Chapter 3: Later Boys
Harry and Ron couldn't wake Hermione after she plunged to the floor, so they carried her between them to the sofa she had been sleeping on. In the morning they had told her what had happened. Since then they had been trying to figure out where Hermione would've gone if they hadn't held her back; and why the woman in white was trying to kill her.
A few days before the full moon they had been preparing again. Sitting on Harry's bed in the boys' dorm while Harry and Ron practised charms, she said,
'Honestly, I feel like a werewolf.'
'We haven't heard from your friend the woman in white for a while, Herm,' said Ron jokingly. 'Maybe she won't try to kill you this month.' They laughed but Hermione suddenly gasped and fell back on the bed. Harry looked daggers at Ron.
'Never say that again,' he seethed while running to Hermione's side.
'Sorry. It was a joke,' Ron replied quietly. He stood still, not sure what to do, until he decided to follow Harry beside Hermione. She lay on the bed, shaking and gasping. He knelt on the other side of her, opposite Harry, and they both held her hands and waited. The ghostly voice came thankfully quickly and she woke with the dying note. Harry's was the first face she saw and she smiled, a beautiful, happy smile, which turned Ron's stomach. 'She should be smiling like that at me,' his heart yelled indignantly. He mentally put a gag on his heart and covered any feelings that might be showing on his face with a relieved smile.
'Are-are you ok? Wh-what did you see?' Harry stuttered. Seeing her smile at him like that had made his stomach flip-flop strangely.
'I'm fine. It was the woman.' Hermione turned her head and gave Ron a 'Don't ever say that again' look. 'Thanks for winding her up, Ron,' she said pointedly.
'I'm sorry, I'm sorry.'
'Anyway, she sang again. "By the river is a boat, Ride it down to Arthur's Moat, Then your blood will run ice- cold, And you will die before you're old."' Ron shuddered at the thought of Hermione's blood freezing.
'The river must mean the lake. Not sure where Arthur's Moat is though.' Hermione shook her head.
'Arthur's Moat runs at the back of the school,' she said.
'Hermione, how on earth do you know that?' asked Ron in disbelief.
'Hogwarts: A History,' Hermione and Harry chorused.
'How do you know that, Harry?' Ron asked, completely confused. Had his two best friends been spending time together behind his back?
'Ron, get a grip, it's Hermione. It's always going to be Hogwarts: A History,' Harry answered. He studied Ron's face, trying to get an idea of what he was thinking. Surely he wasn't thinking that he and Hermione had a 'thing'? Although it was something that Harry hoped for with every fibre of his being, as yet Hermione showed him nothing but what the Greeks called Sophos: friendly love. But that smile when she woke up; there was something in that smile. 'It might have just been her grogginess,' Harry reasoned with himself. 'After all, when she came round in the common room, she asked for Ron.' Harry was so locked up in these thoughts that he didn't realise that Hermione had asked him a question and Ron was sitting behind her looking quite triumphant.
'What? I wasn't listening,' he said apologetically.
'Charming! Your best friend could be dying for all you know and you're not listening!' Hermione retorted. 'Anyway, I said that you guys can take turns taking care of me if you insist on needing to protect me, and Ron will stay with me tonight. That way you get some sleep.'
'But-but,' Harry stuttered. 'What about last month? It took the both of us to hold you.' A cloud crossed Ron's face. Was Harry trying to steal Hermione from him?
'Well, on the full moon, you can both watch me if it means that much to you.' Hermione sighed. 'I've been so tired lately.' Ron and Harry locked eyes in alarm.
"Feel my fury, feel my pain. Feel your life begin to drain."
The Full moon's midnight followed a few days after. Again Ron, Hermione and Harry slept in the common room, and at the clock's strike of midnight, Harry and Ron woke and watched for any signs of movement from Hermione. Sure enough, before the last strike she stood and made her way to the portrait. Again, she avoided all obstacles; Harry and Ron rushed to catch her and keep her from going through the portrait. She stopped in front of the portrait and lifted her arms. Harry and Ron quickly caught her arms and held her firmly, expecting her to struggle. Instead, she started laughing. The boys jumped back in surprise but still kept a tight hold on Hermione's arms. She slowly sank to the floor, still laughing, still with her eyes closed.
'Hermione?' Ron said tentatively.
'Yeah?' she answered, opening her eyes. The looks on their faces were enough to make her crack up again.
'Hermione!'
'I'm sorry! I wanted to see what you guys do when I do my possessed sleepwalk thing,' Hermione giggled. 'You two look so funny!'
'Hermione,' Harry said. 'It's not funny. This is serious.'
'I know,' said Hermione, calming down. 'I was just curious. Anyway, it stopped my great-great-great-great-grandmother coming to get me.' Ron and Harry looked at each other in confusion.
'Hermione, what are you on about?'
'Didn't I tell you? I must've forgotten,' Hermione said. Harry and Ron looked at her expectantly. 'In the last dream she called me "descendant of her muggle-loving daughter". I did some research on my bloodline and I found that she's my great-great-great-great-grandmother.'
'Wow. So why is she trying to kill you?' asked Ron. Hermione frowned.
'I don't know. I need to keep going with the research.'
As the clock struck 12.05 Hermione emitted a loud sigh.
'I'm going to bed. Coming?' Ron and Harry looked at her in surprise and alarm, but Hermione saw a glimmer of hope in their eyes. 'Um, I mean are you guys going to bed too?' and just like that the flame of hope was extinguished- for now.
'Yeah, of course, in a minute,' Harry mumbled.
''Night boys,' Hermione said as she started up the stairs. She heard mumbled replies of 'Goodnight' in return. She smiled to herself and continued up the stairs.
In the common room, Harry and Ron sat down.
'Ron, can I talk to you?' Harry asked.
