Hermione Granger tossed her hair behind her ears, glancing around at the other students in the library, all chatting amongst themselves, and she sighed. 'Why did they have to be so noisy?' She thought, finally throwing her quill down, just as she saw Ron Weasley walking into the library. He spotted her, and walked over, sitting down opposite her and smiling.
"Hey, Hermione. What are you doing? You've been in here all afternoon!" Ron asked her, pulling out one of his own books, but still glancing up at her.
Hermione sighed, knowing fully well that Ron just didn't understand how important school work was to her.
"Ron, how many times must I tell you? The essay for Professor McGonagall is due TOMORROW!" She exclaimed.
"And you've finished! You finished the night you got it, I know you did! You were up until 2:30 in the morning working on it, I saw you, Hermione," Ron told her, leaning forward and lowering his voice. "This has something to do with Harry, doesn't it?"
Hermione raised her thin eyebrows at him, and leant forward, resting her chin on her hand.
"What are you talking about?" She asked him, with no idea of what was happening.
Ron lowered his voice even lower this time, making sure nobody else in the library could hear him. "He's been having the dreams again, Hermione. About You-Know-Who, for a week or more now."
Hermione sat back in her chair, and was silent for a moment, deep in thought, and then she leaned back forward again, inches away from Ron.
"But... why hasn't he told me, Ron? I'm one of his best friends too! How come I haven't been told about this?"
"He hasn't told me!! I know, because I've been hearing him cry out things in his sleep. Neville's heard him too; however I don't see how, because from the minute Neville's head hits the pillow, he starts snoring like a lawnmower." Ron told Hermione, laughing quietly at his own little joke.
Hermione remained straight-faced, and stared at Ron.
"But he always has dreams about V-Vol.. You-Know-Who, doesn't he? About him killing his parents? They're just normal, aren't they?" She asked Ron, narrowing her eyes slightly, deep in thought.
Ron stopped laughing at his own joke, and glanced around the library, catching Lavender Brown's eye, and smiling slightly, then turning back to Hermione.
"The things he's been saying... they're different... Hermione, it's as if he IS You-Know-Who!"
"What kind of things has he been saying? You KNOW he had some trouble when you thought You-Know-Who was possessing him last year, don't you?" Hermione quizzed Ron, trying to get him to stop looking around at the rest of the visitors to the library. "Ron, this is serious!!"
He tore his eyes away from the prying eyes of fellow Hogwarts students, and turned to face Hermione, whose face was full of concern.
"I'm sorry, okay?" He told her, although not sorry at all. "He's been calling out all different kinds of things, and it's been scaring me. I haven't been able to sleep at all. He's been calling out things," and as he bit his lip, he continued. "'Those Mudbloods... they can't do this... I'll kill them...' and Hermione, it's not like Harry at all!!"
Hermione raised her eyebrows in shock, unable to believe what Ron was telling her.
"But... Harry would never say anything like that!" She looked down into her hands, fumbling with them, and then glanced up again at this red-haired, freckly boy, opposite her. "Would he?"
"Harry wouldn't. I know he wouldn't." Ron said knowledgably, and gathered up his books, standing up abruptly. "Listen, I'll have a talk to him later, alright? See what he can tell me, and I'll get back to you soon."
Hermione looked up at him, and smiled. "Thanks, Ron."
Ron looked down at her and grinned back. "Don't mention it."
"Hey, Hermione. What are you doing? You've been in here all afternoon!" Ron asked her, pulling out one of his own books, but still glancing up at her.
Hermione sighed, knowing fully well that Ron just didn't understand how important school work was to her.
"Ron, how many times must I tell you? The essay for Professor McGonagall is due TOMORROW!" She exclaimed.
"And you've finished! You finished the night you got it, I know you did! You were up until 2:30 in the morning working on it, I saw you, Hermione," Ron told her, leaning forward and lowering his voice. "This has something to do with Harry, doesn't it?"
Hermione raised her thin eyebrows at him, and leant forward, resting her chin on her hand.
"What are you talking about?" She asked him, with no idea of what was happening.
Ron lowered his voice even lower this time, making sure nobody else in the library could hear him. "He's been having the dreams again, Hermione. About You-Know-Who, for a week or more now."
Hermione sat back in her chair, and was silent for a moment, deep in thought, and then she leaned back forward again, inches away from Ron.
"But... why hasn't he told me, Ron? I'm one of his best friends too! How come I haven't been told about this?"
"He hasn't told me!! I know, because I've been hearing him cry out things in his sleep. Neville's heard him too; however I don't see how, because from the minute Neville's head hits the pillow, he starts snoring like a lawnmower." Ron told Hermione, laughing quietly at his own little joke.
Hermione remained straight-faced, and stared at Ron.
"But he always has dreams about V-Vol.. You-Know-Who, doesn't he? About him killing his parents? They're just normal, aren't they?" She asked Ron, narrowing her eyes slightly, deep in thought.
Ron stopped laughing at his own joke, and glanced around the library, catching Lavender Brown's eye, and smiling slightly, then turning back to Hermione.
"The things he's been saying... they're different... Hermione, it's as if he IS You-Know-Who!"
"What kind of things has he been saying? You KNOW he had some trouble when you thought You-Know-Who was possessing him last year, don't you?" Hermione quizzed Ron, trying to get him to stop looking around at the rest of the visitors to the library. "Ron, this is serious!!"
He tore his eyes away from the prying eyes of fellow Hogwarts students, and turned to face Hermione, whose face was full of concern.
"I'm sorry, okay?" He told her, although not sorry at all. "He's been calling out all different kinds of things, and it's been scaring me. I haven't been able to sleep at all. He's been calling out things," and as he bit his lip, he continued. "'Those Mudbloods... they can't do this... I'll kill them...' and Hermione, it's not like Harry at all!!"
Hermione raised her eyebrows in shock, unable to believe what Ron was telling her.
"But... Harry would never say anything like that!" She looked down into her hands, fumbling with them, and then glanced up again at this red-haired, freckly boy, opposite her. "Would he?"
"Harry wouldn't. I know he wouldn't." Ron said knowledgably, and gathered up his books, standing up abruptly. "Listen, I'll have a talk to him later, alright? See what he can tell me, and I'll get back to you soon."
Hermione looked up at him, and smiled. "Thanks, Ron."
Ron looked down at her and grinned back. "Don't mention it."