Final Year: Dragons, Snakes, and Lions
Chapter Three: Dreams and Broomsticks
Japanese
{} Chinese
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[[A/N: I don't know why, but whenever I post now centering never shows up; if anyone can tell me why or how to fix it, please e-mail me.]]
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Clouds…dark clouds…but the sun still glistened brightly.
It looked like it was going to rain, there was the wet feel to the air; refreshing really.
I was going for a walk, the fields were open and it was fairly nice out.
However, carrying the lot of books, I never really tired; must have grown accustomed.
I was walking down the path, frequently looking at the landscape. There really were some beautiful flowers at Hogwarts.
The bushes and plants were unusually exotic for the region. It would probably scare a muggle out of their mind if they saw something like a Whomping Willow.
I stumbled on a rock; clumsy fool I am sometimes.
My books scattered…
I saw a hand reaching for my One Thousand Magical Herbs (by Phillida Spore) book.
I looked up only to have my vision blurred by the sun; all I could see was a shadowed figure and a piece of platinum blonde hair.
Everything around me swirled…
I was in the same place, only now, all my books were in my arms again and it looked to be night. The sky was clear…the only thing that lit up the sky was the stars…no moon.
I continued down the path…
A giggle…
I paused for a moment…but then walked on…
The giggle turned into multiple giggles…
I thought I was going insane…
I walked farther…
The giggles got louder…I could swear it was right near me…
I step off the path and on the grass so my footsteps wouldn't be heard.
I put down my books and began walking stealthy towards the sounds.
I peaked around a bush…
Draco…
He wasn't alone…
There were girls surrounding him, I recognized each immediately…
Pansy Parkinson
Lavender Brown
Ginny Weasley
The Patil twins; Parvarti and Padama
And Sachi Liang
Sachi noticed me behind the bush; I swear she has a sixth sense…
The girls stopped laughing…
I saw Sachi say something to Draco…he looked panicked…
I felt my eyes water…
Why?
I felt my legs move…
I was running...
I ran as fast as I could down the path I had just come from…
Past the flowers…
Past the trees…
I couldn't see them…
They were all a blur…
Was it because I was running so fast?
Or because my eyes were clouded with tears?
I heard footsteps behind me…
They were getting louder and faster…
I just ran faster…as fast as I could…
The path ended…and only a field came into view…
A large field with only grass lay before me…
Grass as far as the eyes could see…
I ran straight through…
Up the hills, and made my own path…
I could still hear footsteps…
They were following…
I was tiring…
My breath was heavy…my heart was pounding against my chest…
My legs were burning…
I couldn't take it anymore…
I fell…
Damn…
I heard the footsteps stop behind me…
I never looked up; just stared at the ground in front of me…
I watched the tears drop onto my scraped hands…
The person behind me was breathing hard…but not as hard as me…
I felt a hand on my shoulder trying to pull me up.
I shook it off.
I heard myself speak…It was an out of body experience…
"H-How dare y-you!"
The person spoke…"It's not what you think…"
"How do you know what I think?"
I had no clue what they were talking about; even if it was me…it wasn't me…
Does that make sense?
It does…
I had figured out who the other person was…
Malfoy
Why him though?
Draco spoke…"I don't know what you think…but I know what I would be thinking if I were you…"
"Oh?"
"Yes, and that's not it…"
"Just shut up…" the other me was still on the ground
Draco kneeled down next to the other me…
He helped me up…
I was still tearing; the salty water streamed down my face.
He was hugging the other me…
I wanted to scream…Why was he hugging me?
We just stood there for what seemed like eternity…
My sobbing had calmed down into a sniffle…
He never let go…but after a few moments, he held me out at arms length and stared straight into my eyes.
I didn't see coldness…
I saw warmth…caring…
It scared me half to death…
He spoke…"I have to tell you something…"
"What?"
"I…I…"
His last two words were inaudible…
* * *
"WAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!"
Hermione woke up with a start…screaming…and in a cold sweat.
She woke up the whole house—well almost the whole house in the process. After a few moments, Wood and Shino came running in with Draco walking, gradually and unenthusiastically, behind.
"What'd the…," Draco yawned, "…what'd the Mudblood do now?"
He was wearing a black satin robe and black pants to match, but he wore no shirt. [A/N: ha-ha fan girls drool!] Shino was in blue plaid boxers and an old black T-shirt; Wood was the only sensible one and wore both pants and a shirt (Gryffindor colors.)
