Hermione was heading down to breakfast early the next morning when she ran into Ginny as she exited her dorm room.
"Morning," she greeted as she looked at Ginny's face closely. "Sleep okay?"
"As well as I usually do..." Ginny answered mid-yawn.
"Bad dreams?" Hermione asked her in concern and stopping her with a hand on her arm just before they entered the Common Room.
Ginny considered what to tell her. She sighed and leaned against the wall. Luna had told her to get to know Hermione and vice versa, why not let her in a little of what was going on?
"I haven't dreamt since I woke up in the Chamber, or at least I don't remember a single dream since then," Ginny admitted.
"Did you use to? Before Tom I mean?"
"All the time, used to try to stay in bed extra-long to remember them... probably why it was so easy for him to use them," she replied sadly.
"Do you... remember... any of your dreams he gave you?" Hermione asked hesitantly, it was the first time they'd talked about it since last year. Just then they were interrupted by a group of girls coming down the stairs. "C'mon… I doubt the boys are up yet, let's sit in the Common Room."
Ginny nodded and followed her and as they walked to Hermione's place in front of the fire Ginny was wondering what to tell her. She knew she couldn't tell her the truth, not yet anyways. Hermione sat and patted the spot next to her. As Ginny went to sit down she noticed that Hermione was still wearing her necklace.
"So, do you?" Hermione asked and then clarified: "Remember the dreams?"
"No... not specifics..." Ginny stalled as she decided on a version of the truth, "I remember what they were about and how they made me feel but I don't remember the dreams themselves."
Hermione thought for a moment; "What were they about?"
Just the question Ginny wasn't ready to answer. "I was really happy," she stated simply, hoping it would be enough. "I was so happy I didn't want to leave them." Hermione took her hand and laced their fingers together, that warm tingly feeling returning and giving Ginny a rush of courage to tell Hermione one more thing; "Hermione? I miss them... I miss the dreams he gave me..."
Hermione wasn't sure how to respond and was comfortably aware of that warm spark where her and Ginny's hands were joined; "Were they really that amazing?"
"Yes," she answered, "But it's more than that Hermione... the one he gave me in the Chamber? I dreamt my whole life... when he died I was torn out of that dream... in my dream I think I was in my sixties or something and really happy..." Hermione looked shocked, but she continued; "and then I woke up in the Chamber, an eleven year old girl covered in muck... how do I cope with that?" She sighed, she hadn't even admitted this much to Luna. Granted Luna did know the dreams were about Hermione but what she didn't know was that her dreams were better than this reality and she missed them. But it was as close to the truth as she could get right now. She looked down at their hands and thought as she felt tears forming; "Will I ever be able to tell you that we had lived a happy lifetime together in my dreams and now I'm forced to live in a world where that never happened?"
Hermione looked at Ginny with new eyes. She'd had no idea how conflicted she'd felt and she had no idea to help her. She squeezed Ginny's hand to get her attention... when she looked up she saw the tears in Ginny's eyes and she felt as though her heart was breaking.
"I wish there was something I could say Gin... something I could do... anything to make this easier for you."
"I feel so old sometimes Hermione," Ginny admitted as she wiped away her tears with her free hand.
"Well I don't know about old... but you're more mature than your brother..." Hermione joked.
"That's true..." Ginny giggled, "Luna thinks it's because I had a sixteen year old boy playing with my dreams."
Hermione hadn't considered that; "Smart girl that Luna."
Ginny laughed out loud; "You have no idea... she got us our own compartment on the train." She'd just finished telling Hermione the story and they were both laughing when the boys came into the Common Room.
'C'mon, walk down with us..." Hermione suggested. They both got up, letting each other's hands go as they stood and joined Ron and Harry to go down for breakfast. When they entered the Great Hall Ginny went to find Luna, leaving Hermione with the boys. Hermione was watching her walk away as they walked to find seats. When she looked away she saw Malfoy doing a ridiculous impression of Harry fainting. "Ignore him. Just ignore him, it's not worth it."
They went to find seats and she was handed her new timetable by George Weasley. She was studying her new timetable when she overhead George say; "That little git. Wasn't so cocky last night when the Dementors were down our end of the train. Came running into our compartment, didn't he, Fred?"
