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Chapter 2 – "The View"

"GET OFF ME!! Let me go!" she screamed desperately.

"SILENCE, you piece of mudblood filth!"

She groped for her wand as she was dragged down the stairs.

"STUP—" But before she could finish the spell, pain exploded at the back of her head and darkness overcame her...

She was trying to wake up, she had to wake up...someone was in danger...but who? Her face felt cold; her whole body did. She had to wake up; someone was going to die soon, she knew it...she just couldn't remember who it was she had to save. Finally she managed to force her eyes open.

She was lying on a cold stone floor. She started to get up, but found she couldn't move. Her mind was racing. Whoever it was that needed her help, needed it badly, and she couldn't get to them...

Her thoughts were interrupted when her ribs exploded in pain as a boot savagely kicked her in the side. She cried out in surprise. Then it came again, and again...blinding, sharp pain...she could feel her ribs cracking and splintering...she screamed in agony...

From far away, she heard laughter...menacing, evil laughter. And then a cold voice...

"Crucio."

Hermione woke with a start. Her body was drenched in sweat and she was shaking violently. Not that nightmare again...

She started to sit up, but the sharp pain in her ribs reminded her that it had not just been a particularly bad nightmare. It was bad enough that she had lived through it, but now she visited it in dreams too. She wondered if it would ever stop haunting her. What if Harry hadn't come to save her? She tried not to dwell on it, but the fear always came back to her in the vulnerability of sleep.

She got up and went into the bathroom, the fear and pain of the dream slowly subsiding but still clear in her mind. She splashed cold water on her face, then dried it with a towel, staring at her reflection in the mirror.

The seventeen year old girl who looked back at her was hardly recognizable, compared to the Hermione Granger who was beginning her sixth year at Hogwarts just one year ago. Last year, though by no means ignorant, she had been so...naïve. Innocent. Happy.

After the attack, she'd had a nervous breakdown of sorts. She couldn't eat, couldn't sleep, and the nightmares had haunted her constantly when she did sleep. Harry and Ron had tried to help her, and Madame Pomfrey gave her deep sleep droughts to end the nightmares...but the damage would never fully repair itself.

Physically, there was so much damage to her ribs that even Madame Pomfrey could not completely fix them, though she said they would heal themselves over time.

Mentally, Hermione knew that she would never be the same again. But she put on a brave front and pretended she had moved on, so as not to worry Harry and Ron. Harry, at least, had far too much to worry about already without her complicating things. Ron...the corner of her mouth curved upward in a slight smile. Well, Ron worried about her enough already.

Harry had told them about the prophecy while sitting on Hermione's bed at the Hospital Wing. She had to admit that the ultimatum didn't come as much of a shock to her, as it seemed that Harry and Voldemort's connection had always been out of the ordinary...

But she was frightened for Harry all the same. How in the world was he going to defeat Voldemort? And when would it happen? She hoped he wouldn't have to face it until after they were out of Hogwarts, after he had been trained as an Auror, so he had the best chance possible...but a small part of her knew Voldemort wasn't going to wait that long to try and get rid of Harry once again.

He was going to strike soon, before Harry was fully trained to fight. Her jaw set in determination.

When he comes for Harry, Ron and I will be right there beside him.

She shuddered to think of that pallid, reptilian face. She had never seen anything more terrifying in her life.

At least they were going back to school tomorrow, so her mind would have something else to focus on. Wait...school. Seventh year. She had barely given it a thought after the attack...but now she remembered. Who would be Head Boy and Girl?

She had always hoped to become Head Girl; part of her had always assumed she would be, though she would never say this out loud. But tomorrow they were going back to school, and she had received no notification of any kind suggesting that she had been appointed to the position.

Was it possible that she hadn't gotten it? Wouldn't they have let her know by now if she had? And if she hadn't been chosen, what was the reason?

She sighed. It really wasn't important now, she supposed. Who really cared if she was Head Girl or not, right? With her luck, someone like Malfoy would be Head Boy anyway. She almost snorted at the idea, but thought better of it before her ribs got the chance to complain.

Taking one last look at herself in the mirror, she shook her head and walked back to endure another sleepless night.

The next morning dawned cold and grey. It was with somewhat gloomy but mostly apprehensive hearts that Harry, Hermione and Ron packed up their trunks and dragged them downstairs along with Ginny, then went to the kitchen where Mrs. Weasley was bustling around making breakfast.

"Ron, dear, don't forget your sweater...Ginny, you left your wand down here last night...there you go dear...Harry, Hermione, do you have everything you need?"

"Yes, thanks Mrs. Weasley," Hermione murmured distractedly. Harry grunted.

"Good, good...well, have some breakfast, Remus will be here with your portkey shortly...I daresay we don't want you all to be out in the open...not that that helped us last year...You-Know-Who at Hogwarts, really..." Mrs. Weasley broke off, looking worried, and said nothing more.

Hermione sat down between Harry and Ron at the table. Ron gave her a small, crooked smile and squeezed her hand lightly under the table. She gave him a small smile back before turning to her food.

Breakfast was a quiet affair, with everyone lost in their own thoughts.

