/ / / CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE!!! H t t p : / / g e o c i t i e s . c o m / a l
l _ a b o u t _ s a q u o i a / i n d e x . h t m \ \ \
(no spaces, of course)
---
Slytherinangel922 - Yes, some H/D Action, happy day! And, no need to wait, here's more!
Lynseyax Heparedds - You were out of your chair? Be careful! Yes, it would be fun to beat Draco senseless with a pillow, wouldn't it? He would deserve it, huh? And yes, you shall have to let Hermione be with Draco, because he's HERS. . . or, he will be. . . later.
Mudpie - You were too excited, right? I liked writing about the pillow fight, and I am back, enjoy the more!
Darkmoon of Shadows - Awesome? Thanks so, so, so much! Thanks, and I enjoy being creative.
ILUVRONWEASLEY - Thanks for not being angry for taking longer to update. I understand that you forget about what you say in your review, but I am going to continue to answer it anyway.
love-princess1 - You hope they fall in love fast? Hmm. . . here's more, please enjoy!
Chinagurl - what didn't you get? Oh well, hope things are going to start making sense now.
M.J. Kobayashi - Oh, alright, that makes more sense. Please read!
Spaced Out Space Cadet - Alright, so my cliffies are evil, okay! I don't know, why don't you wait and see what happens with H/D. things will start changing soon, don't you worry.
Ickle Ronniekins Girlie!! - I love pillow fights too!
willowfairy - It's alright, you're allowed a stupid moment every three seconds. You started school? I'm on summer vacay.
SahdowRogue - Yes, the heat may be rising. . . Glad you're waiting, here's. . .Mooooore!
Ash - yes, I can e-mail you and thanky thanks!
*Shocked Beyond Words* - You're shocked beyond words? Wow! Yes, I am twelve, and I am sure you could write like this.
Purple Spotted Hedwig - Ha, you liked the no cliffie! LOL~ Yes, she is kinda crazy, isn't she?
Tayz - Ohh, thanks so, so much!
Slim - Yes, I had a very vivid picture of this event while I was writing it.
Artemis MoonClaw - Yes, everything is bound to be confusing at some point, right? (like that sentence)
Lauren - I understand that things are getting confusing, that's why explanations are starting.
freakyfairy - Cute isn't my style, but I couldn't resist! Yes, Madam Pomfrey was fun to write as well, she over reacts!
Dreaming One - I know, things are getting a tad cliché, but I couldn't resist! =D Ha, no critique? It's 2 am? HA!
Cloudy Crystals - Alright, well, although Hermione is OOC from the books, I prefer MY Hermione! A ton of jello, huh? Um. . . I don't mind that much. . . why?
--
Alright, please read this chapter, enjoy it, and for reference, the webbie was put up because people were asking me kazillions of questions.
~+~
Chapter 24
Hermione spent her entire breakfast trying to convince herself that she hadn't meant anything by the kiss, she had been caught up in the moment, she hadn't known what she was thinking, SOMETHING had to have been wrong with her at the time, because kissing Malfoy, even if it was on the cheek, was absolutely not right.
She didn't have time to dwell on Malfoy, however, because many other pressing matters were taking precedence in her mind, and over-powering her thoughts of the kiss.
Thing such as why she and Malfoy had had the same dreams (which she was happy to note, hadn't been happening anymore) and why it was her that was stuck with this power that she had come to label as a form of super- power. Why was it always her that was stuck with things? She had noticed that nothing had seemed to be happening to Harry this year, which struck her as odd, because things always happened to Harry. In fact, she found herself selfishly wishing that something would happen to Harry and give her some time off.
And what about the exchange trip? Why hadn't she been allowed to go on that? Why had Dumbledore seen fit to keep her here? With Draco Malfoy of all people? Why was she deprived of everything that she came to Hogwarts for in the first place?
Hermione decided to try to drown her thoughts at the library, the only place where she could get lost in a book, even if she tried not to. She made her way there as quickly as she could, because she knew that she needed to make it there without being interrupted or else she would never make it there.
She bolted there, running whenever she was sure that she wouldn't get caught, she had to make it there, she couldn't run into someone, she needed to be free from worry. It felt like the whole world was weighing down on her and there was nothing that she could do to stop it.
She could almost feel the weight of everything compressing her body, making her walk differently, talk differently, think differently, changing the way she perceived herself and the way she spoke to others. She was becoming a different person because of the amount of burdens that had been put on her.
At eleven she had almost watched her best friends die, at twelve she had been petrified, at thirteen she had come face-to-face with a mass murderer and soul sucking creatures, at fourteen she had been there to see her friend come back from meeting with an evil lord, and telling the world that the 'reign of terror' was to resurface, and the world was being thrown into a disillusion.