"Nearly wet himself," she heard Fred reply and then returned her attention to her timetable. With a sigh she realized how often she'd be using the Time-turner. She did a quick calculation. At least ten to twelve hours of class a day. She had five classes before lunch, two of them with the boys. She was still studying her schedule and figuring out the best order to attend them in when Ron ripped her schedule out of her hand
"Hermione this must be a mistake," frowning as he looked it over. "They've got you down for about ten subjects a day. There isn't enough time."
"I'll manage. I fixed it all with Professor McGonagall."
"But look," said Ron, laughing, "See this morning nine o'clock Divination. And underneath, nine o'clock Muggle Studies. And..." as he looked at the timetable closer, "look... underneath that Arithmancy, nine o'clock. I mean I know you're good, but no one's that good. How're you supposed to be in three classes at once?"
"Don't be silly," she cut him short, surprised he was observant enough to notice, "of course I won't be in three classes at once."
"Well, then..."
"Pass the marmalade," she asked him, trying to get him to drop it.
"But..."
"Oh, Ron, what's it to you if my timetable is a bit full?" She finally snapped at him. "I told you, I fixed it with Professor McGonagall." Fortunately Hagrid showed up and he finally dropped it.
She went back to eating and planning how to get to her classes when she heard Ron say; "We better go, look Divination is at the top of North Tower. It'll take at least ten minutes to get there..." they finished off their breakfasts quickly and started the trek to the North Tower. They had gotten lost several times when Hermione went to take a look at the portrait Harry was staring at. A fat, dapple grey pony was standing in a field munching away happily on grass. The pony was soon joined by a short squat knight in a suit of armour with grass stains on the knees. Harry bantered with the portrait a moment until he agreed to take them to the North Tower.
They ran after him up the stairs listening for the clanking of his armour. In no time they reached a tiny landing, where most of the class was already assembled. Ron was the first to notice the circular trap door on the ceiling, a plaque beside read; "Sybill Trelawney, Divination Teacher."
"And how're we supposed to get up there?" Harry asked and then, as if in answer, the door opened and a silvery ladder descended right at Harry's feet. One by one they entered the classroom. Well maybe classroom wasn't the way to describe it. No, it was more like a coffee shop, tables scattered around with chintz armchairs and big pillows to sit on.
"Where is she?" Ron asked in a hushed voice.
A voice came out of the shadows; "Welcome," it said, "How nice to see you in the physical world at last," she finished as she moved in the light of the fire.
Hermione's first thought was that Luna should take lessons from this woman... she screamed crazy from across the room. Her second thought was that Trelawney might be as bad as Lockhart and began to wonder if all less talented teachers resorted to theatrics.
Hermione and the boys found a table and sat to listen to Professor Trelawney introduce herself and her subject. Hermione was already starting to think her time would have been better spent in Arithmancy when Professor Trelawney proclaimed; "I must warn you at the onset that if you do not have the Sight, there is very little I will be able to teach you. Books can only take you so far..."
"Says the teacher with no real subject to teach..." she thought. She listened to the woman continue to spout vague predictions to several students as they gathered teacups and tea. They retreated to their table to drink the tea and swirl it into their saucers.
Hermione wasn't paying attention to the boys as she and her partner were trying to decipher her own dregs when she heard Trelawney start to interpret Harry's cup. She was curious what she'd come up with as everyone knows Harry and what he's been through.
"Let's see what she does with this," she thought.
Professor Trelawney was staring into the teacup, rotating it anti-clockwise; "The falcon... my dear, you have a deadly enemy."
"Really," she thought, "That's the best you can do?" She couldn't take it... it was baloney and she was picking on Harry because he was an easy target. "But everyone knows that," she said in a loud voice to receive stares from most of the class. "Well, they do. Everybody knows about Harry and You-Know-Who."
Trelawney chose to ignore her and returned her eyes to Harry's cup; "The club... an attack. Dear, dear, this is not a happy cup..."
"I thought that was a bowler hat," Ron said, trying to sound helpful
"The skull... danger in your path, my dear," giving the cup a final turn, she gasped and screamed.
"Well she's entertaining, I'll give her that," Hermione thought uncharitable when Neville broke a second cup and Trelawney sunk into her chair, her ring covered hand over her heart.
"My dear boy... my poor dear boy... no... it is kinder not to say..." she continued dramatically causing the rest of the class to get up to take a better look at Harry's cup.
"What is it, Professor?" someone asked.
"My dear," she continued opening her eyes wide, "you have the Grim."
