Hermione awoke to the dank odor of damp cement, and scrunched her nose at the musk. Blinking, she examined her surroundings, allowing her mind to replay last evenings events. Lily had revealed an ancient prophecy about 5 women and a "lord of the night." It had been translated to say that only those women, fighting side by side, could defeat him. Lily was one of them. She also claimed that Hermione was one, too. Could Ginny be one also? Hermione silently inquired. Lily wasn't so sure. She was positive about them, though. All the clues were there. A girl of bravery and intelligence would sacrifice everything for love, assuming that Hermione would sacrifice for her friends, the others in the prophecy. And a girl with a fiery spirit and appetite to help, would dare to live in death, assuming that Lily would live, even though she was suppose to be dead. These two translations described them perfectly! It was all so unclear for the others, though. Hermione read through the others, and came to one that seemed like Ginny. A girl of quiet manner and shy words would speak out against what's truly wrong Ginny was shy and quiet, but Hermione had never heard her speak out before, she just let everyone think and do what they wish. She often just let others take care of it.
Lily walked into the room then, Narcissa slowly trailing behind. Appearing in the doorway after the two walked in, a brunette haired man stood. His presence screamed leader. Smiling brightly, Daiquiri nimbly hopped to her feet. "Bonjour, Madame Daiquiri." He curtly nodded at her, his dull brown eyes sparkling. Speaking something that Hermione couldn't understand, Daiquiri grabbed the sleeve of his cocoa-brown jacket. Turning swiftly toward Ginny and Hermione, Daiquiri announced, "This is my dad! I haven't seen him in.. Forever!" Hermione was shocked. Her lips parted to say something, but she wasn't so sure what. Remembering a song she had heard on the radio, she stared, speechless.
Yeah.. I know sometimes, things my not always make sense to you right now...but hey.. What Daddy always tell you? Straighten up little soldier, stiffen up that upper lip. What you cryin' about? ...you got me. Halie I know you miss your mom, and I know you miss your dad when I'm gone, but I'm tryin' to give you the life that I never had.. I can see you're sad..even when you smile..even when you laugh...I can see it in your eyes, deep inside, you wanna cry, 'cause your scared. I ain't there..Daddy's with you in your prayers, no more cryin', wipe them tears..Daddy's here, no more nightmares. -Eminem; Encore
Speaking softly, Narcissa explained why he was there. "He's here to help with the plans to get us our freedom back." Hermione couldn't help but stare, and Ginny avoided his gaze, uncomfortable with all the people she didn't know, or trust. "Now, here is the plan..." Narcissa began.
Listening intently, Hermione thought the plan was much to dangerous, but decided to wait to speak up. "...of course, we'll be wearing masks, after all, it is a masquerade ball. But, remember, do NOT take them off until I give the signal! After the Deatheaters attack, we'll have to defend at the precise moment to defeat them. Now.. Any ideas as to who the other 3 women are?" Now, finally, she could speak. "Ginny." Hermione stated, while going over the plan and trying to figure out a better one inside her mind. Tilting her head slightly, Lily gazed at her with wonder. "Hmmm.. It's possible. Which part do you think describes her?" Pointing at the transcript, Hermione waited silently as Lily read it over. "I don't know Ginny well enough to know whether it's true, but we'll take the chance and say it is for now, ok?" Hermione nodded.
Slipping her fingers around the paper, Ginny pulled it to her, and began to read. Then, suddenly, she realized something. "Hermione!" She squeaked in shock. Whipping her head around, Hermione looked at Ginny in concern. "This.. It sounds like a mother and daughter Hermione! What if it's... them!" She glanced at Narcissa and Daiquiri, thinking of the words. A girl of secret and innocence would give up her freedom to free another from lies and betrayal. And, a woman of stature and unknown betrayal would take that which is not hers. Those two seemed so similar to their lives, it was amazing that their ignorance had prevented them from realizing it.
Shaking her head to clear her mind, Hermione read the words over again. Then, realizing Ginny was right, she handed Narcissa the transcript. Narcissa read it over, and Hermione watched as she slightly winced at the words, take that which is not hers. But, even though she didn't want to admit it, Narcissa nodded in agreement.
Harry sat in silence next to Ron's bed in the hospital. Ron had still not awakened since the attack. Thinking back to the horrid event, Harry grimaced. Out of all the people that Harry had thought would get hurt, he always imagined it would be himself. He always imagined that Ron would come to his rescue, hitting the Deatheater with some curse, Hermione screaming, "No Ron! It's to late!" in the background. Then, it would be Hermione throwing some strange, powerful, spell that he had never heard of, at the Deatheater, to save Ron from Harry's same fate. And, in the end, it would be Ron sitting beside his bed, and Hermione sobbing that Harry might die. But, that would never happen... She was gone. Probably dead, but no one could be sure. All they knew, was that she had disappeared. Sighing, he stood from his chair. He couldn't dwell on the possibilities, he had to find a way to find out if she was alive or not. He also had to prepare for the next battle with Voldimort. Stalking out of the room, head down, Harry left for the common room.
