A/N: Bleh! I had the hardest time writing this chapter. Actually, I had the hardest time writing the second half. The first wasn't bad at all. Anyways, I do not like this story as much as when I first came up with it. I'll probably try and finish it, but it just may not be very good. I happen to think that "What A Good Girl" is a hundred times more interesting, but you're welcome to read this if you want.
If you'd like to review and tell me where I went wrong, you're more than welcome. If you'd like to flame me, I've no problems with that either. If I collect enough flames, I plan to turn them in for a new toaster.
By the way, thanks to everyone who *has* reviewed thus far. I'd mention everybody by name but am just too darned tired right now. Next chapter, I promise.
Disclaimer: Nothing in this belongs to me. It all belongs to J.K. Rowling who is neither a god nor goddess, but a simple mortal. May we all follow her example.
Never Is Enough - Chapter Four: Hermione
"When I was asleep and completely blind,
you woke me up
and pulled me through
so I could see the light too..."
Ron debated on how to try and jolt Hermione out of her repetition. He had no idea what spell had been cast and didn't want to accidentally turn her into a frog. Finally, after dithering about it, he decided that physically tackling her was the safest technique to try.
That next day, Ron followed Hermione after a tired lunch of sandwiches. He kept close to her in the hallway to the library, ignored completely by Hermione of course. As they neared the library, Ron got a clear shot at her.
Promising himself to apologize to her later, Ron flung himself on Hermione, knocking her clear off her feet and scattering her books. Before Hermione could do anything, he wrenched her upright and flung her into an empty classroom. He followed her in, closed the door, and blocked it with his body. Turning, he found her already up and glaring knives.
"Who are you? What are you doing? I've got to get to the library!" Hermione's brown eyes were frantic. She ran a nervous hand through her hair.
"Hermione, it's me, Ron!" entreated Ron, not daring to move from away the door. "I'm one of your best friends, remember?"
"Ron? Ron? I know no Ron! OUT OF MY WAY! I'M LATE!" Hermione screamed at the top of her lungs and lunged at him.
Scared out of his mind, Ron wrestled with Hermione as she tried to physically remove him from the door. When that failed, she quickly resorted to kicking, biting, and scratching to move him.
Praying he wasn't hurting her, Ron grabbed Hermione by the shoulders tightly and threw her to the ground. He pinned her arms flat to the floor while the rest of his body kept her legs from kicking. She shrieked and for a minute did her level best to throw him off her. Things were difficult for a bit; Ron was surprised that Hermione was so strong.
Finally she stopped struggling and resorted to glaring at him and hissing, "Get off me now and I won't hurt you."
"Hermione, I can't do that. You have to remember me! Shake this spell off, I know you can do it!" said Ron, rather desperately.
"I don't know you," she said flatly, her eyes alien. "I'm late for the library. I have to get there…"
Seeing an opening, Ron took it. "And why do you need to go to the library so badly?" he interrupted.
"I..." Hermione stopped to think about it. "...I have to study!" she finished triumphantly. "Now let me up!"
"Study for what?" persisted Ron.
"Study...study...study for an exam!"
"What exam?"
Hermione spat in Ron's face. "Charms! What do you care? It doesn't matter! I need to be there!"
Ron didn't dare remove an arm to wipe the spit off his face. "Hermione, think. You took that exam two…days…ago!" He gave her a little shake with each of the last three words.
"What are you..." Hermione paused. Her eyebrows drew together as she thought. "I…" Suddenly she looked up supremely confused. The fighting tension in her body slowly left, as she thought about what he said.
"Remember, Hermione? We took it together. The Self-Levitating charm? You performed it flawlessly! You got top marks! I slammed into the ceiling! Remember?"
"But I...that happened?"
"Hermione, think! You know that happened."
"Well, yes, I..." Hermione's eyes cleared and she gazed at Ron with sudden comprehension. "Ron?"
"Hermione!" Relieved, he released her arms to embrace her energetically on the floor. "Hermione, you're awake!"
"Ron, let me up!" came a muffled yelp from beneath him. Quickly Ron rolled off Hermione and scrambled to his feet. She did likewise and he flung his arms around her again.
"Ron!" Reluctantly, Ron removed his arms. Hermione looked at him with wide eyes, her hair and robes mussed. "What's been happening? What's been going on? I…the past few days…"
"Have been like a dream? Have been awfully familiar?" Pulling her over to a table and chairs, they sat down and Ron told her what was going on. Hermione didn't try to interrupt for once as she listened intently.
"Everyone in the castle is acting like this? Everyone is...repeating?" asked Hermione incredulously.
"It sure seems so. I mean, you were off to the library to study for a Charms quiz, something you've done for the past two days." Ron said as he ran a hand through his red hair. "Everyone just repeats the same actions, conversations that they had the day before."