Now, at fifteen, she had been forced to live knowing that she was more powerful than most of the other people at the school, and quite possibly the world, she had to let her father pass away without spending time with her family, she had no idea whether her mother was alright or not, and she couldn't take the pressure that Dumbledore had placed on her when he asked her to assist Malfoy in the time reversal spells and other related works. None of it made sense to her anyway.
She flipped a page in a book and rolled her eyes. How could anyone think that time could simply be reversed? It was impossible, even if there was something such as magic. Once it has passed, it is gone; such as it is impossible to get back a cookie once it is swallowed.
Hermione slammed the book shut and flipped through another one, trying to find something, absolutely anything that would make sense to her. None of the theories were correct, at least in Hermione's opinion. Something was missing from them, something that was supposed to be the complete answer to everything in the universe, but she couldn't think of what it was.
How was it that when you went back in time, you were in the past with yourself? If time could simply be reversed, then you shouldn't be in a particular time frame with what appeared to be a copy of yourself, because the time would be different, but you would be one being.
Hermione whacked her head on the table and left it there, in the small, cradle-like indention which told her that other students before her had done the same with their heads, while she tried to think of something that would make what was in this book make sense.
She knew she was smarter than the average person, she had been told so many times, yet she couldn't seem to think of the answer now, and she needed to.
"I. Need. Answers." Hermione said angrily, not bothering to raise her head, and she heard someone sit down across from her.
"Me too, Granger." Hermione's head snapped up. What was HE doing here? She couldn't talk to him, not now, not ever. She couldn't face him, she didn't know what to say. Something was wrong with her when she was around him, she couldn't think properly, things came out wrong.
She hated him. She had to hate him. She told herself that she hated him, she persisted in her mind that she hated him, she insisted to anyone that would listen that she hated him, yet she couldn't convince herself, no matter how many times she said it, she would never believe it.
She looked into the eyes of the fifteen-year-old boy in front of her, his silvery hair falling in his eyes, his grey eyes as cool as ever, and she didn't know what to think, she didn't know if she was capable of thinking.
"Granger." He said again, and she was jolted from her thoughts, but she didn't want to answer him. She knew exactly what he was going to ask about, and she definitely didn't want to talk about it.
"I'll talk to you later." She said, and she brushed everything into her bag, stood up, and walked out of the library, as fast as she could without looking completely panicked and worried.
"No," someone said and grabbed her shoulder, and she didn't need to turn to know who it was. She closed her eyes, not wanting to face him. She didn't know what to do when she was around him. She had this wriggling feeling in her stomach, but it seemed to be drowned by the memories of everything that he had done to her in the past, everything that he had done period.
Insults, curses, hurtful actions. He had contributed to the ripping gape in her soul and the emptiness in her heart. He had been the last person to show her that she meant absolutely nothing to anyone. He had shown her that she was lower than low, that she meant less than dirt on a shoe, and she had taken that to heart.
"You'll talk to me now." He said, and she tried to walk away, but he held onto her wrist tightly. She sighed and refused to look at him. She simply couldn't. She continued walking purposefully down the hall, and she was dragging a Draco Malfoy in her wake as she went down the hall.
"I need more than the answers that you can give me." Hermione told him and she tried to walk away from him, but he wouldn't let go of her shoulder, and she didn't know whether she wanted him to let go or not.
"I can't do this." She said and she tried to brush his hand off, but it wouldn't budge.
"You can't do what?" he asked, and Hermione shook her head, partly because she didn't want to answer, and partly because she didn't really know herself. What did she mean? She had no idea what she meant anymore, and she didn't want to find out, because she was afraid of what she would find out about herself, perhaps it would be something that she didn't want to know.
"I don't know." She whispered, quieter than any human's ear could hear, and she was happy that she had mastered this art. She had technically answered, but she couldn't be heard.
"What?" he said, and she scoffed. Apparently he had heard SOMETHING, but she wasn't going to answer him. That was it. She just wouldn't answer him.
She was spared the agony of answering, however, because Professor Albus Dumbledore came sweeping down the steps in front of the two of them, and he stopped in front of them, an amused twinkle sparkling dangerously in his eyes.
"Ah, Mister Malfoy, Miss Granger, I see you're getting along?" he said, and although it sounded like a question, Hermione was almost certain that it was not meant to be answered as one.
"No." Draco said instantly, and Hermione felt his hand slide off of her shoulder and linger on her back for a second.
"Of course not." Hermione said almost as quickly as Draco spoke, and she would have laughed at the irony any other time, but this was definitely not the time nor place to laugh. Something wasn't right, did she normally run into Dumbledore in the halls on a regular day?
"I can see by Miss Granger's face that you have calculated that something is amiss. I shall be the first to admit that I feel I owe it to the pair of you to speak to you about things that have been happening lately." Hermione stared at Dumbledore, and she had an odd feeling that Draco was doing the same.
"I would like you to answer my questions, unfortunately I have other engagements." Hermione said, and she wasn't aware of how rude it seemed to sound, and all she was thinking about was how she was going to get away. She didn't want to talk to anyone about anything.
