AN: Thank you to everyone who reviewed. So I'm a day or two late! :P This week has been crazy with work!
SophieBabe- Yeah, why does everyone pick on Cho? It's not her fault Harry likes her. ::wink::
Anne- Oh no! I think it's horrible when that happens. They might be unhappy at first but they'll get over it!
Aelron- Sorry, but at this rate Hr/D is winning by a long shot. But I promise that if this is the pairing I will do my best to keep him true to his character, tricky though it might be.
Adel- Well, Draco is winning 9:2, but we shall see. . . ::winks::
This chapter is dedicated in memory of Gryffie Girls, the former FAP group of crazy Gryffindor and Honorary-Gryffindors who wrote a ficlet about our adventures at Hogwarts. When FAP closed the CRs, the thread basically died. If you often hung out at the Tower before they were closed, you might know about the crazy group I'm talking about. So if something seems a little random here, it's proably from GG. And many of the names you've never heard of are fellow Gryffie Girls. I believe Ray has posted the fic at the new ezboard Tower if you're interested.
"..." is talking, '...' is thought, [...] is AN, (...) is extra info but part of the fic, ... means trailed off, -- means interrupted. Enjoy the fic and please review to let me know how you like it! Thanks!
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Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Hermione clambered off the train, dragging their luggage. Harry still clutched a half-eaten bag of Bertie Bott's, which he'd decided to save for a midnight snack.
The weather was the antithesis of what it had been the year before. The sun had just set behind them, and stars were winking into life over the dark lake.
Hermione smiled fondly at the nervous first years huddled together, remembering when she had done the same five years ago. How she had changed in five years!
With a start, she realized that Hagrid wasn't in sight. Instead, the bird-like Madame Hooch was calling the first years to her, with Fang at her side. Where was Hagrid?
She tried to hide her worried expression as she climbed into the carriage and hoped the others hadn't noticed Hagrid's absence. They would automatically assume the worst. Hermione managed to convince herself that a good reason would be explained in due time.
If any of them had noticed, none said anything. Harry and Ginny were too busy laughing over a joke Ron had just told to remark. Hermione tried to smile, but the sense of foreboding lingered.
Hogwarts quickly drew near. Perhaps her mind was just preoccupied, but to Hermione, the carriage ride was shorter than usual.
The foursome climbed down. Hermione looked over the waters of the dark lake. It was clearly Madame Hooch standing erect in the leading boat, not the bulky Hagrid. Hermione sighed and tried to push the thought from her head.
"What do you think, Mione?"
She looked up at Ron and the other two, waiting for her by the doors of the castle. "Sorry. What was that again?"
"I said, Harry would look far better if he charmed his hair to a Weasley red." Ginny giggled as Hermione raised her eyebrows.
"Well... I dunno. I kinda think it'd clash with his eyes," she smirked as they entered and followed the familiar path to the Great Hall.
"Yep, that's right," said George, slapping Harry on the back. Everyone jumped at his voice; no one had heard the twins sneak up on them. "We'll have our own walking Christmas decoration."
Everyone laughed. Harry muttered something about keeping his hair the way it was and tried once more, unsuccessfully, to flatten his unruly hair.
An hour later, thoughts of the absent Hagrid were dispelled from Hermione's mind as she enjoyed the feast. The house elves had really outdone themselves this year. And for once, Hermione wasn't even concerned about S.P.E.W. or anything but the here and now. She sighed and leaned back contently.
Dumbledore stood and clanked his glass for silence.
"Another year has begun. First off, I'd like to welcome all our new students." Everyone applauded again, smiling at the nervous first years at the end of the table.
"Secondly, I'm sure many of you have noticed the absence of our gamekeeper, Rubeus Hagrid." At this, Hermione glanced at Ron and Harry. Ron was wide-eyed and slack jawed; he was shocked that he hadn't even realized the absence of the friendly giant. Harry looked at her and nodded grimly; he had noticed but he hadn't said anything to turn Ron's joviality to worry.
"I thank you for your concern, but I assure you that he will be returning to Hogwarts shortly."
A groan arose from the Slytherin table. Harry turned, his face livid, ready to knock some courtesy into the arrogant pigs. Many Gryffindors looked ready to go to similar measures. Ron held Harry back while Hermione tried to rationalize with him. Unfortunately, now would not be a good time to teach the Slytherins a lesson.
"Thirdly," said Dumbledore clearly, as the room quickly quieted. "I'd like to remind you that while Hogwarts is an exciting place to be, basic rules enforced since your first day here are still valid, especially now. For the first years and the numerous older students who have conviently "forgotten", you are never to leave your common room after curfew." The restricted section of the library is restricted to only those with a teacher's note. And the Forbidden Forest remains utterly and completely off limits. Do so, and you will enjoy another happy year at Hogwarts. Disobey, and I fear the results. Punishments will be extremely strict this year, but there are some things far worse than any punishments we could give you."
He paused and turned his gaze directly at the 5th year section of the Gryffindor table. "And not being seen does not guarantee protection." He locked gazes with a certain dark-haired Seeker, and then promptly sat down, leaving the school mystified at his words.
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Hermione hung back with Ron and Harry as the rest of the Gryffindors hurried towards the Tower. Naturally, she had been selected as a prefect, but she was in no mood to lead the first years. She let Jen, the more experienced Gryffindor prefect and Head Girl, lead the way. She brought up the rear, watching for any stragglers.
