Title: The Beginning of the End (18)
Author: Procella Nox noctis
Category: Horror
Sub Category: Drama
Keywords: Hermione, Blaise, dreams
Summary: Summer brake had been his favourite time of year. Until he had to spend it with Hermione Granger. And that was just the beginning of the story.
Sneak-peek: "They killed Nana! They killed my grandmother! On her birthday! I want them all dead! All of them should die! They killed her!" she screamed and screamed.
"Hermione, calm down, please. Honey, please."
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter and unfortunately never will. No money is being made out of this story, which is a pity, it's really good. Modesty isn't my forte.
A/N: Okay, so I've started this new fic, which in my opinion, and the opinion of oh, 13 readers is good bordering on great! It is called Now What, You Idiot? And I'm beginning to think I will make double updates, for this story and for the new one, because they seem to be rather successful. Ah well, I believe you might not like this chapter very much. Beware this story's getting really Dark! You have been warned, now enjoy!
Eighteen: Christmas Presents You'd Never Like To Receive
Hermione's dreams were now plagued by the same death scene repeating itself over and over until the girl felt like jumping from the Astronomy Tower a good idea to get away from the horrible nightmare.
It was December already, and within the first day of the twelfth month she received the most horrible news. Hermione was enjoying her breakfast in the company of her friends from Gryffindor when an owl swept into the Great Hall and stood in front of her. Hermione knew this owl all too well, it had been her mother's owl from when she went to Hogwarts, and the animal still had powers to carry mail for her.
The Gryffindor smiled at the owl, gave him a snack and opened the letter. Then she froze. The glass which she had picked up to drink fell from her hands and dropped onto the floor breaking noisily, and attracting the students' attention.
"Hermione?" she heard Ginny ask her from her left, but was too busy reading the letter for the third time to answer the girl.
Dear Hermione,
Darling, I know I wasn't supposed to write until next week but something dreadful has happened.
I want to ask you to try and control your emotions, and please try and not break anything, or throw Hogwarts on fire.
Now, take one deep breath and read forward.
There was this accident you see? The doctors said she'd make it, I mean she was at the hospital, doing fine, breathing and blotchthought she was going to make it but...
Oh my god...Henry was just heading out to get her...and then he found the place...oh dear heavens.
Hermione, what I'm trying to say is that...Nana's dead.
There was some more information on what had happened but Hermione always stopped there. Nana's dead. Her grandmother was dead. Her grandmother, her only grandmother, who today had her 81st birthday was now...gone.
She scanned the page forward until she found the words she dreaded.
The Dark Mark tainted the sky of the house where she was.
Voldemort. Rage filled her, coming deep from within her soul. Energy flowing from her hands. One big black bubble of pure hatred. She was now standing in front of her house's table, the incarnation of hatred, remorse and sadness.
From the Slytherin table she could vaguely see Blaise getting up, ready to help her. Voldemort killed her grandmother. Happy memories of whenshe was little and sitting on the old lady's lap, while she told her the same old story over and over again surfaced her mind. He killed her! They killed her.
Her school robes were blown by the wind of energy she was gathering. Her hair was like a lion's mane around her face. Her eyes went entirely black. The black bubble in her hand threatened to explode.
All of the sudden, Dumbledore, Amelia, Sinistra and Sirius stood up ready to control the girl. Blaise ran towards the Gryffindor table. The bubble in her hand was now the size of her, and it engulfed her entirely.
All the students stood watching in terror. There she was, Hermione Granger, Head Girl, peaceful person, floating inside a black bubble filled with all the hate inside her. Her robes and hair floated around her, and her eyes were entirely black. Then the most unexpected happened. She started wailing. The entire hall covered their ears, she sounded like a banshee.
Blaise stood in front of the bubble, shouting her name, while the professors tried to get her to calm down.
"They killed Nana! They killed my grandmother! On her birthday! I want them all dead! All of them should die! They killed her!" she screamed and screamed.
"Hermione, calm down, please. Honey, please." Blaise shouted from under the bubble, which now floated in the air.
Dumbledore, Sinistra, Amelia and Sirius finally managed to control the bubble which imprisoned the girl. They made it pop like a balloon. Hermione fell from up in the air, right into Blaise's arms, tired. The boy laid her on the floor.
"They killed my grandmother." She whispered before passing out completely.
When she woke up, she found herself blinded by the light. Shutting her eyes closed violently, she heard the whispers of people in the next room. She managed to hear words such as: "New Prophecy...must protect her...danger...not sure...poor girl...tired."
"Ah, you're awake!" Madame Popmfrey entered the room. "You have some guests." She winked, calling a bunch of ten people inside the infirmary.
"Hello, Miss Granger. How are you feeling?" Orion Cornwell asked siting down in a chair.
"Dizzy. Please tell me why all of you are here." Hermione replied, studying her Superiors attentively.
"We have come across a new Prophecy." Adrienne Sinistra said solemnly.
"Was there an old one?" Hermione asked confused.
