Chapter 2: A Crimson Trail

By Darxo

Hermione made her way up the moving stairways, reflexively stepping over the trap step and proceeding to the Gryffindor common room. The fat lady who occupied the portrait was snoring loudly when she arrived. Hermione cleared her throat loudly, causing the irritable woman to start awake.

"What on earth are you doing out, young lady? It's past eleven o' clock!" she asked in a surly voice, sticking her chin up snobbishly.

"Toad Trotter," Hermione stated impatiently, ignoring the obese woman's comment. The woman 'humphed' and stuck her chin up further, revealing her bulging double chin.

"I am going to change that password, I have you know. I don't know who came up with it!" Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Are you going to let me in or what!" she snapped. The lady gave a snort and the portrait was flung open. Hermione entered the common room, only slightly surprised when she found it to be empty. Everyone was probably in bed. She was about to climb the stairs to her dormitory, when a pink envelope on the desk by the fireplace caught her attention. She padded over to it, blinking as she read the name scribbled in red writing on the front;

'Hermione'

Hermione frowned and touched the front of the pink envelope with her fingertips. The writing immediately vanished, leaving it blank. She carefully picked up the envelope between her forefinger and thumb, treating it as she would howler. She examined the still blank front. She turned it around, finding the envelope was sealed with a peculiar wax stamp in the shape of a heart. She touched the seal, when the seal was suddenly torn open and the envelope blazed a dark pink in her hand. She yelped and jumped back from the card which, instead of falling to the floor, remained drifting in the air.

The envelope shook mid air, before exploding in a burst of crimson coloured rose petals, all floating gently in the air. She let out a short gasp when the petals suddenly formed a trail in the air, leading out of the room, and disappearing through the portrait. Hermione eyed the trail curiously, dropping her bag to the floor and pulling out her wand from her robes.

She followed the crimson trail, the petals she passed caressing her cheek as she went by, the end of the trail recoiling further up as she followed. She exited through the portrait, thankful that the fat lady was sound asleep and once again snoring loudly. She looked ahead to find the trail had stretched further down the corridors to the stairway. She followed, stepping down the stairs entranced by the gracefully floating petals. She caught herself just before she stepped the trick step, and proceeded further, following the ever growing trail.

She was led further down, into the dungeons. She walked further, finding herself being led into an unfamiliar corridor. She delved further into the darkness of the corridor, her steps although gentle cut through the thick silence like knives. She looked ahead to see the trail of petals shifting through a door up ahead, disappearing behind the thick wood as though merely spirits. She followed and opened the heavy door, the hinges shrieking as she pushed it open. The trail had stopped, the petals now hovering in a swarm in the air. Her eyes caught the huddled heap sprawled out on the cold stone floor, bathing in a pool of dark blood. A choked sob erupted from her mouth as she identified the lifeless mass. The petals buzzed in disarray around him like bluebottles, before moving in some sort of order and forming three crimson words above the corpse of Ron.

'Be My Valentine'

As soon as she read the words the petals fell and disappeared into the pool of blood. The scream that had been building up was finally released from her agape mouth. She backed away from the body when suddenly she hit something. She spun round, wand clutched in hand and poised to strike, only to face the startled and enraged face of Filch, the janitor. She began to tremble, trying to spit out an explanation but finding the words coming out in an incoherent jumble. Filch looked behind her, his beady eyes falling upon Ron's lifeless form. He turned his gaze back to her, and a sudden horrible smirk stretched the contours of his face.

"What do we have here than?" he rasped, Mrs Norris; his cat, poking her head out from behind his bent legs. Hermione clutched her wand restraining herself from hexing the sadistic bastard where he stood. "You best come with me Ms. Granger." he said, that horrible smirk still plastered upon his brown paper bag face. They walked in silence down the empty corridors. They soon reached the two gargoyle statues that stood guard before the entrance to Dumbledore's office. Filch whispered the password 'butter beer' and the gargoyles leapt aside, revealing a long staircase that lead into the headmaster's office. Filch led the way down the narrow stairway, Mrs Norris straying behind Hermione's feet. Two large golden doors stood at the bottom, two large chocolate frog handles poking out from each.

Mr Filch didn't seem to think it necessary to knock, and instead opened the door and stepped inside, beckoning for Hermione to follow. Very few times had Hermione been inside Dumbledore's office. The shelves were packed with relics and ornaments to the likes Hermione had never seen before, each she gazed upon more peculiar than the last. There were several portraits hanging on the wall. A number of the portraits' occupants appeared to be asleep, and those weren't eyes Hermione curiously.

"Yes, Mr Filch?" Dumbledore's old voice sounded from the desk in the corner.

"I found Miss Granger here By Ron Wesley's dead body, all by her self," Filch turned his head slightly to look in her direction. "Very suspicious if you ask me." Filch alleged, while looking at Hermione with the same sadistic smirk on that greasy face. Dumbledore turned one spectacled eye towards her, his features remaining unfazed by the news, those she was sure she saw an extreme sadness enter those wise eyes.

"Mr. Filch please let me talk with Miss Granger alone please." Dumbledore ordered. At this Filch looked like he had received a million Galleons. He took his time in leaving, parting with one last cruel glance at Hermione. When the two gold doors closed behind him, Dumbledore turned back to Hermione, a look of concern adorning his face. Hermione avoided his gaze, and instead lowered her head and took interest in her shoes.

"What happened, Miss Granger?"

Hermione didn't answer and but kept her eyes fixed upon her shoes, tears gradually starting to trail down her cheeks. She looked up at Dumbledore who was waiting patiently for her answer. Hermione took a sharp intake of breath, and raised her head to stare into Dumbledore's eyes.

"I…" she trailed off. "I went looking for Ron… I wasn't paying attention to where I was going and I ended up in the dungeons where…" she took another sharp breath and swallowed the growing lump in her throat. Dumbledore stared at her, his eyes seeming to bore into her very soul.

"Is that all, Miss Granger?" Hermione thought of the strange envelope she had encountered in the common rooms, addressed to her, and of the peculiar trail of crimson rose petals.

"Yes… that's all."

A/N: This chapter was shorter due to the major lack of reviews! Please review, this is my first ever fanfiction and there's no point in me sending it off if no one wants to read it! Please, I need some encouragement, or how else will I have the motivation to write?

Anyway, thanks to these people who actually did review my story;

LoveOfVegeta,

Hollyg20,

Dark and dangerous.

One final plea; please review!