"Well, why weren't you affected?"
Ron stared at her, surprise. "I...I don't know. You know, I didn't think of that before!" He blinked in sudden confusion. "Why wasn't I affected?"
Hermione considered this briefly and then shook her head regretfully. "Well, I have no idea and I couldn't even begin to guess. But maybe we should worry about that when we've...um…wakened everyone else in the castle up. I'm sure one of the professors could answer that question for us. We should start tackling people, right?"
"What?" Ron's mouth fell open. "Shouldn't we go to the library? And figure out the spell that was put on Hogwarts?"
"Well, no." Hermione said, staring at Ron as if he'd grown another head. "Who cares what was cast! We know how to snap people out of it, just tackle them and talk sense like you did to me. By the way, I want an apology for knocking me to the floor!"
Ron's mouth snapped shut and he gave a small grin. "Well, bloody hell. I'm glad you're smarter than me, Hermione. I was all set for an all-nighter in the library, losing my sight trying to read small print."
Hermione grinned back. "So, that's why you woke me up and not Harry. Because you wanted me to do all the research and work like usual."
"Well, I figured since you were used to it…" he stopped as she mock slapped him. "But your plan is better and faster. What do you say we go and wake up a professor first? Flitwick's small and might have an idea of what was cast on the castle."
"Sounds like a very good idea." Hermione stood up and walked with Ron to the classroom door. "After you!"
Ron opened the door and took one step; then he turned back around, shoved Hermione back in the classroom and quickly shut the door. He grabbed Hermione by the shoulder and pushed her towards one of the tables.
"What are you doing?" Hermione yelped as he pressed her into one of the seats and pulled several books out of her book satchel hurriedly.
Ron flung the Charms book in front of her. "Death Eaters," he hissed and sat down with a Transfiguration textbook and opened it.
Just as he did that, the door creaked opened. Ron looked resolutely at the book, praying that Lucius Malfoy and the other dark-robed man would move on.
There was a brief silence and then, "Lucius, this room is mostly clear. Just two students studying, we shouldn't bother them and they won't bother us."
Cursing himself, that he had to pick a room that Lucius wanted to use, Ron forced himself to actively read the "Care of Magical Creatures" textbook in front of him. But he pricked up his ears to hear what Lucius Malfoy had to say; he was sure that Hermione was doing the same.
Ron heard footsteps and the hinges of the door squeak as the door was closed. "Thank bloody goodness. Somewhere quiet for a change. Is the castle secure, Killian?"
"It appears to be, Lucius. Of course, we can't tell for certain if everyone is under the spell."
"Well, the teachers are at least. When we dismantled the warning wards, they should've been aware of that. But nobody has raised alarm in the castle. It seems as if the curse is working properly."
The other man chuckled. "And so the plan now is to find Harry Potter?"
Ron stiffened involuntarily and forced himself to relax.
"Yes. I imagine that he's in class somewhere in the castle. Unfortunately, there's not as many Death Eaters here as I would like. I want you to split them up. Half of them are to go to the Gryffindor common room. The other half are to roam the castle and find the Potter boy. When they do, have them report to me directly in the Great Hall. They can use any methods necessary to subdue him, but he has to be alive and unharmed." Lucius snorted. "The sooner we get him, the sooner we can leave this place."
"Understood." There were footsteps and Killian left the room. Lucius Malfoy stayed, saying nothing. Ron's heart leapt in his throat.
The man sighed and walked over to their table. Gripping the side of his chair, Ron tried to ignore the pounding in his ears and tried to comprehend the words his eyes were flicking over. The best way to care for flobberworms is to leave them entire alone as that's when they best thrive...
"Can you hear me?" Ron was barely able to suppress his flinch as Lucius said this right in his ear. "I guess not. It's a shame that we're not allowed to do anything killing now; everyone would be sitting ducks. But I wouldn't disobey Him unless I knew it would work out to my advantage."
Lucius left the table and walked to the door. "You'd better hope that the Dark Lord doesn't change his mind. You wouldn't know what hit you." And with that, Lucius Malfoy left.
There was uneasy silence and then Hermione let out a long breath. "Well, that was…interesting. Do you think he knew that we weren't under the spell?"
Ron slowly closed his book and met her worried eyes. "I'm not sure. Why say what he did if it wasn't a warning? I didn't know that Malfoy's talked to themselves."
"What can we do about this?"
"I don't know. Ask him to please leave the castle and everyone alone?"
Hermione shot Ron a glare. "Seriously Ron. Lucius Malfoy may know that we're not stuck in a loop like everyone else in the castle."
Ron stood. "Well, I don't think that's what's most important right now. I think we need to find Harry and find him fast."
Hermione's eyes widened and she stood up as well. "Good point. Very good point." She went to the door and poked her head out. "Well, the hall's clear. What do you say we go get Harry?"