"I take it Harry did not tell you." Dumbledore said tiredly.
"Tell me what?"
"Hermione, Harry is the only one capable of killing Voldemort for good, because apparently the Dark Lord marked him. And there's a big rule. To say much in few words: it'll either be Harry or Voldemort who die." Sirius updated her.
"That was the reason behind his gloominess during all the last year, then? Poor Harry, he'll either be a murderer or be killed." She finished.
"Precisely what Harry said himself."
"About that new prophecy?" she asked.
"It's on this paper. Mlle Sarrasin translated it from Ancient Rune." Fleur said, giving her the script.
Hermione studied the parchment and started reading aloud:
"When the blood protection is lost,
The champion will be vulnerable.
The reign of Terror and darkness will come true,
Yet hope is the last thing you lose.
A traitor will be punished,
Another will be found,
Of them, one has good intentions,
For as a spy, he's bound.
The Helpers will lose their helping hand,
Leaving the Champion without hope.
But after them comes a new brand,
Who'll throw him a saving rope.
He who is the Champion's brother,
Yet not in blood nor bones,
Will lead the troops of Light together
With he who holds the tones.
The Star will suffer yet again,
Before he reaches happiness.
In the middle of the battle,
Just as before, but only less.
The sweet will have to conquer death,
Before controlling his powers.
To pass through death in one just breath,
When others take four hours.
When this will happen, it shall come,
Glowing like a guiding star.
The Champion will grab it gladly,
And victory won't be far."
They sat in silence. "Wow. Anyone knows what it could mean?" Hermione said bewildered.
"We have our guesses, but firstly I believe we must summon your friends, for I believe they play vital parts in this. Some of them." Dumbledore said, all twinkle gone from his eyes.
Before Hermione had time to realise anything, her nine friends entered the room. "Sorry, professor, we were listening in, but it was a must-do thing." Ron said sitting down on an empty bed. The others did the same.
"The better, now we can go down to resolving the prophecy."
"Oh, a mystery? Count me in!" Hermione said jumping on her bed.
"Let's take the prophecy verse by verse, shall we?" Remus suggested, making the verses appear into thin air, much like Voldemort did in second year.
When the blood protection is lost,
The champion will be vulnerable.
The reign of Terror and darkness will come true,
Yet hope is the last thing you lose.
"Well it's pretty obvious who the Champion is by now." Hermione said looking at Harry. "So when you don't have your aunt's protection, you'll be weak. But we still have hope. That's...so relieving to know. Harry has lost that protection when he turned seventeen, it could be anytime now!"
"Not precisely. I mean, Hogwarts is safe, right? So as long as Potter stays here, he won't get killed." Draco answered smugly.
"That is correct, Mr. Malfoy, but the fates are still to be decided." Sinistra replied. "Moving on."
"A traitor punished. Well, let's hope it'll be Pettigrew." Sirius snarled.
"Another found, but he'll be a spy. Emm, Snape perhaps?" Remus offered.
"There's a possibility. But we never know."
"Harry's bro' but not in bones or blood. Pfrrt. That's Ron, it's clear as water it's Ron." Ginny said looking at her brother. "Hey cool, you'll get to be some sort of general."
"Thanks Gin, but I don't feel relieved by that."
"Helped by he who holds the tones. A singer?" Millicent asked.
"No. Someone who holds tones. Or has a calming voice. Most singers have calming voices. Who of us has calming voices?" Blaise asked.
"You do." Hermione answered. "You always calmed me in my hysterics, and lord knows that ain't easy. So, you'll help Ron."
"The Helpers. Well, we are the Helpers, that's sure." Vivian snorted. "But how can we lose our helping hand?"
"Not your hands! Your powers! You can help with your powers, thus you will lose them. Oh crap." Hermione said, realising they'd be lost without the Priori Incantatem.
"But a new brand will come. A new gang of sorcerers will come to the rescue." Neville calmed her.
"I honestly don't get the next verses. They're too difficult. The star and the sweet. Who in holy earth could those be?" Fleur asked.
"The star could be either Sirius or Orion. Your names are both constellations. As to the next verse...I'm lost." Blaise concluded. Hermione's mind in change worked like a bumble-bee.
"I got it! One of you two will suffer like you have before in your life, but for less time than then." The girl answered.
"What about the sweet?" Pansy asked.
"To that I'm as lost as the rest of you."
"Well, we'll try to make progress this might be our last hope as well. Good day to you. And miss Granger, I'm terribly sorry about your grandmother. Adelle was a wonderful woman. Please try and calm down, though, burning down the school won't bring her back." Nicholas Flamel said before disappearing into thin air.
"Hey, you can't disappear in Hogwarts!" Hermione said bewildered.
"Tiz one of the few things sorcerers have in advance. We don't Dissaparate, we vanish." Dumbledore said, smiling and left the Infirmary, while the other eight Superiors vanished as well. Some to their offices, and others home.
