Hermione slept through the night and well into the next day. When
she awoke, she was surprised to feel calm at the fact that she had missed
half a day's worth of lessons, especially after missing so many the
previous week for her trip home. She arose slowly, unaware at first of the
dizzy feeling that accompanied her. She slouched against the wall, feeling
slightly perturbed by the feeling, but it soon passed and she decided that
it was just a reaction from her experiences yesterday.
After a long, hot shower, she found she still didn't want to attend class, and it was apparent from the silence in Gryffindor tower that no one was planning on forcing her. Instead she sat on her bed tentatively as if it would break underneath her weight and wrote nonsense words slowly on a blank piece of parchment. She wrote whatever thoughts invaded her mind, many of the dark and mysterious. It was the closest she would ever come to a diary.
After classes ended, Ginny came bounding up the stairs. "Hermione, how are you?" she asked, blatantly surprised to see Hermione sitting up in bed, dressed, doodling on spare pieces of parchment.
"Okay, I guess," Hermione replied rather absentmindedly. She continued to draw long words with her quill, wondering where on earth these words were coming from. They were too sinister of thoughts to be coming from her own brain. However, she didn't stop.
"The boys want to see you," Ginny said cautiously, unsure of why her friend was acting so strangely. "Are you sure Lord Voldemort hasn't possessed you?"
Hermione gave her a shocked look. "Of course he hasn't. Why would you think that?"
Ginny shrugged. "You look like I felt when he possessed me." She was quiet for a moment. "You know you can talk to me whenever you need to, Hermione. I'm always here." She waited for a moment before receiving a genuine smile from her friend.
"Thanks Ginny," Hermione said, smiling gratefully. "I could use a friend like you right now."
Ginny sat on the foot of Hermione's bed. "What are you writing?" she asked, peering over at the parchment.
"I don't know," Hermione replied honestly. "Just things that keep popping into my head."
Ginny caught sight of a few words and felt her breath intake. It was so unlike Hermione to be this disturbed. However, Ginny let it go, seeing as Voldemort had attacked Hermione. "Professor Dumbledore told me he would like to speak with you when you're feeling up to it," she said, watching Hermione's face closely.
"Okay," Hermione replied, back to the same preoccupied voice. "I think I'll go now."
"Professor McGonagall said you can find her in her classroom and she'll take you."
"Thanks, Ginny." Standing up, determined not to let the dizziness concern Ginny, Hermione made her way downstairs to the common room where she expected to find Ron and Harry, but the common room was empty. Instead, she hurried to the Transfiguration classroom, seeking out Professor McGonagall from behind her desk.
"How are you feeling, Miss Granger?" McGonagall asked as they hurried along the darkening corridor. Outside, storm clouds were quickly brewing in the February sky.
"Alright," answered Hermione, studying the walls intently as they went. She never knew how truly confining this castle seemed. She avoided McGonagall's gaze as they approached the Headmaster's office. After giving the password, Professor McGonagall stood back to let Hermione enter the staircase.
"Aren't you coming with me?" she asked as the staircase began to revolve.
"This is a matter between you and Professor Dumbledore," McGonagall said, just before she disappeared out of sight.
"Miss Granger!" cried one of the portraits in the corner when Hermione entered the room at the top of the circular staircase. "What a pleasant surprise. What are you here for?"
"Not that it matters to you, but Miss Granger and I have some private business to discuss," came the unmistakable voice of Albus Dumbledore. He appeared out of the shadows of the back of his office, smiling at Hermione. Taking her by the arm he ushered her out of his office. "We'll discuss this elsewhere," he said, following her down the staircase. "Too many nosy people in my office."
Hermione found it funny that he referred to the talkative portraits as 'people' and she giggled. Once outside, she let the cool breeze refresh her face as she stared up at the threatening storm clouds.
"Where do you care to begin?" Dumbledore asked her as they settled themselves on a bench by the lake.
