The Common Room had grown quiet. It had been a few weeks into winter, and many weeks after the deaths of
Ginny and Pavarati. No one spoke much. Newspapers were always headlined with
another attack, interviews of the victim's families and such. Lousy newspaper reporters. Couldn't stay out of grieving people's
lives. They were like swarms of
bugs. Ones that would never die, ones
that would never go away. Hermione was
constantly asked for interviews. Harry
and Ron had gone off for at least two months, leaving her behind. Their task was to defeat Voldemort.
"For the one THOUSANDTH time! Leave me alone!" she yelled at the
reporters, running away from their cameras and quills.
Her heart ached. Somewhere out there, her best friends were most likely freezing their
tails off or worse. They could be
fighting off hundreds of dark wizards all alone.
All alone.
That's what she was. Most thought she'd be the next target. She wouldn't die without seeing her friends again, not without
being with them, helping them fight the one person—no, thing—that had
ruined their years at Hogwarts. If she
died without doing those things, her soul would never rest in peace.
Most thought Voldemort was
indestructible and immortal. But if there was a way to defeat that evil –
Hermione Granger would find out how.
And she would find a way.
Hermione had a secret. A secret that could change all time, change
everything. Before they had left, Harry
had given her a time turner. He had
said to use it when she thought was best. He said he trusted her judgment. The only reason she wasn't doing anything with the time turner was
because the time didn't feel right. More than anything, she wanted Harry and Ron to trust her even
more.
But every night, Hermione fingered
the time turner and thought. When was
the time to use it? Did Harry know
she would need it one day, or did he give it to her for another reason? Did he want her to protect it? Where were those two now? When would this nightmare be over?
Never… whispered the evil
little voice in her head.
"Never?!" she screamed,
sitting up.
"Hermione, keep it down," murmured
Lavender. She wasn't doing so well.
"Sorry."
Hermione laid down again. She stared at the mess of nail polish
Lavender had made in their 5th year. 5th year…when all this hadn't started, when everyone
was laughing and she and her friends were being mindless bubble heads, pushing
each other into the lake with the giant squid.
I wish it was still like
that. No morbid articles about deaths
in the newspapers, scolding Ron and Harry about not doing their work. If I had know it'd turn out like this, I'd
have left them alone, let them enjoy their fun.
Her thoughts broke. She had a strange feeling… The image of two male figures in the
shadows, fighting a tall, thin man passed through her troubled mind. Odd… She was never one for divintation. Hermione stopped wondering and ran out. Pulling on her sneakers, she stopped to stare at the fire. It seemed to be calling to her, beckoning
for her to come close to it. At another
image, her attention shifted, and Hermione Granger was running as fast as she
could to the dark woods behind the school. Hagrid's light was still on, so she crept past it, hoping that Fang
wouldn't sniff her out. A loud barking
said he had.
"Quiet Fang! Ther' ain' no one out ther'."
She continued to run. They were close. After two months, Hermione wasn't about to stop running until she
was next to Ron and Harry. Why couldn't
she run this fast in the Muggle world? Why not gym?
The silly thoughts were pushed
away. Someone caught her arm and pulled
her back. Her instinct was to scream,
but her mouth refused to listen. Pale
eyes stared down.
"Don't go out there Granger. Weasley and Potter are fighting my
father. If they need help, I plan to
help them. If you go out there, they'll
worry about your safety, which'll make them hold back any attacks to blow the
whole forest up!" hissed Malfoy.
"You just want me to stay back so
your father won't get hurt! Well the hell with you!"
But something was different. Malfoy was looking unusually afraid.
"No! Granger, I'm telling the truth! My father is a heartless jerk, and he'd capture you and exchange your
safety for their freedom or their lives, then kill you anyway!"
Hermione didn't move. Not a muscle. She watched Ron curse at Lucius, Harry joining not too far
behind. Her heart stopped. There was a spell being directed straight at
her!
"Granger! Duck you stupid girl!"
When she didn't duck, or move for
that matter, Malfoy took a deep breath and pushed her down. Her brown eyes fluttered open. She was alive. Looking next to her, Malfoy was on the ground. She checked his pulse. There was none. Anger and rage flew through her, heating her face against the
cold wind.
"You killed your own son!"
With a outraged scream, the
seventeen year old girl lunged at the grown man.
A/N-
Ooo, what'll happen??? Please read and
review!