She was almost up the staircase when she whipped around, and the two people that she ahd walked away from were still standing there, in the same positions that she had left them at, and she hurried back down to where they were.
Her thirst for knowledge and her curiosity were winning over her wishes to stay in her own protected environment.
"Alright, I want to talk too." She admitted sheepishly and she glanced at Draco for a second before redirecting her gaze to Dumbledore.
~+~
Sitting in his office fifteen minutes later, Hermione found herself face-to-face with Albus Dumbledore, and was happy to report that she had her own, separate chair, rather than trying to share a single chair with Draco.
"What is on your minds?" Dumbledore asked, and Hermione stared at him in shock without speaking for a minute. Did he truly not know what was on her mind?
"Why us?" Draco asked, and Hermione stared at him now. Why us what? She wondered. His question didn't make sense, yet Dumbledore seemed to understand exactly what he was asking.
"Ah, Mister Malfoy, I have been waiting for you to ask me this for a long time, ever since I told you about your power, in fact." Hermione looked at Dumbledore indignantly. Had he meant that exactly as the words said? Had he really expected Hermione not to ask him, and that Draco would be the one that asked him the question?
Hermione thought that this was very rude, but as she thought about it, she realized that he was right in every way.
"You see, it isn't only you two that should have had the power." Dumbledore said, and Hermione's attention immediately focused on Dumbledore. Who else could possibly have the power?
"Exactly one thousand-ten years after the founders founded Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, four students would come together, all with the same sacred power as the four founders had, and they would bring light back to the earth again, as a great evil was to rise." Dumbledore paused, as though waiting for his words to sink into their skulls before he continued.
"Why one thousand-ten?" Draco asked, and Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Ten-ten? 1010?" she asked in a manner that clearly said, 'duh, you stupid moron', or, at least, something to that affect.
"Yes, Miss Granger is correct." Dumbledore said, and he took another elegant pause before he continued.
"Anyway, the four students were to be here, at this very school where it all started, but fate and destiny have their way of changing over the centuries, ill-wishes of a single person can alter the universe. Every human being, at some point in their life, will have a major choice to make, but to them it may seem small, miniscule even, but the slightest mistake can change the future.
"Which seems to have happened, seeing as there are only two of you here with me today, where there should have been four." Dumbledore paused again, and Hermione couldn't resist asking the question that seemed to be burning her lips in order not to come out.
"Who else should have been here?" Hermione asked, and Dumbledore seemed to consider his answer before he spoke.
"Well, Miss Granger, perhaps I should explain quite a few things." He said, and Hermione nodded, she had the distinct feeling that this would take a lot longer than a few, casual minutes to explain.
"As you should have guessed, the student to represent Salazar Slytherin is Mister Malfoy, the student to represent Godric Gryffindor is Miss Granger-"
"I would have thought that would be Potter." Draco said in an easy drawl, and Hermione longed to smack him on the side of the head. How could he be so inconsiderate? Yet, she had been wondering the same thing; why her and not Harry Potter? The boy who had survived attacks from Voldemort, the boy who had beaten the odds? Why not him?
"Yes, Mister Malfoy, and so would a great deal of others, yet it is Miss Granger that has received the power, not by blood, as with the other three students, but by gift." Hermione was completely blank. Gift?
"And that means?" Draco asked rather rudely, and Dumbledore seemed to take no notice of his rudeness.
"Miss Granger appears to have inherited a part of the gift, not the total gift that can only be given by blood, but as close to the gift as we can count on at this time and day, and she has been chosen, despite her Muggle parentage, because of her skills and uncanny knack for finding herself in tough situations-" Dumbledore's eyes were alive behind his half- moon spectacles, and they greatly shone through the bleak look on his face.
"-and it has been awarded to her, therefore, by those that have passed on, centuries before."
"Alright, not like I don't like listening to boring stories, but who else was supposed to be here?" Draco asked, and Hermione was aghast at the way he was acting, but, as usual, Dumbledore seemed to take no notice. It was as though he was immune to rudeness.
"The gift from Helga Hufflepuff died, in Mister Cedric Diggory." Dumbledore said sadly, and Hermione's eyes widened. Cedric Diggory had the same power that we have? Was that why Voldemort killed him, or had he just been trying to get at Harry?
"And who had Ravenclaw's power?" Draco persisted, and Hermione felt rather annoyed with him. Couldn't he wait two seconds?
"Ah, Mister Malfoy, this is the hardest one to place, because it seems that the person with Rowena Ravenclaw's power has not come to Hogwarts, meaning that something happened in the past that changed the future. . .possibly."
"What do you mean possibly?" Hermione asked, and she didn't like the way Dumbledore was looking at her, she felt uncomfortable seeing his gaze in her eyes, she felt like she was being x-rayed again, and it struck her what he was going to say, seconds before he said it.