Days passed since the revealing of the prophecy, and Hermione still grieved for her grandmother. Christmas was coming soon, and laughter filled the halls of Hogwarts. Hermione hated them for being so chirpy. Not even Lavender was chirpy anymore, but that was because she had lost her mother in an attack last year, and had now gone silent as a tomb.
Hermione haunted the hallways of the school, mesmerized at the decorations and the new rooms she found. One day, while she was wondering about near the Arithmancy Classroom, she noticed the door was opened. She stepped inside, and saw it again. That dreadful clock.
"Ah, Granger, just the girl I was looking for." Come Vector's voice from behind her. Funny, wasn't he acting strange lately? He had never before called her Granger shortly.
"What can I do for you, professor?" She asked.
"It has come to my ear you want to become a Curse Breaker. Well I have this clock that is acting rather strange. Could you give it a check?"
"I'm not a qualified Curse Breaker professor; I may not be of help."
"Nonsense! You're the right girl for the job. I trust you." He said pushing her towards the clock she hated.
"Very well." She answered finally, taking a look at the snake clock. She took it in her hand to inspection it and felt the familiar tugging at her stomach.
When she opened her eyes she cursed her foolishness. How could she have been so stupid? A Portkey and she had not realised! Where was she now?
Looking around her she discovered she was in a cage surrounded by light. She got up from the floor and tried opening the door. Her powers! She had lost her powers!
"It's no use, your powers don't work in this cage, girl." She saw Vector throwing what she supposed had been his Portkey. "You're trapped, bitch. And you'll pay for getting my son killed." He hissed close to her cage, and Hermione noticed that was not Vector, it was an impostor. "Vector's dead. I only needed his hair, so I killed him afterwards." He sneered. "Now, My Lord wants to make you a proposition." He hissed again, while the door opened, and Hermione vaguely saw the figure of a cloaked person before her mind was invaded by a snake-y voice: "Ssssslep."
Later that day in Hogwarts, nine students and several teachers stood in the Arithmancy classroom. Pansy was clutching at Ron's hand, while Ginny cried on Draco's shoulder. Harry hugged Luna, his face totally blank, while on Millicent and Neville's faces tears could be seen escaping. Blaise was another desperate case. The boy was kneeled-down, clutching a paper in his hand. Dumbledore stood rigid while Sirius curses loudly. Even Snape seemed affected. They had been looking for Hermione all day. Then they found Vector's dead body, and immediately ran to his classroom. Where all they found was that note.
Blaise let go of the paper, whispering "Why her?" over and over again. The parchment fell to the floor like a feather. On it, besides the clear Dark Mark stood in bloody letters: "Voldemort wishes you a unhappy Christmas."
E/N: There, finished and done for! I think you're going to kill me later on, when you'll see what I'm going to do to Hermione, and to the others for that matter, so I'll set one thing straight. This will most likely have a happy ending. So don't fret so much. The next chapters you'll notice will be more different, from several points of view. also, more angst-y romance will come. Ah, romance-in-the-middle-of-the-war is the best thing I can write.
Thank you too:
Sokorra Lewis. Okay. No problem. Oh, I'll wait. Thanks.
Dark Nadeshiko. Love the nick. What does it mean? Yeah, Honey comes because of that and also because...something you'll find out later. I KNOW it' lame, but I had nothing else in mind at the moment. I was in a lame state. Plus I hated having to say Draco, Hermione, Pansy, Blaise, Millicent, Harry, Ginny, Ron, Neville and Luna all the friggin' time. Just think that Colin Creevy gave them the name. (no I have nothing against that mentally confused boy, bless him.) Thanks though.
MissDramtic. You're so faithful to this story; I'm beginning to think you like it or something. Sarcastic moment over. Thank you, I love leaving cliffy, and I'm glad you wait for more. Sorry for the delay though.
ShimmeringEvil. Thank you! Yup, I know it was kinda spooky, huh? This one's sad, perhaps? I don't know, you give it a category.
Phoenixdreams. You have no idea how glad it makes me to know my story converts people to this wonderful, wonderful ship. Not to worry, we all swoon for Blaise over at the O&U so that's not embarrassing at all. I remember I was converted with Metallicafangirl's Slytherin Vengeance fic. And all of Skooksie's one-shots. I'll mention them soon.
Soya. What can I say? I'm a lucky sod. Thanks.
Sw33t Vi3t. Don't worry, my confusion is as gone as yours. If you thought I was evil in the last chapter, you haven't seen nothing yet, m'sgirl. NOTHING I TELL YOU! MUAHAHAHA! Evil Overlady moment over.
Sabi4ever. Thank you. [bows to the lil faerie] Yes master.
If you enjoyed this story check out: Shared Heaven by JeanB; Sometimes by Sokorra Lewis; To love a Gryffindor by Sokorra Lewis; Of Lust And Pie by SkooksiePants; Slytherin Vengeance by Metallicafangilrl. Enjoy, and become a shipper, mate. Arrgh! And long live Longbottom Silver!