As November ended with early snows, December came in with an unusual warmth. The snow melted and it felt more like an early spring than the start of winter. It was too wet to go outside and enjoy the weather though. Plus there was studying needed to be done for the end of semester tests and essays.

Rhyann sat with Hermione in the library comparing their notes from their Ancient Runes class. For some reason, the Gryffindor was always very keen on making sure she had every single one down correctly. It was not unusual for her to want that, but she was over-zealous when it came to the runes.

"You do have them all there and correct, too." Rhyann assured the other teen.

"Okay. I just have to make sure, you know. Even one little dot difference in a rune and it means a whole different thing." Hermione blew on the parchment she had just written down the runic alphabet to make sure the ink did not smudge.

"You and I are the best students in that class. I don't think you need to fuss as much." The Slytherin sat back in her chair with a two foot long essay she had written on the rune, Thornurisaz, and was proof-reading it.

The Head Girl did not even glance up from her notes. "It comes easy to you, Rhyann. I don't have your laid-back nature when it comes to schoolwork."

Obviously. Rhyann smirked. She knew that the other did not have a laid-back attitude towards anything. She seemed constantly high-strung. Ancient Runes was a simple class for her for she had learned the Futhark the same time she had learned the modern day alphabet.

"I'm just better at concealing my stress." She replied quietly. There were many other students in the library that morning and Madam Pince was having a time of it trying to keep the noise level down. "Besides, you're the smartest student in the school. You're allowed to get a bit frazzled."

Hermione smiled and put away her Ancient Runes notes to take out Charms. "Thank you." She did not deny that she was the smartest, but she was not arrogant about it. She knew she worked hard for it. "I think you're right up there with me though. There are a few from Ravenclaw too." They heard the librarian telling a group of second years to be quiet. "You know, I thought that since it was the first Saturday in December, that there would be more students here in the library."

Her dark eyes widened slightly. There was more students than she could remember that year being in the library! The dreamer then suddenly realized what Granger was saying. "So Ron and Harry don't like to study here?"

"They don't like to study much at all." Hermione huffed. "I made up schedules for them and if they kept to those, they would get by alright. Yet they seem to always leave things until the last minute and then stay up for three nights in a row cramming and trying to get everything done."

Rhyann couldn't hold back a little chuckle. Not that she thought Harry wasn't smart, but it seemed just like him to do such a thing. Especially with the influence of Ron whom she truly did not think was all that bright. She often wondered what Hermione saw in him, but then was reminded by her own love for Draco and knew that there was no reason to one's feelings.

"You'd think that they would have learned by now since this is your seventh year."

"You'd think that, wouldn't you?" Hermione huffed again and flipped through her Charms notes pulling out particular pages that she wanted to use for her essay.

They continued doing their work for another hour or so. Rhyann picked up her Divination book and idly leafed through the pages. She had discovered something interesting in Granger's sleeping mind recently and she confirmed it was no trivial fact by peering in Ron's as well. It was only one little point though. It was important but there was little around it or just not anything she could manage to find yet.

She worked out an innocent inquiry to get her to talk about it. She only hoped she did not appear suspicious when she did. "Hermione, have you ever heard of something called a horcrux? It's popped up in my Divination research." The dreamer had purposely chosen that class for it was the one that the other teen did not take.

Hermione's head immediately shot up and she looked at the brunette for the first time in over an hour. "Horcrux? What's that doing in your Divination book? Can I see what it says?"

"Well, it doesn't say anything in this book." Rhyann closed the text and tilted her head to the side curiously. "I just came across the word in researching my essay. I don't know what it means and it seems that you might have a clue."

Wiggling in her chair uncomfortably, Hermione brushed back her hair from her face. "Well… I just read it in a book once too. I don't know exactly what it is and that's why I asked."

Rhyann did not find what she said convincing. "I only came across the word once and it offered no explanation as to what it was. I was assuming it was an object by the context it was used. What do you think it is?"

"Just some enchanted item." Hermione gave an exaggerated shrug of her shoulders. Her eyes darted about to make sure no one else was listening.

She could see the struggle in the Gryffindor about whether to tell her or not. Rhyann had continued to reinforce the trust in her sleeping mind now and then. Hermione did have a notion beyond just some object and she wanted to know what it was. "What does it do?"

Hermione remained quiet for a few seconds and then replied in a voice just above a whisper. "Perhaps you should ask Harry about it."

"Harry? Why does he know more?"

The Head Girl licked her lips nervously. "Just ask him." She turned her attention back to her Charms essay and pressed her lips firmly together as a signal that she did not want to say anything more.

"Alright." Rhyann nodded. It was something of great importance if Granger did not burst out with a long lecture explaining what a horcrux was. The reference to it had also been tucked away in her mind and it was just luck that the dreamer had stumbled upon it. She should have guessed that with such secrecy that it involved The-Boy-That-Lived.

Just before lunchtime, Draco showed up and slipped an arm over his girlfriend's shoulders. "You done in here yet?"

