were coming to an end at last. Ron did have his uses after all and being a wonderful moodkiller was only one of them.
Ginny sighed, before giving Harry one last peck on his mouth, then proceded to tell her brother how disgusting his foodspraying was.
Harry's eyes met Hermione's during the tirade and they shared a smile. Her heart twitched painfully when his eyes focused once more on his stunning redhead and his grin only grew wider.
Hopelessness was descending heavily and she was starting to realize...that she never even had a shot at love with him.
–
Hermione glared angrily at a giggling gaggle of fourth year girls standing in a corner of the Gryffindor common room. They were all so very excited over the upcoming Hogsmeade trip. The first one of the year. Who would ask who, which place would they visit...were they going to kiss?
Harry had already asked Ginny...they would probably go to that disgusting Madame Puddifoot's
...and they would most certainly kiss...several times.
Hermione growled and levelled a new glare towards any unfortunate soul in her path.
"PMS much?" a sly voice asked. Medusa had been blessedly silent since their talk in the libirary...well, until now.
"You know you missed me"
Hermione made an unladylike snort. "Hardly"
"Did you say something, Mione?" Ron said absentmindly as he moved his Pawn to take Dean's Queen.
Hermione nearly slapped herself upside the head. Talking out loud with the sentinent being inside of her was one of the things she would have to stop doing.
"...and to stop being all mooney eyed over the boy-who-lived" Medusa added helpfully.
'Yes, that too.'
Oh, great. Now she was agreeing with the body hogging demon.
"Body hogging?" Medusa harrumphed "I resent that"
'I don't care.'
"No, I didn't say anything, Ron. And stop calling me that...it's ridiculous" she berated him on automatic, before once again immersing herself in her book.
"Sorry, Mione"
She rolled her eyes, ignoring the response.
There was no way to reach Ron when he was deep in a chess match.
Rodolphus growled deep in his throat, swishing his wand and letting another lethal hex leave the tip. He had been on his way to find new recruits for the cause when he was intercepted by a group of what looked like...monks.
He had been calm, underestimating them at first, believing them to be simple Muggles that got lost in the wrong alley.
"Tell us...who is the most powerful witch you know?" a voice said from the small circle of monks surrounding him.
At the word "Witch" his mind was on edge and his wand was in hand. His thoughts flew immediately to his darling wife, Bellatrix. Were these monks working for the ministry? Searching for those who had escaped after The Final Battle?
Well, they weren't going to get anything from him without a fight.
But soon they were gaining the upper hand, his magic swiftly depleting and theirs only growing stronger as they got closer, blasting him with fire, water, air and eart.
As the last Lestrange male left the world, wand blazing, his last thoughts were on his stupid pride and why he hadn't apparated instead of fighting.
The Great hall was abuzz with news the next day at breakfast. Hermione sat down next to Neville, looking over his shoulder at the Daily Prophet.
"What's going on?"
He handed her the newspaper and her eyes widened at the headline.
Dementors set free to find unidentified demon on the loose!
"I feel flattered, really" Medusa said with a fake sniffle.
How could she joke about this? Dementors would be looking for Medusa and find Hermione instead!
"Don't worry. You really think soulsuckers can hold a candle against us?" Medusa reassured her.
Hermione ignored her, flipping the paper open to read more on the subject.
Apparently The Ministry had gotten information from a very secret and reliable source that a dangerous demon had escaped it's prison. After the death of The Dark Lord at the hands of three teenagers, The Ministry were eager to make themselves look efficient again. All of the Death Eaters hadn't been found, so The Order was still working their butts off, trying to find Bellatrix, her husband and their gaggle of pureblooded pricks.
Ah, but Hermione wouldn't leave the castle and thus, the dementors wouldn't find her.
Just as she calmed down enough to sit and take a calming gulp of breakfast tea she was interuppted by Ron's voice.
"Ready for Hogsmeade?"