Chapter 9
Hermione sat by the window in the Gryffindor common room. It was snowing outside. Lizzie was sitting with her friends by the fire. She hadn't had a chance to speak to her today. She's spent most of the day with Luna. Neville had joined them for a while.
"Hey Granger! You ready?" Hermione looked up to see Harry standing in front of her. She gave him a confused look. "Prefect duty!" He reminded her.
"Oh of course," she's completely forgotten that she still had prefect duty to do. Everything else had made her forget. Then realisation hit her. "Wait, You're a Prefect?" she said without thinking.
"Yes," Harry said slowly, "Have been for the last year and a half. Seriously what's gotten into you?"
"Nothing, sorry," she said quickly, "Let's go."
They walked through the corridors in silence. Hermione felt uncomfortable all of a sudden. She knew she should use this time to try and be Harry's friend again but she didn't know what to say.
"So Lizzie tells me she invited you to our party," Harry said suddenly.
"Yeah she invited me yesterday," Hermione told him.
"Do you think you'll go?"
"I'm not sure yet," Hermione replied, "I told Lizzie I would but it depends if I can find a way there."
"Knowing Lizzie, she'll find a way," Harry laughed.
They fell into silence again as Hermione began thinking about the party and who might be there. Obviously the Potters would be there as well as Ron and Lizzie's friends. Luna would also be there. Lizzie had agreed when Hermione suggested it. She wondered if Neville would be invited. His parents had been in the order with Harry's parents after all. Sirius would be there too. As well as Remus and Tonks. Hermione stopped then. Remus and Tonks. They'd still be together wouldn't they? Hermione felt saddened. They'd met through the order. There was a high chance they had never met in this timeline.
"What's wrong?" Harry asked.
"Nothing," Hermione said and began walking again. "Hey Harry, Is…um…is Professor Lupin dating anyone at the moment?" she asked hesitantly.
"Why?" Harry smirked, "You fancy your chances?"
"What? No! Harry!" Hermione scolded while Harry laughed, "I'm just curious."
"You're curious?" Harry scoffed, "Why?"
"Ok fine," Hermione said taking a deep breath, "I have someone in mind that I think he would like. So is he?"
"No, he's not," Harry said at last and Hermione sighed to herself, "I wouldn't waste your time though. Remus, I mean Professor Lupin's not interested in love."
"He will be once he meets her," Hermione said confidently.
"I wouldn't hold your breath," Harry said to himself.
"Miss Granger! A word!" Hermione turned to see Professor McGonagall facing her. Hermione's heart began to beat against her chest and her face paled. This had to be about Malfoy.
"Y-yes, Professor?" she said quietly.
"I'm afraid Mr Malfoy came to see me earlier today; about you. He told me that you cursed him and turned him into a ferret! I must say Granger, if it's true I'm most disappointed in you."
Hermione began stuttering but Harry jumped in before she could think of something to say.
"It wasn't her," he said and McGonagall turned to look at him, "Malfoy was bullying my sister and Hermione stopped him. Then she walked away. It was someone in the crowd who then cursed him."
"You sure about this Potter?"
"Yes," he said firmly, "If you ask me it's Malfoy you should be speaking to. He was going to curse Hermione when she had her back turned."
"Yes well," Professor McGonagall said, "I'm glad to hear you didn't do it Miss Granger. I didn't think it sounded like you. Well off you go then."
They said goodbye and began walking. Neither of them spoke until they turned the corner and could no longer see McGonagall. Hermione felt incredibly guilty and sad that they'd lied to her but she also felt so happy that Harry had lied for her.
"Thank you," she said to him, "you didn't have to do that."
"Yeah well," he said shrugging off her thanks, "You did help Lizzie after all. I've got to say though, I've never seen you snap like that before."
"Yeah," Hermione said, "Not a lot of people can make me snap. Only a few."
"Who?" Harry asked.
"Well Malfoy, obviously," Hermione told him, "Then there's Ron-"
"Ron?" Harry repeated.
"Yeah Ron," Hermione said, she didn't elaborate though. "And of course there's Umbridge," she added with distaste.
"Umbridge? Who's she?"
"She was ou-she's just someone I know from my past," Hermione said looking up at him, "You wouldn't like her."
"I hope to never meet her then." Harry laughed, "I reckon we've done enough for tonight. Want to head back?"
"Yeah sure."
"Come on then, I know a shortcut." He walked forward a bit and pulled back the tapestry hanging on the wall. He then froze. Hermione walked up behind him and saw why. Stood there with their arms wrapped around each other was Ginny and Dean. Hermione cleared her throat and the broke apart, looking embarrassed.
"Hi," Ginny said as she blushed.
