Hermione moved through the hallways with a grace that Harry had
always found admirable considering the amount of books she had stacked in
her arms. Ron was busy talking to her while she sidestepped groups of first
years on their way to the Astronomy Tower for their first class. He smiled
and ran to catch up with the pair, sneaking up behind them.
"I don't understand why he just doesn't go for it.your single now." Ron was saying as Harry approached.
"It's difficult for him..." Hermione said, moving her stack of books to rest against the inside of her elbow. "Think about all that he's-"
"Who?" asked Harry, interrupting Hermione as they fell into stride together.
"Oh...um...Colin." Ron said quickly, looking straight in front of him. Hermione gave him a quick withering look and then turned to her books. "Well, we've finished our first month of our sixth year; it doesn't seem all that bad yet."
"Ron, it never does," Hermione said with a small smile. "It's December that always sends you into fits of spastic energy."
"Right. Well, I'm off to the common room," Ron said, turning without another glance and walking in the opposite direction. Harry turned and looked at Hermione as they walked towards the library. Her hair was falling around her shoulders and she brushed a curl from her pale blue eyes as they walked along in silence for a few moments.
"Harry," she suddenly said, turning to look at him when they reached the doors to the library. "Does your scar hurt anymore?"
"Um...not so much...I suppose...yeah, well only at night, you know." He said quickly, making sure he sounded casual so she wouldn't see what was going on. Hermione however always saw things as they were, especially with Harry.
"Nightmares?" she asked, and he nodded, looking at the stone floor. Every night he dreamt of the same face, and every night he woke up with the same searing pain in his scar. The pain that connected him to the most feared wizard in the world, Voldemort. Hermione cast a worried glance at Harry, and then set her books down on the floor.
"What are you doing?" he asked, as she took his hand in her own warm one and lead him away from the library. "You're just leaving your books out!"
"I know, but we have to figure some things out." She said and hurried along a deserted passageway. Opening a door to a classroom she stuck her head in and then went inside, pulling Harry with her. He looked around the empty room, taking in the large gothic framed windows and the desk at the front. He suddenly realized that this was the room where he had found the mirror of Erised. He turned to Hermione as she sat down on the ground, positioning her robes beneath her on the slightly dusty floor.
"Is he still alive?" she asked as Harry sat down on the floor. He shook his head slightly; Hermione was never one to beat around the bush. She was the one person who he felt he trusted the most and yet he couldn't tell her his feelings about her.
"If he was dead, I would have felt him dying...with each encounter I become closer and closer to him. The nightmares that I have...I think that he's just waiting right now. There's always a dull ache but I can deal with it during the day because I'm distracted."
Hermione nodded, her brow knit as she looked past him to the windows, obviously deep in thought. Harry sighed and looked down at his hands, his heart hitting painfully against his chest. He was distracted by her...everything about her in fact drove him to distraction these days. How his fingers itched to brush the hair from her eyes when they were together. Her smile always made his heart skip a beat. The faint raspberry soap smell she carried around her...the curve of her lips...her eyes...the way she moved her hands when she spoke...everything about her was electrifying. Just the fact that they were alone together in a classroom made him painfully aware that he could tell her everything right now.
"What do you think he's doing?" she asked after a pause, and he blinked realizing he had been lost in thought about her.
"Planning." He took a deep breath. "Planning how to...kill me."
Harry expected Hermione to reprimand him for saying such a thing but she stayed quiet. He looked up from his hands to find that she was looking at him with what could only be viewed as adoration. She quickly looked away and Harry brushed the thought off. It was obvious that his imagination had gotten the best of him...she just thought of him as a friend.
"We should go." She said, and he nodded. He wondered if that was all Hermione wanted to know and felt a sinking feeling. Another chance and he had been too much of a coward to tell her.
As they walked out of the classroom, Hermione turned to look at him and with a feeling of shock realized that he couldn't hear her. In fact, everything suddenly went black and a pain worse then anything he had ever felt before ripped through his body. The next thing he knew he felt his head against the stone floor and he blacked out.
*
"Is he okay?"
