Chapter Two
A hand fell softly onto Hermione's shoulder, causing her to jump slightly. She turned back to Dumbledore, noticing that the sparkle in his eyes had been erased as he held her look. A sudden panic welled up within her and she pushed past the old wizard to escape into the hallway. 'Please no', she thought to herself as she had suddenly realised what the absence of her parents rushing into her room after the noise that had just been created could mean. After a short trip down a hallway she came to the doorway of her parents, only to find that it was blocked by a figure.
"Hermione!" Nymphadora Tonks' voice called out, sounding somewhat surprised to see her. The young women's eyes widened slightly and a look of realization washed over her face, "Oh…. I didn't realise, I mean Dumbledore didn't say, it was such a rush to get here, I…" She stopped, seemingly realising she was babbling, and took a deep breath. Hermione didn't pay much attention to the women that stood before her however; she just wanted to get through that door. Rushing forward, she felt Tonks grab her arm, but shook her off easily with the adrenaline that was now pumping fiercely through her veins, making it into her parents' room. Her body froze immediately as her eyes took in the scene before her.
"What's wrong with them?" she whispered, tears blurring her vision. Not waiting for an answer she crept forwards, tentatively reaching out a hand to the two silent figures on the bed. "Mum, Dad?" she questioned wincing as she heard her voice crack slightly with emotion. No response came from the two bodies on the bed. They were not dead, she could easily tell that, as both of their chests were rising and lowering in a steady rhythm, but the eyes of her parents, which she remembered as being full of life and love, were blank and glassy.
She stood there at the side of the bed on which the hollow shells of her mother and father lay and didn't dare move a muscle or blink, afraid of missing some sign of life within their staring eyes. Her brain seemed to be stuck on pause and nothing seemed real. "I'm sorry Hermione" Tonks said by her side, "They cannot respond to you."
Hermione whirled around, "What do you mean? What's happened to them?" Dumbledore came forward then, having made his way to the room and again placing a hand on to her shoulder explained, "It is a spell Hermione, a very dark spell, it acts in a similar fashion to a Dementor's kiss. I have only ever seen it used once before." His voice was full of sympathy and pain, as were his eyes that looked at her through half-moon glasses.
"But, there must be a counter-spell" she cried desperately "There must be something! They can't just be gone!" But she knew from the look on his face that there was nothing. With a strangled cry she spun round and grabbed her mother's shoulders. "MUM! MUM! Please answer me" Hermione could feel the hot tears that were now sliding down her cheeks and hear the desperation in her voice, but she didn't care. Her breath was catching in her throat and her chest felt like a tight rubber band had been placed over it, as she struggled to get the words out amid the sobs that shook her body.
Hands took hold of her and she was pulled into an embrace, words meant to sooth being whispered into her ear. But Hermione did not want to be comforted and she struggled to break out of the person's arms, finding it harder and harder to breath. The arms held onto her tightly and something was pushed against her lips. A foul tasting liquid rushed into her mouth, choking her as she tried to gain control of her breathing. Slowly, Hermione's body relaxed and her mind gave in to the darkness that was closing in from all around.
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Opening her eyes slowly, Hermione took in her surroundings. It took her a minute to realise where she was, but when she did she sat up straight, the events of what had happened at her house flooding back into her mind. Her hand flew up to her head, holding it as the poundings of a headache overtook her thoughts. Groaning, she clambered out of the bed that she had come to think of as hers over the previous two summers, and went in search of the other people who inhabited 12 Grimmauld Place hoping they could give her answers.
She quietly made her way downstairs towards the kitchen, leaning on the walls for support. Her body felt hot and tired, while her mind felt like it was shrouded in a fog. As she neared the door that would lead her to her desired destination, she heard voices and stopped short, listening.
"I don't understand" a voice Hermione recognised as belonging to Professor McGonagall said, "Voldemort never goes on Death Eater raids! Why would he choose to personally attack Hermione?"
"This wasn't a Death Eater raid Minerva. No Dark Mark was summoned in the sky above the house and from what we saw when we got there, there was only one Death Eater present, keeping guard downstairs." Dumbledore sighed then continued, "This whole situation is most puzzling. I don't understand why Voldemort would choose to curse the Grangers rather than kill them; this curse doesn't cause the victims any pain so it was not for torture."
Hermione felt her heart lift slightly at this, the knowledge that her parents had not and were not suffering easing some of the ache that resided in her heart. "Unless the intended victim was Hermione, it certainly causes her pain, leaving her parents alive but, well…. Not." A different voice that she didn't recognise suggested.
"Yes, but then again why not kill Hermione herself – was she even injured?" McGonagall asked.
"No. Apart from some bruising around the wrists I could find absolutely nothing physically wrong with her, there was no trace of dark magic on her either. Maybe you got there before anything could happen, Albus." Hermione was surprised to hear Madam Pomfrey's voice; she had never seen the Mediwitch at Grimmauld Place before. But if she thought about it, it made sense that she would be involved in the Order's work. She shook her head to clear her thoughts and leaned closer to the door to hear the Headmaster's reply. "We will have to wait for Miss Granger to tell us exactly what happened, but I feel that if he had wanted to harm her more seriously he would have had time. Another problem that is worrying me greatly at the moment is my inability to contact Severus; he may have vital information about what is truly happening."
