Chapter 2
All I Wanted Was You
It had been a week since the sleeping incident. The storm outside had slightly bettered, but remained a noisy gale. The low darkness of the grey- cast clouds set a sulky mood around Hogwarts, making many of the students depressed and/or irritable. Hermione hadn't gotten one good night's sleep since the storm set in, and as much as she hated to admit it, it was affecting her - physically and mentally. She and Harry hadn't dared stage another couch comfort night, in fear of what rumours would be started.
Hermione was sitting in the library, dank and uneasy, trying very hard to write an essay on Wicked Spells and their Wicked Witch Counterparts. She had one arm supporting her head, while her right hand was scrawling blindly across the parchment. The page went in and out of focus every few moments, and Hermione was reminded of how tired she was.
Seeing as how it was nearly curfew, the library was fairly empty. Hermione decided to cave in and try to sleep. She packed away her things and made a slow exit. As Hermione waded up the stairs to the Gryffindor Common Room, she heard something. "Asssethreeennt. Qu'erity suuthhhe tiiii," Hermione stopped dead. Could it be a snake speaking? No. She couldn't understand Parseltongue...only Harry could. Hermione dismissed the voice for her hallucinating brain and continued the trek to her room.
"Asethrent...tiiii sauuuh lllooo," the voice again. Hermione felt a chill scurry up her back, and she quickened her pace.
"Is someone there?" Hermione whispered repeatedly, charging the staircases. As she entered the last rise to the Common Room, the staircase began to change. "No!" Hermione yelled, her voice echoing through the tower. The staircase halted - mid-change. Hermione was standing, suspended above hundreds of other staircases, with nowhere to go. The way back had been removed of all adjoining staircases, and an old door remained.
Hermione clutched the stair-rail, her heart rate quickening. She took her wand from her bag, hand shaking. "Retournificus," she commanded, twirling her wand at the stairwell. Her spell didn't work...or it wasn't strong enough. The staircase shuddered, but didn't move.
"Asethrent? Wahhhs era uoy? Wh...ere...are...you? Where are you, Asethrent?" The voice became English, and Hermione's throat tightened.
"There's no Asethrent here!" Hermione called dully.
"Asethrent?" the voice sounded interested. Hermione's back hit the rail, the cold stone pressing into her skin.
"No," Hermione shook her head.
Then it revealed itself. Bursting from a dark portrait, a beast resembling half a Griffin and half a dragon reared into the stair tower. Hermione slammed to the floor, covering her head. The beast, with tapered wings translucent and pale and eyes that shone a magical purple, spotted Hermione's crouching figure. Clawed feet scratching the stone stairs, the creature floated to Hermione.
It cocked its long head at the girl, fangs protruding over its closed mouth.
"What are you?" Hermione managed to ask. Her wand was at the ready, her fear at its highest.
"Asethrent? Is that you?" the creature's silky black tongue slid like a snake's in its mouth.
"No. I am not Asethrent."
"You are Hermione Granger."
"Yes."
The serpent curled around a stairwell, its purple eyes baring into Hermione's own. "Warn Mr. Harry Potter that Asethrent is back." The beast uncurled itself and vaporized in the wall.
Hermione stood, fairly shocked, then willed the staircase to move back. Obediently, the stone way attached itself to the Gryffindor wing, and Hermione made a mad dash for the common room. When she had passed the Fat Lady painting and was safely in the middle of the common room, she dropped her books on the couch and ran to find Harry.
The fifteen year old girl knocked loudly on the boy's dormitory door. A sleepy looking second year came to answer, rubbing his eyes. "What?"
"I need Harry," Hermione said breathlessly, eyes darting around nervously.
"Harry who?"
"Harry Potter!" Hermione said, exasperated. The boy grumbled, closing the door and disappearing. A moment later the door reopened. Harry, clad in jeans and a light blue tee, appeared.
"Hermione...it's nearly curfew. Where've you been?" Harry asked her, shutting the door behind him. The two walked over to the fire and sat on the couch.
Hermione caught her breath. "I was coming back from the library. I was on the stairs and then they stopped midway through a change. I tried a spell, but it didn't work, and then this winged dragon-like griffin appeared, talking in some kind of language. It told me to warn you Asethrent was back," Hermione explained.
"Asethrent?" Harry repeated, eyebrows creased.
"Yeah. Then it disappeared. I don't know, Harry, I think it was speaking in Parseltongue," Hermione told him quickly.
"But it wasn't a snake?"
"No, though it had the tongue of one," Hermione added. "I think the fifth year mystery has just begun."
