AN: Happy New Year! Let's all hope 2022 is better than 2021 was. Right?!

If you are not following me as an author, I posted the first chapter to a new story this week - The Girl With the Phoenix Tattoo. Check it out and let me know what you think. It's a little different than my previous stories. I am challenging myself to branch out a little.

This story will continue to update weekly (ish) until complete.

Trigger warning for this chapter - violence / assault / non con.

Lost Souls of Nott Castle

Chapter 30 - Nightmare

Sleep may have come easily for Hermione, but it was far from peaceful. Shadowy images plagued her consciousness. Whispered conversations that were just loud enough that she could hear words, but too quiet for her to make out what they were. As she drifted somewhere beyond a light sleep, the images began taking shape.

She was in the study. Draco sat at the table across from her. Two glasses of amber liquid sat between them. She lifted her tumbler to her lips. The firewhiskey was strong, burning her throat as she swallowed.

With a gasp, her eyes flew open, her hand clawing at her throat as she choked on the phantom liquor. It took several long seconds before her panic subsided and her rational mind told her it was a dream.

It had just felt so damn real, though. She could smell the alcohol even after convincing herself that she was awake in her bed.

The clock told her that it was three o'clock in the morning. She had only been asleep for a short amount of time. She rolled to the edge of the mattress and sat up slowly before making her way to the bathroom. She splashed some cool water on her face and rinsed her mouth out to get rid of the lingering taste. Then she stood in front of the mirror, her hands on the counter, and took a deep breath.

" Do you want to talk about it?"

Her head snapped up at the sound of Draco's voice. She whipped around, expecting to see him leaning against the door jam. Her body froze for an instant as she looked through the empty doorway.

"Malfoy?" She asked tentatively. She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back against the counter, waiting. Waiting for him to answer her. Waiting for him to walk through that door. Just waiting.

Every second that passed seemed longer than the last. A full minute went by before she turned back towards the mirror, towards her reflection.

Her heart stopped when she saw silver blue eyes staring back at her. She stood, frozen, as his hands slid around her waist. He pulled her back against his chest. His eyes met hers in the mirror.

"You can trust me, Hermione." He told her. "I've got you."

Something pulled at her mind. Something familiar. Deja vu. Her brow wrinkled as she tried to remember.

"You better, Draco. I'm too far gone to back out now." She mumbled the words to herself.

When she looked back up, the only reflection staring back at her was her own. She turned around quickly, but the room was just as empty as it had been.

What. The. Actual. Fuck?!

Absently, she rubbed at her temples before she noticed the throbbing pain that was radiating out from behind her eyes. With a deep sigh she returned to the bedroom and opened the box of pain relief potions that Madame Pomphrey had sent home with her. She took one out of the box, uncorked the vial and drank it quickly.

"I have something for you." Draco's voice once again surprised her.

She turned, slower this time. By the bedroom door she saw a shadow. A shadow that solidified as she watched, slowly becoming an image of the blond wizard. He stood by her desk, holding a box similar to the one Pomphrey had given her.

"What is it?" She asked carefully. She took a small step towards him.

"I'm sure you will figure that out on your own." He grinned at her. It was the most carefree and dare she say it - happiest - she had ever seen him. He set the box down on the table.

She watched his movements, her eyes remaining on the box until it rested on the table. When she looked back up, he was gone.

The box remained, though.

She took a slow step, then another, until she stood in front of the box. Her hand was shaking as she reached out to touch it. When she felt solid wood beneath her fingertips, she breathed a sigh of relief.

The lid had the logo 'Abbott's Apothecary' emblazoned in the center. She let her fingers linger over the letters for a moment before she released the clasp and lifted the lid. The interior of the box was lined with a deep blue velvet. There were four rows of seven vials inside. The first row, and the first five vials in the second row were empty. The remaining vials held a bright red potion.

Across the inside of the lid it read, " Take daily to prevent pregnancy."

Contraceptive potion.

She groaned to herself as her fingers lingered over the dose she was meant to take the previous morning. She closed the lid on the box and wandered to the balcony.

The night air was warmer than normal and a light rain was falling. She stood against the railing and listened to the rain.