Hermione glared at him and stood up from her bed. She was still dressed in her robes from the day before; she fell asleep in them. She looked over at her desk and saw Crookshanks on top…
She made a mental note to find out how he got there later…
The clock on her desk stated it was 5:15 A.M.
She groaned, wiped her forehead with her sleeve, and leaned against on of the posts of the bed.
Shino yawned too and rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand, "Hermione…why the hell did'ja scream?"
"I-I had a nightmare…"
"What about? Did you dream of failing you N.E.W.T.'s?" Draco spat.
"Oh just shut up, Draco!"
"God you're a bitch in the morning…"
"You shouldn't be talking about being bitchy in the morning…"
"Draco, shut up or I'll be tempted to take points off of Slytherin! Now Hermione…find a way to sound proof your room if you're going to scream like that again…"
Draco obeyed Wood's threat but mumbled something about 'abusing powers' or something along the lines; Shino looked like he was sleeping standing up.
"Hey, it's not like I planned it!"
Wood just waved it off and started walking out of the room, he pulled Shino by his collar 'cause he was only half conscious. Now only Draco remained…
He yawned again, "Whatever…just get dressed Granger we have rounds to do in forty-five minutes…"
"Oh right…what about breakfast?"
He snorted, "My, my, you've forgotten already. Didn't you read the schedule; we don't have time to go to breakfast."
"Oh right…" Hermione grumbled, "Now get out of my room…"
"Fine, fine…"
He left groggily, and Hermione shut the door behind him.
"Damnit," she mumbled. "I need to talk to Ron and Harry…"
Hermione went to her closet, ignored how spacious it was, and pulled out new robes. She walked tiredly to the bathroom door and walked in. She was (almost) shocked at how big it was. Since she had been a prefect in her previous years, she already knew the luxury of having a huge bathroom. [A/N: Book 4…the prefects bathroom…huge!] She saw the door that lead to Sachi's room. She was surprised that Sachi didn't even wake up at her scream. She made sure both doors were locked before tossing her cloths on a bench.
The whole bathroom was about half the size of her bedroom and looked like it was made for royalty. It was rather long and a pool like bathtub took up most of the space. Most of the room was pearl white and you could see your reflection on the floor. It sparkled and shined, and on most of the walls were covered with mirrors. In one corner of the room was a huge shower that looked like it could fit at least more than five people and was colored black. Right when you walked in (from Hermione's room), the wall to your left had a huge vanity with two white one-person benches with black cushions on top. Partitions separated the vanity from the rest of the room. On the one side of the room, behind a wall, was the lavatory. [A/N: toilet, whatever it sounded polite.]
Hermione walked over to the bathtub/pool and pressed one of the buttons that looked like a green jewel. There were a few of the jewels placed around the bathtub each with their own faucet. Each faucet had an individual scent and made the water and the whole room smell like the scent chosen; Hermione's favorite was green apple.
She done with her bath quickly, she dressed and walked out into her room. She didn't notice it until now, but the paintings next to her desk were bewitched like most of the others in Hogwarts. Since they were lions, they really didn't say much, but roared periodically. She walked over to her desk, looked at the clock which said 5:30 A.M., and examined the paintings. She lifted a finger and touched the mane of one of the lions; it roared. To her surprise, it swung open revealing the common room of the Gryffindor house.
'Ah, so that's how they do it,' she thought idly as the walked into the common room.
She mumbled something, stepped back into the portrait hole and grabbed a piece of parchment, quill and ink.
She quickly scribbled on the paper.
Dear Ron and Harry,
Please meet me at the Quidditch Pitch after classes end. I need to speak with you both.
-Hermione
She crept quietly up the stairs that led up to the boys dormitories. She saw everyone in the room fast asleep and tiptoed over to Harry. She laid the note on Harry's side table under his glasses for him to find. She left quickly and shut the portrait once she got back into her room.
Her clock read 5:40 A.M.
"Damn…"
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Wood stood in the middle of the Quidditch pitch waiting for his assistant. He rubbed the back of his neck and was thinking of ways to exact revenge on Shino.
He mocked Shino's voice as he mounted his broom. "Oh, Wood, do me a favor? Can you wake up my sister for me? Don't worry she won't bite! You're right Shino, she didn't bite…but she certainly does have a heck of a throwing arm. Maybe I'll get some things from Zonko's…or maybe something from Fred and George…they got better supplies…"
He lifted off and began floating around the field.
**************
**FLASH BACK**
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Wood was standing in front of Sachi's room after the whole incident with Hermione. He was a bit nervous but sucked it in and knocked on the door.
Nothing.
