Hermione walked out of her Charms class, the last class of the day, and marched up to her dorm, ready for a nap before her meeting with Severus in the library. She passed through the common room, which was relatively empty at this time of day, and through the portrait to her room. She trudged over to her desk and set down her watch, setting the alarm clock so she would wake in time. Without bothering to change or let down her hair, she slumped down onto the bed and closed her eyes, falling asleep before her nose hit the pillow.
She closed her eyes and felt the world swirl around her, everything was spinning. She kept her eyes closed, not wanting to get dizzy or get a headache at the moment, and waited until she thought that things had slowed down a bit. A few moments passed until she felt as though things had stilled a bit around her, and she opened one tentative eye slightly. Content to know that things were no longer swirling about her, she opened her eyes fully, and found herself, once again, back at Hogwarts. She looked around the room she was in, it was the Head Girls room, but it wasn't Lily's, it was hers, just as she had left it. She felt a wave of relief come over her as she took in the familiar surroundings, feeling the full wave of homesickness hit her. She hesitantly walked around the room, touching her bed, her dresser, her bookcase, making sure they wouldn't fade into dust the moment she came in contact with them. Smiling, she walked towards the door and made her way out into the common room. Her eyes smarted with tears as she took in the sight. Harry and Ron were sitting by the fire, a game of wizard's chess between them. Ginny was sitting near the fire toying around with her play Quidditch pitch that Hermione had gotten her for her last birthday, sitting up against a chair which was currently occupied by Dean Thomas, Ginny's longtime boyfriend, who seemed to be currently wrapped up in some sort of book. A few first years sat in the back corner, apparently studying for exams which were a week or so away, and a few odd couples sat near one another, cuddling and kissing. Hermione felt a dull pang in her gut, reminding her of Remus, who was currently sitting in the hospital wing, waiting for his self-inflicted wounds to heal. Pushing him to the back of her mind, she slowly approached Harry and Ron, wanting nothing more than to envelop them in a warm hug, but as soon as she was within mere inches of Ron, the whole scene disappeared, dissolving into smoke and blew away in some invisible wind.
She tried to grab the wisps, but they merely floated through her fingers. She closed her eyes as everything once again began to spin. She held her stomach as if trying to calm it, and waited for everything to become still again, 'I hated it when the room spun in the Department of Mysteries, and I hate it now!' Finally, the room seemed to stop spinning, and she opened her eyes. It was still the common room, and it seemed to be the exact same scene. Harry and Ron were playing wizards chess near the fire, the first years were studying in the corner, and Ginny was playing with her miniature Quidditch Pitch, leaning up against Dean's chair, but for some reason, it seemed to be a bit different, it was as if the air itself had changed this time. She took a few tentative steps towards her two best friends, careful not to touch them this time, but just to look at their faces. She could see Harry's face as plain as day, for he was facing her, but all she could see was the back of Ron's bushy ginger head. She stepped across the room and into the middle of the two boys; they seemed not to notice her as they continued playing. She looked towards Ron's face and stepped back in horror, this was not the Ron she recognized. She stared at his face as he openly glared at Harry, his face full of malice and unspoken rage. His lips were contorted in a sneer and a fire seemed to burn beneath his normally placid eyes. His ears, though partially hidden beneath his hair, seemed to be as red as the fires of hell, and she feared that she would be scorched if she touched them.
She quickly turned her gaze at Harry, who seemed oblivious to the look he was receiving, and merely looked up at Ron and smiled, gesturing towards the board. Quickly, Hermione looked back at Ron, who, without moving his gaze, ordered his chess piece to move across the board. She felt her gaze move down to the board, where Ron's piece was currently slicing through Harry's piece, ending the game. She looked back to Ron as his face contorted into a malevolent smile. Hermione tried to ask him what was wrong, why he was glaring at Harry like that, but she had no response, though she feared to touch him, not wanting everything to go spinning once again. She watched in sheer horror as Ron's hand moved into the pocket of his pants, and drew out a blade, his eyes gleaming in a way that made her skin crawl and the hairs on the back of her neck prickle. She was stuck to the spot as Ron slowly stood up, Harry quickly following him, that smile still plastered onto his face. She saw Ron draw up the hand containing the knife towards Harry, seemingly aiming for his heart. Hermione couldn't stop herself, she stepped in front of Harry, just as Ron's arm began to move at lightning speed, and braced herself for the pain she knew would come, but never did. The knife went through her, yes, but it passed by as though she was a ghost. Her ears were filled with a blood curdling scream as she looked behind her to find Ron standing over Harry, who had fallen to the floor, most likely when the blade had penetrated his chest, slicing through his heart. Tears flooded her eyes as she looked into Harry's eyes, shocked, pleading for answers. She looked back up to Ron's face, that horrible grin still plastered onto his face, smiling down at Harry. Tears pouring from her face, her knees gave way and fell by Harry. She moved to wrap her arms around him, but again, as soon as she was within inches of touching him, the world began to spin once more.
Hermione sat bold upright in her bed, the dream still hanging in her mind. A thin sheet of sweat covered her body, causing her robes to stick to her. Her breathing was ragged and her pulse was racing. That dream was too real, too real for her liking. Trying to catch her breath, she chalked it up to yet another nightmare, and tried to push it out of her mind. She had had nightmare before, plenty of them, just never so vivid. Shaking her head, she swung her legs over the bed, grasping the bed post as she stood up, unsure of how sturdy her legs actually were. She looked over at her watch, she had ten minutes until she had to meet Severus, and it took at least five to get to the library. Taking once last calming breath, she changed robes, not wanting to have the lingering smell of sweat, and tamed her hair.
Gathering her pack, she gave herself one more look in the mirror and left her room. The common room was once again empty, as many were more than likely still at dinner. Her friends were probably worried about her, she didn't say anything to them most of the day, and then she hadn't showed up at dinner, but she really didn't care at the moment. The dream had left her in a somewhat sour mood, and she was unusually tense. She really wasn't looking forward to this meeting with Severus, they had to discuss their project now that their preliminary research was over with, and she prayed that her mood would get better in oh, three minutes. She picked up the pace, knowing that she would most likely be late, she still had a good walk, and now the halls were starting to fill up a bit. Frustrated, Hermione pushed her way through the growing crowd as she neared the Great Hall, and pushed down a few first years on her way, not even bothering to say sorry.
She eventually pushed into Lily, who as soon as she felt contact, grabbed Hermione's shoulders and twirled her around, staring at her.
"Hermione, what is wrong with you?"
Hermione looked once more at her watch, she was defiantly late now, and she was sure that a row between her and Severus was on its way, "Nothing Lily, I'm fine."
Hermione stood there, her shoulders still held captive by Lily. "Hermione, you don't look like it. Tell me, what is going on?"
Frustrated Hermione tore out of her grip, "Nothing Lily, nothing. Now if you would excuse me, I'm late."
Hermione couldn't pinpoint where this sudden outburst had come from, but she had a vague feeling it was because of the dream. She had a nagging feeling about it, it just wasn't right. 'No, I won't think about that right now. I have to get to work.'
Gathering up her courage, she walked into the library and made her way toward the back where she spotted a sneering and clearly unhappy Severus. 'Well, let the fun begin'