"I believe that Miss Granger could very well be the recipient of Rowena Ravenclaw's power, by blood right." Dumbledore said, and Hermione was almost pleased with these words just because of the look on Malfoy's face.
"But, Professor, you said it before, I'm Muggle Born, how could I be related to Rowena Ravenclaw? She was a witch." Hermione asked, and she saw Dumbledore nodding knowingly, as though he had expected this reaction from her, and he definitely should have, she was not stupid.
"I believe that one child, seven or eight centuries back, was a squib, but had the blood of Rowena Ravenclaw in its veins, and this squib has transferred the blood to you, Miss Granger." Dumbledore said, and Hermione sat there in her chair for a minute.
"So, I'm, like, really powerful and really dangerous?" Hermione asked meekly, and she didn't know whether to be reassured by Dumbledore's laughter or not. Some odd place in her mind told her that she couldn't be reassured by anything right now.
"Ah, Miss Granger," he said, still appearing to be laughing at her on the inside, and his eyes were alive with amusement. "Perhaps I should have explained clearer. Only one power can be used at a time, and it would kill you to try to use both. Each founder had different power, and it is represented in their gifts."
"The gift from Helga Hufflepuff was one of the most important gifts in the earliest times, but the art has seemed to die considerably over the years. The gift for Hufflepuff was the gift of being a Seer." Hermione nodded, pretending that everything was making sense to her, when in reality nothing was making sense anymore. In theory, all of the words strung together into understandable sentences, but the concepts were escaping Hermione.
"As Miss Granger has figured, or maybe not, seeing as there are many circumstances, one of the powers that she could have possessed has already taken its place in her heart." Dumbledore said, and Hermione tried to figure it out, but she couldn't.
"Which is it, Professor?" she asked, and she waited happily for the answer, thinking that something in her life would, at last, make sense to her from now on.
"Miss Granger, I believe that it is the Ravenclaw gift." Dumbledore said, and Hermione's heart sank. Ravenclaw? Why had that blasted hat even bothered putting her in Ravenclaw? She could have avoided quite a few messes in her life, she could have avoided the catastrophic events that seemed to follow Harry, and she would be with other 'smart' people. She wouldn't have such a bad rivalry with Malfoy, and her life would be easier.
"The gift, which is Wandless magic." Dumbledore said, and Hermione perked up at these words. Wandless magic? Cool.
"As you have already demonstrated with our," Dumbledore paused, and then accented his next word. "Friends." She was sure that he was avoiding using Malfoy's father's name, and she was happy. She didn't need anything else to make her life complicated, she was doing fine on her own.
"The Gryffindor gift that could have been possible for you is the gift of unaided flight."
"Un. Aided. Flight?" Draco asked incredulously, and Hermione felt herself compelled to go with him on that one. What kind of nitwit chose flight over something more. . .more. . . better?
"Well, Godric Gryffindor had an, *immense like* for flying," Dumbledore said, and it was all Hermione could do to keep herself from laughing.
"What about ME?" Draco asked, and Hermione smiled despite what she told her face to do. Scowl, she had told it, scowl.
"The gift from Salazar Slytherin is actually two gifts," Dumbledore said, and Draco appeared to be happy, and his smug expression showed exactly what he was thinking, as usual. He thought that he was the best of the four that were supposed to be here, and he thought that his gift was best.
"Parseltongue and something that is extremely rare. You have been chosen for a gift that has been documented in history twice." Dumbledore said, and Draco rolled his eyes.
"Talk, c'mon, I don't have all day, talk." Once again, Hermione was shocked at how much rudeness Dumbledore accepted from Draco.
"You have the ability to walk into death once, either to save someone's soul, or your own life." Dumbledore said, and Draco looked happier than ever.
"I can live twice as long as anyone else. Once I die, I can come back! HA!" He said triumphantly. "Beat THAT Potter." Hermione couldn't believe how obsessed he was with being better than Harry, it was like an illness to him, something that he was incapable of getting over. It was rather annoying.
"Are there any more questions you two have for me?" Dumbledore asked, and he appeared to know that questions were flying through Hermione's mind, and she thought that they must be flying through Malfoy's as well, but his face said nothing.
"Why can Mal-Draco and I you know - why do we have the - you know - dream things?" Hermione thought that her sentence couldn't have sounded any more stupid unless she were Crabbe or Goyle.
"It's all because of these extra powers that you two have, and I must warn you, it will be more difficult, seeing as there are only two of you to do the job of four." Dumbledore said, and before Hermione could ponder these words, they were back in their Advanced Transfiguration room, where the rest of the class was working on their training.
Hermione smiled weakly and waved feebly.
"Hey. . .everyone."
~+~
A/N: I was nice today as well, no cliffie, but DON'T get used to it, lol!
Please Read and Review.
Sorry that I have been so busy, I am taking TaeKwonDo and I have major training to be doing because I am taking a second degree black belt test, so I have many classes to be taking.