Hermione shrugged, looking down at the ground. She didn't want to start anywhere, preferring to pretend the whole thing had never happened. Ginny's advice about telling him about what Tom had done to her skipped out of her mind. It wasn't that big of a deal. Instead, Hermione relieved the whole thing, starting with the train ride and how she had to sit in his compartment because the rest of the train was full. When she finished (her climbing the steps to Hogwarts, feeling utterly grateful) she was in silent tears. Dumbledore handed her a handkerchief, but didn't say anything for several moments. When he did speak, his voice was typically calm.
"Did he touch you in any way?" he asked her and Hermione shook her head no quickly. Perhaps too quickly for the Headmaster stared at her. "Are you sure?"
"No," she cried, bursting into hysterical sobs. "He pulled me close to him and grabbed my stomach and I heard his thoughts!"
Dumbledore didn't react to this. He simply nodded and asked, "What were those thoughts, Hermione?"
This ceased Hermione's cries for a moment as she thought. She hadn't thought about what the thoughts were, just that she had heard them. "I don't remember," she answered honestly several minutes later. "I can't remember. I know they weren't good, nor did I expect them to be. But I honestly can't remember." She looked up at Dumbledore with wide, teary eyes. "I'm losing my mind, too!"
Dumbledore smiled serenely. "You are not losing your mind," he assured her. "Sometimes, when something awful happens, the mind tries to block it out for the safety of the person." He was quiet for a moment, watching a bird skim the semi-frozen lake gently. "However," he said after a moment, "I think I would feel better if Madam Pomfrey examined you."
Hermione made a move to stand up, completely willing. "I'll go now."
"Not now." Dumbledore held up a hand. "Not now," he repeated.
"Then when?"
"In a few weeks, possibly."
Hermione felt thoroughly confused. "Why a few weeks? Wouldn't now be a good idea?"
"By all means, Miss Granger, you may go now, if you wish. But I do request that you go again in a few weeks time."
Hermione felt an unusual burst of rage boil in the pit of her stomach, but she kept it to herself. "Fine," she muttered, feeling unlike herself. "I'll go in a few weeks. How many weeks, exactly?"
Dumbledore smiled, but there was no mistaking the concern and trouble in his eyes. "I think you'll know for yourself," he said, causing Hermione even more anger. How was she to know? She couldn't read his mind. How would she know when he wanted her to go to the infirmary?
After a long, hot shower, she found she still didn't want to attend class, and it was apparent from the silence in Gryffindor tower that no one was planning on forcing her. Instead she sat on her bed tentatively as if it would break underneath her weight and wrote nonsense words slowly on a blank piece of parchment. She wrote whatever thoughts invaded her mind, many of the dark and mysterious. It was the closest she would ever come to a diary.
After classes ended, Ginny came bounding up the stairs. "Hermione, how are you?" she asked, blatantly surprised to see Hermione sitting up in bed, dressed, doodling on spare pieces of parchment.
"Okay, I guess," Hermione replied rather absentmindedly. She continued to draw long words with her quill, wondering where on earth these words were coming from. They were too sinister of thoughts to be coming from her own brain. However, she didn't stop.
"The boys want to see you," Ginny said cautiously, unsure of why her friend was acting so strangely. "Are you sure Lord Voldemort hasn't possessed you?"
Hermione gave her a shocked look. "Of course he hasn't. Why would you think that?"
Ginny shrugged. "You look like I felt when he possessed me." She was quiet for a moment. "You know you can talk to me whenever you need to, Hermione. I'm always here." She waited for a moment before receiving a genuine smile from her friend.
"Thanks Ginny," Hermione said, smiling gratefully. "I could use a friend like you right now."
Ginny sat on the foot of Hermione's bed. "What are you writing?" she asked, peering over at the parchment.
"I don't know," Hermione replied honestly. "Just things that keep popping into my head."
Ginny caught sight of a few words and felt her breath intake. It was so unlike Hermione to be this disturbed. However, Ginny let it go, seeing as Voldemort had attacked Hermione. "Professor Dumbledore told me he would like to speak with you when you're feeling up to it," she said, watching Hermione's face closely.
"Okay," Hermione replied, back to the same preoccupied voice. "I think I'll go now."