The pain relief potion was starting to work. Her muscles relaxed and sleep called to her once again. She sat in the lounge chair and took a deep breath. Her eyes fluttered closed. The steady rainfall lulled her slowly into sleep.

She opened her eyes when the rain started to fall harder. She blinked quickly. Instead of the balcony of her bedroom at Nott Castle, she found herself in Diagon Alley. Her clothes were already soaked from the rain. Her hair drenched. She wrapped her arms around her chest and walked. She didn't know where she was going, she just walked.

The street was empty. There was not a soul in sight. Still, she picked up her pace.

"Well hello beautiful." A man's voice cut through the rain and sent a chill through her bones. She looked up quickly, her eyes meeting the stranger that had stepped out of an alley and now stood in front of her. His eyes raked over her body, taking in every curve that was outlined by her wet clothing. A shiver that had nothing to do with cold traveled down her spine.

"You look like you could use some place to dry off, get out of those wet clothes." He took a step closer.

"No, thank you." She sidestepped him and kept walking.

"Don't be like that." His hand grazed her arm, wrapping around her wrist. "I'd make it worth your while."

Bile rose in her throat.

"No." She said firmly. "Excuse me."

She pulled her arm free and stepped away. Within seconds her wand was in her hand and aimed at the man as she backed away from him.

"Easy there, witch," he growled as he raised his hands up in surrender.

She kept backing away until she could duck between two buildings. Then she started running. She ran between buildings, twisting and turning down streets she had never heard of before. Only when she was sure she hadn't been followed did she slow down.

She found herself in a park that she had never seen before. A walking path curved through green fields. A small stream cut through the center of the park. A bridge made of stone offered a reprieve from the rain.

She sank into the shadows. After a few long moments of catching her breath, she cast a drying spell on her clothes and leaned back against the wall of the bridge. She was tired, exhausted from the long day she had. Her eyes closed.

A chuckle reverberated around her. Her eyes snapped open. The same man was standing in front of her. He had a dagger in his hand and an evil glint in his eye.

She froze. Her blood ran cold at the sight of the dagger. The scars on her arm burned in agony. Then he was right there. His body pressed against hers, pushing her into the stone wall. The dagger pressed against her throat.

"I don't need your permission, witch." He growled in her ear. "I see something I want and I take it."

He grabbed her breast and squeezed.

A scream ripped from her throat.

"Get off of me!" She yelled. "Don't fucking touch me!"

Her knee came up and connected with his groin. He stumbled back.

She tried to run.

He grabbed her by the hair and pulled her backwards.

"No! Let go!" She screamed. Then she used her momentum, slamming the back of her head into his nose.

"Fucking bitch!" He released her.

She ran.

She barely made it out of the tunnel when he slammed into her, forcing her to the ground. His weight pressed her into the wet grass. Her lungs screamed for air.

"You'll pay for that." He spit against her ear.

She tried to fight against the panic that was clawing its way through her brain. She needed a plan and she needed it fast.

"Get off of me." She ground out through gritted teeth.

She took a deep breath as she tried to calm her mind.

"You're mine now," he sneered cruelly in her ear. "I give the orders, not you."

He shifted his weight and rolled her over on her back. He held the dagger against her heart and straddled her stomach.

He chuckled darkly when she did not respond.

Her hand flexed in the grass, reaching, searching for anything that could be of use.

She took another deep breath. She couldn't panic. Silently, she commanded "accio wand". Nothing happened.

Tears stung at her eyes. She turned her head from side to side, frantically looking for anything that could help.

Her wand lay just outside of her reach. She started struggling. Kicking her legs, pounding her hands on the ground, screaming, all to distract him from her goal. In her struggle, she inched closer and closer to the vinewood that could save her life.

"That's it, bitch. Keep fighting." He sneered. His hand clamped down around her throat, the dagger biting into the flesh in the valley between her breasts.

Finally her fingertips brushed over her wand. It took her a few seconds to get a grip on it.

"Stupify." A flash. His eyes widened before rolling back in his head. The force of the spell knocked him off of her.

She scrambled to her feet and took off running as fast as she could.

"Hermione!" She heard her name. Then she felt hands on her shoulders. Ice water ran through her veins. He had caught up to her. He knew her name.