Ttyl.
--Saquoia--
Slytherinangel922 - Yes, some H/D Action, happy day! And, no need to wait, here's more!
Lynseyax Heparedds - You were out of your chair? Be careful! Yes, it would be fun to beat Draco senseless with a pillow, wouldn't it? He would deserve it, huh? And yes, you shall have to let Hermione be with Draco, because he's HERS. . . or, he will be. . . later.
Mudpie - You were too excited, right? I liked writing about the pillow fight, and I am back, enjoy the more!
Darkmoon of Shadows - Awesome? Thanks so, so, so much! Thanks, and I enjoy being creative.
ILUVRONWEASLEY - Thanks for not being angry for taking longer to update. I understand that you forget about what you say in your review, but I am going to continue to answer it anyway.
love-princess1 - You hope they fall in love fast? Hmm. . . here's more, please enjoy!
Chinagurl - what didn't you get? Oh well, hope things are going to start making sense now.
M.J. Kobayashi - Oh, alright, that makes more sense. Please read!
Spaced Out Space Cadet - Alright, so my cliffies are evil, okay! I don't know, why don't you wait and see what happens with H/D. things will start changing soon, don't you worry.
Ickle Ronniekins Girlie!! - I love pillow fights too!
willowfairy - It's alright, you're allowed a stupid moment every three seconds. You started school? I'm on summer vacay.
SahdowRogue - Yes, the heat may be rising. . . Glad you're waiting, here's. . .Mooooore!
Ash - yes, I can e-mail you and thanky thanks!
*Shocked Beyond Words* - You're shocked beyond words? Wow! Yes, I am twelve, and I am sure you could write like this.
Purple Spotted Hedwig - Ha, you liked the no cliffie! LOL~ Yes, she is kinda crazy, isn't she?
Tayz - Ohh, thanks so, so much!
Slim - Yes, I had a very vivid picture of this event while I was writing it.
Artemis MoonClaw - Yes, everything is bound to be confusing at some point, right? (like that sentence)
Lauren - I understand that things are getting confusing, that's why explanations are starting.
freakyfairy - Cute isn't my style, but I couldn't resist! Yes, Madam Pomfrey was fun to write as well, she over reacts!
Dreaming One - I know, things are getting a tad cliché, but I couldn't resist! =D Ha, no critique? It's 2 am? HA!
Cloudy Crystals - Alright, well, although Hermione is OOC from the books, I prefer MY Hermione! A ton of jello, huh? Um. . . I don't mind that much. . . why?
--
Alright, please read this chapter, enjoy it, and for reference, the webbie was put up because people were asking me kazillions of questions.
~+~
Chapter 24
Hermione spent her entire breakfast trying to convince herself that she hadn't meant anything by the kiss, she had been caught up in the moment, she hadn't known what she was thinking, SOMETHING had to have been wrong with her at the time, because kissing Malfoy, even if it was on the cheek, was absolutely not right.
She didn't have time to dwell on Malfoy, however, because many other pressing matters were taking precedence in her mind, and over-powering her thoughts of the kiss.
Thing such as why she and Malfoy had had the same dreams (which she was happy to note, hadn't been happening anymore) and why it was her that was stuck with this power that she had come to label as a form of super- power. Why was it always her that was stuck with things? She had noticed that nothing had seemed to be happening to Harry this year, which struck her as odd, because things always happened to Harry. In fact, she found herself selfishly wishing that something would happen to Harry and give her some time off.
And what about the exchange trip? Why hadn't she been allowed to go on that? Why had Dumbledore seen fit to keep her here? With Draco Malfoy of all people? Why was she deprived of everything that she came to Hogwarts for in the first place?
Hermione decided to try to drown her thoughts at the library, the only place where she could get lost in a book, even if she tried not to. She made her way there as quickly as she could, because she knew that she needed to make it there without being interrupted or else she would never make it there.
She bolted there, running whenever she was sure that she wouldn't get caught, she had to make it there, she couldn't run into someone, she needed to be free from worry. It felt like the whole world was weighing down on her and there was nothing that she could do to stop it.
She could almost feel the weight of everything compressing her body, making her walk differently, talk differently, think differently, changing the way she perceived herself and the way she spoke to others. She was becoming a different person because of the amount of burdens that had been put on her.
At eleven she had almost watched her best friends die, at twelve she had been petrified, at thirteen she had come face-to-face with a mass murderer and soul sucking creatures, at fourteen she had been there to see her friend come back from meeting with an evil lord, and telling the world that the 'reign of terror' was to resurface, and the world was being thrown into a disillusion.
Now, at fifteen, she had been forced to live knowing that she was more powerful than most of the other people at the school, and quite possibly the world, she had to let her father pass away without spending time with her family, she had no idea whether her mother was alright or not, and she couldn't take the pressure that Dumbledore had placed on her when he asked her to assist Malfoy in the time reversal spells and other related works. None of it made sense to her anyway.