"Professor McGonagall said you can find her in her classroom and she'll take you."
"Thanks, Ginny." Standing up, determined not to let the dizziness concern Ginny, Hermione made her way downstairs to the common room where she expected to find Ron and Harry, but the common room was empty. Instead, she hurried to the Transfiguration classroom, seeking out Professor McGonagall from behind her desk.
"How are you feeling, Miss Granger?" McGonagall asked as they hurried along the darkening corridor. Outside, storm clouds were quickly brewing in the February sky.
"Alright," answered Hermione, studying the walls intently as they went. She never knew how truly confining this castle seemed. She avoided McGonagall's gaze as they approached the Headmaster's office. After giving the password, Professor McGonagall stood back to let Hermione enter the staircase.
"Aren't you coming with me?" she asked as the staircase began to revolve.
"This is a matter between you and Professor Dumbledore," McGonagall said, just before she disappeared out of sight.
"Miss Granger!" cried one of the portraits in the corner when Hermione entered the room at the top of the circular staircase. "What a pleasant surprise. What are you here for?"
"Not that it matters to you, but Miss Granger and I have some private business to discuss," came the unmistakable voice of Albus Dumbledore. He appeared out of the shadows of the back of his office, smiling at Hermione. Taking her by the arm he ushered her out of his office. "We'll discuss this elsewhere," he said, following her down the staircase. "Too many nosy people in my office."
Hermione found it funny that he referred to the talkative portraits as 'people' and she giggled. Once outside, she let the cool breeze refresh her face as she stared up at the threatening storm clouds.
"Where do you care to begin?" Dumbledore asked her as they settled themselves on a bench by the lake.
Hermione shrugged, looking down at the ground. She didn't want to start anywhere, preferring to pretend the whole thing had never happened. Ginny's advice about telling him about what Tom had done to her skipped out of her mind. It wasn't that big of a deal. Instead, Hermione relieved the whole thing, starting with the train ride and how she had to sit in his compartment because the rest of the train was full. When she finished (her climbing the steps to Hogwarts, feeling utterly grateful) she was in silent tears. Dumbledore handed her a handkerchief, but didn't say anything for several moments. When he did speak, his voice was typically calm.
"Did he touch you in any way?" he asked her and Hermione shook her head no quickly. Perhaps too quickly for the Headmaster stared at her. "Are you sure?"
"No," she cried, bursting into hysterical sobs. "He pulled me close to him and grabbed my stomach and I heard his thoughts!"
Dumbledore didn't react to this. He simply nodded and asked, "What were those thoughts, Hermione?"
This ceased Hermione's cries for a moment as she thought. She hadn't thought about what the thoughts were, just that she had heard them. "I don't remember," she answered honestly several minutes later. "I can't remember. I know they weren't good, nor did I expect them to be. But I honestly can't remember." She looked up at Dumbledore with wide, teary eyes. "I'm losing my mind, too!"
Dumbledore smiled serenely. "You are not losing your mind," he assured her. "Sometimes, when something awful happens, the mind tries to block it out for the safety of the person." He was quiet for a moment, watching a bird skim the semi-frozen lake gently. "However," he said after a moment, "I think I would feel better if Madam Pomfrey examined you."
Hermione made a move to stand up, completely willing. "I'll go now."
"Not now." Dumbledore held up a hand. "Not now," he repeated.
"Then when?"
"In a few weeks, possibly."
Hermione felt thoroughly confused. "Why a few weeks? Wouldn't now be a good idea?"
"By all means, Miss Granger, you may go now, if you wish. But I do request that you go again in a few weeks time."
Hermione felt an unusual burst of rage boil in the pit of her stomach, but she kept it to herself. "Fine," she muttered, feeling unlike herself. "I'll go in a few weeks. How many weeks, exactly?"
Dumbledore smiled, but there was no mistaking the concern and trouble in his eyes. "I think you'll know for yourself," he said, causing Hermione even more anger. How was she to know? She couldn't read his mind. How would she know when he wanted her to go to the infirmary?
