Perfection. It just seemed to happen around her. Perfect family. Perfect
grades. Perfect life. Perfect friends. Well, maybe Ron and Harry weren't
perfect, but they were pretty bloody close. She could still remember the
exact way things were when her ivory tower started cracking all around her.
She had spent the morning and early afternoon in one of Brighton's beautiful parks reading and enjoying a picnic lunch. About fifty pages through her book, An Authoritative Narrative of Meddi-evil Witch-Craft, when she decided that it was time for lunch. She pulled out her egg salad sandwich and can of soda and watched a man and his son playing Frisbee with their dog. Finished with her lunch, Hermione gathered her garbage and deposited them in an appropriate receptacle (keep Brighton Bright! It screamed in red and blue paint). She picked her book up and began the short walk back to her house.
She returned home at about 2:30 or so in the afternoon to an empty house. Her parent's dental office wouldn't be closed for a while yet, so Hermione walked up the winding staircase to her bedroom and turned on her radio, nearly as an afterthought. It was almost funny how she got used to not having things like a radio at school. She settled down at her desk and wrote a letter to Harry and Ron since she'd not seen them in almost two months and not heard from them in almost a week. She still giggled when she thought of Harry's tale of a 'handburger.' The letter finished, she sent it off and wandered downstairs for a little snack.
Hermione had just put the ham back in the refrigerator when the telephone rang. It was Meredith, a friend from down the road and she invited Hermione to a late matinee movie. Sure thing. Eating her sandwich Ron-style (in 4.3 seconds) she left her parents a note and then headed out the door.
The movie was good. However, about halfway through it, she suddenly had a shiver, as if something bad was about to happen. She attributed it to the fact that the handsome hero on screen was about to walk into a trap and forgot about it. She and Meredith left the movies and returned home. As Hermione started her short walk home, she had another bad feeling. She needed to be home *now*. She ran the few remaining blocks and flew into her house at top speed.
At first, everything looked normal. She stepped into the kitchen, expecting to find her mum starting dinner. Instead she found no one. She called out 'mum?' and walked into the sitting room. Silence was the only thing she found. "There were two cars in the driveway, so they are home," she thought.
Hermione headed upstairs, figuring that maybe they were in their room. When she got to the landing at the top of the stairs and had taken a few steps further, she saw her mum sitting in a chair in their room. "Mum! I was worr---" she stopped in mid word as she stepped into the room. Her mum was sitting in her favorite chair, and her father on the bed. Around them were green flowing lights, similar looking to intangible snakes. "Mum?.." she said faintly. Both parent's eyes were completely blank, devoid of color. Their chests were still rising and falling, so they weren't dead, Hermione thought quickly. She looked between the two of them, and time seemed to stand still.
Suddenly, her mum's face turned toward her and a very different voice than she remembered her having that morning spoke to her. "Dear, some friends of yours stopped by a little while ago. They said to give you this." Her mum held out a hand and a skull and serpent appeared in it. "They'll be back soon, why don't you join us?"
She was rooted to that spot, looking at the skull, unable to divert her gaze. Her father turned to face her, "Have a seat, sweetie," he said, patting the bed beside him.
Finally, a voice spoke in the back of her head. It is the voice that we all have, that little primordial voice that only speaks up when our very survival is on the line; the lizard voice as it's been called by some. "You have to go right *now*," it spoke. Those six words thawed her mind and she whirled into movement. She ran into her room and grabbed her wand and her robe, for no reason that she could figure at the time.
Darkness was starting to fall as she reached the bottom of the staircase. She gave one final glance backward, up the stairs, and fled out into the night.
"Away," the lizard voice spoke. She listened. Hermione walked far into the night. The moon had long since risen when she was suddenly overcome by tears. She rested on a culvert and sobbed for a bit. 'What happened to my parents?' 'That was the Dark Mark,' and other thoughts flooded her mind. "Further." the lizard voice spoke again. Hermione wiped her eyes and jogged on.
She went for another two hours before exhaustion overtook her. Looking up at the stars and moon, she reckoned that it was approximately 1 am. Hermione cried more, sitting on a park bench and before she knew it, she had fallen asleep. Her sleep was deep and dreamless, as it normally was. She was awoken to a squeaking sound and a small hand gently shaking her.