Harry recognized that voice- it was Ron. He wondered who he was talking about and why everything seemed so dark.
"I think it was his scar," whispered another voice which sounded like Ginny. Harry tried to open his eyes but they felt like lead and his body was aching as though someone had hit him repeatedly with a broomstick.
"Who was with him?" asked Ron, and Harry realized groggily that they must be talking about him.
"Hermione."
"I haven't seen her since this evening in the hallway...Where is she?"
"I don't know, I haven't seen her either."
Harry's eyes suddenly jerked open as panic flooded through him. He tried to sit up and black spots returned over his eyes and nausea waved over him.
"Harry!" gasped Ginny as Ron pushed him back on the pillows.
"Hermione-"
"You shouldn't move..." Ron said, frowning down at him. "Madame Pompfrey says that you're still really weak..."
"But Hermione-" he said, trying to explain to him.
"Your right- it's a good thing that Hermione brought you here when she did. She had to practically carry you the whole way too. Up all those stairs and stuff..."
"No you don't understand-" Harry said, his frustration growing.
"Stairs? Wow, I didn't think she was that strong..." Ron said, turning and looking at Ginny.
"Yeah," she said. "Apparently-"
"I NEED TO GET TO HERMIONE!" yelled Harry at the top of his lungs. Ginny and Ron both turned to look at him, surprise registered across their faces. Ginny nervously tucked her flaming red hair behind her ear as she looked at Harry with shock.
"Why?" she asked, as Ron starred at Harry with a peculiar expression.
"Just go and find her okay?" Harry asked and Ginny nodded, frowning. She turned and around and walked quickly out of the infirmary.
"Harry..." Ron said his green eyes huge. "What's going on?"
"I don't know, but...I have a bad feeling..."
"About Hermione?" asked Ron, turning to look at his friend while he sat down on a chair next to the bed.
"Yeah." Harry said simply, not bothering to elaborate. The seconds seemed like forever and Ron let them pass thankfully without talking. Harry reached for his glasses and put them on, sitting up slowly in bed. His heart beat painfully against his ribs every time footsteps were outside of the room. Eventually his exhaustion got the best of him, and he dreamt of falling and mazes while his scar burned red against his eyelids.
"I don't understand why he just doesn't go for it.your single now." Ron was saying as Harry approached.
"It's difficult for him..." Hermione said, moving her stack of books to rest against the inside of her elbow. "Think about all that he's-"
"Who?" asked Harry, interrupting Hermione as they fell into stride together.
"Oh...um...Colin." Ron said quickly, looking straight in front of him. Hermione gave him a quick withering look and then turned to her books. "Well, we've finished our first month of our sixth year; it doesn't seem all that bad yet."
"Ron, it never does," Hermione said with a small smile. "It's December that always sends you into fits of spastic energy."
"Right. Well, I'm off to the common room," Ron said, turning without another glance and walking in the opposite direction. Harry turned and looked at Hermione as they walked towards the library. Her hair was falling around her shoulders and she brushed a curl from her pale blue eyes as they walked along in silence for a few moments.
"Harry," she suddenly said, turning to look at him when they reached the doors to the library. "Does your scar hurt anymore?"
"Um...not so much...I suppose...yeah, well only at night, you know." He said quickly, making sure he sounded casual so she wouldn't see what was going on. Hermione however always saw things as they were, especially with Harry.
"Nightmares?" she asked, and he nodded, looking at the stone floor. Every night he dreamt of the same face, and every night he woke up with the same searing pain in his scar. The pain that connected him to the most feared wizard in the world, Voldemort. Hermione cast a worried glance at Harry, and then set her books down on the floor.
"What are you doing?" he asked, as she took his hand in her own warm one and lead him away from the library. "You're just leaving your books out!"
"I know, but we have to figure some things out." She said and hurried along a deserted passageway. Opening a door to a classroom she stuck her head in and then went inside, pulling Harry with her. He looked around the empty room, taking in the large gothic framed windows and the desk at the front. He suddenly realized that this was the room where he had found the mirror of Erised. He turned to Hermione as she sat down on the ground, positioning her robes beneath her on the slightly dusty floor.
