Note: I actually had this dream. It was so real to me I decided to work it into the story. Take note of it, because you'll see it come up again later. hint hint
Chapter four: The dream
Harry burst into laughter as he fell on to the ground and bounced a few times. Draco, who was on his feet, was laughing at him. Tears of mirth were running down their faces.
The sun was bright outside, and the air smelled of pollen and spring. The field was made entirely of lambs ear, the kind as tall as hay. The bluish plants were tipped with lavender flowers.
Hermione was examining one of the flowers now. She was idly petting the furry, soft plant's leafs, while looking at the tiny delicate petals that protruded from the cone-like top of the plant.
"Come on Hermione, try it!" Harry exclaimed, before Draco jumped on him, and easily threw him to the ground where he bounced and laughed some more. The ground was springy, exactly like a trampoline, and the two boys were relishing the escape from reality.
Harry crouched down low, so you couldn't see him through the plants. There was rustling sounds, then Draco tripped and hit the ground where he bounced, and jumped on Harry in retaliation.
They were both laughing, before taking on identical looks of evilness.
Hermione found herself flying up and then down to bounce on the soft earth. That was when she first started to notice the insects.
They were covering every inch of the plants, their stingers poised, buzzing furiously; Wingless, stripe-less hornets and bees of various sizes.
Ignoring the ominous bugs, she crouched low in the field, so she couldn't be seen. She started to crawl, commando-style, through the soft lambs ear, and the stinging wingless bees.
Harry landed very close by to her, bouncing and laughing, and apparently oblivious to the bugs.
"She's right here!" Harry called, spotting Hermione and laughing.
She felt hands on her and then she was floating again and landing in another patch of soft lambs ear.
Draco and Harry were laughing raucously.
"I reckon we should go in...." Harry said, wiping the mirth from his eyes. "Esati Apom Mehinom, eto café nam." He chanted, then, wand-lessly, broom-lessly, he floated upward into the sky.
"Esati Apom Mehinom, eto café nam." Hermione said. Her feet and arms were tingling with stings. Nothing happened.
She spotted Draco walking out of the field, and she decided to walk herself. But when she attempted to get to her feet, she found the stings she'd acquired on the pads of her feet and toes, prevented comfortable walking.
That was when she felt the first wave of panic.
"Draco!" The last thing she remembered, was him turning around, his chin-length blond hair hugging his face, and smiling.
"What the!!!" Hermione gasped and sat up.
There was no sunshine or field of lambs ear and wingless bees.
It was almost pitch black, except for the sliver of moon light that was peeping through her closed bed curtains.
She realized she was in bed, and that she'd experienced an extremely bizarre dream. She was still feeling the aftermath of the shock and panic she'd experienced when she realized she couldn't walk. Her feet were tingling, as her body remembered the bee stings it had invented.
She pushed her hair back, and realized there was cold sweat on her brow. She didn't understand why -- it had been such a happy dream, albeit odd. Harry and Mafloy, best friends? She, calling for Malfoy, instead of Harry, to help her?
She decided to wash her face, and slowly got out of bed.
She left her dorm and made her way up the girls' stairs to the bathroom at the top, noticing that the light was on before she entered.
Pansy was in the bathroom, brewing the potion from the looks of it. She looked up when Hermione entered, and scowled.
"What do you want, Granger?" She snapped. Hermione noticed she was clutching her abdomen.
"Had a bad dream..." Hermione didn't think to lie. "Wanted to wash my face. Are you ill?" Pansy's answer was a flinch. A single tear rolled down her face as she doubled over, clutching her stomach.
"Pansy.. should I get..."
"No.. I just need a de-cramping draft. I normally make it before I go to sleep when I know my rag's coming... but it's early this month." She explained her voice tight with pain.
"Here...." Hermione bent down and started on the potion while Pansy rocked back and forth, trying to ignore the pain.
"What are you doing?" Pansy gasped, and stopped Hermione from adding Mertlap to the mixture.
"It's alright, it'll relieve the pain as well as loosen the muscles. Madame Pomfrey told me about it." Pansy let go, and didn't protest anymore. Hermione was done adding ingredients, they watched the potion thicken and she took it off to cool.
"Were you feeling stressed lately? That normally causes it to come early." Hermione said.
"Why do you care?" Pansy snapped. Hermione just shrugged.
"Well, with what happened to your boyfriend, it's not surprising." Hermione said offhanded.
"He's not... we're not..." Pansy began, looking pained. "Why does everyone assume...." Pansy spat to herself.
"Same reason as me, I suppose.... That, and its fun for everyone to speculate which one I'm with." Hermione knew Pansy was one of the people who'd spread the rumors that she was going back and forth between her two best friends, but ignored it.
The potion looked to be the right color, and it had stopped steaming. Hermione expertly strained the mixture into a beaker, and handed it to Pansy. She then started to clean up the caldron and supplies, which were spread over the bathroom floor.
By the time Hermione was done with the mess, Pansy had finished drinking the horrid substance, and was sighing with relief.