She listened with amusement as Trelawney described just what a Grim was. Finally reaching her breaking point she went over to look at Harry's cup herself.
"I don't think it looks like a Grim," she said flatly.
Professor Trelawney looked at her with what could only assume was dislike. "You'll forgive me for saying so, my dear, but I perceive very little aura around you. Very little receptivity to the resonances of the future."
She was saved from saying what was on her mind when Seamus Finnigan, tilting his head as he looked at Harry's cup and said; "It looks like a Grim if you do this," he said with his eyes almost shut, "but it looks more like a donkey from here," he said as he leaned to the left.
Harry had had enough. "When you've all finished deciding whether I'm going to die or not!" he said edgily causing everyone to look away from him.
"I think we will leave the lesson here for today," Trelawney said with her usual misty tones; "Yes... please pack away your things..."
Silently the class put away their teacups and gathered their things. Hermione and the boys made their way out of the classroom. When the boys weren't paying attention she slipped into an alcove near the Transfiguration classroom and turned the hourglass inside the Time-turner once. She waited until everyone had stopped walking backwards and then headed off to Arithmancy. After Arithmancy she went towards her Muggle Studies class, found another empty alcove and repeated the process and attended her third nine o'clock class. Repeating the process one last time she joined the boys in Transfiguration. Hermione and Ron followed Harry to a desk at the back of the class. Everyone was looking at him like he might die any second. Hermione dragged her attention to the front of the class where Professor McGonagall was telling them about Animagi, (wizards who could transform at will into animals), and watched as the teacher turned herself into a tabby cat with spectacle markings around the eyes.
"I've see that cat before," she thought, but couldn't remember when or where.
Professor McGonagall shifted back into her human form again with a soft pop. "Really, what has gotten into you all today?" McGonagall asked as she looked around at all of them. "Not that it matters, but that's the first time my transformation has not gotten applause from a class."
Hermione watched as everyone's eyes turned to Harry. Deciding to help him out Hermione raised her arm; "Please, Professor, we've just had our first Divination class, and we were reading the tea leaves, and..."
"Ah, of course," she interrupted with a frown, "There is no need to say any more, Miss Granger. Tell me, which of you will be dying this year?"
Everyone just stared at her until Harry answered; "Me."
"I see," she said fixing Harry with a stare, "then you should know, Potter, Sybill Trelawney has predicted the death of one student a year since she arrived at this school. None of them has died yet. Seeing death omens is her favourite way of greeting a new class. If it not for the fact that I never speak ill of my colleagues..." she looked like she sorely wanted to, but continued calmly; "Divination is one of the most imprecise branches of magic. I shall not conceal from you that I have very little patience with it. True Seers are very rare, and Professor Trelawney's..." she seemed ready to insult Trelawney. She shook her head and continued; "You look in excellent health to me, Potter, and so you will excuse me if I don't let you off homework today. I assure you that if you die, you need not hand it in." Hermione laughed along with the rest of the class, she'd never realised Professor McGonagall had a sense of humor.
After class they all headed down to the Great Hall for lunch. Hermione was thinking over the five classes she'd had that morning and wasn't paying attention to the boys, as she sat down she shoved a plate of stew towards Ron.
"If he's eating maybe he'll shut up already," she mused.
"Harry, you haven't seen a great black dog anywhere, have you?" Ron asked.
"Nope, no such luck," she thought with a sigh.
"Yeah, I have," replied Harry, "I saw one the night I left the Dursley's".
Ron let his fork fall into his stew with a clatter.
Annoyed Hermione responded; "Probably just a stray."
Ron looked at her as if she was insane. "Hermione, if Harry's seen a Grim, that's... that's bad. My uncle Bilius saw one and... and he died twenty-four hours later!"
"Coincidence," she answered and poured herself some pumpkin juice.
She was just thinking about maybe taking a few snacks with her to eat as she ran between classes if she's going to have to wait so long between meals when Ron exclaimed; "You don't know what you're talking about!" He was actually getting angry. "Grims scare the daylights out of most wizards!"
"There you are, then," she replied adopting a superior tone, "They see the Grim and die of fright. The Grim's not an omen; it's the cause of death! And Harry's still with us because he's not stupid enough to see one and think, 'Right, well, I'd better pop my clogs then!'"