"Is he still alive?" she asked as Harry sat down on the floor. He shook his head slightly; Hermione was never one to beat around the bush. She was the one person who he felt he trusted the most and yet he couldn't tell her his feelings about her.
"If he was dead, I would have felt him dying...with each encounter I become closer and closer to him. The nightmares that I have...I think that he's just waiting right now. There's always a dull ache but I can deal with it during the day because I'm distracted."
Hermione nodded, her brow knit as she looked past him to the windows, obviously deep in thought. Harry sighed and looked down at his hands, his heart hitting painfully against his chest. He was distracted by her...everything about her in fact drove him to distraction these days. How his fingers itched to brush the hair from her eyes when they were together. Her smile always made his heart skip a beat. The faint raspberry soap smell she carried around her...the curve of her lips...her eyes...the way she moved her hands when she spoke...everything about her was electrifying. Just the fact that they were alone together in a classroom made him painfully aware that he could tell her everything right now.
"What do you think he's doing?" she asked after a pause, and he blinked realizing he had been lost in thought about her.
"Planning." He took a deep breath. "Planning how to...kill me."
Harry expected Hermione to reprimand him for saying such a thing but she stayed quiet. He looked up from his hands to find that she was looking at him with what could only be viewed as adoration. She quickly looked away and Harry brushed the thought off. It was obvious that his imagination had gotten the best of him...she just thought of him as a friend.
"We should go." She said, and he nodded. He wondered if that was all Hermione wanted to know and felt a sinking feeling. Another chance and he had been too much of a coward to tell her.
As they walked out of the classroom, Hermione turned to look at him and with a feeling of shock realized that he couldn't hear her. In fact, everything suddenly went black and a pain worse then anything he had ever felt before ripped through his body. The next thing he knew he felt his head against the stone floor and he blacked out.
*
"Is he okay?"
Harry recognized that voice- it was Ron. He wondered who he was talking about and why everything seemed so dark.
"I think it was his scar," whispered another voice which sounded like Ginny. Harry tried to open his eyes but they felt like lead and his body was aching as though someone had hit him repeatedly with a broomstick.
"Who was with him?" asked Ron, and Harry realized groggily that they must be talking about him.
"Hermione."
"I haven't seen her since this evening in the hallway...Where is she?"
"I don't know, I haven't seen her either."
Harry's eyes suddenly jerked open as panic flooded through him. He tried to sit up and black spots returned over his eyes and nausea waved over him.
"Harry!" gasped Ginny as Ron pushed him back on the pillows.
"Hermione-"
"You shouldn't move..." Ron said, frowning down at him. "Madame Pompfrey says that you're still really weak..."
"But Hermione-" he said, trying to explain to him.
"Your right- it's a good thing that Hermione brought you here when she did. She had to practically carry you the whole way too. Up all those stairs and stuff..."
"No you don't understand-" Harry said, his frustration growing.
"Stairs? Wow, I didn't think she was that strong..." Ron said, turning and looking at Ginny.
"Yeah," she said. "Apparently-"
"I NEED TO GET TO HERMIONE!" yelled Harry at the top of his lungs. Ginny and Ron both turned to look at him, surprise registered across their faces. Ginny nervously tucked her flaming red hair behind her ear as she looked at Harry with shock.
"Why?" she asked, as Ron starred at Harry with a peculiar expression.
"Just go and find her okay?" Harry asked and Ginny nodded, frowning. She turned and around and walked quickly out of the infirmary.
"Harry..." Ron said his green eyes huge. "What's going on?"
"I don't know, but...I have a bad feeling..."
"About Hermione?" asked Ron, turning to look at his friend while he sat down on a chair next to the bed.
"Yeah." Harry said simply, not bothering to elaborate. The seconds seemed like forever and Ron let them pass thankfully without talking. Harry reached for his glasses and put them on, sitting up slowly in bed. His heart beat painfully against his ribs every time footsteps were outside of the room. Eventually his exhaustion got the best of him, and he dreamt of falling and mazes while his scar burned red against his eyelids.