Hermione Granger walked into the Leaky Cauldron, her hair swept up carefully, curled to perfection. Though, she wasn't pretty she had decided she wanted to look good today. It just seemed like a special day.
"Hey Hermione." A voice said from behind her. She jerked her head around.
"Oh hey Ron, seems awfully quiet here today, don't you think?"
He shrugged, twitching a bit, his shoulder on a tilt, "I suppose so, seems awfully quiet everywhere today."
My eyes surveyed around the pub, it was nearly vacant.
"How odd..." She said, voice trailing off. "Awfully odd."
"Awfully." Ron agreed. Hermione giggled, something a bit unlike her.
"So, how's that new project coming along?" He asked yawning a bit, just to annoy her. She knew he thought her job was boring.
"Awfully well." She said giggling, while Ron rolled his eyes. She straightened up, "Pretty well actually," She said, straight-faced, "Fascinating study, really."
Much to Hermione's pleasure, she was excelling at her latest challenge. She was studying the afterlife.
"I've got an interview with a ghost lined up for you, no need to hold back thank yous." Ron said, grinning slightly.
"To talk about what it's like?" She said, eyes bulging a little. He nodded and Hermione threw her arms around him for a moment, before pulling away, embarrassed. "Sorry about that." He grinned.
Handing her a slab of paper with an address scribbled across it, he yawned.
"Ghosts are such boring people, don't want to know anything but the way they died."
***
Hermione stared at wonder at the address for it sounded awfully familiar. She entered the house with her eyes wide open at the simply eerie cold. Very odd, she thought.
"Boo!" A voice shouted and Hermione jumped. It was ghastly white figure, covered almost fully in concealing white clothe.
"I suppose you'll be interviewing me." The voice said sadly. "So it goes ... the living only care about what they do not yet have and the dead what they can never have again." He sighed. "Interview me then dear fool."
Hermione felt slightly inferior, something she was not used to, being the genius of her classes had spoiled her.
"Well,..." She stuttered, "How long have you been dead?"
"Not all that long." He said vaguely, "But much too long."
"How did you die?" She said, staring at the cloaked figure with interest.
"The usual way, forgot to breath a few times, heart stopped working." Hermione detected a smirk hiding beneath the ghost's cloak.
"Details would be nice" Hermione muttered, frustrated.
"I was murdered." The phantom muttered bluntly, "with a wisp of a wand and a mutter of a few words."
Hermione inhaled, "Avada Kadera?"
"No," The ghost replied, deadpan, "I was tickled to death."
Hermione grinned, "That's awfully awful!"
"What?"
"Inside joke."
The ghost groaned, "I use to have friends like that, but now I'm dead. Ghosts make boring companions, don't you think?"
"No!" Hermione yelled, and then stopped herself. "I mean, no, of course not. Death, it's so interesting."
The ghost stared, "Did you have a bad childhood?"
Hermione grinned, "Let's get back to business, shall we?" The ghost gave what appeared to be a nod, though through the smoky cloak it was hard to tell where his neck ended and head began. "What did death feel like?"
"Like flowers in May."
"Seriously." She said, glaring.
"It was like, well." He paused, "Have you ever sat in the bottom of a pool, feet still, body loose, and breathed in all that chlorine like it was air and then go sputtering for some genuine oxygen?" He asked. "It's like that, only you never ever get the oxygen."
"Why are you a ghost?" She asked.
"You can't understand that until you're dead, missy, but I suppose you'll be finding that out soon enough.
Hermione jotted this down, feeling a bit awkward. "I better be leaving now." She said. "Any final thoughts?"
"Yes, just one." He replied. "The last thing I ever ate was a piece of Butterbeer pie. Did you ever know there was butterbeer pie?"
Hermione nodded. "All too well." She began to walk off.
"Good. Goodbye Hermi."
She jerked back to face him, "Did Ron tell you my name?"
"No."
Hermione jotted that down. "Psychic, eh?" She murmured and opened the door.
"I'll miss you." The ghost mumbled to the closed door.
***
"Nice to see you again, Red." Hermione mumbled to Ron as she slid into their usual table's seat.
"You know," Ron said, "I don't go around calling you 'Brown.'"
"Whatever, wanna go walking?" She asked. "I want to hear all about your auror work."
Ron grinned. He was the first auror the Weasley's had ever had. He enjoyed that fact.
Ron stood up, throwing a check on the table for his glass of Butterbeer. "Park?" He asked.
