A/n: Wow, thanks for all reviews! Here is the next part.
Destiny's Premonitions 2
Hermione stopped in front of Harry and peered down at his sleeping form. She knelt beside him and shook him a little, saying his name twice before he appeared to regain consciousness.
Harry's eyes opened into slits, squinting into the sun behind her. Due to the position of the sun, all he could see was the silhouette of the figure before him and couldn't place her. He sat up, rubbing his eyes, yawning, and attempting to get a better look at the person before him. His mouth froze in mid-yawn. Hermione was standing up in front of him.
"Hermione?" asked Harry incredulously.
"Hi," she said, giving him a small smile. The word seemed very inadequate, but she wasn't certain of what else to say.
He pushed himself to his feet and hugged her. She relaxed at his touch, hugging him back gratefully. Waves of gratitude and even happiness-an emotion she hadn't felt in a long while-washed over her. Just being in Harry's presence seemed to help. He pulled away and gave her a wide, but confused grin.
"It's great to see you!" he cried. He scratched his head, smile faltering a little. "Uh, how did you find me?"
Hermione sighed, her blank expression returning. She shook her head, looking at her feet. "It's a very long story, Harry-one I personally am unsure of myself. Come on, I'll help you get your stuff in my car. You can stay with us for a while, as the Dursleys have kicked you out."
"How did you know?" asked Harry, looking very confused as he bent down to grab the handle of his trunk. "I was going to find a phone and call you for help, but I fell asleep instead. I haven't been sleeping well lately . . . having all these nightmares . . ." He trailed off, feeling stupid. If he were having such bad nightmares, he couldn't imagine what Hermione saw when she fell asleep.
Hermione just shook her head, picking up the other handle of Harry's trunk and helping him lift it and carry it toward the car. Harry was glad the nosy women had left since he'd fallen asleep and that the park was now empty. He noticed the sun was setting. He'd fallen asleep many hours ago.
Harry said nothing more to her as they loaded his things, Hermione's father helping him with the trunk that was hard for even he and Hermione to lift very far. Mr. Granger assured him he was welcome at their home for the rest of the summer and Harry thanked him profusely. Confusion still gnawed at him though-how had Hermione known? He kept trying to catch her eye, but she seemed determined to look anywhere except at him.
Once his things were loaded, the two climbed into the back of the car and Mr. Granger got into the driver's seat. Hermione turned her attention out the window, leaving Harry confused and a bit hurt. She seemed completely indifferent to his existence. He supposed that she might just be uncomfortable around him after everything that had transpired, but he couldn't stop the slight feeling of pain in his heart.
Mr. Granger watched all this through the rearview mirror. He caught Harry's eye and gave the boy a sympathetic look. "So," he said in an attempt to break the tense atmosphere. "How have you been?"
"Wonderful," said Harry sarcastically. "Living with the Dursleys, being tormented by Dudley and brutal labor by day and horrible nightmares by night only to end up thrown out on the street. Come to think of it, getting thrown out was the best part . . ." He smiled. This somehow seemed to make Hermione withdraw even further and Harry's smile disappeared quickly.
The ride back to the Granger home was mostly silent. Hermione said nothing. Mr. Granger would sometimes make small talk with Harry, but neither of them were really interested in anything being said-both had their minds on Hermione.
It was well past dark by the time the car pulled into the driveway of Hermione's home. Harry liked it immediately. It had a warm, cozy, inviting look to it and he found himself relaxing. The rest of the summer wouldn't be so bad-in fact, it would be a whole lot better than it would have been had the Dursleys not kicked him out. He watched as Hermione carried Hedwig's cage past him and up the steps to her front door, avoiding his eyes the whole way. He sighed sadly. He wondered if Hermione was angry with him for some reason, or just didn't want to be around him anymore. Maybe he reminded her too much of everything that had gone on. He couldn't blame her for that, but he prayed that was not the case as he helped Mr. Granger carry his trunk into the house.
Mrs. Granger met them, her eyes expressing obvious shock as she saw him. She gave him a small smile before turning her attention back to her husband. "Dan, she . . . you mean the vision she had really did happen?" Her voice was full of disbelief.
"Vision?" asked Harry. He looked to Mr. and Mrs. Granger, but they didn't look back, so he looked to Hermione. "What vision?" Hermione caught his eye for the first time, but she didn't hold his gaze for long.
"Apparently," Mr. Granger answered his wife. "Believe me, I'm as shocked as you are. Harry doesn't have anywhere else to go, though."
Harry felt self-consciousness sweep over him. "I don't want to be a burden," he said quickly, getting their attention. "I can owl Sirius . . . he can come and pick me up in a few days if it's too much trouble. I'll understand."
Mrs. Granger shook her head quickly, smiling warmly. "No, of course not. You misunderstood me; you're welcome here for as long as you want, Harry. Hermione can show you to the guest room and then you can come and get something to eat. I have dinner ready . . . I didn't know your trip would take nearly this long . . ."
Harry actually felt relief at this. Much as he liked Sirius and much as Hermione's behavior toward him hurt him, he wanted to be there more than with his godfather. Hermione led him up the stairs silently after her parents insisted they leave his trunk downstairs. She showed him to a room right next to one he assumed to be hers, judging by what he could see through the open door. Crookshanks was dozing on the white bed and there were schoolbooks piled about in many places. Harry's room, right next to it, was devoid of anything personal as a guest bedroom would be. There was a bed against the far wall, a dark green and white bedspread thrown over it with green pillows to match. There was a table beside it with a clock and a lamp and a cup holder. There was a dresser against one wall and a desk against another, but besides that it was vacant of much else. While it was small, it was larger than the room he'd had with the Dursleys and he looked forward to spending the remainder of his summer there.