After hours of discussing what would take place at the masquerade, Narcissa, Lily, and John left, though not without a huge hug from Daiquiri. They were to come back the next day, with a magazine of robes, dresses, and masks for the ball. That way, they could pick out their outfits and get that part over with, and figure out where all of them would be standing throughout the ballroom. Lying down to rest and think about what she had just heard, Hermione shut her eyes.
About an hour and a half later, the door flung open. Jumping to her feet, Daiquiri grabbed Draco's hand and pushed her hand against his mouth. "Shhh.. Hermione's sleeping." Draco's eyes widened in shock as he saw Hermione's small form curled up in the corner. Ginny sat next to her, brushing her fingers through Hermione's hair as she made small whimpering noises. Ginny didn't even raise her head to acknowledge him.
Darkness fell all around Hermione, yet she was blinded by light. Green, blue, purple, and pink lit the sky's above her. The aurora borealis was gorgeous! But as she waded through the thick red water of the sea in front of her, she had no time to bask in its beauty. Deatheaters surrounded the edge of the water, and she knew they would kill her if they caught her. Green and blue sparks splashed about her, and she looked around for Narcissa, remembering how she had saved her last time. Narcissa wasn't with the other hooded figures, and Hermione knew that she couldn't help her now. Suddenly, a blurred figure rose from the water in front of her. Gasping in fright, she fell backward, into the water. A strong hand gripped her throat. Shuddering, she realized that the hand was slowly rotting around her neck. Black and red gunk stuck to her throat, and she knew that it wasn't just blood. Disgusted, she attempted to pull away, but his grip was to strong. Raising her from the water, she got a good glance at his face. Rot covered it, and yellow puss seeped from the small cracks. Not able to hold in her emotions, she screamed with horror. Then, suddenly, her body was being pulled away. The night wavered, and light seeped before her vision.
Awake, Hermione sat up, sweat beaded over her brow and upper lip. "It was just a dream..." She whispered to herself. Feeling a hand on her shoulder, she slowly turned her head, dread overwhelming her. Then, with a heavy sigh of relief, she realized that it was just Ginny. "You ok?" Ginny questioned, concerned. Nodding, she raised her gaze up to find Draco standing over her, Daiquiri at his side. His contemplating gaze quickly transformed to one of blank emptiness as he glared down at her.
Seeing the change in her brothers gaze, Daiquiri lightly hit him in the arm, and gave him a half smile, trying to encourage him to be kind. He only shrugged and turned back toward the other girls. "What are you two doing here?? You're not suppose to know about this place!" He spat between gritted teeth. He truly hated them, with their know-it-all, bookworm attitude, and snotty, muggle-loving, words! And now they were in his sisters sanctuary?? He would not allow that to happen!
Author Note: Sorry if this wasn't the most exciting, but I had to rush to write it, and I'm also having a bit of writers-block. It'll be better next time, I promise! And I'll also see if I can fix this one up a bit and make it more exciting if I get the chance..
Replies to Reviewers:
Zafr0: Yes, I must agree, he is! Sorry that I couldn't do any longer on this chapter, but I'll try in later chapters. Thank you for the tip! I'll try to use it on my next chapters!
Anonymous: I didn't attempt to make my characters marysue-ish, so sorry you feel that way! But since you are the only one that hasn't liked my story, or at least the only one that has reviewed saying so, I'm going to continue writing the way I do. But thank you for your constructive criticism!
Nikki: Hehe! Thank you! I hope you enjoy reading the rest, and I'm so happy to hear that you like it enough to keep reading it! I'm so thrilled to hear that you do!
Millie-mione: Sorry that it's so complicated! I'll try to ease up on that, k? I already wrote this chapter before your review, but if this one is also to complicated, please tell me, and I'll try to fix! Thanks!
BlackRoseGirl: Thank you very much! I do love Lily in the original books, just the idea of her being dead made me sad, so I decided to make a story where she was alive! I'm so glad you can relate.. I can also, and I try to write so that others can, too.
PadfootObssesed329: lol! That's the shortest review I've ever gotten on any of my stories! Thank you, I'm relieved that I'm not the only one to like the idea of me story! I hope you like the rest to!
Monkeys rok my sox: Thanks! I'll try to update as soon as possible with each chapter, but with juggling school and other things, I might have to skip a few days every now and then. But I'll try!
Musicalmonk17: Well, please do finish, and tell me what you think about the second chapter too! It's not my best, but I hope you think it's at least ok, anyway! Thank you for reviewing!