"Yeah, nothing better then green trees." Hermione said, twinkling in her eyes. Ron and Hermione were best friends, now and forever, and in all honesty she didn't care about the tree, or aurors. Only about talking to Ron, the only one who understood her.
The park was a nice place, she supposed. There were tall oaks, towering like skyscrapers, glaring down upon all who dared to cut them. The sky always seemed a little bluer there, the sun a little brighter.
"What's new with You-Know-Who?" She asked.
"Plenty, I've got a mission next week." Ron said, with that proud smile she hated.
She clutched his arm for a moment, "What kind of mission?"
"I can't tell you that." He said, smile widening.
"Ronald Weasley! The last thing I need is my only friend dead!" She said, trying not to raise her voice.
"Only? Hermione I'm not your only friend."
"You're the only one I care about." Hermione commented. "So if you have some crackpot plan to kill him I'm going to have to stop you."
"Hermione, your being unreasonable. It's just a mission."
The way he said that made her shudder. "Just be careful." She muttered, and began to stand up.
She never even got the chance.
***
Lightening, it's a lot like lightening, the way he arrived. Hermione stood there, looking at that lightening, frozen in place. Fear swept over her, eyes twinkling with disgust.
"Voldemort." She whispered, face frozen in anger.
"I'm sorry Herm," She heard a voice say. "This is all my fault."
Ron, she thought, the mission. He was going to kill him, wasn't he? Her face contorted. Don't let him see you fear Hermie, she said to herself, don't.
Hermione was a proud sort of girl and that was something she would bring with her, even to death.
"You think you can kill me?" The high-pitched voice she had been taught to fear screeched. Ron murmured a response.
"What's that boy? Speak up." He ordered.
"I will kill you, Voldie." He spat, and Hermione knew he was wrong.
My wand, she thought, have to get my wand.
Her hands flew towards her purse, praying all the while he wouldn't see her.
"Crucio." Voldemort muttered, nonchalant. Ron's body twisted in pain.
I need my wand! She said, cursing to herself.
"I love you, Herm!" He cried, through his pain. Damn him! Now Voldemort knew she was there. Her wand was in her grasp.
"Avada Kadevra!" He shouted at Ron. Hermione let out a muffled cry.
"I love you too, Ron!" She sobbed, tears flowing freely down her cheeks. He'd never even hear her.... He'd never even know.
"Now for you." He said, sadistic smile framing his face. Her wand, she had her wand.
"Avada Kadevra!" Two voice said, in perfect unison. Voldemort couldn't block it, not with his wand in mid-spell.
They fell.
Hermione's world froze.
***
"Hello Hermione." A calm voice said.
Hermione glanced up, "Hagrid?" She asked.
"Is that what I appear as to you?" The replica of Hagrid said. He was glowing with one light. "I came for Tommy and Ronnie."
"Tommy?" Hermione questioned. "I don't see Voldemort as a Tommy."
"He's one of the Big Guy's children, isn't he? Good kid, he was, charming kid. Not his fault the other guy got to him."
Hermione thought for a minute. "Who are you?"
"Death, the Grim Ripper, the angel of death, I prefer."
Hermione stared. "Am I dead too?"
"Look behind you." He said, and Hermione twisted her body around. She saw her body, still as dawn, sitting separate from her. She looked down, glaring at her transparent hand.
"Are you taking me too?"
"I don't know, Hermi, am I?" He asked, and she shuddered at the nickname. Just like the ghost, and hadn't he said....
"You can't understand that until you're dead, missy, but I suppose you'll be finding that out soon enough.
"No," Hermione responded. "I don't suppose you are...."
***
Hermione Granger walked into the Leaky Cauldron, her hair swept up carefully, curled to perfection. Though, she wasn't pretty she had decided she wanted to look good today. It just seemed like a special day.
That's odd. I feel like I've just awaken from a very bad dream.
"Hey Hermione."
Ron, I had the worst dream about Ron. All I remember is that I wanted to tell him something. That... That I loved him.
Hermioen opened her mouth to tell him this but all that came out was:
"Oh hey Ron, seems awfully quiet here today, don't you think?"
He shrugged, twitching a bit, his shoulder on a tilt, "I suppose so, seems awfully quiet everywhere today."
This all seems so familiar.
Her eyes surveyed around the pub, it was nearly vacant.
Like it's happened before.
"How odd..." She said, voice trailing off. "Awfully odd."
From the dream.
"Awfully." Ron agreed. Hermione giggled, something a bit unlike her.
It's like I'm not doing these things, not saying them. I feel like I'm on ... autopilot.
