Hermione's eyes shot open. Darkness surrounded her. With her heart beating fast, she tried to calm down. It had been just a dream after all... But it had been so real.
Dream
The summer sun was shining down through the windows in the new dueling clubroom. The proof that Voldemort had indeed returned had prompted the school to get the club up and rolling again. And once again the greasy git was up there telling everyone the rules of the "game."
"I only want to see you using spells that your opponent knows. If you are unsure, then don't do it... it's that simple, though some of you may have trouble comprehending that." He looked right at the Gryffindor trio, his voice harsh and sharp.
"Why does he do that all the time?" Ron whispered to Harry who just shrugged.
"Now pair up. Potter and Weasley, Crabbe and Goyle, Lovegood and Longbottom, Malfoy and Granger, Zabini and..." Snape rambled off pairings while Hermione went pale.
"How could he do this?!" Hermione whispered to Harry who just shrugged again.
"Oh come on 'Mione, it's not so bad. You could take him without your wand even."
"Only if he play by the rules, and even Snape isn't so dense to think he will. He did that on purpose!"
"Granger!" he yelled startling her a bit. "Are you coming or do I have to duel myself, though that would be more of a challenge." Malfoy smirked.
"Just watch your back Hermione," Ron said. "Expect the unexpected with that one."
She made her way over to the platform, trying to clear her mind. If her emotions became tangled with the spells then she would never get them right. She had to concentrate. 'You can do this,' she told herself. 'It's only Malfoy.'
Hermione started off with a few easy spells. "Expelliarmus!" but Draco easily avoided it and immediately sent a hex hurling at her. Hermione didn't hear the incantation he used, but knew he probably hadn't learned it at Hogwarts by the crack it had left in the wall, which was slowly fading. One of the bad things about the room of requirement, it modified itself to be exactly what was needed... there was no way she could prove what had happened.
Her opponent easily avoided the next charm as well.
"Is that all you got Granger?" he taunted her before sending another spell at her. This one burnt the wall behind her.
'What kind of magic is he using, and why doesn't anyone see that something is very wrong with this?'
Hermione cast again. "I could ask you the same question." Draco again easily avoided it. 'Well 'Mione you always said you needed a challenge. This is it.'
Spells flew back and forth between the Gryffindor and the Slytherin, each a little more complicated than the first. Hermione didn't recognize any of the spells. Some of them had appeared in the books she had been reading, but none were meant to be used by novices. 'Why is it that Snape doesn't see this?'
She was so busy trying to identify the spells that the next few barely missed.
"Come on little Miss Know-it-all, I wanted a challenge. Why do you think I asked Snape to pair us up?"
'That son of a bitch!' She hurled the most complicated spells she knew and knocked him off his feet. She risked a glance at the professor. 'That greasy git is looking right at us, and yet he's not doing anything!!!!' She turned her attention back to the duel just in time to dodge a spell, and be hit by another. Flying backwards Hermione hit the wall and crumpled on the floor.
The last thing she saw was the smirk Malfoy wore on his face, and the students running up to see if she was ok. Then she blacked out.
Dream Ends
"Malfoy!" she growled.
There was movement in the bed beside her. "Yes, luv?" an all to familiar voice moaned.
Dream
The summer sun was shining down through the windows in the new dueling clubroom. The proof that Voldemort had indeed returned had prompted the school to get the club up and rolling again. And once again the greasy git was up there telling everyone the rules of the "game."
"I only want to see you using spells that your opponent knows. If you are unsure, then don't do it... it's that simple, though some of you may have trouble comprehending that." He looked right at the Gryffindor trio, his voice harsh and sharp.
"Why does he do that all the time?" Ron whispered to Harry who just shrugged.
"Now pair up. Potter and Weasley, Crabbe and Goyle, Lovegood and Longbottom, Malfoy and Granger, Zabini and..." Snape rambled off pairings while Hermione went pale.
"How could he do this?!" Hermione whispered to Harry who just shrugged again.
"Oh come on 'Mione, it's not so bad. You could take him without your wand even."
"Only if he play by the rules, and even Snape isn't so dense to think he will. He did that on purpose!"
"Granger!" he yelled startling her a bit. "Are you coming or do I have to duel myself, though that would be more of a challenge." Malfoy smirked.
"Just watch your back Hermione," Ron said. "Expect the unexpected with that one."
She made her way over to the platform, trying to clear her mind. If her emotions became tangled with the spells then she would never get them right. She had to concentrate. 'You can do this,' she told herself. 'It's only Malfoy.'
Hermione started off with a few easy spells. "Expelliarmus!" but Draco easily avoided it and immediately sent a hex hurling at her. Hermione didn't hear the incantation he used, but knew he probably hadn't learned it at Hogwarts by the crack it had left in the wall, which was slowly fading. One of the bad things about the room of requirement, it modified itself to be exactly what was needed... there was no way she could prove what had happened.
Her opponent easily avoided the next charm as well.
"Is that all you got Granger?" he taunted her before sending another spell at her. This one burnt the wall behind her.
'What kind of magic is he using, and why doesn't anyone see that something is very wrong with this?'
Hermione cast again. "I could ask you the same question." Draco again easily avoided it. 'Well 'Mione you always said you needed a challenge. This is it.'
Spells flew back and forth between the Gryffindor and the Slytherin, each a little more complicated than the first. Hermione didn't recognize any of the spells. Some of them had appeared in the books she had been reading, but none were meant to be used by novices. 'Why is it that Snape doesn't see this?'
She was so busy trying to identify the spells that the next few barely missed.
"Come on little Miss Know-it-all, I wanted a challenge. Why do you think I asked Snape to pair us up?"
'That son of a bitch!' She hurled the most complicated spells she knew and knocked him off his feet. She risked a glance at the professor. 'That greasy git is looking right at us, and yet he's not doing anything!!!!' She turned her attention back to the duel just in time to dodge a spell, and be hit by another. Flying backwards Hermione hit the wall and crumpled on the floor.
The last thing she saw was the smirk Malfoy wore on his face, and the students running up to see if she was ok. Then she blacked out.
Dream Ends
"Malfoy!" she growled.
There was movement in the bed beside her. "Yes, luv?" an all to familiar voice moaned.