Hermione set Hedwig's cage down on the desk and began to turn and head back out the door. Harry stopped her by laying a hand on her arm. She looked up at him then away again.
"Hermione, what's wrong?" he asked. "I can't take the silence anymore. Are you angry with me? Do you want me to leave you alone? Please, just tell me, whatever it is."
Hermione sighed and caught and held his gaze. "I'm not mad," she said quietly. "I just . . . I have a lot on my mind right now and . . . that's all. I'm fine, really, I just need some space."
Harry knew there were other things she was deciding not to speak of at the time, but he didn't press her about it. He nodded and allowed Hermione to lead him back down the stairs and into the kitchen. Daniel and Cecile sat at the kitchen table talking quietly when Harry and Hermione entered. There was a roast chicken and potatoes and salad there, making Harry's mouth water. It was nice to be able to survey a meal at a table where he was welcome-and at a table where Dudley wasn't eating so fast it made Harry sick to watch. Hermione sat down between her father and Harry. She picked at her food and ate and said little. Harry's feeling of hurt had vanished. Now he was worried. He had a feeling this wasn't just her reaction to him being there-that she'd been acting that way for quite some time. Mr. and Mrs. Granger were quiet as well, though they'd talk with Harry at times. Harry ate enough to fill him and felt it to be an odd sight when Mrs. Granger began to wrap up leftovers to put them in the refrigerator. The Dursleys never did any such thing-Dudley never left anything to be eaten the next day, even when he was sick.
Hermione stood up while her mother was putting away the dishes and announced in a near-silent voice, "I'm going to bed. Goodnight, Mum, Dad. Goodnight, Harry." She turned and walked from the room quickly. Harry, who had been standing by the counter talking with Hermione's father about he earlier events with the Dursleys, watched Hermione leave. He felt Mr. Granger's hand on his shoulder and looked up at the man, who looked sad and worried.
"Don't take it personally, Harry," Daniel Granger said. "She's been like that for months now. It's not you. It's just everyone. After all that happened to her . . . I don't know, I guess she's just built these walls around herself and won't let anyone past them. I hear her screaming at night sometimes, but she'll never talk to us. It hurts. I hoped maybe she'd be more open with you, maybe it would help her to have you around." He stared at the doorway through which his daughter had just disappeared. "Unfortunately, that doesn't appear to be the case."
"Give it time," said Harry with a certainty he hadn't been aware of until that moment. "I was withdrawn at first too. I know she went through worse, but . . . maybe I can get her to open up. I can try."
Mrs. Granger gave him a sad sort of smile and walked over to them, drying her hands on a dishtowel as she walked. "You're a sweet boy, Harry. I hope you can. Because we've been trying and trying and no matter what we do, we can't."
Harry left shortly after, climbing the stairs the guest room. He passed Hermione's room on the way. Her door was closed now and as he walked past it, he heard Daniel Granger's words in his head. He nearly tripped over Crookshanks as he entered his room. The ginger cat hissed at him and backed away, his ears flattened and his teeth bared. Harry couldn't help but think the animal looked more like a saber-toothed tiger than a domestic cat. The only person Crookshanks would let touch him was Hermione-and, oddly enough, Harry. He wouldn't go near Ron-which Harry could easily understand. The cat was amazingly intelligent, as had been proven in their third year, and Ron had made it crystal clear that he hated Crookshanks. Even now, when he could accept the cat, he still didn't like him. Crookshanks wasn't happy with anyone else touching him either-he'd seen scratches on some of the girls in Hermione's dorm before and had even heard Lavender Brown complaining about Hermione having to keep her cat in the dorm with them. Harry found it odd that Crookshanks was willing to allow Harry to touch him when he wouldn't do so for anyone else. He never really cared to touch the cat, despite the fact it would let him. While he didn't detest it to the level Ron did, he still found it to be a menace. Sometimes he wondered.
He thought once more of Hermione and what her father had said. He remembered seeing Crookshanks on her bed earlier. Hermione was hurting and while she wouldn't let him do much, he would do all he could. He walked toward the cat hesitantly, bending down so that he was at eye-level with it. Crookshanks gradually stopped hissing and stood, tip of tail twitching, eyeing Harry studiously for a moment. Harry had to laugh a little at the expression of the feline-so human-like in nature. Finally, he walked toward him and Harry lifted him up. Crookshanks growled warningly and Harry was sure to support the cat properly so as not to anger him. He walked quickly back toward Hermione's door, not wanting to keep him suspended in the air for longer than necessary.
He knocked on Hermione's door and waited for a response. One didn't come, so Harry called in, "Hermione? It's me."
"Harry, I told you, I'm going to sleep," she called back. Her voice contained no irritation, just a strong weariness and reserve.
"I know. I don't mean to bother you. I just found Crookshanks and I thought you might want him with you. He is your cat after all and he doesn't exactly like other people . . ." Harry trailed off his ramblings as he heard the springs on her bed creak and soft footsteps pad toward the door.
A moment later the handle turned and the door opened. Hermione gave him a small smile and took her cat from Harry. The cat's look changed from annoyed to content as he began to purr in her arms. She smiled completely for the first time Harry could remember in ages and stroked his fur lovingly. "Thank you, Harry," she said, smiling at him as well. "Goodnight, then."