"For now." Rhyann started gathering up her things together, a little faster than she normally would because she knew that the longer the Head Boy and Girl were in each other's company, the more tension would fill the air.

"Hello Malfoy." Hermione said stiffly.

"Granger." He replied with a little disgusted turn up of his nose. "I assume you got that report on banning those annoying Pygmy Puffs from the school I sent. They aren't, after all, creatures officially approved to be pets."

"I got it." Hermione gripped the edges of the book in her hands more tightly. "And I haven't gotten a response from you yet about the report on introducing new classes in different areas of Muggle Studies and making the basic class mandatory yet."

"Oh, I think I've seen that one." Draco gave her a vicious little smile. "It was perfect for lining the bottom of my owl's cage."

"Okay, I'm ready now." Rhyann had stuffed the last few things into her book bag and stood up from the table. She had tried placing suggestions in Draco's mind to be a little more civil with Hermione, but they did not take. It was too far from his personality. It would take something much more than just a simple unconscious suggestion to get him to behave any differently towards muggles and mudbloods. "Let's go, Draco."

He gave another smarmy smile to Hermione and then taking her hand, he led the way out of the library. The dreamer gave a little wave and an apologetic look to the Gryffindor. "See you later, Hermione."

Sighing, the Head Girl waved back and rubbed her temples as if trying to ease a headache that had suddenly just come on.

"Don't you just love seeing that look on her face!" Draco chuckled as they walked down the hall away from the library.

"I've been told she produces the same look on your face often." Rhyann responded flatly.

The blond wizard peered suspiciously down at her. "You're defending her again."

Rhyann sighed inwardly. This was another argument they often had. "I'm not defending her. There's just other methods of getting your way than being an ass-hole, Draco."

"But none quite so amusing." He smirked arrogantly.

"You could try…"

"I could try being her friend like you do?" He raised an eyebrow at that.

"No." Rhyann scoffed. "No one would believe such a thing. If you just gave some semblance of cooperation, it would be easier to get what you want. You can catch more flies with honey than bubotuber pus."

"But I save all my honey for you, love." Draco zipped in to give her a peck on the cheek and chuckled at his own joke again.

She groaned quietly, knowing it was useless to try to convince him. "You just save it for yourself today. I have to go find Potter later this afternoon."

"What for?" His good humor ended.

"For the usual." She narrowed her dark eyes as she glanced up at him warning him not to insist that he should come.

Draco stared back down at her for a minute and then shrugged as if he didn't care. "There's been nothing going on or I would know. If the Order was doing something, my father would know. I think they have you doing pointless work."

"Pointless as it may be, it is my duty." Rhyann stated as they entered the Great Hall and sat the Slytherin table for the midday meal. She certainly would not give him a hint as to what she was up to. She only wanted to make sure he wasn't following her everywhere or showing up unannounced. If he thought she was doing something she had been ordered to do, he would not interfere.

The dreamer knew she would have no problems locating Potter in the afternoon. They had already planned on meeting in the room of requirement before dinner. The mystery of the horcrux occupied her thoughts. Though she had seen it in Hermione's and Ron's sleeping minds, she had never been able to see anything relating to it in Harry's. That was why it was a bit baffling that the Head Girl had told her to discuss it with him.

They arrived at nearly the same time and sat down in their respective chairs. It was clear that something was on his mind as it was on hers. They greeted each other, sat in silence for a moment and both opened their mouths to speak at the same time.

Rhyann smiled. "You go first."

"You can go, if you'd like." Harry saw her shake her head and motion for him to continue on. "Alright." He cleared his voice and searched for a place to begin. "I have a lot of questions for you. More about dreaming, about astral projection… Is there anything else you can do?"

"No, there's nothing else."

Harry looked a bit embarrassed that he had blurted out that question. "Well, it just seems you keep getting more mysterious all the time even though I'm learning more about you. I know you helped me last year and you're really helping out this year. I know we wouldn't have any chance at House unity if it weren't for you. You've been a good friend to Hermione and me. You have all these secrets that keep popping up though…"

"So do you." Rhyann stated diplomatically. "Are you saying that it's harder to trust me now?"

"No, that's not it." Harry shook his head vigorously. "But dreaming and astral projection… those are important things. Why didn't you tell anyone before?"

"I'm sure you don't tell everyone some important things as well." She lightly retorted and then sighed. "They're just things I can do… I never thought they were of any real importance. You're the only one who knows. Well, other than Millicent about the latter one. I never thought they could be of any help."

His eyes darted away guiltily at the first comment. "Yet imagine if we could all learn to astral project! Or if we could all travel dreams." He exclaimed. "I went into Ron's dream the other night.."

"You what!" Rhyann could feel her mouth drop open slightly. He did it on his own!

"I was experimenting. Practicing like you had me doing with everything else." Harry ran a hand through his messy dark locks. "Anyway, I went into Ron's dream. It was not like yours. I could move easier and go about freely. Of course he was dreaming about Hermione and I didn't want to stay in there long. There wasn't such a tug either."