As she was ready to "pop a clog" herself at this point over Ron's stupidity, she pulled out her Arithmancy book and propped it against a juice jug. As she looked for the page she needed she added; "I think Divination seems very woolly. A lot of guesswork, if you ask me"
"There was nothing woolly about the Grim in that cup," Ron retorted peevishly.
"You didn't seem quite so confident when you were telling Harry it was a sheep," she replied tersely as she was just barely keeping a lid on her anger. She was starting to think keeping her promise to help Harry was going to be more difficult that she thought.
"Professor Trelawney said you didn't have the right aura! You just don't like being rubbish at something for a change!" Ron replied angrily. She sorely wanted to tell him to go jump in the lake but took her anger out on her textbook instead, slamming it shut and sending food everywhere.
"If being good at Divination means I have to pretend to see death omens in a lump of tea leaves, I'm not sure I'll be studying it much longer! That lesson was absolute rubbish compared to my Arithmancy class!" She muttered angrily but as soon as the words were out of her mouth she regretted them.
The boys didn't and couldn't know that in the time it had taken the two to walk to Transfiguration she had attended two more classes. Angry with herself for almost slipping up she grabbed her bag and left the Great Hall.
"I swear," she thought, "If it wasn't for that stupid promise I made Dumbledore... I'd chuck the two of them and hang out with Ginny!"
But no, she had promised to keep helping Harry and unfortunately that meant putting up with Ron. She was still thinking about all this as she walked down to Hagrid's for their first Care of Magical Creatures Class.
The boys joined her, Ron still looking annoyed and Harry looking bemused. "He must get tired of me and Ron arguing all the time," she thought and vowed to herself to not let Ron get to her anymore. So lost in thought was she that she didn't realise that they must have the class with the Slytherins as Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle were walking in front of them. "Great... now we have to put up with the git and his git gorillas..."
Once they'd all gathered Hagrid greeted them; "C'mon now get a move on," he called, "Got a real treat for yeh today! Great lesson comin' up. Everyone here? Right, follow me!" The class followed him to empty paddock at the edge of the forest. "Everyone gather round the fence here!" He bellowed to the class. "Now, firs' thing you wanted to do is open yer books..."
"How?" Malfoy drawled. Hermione had been wondering the same thing as she took her own book from her bag. She had wrapped Spellotape around her copy of "The Monster Book of Monster" to keep the book from destroying her other books.
"Eh?" replied Hagrid
"How do we open our books?" Malfoy asked, showing Hagrid his own rope bound copy.
"Hasn'... hasn' anyone been able to open their books?" Hagrid asked, looking totally heartbroken. The whole class shook their heads. "Yeh've got to stoke 'em," he explained as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Taking Hermione's copy he ripped off the tape and when the book tried to bite him he simply ran one huge finger down the spine. The book shivered and then fell open in his hand, quiet.
"Oh, how silly we've all been!" Malfoy sneered, "We should've stroked them! Why didn't we guess?"
"I... I thought they were funny," Hagrid said quietly to Hermione as he handed her back her book.
"Oh, tremendously funny! Really witty, giving us books that try and rip our hands off!" Hermione was about to tell Malfoy to shut it but Harry beat her to the punch.
"Righ' then," Hagrid said, trying to take control of his class, "so... so yeh've got your books an' … an' ...now you need the Magical Creatures. Yeah. So I'll go an' get 'em. Hang on..." he finished then strode away from them and into the forest.
She was wondering what Hagrid might be bringing when her thoughts were interrupted by the drawling voice of Malfoy; "God, this place is going to the dogs," he said and then continued loudly, "That oaf teaching classes, my father'll have a fit when I tell him..."
"Shut up, Malfoy," Harry repeated.
"Careful Potter, there's a Dementor behind you..." But Malfoy's taunts were interrupted by a squealing Lavender Brown. Hermione couldn't believe what she was seeing. Hagrid was leading about a dozen Hippogriffs towards them. She'd seen pictures and read about them of course, but she never imagined she'd get to see one. They had the bodies, hind legs and tails of horses but the front legs, wings and head of a giant eagle complete with nasty looking steel-coloured beaks and long deadly looking half foot long talons. Hagrid gathered them closer to the fence and announced; "Hippogriffs!" They were beautiful once you got over the bizarreness of them. "So," he continued; "if yeh wan' ter come a bit nearer..."
Hermione looked around and noticed no one seemed to be moving. She looked at Harry and Ron and together they approached the fence.