Dumbledore's words had disturbed the trio. Sure, they were basic rules, but why was Dumbledore so frighteningly serious, instead cheerfully wise? Voldemort was back, but Hogwarts was safe... right? Harry knew it wasn't true. He had learned the hard way the previous year.
Ron was worried. He had yet to come face to face with You-Know-Who, and this unknown left fear. What danger could be lurking so near to Hogwarts? Was You-Know-Who planning something? Was someone going to be killed, like last year?
Hermione was more contemplative and pensive. Sure, the possibilities of Dumbledore's words scared her, but something else was tugging at her subconscious. She just couldn't put her finger on it.
"Better hurry along, or it will be past curfew," sneered someone, snapping Hermione out of her thoughts. "And we wouldn't want that."
It was Filch, with Mrs. Norris at his heads. He grinned maliciously. "Wouldn't want detentions on your first night back, would ye?"
"We're just going to the Tower," snapped Ron suddenly. "You can't punish us for that."
"I know you're type," he sneered. "You were probably sneaking off to the Astronomy Tower for an early snog."
Hermione turned bright red. Ron almost fell over in shock.
"We were just walking," said a very ticked off Harry Potter. "It's not illegal to walk now, is it?" Without waiting for an answer, he strutted by. Ron and Hermione followed.
"We'll get you, Potter. One day, we'll pay you back for all your little schemes," promised Filch.
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"Commander Bun-Buns," said Hermione quickly to the Fat Lady. She hadn't questioned Jen when she had been told the password, but suddenly it did seem very strange. Nonetheless, the portrait swung open, and they climbed inside.
The fire burned brightly and everyone was laughing merrily. Yes, it was good to be back.
The Weasley twins were playing a violent game of Exploding Snap, while Lee Jordan dueled Colin Creevy in Wizard's Chess. Colin was losing horribly.
A group of Second Years had dared the First Years to play some odd game involving wizard candy. The students from qizarding families quickly declined, knowing what would be in store for them. The Muggles agreed, not realizing the consequences. Currently, one was choking on a cockroach cluster while another kept sneezing and a third was a canary (courtesy of the Canary Creams donated by George for the cause).
Almost immediately, Ron pulled out some Gobstones and challenged Harry. Hermione watched them for awhile, but she couldn't stop yawning. Although it was only 8 PM, Hermione had only returned to London the day before from a visit to Bulgaria. (To visit Viktor, of course. But it was merely a visit. Contrary to popular belief, she was not his girlfriend. She had declined his offer to go steady. After all, she couldn't say she shared the feelings he had for her.)
Her body wasn't back on English time yet. She yawned again and decided it wouldn't hurt to get some extra sleep.
**************DREAM*************************************
She was wandering the halls of the familiar castle, looking for something, but she didn't know what. Her hair fell down her back and her feet were bare against the cold stone as she ran through the halls looking... looking.
Suddenly she was in an old unused classroom. Moonlight glinted off something tall near the chalk board. Hermione's feet distrubed a thick layer of dust on the floor as she approached.
She had never seen it before, but she knew it at once: The Mirror of Erised.
"Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on woshi," she said, reading the inscription.
Harry and Ron had told her so much about it, but she had never looked in it herself. What would she see? She deliberately stepped in front of the mirror and gazed into its eerie depths.
At first there was nothing, not even a reflection. But gradually the reflection appeared as if from a gray mist. But the reflection that stared back at her was not at all what Hermione had expected to see.
A beautiful golden-haired girl stared back at the top student of Hogwarts. Her face had a youthful sheen and curly golden locks cascaded down her back. The girl's clothing was simple yet beautiful. It was a light-weight sleeveless gown of some kind, with the gleaming white cloth gathered up at her shoulders. A golden chord was wrapped around her waist. And almost royal air hung about her.
Who was this girl? Was she really Hermione's reflection? She waved her arms around wildly and made odd faces. The girl in the mirror followed every move.
Hermione's eyes widened (so did those of the Mirror-girl). Then she chuckled sarcastically.
"I see now. The Mirror has a rye sense of humor. It thinks I'm ugly and I need a makeover. Well you know what, Mirror," she said defiantly, shaking a fist at the glass. "I disagree. I am perfectly content with my looks. Barbie in there might be pretty, but I bet she has the brain of a squirrel. This is *not* my heart's desire!"
As if in response, the mirror changed again. The girl remained in the foreground, but behind her the gray mist reappeared. Two male shadows emerged on either side of the girl.
One was tall, dark, and handsome. He was the typical male hero Hermione had always dreamed of. His face showed love and compassion as well as courage and nobility. He even wore some ancient form of armor.
The other was the antithesis. His hair was lighter, and his face was shrewd and cunning. Unlike the dark-haired man, he wore a simple tunic. But his eyes were clear, like windows to his soul. They reflected sorrow and pain and... love? Yes, love. Love that could rival that of the dark-haired man.
Hermione shook her head in frustration. "But what does this mean?" she yelled to no one in particular.
A voice and image sliced through her thoughts. She saw the face of a woman, a young olive-skinned woman with eternal sadness etched into her face.
"The Choice must be made ere the Eve of Darkness!" came the haunting reply.
Then everything went black.
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AN: Ooo!! A hint at the future plot! Ooo!!!
Please review! Thanks for reading.
~Calli-chan