Harry and Ron couldn't wake Hermione after she plunged to the floor, so they carried her between them to the sofa she had been sleeping on. In the morning they had told her what had happened. Since then they had been trying to figure out where Hermione would've gone if they hadn't held her back; and why the woman in white was trying to kill her.
A few days before the full moon they had been preparing again. Sitting on Harry's bed in the boys' dorm while Harry and Ron practised charms, she said,
'Honestly, I feel like a werewolf.'
'We haven't heard from your friend the woman in white for a while, Herm,' said Ron jokingly. 'Maybe she won't try to kill you this month.' They laughed but Hermione suddenly gasped and fell back on the bed. Harry looked daggers at Ron.
'Never say that again,' he seethed while running to Hermione's side.
'Sorry. It was a joke,' Ron replied quietly. He stood still, not sure what to do, until he decided to follow Harry beside Hermione. She lay on the bed, shaking and gasping. He knelt on the other side of her, opposite Harry, and they both held her hands and waited. The ghostly voice came thankfully quickly and she woke with the dying note. Harry's was the first face she saw and she smiled, a beautiful, happy smile, which turned Ron's stomach. 'She should be smiling like that at me,' his heart yelled indignantly. He mentally put a gag on his heart and covered any feelings that might be showing on his face with a relieved smile.
'Are-are you ok? Wh-what did you see?' Harry stuttered. Seeing her smile at him like that had made his stomach flip-flop strangely.
'I'm fine. It was the woman.' Hermione turned her head and gave Ron a 'Don't ever say that again' look. 'Thanks for winding her up, Ron,' she said pointedly.
'I'm sorry, I'm sorry.'
'Anyway, she sang again. "By the river is a boat, Ride it down to Arthur's Moat, Then your blood will run ice- cold, And you will die before you're old."' Ron shuddered at the thought of Hermione's blood freezing.
'The river must mean the lake. Not sure where Arthur's Moat is though.' Hermione shook her head.
'Arthur's Moat runs at the back of the school,' she said.
'Hermione, how on earth do you know that?' asked Ron in disbelief.
'Hogwarts: A History,' Hermione and Harry chorused.
'How do you know that, Harry?' Ron asked, completely confused. Had his two best friends been spending time together behind his back?
'Ron, get a grip, it's Hermione. It's always going to be Hogwarts: A History,' Harry answered. He studied Ron's face, trying to get an idea of what he was thinking. Surely he wasn't thinking that he and Hermione had a 'thing'? Although it was something that Harry hoped for with every fibre of his being, as yet Hermione showed him nothing but what the Greeks called Sophos: friendly love. But that smile when she woke up; there was something in that smile. 'It might have just been her grogginess,' Harry reasoned with himself. 'After all, when she came round in the common room, she asked for Ron.' Harry was so locked up in these thoughts that he didn't realise that Hermione had asked him a question and Ron was sitting behind her looking quite triumphant.
'What? I wasn't listening,' he said apologetically.
'Charming! Your best friend could be dying for all you know and you're not listening!' Hermione retorted. 'Anyway, I said that you guys can take turns taking care of me if you insist on needing to protect me, and Ron will stay with me tonight. That way you get some sleep.'
'But-but,' Harry stuttered. 'What about last month? It took the both of us to hold you.' A cloud crossed Ron's face. Was Harry trying to steal Hermione from him?
'Well, on the full moon, you can both watch me if it means that much to you.' Hermione sighed. 'I've been so tired lately.' Ron and Harry locked eyes in alarm.
"Feel my fury, feel my pain. Feel your life begin to drain."
The Full moon's midnight followed a few days after. Again Ron, Hermione and Harry slept in the common room, and at the clock's strike of midnight, Harry and Ron woke and watched for any signs of movement from Hermione. Sure enough, before the last strike she stood and made her way to the portrait. Again, she avoided all obstacles; Harry and Ron rushed to catch her and keep her from going through the portrait. She stopped in front of the portrait and lifted her arms. Harry and Ron quickly caught her arms and held her firmly, expecting her to struggle. Instead, she started laughing. The boys jumped back in surprise but still kept a tight hold on Hermione's arms. She slowly sank to the floor, still laughing, still with her eyes closed.
'Hermione?' Ron said tentatively.
'Yeah?' she answered, opening her eyes. The looks on their faces were enough to make her crack up again.
'Hermione!'
'I'm sorry! I wanted to see what you guys do when I do my possessed sleepwalk thing,' Hermione giggled. 'You two look so funny!'
'Hermione,' Harry said. 'It's not funny. This is serious.'
'I know,' said Hermione, calming down. 'I was just curious. Anyway, it stopped my great-great-great-great-grandmother coming to get me.' Ron and Harry looked at each other in confusion.
'Hermione, what are you on about?'
'Didn't I tell you? I must've forgotten,' Hermione said. Harry and Ron looked at her expectantly. 'In the last dream she called me "descendant of her muggle-loving daughter". I did some research on my bloodline and I found that she's my great-great-great-great-grandmother.'
'Wow. So why is she trying to kill you?' asked Ron. Hermione frowned.
'I don't know. I need to keep going with the research.'
As the clock struck 12.05 Hermione emitted a loud sigh.
'I'm going to bed. Coming?' Ron and Harry looked at her in surprise and alarm, but Hermione saw a glimmer of hope in their eyes. 'Um, I mean are you guys going to bed too?' and just like that the flame of hope was extinguished- for now.
'Yeah, of course, in a minute,' Harry mumbled.
''Night boys,' Hermione said as she started up the stairs. She heard mumbled replies of 'Goodnight' in return. She smiled to herself and continued up the stairs.
In the common room, Harry and Ron sat down.
'Ron, can I talk to you?' Harry asked.
