AN: It seems I may be losing some of you. Things will get worse for Hermione before they get better, but we do get some answers in this chapter. Don't run off yet - it will all make sense soon.

Thanks as always for reading, following, favoriting and reviewing.

Lost Souls of Nott Castle

Chapter 32 - Hallucinations

Draco walked through the halls of the Ministry with purpose. It was Saturday, so the building was dark and empty, but he knew exactly where he was going. He had been there only a week earlier with Hermione.

Once again, he found the Minister working on a Saturday morning.

"Mr. Malfoy? What brings you back to my office so soon?" Minister Shacklebolt asked as he ushered Draco into the room and offered him a chair.

"Minister, I do apologize for disturbing you." Draco sat down across from him. "I wasn't sure who else to turn to."

Shacklebolt raised his brow and waited for him to continue.

"It's Hermione."

The Minister sighed.

"Yes. I heard about the incident at Hogwarts. The Aurors continue to search for Harry, but haven't found him yet."

Draco curled his hand into a fist and took a deep breath. He wasn't there to talk about Potter.

"Yes, well, that's not really why I'm here. At this point I couldn't care less about Potter." He sat up straight and looked the Minister in the eye. "There is something terribly wrong with Hermione and I have no idea what to do."

Shacklebolt sat back and turned his full attention to Draco.

"Define terribly wrong, Mr. Malfoy."

"When she woke up at Hogwarts, she couldn't remember anything that had happened since my trial. The healer said that she had put up some kind of memory partition to protect her memories, but he couldn't remove it."

The Minister did not look surprised. He must have already been briefed on that much.

"Last night she had a nightmare. She screamed so loud. It took me at least five minutes to wake her up. She said it felt so real. She was convinced that it was real, that it was a memory." He stood up and started pacing in front of the Minister's desk. "Now, though. She's remembering things, but it's like she's getting flashes all at once and she can't tell what's real and what isn't. She's hallucinating and I don't know if she needs a healer or a curse breaker or a charms master."

He stopped pacing and stood behind the chair he had been sitting in, putting both of his hands on the back for support.

"Minister, I know you have a million things on your plate, but Hermione trusts you. You are one of the few people that she actually does trust. She needs help."

The Minister steepled his fingers in front of him and appraised Draco for a long moment.

"What's she doing now? Trying to find a solution herself, I imagine?"

Draco sighed. His shoulders slumped and he shook his head. His hopes of finding someone that would be willing to help them slipping away.

"No. She can't." He rubbed his hand over his face. "I'm sorry to have bothered you, sir. I guess I'll take my chances at St. Mungo's."

He turned to leave.

"Wait. What do you mean she can't?"

He paused and turned back to face the Minister again.

"I mean she can't. She can't read. She can't have a conversation. She's lucid for a few seconds at a time then the memories overpower her. She almost ran off the third floor balcony because she thought she was being chased by some creep in an alley. She can't function, Minister Shacklebolt."

His brows furrowed in concern. Maybe, just maybe, he would help after all.

"Why don't you want to take her to St. Mungo's? I'm sure they could do more for her than I can." He leaned back in his chair and waited.

Draco ran his hand through his hair. He would rather not have to tell the Minister of Magic about one of his most humiliating moments, but he supposed there was nothing else for it.

"After my trial, I was released and sent to the hospital to be checked over before going home. The healer that was supposed to examine me refused. He signed off on my release so no one else would examine me either. Before I left he told me that if I ever stepped foot in his hospital again, I would leave in a bag."

He lifted his eyes from the floor just in time to see a look of horror flick across the Minister's face before he was impassive again.

"I see," he said in reply. "I want to see her. I need to see for myself."

"Of course, sir." Draco released a deep breath. "She took a dreamless sleep potion, so she should be out for a few hours. If you can come by this afternoon, she should be awake by then."

"Fine. Where will I find her?" Shacklebolt asked as he checked his schedule for the day.

"Nott Castle, sir. I'll make sure the floo is open for you." He shook hands with the Minister and thanked him.

When he returned back home he found Theo and Blaise in the library searching for memory curses. Hermione was sleeping, although the way she tossed and turned, he couldn't be sure the dreamless sleep was working.

"Shacklebolt is coming this afternoon," he told his friends. "He wanted to see for himself. I don't think he believed me."

"Wait, you went to see the Minister himself? Nothing like starting at the top." Blaise laughed.