A sudden tug at the bottom of her nightgown caused Hermione to scream. Whirling around to try and find the source and becoming unbalanced in the process, she found herself falling backwards through the partially open kitchen door and onto the floor. Lying still with her eyes scrunched closed from the sudden shock and the pain, which now radiated through her whole body from colliding with the stone floor; she heard a squeaky voice off to her right. "Oh Misty is sorry for startling Miss. Misty just wanted to ask if Miss needed anything Miss."
Recognising the high-pitched sound of a house elf Hermione started to laugh, despite her pain and discomfort. 'If the house elves at Hogwarts knew I was that easy to scare,' Hermione thought to herself, 'they would probably be employing the tactic on a full-time basis.' Staying in her position on the floor she opened her eyes and looked over to the large table where eight pairs of eyes were staring at her in shock.
"Miss Granger! I thought you would be asleep for at least another few hours yet. That dreamless sleep I gave you was quite potent." Pomfrey said, while bustling over to her. The Mediwitch started fussing, taking readings to see if Hermione had damaged herself in her fall. Hermione just lay there, knowing it was useless to try to fend off the woman. When Pomfrey was finally satisfied she helped Hermione up and sat her in a chair. "How are you feeling?"
Hermione pondered how to answer this question, wondering what she was supposed to say exactly, and settled with "I have a headache." The women in front of her nodded and sighed, sympathy shining in her eyes, "Not surprising." She bustled away from Hermione, only to return moments later with what she could identify as a vile of headache potion in her hands. Poppy set it down on the table and then walked back over to her seat. Hermione played with the glass tube in her hands for a few minutes, not looking up at the other people surrounding the table, then quickly removed the stopper and downed the potion in one.
The relief wasn't as instantaneous as a headache reliever usually was and she frowned at the nagging ache that persisted to throb within her skull. Still fiddling with the vile in her hands, Hermione raised her eyes to look at the others that sat at the table with her. Dumbledore was at the opposite end of the table, smiling softly down at her, but she could see the worry on his face which now looked every bit as old as he truly was. McGonagall was seated to his left and next to her was Pomfrey, both of whom looked upset as they gazed at her wanting to help her however they could. Next, and closest to Hermione's right, was someone she had never seen before. A man with bushy black hair and bright blue eyes who gazed at her with a look that suggested he was examining an interesting specimen under a microscope. She quickly pulled her gaze away to the people on Dumbledore's right.
First there was 'Mad Eye' Moody, his normal eye looking straight at Hermione with sympathy. His magical eye however, she noticed wasn't fixed on herself at all, instead it seemed to be gazing straight at the stranger on her right. Frowning slightly to herself, she moved on. Next was Tonks. Hermione gave the young Auror, who at the moment had her hair in a simple blond bob, a slight smile, which was returned back to her by the other woman. The last two people were ones whose names she couldn't remember but knew she had seen here before, and they too were staring straight at her.
Hermione started to feel uncomfortable with all the eyes that were focused solely on her and felt her grip on the glass container tighten. She suddenly had an overwhelming sense of panic seize her and it felt like the rubber band that had been there earlier had been firmly snapped back in place around her chest. Questions poured out of their gazes as did sorrow and pity, trapping her to the chair in which she sat. She wished that they would just say something; it didn't matter what as long as they stopped looking at her like she would break at any second or like she could give them the secrets of the universe.
A sharp pain in her right hand suddenly distracted Hermione from her mounting panic and allowed her to tear her gaze away from the staring eyes. Looking down, the first thing she noticed was blood, her blood. She heard people moving towards her but didn't take any notice. She was mesmerised by the crimson liquid that flowed from the cuts to her palm from where her grip on the potion vile had caused it to shatter. Then Madam Pomfrey was there cleaning the cut, getting out the glass that had embedded itself into her soft flesh, and closing the wounds. In no time at all her hand looked almost as good as new, all that was left to show of what happened was some faint pink scars which were hard to even distinguish.
"I think that it is best if we allow Miss Granger to rest for a while longer before ask questions about last night. I also feel it will be in her best interest if fewer people were present." Dumbledore ordered, quieting down the couple of protests that had started to be voiced with a simple look. "That is what I feel is for the best and that is what shall happen. Poppy if you will please help Miss Granger back to bed."
"Of course Albus" Pomfrey replied. Hermione felt herself being guided from the room but quickly turned her head and smiled gratefully at the Headmaster. The journey back to her room was short and she sank wearily onto the comfy bed. "I can't give you any more dreamless sleep I'm afraid, Hermione, not with the last dose I gave you and that headache potion in your system. I can give you this though," the older witch said, producing a new vile from one of her robe pockets. This one was a lot smaller, only about the length of her little finger, and held a potion the colour of the ocean. "It won't stop you from dreaming but it will relax you and help you fall asleep. Okay?"