"Ey, Sachi! Wake up! We have to get extra brooms from the Quidditch Pitch in case any students break the ones we got."
Nothing.
He knocked harder.
"Ey, Sachi! Come on girl!"
A groan.
He opened the door slowly and peered in.
The whole room, decorated in different reds with silver and black decorations, was dim because there were black curtains placed over the windows and all the candles were extinguished. It looked a lot bigger than Hermione's but it was, in actuality, about the same—the only difference was that Hermione's room was crammed with books. The bed, placed on a small platform, was on the far side of the room; there were two huge arch windows on each side. The bed, was not a four-poster like Hermione's, instead, it was rather plain, with black headboards. It was covered in, what looked like red silk--sheets, pillows, and blankets; black dragons were embroidered on. There was a large black table on the other side of the room with a few chairs (red and silver) surrounding it. On the same side were the doors leading to the bathroom and the closet. There were a few Chinese paintings of dragons positioned throughout the room.
Wood opened the door the rest of the way and walked into the room. Sachi, sprawled out on her bed, slept peacefully. Wood rubbed his eyes, he knew this was going to be painful, and walked over to her.
"Sachi—wake up…"
Again nothing…
He stepped up onto the platform.
"Sachi…wake up…"
She groaned but cuddled up to a pillow instead of waking up.
"Damnit…" he mumbled under his breath.
He was about to reach over and shake her awake when…
- - -
"So you told him to wake her up?" Draco asked Shino while looking for a robe.
"Yeap, remember when I asked you to?"
"I still have the scars."
- - -
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!"
*CRASH*
Other smaller explosions were heard…
"AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!! BLOODY HELL WOMEN!!!!!"
- - -
Draco cringed a bit, "Ooh that sounded like it hurt."
"At least she doesn't have her sword with her."
********
**END**
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"That little runt will pay for making me do his dirty work," Wood said bitterly as he circled the goals. He saw someone down on the field and began descending.
"Oi, Wood! Come down!" the figure screamed.
He recognized the voice; Sachi stood down in the middle of the field, hands on her hips, and in her black robes.
He flew down closer to her but was still about thirty feet above her. "No way, women! Not unless you're unarmed and surrounded by Aurors!"
"Get down! I'm unarmed! Lookit! No wand!" Sachi called back.
"How can I be sure?"
"Just get down or I'll go up there and get you!"
"You don't have a broom! What are you going to do fly?"
"Aww, come on! You know you're going to regret that remark!"
And he did.
She began to glow white, not bright, but not a gray, just a glow. He didn't see much after that because one moment she's on the ground and the next…
He felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.
"BOO!"
"ACK! What the hell are you doing?!" he yelped and practically fell off of his broom. Sachi was in the air behind him—floating.
"See you don't listen, you could've listened to me, but no. You had to be cocky and almost gotten yourself turned into an Oliver pancake."
He quickly fixed his posture and retorted, "Gotten myself turned into a pancake? You're the one who scared me half-to-death!"
"Well you were being childish!"
"Look who's talking!"
"Ooh! Why I oughta…"
They were now face to face glaring at each other; Sachi looked like she was ready to pounce.
"MISTER WOOD! MISS LIANG! You two get down here now!"
They were so consumed in their argument they didn't notice Professor McGonagall and Dumbledore stroll onto the field. They looked down at their elders and gave one final glare to one another before floating downward. Sachi landed silently right in front of the two Professors while Woods landing wasn't as graceful. They didn't even look at each other during the process.
Professor McGonagall sighed and Dumbledore's outward emotions changed—one second he was smiling away and the next he had on a serious expression.
"Ms. Liang, what were you doing?" he asked sternly.
She seemed a bit surprised, she never heard him with that kind of tone of voice; of course, she only knew him about a day.
"Erm…arguing, sir?"
His expression softened. 'She didn't know what she was doing…' he thought.
"No, no. Not that, you were…flying—broomless."
"Yeah, so? I do that all the time…"
"No, dear, what he means is that you shouldn't be able to fly with out a broom," Professor McGonagall interjected. Wood looked like he wanted to say something but kept silent.
Sachi looked confused, "Why not? It's easy…"
The three others looked nervous.
"Ms. Liang, Can you do wandless magic?"
"Oh yeah, she can!" Wood finally said. "And trust me, it hurts…"
"I said I was sorry!"
"Okay, okay!" Dumbledore said before they had the chance to fight, "Sachi, can your brother do it too?"
"Yeah, is that bad?"
"Is what bad?"
"That we can do wandless magic and fly without brooms?"