"They are friendly." He shrugged his shoulders. He had thought to himself, what would Hermione do? And well, she would go to Shacklebolt. So that's exactly what he did. "Found anything yet?"

"Not a thing," Theo answered. "And this is possibly the worst way possible to spend a beautiful Saturday."

"Yeah," Blaise agreed. "Where is Granger when you need her?"

He laughed at his own joke. Draco was not amused.

"Relax. We're just joking." Theo told him. "It's funny because she actually likes spending her days in here."

"No, I got it." He groaned. Then he started reading through the book that she had left open on the table earlier that morning.

He found it difficult to focus, but pushed through anyway. He didn't find anything about hiding memories, though.

At noon, they took their lunch in the library and discussed their theories. Theo had found a book about obliviation. So far it had not offered any solutions.

Half way through lunch, the floo alarm sounded. Draco hadn't expected the Minister so early, but he quickly went downstairs to welcome him.

"Minister. Thank you for coming. I'm afraid she's still sleeping, though." He shook hands with the older man and led the way upstairs.

"I thought she might be, but I had a few extra minutes." He replied.

They were passing the second floor landing when Theo yelled down the stairs.

"Draco, get up here!"

He didn't hesitate. He took the stairs two at a time until he got to the third floor.

Right before he went through the doorway a purple flash of light zipped through the door and crashed into the opposite wall.

"What the hell?" He yelled.

"Heads up!" He heard Blaise shout out in return. He ducked as another curse flew through the doorway. Then he put up a shield and stepped through.

Hermione was standing in the middle of the room, firing one harmless curse after another to the left then the right.

Suddenly she stopped and smiled.

"Hermione?" He asked as he stepped slowly towards her.

"She just got up and started firing off curses," Theo told him.

"Confidence is a dangerous thing," she said all of a sudden. "Too much will get you killed faster than anything else."

Draco paused. She had said that before. To him. When they duelled to practice for their defence against the dark arts test.

"Words to live by," he muttered to himself.

"Come on, Malfoy. Let's see what you've got." She raised her wand.

"Get ready, Draco." Blaise told him.

Suddenly she dropped her wand. Her eyes darted around the room.

"What the hell?" She said quietly. "What is going on?"

"Hermione," he sighed. "Can you hear me?"

"Harry," she said with a deep sigh. "Are we really doing this now? I have somewhere I need to be."

Draco froze. He didn't say a word. He just waited.

"Anywhere but here." She continued. Then after a long pause, "This again? How many times do I have to tell you no? This isn't me playing hard to get. The answer is no. I am not dating you. I am not moving in with you. Ever."

Everyone in the library held their breath as they waited for her to go on. They knew this was her memory of the attack. It had to be.

"We do not belong together! Good God, Harry. You do not love me. I don't even think you like me. You just want me to take care of you. Well, that isn't my job anymore."

The room was silent again.

"No, you just figured that no one would ever want to be with me and I would be grateful to accept your offer. Guess what? Someone does want to be with me. Someone does love me just the way I am."

Draco smirked to himself. Yes, yes he did.

"So what if it's Malfoy? I happen to love him."

Slowly she shook her head.

"I am so done with you, Harry"

She turned and walked away.

Suddenly she turned, threw up a shield charm and ducked. Draco jumped out of the way just as she cast an expelliarmus.

Another shield. Stupify. Shield. Pause. Petrifucus Totalis. Pause. Then a deep breath and a shake of her head.

"Nice try, Harry." She took several steps forward. "You never would have survived the Devil's Snare in first year if it wasn't for me. You had your destiny to fulfill, and I had mine. Dumbledore tasked me with keeping you alive long enough to defeat Voldemort when I was twelve years old. I risked my life for you. I gave up my family for you. I was tortured for you. And this is how you repay me? This is how you thank me? By threatening me and trying to force me to love you? Attacking me when my back was turned? I thought we were at least friends."

She shook her head.

"Good bye, Harry."

She turned around.

She took a few steps, then shook her head.

"This is the strangest dream ever," she muttered to herself. Her eyes swept across the library and landed on Draco.

"You aren't real," she said. "None of this is real. I'm not even sure if I'm real anymore."

She sighed and rubbed her temples.

"Minister Shacklebolt is here to see you." He told her cautiously.

Her eyes found the Minister by the door. She looked at him for a moment, then turned.

"Not here," she said shaking her head. "He's not here. It's not real."

She turned around slowly.

"This is all just one big dream. Weren't we just on the roof? How did we get to the sitting room?"

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"We're in the library," he told her.

