On Their Way to Hogwarts II
Excitedly, the rising air molecules waved at their unenthusiastic friends camouflaged amongst the brown particles, which the muggles called "earth". So eager were these molecules to escape the boring spot they were forced to inhabit that they resorted to various cunning and ruthless ways to edge out their counterparts for a chance to ascend to the surface of the earth. Whenever a water molecule attempted to force its way to the surface, the other molecules would unanimously collaborate to shove the poor molecule down farther into the deeper recesses of the earth. In case that particular molecule protested against the unfair treatment meted to it, the other molecules were also treated in the same way. Only the strongest molecule would be able to make it to the top of the earth and rise into the air. And to acknowledge its superiority over the rest of the weak and incompetent molecules, they were given a new name- "water vapour".
That was not all.
Much to the insane envy of the weaker molecules but to the utmost delight of the strongest molecule, the air molecule would experience a sudden loss in weight, a craze which was currently blazing through the molecule world like a wild bushfire. To add to the weight loss, the air molecule would also become extremely attractive. Sometimes it would blush a pretty, alluring pink at while at other times, it would glitter brightly like a bar of gold under the sunlight. Occasionally it would radiate such a fevering red passion that would subsume anything within five centimetres' radius within it. This sporadic demure-brazen charm of the female air molecule greatly appealed to the male molecules, be it the air or water molecule and added to their desire to become a stronger entity in order to pursue the love of their life.
Yet, unbeknownst to these molecules, fate has decided on another course for them.
The first signs of trouble arose when the first air molecule disappeared abruptly in the atmosphere.
Then a second…
… a third…
Strangely enough, these molecules never appeared again. Realising that something was amiss, these warm air molecules tried to delay their journey up into the pretty blue sky but it was a fruitless endeavour. Their almost weightless bodies did nothing to help either. If anything, it only escalated them through the air more rapidly than before. It was at that moment the water vapour realised a horrific irony- this fleeting experience of bliss and freedom in the breezy, wide space was only an illusion. It simply served as the prelude to their impending demise.
As this was happening in the atmosphere, a group of children was merrily playing amongst themselves, stomping on the soft, white sand that paved the coastline. They had no idea that the sand was suffering under their thoughtless trampling. Beautiful, fragrant flowers could be seen at the far end of the coast, protected by a straight, tidy row of huge coconut trees, whose luxurious green leaves dangled gracefully and lightly in the cool breeze. Undisturbed by the four seasons that occurred annually in temperate countries, the flowers flourished abundantly under the warm sun.
It was of no wonder that the children were enjoying themselves against the backdrop of such a scenic environment. Or perhaps they were unaware of the scenery that surrounds them, too indulged in the games they were involved in and the new friends who had just joined their company. Every few seconds or so, ecstatic laughter would ring through the air.
They had never been this happy in their lives.
And nor had she.
That was until she spied a dark shadow amongst the coconut trees.
Suspiciously, he stared at the mublood sleeping peacefully on the seat in the cabin. What ruse was she using now to get him into trouble? In a bid to foil her plan, he slapped her lightly on her cheek to indicate his knowledge of her ploy and make her give up her horrendous acting but she did not budge an inch. If anything, she continued with her deep sleep, seemingly unconscious of surroundings and Draco's presence.
Draco did not understand it.
Had she overworked herself during the holidays or something? But she did not look like it. On the contrary, she looked more radiant than before, save for that bushy, dry brown hair which always appeared to be in tangles all the time. There was also no presence of dark eye bags under her eyes. Nor was she deathly pale, a familiar condition she would exhibit whenever the examinations were around the corner.
Yet, the moment he had grabbed her collar, she immediately slipped into the depths of unconsciousness. It was fortunate for him therefore, that there were no witnesses at the scene when that happened. Yet, even if Professor Snape were to be at the scene, he would most probably give Draco a stern warning and that would be the end of the dispute.
However, if McGonagall were to be present, she would most likely make a huge fuss of it, and possibly complain to the Headmaster. Nah, McGonagall was not much a tell-tale. She would not relate such an insignificant matter to the Headmaster, though she would definitely deduct a lot of points off the Slytherin House. And he most certainly did not want to start off the new school term by depriving his House of any points or causing it of any deficit in points.