"So, how's that new project coming along?" He asked yawning a bit, just to annoy her. She knew he thought her job was boring.
The project, I dreamt about it too.
"Awfully well." She said giggling, while Ron rolled his eyes. She straightened up, "Pretty well actually," She said, straight-faced, "Fascinating study, really."
Awfully fascinating, the afterlife.
Much to Hermione's pleasure, she was excelling at her latest challenge. She was studying the afterlife.
But am I excelling too much?
"I've got an interview with a ghost lined up for you, no need to hold back thank yous." Ron said, grinning slightly.
The interview....
"To talk about what it's like?" She said, eyes bulging a little. He nodded and Hermione threw her arms around him for a moment, before pulling away, embarrassed. "Sorry about that." He grinned.
I love him.
Handing her a slab of paper with an address scribbled across it, he yawned.
"Ghosts are such boring people, don't want to know anything but the way they died."
Death.
Hermione day went like this, everything happened the same. The interview. Everything.
***
"What's new with You-Know-Who?" She asked.
I know what's new! God let me warn him. Why can't I warn him? Angel! Death! Please, let me, let me warn him.
"Plenty, I've got a mission next week." Ron said, with that proud smile she hated.
If you only knew Ron, God if you only knew.
She clutched his arm for a moment, "What kind of mission?"
"I can't tell you that." He said, smile widening.
"Ronald Weasley! The last thing I need is my only friend dead!" She said, trying not to raise her voice.
Oh Ron, I'm so sorry.
"Only? Hermione I'm not your only friend."
"You're the only one I care about." Hermione commented. "So if you have some crackpot plan to kill him I'm going to have to stop you."
"Hermione, your being unreasonable. It's just a mission."
Why did you have to lie to me?
The way he said that made her shudder. "Just be careful." She muttered, and began to stand up.
Why didn't you listen to me? Careful....
***
"Voldemort." She whispered, face frozen in anger.
I killed him. I'm a hero.
"I'm sorry Herm," She heard a voice say. "This is all my fault."
It's all right, Ron, everything's all right.
"You think you can kill me?" The high-pitched voice she had been taught to fear screeched. Ron murmured a response.
"What's that boy? Speak up." He ordered.
"I will kill you, Voldie." He spat.
Maybe not him, but I did.
Her hands flew towards her purse.
If only I had gotten my wand a little faster, just a little.
"Crucio." Voldemort muttered, nonchalant. Ron's body twisted in pain.
Ron!
I need my wand! She said, cursing to herself.
If only....
"I love you, Herm!" He cried, through his pain.
"Avada Kadevra!" He shouted at Ron. Hermione let out a muffled cry.
I'm so sorry.
"I love you too, Ron!" She sobbed, tears flowing freely down her cheeks. He'd never even hear her.... He'd never even know.
Never know...
"Now for you." He said, sadistic smile framing his face. Her wand, she had her wand.
Imagine...
"Avada Kadevra!" Two voice said, in perfect unison. Voldemort couldn't block it, not with his wand in mid-spell...just how many lives I saved by killing him.
They fell.
So many lives.
Hermione's world froze.
Except my own.
***
Everything went black. For a while Hermione didn't feel anything. Then, her translucent eyes fluttered open, revealing the house from the interview. The house with the all too familiar address....
"I suppose you got your answers now, didn't you Hermi?" The ghost said, cloak still covering his face.
"Why do I remember?" She asked.
"It's like that, and all in a blink of an eye. You were passed out about a minute on the floor of my room, reliving those last hours. You'll get that every now and then, dragonfly syndrome."
"Dragonfly syndrome?" She asked.
"Don't you remember? They taught us it at Hogwarts. You were always the great student of us."
"Us?" She asked, but he ignored her.
"Dragonfly's live a mere 24 hours. They get all their living done in that one day. So when you get the dragonfly syndrome, make sure you enjoy the food you taste, cause it's the last you'll ever have."
"Butterbeer Pie?"
"My friend's brothers made it as a joke. Put butterbeer in place of water. Tasted quite good."
Hermione was hit with realization. The address, Privet Drive....
Her name, he knew her name.
And butterbeer pie, Fred and George made it....
"I've missed you, Harry."
"You'll going to be seeing an awful lot of me now Hermione."
Poor little dragon fly's caught in the spider's web, knowing they won't ever get their full 24 hours. Thus is the afterlife, my dear Hermione, so write as many projects as you want because it will never get you out of that web.
-Fin