He smiled back, happy to see he'd helped some. "Goodnight." He turned and walked back to his own room, hearing Hermione's door close behind him. He didn't bother changing into his nightclothes. He pulled off his shoes and threw himself backwards onto the bed, pulling the covers over him in a careless manner and switching off the light. Despite all the sleep he'd gotten, he was still tired. He wondered about the talk he'd heard about a vision, and how Hermione had found him. The question had been bothering him all night, but he hadn't wanted to ask. Maybe tomorrow. This was his last thought as he drifted off into sleep. Tomorrow . . .
* * *
Flames flickered in the darkness and the chill swept over Harry instantly. He shivered in the cold blackness, looking around himself. The Chamber of Secrets-a place that had haunted his dreams for longer than he could remember. He saw Hermione standing beside him and Voldemort sitting on his throne. It was just like before-just as realistic and just as frightening. Harry lost himself in the moment, forgetting that he was only in a dream. The fear took over and he began to shake. For once, Hermione seemed aware of his presence. Never before in one of his dreams had she been conscious that he was there. She leaned into him and Harry hugged her.
Voldemort's red eyes burned like flames, brighter than the fire that lit the torches around them. "Lucius," he called, sending shivers down Harry's spine. "Get the girl. I'll get the boy. AVADA KEDAVERA!"
"CRUCIO!"
* * *
Harry screamed, long and loud, sitting up in his bed. Finally his voice faded away, but the screams of a girl didn't die for another several seconds and began again immediately. Though Harry was shaking and sweating, he wasted no time scrambling to his feet. No logic ran through his mind, only desire to reach Hermione.
He had not bothered to put on his glasses and so his journey to his door and out into the hall was seen in blurry focus. He reached Hermione's door as her parents were reaching the top of the stairs and as Hermione's last scream died away into silence. Mrs. Granger immediately began to pound on the door and call in to her daughter. Mr. Granger, looking distinctly shaken and unsettled, looked to Harry.
"What's wrong?" he asked. "Both of you were screaming."
"I . . . I didn't scream . . ." said Harry, remembering his dream and waking up, but not remembering his shout. "Did I? I just heard Hermione . . ."
Mr. Granger shook his head. "No, you were screaming, too. You stopped and Hermione continued, but you screamed. Did you have a nightmare?"
Harry nodded numbly, the realizations sinking in for the first time. Neither had time to say anything else, because Hermione opened her door. She looked just as shaken as Harry felt and their eyes met immediately. "I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I just had a bad dream. Go back to bed, it's not a big deal . . ."
"You both had nightmares and woke up screaming at the exact same time?" asked Mr. Granger. He paused and massaged his temple. "I think I'm getting a headache. First your vision, now this . . ."
Hermione ignored her father, looking straight at Harry, her eyes wide with shock. "You had a nightmare, too?" She paused. Harry was happy to see the look she got whenever she was calculating a situation back in her eyes. "What about?" she asked.
"Voldemort," he said. "Lucius Malfoy. The Chamber of Secrets."
Hermione paled considerably and leaned against the doorframe, staring at him. "The Killing curse," she continued, nodding. "The Cruciatus Curse . . ." Harry nodded and no one moved for a moment as the two stared at each other wordlessly.
Mrs. Granger broke the silence, looking between the two in concern. "Are you two all right?"
Harry nodded, not breaking his eyes from Hermione's. "Yeah. We're fine now. I think we should all probably head back to bed."
Mr. Granger nodded slowly. "Okay. Strange as this all is, I think we should wait until morning to discuss it further. All of us are far too exhausted tonight. Call us up if you need anything. I'm just going to finish helping your mother clean the kitchen, then we'll come up too." He gave his daughter a hug and kiss, which she was too distracted to return. "I love you. Goodnight. Goodnight, Harry. Don't worry about all this-we'll figure it out."
"Yeah," whispered Harry, nodding in his general direction. " 'Night."
The two didn't move until both the Grangers had descended the stairs once more. Finally, Harry cleared his throat. "This has happened before," he stated. "I've been having nightmares for several weeks now-all of them involving you, but rarely me. Something tells me I'm not the only one whose been having them. Nightmares involving Lucius and a strange cell . . . Voldemort . . . Malfoy . . ."
Hermione winced at his first words and he regretted them. She shook her head looking overwhelmed. "I've been having the same ones. My God. What is going on?"
"I don't know," said Harry. "But something tells me that this vision your parents keep speaking of may be connected. Care to fill me in? Because I doubt I'll be sleeping anytime soon. Nor will you, if my guess is correct."
Hermione shook her head. "No. Me either." She turned and headed back into her room with a call back of, "Come on, then."
Harry followed her inside and closed the door on her instruction. Crookshanks hissed as Hermione pulled him aside to make a seat for Harry on her bed. Harry sat down and looked around her room. The walls were pretty bare and when he thought about it, her room didn't look too much more personalized than his did. He supposed that made sense-after all, she did spend most of the year at Hogwarts. Her room here had to seem pretty temporary.
Hermione sank down next to him, burying her face in her hands and sitting silent and still for several seconds. Harry watched her, unsure of what to think, say, or do. Finally Hermione spoke, though the sound was muffled, as she didn't remove her hands from her face. "Why?" she asked in a sad voice. "Why me? Why always me . . ."
Harry sighed and put his arm around her comfortingly. He half expected her to pull away and was surprised when she didn't. She looked at him and he could see a faint glimmer of tears in her eyes. "Harry, I don't understand this, but it scares me. I just don't understand why I'm always at the center of everything. Why can't the universe just leave me alone?" She leaned into him and Harry was glad to see she wasn't edging away from him anymore.