His thoughts were soon diverted from their track when he discerned numerous beads of perspiration oozing out of Hermione's forehead. Her lips slowly began to lose their vivacious pink colour and turn into a ghastly white colour. The veins and arteries in her face seemed to be losing their functionality as they drained away the remaining amount of blood left in her rosy cheeks without replenishing new blood to them. Her eyelids were fidgeting in an ominous manner, as if she wanted to wake up but was unable to do so for some reason. Her fingers were gripping the seat so tightly that they made several deep dents in the seat.
All that was lacking from the picture was a shrill hyena-like shriek.
Draco was not sure what to do. He had often witnessed such incidents in his mother but that was only because his father had just very severely reprimanded her. Then his mother would sit alone, very quietly in a corner of the room, usually in the dark for many hours before she recovered her composure again.
However, Hermione did not look as if she entertained the idea of sitting in a dark corner of a room all by herself. Something was scaring her in her dream, or rather nightmare. And if Draco could not urge her out of it in time, he could foresee the circumstances that were to ensue- first an acute high-pitched scream that had the ability to pierce through the hardest metal ever to exist on this universe, followed by an enormous earth-shattering pattering of feet heading towards their cabin, and finally, the finale to the scene, the thrashing of Draco Malfoy for attempted misbehaviour just because he happened to be leaning over the dreadful mudblood.
Of course, his Slytherin mates would think differently about the incident. Draco would even be worshipped as a king in his House. His friends would praise and rave at his plan at torturing the mudblood and soon a trend would follow after him. The thick-headed Slytherins would think it fashionable to attack mudbloods and would come up with various methods to humiliate them.
However, that would mean his father would get to hear of this embarrassing and shameful incident, remember the unsolicited prophecy and come down on him more harshly than ever before for his purported misconduct. Getting into his father's bad books was not on his "to-do" list right now.
"Hermione, wake up!" Draco could not resist slapping her hard on her cheek this time in his desperate attempt to get her out of her nightmare, "Hermione! Listen to me, snap out of it NOWWWW!"
Nevertheless she did not snap out of it. Instead her fingers left the deep dents they were making in the seat and wound their way around Draco's throat. Once her fingers settled snugly against his throat, she started slowly to increase their pressure on the vital spots that would cease his breathing immediately.
"What are yo… you doing!" Draco forced out a whisper from his throat as he tried to pry her fingers away from his throat. He never knew the girl could have so much strength in her. The bluish veins began to take their form on his temple as his normally pale face became red and distorted from the futile struggle for breath. "Le… let go!"
But she did not loosen her tight grasp on his throat. Running out of any ideas to pre-empt his impending death, he finally chose to use the least undesirable solution left. Mustering as much strength he possessed at that juncture, he grabbed hold of her throat, effectively blocking the airway to her lungs, hoping that would reduce her strength.
And was he right.
Within a few minutes, the sleeping Hermione experienced a huge discomfort in her chest and released her fingers from Draco's throat in order to get rid of the obstacle.
Almost at once, a terrified Draco rushed to the other side of the cabin while taking huge deep breaths to make up for the oxygen deficit in his lungs. He wondered if she did that often in her sleep. He was certain that with that amount of strength she displayed, she had left a huge bruise on his neck.
What was going on with Hermione anyway?
What did she dream about that made her frightened and violent at the same time?
She walked slowly towards the dark shadow, curious as to the identity of the dark shadow. If it was a child, she could coax him to join in the fun instead of watching the games alone from the sidelines.
"Would you like to join us?" Hermione called out as she approached sufficiently close to the child, though she was still unable to make out his features very clearly. However, the child did not answer her. Instead, as Hermione took another step towards him, he took a step backwards.
"Don't be afraid." Hermione reached out her hand towards the child slowly, demonstrating her desire to be friendly, not threatening. However, that only caused the child to turn around and run away from her. It was then it dawned on her that she was not talking to a child but a teenager. Never the one to give up, she pursued the teenager, without realising she was leaving the paradise behind and heading towards a darker, more ominous place.