Hermione nodded and took the offered aid. In the same way as she had with the headache cure earlier, she removed the stopper and drained the contents, the taste and smell of lavender intoxicating her senses. She immediately felt her body responding and she nestled her head into the pillows as her eyelids began to flutter closed. With a sigh she let the blackness take over her and escaped from reality, at least for a little while.
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A warm gentle breeze ran over Hermione's skin, playing with her wild hair. She blinked in the light, which had suddenly become brighter, and took in her surroundings. A frown formed on her face. She recognised where she was, how could she not, she had lived there since she was born and this space had always been her bedroom. She sat up slowly, drawing her blanket up around her like a protective cocoon. 'How did I get back home?' she thought to herself.
"Hello Pumpkin." A voice said from over by the door, shocking her out of her mental questions. The sight that greeted her caused a smile to light up her face.
"Mum, Dad. Oh, thank Gods it was only a dream!" Hermione cried while jumping up off her divan and running over to her parents. She threw herself at them, hugging them like she used to when she was younger. Tears of joy had sprung to her eyes and she was sure that her parents would soon be referring her to an insane asylum. She felt both her parents returning her embrace but what her father said next caused her to step away in despair.
"Honey, listen. What happened earlier wasn't a dream. We really are no longer within our bodies." He explained softly, placing a comforting hand on her arm while her mother started speaking.
"Baby, don't cry," Amy Granger reached out to brush away the tears that had started to fall upon Hermione's cheeks, "We aren't in any pain, but we knew you were, we could feel it, so we had to come to you."
Hermione listened to what they were saying but her logical mind warred with their words. "I don't understand! What do you mean?"
"Oh baby" Her mum sighed. "We can't come back to you physically, it was hard to even come back like this, but we had to. Please try to be strong Hermione. Carry on living your life; we know you will do something great with it."
"But I need you" she whispered, hating that her voice betrayed her feelings to her parents. She wanted to be strong and show them she could survive and go on living for them but she knew she sounded weak and vulnerable.
"We know Pumpkin, but it's not possible. We know it'll be hard at first, but you have so many wonderful people who will be there for you. You won't ever forget us Mya but you need to let go of the bad feelings and remember us as we were." Jay Granger comforted, "And, we will always be with you, in your heart and in memories. We don't want you to be in pain Mya and we're so sorry we couldn't protect you from this."
Tears flowing freely now, Hermione hugged her parents again, "This was not your fault, don't even think that! I will be strong, I promise. I'll make you proud. I'll never stop loving you."
"We're already proud of you honey and we know you can cope with this." Amy pushed her away slightly to look at her daughter's face. "Remember Hermione, the power is within you and when it comes for you to make the choice you will make the right one. We believe in you. The answers you will need, will be found if you search for them baby, we just thought we'd be able to give them to you in a more direct manner when the time came." Her mother's words confused her, but she did not get a chance to question them as she felt herself being pulled away and everything started to fade.
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Sitting up in bed Hermione could still feel her parents' arms around her, not wanting to open her eyes to the reality that when she looked she wouldn't be in her bed at home. Reaching up a hand to brush away the tears that were silently falling she remembered her promise to her parents to be strong and resolutely opened her eyes to acknowledge the day.
The bright light that was being filtered through the curtains washed away the last cobwebs that clung to her mind and begun an argument within herself. Her brain was logically trying to tell her that what had just happened was a dream and nothing more, while her heart and soul knew that her parents really had contacted her. Like in so many occasions since she had started Hogwarts and rushed into danger because of her love for Harry and Ron, her brain stood no chance. It had been so real and Hermione could feel deep in her bones that what had occurred in her sleep was more than a wishful fantasy.
Tears welled up in eyes again at the memory of her mum and dad telling her they'd always love her. "No! No more crying. They're okay, and you promised to be strong so stop right now" she commanded herself. Feeling more in control and definitely more alert than last night, she slipped out of the bed. Looking around she saw her trunk, positioned at the end of her bed, along with two muggle suitcases. Hefting one of the cases onto the bed, Hermione popped the latches and lifted the top, then immediately lifted an eyebrow at the mess that greeted her. "I guess Tonks must have packed my stuff", she said to the room, remembering the auror's poor grasp of the everyday household spells. With some amusement, Hermione pulled out clothes and a variety of other bits and pieces that had found a way to be included in the jumble until she had an entire outfit to put on.
After dressing in the dark blue jeans and lilac short-sleeved shirt, Hermione made her way downstairs. The noise coming from the kitchen was much louder than the night before, it almost sounded like the Great Hall did when the winners of the House Cup were announced at the end of the year. Tentatively, not sure if she actually wanted to go into a room with this many people, Hermione opened the door slowly and peeked her head around. The noise stopped almost instantaneously and the silence was almost as loud as all the talking had been. Everyone stared. 'I wonder if this is how Harry feels. Like you've suddenly grown, not just one, but about four extra heads!' she mused to herself.
Suddenly, Hermione's view of the room was blocked by deep, purple velvet robes, which were sprinkled with silver stars. "Come with me Hermione," Dumbledore's kind voice said, "And you can have something to eat while we talk about last night."
A/N: Well here is the second chapter. I hope you all like it and its keeping you interested. Suggestions, opinions and anything that lets me know you are reading are welcome as reviews.