"How did you get into his dream?" She could feel how tense she was and hoped that she was not so brittle that she might snap.

"I just went to sleep and kept thinking about Ron. I focused on him, on him laying there, on feeling my self going to him as it felt like when I went with you into your dream. Then suddenly I was there."

"You just went right from your own dream into his?" She knew she sounded a bit disbelieving, but she could not help it.

Nodding, Harry looked at her tentatively. "I thought that it was all there was to it. I mean, it did work."

"I guess it did." Rhyann didn't know what to say to that. What she did not want him finding out was that he could go into anyone's dream no matter where they were. She had not wanted to do so, but it was going to be time to put some barriers around his mind to restrict him while he was asleep.

"Why wasn't it like yours? It's not exactly how you described it."

The young dreamer tried to put on a calm and patient face. "It's because I'm different. I'm experienced in the dreaming world. I have far more control over my mind and thus it was harder for you to maneuver there. I also have a greater energy in that realm. You will feel a stronger pull going into my dream. Ron, well, he has no control and a smaller energy. That's why it was so easy for you. You wouldn't have been able to slip into my dream without me taking you. Plus, I'm a woman and Ron's not. You two are of the same gender and you connect better on that level of energy."

"I guess that makes sense…" Harry chewed on his bottom lip.

"It does make sense. Every person will be different. If you went into a child's dream, you'd find it less ordered, more chaotic. There would be no tugging feeling. Yet if you went into, say, the Headmaster's dream, I'm sure you'll feel things like you did in mine only much stronger. He is a very powerful wizard, after all." She had constantly toyed with that idea herself, but she did not once attempt to do so. Dumbledore's energy was very strong. It was as bright as Potter's but the years of experience and the wisdom gained had matured it into something quite different. He was the only person - other than Voldemort and Snape - she believed that she might not be able to slip into his sleeping mind undetected.

"I have no plans on doing that!" Harry gave his head a firm shake. "So… what about astral projection? How do you do that?"

"I have no idea how to explain that." Rhyann smiled sheepishly. "I just think of a place and desire to be there. It is almost like apparition but not quite. I don't actually want to send my whole self there and we can't do that in Hogwarts anyway."

"What does it feel like? Do you see and hear everything that's happening wherever you project?"

"It doesn't feel like anything, really. Just tingly, maybe. I see and hear everything where I go. People can see and hear me. It's like I'm an illusion… not that someone who doesn't know would know that." She shifted in her chair, doing her best to look comfortable with their conversation.

"How did you learn to do it then?" Harry continued firing questions at her.

"The first time was just spontaneous. I wasn't even sure what had happened. Then I taught myself how to get it under control more. It's so hard to describe because I'm not really feeling anything. As you saw, my body doesn't respond when I'm projecting."

"That would leave you very vulnerable if someone knew."

Her heart skipped a beat. Though his words were said in a wondering way, they seemed very ominous to her. If they had come from anyone else, she would take them as a threat. It was true. With her dreaming self gone from her body, she was extremely vulnerable. Draco was suppose to be her protector, but she could not trust him. He would just as likely her tied up and delivered to his father by the time she returned to her body than protect her from such things.

She had been practicing a lot in her dorm. Projecting even where there were other girls sleeping in the beds next to her. Any one of them could discover what she was doing and there would be nothing she could do at that moment. It sent shivers through her little frame.

"What was it that you wanted to ask me?" Harry's voice broke into her thoughts.

Rhyann blinked and then focused back on what she wanted to get from him. "Oh… yes. I was wondering if you knew what a horcrux was."

"A what!" Harry's reaction was just like Hermione's. He paled slightly as she said the word.

"A horcrux. I came across the name in a book and I was wondering if you knew what it was."

"And… and why do you think I would know?" He stuttered.

She inwardly grinned. This was something terribly important to him. "Well, I had asked Hermione and she told me to ask you. I know it's some sort of object…"

"Why do you want to know?" Harry asked suddenly with a hardness to his tone that she had not heard before.

"I was just wondering…" She continued on more cautiously. "I was only curious. What's wrong?"

The scarred teen realized he was gripping the arm of the chair so that he was almost ripping the fabric. He let go, sweeping some imaginary piece of lint off his robes. "Oh, nothing. It's nothing. If Hermione told you to ask me…" His head weaved a little back and forth as if mentally arguing with himself. "A horcrux is just some myth, really. Some magical object in stories that someone stores a piece of their soul in. I read it once in a fairy tale book."

"Oh well, just a mythical reference then." Rhyann waved her hand in the air as if to brush off the subject all together. Yet it was more than just some silly thing from a children's book, she knew. She remembered an ancient tale that a crone told on the island about a dragon lich. It stored its soul in a treasure chest and hid it away so no one could steal it. She had just thought the dragon lich was more paranoid than anything else. There was no mention of the chest being a horcrux in the story, but that did not mean anything.

"Shall we go about our lesson for today then?" She suggested and Harry nodded, breathing out a long sigh as he lay back in his chair.