Suddenly, the stranger stopped in his footsteps and turned around to face her. Unfortunately, the darkness covered the features of his face. But she was not duly concerned with that as she became preoccupied with another sensation that was gradually overtaking her body- fear. It was at this instant she noticed the marked changes to her surroundings. The place gave off a sinister and dangerous vibe that she was not accustomed to. She could also feel no warmth here but a chill that coursed its way rapidly to her feet. She wanted to return to the paradise where she came from, where everybody was warm and affable, where beautiful flowers existed and trees grown but the darkness obscured her sense of direction.
A mature, feminine voice abruptly broke the silence. "You are Hermione, aren't you?"
"No, I'm not Hermione." She answered immediately as she struggled to recall her name in order to introduce herself to the stranger but to no avail. Her name was completely wiped out of her memory; first name, middle and even the last.
"Hermione, you don't belong here." The stranger reached out a hand towards her as she continued, "Your time is not up yet. Go back!"
"Of course, I do not belong here. It's dark and murky here. I want to go back to my friends at the beach."
"They brought back the wrong soul but they still refused to rectify the mistake. You aren't supposed to be dead, you hear me! You can still return to your body and they can't do anything about it."
"What are you talking about? Who's the 'they' you're talking about? I don't understand!"
"Don't you want to see your family again, little girl! They are crying bitterly over your untimely death at the hospital right now. You can get back to your corpse while it is still fresh. When it starts to decompose, then there's no chance for you to get back."
"What is a corpse? My family is not at the hospital; they are at the beach, waiting for me to join them."
"No, that's not your family. They did not want you clamouring for your parents, so they do things to your memory. You have to go back. I want you to go back."
The stranger grabbed her hands unexpectedly, causing Hermione to yelp.
"Who are you? Why are you doing this? You don't want to stay in this dark place? I can ask my family to take you in. They will definitely welcome you."
"You're right, Hermione." The stranger's voice softened considerably as she released her firm grip on Hermione's hands. "I don't want to stay here. And you're going to help me."
"Okay, let's go to the beach now."
"Hermione! They are not your family. Hermione! Listen to me, snap out of it NOWWWW!"
The abrupt change in the stranger's voice sent an unanticipated jolt through Hermione. Fragments of various images began to course through Hermione's mind very rapidly.
She suddenly saw a bank…
… some masked men…
… a fat lady getting shot…
… her mother getting shot …
No… her mother was not shot.
She… oh my god!
Hermione was the one who was shot.
"You are finally awake, Mudblood!" sneered the blond-haired boy in what he had hoped was a bored tone, as he rose and took his seat at the other side of the cabin again. No way was he going to allow her the pleasure of the fear he had experienced earlier.
Her index fingers rubbing her eyes in a fervent manner in a bid to clear her woozy, sleep-laden head quickly, Hermione slowly raised herself from the seat. Languidly, she yawned widely while stretching her tired body at the same time. It was an absolute torture on her body to sleep in a cramped place like this.
It was at this moment she noticed the blonde sitting opposite her.
"Who are you?"
"Have you seen Hermione anywhere, Neville?" Harry asked the boy who was playing with a new toy his grandmother had bought for him.
"Yes, I think I saw her at the last carriage just now."
"What do you have there, Neville?" Ron settled himself comfortably beside him as he took the object from him.
"A shoesting," Neville answered, "It glows red if you tell a lie and blue if you tell the truth."
"Wow, it sounds interesting. Your grandma got it for you?" Ron laughed as a sudden thought penetrated his mind, "Because you're always telling lies?"
"Hey!"
A suspicious Draco narrowed his eyes at the exaggeratedly calm and collected girl standing before him, wondering what tricks she had up in her sleeve before he spoke again. "Who are you?"
"Well, it's only fair that I should know who I am speaking to. An introduction please?"
"An introduction please?" Draco echoed incredulously.
"Well, young man, while I understand you have successfully mastered the art of parroting others' questions, don't you think it's more useful to answer some of them instead? It would definitely help the progress of the conversation, don't you think?"