"It's okay, Hermione," he consoled. "Just tell me what this vision is about. This is all very strange, but I'm sure there's an explanation. Sirius or Dumbledore or someone will be able to help us, I'm sure."
Hermione nodded, temporarily releasing her silence and explaining the earlier events of the day to Harry. He listened intently, not interrupting and allowing her to finish before speaking. Instead of immediately beginning to reassure her or speculate, he leaned back some and sighed again. The room was dark, the only light coming from the moon and streetlights that filtered in. In the dim moonlight, Hermione could see a confused and thoughtful expression on Harry's face.
Finally, he spoke. "Well, that's certainly stranger than the dreams," he agreed. "Has this ever happened before? Even something you may have just written off as being nothing."
Hermione bit her lip, remembering the few waking nightmares she'd had. A few might have involved Harry and a few were not memories from her past as most were. She could remember no details and was hesitant to inform Harry of these nightmares anyway. She was tempted, though, for the first time since the summer began to talk to someone. This startled her. "No," she finally said.
Harry could see she was keeping something from him, but didn't press her on it. He knew now wasn't the time. He could see now that Hermione had stopped talking that a look of distress had come over her face once more. He hugged her to him quickly, and then stood. He gave her a small smile. "Don't worry," he said. "We'll work this out. I'm going to owl Sirius. He needs to know about all of this and maybe he'll know something about all this. I'll see you in the morning."
Hermione nodded. "Okay." Just as Harry's hand touched the doorknob, she called out, "Harry?" He turned. "Thank you."
He grinned at her. "Anytime. Thank you and your parents for letting me stay here. I'll tell you, even with the nightmares, that bed beats the tree in the park any day."
Hermione smiled back. "Well, you didn't actually expect us to just leave you out there, did you?"
Harry shrugged. "I've seen the worst types of people, 'Mione. I didn't know what to think. I'm just glad I have some place to stay for the rest of the summer-and I'm very glad you're here."
Hermione stood and ran her fingers through her hair in a tired sort of way. She glanced at the clock, which was just striking eleven. "I think I'll read some of Hogwarts: A History. I won't be sleeping anytime soon."
"Me either," agreed Harry. He watched her pick up her large, tattered copy of Hogwarts: A History and couldn't manage to suppress a laugh. "You and that book, Hermione! How many times have you read it?"
Hermione gave him a small smile. "I haven't exactly counted, Harry. Several, though." Noticing the fact that he was shaking with unheard laughter, she frowned and asked, "What?"
"Last year, when Ron and I were looking for a way into Hogwarts to get you out, he said we should Apparate inside." Hermione rolled her eyes, making Harry laugh harder. "He said maybe he should read Hogwarts: A History, and I told him not to bother, because when we got you, you could recite it to him word by word."
"Waste of a perfectly good opportunity there, Harry," she informed him, sitting down and flipping the book open to where a red cloth bookmark was positioned. "You should have made use of it while it was there." She gave him a playful smile. "I'm sorry to say though that I probably could have recited it to him after all."
Harry finally managed to stop his laughter. He watched her eyes roam the book pages and said, "You know, Hermione, I've got some books in my trunk I don't think you've read yet. I could go and get them." Seeing the look on her face, he hurried to assure her, "No, they're not Quidditch books. Would you like me to fetch them?"
Hermione nodded. "That would be nice. But what will you do?"
"You know Ron and I-we never read unless we're forced. I'll find other things to occupy my time. I'll owl Sirius and Ron, then I'll polish my Firebolt or something. I dunno. Don't worry about me; the books won't be a great loss. I'll get them." Harry opened the door and slipped out, closing it quietly behind him.
Hermione watched him go with a small smile playing on her lips. She realized this a moment later and the smile vanished, replaced by shock. Harry had been there only a few hours and had already managed to make her smile and even laugh. She hadn't done any such thing since waking up in the hospital wing several months ago. In just a few hours, Harry had managed to get past the walls she'd constructed around her emotions, where no one else had managed it, even with months of work. Hermione looked back down at her book, surprised to realize she didn't resent this fact at all.
* * *
Dumbledore watched the happenings in his bowl, smiling slightly. Sirius sat back in his chair and stared, shaking his head. "I don't believe it," he muttered. "Already they're receiving dreams and visions?"
"As I said, Sirius, they are strong enough." Sirius nodded, not noticing the frown in Dumbledore's eyes. "This proves it. I do believe you were wrong when you told Harry that being with Hermione would make it harder on the both of them. Indeed, it seems that the two are much more relaxed than we have seen them yet. This is good for them."
Sirius nodded. "Yeah, I think it is, in that sense."
Dumbledore looked at the fatigue on his colleague's face, and said in a firm voice, "Sirius, take a break. Get some dinner and go to sleep. I will awaken you should anything happen with the two."
Sirius seemed to be pondering an argument, but finally stood and sighed with one last glance at the bowl. "Okay, Dumbledore. Thanks. It's easier on me to know that Harry and Hermione are coping better now that they have one another." With that, he turned and walked from the room.
Dumbledore watched the door close quietly behind Sirius before sitting forward and peering into his bowl at Hermione where she sat on her bed. So many secrets none of them are ready to know yet, not even Sirius, thought Dumbledore wistfully. "You are right, Sirius," Dumbledore whispered to himself. "It will be easier on them-just as it was for the Chosen Two before them."
A/n: Okay, again, please tell me if you think Hermione's reactions are believable. Still unsure. The only way you can do that is to review!