As they were cleaning up, Lupin appeared in the doorway holding what appeared to be a pirate's hat.

"Hello everyone...here's the portkey...it will take you straight to the train at 10:30. Dumbledore has strange taste in objects...they get stranger all the time..." he trailed off, not seeming to be paying attention to what he was saying anymore.

Having nothing else to do, they sat around in the kitchen making small talk until 10:30, when they had to say their goodbyes.

Mrs. Weasely scurried around to all the teenagers, enveloping each in turn in a smothering, bone-crushing hug that somehow made all of them feel slightly better despite their loud vocal protests. Harry could have sworn that she held onto him for longer than the others, and as she stepped back he did not miss the concern in her eyes.

"Now, do be careful, all of you. I know I don't have to remind you, but please dears, watch out for yourselves..." she looked at Harry meaningfully.

"Er...ok..." Harry muttered. The others murmured similar assents.

Lupin stepped forward, putting a hand on Harry's shoulder and looking round at all their faces. "Mrs. Weasley is right, you must be careful. No matter what happens, be loyal to each other and watch out for each other. Make sure you always know where the others are. Have a good year and try to concentrate on your schoolwork; I know it's hard but this year is very important for your future careers."

They all jumped as another voice barked from the doorway. "And remember, CONSTANT VIGILANCE!"

Moody limped into the room, his disfigured face looking grim. "Especially you, Harry...watch yourself." Both his magical and normal eye were fixed on Harry as if analyzing just how well Harry would take his advice.

Harry sighed. Didn't they know he was tired of hearing this? However, he merely said, "Ok, I will."

They gathered themselves around the hat, each with one hand on it and the other holding their trunk. The last thing Harry saw before he felt the familiar jerk was Mrs. Weasley's worried, anxious face watching him with teary eyes.

The four teenagers landed with a jolt in one of the compartments on the Hogwarts Express. Mass chaos quickly ensued as it turned out they had landed in an already full compartment, and they fell in an unceremonious heap on top of each other.

"OW! Geroff me you stupid prat! Your arse is in my face!" A muffled voice from under Ron yelled.

"Someone's sitting on my foot!"

"Argh...your trunk is crushing me!"

Laughing and apologizing to Neville, Dean, Seamus, Parvati and Lavender, whose compartment they had invaded, the four who had just arrived pulled themselves up rather ungracefully and managed to get off of the other students. Seamus scowled at Ron, rubbing his cheek where Ron's arse had been.

"Please do me a favor and don't ever let me see that view of you again, Ron," he said. "I might just be scarred for life."

Ron's ears turned pink as everyone else began laughing uproariously.

"Nah, that view's reserved for Hermione, right?" Parvati winked. Both Hermione and Ron turned bright red while everyone else laughed harder.

"Erm...I...let's go find a compartment, shall we?" Hermione suggested quickly. Ron nodded vehemently and Harry shrugged and smiled mischievously before following them out. Ginny followed behind them, still chuckling, before going into a compartment with some other 6th years.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione managed to find an empty compartment near the end of the train. They threw their trunks in and flopped down on the seats. After a few minutes of silence as they watched the countryside begin rolling by, Ron scooted over to Hermione and put his arm around her, kissing her cheek softly. She smiled at him before slowly leaning in and brushing her lips against his. She was watching his eyes soften when Harry cleared his throat.

"Um, guys? Can you wait for the snog-fest until you are...alone...somewhere where I don't have to watch? It's sickening watching you."

"Then don't watch." Ron grinned mischievously. Harry rolled his eyes. Hermione laughed at the two of them before gently disentangling herself from Ron's arms, ignoring his protests.

"Oh come on 'Mione!"

"I'm just going to the loo, Ron...I'm sure you can survive for five minutes without me," she smiled.

Ron scowled, crossing his arms with a huff. "Don't be too sure."

Hermione chuckled, walking out into the corridor and sliding the compartment door shut behind her. She continued down the deserted corridor toward the back of the train. She was about to pass the last compartment door before the bathroom when she heard a muffled, deep, familiar drawl coming from it and stopped short. She strained her ears to hear what they were saying.

"...don't care what Lucius did, I'm not going down that road, Zabini. I have no loyalties left there."

Another voice, presumably Zabini, spoke. "Do you know who did it?"

A snort. "Of course I do. It was him."

"Who? Potter?"

Another snort, this louder than the first. "Do you think Potter could kill anyone, even if he tried? Of course not. No, it wasn't Potter...but it was Potter's fault. He's going to pay dearly for it."

There was silence for a moment. Then Zabini's voice again. "What were the members doing at school anyway?"

Malfoy laughed silkily, evilly. "Trying to kill some pitiful mudbloods. Personally, I wish they would've taken out Granger while they had the chance...she's a damned annoying bitch and it would've ripped dear Potter to shreds."

The pure menace and hate in Malfoy's voice, not to mention his words, made Hermione gasp in shock before she could stop herself. Her eyes widened in realization of what she'd just done and she clapped a hand over her mouth, but judging by the sudden silence in the compartment, she had definitely been heard.

She searched frantically for a hiding place as the sound of quick, heavy footsteps drew close to the doorway.