It had been a week since the sleeping incident. The storm outside had slightly bettered, but remained a noisy gale. The low darkness of the grey- cast clouds set a sulky mood around Hogwarts, making many of the students depressed and/or irritable. Hermione hadn't gotten one good night's sleep since the storm set in, and as much as she hated to admit it, it was affecting her - physically and mentally. She and Harry hadn't dared stage another couch comfort night, in fear of what rumours would be started.
Hermione was sitting in the library, dank and uneasy, trying very hard to write an essay on Wicked Spells and their Wicked Witch Counterparts. She had one arm supporting her head, while her right hand was scrawling blindly across the parchment. The page went in and out of focus every few moments, and Hermione was reminded of how tired she was.
Seeing as how it was nearly curfew, the library was fairly empty. Hermione decided to cave in and try to sleep. She packed away her things and made a slow exit. As Hermione waded up the stairs to the Gryffindor Common Room, she heard something. "Asssethreeennt. Qu'erity suuthhhe tiiii," Hermione stopped dead. Could it be a snake speaking? No. She couldn't understand Parseltongue...only Harry could. Hermione dismissed the voice for her hallucinating brain and continued the trek to her room.
"Asethrent...tiiii sauuuh lllooo," the voice again. Hermione felt a chill scurry up her back, and she quickened her pace.
"Is someone there?" Hermione whispered repeatedly, charging the staircases. As she entered the last rise to the Common Room, the staircase began to change. "No!" Hermione yelled, her voice echoing through the tower. The staircase halted - mid-change. Hermione was standing, suspended above hundreds of other staircases, with nowhere to go. The way back had been removed of all adjoining staircases, and an old door remained.
Hermione clutched the stair-rail, her heart rate quickening. She took her wand from her bag, hand shaking. "Retournificus," she commanded, twirling her wand at the stairwell. Her spell didn't work...or it wasn't strong enough. The staircase shuddered, but didn't move.
"Asethrent? Wahhhs era uoy? Wh...ere...are...you? Where are you, Asethrent?" The voice became English, and Hermione's throat tightened.
"There's no Asethrent here!" Hermione called dully.
"Asethrent?" the voice sounded interested. Hermione's back hit the rail, the cold stone pressing into her skin.
"No," Hermione shook her head.
Then it revealed itself. Bursting from a dark portrait, a beast resembling half a Griffin and half a dragon reared into the stair tower. Hermione slammed to the floor, covering her head. The beast, with tapered wings translucent and pale and eyes that shone a magical purple, spotted Hermione's crouching figure. Clawed feet scratching the stone stairs, the creature floated to Hermione.
It cocked its long head at the girl, fangs protruding over its closed mouth.
"What are you?" Hermione managed to ask. Her wand was at the ready, her fear at its highest.
"Asethrent? Is that you?" the creature's silky black tongue slid like a snake's in its mouth.
"No. I am not Asethrent."
"You are Hermione Granger."
"Yes."
The serpent curled around a stairwell, its purple eyes baring into Hermione's own. "Warn Mr. Harry Potter that Asethrent is back." The beast uncurled itself and vaporized in the wall.
Hermione stood, fairly shocked, then willed the staircase to move back. Obediently, the stone way attached itself to the Gryffindor wing, and Hermione made a mad dash for the common room. When she had passed the Fat Lady painting and was safely in the middle of the common room, she dropped her books on the couch and ran to find Harry.
The fifteen year old girl knocked loudly on the boy's dormitory door. A sleepy looking second year came to answer, rubbing his eyes. "What?"
"I need Harry," Hermione said breathlessly, eyes darting around nervously.
"Harry who?"
"Harry Potter!" Hermione said, exasperated. The boy grumbled, closing the door and disappearing. A moment later the door reopened. Harry, clad in jeans and a light blue tee, appeared.
"Hermione...it's nearly curfew. Where've you been?" Harry asked her, shutting the door behind him. The two walked over to the fire and sat on the couch.
Hermione caught her breath. "I was coming back from the library. I was on the stairs and then they stopped midway through a change. I tried a spell, but it didn't work, and then this winged dragon-like griffin appeared, talking in some kind of language. It told me to warn you Asethrent was back," Hermione explained.
"Asethrent?" Harry repeated, eyebrows creased.
"Yeah. Then it disappeared. I don't know, Harry, I think it was speaking in Parseltongue," Hermione told him quickly.
"But it wasn't a snake?"
"No, though it had the tongue of one," Hermione added. "I think the fifth year mystery has just begun."