"Now first thing you need to know about Hippogriffs is they're proud. Easily offended, Hippogriffs are. Don't never want to insult one, 'cause it might be the last the thing yeh do."
Hermione took a quick look around at her classmates and noticed that Malfoy and his cronies were whispering amongst themselves. "Good," she thought, "maybe we'll finally get rid of one of those three."
"Yeh always wait fer the Hippogriff ter make the firs' move. It's polite, see? Yeh walk towards him, and yeh bow, an' yeh wait. If he bows back, yeh're allowed to touch him. If he doesn' bow, then get away from him sharpish, 'cause those talons hurt." He looked around at the class and asked; "Right... who wants to go first?" Most of the class backed further away, "No one?" He asked sadly. Hermione considered taking the plunge and going first but Harry offered before she got the chance.
There was an intake of breath and both Lavender and Pavarti whispered; "Oooh no, Harry, remember your tea leaves!" To Hermione's amusement he ignored them and joined Hagrid on the other side of the fence. Hermione watched as Hagrid instructed Harry how to approach the grey Hippogriff Buckbeak. She watched with fear as Harry bowed to Buckbeak and held her breath until it suddenly bent his front legs and sank into what was most definitely a bow.
"Well done, Harry! Right yeh can touch him! Pat his beak, go on," Hagrid encouraged. Hermione watched as Harry tentatively reached out a hand and patted Buckbeak several times on his beak. She was surprised as the Hippogriff closed his eyes and seemed to be enjoying the touch. At Harry's success most of the class broke out into applause. "Righ' then, Harry, I reckon he might' let yeh ride him!"
"Hagrid's nuts!" She thought as she watched Harry climb onto the back of Buckbeak. Once he was seated the Hippogriff opened his twelve foot wings and took Harry for a lap around the paddock and then landed back in front of them.
"Good work, Harry!" roared Hagrid, "Okay, who else wants a go?"
The rest of the class, seeing how easy Harry had made it seem, entered the paddock and started taking it in turns to approach one of the Hippogriffs. She and Ron practised with the chestnut one until Hermione heard the annoying voice of Malfoy again.
She looked over to see him patting Buckbeak's beak. "This is very easy. I know it must have been, if Potter could do it... I bet you're not dangerous at all, are you?" Hermione was about to get Hagrid's attention to warn him about Malfoy when he continued; "Are you, you ugly brute?"
"Too late," she thought as, in a flash of steely talons, Malfoy let out a high-pitched girly sounding scream. Hagrid wrestled Buckbeak back into his collar as he continued to try and get at Malfoy who lay on the ground, blood staining his robes.
"I'm dying!" Malfoy yelled, "I'm dying, look at me! It's killed me!" Thinking Professor Trelawney could take some drama lessons from Malfoy, she went and opened the gate so Hagrid could take the crying boy to the Hospital Wing. Hermione and they boys trailed behind the rest of the class as they headed back to the castle and their Common Rooms to pass the time until dinner.
…
Ginny had tracked down Luna at breakfast and they had agreed to meet up after dinner to go look for the book Luna's father had told her about. While she waited Ginny was thinking about the talk she'd had with Hermione that morning. It was hard to explain; on the one hand she'd have liked to spend every minute with Hermione, but on the other? It was so hard. She knew that Hermione had taken her hand to comfort her, but what was it with the whole spark thing that happened every time their hands touched? She looked up to see Luna walking towards her.
"You look awfully happy," for Ginny was grinning, remembering the feeling of Hermione's hand in hers, "Spend time with Hermione today?"
"A little, this morning before breakfast... we ran into each other on the stairs," wordlessly they had started heading towards the library. "We talked for a bit before the boys came down and we all went to for breakfast."
"What did you talk about?"
"I told her about not dreaming and Loony, I told her something I should've told you," she sighed sadly; "I miss them… the dreams Tom gave me."
"I can understand why'd you miss them, Gin, but what did you tell her?"
"I told her that I was really happy in my dreams and it was hard to deal with because the last one, when I woke up when Tom died, I dreamt I was something like sixty and then I woke up to find out the truth."
Luna stopped her and gave her a hug; "I know it's hard Gin... but it will get easier."
"I notice you said easier... not better, Ginny replied, drew herself from the hug and entered the library.