She had spent the morning and early afternoon in one of Brighton's beautiful parks reading and enjoying a picnic lunch. About fifty pages through her book, An Authoritative Narrative of Meddi-evil Witch-Craft, when she decided that it was time for lunch. She pulled out her egg salad sandwich and can of soda and watched a man and his son playing Frisbee with their dog. Finished with her lunch, Hermione gathered her garbage and deposited them in an appropriate receptacle (keep Brighton Bright! It screamed in red and blue paint). She picked her book up and began the short walk back to her house.
She returned home at about 2:30 or so in the afternoon to an empty house. Her parent's dental office wouldn't be closed for a while yet, so Hermione walked up the winding staircase to her bedroom and turned on her radio, nearly as an afterthought. It was almost funny how she got used to not having things like a radio at school. She settled down at her desk and wrote a letter to Harry and Ron since she'd not seen them in almost two months and not heard from them in almost a week. She still giggled when she thought of Harry's tale of a 'handburger.' The letter finished, she sent it off and wandered downstairs for a little snack.
Hermione had just put the ham back in the refrigerator when the telephone rang. It was Meredith, a friend from down the road and she invited Hermione to a late matinee movie. Sure thing. Eating her sandwich Ron-style (in 4.3 seconds) she left her parents a note and then headed out the door.
The movie was good. However, about halfway through it, she suddenly had a shiver, as if something bad was about to happen. She attributed it to the fact that the handsome hero on screen was about to walk into a trap and forgot about it. She and Meredith left the movies and returned home. As Hermione started her short walk home, she had another bad feeling. She needed to be home *now*. She ran the few remaining blocks and flew into her house at top speed.
At first, everything looked normal. She stepped into the kitchen, expecting to find her mum starting dinner. Instead she found no one. She called out 'mum?' and walked into the sitting room. Silence was the only thing she found. "There were two cars in the driveway, so they are home," she thought.
Hermione headed upstairs, figuring that maybe they were in their room. When she got to the landing at the top of the stairs and had taken a few steps further, she saw her mum sitting in a chair in their room. "Mum! I was worr---" she stopped in mid word as she stepped into the room. Her mum was sitting in her favorite chair, and her father on the bed. Around them were green flowing lights, similar looking to intangible snakes. "Mum?.." she said faintly. Both parent's eyes were completely blank, devoid of color. Their chests were still rising and falling, so they weren't dead, Hermione thought quickly. She looked between the two of them, and time seemed to stand still.
Suddenly, her mum's face turned toward her and a very different voice than she remembered her having that morning spoke to her. "Dear, some friends of yours stopped by a little while ago. They said to give you this." Her mum held out a hand and a skull and serpent appeared in it. "They'll be back soon, why don't you join us?"
She was rooted to that spot, looking at the skull, unable to divert her gaze. Her father turned to face her, "Have a seat, sweetie," he said, patting the bed beside him.
Finally, a voice spoke in the back of her head. It is the voice that we all have, that little primordial voice that only speaks up when our very survival is on the line; the lizard voice as it's been called by some. "You have to go right *now*," it spoke. Those six words thawed her mind and she whirled into movement. She ran into her room and grabbed her wand and her robe, for no reason that she could figure at the time.
Darkness was starting to fall as she reached the bottom of the staircase. She gave one final glance backward, up the stairs, and fled out into the night.
"Away," the lizard voice spoke. She listened. Hermione walked far into the night. The moon had long since risen when she was suddenly overcome by tears. She rested on a culvert and sobbed for a bit. 'What happened to my parents?' 'That was the Dark Mark,' and other thoughts flooded her mind. "Further." the lizard voice spoke again. Hermione wiped her eyes and jogged on.
She went for another two hours before exhaustion overtook her. Looking up at the stars and moon, she reckoned that it was approximately 1 am. Hermione cried more, sitting on a park bench and before she knew it, she had fallen asleep. Her sleep was deep and dreamless, as it normally was. She was awoken to a squeaking sound and a small hand gently shaking her.