"The library? I have a lot of dreams in the library." Her eyes clouded over again. "Studying. Practicing. Snogging."

She smirked at him.

"I even had this dream where we were on the table..."

"Okay," he cleared his throat. "We are not alone right now, Princess."

"Oh no," Theo laughed from behind him. "Please continue, Granger. What did you do on the table?"

She shook her head. Her eyes darted around the room again. Her fingertips rubbed at her temples.

"Hermione, look at me."

She blinked a few times. Her eyes finally focused on him.

"Draco?" She asked. "Is it really you?"

"Yes." He pulled her into his arms. Then he gently took her wand from her hand and led her over to her chair. She sat down and put her head in her hands.

"Eat," he told her, handing her a sandwich.

She took it and nibbled on the edge even as her eyes took on that faraway look again.

Draco sighed as she started mumbling to herself once again.

Minister Shacklebolt made his way slowly to the table and sat down across from Hermione.

"Miss Granger," he said gently. "Hermione. I wonder if you could answer some questions."

She tilted her head and eyed him for a moment.

"I'm sorry Minister. I really don't want to work in politics, but thank you so much for thinking of me."

"That is still disappointing to hear, but I would like to talk to you about one of your dreams. Is that okay?"

She sighed and rubbed her temple.

"Which dream? This one? Because this one is so strange."

"You had a dream about Harry at Hogwarts. Do you remember that dream?"

She furrowed her brow.

"Yes, I remember. He tried to curse me." She rolled her eyes.

"Yes. But you overcame, didn't you?"

She smirked.

"He is so predictable. I hit him with a petrificus spell."

"Then what happened?" He asked.

She blinked at him.

"Nothing," she said. "I left him there."

Draco shared a look with Theo and Blaise. That didn't make sense at all.

"Where in Hogwarts did this take place?" The Minister asked.

"The Astronomy tower. I went in after my last test for a final walk through. You know, to say goodbye." She pushed her hair behind her ears and looked curiously at the sandwich in her hand. She shrugged her shoulders and took a bite.

"If you left Potter petrified in the Astronomy tower, then who the hell cursed you and made you fall down the stairs?" Draco couldn't help but ask. They were all thinking it.

She tilted her head again.

"I had a dream that Parkinson tripped me on the stairs at Hogwarts," she said finally. "I tried to catch myself, but I couldn't."

Draco and Theo both looked at Blaise. He just shook his head and sighed.

"She stood over top of me and laughed. Then she pointed her wand at me. I tried to raise mine, I tried to deflect the curse. My arm wouldn't work." She rubbed her arm absently.

"What curse did she use?" Draco asked.

Hermione just shook her head.

"I don't know. That's where the dream ended."

She seemed entirely unconcerned.

She looked at the sandwich in her hands and sighed. Then she stood up and put it in her pocket.

"I need to find some place to sleep before it gets dark," she said with a shudder. "I can't make that mistake again."

She started wandering around the library.

"Minister Shacklebolt, have you seen enough?" He asked.

"Yes. I'll see what I can do. Keep an eye on her. I'll be in touch."

"Thank you." He shook the older man's hand, then followed Hermione between the stacks to make sure she was okay. He found her in the far corner of the library. She was sitting on the floor with her knees pulled up in front of her. Her eyes were closed as though she were sleeping.

He sat next to her and leaned against the bookcase. He sighed and ran his hands through his hair.

A few minutes later, Theo and Blaise found them.

"The Minister left. Is she sleeping?" Theo asked.

"Was she ever awake?" Blaise countered.

It was a fair question, Draco thought.

"Go get some sleep, Draco. We'll take turns keeping an eye on her."

Like he was going to be able to sleep.

"If we ask the right questions, we can learn all sorts of things," Theo said. "Like what you two did on my library table."

Draco smirked to himself.

"I did tell her I would buy you a new one. We have every intention of taking that one with us when we find our own place." His eyes were starting to droop. He sighed. "Assuming we fix whatever the hell Parkinson did to her."

His eyes lost the battle, falling closed as exhaustion overtook him.

Theo looked at the pair sleeping on the floor of his library and shook his head. He really hoped they could fix whatever was wrong with her. They both deserved all the happiness they could get.

Hermione's eyes opened and Theo readied himself for round two. Or was it round three for the day?

AN: You all still with me? A bit of a plot twist that Harry was not the one that cursed her. How many of you saw that one coming?

I love hearing your thoughts and theories.

Until next week.

-mezy