When she woke up Hermione was glad that her dream hadn't come back to her in the night. She washed and dressed and went downstairs to find Ron and Harry waiting for her

  "Did it happen again?" said Harry in a worried voice

 "No" said Hermione "No I didn't." Shall we go down to breakfast?"

   "Yeah. We've got Snape first and if we're late on the first day we'll probably get detention for a month!"

"So what did Dumbledore want?" said Harry as they sat down to breakfast

   "He said I have to start Occulmency to stop my dreams"

 "So he thinks it's defiantly something to do with Voldemort then?"

   "That's what he said" she said with a mouthful of bacon.

On the stairway down to Professor Snape's dungeon classroom Hermione seriously thought about running away. She couldn't face Snape, not after the dreams. If Professor Dumbledore was right about Voldemort surely that would mean that she had secret feelings for her potions teacher. But until the dreams she never thought about him, especially not in that way. And certainly Snape did not have those feelings for her. Why would Voldemort want her to think that he did?

  "Hermione?" Ron said "Hermione you've just walked passed the classroom door are you alright?"

   "Sorry" she said shaking herself out of her dream "I was in my own world for a second"

As soon as Hermione stepped into the classroom she felt the heat rise in her face.

 "Miss Granger" a cold voice came from the front of the classroom "I would like a word with you after the lesson. You will stay behind"

  "But what about my Herbology class?"

"That is not your problem Miss Granger"

Hermione, Ron and Harry took their normal seats at the back of the class and got out their books.

  "What's that all about?" Ron mouthed at Harry

 "Occulmency lessons" Harry whispered "Dumbledore said she needs to take them"

At the end of the class Hermione stayed in her seat calling to Ron and Harry that she would meet them at lunch.

 "Miss Granger come here" Hermione's heart stopped. She walked to the front of the classroom and her eyes met with Snape's for the first time since she had started to have her dreams. Hermione felt that she could have lost her soul in the endless black of his eyes. He turned away, and Hermione went bright red as she realised she had been staring at him.

  "Miss Granger Dumbledore tells me that you have been having dreams that could be linked to Voldemort is that correct?"

"Yes" she said in a small voice, still feeling the heat in her face.

"Well it seems that I am obliged to teach you Occlumency. May I tell you that if you waste my time I shall have no hesitation in telling you to leave this class do you understand me?"  Hermione nodded. "IF you manage to master the art of blocking all external entrances to the mind your dreams should stop. But it takes much dedication and I am not willing to teach time wasters do you understand?" She nodded again.

 "Professor?" she said "Thank you. I know I am probably the last person you want to be teaching this to" Snape stayed silent. Hermione thought that she saw something flicker in his eyes and remembered the way he had looked at her in her dream. But it wasn't possible that he had feelings for her. Not the stern, angry man that had been teaching her for 5 years. Why would Voldemort want her to think that though?

  "I want you to repel any thoughts that enter your mind. Make your mind as blank as you can and don't let me extract any thoughts from your head" Hermione nodded as Snape raised his wand "You must attempt to resist as I try to break your mind" he said "Come closer"

Hermione walked a few feet closer to him.

 "Do not let me travel too far into your mind"

She nodded again

"Legilimens!" he shouted and Hermione gasped. Memories flashed quickly through her mind. Learning to ride her first bike, parents arguing, a group of boys in a playground laughing, meeting Harry for the first time, the Dementors. She tried to fight the rush of memories, felt sure that at any moment she would reveal what she had seen in her dream. More flashes. Laughing with Ron, fighting with Malfoy and then Snape's face leaning towards hers inches away.

 "STOP!" she shouted and her mind went black. She looked at Snape; his face was hidden in the shadows.

"Miss Granger..." he began but Hermione stopped him

 "Professor I'm sorry" she gasped, tears brimming in her eyes "It was in one of my dreams, I never meant you to..."

"Miss Granger. Surprised as I am to say it for a first time that was not altogether useless" he said completely ignoring what she had said. "However you will need to practise. The force needed to repel the Legilimens curse is not unlike that needed to repel the Imperius curse. Now let's try again"

"Legilimens" he shouted but Hermione raised her wand at the same time. Flashes of a past that wasn't hers filled her mind. A small boy crying in the corner, being teased at school, a young man kneeling before Voldemort, a man holding a dying woman in his arms, her own face, her own eyes, her own lips.

 "STOP" Snape's furious voice rang through the dungeon. "WHAT DID YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING?" he shouted at her, rage causing him to shake uncontrollably

  "I don't know Professor, I didn't mean..."

"How DARE you!"

 "I didn't do it on purpose. Please Professor"

"GET OUT!" he cried his face red, teeth bared

 "But I..." Hermione made to move towards him but he backed away as if afraid of her

"GET OUT GET OUT!"

Hermione's head was reeling. Instead of going straight to Herbology she ran upstairs to her dormitory and flung herself on the bed, crying. She didn't understand. She decided straight after lunch to talk to Professor Dumbledore and tell him everything.