She flipped a page in a book and rolled her eyes. How could anyone think that time could simply be reversed? It was impossible, even if there was something such as magic. Once it has passed, it is gone; such as it is impossible to get back a cookie once it is swallowed.
Hermione slammed the book shut and flipped through another one, trying to find something, absolutely anything that would make sense to her. None of the theories were correct, at least in Hermione's opinion. Something was missing from them, something that was supposed to be the complete answer to everything in the universe, but she couldn't think of what it was.
How was it that when you went back in time, you were in the past with yourself? If time could simply be reversed, then you shouldn't be in a particular time frame with what appeared to be a copy of yourself, because the time would be different, but you would be one being.
Hermione whacked her head on the table and left it there, in the small, cradle-like indention which told her that other students before her had done the same with their heads, while she tried to think of something that would make what was in this book make sense.
She knew she was smarter than the average person, she had been told so many times, yet she couldn't seem to think of the answer now, and she needed to.
"I. Need. Answers." Hermione said angrily, not bothering to raise her head, and she heard someone sit down across from her.
"Me too, Granger." Hermione's head snapped up. What was HE doing here? She couldn't talk to him, not now, not ever. She couldn't face him, she didn't know what to say. Something was wrong with her when she was around him, she couldn't think properly, things came out wrong.
She hated him. She had to hate him. She told herself that she hated him, she persisted in her mind that she hated him, she insisted to anyone that would listen that she hated him, yet she couldn't convince herself, no matter how many times she said it, she would never believe it.
She looked into the eyes of the fifteen-year-old boy in front of her, his silvery hair falling in his eyes, his grey eyes as cool as ever, and she didn't know what to think, she didn't know if she was capable of thinking.
"Granger." He said again, and she was jolted from her thoughts, but she didn't want to answer him. She knew exactly what he was going to ask about, and she definitely didn't want to talk about it.
"I'll talk to you later." She said, and she brushed everything into her bag, stood up, and walked out of the library, as fast as she could without looking completely panicked and worried.
"No," someone said and grabbed her shoulder, and she didn't need to turn to know who it was. She closed her eyes, not wanting to face him. She didn't know what to do when she was around him. She had this wriggling feeling in her stomach, but it seemed to be drowned by the memories of everything that he had done to her in the past, everything that he had done period.
Insults, curses, hurtful actions. He had contributed to the ripping gape in her soul and the emptiness in her heart. He had been the last person to show her that she meant absolutely nothing to anyone. He had shown her that she was lower than low, that she meant less than dirt on a shoe, and she had taken that to heart.
"You'll talk to me now." He said, and she tried to walk away, but he held onto her wrist tightly. She sighed and refused to look at him. She simply couldn't. She continued walking purposefully down the hall, and she was dragging a Draco Malfoy in her wake as she went down the hall.
"I need more than the answers that you can give me." Hermione told him and she tried to walk away from him, but he wouldn't let go of her shoulder, and she didn't know whether she wanted him to let go or not.
"I can't do this." She said and she tried to brush his hand off, but it wouldn't budge.
"You can't do what?" he asked, and Hermione shook her head, partly because she didn't want to answer, and partly because she didn't really know herself. What did she mean? She had no idea what she meant anymore, and she didn't want to find out, because she was afraid of what she would find out about herself, perhaps it would be something that she didn't want to know.
"I don't know." She whispered, quieter than any human's ear could hear, and she was happy that she had mastered this art. She had technically answered, but she couldn't be heard.
"What?" he said, and she scoffed. Apparently he had heard SOMETHING, but she wasn't going to answer him. That was it. She just wouldn't answer him.
She was spared the agony of answering, however, because Professor Albus Dumbledore came sweeping down the steps in front of the two of them, and he stopped in front of them, an amused twinkle sparkling dangerously in his eyes.
"Ah, Mister Malfoy, Miss Granger, I see you're getting along?" he said, and although it sounded like a question, Hermione was almost certain that it was not meant to be answered as one.
"No." Draco said instantly, and Hermione felt his hand slide off of her shoulder and linger on her back for a second.
"Of course not." Hermione said almost as quickly as Draco spoke, and she would have laughed at the irony any other time, but this was definitely not the time nor place to laugh. Something wasn't right, did she normally run into Dumbledore in the halls on a regular day?
"I can see by Miss Granger's face that you have calculated that something is amiss. I shall be the first to admit that I feel I owe it to the pair of you to speak to you about things that have been happening lately." Hermione stared at Dumbledore, and she had an odd feeling that Draco was doing the same.
"I would like you to answer my questions, unfortunately I have other engagements." Hermione said, and she wasn't aware of how rude it seemed to sound, and all she was thinking about was how she was going to get away. She didn't want to talk to anyone about anything.