"You two shouldn't be out at this time," Hermione told them. She looked sideways at Harry. He was staring at Ginny and seemed unable to speak.
"Sorry," Ginny said, "We lost track of time."
"Sorry," Dean mumbled. Harry still didn't say anything.
"Just get back to the common room," Hermione said to them, "We'll have to punish you if we find you again though."
They nodded and then headed up the hidden staircase. Hermione turned to look at Harry. He was watching the space the Ginny and Dean had just disappeared into.
"Are you ok, Harry?" she asked him but he didn't take any notice, "Harry!"
"What?" He said and looked at her, "Yeah I'm fine." He shook his head and began walking back along the corridor they had just come from, "See you later."
Hermione sighed as she watched him go. Once he was out of sight she turned and headed up the stairs to the common room.
The common room was empty except for a few people. Lizzie was sitting at the table by the fire. She had parchment and books spread all over it. Hermione went over and sat next to her.
"Hello," Hermione said to her, "What you doing?"
"Divination homework," Lizzie groaned, "We're doing dream journals."
"And let me guess you have Divination tomorrow and haven't done any of it," Hermione said.
"Something like that," Lizzie said with a slight grin which then turned into a frown, "I hate Divination! And whoever decided to have Divination first thing on a Monday morning must have been seriously depressed!" Hermione laughed.
"So are you just making up a bunch of dreams then?"
"No," Lizzie said in fake defense, " They're real dreams."
"Can I see them?" Hermione asked.
Lizzie pushed the parchment in front of her toward Hermione and then leaned backed and stretched. Hermione picked up the parchment and began reading the dreams. She opened her mouth in shock. The first dream was about a man with two faces trying to steal a stone. The second was about being entered into the triwizard tournament unwillingly and ending with one of the champions being killed and a dark wizard returning. The third was about a friends dad being attacked by a snake. The fourth was her dads best friend being killed by falling through a veil.
"Depressing, huh?" Lizzie said when she saw Hermione's shocked face.
"You dreamt this?" Hermione asked in disbelief.
"Well," Lizzie said slowly, "No."
"But you said the dreams w-"
"I said they were real," Lizzie told her, "I didn't say they were mine."
"Then whose are they?" Hermione asked
"Promise not to tell anyone," Lizzie said and Hermione nodded, "They're Harry's"
"Harry had these dreams?" Hermione asked.
"Yeah, he doesn't want anyone to know though," Lizzie told her, "I don't know why, they're just nightmares and everyone gets nightmares."
"Not ones like this though," Hermione said more to herself than to Lizzie.
"I suppose," Lizzie agreed, "He does say they're not normal dreams."
"He does?"
"Yeah, he says that there too real." Lizzie told her, "And that he can remember every detail about them."
Hermione sat in silence. She felt bad that Harry had nightmares about his life before she changed it. She felt guilty even though she knew she'd saved him from many more nightmares.
"Oh well," Lizzie said, "There's nothing we can do about them. Where is Harry? I thought he was doing prefect duty with you."
"Yeah, he was," Hermione told her, "He took another way back."
Lizzie began doing her homework again while Hermione sat in silence. She began thinking about Remus and Tonks. She had to try and get them together. Remus was single and as far as she knew Tonks would be too. Afterall Tonks' life hadn't been affected by Voldemort until she had joined the Order and she'd been single when she'd joined.
"Hey," she said formulating a plan, "Does Sirius talk to any of his family?"
"No," Lizzie replied looking up from her homework, "His family were pretty dark wizards. Anyway I never knew you know Sirius."
"I don't, not really," Hermione said quickly, "It's just I know that there were members of his family that weren't bad."
"Really? Who?" Lizzie asked as she began writing again.
"The Tonks'," Hermione told her, "Andromeda Tonks was disowned when she married a muggle-burn."
"Did she?" Lizzie said looking over what she'd just written, "Done!"
"Yeah she did," Hermione said, "Anyway I think that it would be nice for them to get reacquainted."
"Yeah I suppose," Lizzie said, "How do you know all that anyway?"
"Just from around," Hermione lied, "but you agree that they should meet again?"
"Yeah, why?" Lizzie asked and then added suspiciously, "What are you thinking?"
"Nothing," Hermione laughed, "I just thought that your Christmas party would be an excellent opportunity for them."
"You want them to be invited!" Lizzie smiled as she understood what Hermione was heading towards. Hermione smiled sheepishly at her.
"I'm sorry!" she said, "I'm inviting all these people and its not even my party."
"Don't worry about it," Lizzie scoffed, "The more the merrier!"
"So you'll try and invite them?"
"Yeah, I'll start making some hints around my mum. She pick up on it and invite them."
"Perfect," Hermione said beaming as Crookshanks jump up onto her lap.