"Well... I think you'll get better at coping with the letdown of reality and maybe eventually reality will outshine the dreams he gave you," Luna said succinctly. "Let's find that book". They asked Madam Pince and she returned with the book a short time later, they signed it out and left the library.
"Um... I thought we were going to read in the library?" Ginny asked.
"I have a better idea... something Daddy mentioned when I told him what we were going to try and do..."
"But Loony..."
"I know what you're thinking, but it's worth a try, if it's not there we'll just have to come up with a better alternative." Luna led her through the castle until they reached the seventh floor. Luna stopped in front of a blank wall and closed her eyes. Ginny watched as her friend walked back and forth three times then stop. Together they watched as a large ornate door materialized in front of them. "It worked," she sighed and, taking Ginny's hand, led her inside.
Ginny looked around in wonder. It was an exact replica of Luna's bedroom at home. "What is this place?" She asked in awe.
"My bedroom?" Luna teased. "I'd have thought you'd have recognized it."
Ginny lightly smacked her friend's arm; "I know that... but how?"
"Ah… this room is called the Come and Go room. Basically whenever someone needs it, they walk in front of the door and think about what they need; when the room opens it becomes whatever you wanted it to."
"Okay... so why your bedroom?"
"Well I asked for a safe place where we could read and maybe experiment without being disturbed. I guess I was thinking of my room at home... but you'll notice it's not exact. I don't have that big comfy couch or a fireplace in my room."
Ginny looked at where Luna was pointing and wandered closer and laughed lightly; "Reminds me of the Gryffindor Common Room where I was talking to Hermione this morning."
"Interesting... as I've never seen your Common Room I can only assume the room took that image from your mind when we came in. It wanted to give you a place that made you feel safe. C'mon..." they walked over to the couch and Ginny sat where Hermione usually sat, Luna beside her. "Now let's see what this book can tell us," she said as she drew out a large leather bound book out of her bag and placed it on their laps.
Ginny looked at the title before Luna could open it, "Dreamcatcher." They spent the next hour or so reading through the large book until they came across something that could help.
"When one cannot remember their dreams it does not necessarily mean the person has stopped dreaming altogether. They could simply not be remembering them or they could be blocking them themselves from remembering them. In order to determine the cause one must find a partner they can trust to enter a dream state called Dreamwalking. It is of utmost importance that the partner, from now on called the Dream Visitor, be healthy and having dreams of their own. Two people who are not dreaming will not be able to accomplish this.
The two people must fall asleep holding hands. The Visitor must fall asleep with the intent of entering the subject's dreams while the subject must just try to sleep. A simple sleeping potion, (recipe on page 305), will aid the dreamer to achieve the proper level of sleep. This process can be aided by a charmed bracelet, (See page 303 for full details), to make access easier for the Visitor and will aide in the connecting of the two in their dreams.
If successful, the visitor and the Dreamer will enter a lucid dreaming state and be able to interact with each other while viewing the Dreamer's dream. If however the Dreamer is blocking themselves from remembering, the Visitor will enter the dream alone. Visitors often describe finding the Dreamer in a room or in some other way from prevented from perceiving the dream around them. This often indicates that the Dreamer is afraid of what their dreams contain. In this case a Dreamcatcher, (see page 307 for details and how to construct your own), can be useful. Once the Dreamcatcher is made one simply places it over where they are sleeping and it will act as filter, catching the things the dreamer is afraid of and allowing better dreams. Through a series of deep sleep rituals one, with the help of their trusted Dream Visitor, can slowly break down the walls and the dreams will start again. "
They finished reading and looked at each other. "Well gee, that sounds easy..."Ginny commented sadly, "we need a charmed bracelet, a potion, and something called a Dreamcatcher." Without answering Luna looked up the bracelet and smiled. Then they looked up the Dreamcatcher and she frowned a little. "What is it Loony?"
"Well the bracelet, "she said, taking a small box from her pocket, "I have." And showed it to Ginny. It didn't look like a bracelet at all but a golden snake. Seeing Ginny's confusion she explained; "Daddy gave it to me. He knew about this because after Mom died he stopped dreaming. This snake, it wraps around both our wrists by itself and then releases itself when we wake." Ginny took the golden snake and looked at it carefully.
"Did it work for your Dad?" Ginny asked.
"No... I think it was because he never made his Dreamcatcher... look at it what it says about it."