She was almost up the staircase when she whipped around, and the two people that she ahd walked away from were still standing there, in the same positions that she had left them at, and she hurried back down to where they were.
Her thirst for knowledge and her curiosity were winning over her wishes to stay in her own protected environment.
"Alright, I want to talk too." She admitted sheepishly and she glanced at Draco for a second before redirecting her gaze to Dumbledore.
~+~
Sitting in his office fifteen minutes later, Hermione found herself face-to-face with Albus Dumbledore, and was happy to report that she had her own, separate chair, rather than trying to share a single chair with Draco.
"What is on your minds?" Dumbledore asked, and Hermione stared at him in shock without speaking for a minute. Did he truly not know what was on her mind?
"Why us?" Draco asked, and Hermione stared at him now. Why us what? She wondered. His question didn't make sense, yet Dumbledore seemed to understand exactly what he was asking.
"Ah, Mister Malfoy, I have been waiting for you to ask me this for a long time, ever since I told you about your power, in fact." Hermione looked at Dumbledore indignantly. Had he meant that exactly as the words said? Had he really expected Hermione not to ask him, and that Draco would be the one that asked him the question?
Hermione thought that this was very rude, but as she thought about it, she realized that he was right in every way.
"You see, it isn't only you two that should have had the power." Dumbledore said, and Hermione's attention immediately focused on Dumbledore. Who else could possibly have the power?
"Exactly one thousand-ten years after the founders founded Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, four students would come together, all with the same sacred power as the four founders had, and they would bring light back to the earth again, as a great evil was to rise." Dumbledore paused, as though waiting for his words to sink into their skulls before he continued.
"Why one thousand-ten?" Draco asked, and Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Ten-ten? 1010?" she asked in a manner that clearly said, 'duh, you stupid moron', or, at least, something to that affect.
"Yes, Miss Granger is correct." Dumbledore said, and he took another elegant pause before he continued.
"Anyway, the four students were to be here, at this very school where it all started, but fate and destiny have their way of changing over the centuries, ill-wishes of a single person can alter the universe. Every human being, at some point in their life, will have a major choice to make, but to them it may seem small, miniscule even, but the slightest mistake can change the future.
"Which seems to have happened, seeing as there are only two of you here with me today, where there should have been four." Dumbledore paused again, and Hermione couldn't resist asking the question that seemed to be burning her lips in order not to come out.
"Who else should have been here?" Hermione asked, and Dumbledore seemed to consider his answer before he spoke.
"Well, Miss Granger, perhaps I should explain quite a few things." He said, and Hermione nodded, she had the distinct feeling that this would take a lot longer than a few, casual minutes to explain.
"As you should have guessed, the student to represent Salazar Slytherin is Mister Malfoy, the student to represent Godric Gryffindor is Miss Granger-"
"I would have thought that would be Potter." Draco said in an easy drawl, and Hermione longed to smack him on the side of the head. How could he be so inconsiderate? Yet, she had been wondering the same thing; why her and not Harry Potter? The boy who had survived attacks from Voldemort, the boy who had beaten the odds? Why not him?
"Yes, Mister Malfoy, and so would a great deal of others, yet it is Miss Granger that has received the power, not by blood, as with the other three students, but by gift." Hermione was completely blank. Gift?
"And that means?" Draco asked rather rudely, and Dumbledore seemed to take no notice of his rudeness.
"Miss Granger appears to have inherited a part of the gift, not the total gift that can only be given by blood, but as close to the gift as we can count on at this time and day, and she has been chosen, despite her Muggle parentage, because of her skills and uncanny knack for finding herself in tough situations-" Dumbledore's eyes were alive behind his half- moon spectacles, and they greatly shone through the bleak look on his face.
"-and it has been awarded to her, therefore, by those that have passed on, centuries before."
"Alright, not like I don't like listening to boring stories, but who else was supposed to be here?" Draco asked, and Hermione was aghast at the way he was acting, but, as usual, Dumbledore seemed to take no notice. It was as though he was immune to rudeness.
"The gift from Helga Hufflepuff died, in Mister Cedric Diggory." Dumbledore said sadly, and Hermione's eyes widened. Cedric Diggory had the same power that we have? Was that why Voldemort killed him, or had he just been trying to get at Harry?
"And who had Ravenclaw's power?" Draco persisted, and Hermione felt rather annoyed with him. Couldn't he wait two seconds?
"Ah, Mister Malfoy, this is the hardest one to place, because it seems that the person with Rowena Ravenclaw's power has not come to Hogwarts, meaning that something happened in the past that changed the future. . .possibly."
"What do you mean possibly?" Hermione asked, and she didn't like the way Dumbledore was looking at her, she felt uncomfortable seeing his gaze in her eyes, she felt like she was being x-rayed again, and it struck her what he was going to say, seconds before he said it.