Destiny's Premonitions 2
Hermione stopped in front of Harry and peered down at his sleeping form. She knelt beside him and shook him a little, saying his name twice before he appeared to regain consciousness.
Harry's eyes opened into slits, squinting into the sun behind her. Due to the position of the sun, all he could see was the silhouette of the figure before him and couldn't place her. He sat up, rubbing his eyes, yawning, and attempting to get a better look at the person before him. His mouth froze in mid-yawn. Hermione was standing up in front of him.
"Hermione?" asked Harry incredulously.
"Hi," she said, giving him a small smile. The word seemed very inadequate, but she wasn't certain of what else to say.
He pushed himself to his feet and hugged her. She relaxed at his touch, hugging him back gratefully. Waves of gratitude and even happiness-an emotion she hadn't felt in a long while-washed over her. Just being in Harry's presence seemed to help. He pulled away and gave her a wide, but confused grin.
"It's great to see you!" he cried. He scratched his head, smile faltering a little. "Uh, how did you find me?"
Hermione sighed, her blank expression returning. She shook her head, looking at her feet. "It's a very long story, Harry-one I personally am unsure of myself. Come on, I'll help you get your stuff in my car. You can stay with us for a while, as the Dursleys have kicked you out."
"How did you know?" asked Harry, looking very confused as he bent down to grab the handle of his trunk. "I was going to find a phone and call you for help, but I fell asleep instead. I haven't been sleeping well lately . . . having all these nightmares . . ." He trailed off, feeling stupid. If he were having such bad nightmares, he couldn't imagine what Hermione saw when she fell asleep.
Hermione just shook her head, picking up the other handle of Harry's trunk and helping him lift it and carry it toward the car. Harry was glad the nosy women had left since he'd fallen asleep and that the park was now empty. He noticed the sun was setting. He'd fallen asleep many hours ago.
Harry said nothing more to her as they loaded his things, Hermione's father helping him with the trunk that was hard for even he and Hermione to lift very far. Mr. Granger assured him he was welcome at their home for the rest of the summer and Harry thanked him profusely. Confusion still gnawed at him though-how had Hermione known? He kept trying to catch her eye, but she seemed determined to look anywhere except at him.
Once his things were loaded, the two climbed into the back of the car and Mr. Granger got into the driver's seat. Hermione turned her attention out the window, leaving Harry confused and a bit hurt. She seemed completely indifferent to his existence. He supposed that she might just be uncomfortable around him after everything that had transpired, but he couldn't stop the slight feeling of pain in his heart.
Mr. Granger watched all this through the rearview mirror. He caught Harry's eye and gave the boy a sympathetic look. "So," he said in an attempt to break the tense atmosphere. "How have you been?"
"Wonderful," said Harry sarcastically. "Living with the Dursleys, being tormented by Dudley and brutal labor by day and horrible nightmares by night only to end up thrown out on the street. Come to think of it, getting thrown out was the best part . . ." He smiled. This somehow seemed to make Hermione withdraw even further and Harry's smile disappeared quickly.
The ride back to the Granger home was mostly silent. Hermione said nothing. Mr. Granger would sometimes make small talk with Harry, but neither of them were really interested in anything being said-both had their minds on Hermione.
It was well past dark by the time the car pulled into the driveway of Hermione's home. Harry liked it immediately. It had a warm, cozy, inviting look to it and he found himself relaxing. The rest of the summer wouldn't be so bad-in fact, it would be a whole lot better than it would have been had the Dursleys not kicked him out. He watched as Hermione carried Hedwig's cage past him and up the steps to her front door, avoiding his eyes the whole way. He sighed sadly. He wondered if Hermione was angry with him for some reason, or just didn't want to be around him anymore. Maybe he reminded her too much of everything that had gone on. He couldn't blame her for that, but he prayed that was not the case as he helped Mr. Granger carry his trunk into the house.
Mrs. Granger met them, her eyes expressing obvious shock as she saw him. She gave him a small smile before turning her attention back to her husband. "Dan, she . . . you mean the vision she had really did happen?" Her voice was full of disbelief.
"Vision?" asked Harry. He looked to Mr. and Mrs. Granger, but they didn't look back, so he looked to Hermione. "What vision?" Hermione caught his eye for the first time, but she didn't hold his gaze for long.
"Apparently," Mr. Granger answered his wife. "Believe me, I'm as shocked as you are. Harry doesn't have anywhere else to go, though."
Harry felt self-consciousness sweep over him. "I don't want to be a burden," he said quickly, getting their attention. "I can owl Sirius . . . he can come and pick me up in a few days if it's too much trouble. I'll understand."
Mrs. Granger shook her head quickly, smiling warmly. "No, of course not. You misunderstood me; you're welcome here for as long as you want, Harry. Hermione can show you to the guest room and then you can come and get something to eat. I have dinner ready . . . I didn't know your trip would take nearly this long . . ."
Harry actually felt relief at this. Much as he liked Sirius and much as Hermione's behavior toward him hurt him, he wanted to be there more than with his godfather. Hermione led him up the stairs silently after her parents insisted they leave his trunk downstairs. She showed him to a room right next to one he assumed to be hers, judging by what he could see through the open door. Crookshanks was dozing on the white bed and there were schoolbooks piled about in many places. Harry's room, right next to it, was devoid of anything personal as a guest bedroom would be. There was a bed against the far wall, a dark green and white bedspread thrown over it with green pillows to match. There was a table beside it with a clock and a lamp and a cup holder. There was a dresser against one wall and a desk against another, but besides that it was vacant of much else. While it was small, it was larger than the room he'd had with the Dursleys and he looked forward to spending the remainder of his summer there.