"Although one can easily buy a Dreamcatcher they do not work as well as one made by the Dreamer. One that is bought will still work however will not only catch bad dreams but will block any dream with the same contents. By making your own Dreamcatcher you imbibe your own wishes into it and it will aide you to have the dreams that you desire."
Luna read on, noting the supplies she would need; red willow, Unicorn hair, feathers and leather. "Well... I have everything but the Unicorn hair but I seem to remember seeing some hanging from Hagrid's ceiling last time I was there...perhaps he'd give us some?"
"When were you in Hagrid's hut?"
"Last spring... I'd gone to visit the Thestrals one last time before term ended and got soaked in a sudden storm. Hagrid saw me coming out of the forest and asked me in for a cup of tea."
"And when did you get the rest of this stuff?"
"Daddy told me what I'd need but we couldn't get the hair."
"So should we get started? We have the bracelet..."
"Well," Luna answered, looking at her watch, "it's getting late and," flipping the pages to the potion, "I'll need a couple of days to make the potion. There's no point in trying without it. I can have it ready by Saturday."
"Can you make it? And won't it stop me from dreaming? They gave me one at the end of last year..." Ginny asked, rapid-fire.
"Yes, it's similar to one I've made for Daddy a bunch of times. And it's not like a Sleeping Draught that gives you a dreamless sleep, this one just lets you go into a deep enough sleep to dream. It's a really simple potion to make but it works very well. My Dad still has trouble sleeping..."
Ginny reached over and grabbed her hand. "Do you really think this will work? I don't even know what "lucid dreaming means"..."
"It means you know you are dreaming and can control your own actions."
"Do we really need the Dreamcatcher? I don't think its bad dreams I'm afraid of..."
"You're afraid of good dreams?"
"Well yes, sort of... it's makes reality so much harder..."
"Okay, I think I can understand that..." Luna frowned a little, "I think we can start without the Dreamcatcher but I'm worried you're having nightmares and just don't know it."
"And you really think a Dreamcatcher will stop any nightmares? And why do you think I'm having nightmares?"
"Well that is what it is supposed to do but it isn't that simple... I think if you believe that'll it work it will make you less afraid of trying and therefore will work." Ginny nodded, it made sense in a Luna sort of way. "As for having nightmares, frankly Gin, after what you went through, how could you not? C'mon we should get going, it's almost curfew." Standing up, Luna grabbed the book and placed it on a shelf by the bed.
"Don't you think we should take that with us?" Ginny asked as she stood and stretched.
"No need... the Room will keep it safe for us till we come back. No one else can enter this specific room unless they know what it is when we come here." She took Ginny's hand and together they left the room together. Outside the door they paused to watch it become a solid wall again.
"Why doesn't the whole school use this room?" She asked incredulously imagining all the things it could be used for.
As they walked away Luna answered; "Oh I think a fair few have used it over the years they just don't know what it is... they find it, open it and use it without knowing how they opened it, and leave. When they come back the room won't appear to them unless they ask specifically for the same thing. Since they don't realise they asked for it in the first place... well, they never find it again."
"And how did your Dad know it was there?"
"He didn't say, but I expect he used to bring my Mom there," Luna replied and blushed.
"Oh..." was all Ginny could reply and then blushed deeply thinking of taking Hermione there. "Well, um, I got to go this way," she hugged her friend, "Thanks Luna for... for everything."
"I told you... I just want you to be happy and since I can't get you what you really want," she said pointing at Ginny's friendship bracelet; "I'm hoping we can at least get your dreams backs. And besides, it'll be fun to walk around someone else's dreams for a while. Goodnight..." Ginny watched her friend and wondered what she would ever do without her.
She made her way back to Gryffindor tower lost in her thoughts and eventually made her way to her dorm. She hadn't seen Hermione in the Common Room and decided to sneak up to her dorm room to see her. She wanted to tell her what she and Luna had found out, but it was barely curfew and Hermione was already fast asleep alone in her dorm.
Ginny watched her for a moment. "She's even more beautiful asleep," she thought to herself with a sigh. She really wanted to reach out and touch her. Anything, even just her hair... but she was afraid to wake her. One of the other girls came in and startled her from her thoughts. Sighing she looked at Hermione one last time before going to her own dorm, noting her silver necklace and pendant still around her neck even as she slept.
She undressed and crawled into bed. Ginny started twisting the bracelet Hermione had given her around and around her wrist, eventually drifting off into another dreamless sleep.