Dumbledore sighed, "It could be bad, or it could be good."
Sachi looked disappointed, "What's that suppose to mean?"
"Soon enough I'll tell you, Ms. Liang, but for now I'm afraid I can't," Dumbledore patted her on the head like she were a little girl. He then turned to Wood, "Oh and Wood, please do teach Ms. Liang how to properly ride a broom."
"WHAT?!" they both exclaimed at once.
Before they could protest, he turned around and began walking out of the field; Professor McGonagall just shook her head and followed him out.
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Soon enough, classes ended in Hogwarts and Quidditch practice started; the Gryffindors were scheduled to use the field first. Harry, the captain and seeker of the team, was there first and waited patiently for the rest of the team. Wood was on the other side of the field and he saw Sachi in the stands…far from Wood. Ron came trudging onto the field with the trunk that carried the Snitch, Bludgers, and Quaffle. Following close behind was his sister, Ginny, who was a beater like him; she carried the brooms.
"Ey, Harry! Have you seen Hermione yet?" Ron yelled as he neared him.
"No, not yet," he called back.
As if on cue, Hermione sauntered on to the field. She waved at her friends and walked over to the center of the pitch.
"Hello, hello. Where's the rest of the team?"
"Not here yet," Harry said. "Why weren't you at breakfast or lunch?"
"I had to do rounds with our Slytherin king, slimy git, he is," she seethed.
"You had to spend the whole day with the ferret?" Ron asked angrily.
"Yeap, it wasn't as fun as you would hope," she responded sarcastically.
"Oh right, what did you want to talk about?" Harry asked.
She glanced nervously at Ginny; she caught on.
"Right, right…I'll leave you three alone…jeeze…" Ginny said dejectedly.
As soon as she left, Hermione plopped down onto the trunk and sighed. Ron and Harry sat on the ground (sand) beside her.
"I had a dream last night…more like a nightmare…" she laughed nervously, "I actually woke up the whole tower…well almost the whole tower…"
"You're the one that screamed?" Ron and Harry asked at the same time.
"You heard it?!" Hermione asked quite shocked.
"Yeah," Harry responded.
"It was bloody loud you know; woke up a lot of people," Ron added.
"Err, sorry…"
"'s all right, most of us passed out right after it anyways," Ron said smiling.
"So, what was the dream about?" Harry asked.
"Oh, right, well it was weird…I was walking along this path…beautiful really…lots of flowers and the trees were magnific--"
"Oh get on with it!" Ron cut her off.
"Err, sorry…anyways I heard giggling…"
"What were people snogging behind a bush or something?" Harry said only half kidding.
"No, no, not snogging…at least I don't think…I see Malfoy behind a bunch of bushes with a bunch of girls…not the girls you would expect neither…well maybe not all of 'em…err, well when I saw him I ran…don't ask me why I did…It was a dream all right? I don't have control…I ran…he chased…I got to the field that stretched for what looked like forever…I fell…he caught up…and then he said the most god awful thing…"
"What, nothing can be worse than saying you're a Mudbl—yeah…you know…" Harry cut himself off.
"Oh, trust me it was worse…"
"What'd he say?" Ron inquired
She gulped and fidgeted with her robes, "He said that he loved me…"
"Hermione," Ron started, "I'm not in the mood to have jokes played on me. Tell us the truth."
She looked at him with dead serious eyes.
"You're not lying, are you?" Harry asked still uncertain.
"No…but it's just a dream…right? I'll just avoid him like usual…"
"Ok, but I swear that boy has some problems. He'll be the next one Azkaban," Ron said in a serious tone.
"Oh! Damn, Azkaban! Don't say that word! …creepy memories…oh man! I forgot that too!" Harry thought aloud and then ran out off the field and towards the main building.
"Wait? What!" Ron exclaimed confused by Harry's actions.
"You said Azkaban…and he probably just remembered he forgot about Siri—I mean Padfoot…"
"Oh yeah…forgot about him…"
"Go on ahead Ron, I won't even bother following. I'll talk to you guys later…and tell Harry that he still has to be here for Quidditch practice…"
"All right…see you later 'mione!" he said as he dashed off.
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[[Authors Notes:
Alley: hey! so hows this chapter better then the others well any comments just e-mail...and i will write back at the end of the next chapter...
Mel: I'm rather disappointed in you people, no reviews? Maybe I'll just be mad and not post…well I'm not that mean…Well, PLEASE REVIEW! And if someone can tell me how to fix centering…I'll umm…give you a cookie! Yeah! ^.~ REVIEW!! ]]