She collapsed. Warm arms caught her, held her.

"It's okay, Princess. You're okay."

Her eyes snapped open. Her breath came out in ragged puffs of air.

"It's me. Draco. I've got you." He held her and rocked her gently.

Her mind raced.

It had been a nightmare. She was safe. No one was chasing her.

It had felt so damn real.

She clutched Draco's shoulders, holding on to him like a lifeline as she gasped for air.

He kept talking to her, telling her she was okay, telling her she was safe. After several long moments, she started to believe him. Her breathing evened out and the grip she had on his shoulders loosened.

"Draco?" She asked quietly.

"Yes." He kept hold of her. His own heart was beating almost as fast as hers.

"A man grabbed me. He...he cornered me under a bridge. He had a knife, a...a dagger. He was going to..." She started to shake as tears ran down her face. "Was this a memory? It felt so real."

Ice was running through his veins just at the thought of someone trying to hurt her.

"I don't know," he told her. It could have been, although he really hoped not.

"Stay with me?"

He held her against his chest. His adrenaline was still pumping from thinking she was in danger.

"Always, Love." He brushed a kiss across her forehead. "Always."

She stayed in his arms for a few more moments before she gently pushed away.

"I'm sorry," she said as she stood up and moved away from him. "It's just, I can still feel his hands on me. I need to take a shower. I have to get him off of me."

She left him sitting on the balcony. He heard the bathroom door latch shut a moment later.

He took a deep breath, running his hands through his hair. He tried to make sense of what the fuck had just happened.

Even though rationally he knew that no one else was there, he lit up the balcony, the bedroom, the closet and the sitting room. He checked everywhere a person could possibly hide until he was absolutely positive they were alone. Then he locked and warded the doors.

Hermione stood under the scalding hot spray of the shower. She scrubbed at her skin until it felt raw. When she finally turned off the water, the steam in the air was so thick you could cut it with a knife.

She wrapped a towel around her chest and dried her hair. She moved by muscle memory only. No conscious thought went into her actions of combing out her hair or drying off her body.

Her mind was too busy processing, trying to reconcile whether or not the nightmare had been real or a very vivid figment of her imagination. She tried to convince herself that it was the latter.

When would she have even been in Diagon Alley alone at night? And she had never even seen that park.

She almost had herself convinced as she twisted her hair up in a bun on top of her head. It was just a really bad dream. That was all.

She let the towel around her chest drop to the floor as she reached for her pajamas. As she saw herself in the mirror, though, she froze. Her breath caught in her throat. Her stomach churned.

In the valley between her breasts, there was a scar that was five centimeters long. A scar that she had no memory of receiving.

She barely made it to the toilet before she emptied the contents of her stomach.

"Hermione? Are you okay?" Draco's voice carried through the door.

"Fine," she told him robotically. She brushed her teeth and put on her pajamas.

When she opened the door, he was standing right there.

She swallowed thickly. He didn't know. She had never told him.

His eyes searched hers.

She averted her gaze, looking over his shoulder instead of in his eyes. He deserved to know.

"It wasn't just a dream." She told him quietly. She closed her eyes. "When he was on top of me, he cut me. I have a scar that wasn't there before."

Her hand settled between her breasts as a tear slid down her cheek.

"Fuck." He had really hoped it was just a dream. He knew exactly which scar she was talking about. He had always assumed she got it during the war like the others. "He didn't...I mean, you got away from him. When we were together, it was your first time."

"Yeah." She took a deep breath. "I was able to get to my wand. I stunned him and ran."

She stepped into his embrace and let him hold her for a few long moments before they lay down on the bed.

"Draco?" She asked in the dark. "Were you in here earlier? Before I fell asleep on the balcony?"

"No. Why?" He rubbed her back softly, drawing patterns against her skin.

She hesitated.

"Nevermind. I just thought I heard you." She didn't tell him that she had also seen him. Or that she had felt his arms around her waist and his breath against her cheek.

AN: So...things are getting interesting. I love hearing your theories!

Is anyone watching the HP reunion today? Sadly, I am not, but I saw pictures of Hermione and Draco dancing together which made my day. :)