"What games are you playing at?" Draco could no longer take this suspense Hermione appeared to be consciously creating. In a movement akin to that of lightning, he aimed a swift kick to the back of an unsuspecting Hermione's knee, causing her to lose her balance before he pinned her to the ground under him.
Frowning in displeasure at his ungracious behaviour, Hermione wondered if they were even conversing on the same frequency. Or perhaps he was just plain dumb; in which case, it would be hopeless to get through to his thick head. Yet, the question of intellectual ability aside, the boy did have a tremendous amount of strength in him, she acknowledged silently as she squirmed under his powerful grip in order to move herself into a more comfortable position and reduce the force of his grip. Nevertheless, the sight of the irked but helpless boy enticed her somewhat and she could not resist a dig at him. "What do you me… mean what ga… games am I playing at?"
"Stop answering my question with another question!" Furiously, Draco glared at her and tightened his hands around her neck in a threatening manner that revealed of the dire consequences that were to follow should she try another trick to avoid his question again. "Answer me!"
Undaunted, Hermione pried his hands away from her neck and forcefully pushed him off her, surprising Draco for a moment for he did not think she was capable of such strength. "You'd really do something about that nasty temper of yours." Then she straightened the creases on her clothes and swinging her bag over her left shoulder, headed towards the cabin door.
"Where are you going?" Still bewildered at the sudden change in Hermione's personality, Draco asked stupidly.
"Leaving the cabin?" The girl stated the obvious as she roughly slid the door open, "Do I have to seek your permission to do that?"
With that statement, she strutted out of the cabin, leaving the ever confused Draco in her wake.
As usual, the girls' toilet on the second floor was flooded after a few Slytherins' inconsiderate and playful act, namely that of betting on who could get Moaning Myrtle to cry within five seconds. Gingerly, Hermione stepped into the least frequented place in Hogwarts, careful not to get her clean shoes wet. The door gave a lingering whine as it slowly closed behind her but the whine was no competition for the childish but overwhelming bawling that was reverberating off the grimy walls at that moment.
Everything in the toilet had remained in the same state as Hermione remembered, although the mirrors were now coated with a new layer of dust and several greasy fingerprints. A small fragment of a cracked mirror dangled dangerously from its parent piece, reluctant to leave its proper place for the godforsaken sink.
Hermione was about to wipe off the dust on the mirror when she heard a childish voice behind her, "Are you going to use the Polyjuice to transform yourself into someone else again?"
Nonchalantly, Hermione picked up the offending rubbish that was clogging the sink, allowing the water to flow into the rusty, creaky pipes with ease. She then turned around to face the ghost that had inhabited the toilet for many years.
"Feeling upset because someone threw their rubbish here again?"
Moaning Myrtle narrowed her already tiny eyes at Hermione, resembling a Siamese cat at that point in time. Although there was no physical evidence present, the ghost could tell something was not right with Hermione the moment she stepped into the toilet. For one, the vibe she gave off was different. The way Hermione asked her the question further confirmed her instinct. Typically, Hermione would not even bother talking to her unless the Myrtle disturbed her. However, the ghost always forgave her for she was grateful for Hermione's presence. It was boring sometimes staying alone in the toilet. Throughout the years she had inhabited the place, only four people had actually tried to carry on a decent conversation with her. Harry, Ron, Hermione and…
Keid.
Myrtle's eyes dimmed considerably as the last name came to her mind. She was the first person who had spoken to her on a daily basis, discussing her homework and her life with the ghost, giving her a new lease of life previously not experienced while she was still alive and definitely not in her afterlife. Keid even volunteered to clean up the toilet, so that more students would use it, hoping that in the process, they would make friends with Moaning Myrtle. Nonetheless, a hard-hearted Flich refused to repair some of the broken pipes, which resulted in the dwindling number of students utilising the place. Gradually, everything fell into disrepair and rumours began to surface amongst the students about a crazy, fearful ghost haunting the girls' toilet. It was most unfortunate that her confidante should die under Voldermort's hands. She had been the only person who seriously listened to her troubles…
"MM! What's with that forlorn look on your face?"