Hermione set Hedwig's cage down on the desk and began to turn and head back out the door. Harry stopped her by laying a hand on her arm. She looked up at him then away again.
"Hermione, what's wrong?" he asked. "I can't take the silence anymore. Are you angry with me? Do you want me to leave you alone? Please, just tell me, whatever it is."
Hermione sighed and caught and held his gaze. "I'm not mad," she said quietly. "I just . . . I have a lot on my mind right now and . . . that's all. I'm fine, really, I just need some space."
Harry knew there were other things she was deciding not to speak of at the time, but he didn't press her about it. He nodded and allowed Hermione to lead him back down the stairs and into the kitchen. Daniel and Cecile sat at the kitchen table talking quietly when Harry and Hermione entered. There was a roast chicken and potatoes and salad there, making Harry's mouth water. It was nice to be able to survey a meal at a table where he was welcome-and at a table where Dudley wasn't eating so fast it made Harry sick to watch. Hermione sat down between her father and Harry. She picked at her food and ate and said little. Harry's feeling of hurt had vanished. Now he was worried. He had a feeling this wasn't just her reaction to him being there-that she'd been acting that way for quite some time. Mr. and Mrs. Granger were quiet as well, though they'd talk with Harry at times. Harry ate enough to fill him and felt it to be an odd sight when Mrs. Granger began to wrap up leftovers to put them in the refrigerator. The Dursleys never did any such thing-Dudley never left anything to be eaten the next day, even when he was sick.
Hermione stood up while her mother was putting away the dishes and announced in a near-silent voice, "I'm going to bed. Goodnight, Mum, Dad. Goodnight, Harry." She turned and walked from the room quickly. Harry, who had been standing by the counter talking with Hermione's father about he earlier events with the Dursleys, watched Hermione leave. He felt Mr. Granger's hand on his shoulder and looked up at the man, who looked sad and worried.
"Don't take it personally, Harry," Daniel Granger said. "She's been like that for months now. It's not you. It's just everyone. After all that happened to her . . . I don't know, I guess she's just built these walls around herself and won't let anyone past them. I hear her screaming at night sometimes, but she'll never talk to us. It hurts. I hoped maybe she'd be more open with you, maybe it would help her to have you around." He stared at the doorway through which his daughter had just disappeared. "Unfortunately, that doesn't appear to be the case."
"Give it time," said Harry with a certainty he hadn't been aware of until that moment. "I was withdrawn at first too. I know she went through worse, but . . . maybe I can get her to open up. I can try."
Mrs. Granger gave him a sad sort of smile and walked over to them, drying her hands on a dishtowel as she walked. "You're a sweet boy, Harry. I hope you can. Because we've been trying and trying and no matter what we do, we can't."
Harry left shortly after, climbing the stairs the guest room. He passed Hermione's room on the way. Her door was closed now and as he walked past it, he heard Daniel Granger's words in his head. He nearly tripped over Crookshanks as he entered his room. The ginger cat hissed at him and backed away, his ears flattened and his teeth bared. Harry couldn't help but think the animal looked more like a saber-toothed tiger than a domestic cat. The only person Crookshanks would let touch him was Hermione-and, oddly enough, Harry. He wouldn't go near Ron-which Harry could easily understand. The cat was amazingly intelligent, as had been proven in their third year, and Ron had made it crystal clear that he hated Crookshanks. Even now, when he could accept the cat, he still didn't like him. Crookshanks wasn't happy with anyone else touching him either-he'd seen scratches on some of the girls in Hermione's dorm before and had even heard Lavender Brown complaining about Hermione having to keep her cat in the dorm with them. Harry found it odd that Crookshanks was willing to allow Harry to touch him when he wouldn't do so for anyone else. He never really cared to touch the cat, despite the fact it would let him. While he didn't detest it to the level Ron did, he still found it to be a menace. Sometimes he wondered.
He thought once more of Hermione and what her father had said. He remembered seeing Crookshanks on her bed earlier. Hermione was hurting and while she wouldn't let him do much, he would do all he could. He walked toward the cat hesitantly, bending down so that he was at eye-level with it. Crookshanks gradually stopped hissing and stood, tip of tail twitching, eyeing Harry studiously for a moment. Harry had to laugh a little at the expression of the feline-so human-like in nature. Finally, he walked toward him and Harry lifted him up. Crookshanks growled warningly and Harry was sure to support the cat properly so as not to anger him. He walked quickly back toward Hermione's door, not wanting to keep him suspended in the air for longer than necessary.
He knocked on Hermione's door and waited for a response. One didn't come, so Harry called in, "Hermione? It's me."
"Harry, I told you, I'm going to sleep," she called back. Her voice contained no irritation, just a strong weariness and reserve.
"I know. I don't mean to bother you. I just found Crookshanks and I thought you might want him with you. He is your cat after all and he doesn't exactly like other people . . ." Harry trailed off his ramblings as he heard the springs on her bed creak and soft footsteps pad toward the door.
A moment later the handle turned and the door opened. Hermione gave him a small smile and took her cat from Harry. The cat's look changed from annoyed to content as he began to purr in her arms. She smiled completely for the first time Harry could remember in ages and stroked his fur lovingly. "Thank you, Harry," she said, smiling at him as well. "Goodnight, then."