"I believe that Miss Granger could very well be the recipient of Rowena Ravenclaw's power, by blood right." Dumbledore said, and Hermione was almost pleased with these words just because of the look on Malfoy's face.
"But, Professor, you said it before, I'm Muggle Born, how could I be related to Rowena Ravenclaw? She was a witch." Hermione asked, and she saw Dumbledore nodding knowingly, as though he had expected this reaction from her, and he definitely should have, she was not stupid.
"I believe that one child, seven or eight centuries back, was a squib, but had the blood of Rowena Ravenclaw in its veins, and this squib has transferred the blood to you, Miss Granger." Dumbledore said, and Hermione sat there in her chair for a minute.
"So, I'm, like, really powerful and really dangerous?" Hermione asked meekly, and she didn't know whether to be reassured by Dumbledore's laughter or not. Some odd place in her mind told her that she couldn't be reassured by anything right now.
"Ah, Miss Granger," he said, still appearing to be laughing at her on the inside, and his eyes were alive with amusement. "Perhaps I should have explained clearer. Only one power can be used at a time, and it would kill you to try to use both. Each founder had different power, and it is represented in their gifts."
"The gift from Helga Hufflepuff was one of the most important gifts in the earliest times, but the art has seemed to die considerably over the years. The gift for Hufflepuff was the gift of being a Seer." Hermione nodded, pretending that everything was making sense to her, when in reality nothing was making sense anymore. In theory, all of the words strung together into understandable sentences, but the concepts were escaping Hermione.
"As Miss Granger has figured, or maybe not, seeing as there are many circumstances, one of the powers that she could have possessed has already taken its place in her heart." Dumbledore said, and Hermione tried to figure it out, but she couldn't.
"Which is it, Professor?" she asked, and she waited happily for the answer, thinking that something in her life would, at last, make sense to her from now on.
"Miss Granger, I believe that it is the Ravenclaw gift." Dumbledore said, and Hermione's heart sank. Ravenclaw? Why had that blasted hat even bothered putting her in Ravenclaw? She could have avoided quite a few messes in her life, she could have avoided the catastrophic events that seemed to follow Harry, and she would be with other 'smart' people. She wouldn't have such a bad rivalry with Malfoy, and her life would be easier.
"The gift, which is Wandless magic." Dumbledore said, and Hermione perked up at these words. Wandless magic? Cool.
"As you have already demonstrated with our," Dumbledore paused, and then accented his next word. "Friends." She was sure that he was avoiding using Malfoy's father's name, and she was happy. She didn't need anything else to make her life complicated, she was doing fine on her own.
"The Gryffindor gift that could have been possible for you is the gift of unaided flight."
"Un. Aided. Flight?" Draco asked incredulously, and Hermione felt herself compelled to go with him on that one. What kind of nitwit chose flight over something more. . .more. . . better?
"Well, Godric Gryffindor had an, *immense like* for flying," Dumbledore said, and it was all Hermione could do to keep herself from laughing.
"What about ME?" Draco asked, and Hermione smiled despite what she told her face to do. Scowl, she had told it, scowl.
"The gift from Salazar Slytherin is actually two gifts," Dumbledore said, and Draco appeared to be happy, and his smug expression showed exactly what he was thinking, as usual. He thought that he was the best of the four that were supposed to be here, and he thought that his gift was best.
"Parseltongue and something that is extremely rare. You have been chosen for a gift that has been documented in history twice." Dumbledore said, and Draco rolled his eyes.
"Talk, c'mon, I don't have all day, talk." Once again, Hermione was shocked at how much rudeness Dumbledore accepted from Draco.
"You have the ability to walk into death once, either to save someone's soul, or your own life." Dumbledore said, and Draco looked happier than ever.
"I can live twice as long as anyone else. Once I die, I can come back! HA!" He said triumphantly. "Beat THAT Potter." Hermione couldn't believe how obsessed he was with being better than Harry, it was like an illness to him, something that he was incapable of getting over. It was rather annoying.
"Are there any more questions you two have for me?" Dumbledore asked, and he appeared to know that questions were flying through Hermione's mind, and she thought that they must be flying through Malfoy's as well, but his face said nothing.
"Why can Mal-Draco and I you know - why do we have the - you know - dream things?" Hermione thought that her sentence couldn't have sounded any more stupid unless she were Crabbe or Goyle.
"It's all because of these extra powers that you two have, and I must warn you, it will be more difficult, seeing as there are only two of you to do the job of four." Dumbledore said, and before Hermione could ponder these words, they were back in their Advanced Transfiguration room, where the rest of the class was working on their training.
Hermione smiled weakly and waved feebly.
"Hey. . .everyone."
~+~
A/N: I was nice today as well, no cliffie, but DON'T get used to it, lol!
Please Read and Review.
Sorry that I have been so busy, I am taking TaeKwonDo and I have major training to be doing because I am taking a second degree black belt test, so I have many classes to be taking.
Ttyl.
--Saquoia--