Myrtle's jaw dropped in surprise. Keid had found Moaning Myrtle's name very long and tedious to pronounce, thus she abbreviated her name to MM. Ever since Keid died, Myrtle had not heard anyone call her by that nickname anymore.
On this note, the transparent ghost squinted her eyes furiously at Hermione as she hissed, "Who are you? How do you know about MM?"
"It's me! It's me, Keid!" An excited Hermione tried to hug her but to no avail, since Myrtle had no tangible body to begin with. "Do you remember me?"
"If it's a joke, it's not funny, Miss Hermione Granger." Myrtle glared at her in a venomous manner, her eyes becoming grotesquely huge that her eyes appeared to be popping out of their sockets. Under the intensity of her anger, cracks began to form in the sinks. Soon the corroded pipes broke apart, spurting out water in huge amounts everywhere, threatening a massive flood of the second floor toilets. Her usually prim mouth opened so wide that it was huge enough to swallow up Hermione as she hollered at Hermione like thunder crashing across a dark stormy sky, "And to use a treasured memory against a defenceless vulnerable ghost, what do you hope to achieve?"
"No! No! I just…" Nervously, Hermione faltered a little, backing away from Moaning Myrtle, as if wondering if she should continue, "I just wanted to see my best friend, that's all."
Moaning Myrtle showed no signs of letting up at all. "Don't think I'm easy to fool."
"No! I came back in Hermione's body…" Hermione pranced up and down the toilet, her hands pulling at her bushy brown hair in frustration at the futile attempts to explain herself properly, "I can't stay long in this body… I mean, I'm really Keid… You're really speaking to Keid. Please believe me."
Something in her speech and the effect of her pleading eyes stopped Myrtle in her monstrous rage. "Alright then, tell me one thing nobody but me knows."
"My boyfriend is Marcus Anchovy."
Myrtle's anger dissipated as soon as she heard the name spoken from Hermione's mouth. Instead she roared with utmost laughter, her hands clutching her stomach, tears streaming down her pale white cheeks.
Like a child, Hermione pouted as she rested her hands on her waist. "I never get why you laugh so hard at that name."
"But Anchovy is a funny name." Moaning Myrtle snorted in a fruitless bid to control her laughter as she commented, "Especially when he looks like a herring himself. It makes it all the more hilarious." Following which, she guffawed even more loudly.
"He does, doesn't he?" Heaving a small sigh, Hermione went about mopping the floor clean of any water.
"I am sorry. I shouldn't have done that." Moaning Myrtle floated towards Hermione when a sudden thought struck her. "How did you turn up in Hermione's body?"
"The Soul Seizers took away Hermione's soul although she was not supposed to die, so I made a pact with her. If I can bring her back to life, she is to allow me use her body occasionally…"
"When did that happen? What took you so long to see me?"
"That happened some ten years ago, I think. To revive Hermione took a lot of my effort than I had imagined, especially when I had to bring back two souls to life. I had to spend several years recovering from the exhaustion but I can't stay in her body for long either. I'm getting weaker every day. I've to leave this body one day."
"Is Hermione aware of your presence?" Moaning Myrtle enquired thoughtfully while she settled herself comfortably on top of the sink and tried to hold Hermione's hand in order to comfort her.
"Yes. There was once I nearly gave myself away on the first day of school. I even asked him who he was. Gosh, I just hope that he didn't remember that incident."
"Why did you return?"
Responses to reviews:
I am not sure if I understand your questions correctly. If I don't, pls feel free to correct me.
Hermione is the one with the streak of white hair, so "the girl with the white streak of hair" aka Hermione has already appeared. The entire fringe from the roots to the ends are white. Nobody can see the white streak because she has dyed her hair brown, but the problem of her white hair will always exist. Because it can neverbecome brown again, she has to constantly use colour spray to fix the roots of the fringe when it grows. As to why she has the white fringe, or the sudden memory loss etc, you've got to read subsequent chapters to find out.
I hope this clarifies some of the doubts you may have. Thanks for reading the fic and your reviews. In the future, any questions posed during reviews etc will be answered through the profile page, so pls check the profile page for my replies. I will post my replies when I update the next chapter. Thanks.
