Title: Darkness

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

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Ron and Harry knew Hermione has fears. She was afraid of failing, of heights, and a more recent one, dementors. However, after the last war, there was a new fear. She didn't tell them or show them this fear. She didn't want to appear weak before them. Even though they were her closest friends, to be afraid of the dark, she felt pathetic.

Before the war, Hermione didn't need to sleep with the light on. As long as the window was open, she could see the sky, she was fine. She used to be fine with the dark, it was a comforting blanket at night. Yet, the years at Hogwarts changed everything. Every night she went to bed, the moment she closed her eyes, she saw them again. She could hear the dragging of a club on stone ground. She could hear the slither of scales on stone floor. She could feel the sweat rolling down her body as she dreamed of running from Moony. She could see Cedric's dead blue eyes. She could feel her blood dripping after one too many detentions with Umbridge. Every time she closed her eyes, she could see black eyes, filled with insanity; she could feel the knife as it cut through her arm, she could smell her blood as it pooled around her arm.

The dark used to be her friend. Now, it was an accessory for her nightmares. Since then, the night was a monster, waiting to consume her mind the moment she falls asleep. It will continue to wait, until the day Hermione either falls into the darkness or rise about it all.

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A/N: Much better, I feel much better with this chapter than the last one.