He smiled back, happy to see he'd helped some. "Goodnight." He turned and walked back to his own room, hearing Hermione's door close behind him. He didn't bother changing into his nightclothes. He pulled off his shoes and threw himself backwards onto the bed, pulling the covers over him in a careless manner and switching off the light. Despite all the sleep he'd gotten, he was still tired. He wondered about the talk he'd heard about a vision, and how Hermione had found him. The question had been bothering him all night, but he hadn't wanted to ask. Maybe tomorrow. This was his last thought as he drifted off into sleep. Tomorrow . . .
* * *
Flames flickered in the darkness and the chill swept over Harry instantly. He shivered in the cold blackness, looking around himself. The Chamber of Secrets-a place that had haunted his dreams for longer than he could remember. He saw Hermione standing beside him and Voldemort sitting on his throne. It was just like before-just as realistic and just as frightening. Harry lost himself in the moment, forgetting that he was only in a dream. The fear took over and he began to shake. For once, Hermione seemed aware of his presence. Never before in one of his dreams had she been conscious that he was there. She leaned into him and Harry hugged her.
Voldemort's red eyes burned like flames, brighter than the fire that lit the torches around them. "Lucius," he called, sending shivers down Harry's spine. "Get the girl. I'll get the boy. AVADA KEDAVERA!"
"CRUCIO!"
* * *
Harry screamed, long and loud, sitting up in his bed. Finally his voice faded away, but the screams of a girl didn't die for another several seconds and began again immediately. Though Harry was shaking and sweating, he wasted no time scrambling to his feet. No logic ran through his mind, only desire to reach Hermione.
He had not bothered to put on his glasses and so his journey to his door and out into the hall was seen in blurry focus. He reached Hermione's door as her parents were reaching the top of the stairs and as Hermione's last scream died away into silence. Mrs. Granger immediately began to pound on the door and call in to her daughter. Mr. Granger, looking distinctly shaken and unsettled, looked to Harry.
"What's wrong?" he asked. "Both of you were screaming."
"I . . . I didn't scream . . ." said Harry, remembering his dream and waking up, but not remembering his shout. "Did I? I just heard Hermione . . ."
Mr. Granger shook his head. "No, you were screaming, too. You stopped and Hermione continued, but you screamed. Did you have a nightmare?"
Harry nodded numbly, the realizations sinking in for the first time. Neither had time to say anything else, because Hermione opened her door. She looked just as shaken as Harry felt and their eyes met immediately. "I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I just had a bad dream. Go back to bed, it's not a big deal . . ."
"You both had nightmares and woke up screaming at the exact same time?" asked Mr. Granger. He paused and massaged his temple. "I think I'm getting a headache. First your vision, now this . . ."
Hermione ignored her father, looking straight at Harry, her eyes wide with shock. "You had a nightmare, too?" She paused. Harry was happy to see the look she got whenever she was calculating a situation back in her eyes. "What about?" she asked.
"Voldemort," he said. "Lucius Malfoy. The Chamber of Secrets."
Hermione paled considerably and leaned against the doorframe, staring at him. "The Killing curse," she continued, nodding. "The Cruciatus Curse . . ." Harry nodded and no one moved for a moment as the two stared at each other wordlessly.
Mrs. Granger broke the silence, looking between the two in concern. "Are you two all right?"
Harry nodded, not breaking his eyes from Hermione's. "Yeah. We're fine now. I think we should all probably head back to bed."
Mr. Granger nodded slowly. "Okay. Strange as this all is, I think we should wait until morning to discuss it further. All of us are far too exhausted tonight. Call us up if you need anything. I'm just going to finish helping your mother clean the kitchen, then we'll come up too." He gave his daughter a hug and kiss, which she was too distracted to return. "I love you. Goodnight. Goodnight, Harry. Don't worry about all this-we'll figure it out."
"Yeah," whispered Harry, nodding in his general direction. " 'Night."
The two didn't move until both the Grangers had descended the stairs once more. Finally, Harry cleared his throat. "This has happened before," he stated. "I've been having nightmares for several weeks now-all of them involving you, but rarely me. Something tells me I'm not the only one whose been having them. Nightmares involving Lucius and a strange cell . . . Voldemort . . . Malfoy . . ."
Hermione winced at his first words and he regretted them. She shook her head looking overwhelmed. "I've been having the same ones. My God. What is going on?"
"I don't know," said Harry. "But something tells me that this vision your parents keep speaking of may be connected. Care to fill me in? Because I doubt I'll be sleeping anytime soon. Nor will you, if my guess is correct."
Hermione shook her head. "No. Me either." She turned and headed back into her room with a call back of, "Come on, then."
Harry followed her inside and closed the door on her instruction. Crookshanks hissed as Hermione pulled him aside to make a seat for Harry on her bed. Harry sat down and looked around her room. The walls were pretty bare and when he thought about it, her room didn't look too much more personalized than his did. He supposed that made sense-after all, she did spend most of the year at Hogwarts. Her room here had to seem pretty temporary.
Hermione sank down next to him, burying her face in her hands and sitting silent and still for several seconds. Harry watched her, unsure of what to think, say, or do. Finally Hermione spoke, though the sound was muffled, as she didn't remove her hands from her face. "Why?" she asked in a sad voice. "Why me? Why always me . . ."
Harry sighed and put his arm around her comfortingly. He half expected her to pull away and was surprised when she didn't. She looked at him and he could see a faint glimmer of tears in her eyes. "Harry, I don't understand this, but it scares me. I just don't understand why I'm always at the center of everything. Why can't the universe just leave me alone?" She leaned into him and Harry was glad to see she wasn't edging away from him anymore.