"That mertlap really makes a difference! I'll have to remember to pick some up in hogsmede. Thanks Granger." She added, looking really grateful. Then she stood up, and became businesslike.
"So.... What was your dream about, then?" Pansy said so quickly, she took Hermione off guard. Hermione's reddening face was her only response.
"It's too early for the life-debt to be affecting you..." Pansy continued. "I know it starts with dreams."
"Did you have a life-debt?" Hermione asked, surprised that Pansy seemed to know so much about it.
"Not me..." The other replied, looking down. "My Mum."
Hermione's eyes were wide.
"Said it started with odd dreams, inappropriate dreams...." She couldn't suppress a small smile.
"It wans't!" Hermione's face was burning. Pansy's smirk grew.
"Then she couldn't stay away from him... wanted to be around him so she could save his life in return.... She offered repayment through deed or good, but he wouldn't take it..."
"What happened?" Hermione breathed. Pansy shrugged.
"Married him." She smiled. Hermione nearly fell over.
"Your parents?" She exclaimed. Pansy nodded.
"Don't look so shocked Granger, that's not going to happen to you. Draco told everyone what you offered, he'll take you up on it before you start getting weird on him." She reassured.
Hermione's entire face darkened with embarrassment and anger.
"He.... Told ... .everyone?"
"Well, he told me, and I told everyone.... Oh, DO use your common sense!" She snapped when Hermione looked mutinous. Realization hit the bushy haired girl.
"I did think they'd hold it against him... saving me... so you told them all about the life-debt so they wouldn't turn on him."
"There you go.... You're earning your reputation." Pansy sneered.
"So... so... when you said 'getting weird' ... what does that mean exactly?"
"Well... My mum already liked my dad before he saved her, and she said she was even more taken with him because of it, so she wasn't sure if the life-debt caused the love she felt for him or if it was herself."
Hermione gasped. "Ginny!" Pansy raised a thin, brown, eyebrow. "Ginny... Harry saved her life, and then....But last year we all fought together, we all defended each other. I wonder... Do you know what happens if you owe someone your life more than once?" Hermione was breathless. Pansy's arched brows crossed.
"Harry's saved all our lives more times than we can count." Hermione added. "How many people owe him their lives... Me and Ron, Ginny and Nevil, Siri---"Hermione trailed off. "Loads of people."
Pansy snorted. "Perfect Potter, saving everyone's lives."
"And even after all of that, he still beats himself up over Cedric."
"Is it...." Pansy began, looking uneasy. "Is it true, did Potter.. really battle The Dark Lord?" Hermione looked up. Pansy seemed to regret asking.
"Yes. Harry fought him, he'll never admit it, but it was a draw. Then he escaped with Cedric's body." Pansy's eyes were wide and glassy.
"Pans—" Millicent Bulstrode had walked into the bathroom, and spotted Hermione. "Just coming to check on you, is Granger giving you trouble?" She asked, look ominous.
"Nah, it's alright Milly. I'm fine now thanks." Pansy said, her face masked with brightness.
"I suppose not, after those touching little love notes. Didn't know you cared Granger..." Sneered Millicent. Hermione had anticipated this line of teasing, and had a retort ready.
"Yes, about you in particular, Milly." Hermione said, and winked.
Pansy snorted.
"Good night, 'Mione" She said sarcastically, then walked past Millicent and out of the door. Millicent eyed her appraisingly for a moment longer, before following Pansy out.
Hermione's coy smile dropped. She was alone now, the white marble of the bathroom seemed over bright compared to the darkness outside.
"Ginny loved – loves – Harry... So do I, really... Does that mean?" She thought, and reflected back on her dream. She recalled the desperate feeling of panic as she watched Draco leaving the field, and the fluttery sensation when he turned back and smiled.
"Good Lord, is it already happening?" Panic returned. She knew she needed to pay her debt and fast. She also knew, that the only payment which successfully nullified the debt, was saving the collector's life, or rendering a service that somehow altered the debtor's life.
She would have to do something that exacted a change in how she thought or acted.
Hermione turned on the tap water and started washing her face. After the tears and the sweat were gone from her cheeks and brows, she returned to the darkened dormitory.
The velvet curtains were drawn around Pansy and Millicent's beds. Hermione got into her own and willed herself to stop thinking.
"Granger..." Pansy's voice carried across the room from her bed. "Draco can be a bastard sometimes, it's true... But don't worry, he's not so bad that he'd torture you with this life-debt thing. So ..." She trailed off, trying to sound reassuring and derogatory at the same time.
There was a stretch of silence, where Hermione carefully thought out her response.
"People who do good things, whether it's as grand as saving someone's life, or a small as reassuring someone whose uncomfortable, be they Gryffindor or Slytherin, can't be all that bad."
Silence was her answer. Hermione closed her eyes, satisfied with the response.
a/n: Please let me know how my character development is. So far, Hermione's going out of her way to accommodate and be friendly to the Slytherins. I'm trying to make them act realistically to their effort.
Review!