"It's okay, Hermione," he consoled. "Just tell me what this vision is about. This is all very strange, but I'm sure there's an explanation. Sirius or Dumbledore or someone will be able to help us, I'm sure."
Hermione nodded, temporarily releasing her silence and explaining the earlier events of the day to Harry. He listened intently, not interrupting and allowing her to finish before speaking. Instead of immediately beginning to reassure her or speculate, he leaned back some and sighed again. The room was dark, the only light coming from the moon and streetlights that filtered in. In the dim moonlight, Hermione could see a confused and thoughtful expression on Harry's face.
Finally, he spoke. "Well, that's certainly stranger than the dreams," he agreed. "Has this ever happened before? Even something you may have just written off as being nothing."
Hermione bit her lip, remembering the few waking nightmares she'd had. A few might have involved Harry and a few were not memories from her past as most were. She could remember no details and was hesitant to inform Harry of these nightmares anyway. She was tempted, though, for the first time since the summer began to talk to someone. This startled her. "No," she finally said.
Harry could see she was keeping something from him, but didn't press her on it. He knew now wasn't the time. He could see now that Hermione had stopped talking that a look of distress had come over her face once more. He hugged her to him quickly, and then stood. He gave her a small smile. "Don't worry," he said. "We'll work this out. I'm going to owl Sirius. He needs to know about all of this and maybe he'll know something about all this. I'll see you in the morning."
Hermione nodded. "Okay." Just as Harry's hand touched the doorknob, she called out, "Harry?" He turned. "Thank you."
He grinned at her. "Anytime. Thank you and your parents for letting me stay here. I'll tell you, even with the nightmares, that bed beats the tree in the park any day."
Hermione smiled back. "Well, you didn't actually expect us to just leave you out there, did you?"
Harry shrugged. "I've seen the worst types of people, 'Mione. I didn't know what to think. I'm just glad I have some place to stay for the rest of the summer-and I'm very glad you're here."
Hermione stood and ran her fingers through her hair in a tired sort of way. She glanced at the clock, which was just striking eleven. "I think I'll read some of Hogwarts: A History. I won't be sleeping anytime soon."
"Me either," agreed Harry. He watched her pick up her large, tattered copy of Hogwarts: A History and couldn't manage to suppress a laugh. "You and that book, Hermione! How many times have you read it?"
Hermione gave him a small smile. "I haven't exactly counted, Harry. Several, though." Noticing the fact that he was shaking with unheard laughter, she frowned and asked, "What?"
"Last year, when Ron and I were looking for a way into Hogwarts to get you out, he said we should Apparate inside." Hermione rolled her eyes, making Harry laugh harder. "He said maybe he should read Hogwarts: A History, and I told him not to bother, because when we got you, you could recite it to him word by word."
"Waste of a perfectly good opportunity there, Harry," she informed him, sitting down and flipping the book open to where a red cloth bookmark was positioned. "You should have made use of it while it was there." She gave him a playful smile. "I'm sorry to say though that I probably could have recited it to him after all."
Harry finally managed to stop his laughter. He watched her eyes roam the book pages and said, "You know, Hermione, I've got some books in my trunk I don't think you've read yet. I could go and get them." Seeing the look on her face, he hurried to assure her, "No, they're not Quidditch books. Would you like me to fetch them?"
Hermione nodded. "That would be nice. But what will you do?"
"You know Ron and I-we never read unless we're forced. I'll find other things to occupy my time. I'll owl Sirius and Ron, then I'll polish my Firebolt or something. I dunno. Don't worry about me; the books won't be a great loss. I'll get them." Harry opened the door and slipped out, closing it quietly behind him.
Hermione watched him go with a small smile playing on her lips. She realized this a moment later and the smile vanished, replaced by shock. Harry had been there only a few hours and had already managed to make her smile and even laugh. She hadn't done any such thing since waking up in the hospital wing several months ago. In just a few hours, Harry had managed to get past the walls she'd constructed around her emotions, where no one else had managed it, even with months of work. Hermione looked back down at her book, surprised to realize she didn't resent this fact at all.
* * *
Dumbledore watched the happenings in his bowl, smiling slightly. Sirius sat back in his chair and stared, shaking his head. "I don't believe it," he muttered. "Already they're receiving dreams and visions?"
"As I said, Sirius, they are strong enough." Sirius nodded, not noticing the frown in Dumbledore's eyes. "This proves it. I do believe you were wrong when you told Harry that being with Hermione would make it harder on the both of them. Indeed, it seems that the two are much more relaxed than we have seen them yet. This is good for them."
Sirius nodded. "Yeah, I think it is, in that sense."
Dumbledore looked at the fatigue on his colleague's face, and said in a firm voice, "Sirius, take a break. Get some dinner and go to sleep. I will awaken you should anything happen with the two."
Sirius seemed to be pondering an argument, but finally stood and sighed with one last glance at the bowl. "Okay, Dumbledore. Thanks. It's easier on me to know that Harry and Hermione are coping better now that they have one another." With that, he turned and walked from the room.
Dumbledore watched the door close quietly behind Sirius before sitting forward and peering into his bowl at Hermione where she sat on her bed. So many secrets none of them are ready to know yet, not even Sirius, thought Dumbledore wistfully. "You are right, Sirius," Dumbledore whispered to himself. "It will be easier on them-just as it was for the Chosen Two before them."
A/n: Okay, again, please tell me if you think Hermione's reactions are believable. Still unsure. The only way you can do that is to review!