The Phantom of Hogwarts
Back again everyone! Thanks so much for all of the feedback I got! It really makes a writer feel good to know that others appreciate her work. Here goes nothing then!
Disclaimer- I own nothing and am making nothing from this. Makes me sad!
Chapter Two"Well I think that's everything."
Hermione Granger sighed as she glanced around her flat once more and then down at her check list. Her very last year at Hogwarts was about to begin. After this, she would go out into the world to make her own way in life. Unless, of course, she didn't survive the war.
The war had definitely changed things for Hermione. Since her parents were Muggles with a witch for a daughter, they had been evacuated out of the country and were now visiting a nephew, who worked with video games over in Japan. Surely, thought Hermione, the war would be over before it reached Japan, and my parents will be safe. And so far nothing had happened to them.
Since Hermione was a Muggleborn herself and in great danger from the Death Eaters, Dumbledore had set up several apartment complexes throughout England, this one was barely two blocks from Number Twelve Grimmauld Place. Muggleborns from all over the country had come with their families because Dumbledore had placed the placed every sort of charm of protection he could on them. Now they were as much protected from Death Eater radar as Grimmauld Place was.
It hadn't been Hermione's first wish to move into hiding. She was by no means a stupid and weak witch. On the contrary, she was at the top of all of her classes at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It took Dumbledore, several of her teachers, and half of the Order of the Phoenix to finally convince her to move. In the end, she halfheartedly packed her belongings and was relocated to a nearby apartment complex for Muggleborns.
Hermione looked once again around her flat. It was a small one with only three rooms: a bathroom, living room and kitchen combined, and a bedroom. The front room had tan carpeting and white tile where the kitchen was. In the living room, the walls were painted a light blue and had some furniture to match. The kitchen walls were white like the tile and had a stove, refrigerator, and a microwave, much like most of our homes do today. Her bedroom was plain along with her bathroom. Still she decorated it the best she could with her favorite pictures and lamps and called it home, or as least a temporary home.
As she glanced back to her trunks, she caught her reflection in the mirror on the far wall. She gave it a small reassuring smile. Not much of her personality or her looks had changed since she first started at Hogwarts all those years ago. Her long chocolate brown hair was still bushy and hard to manage. Her eyes matched her hair, and her skin was creamy white with only the occasional blemish. Her figure was fair, and she was fully developed. She was by no means as flashy as other girls, and most men did overlook her.
That never bothered her though. Men were a foreign to her world. Though her two Best friends, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, were men themselves, she scarcely dated others. Instead her studies and friends occupied her time and love. Hermione had one major ambition in life, and that was to learn everything she could before her time was up. Her little flat was filled with every single book she could take at short notice, and on warm afternoons, she loved to sit under the shade of a tree on the apartment grounds and get lost in the worlds created by her imagination.
Hermione knew that the right man would come along for her. She just had to bide her time until that man decided to come out.
"Think I've got everything, Crookshanks?" Hermione asked rhetorically to her pet cat. The large ginger cat just purred in his carrier, yawned, and rolled over to continue his nap. Hermione smiled and nodded her head. She was finally ready to head to Platform Nine and Three Quarters for her very last journey to Hogwarts. Stuffing her list into her robe pocket, Hermione sighed. A tear was already starting to form in the corner of her eye.
Hauling her large trunk behind her and Crookshanks' carrier in her other hand, Hermione trudged out of her flat and turned to lock the door. The building was a large one made of bricks and in the shape of a box, nothing to extraordinary, but it would do. Surrounding it were other apartment buildings made for the same reason, to protect the Muggleborns, and with a large plot of land with a small park for the younger children. Though she missed her home in the country, this one was a nice temporary home. Besides, she was hardly there anyway.
War had swept through Hermione's life like a twister. In addition to it moving her parents, most of her time was spent fighting and planning with Harry and Ron for new attacks on Voldermort. It was like playing a game of Risk, a Muggle board game of war and luck, only this time the stakes were higher and if they failed, the world would diminish, as they knew it. The horrors that war brought was a whole other matter. At night, she sometimes awoke screaming after having nightmare of a previous battle. All of the yells and moans of pain from her allies haunted her. Men and women that she had come to love had sacrificed themselves in this horrible war. Susan Bones, Dean Thomas, Padma Patil, and several others had died at the bloody hands of Death Eaters. Every time she dreamt of the horrors, she would assure herself that she would fight harder and win the war for them.
Hermione was thinking sadly of these things as she made her way across the grounds to the playground where several other Hogwarts students were standing, trunks packed and ready to go. She nodded at them and said, "Alright then, are we all ready?"
The group murmured their yeses and leaned in to touch the merry-go-round that they were standing around. Dumbledore had set up a Portkey by which the students could arrive safely at Kings Cross Station without the detection of Death Eaters. Hermione felt the tug behind her navel, and in an instant, she was looking at the scarlet Hogwarts Express; smoke was billowing out of the top chimney. It was a welcoming sign, and Hermione decided that she should try to make the best of this year and help Harry as much as she could. He was definitely going to need it.
Speaking of Harry…
"Harry! Harry, Ron, over here!" Hermione had spotted her two best friends, and began to canter towards them, leaving her trunk to be boarded. The boys were standing with Ron's younger sister, Ginny, and their parents, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. Harry and Ron turned around and smiled, or in Harry's case, forced a smile.
"Hermione! It's great to see you." Said Ron giving her a small hug. Hermione smiled and moved to hug Harry.
"How're you holding up?" she asked quietly.
"I'll live." Said Harry rather glumly.
"We're here for you, mate, and we're not going anywhere." Said Ron encouragingly. Hermione nodded.
"C'mon guys, let's make this our best year and figure out a war to finish this despicable war." Said Hermione. Ron chuckled, and Harry, for the first time in weeks, cracked a small smile.
"You guys are right. We'll worry about the war later tonight." Harry held out his arms to each of his friends, and they linked them together and began to walk towards the engine. Along the way, they said their goodbyes to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, who were fussing over their safety nonstop, and picked up Ginny. Hermione and Ron broke off when they reached an empty compartment and headed for the prefects' compartment for instructions.
"Did you get Head Girl, Hermione?" Ron asked her as they sat down and waited for the brief meeting to begin. Hermione felt as though a lightening bolt had struck her. How could she have forgotten?
"How did I forget that?" Hermione asked herself, angry for forgetting. "I hope I packed that badge." She then remembered a flashback of placing it into her robe pocket before leaving, and she felt relieved. "In that case, I better get up there and make out some patrol schedules with the Head Boy.
Anthony Goldstein was this year's Head Boy at Hogwarts. Hermione had never felt a big likeness towards him. He was tall and skinny with dark brown hair and amber eyes and deeply tanned skin, but there was just something about her that bothered her. Still, she greeted him politely. After all, he was on the Light Side.
"Hello Anthony. Had a decent summer?"
Anthony turned to face her, and once again, she felt that uncomfortable feeling in her gut. I'm exaggerating, she told herself. Still, there was something behind that bright smile.
"Hermione! I didn't know you were Head Girl. This year is going to be great then, won't it?" Anthony said happily. Hermione put on a fake happy smile, and they put together the patrol schedule quickly. "I think we should patrol together, don't you, Hermione? We're Head Boy and Girl, you know."
"That's all right." Said Hermione feeling jumpy, "I'm patrolling with Ron. See you later." And with that, Hermione grabbed Ron's arm and yanked him out of the compartment, leaving a disappointed Anthony behind.
"What's the big idea, Hermione?" asked Ron as soon as they were out of earshot of the full compartment. "You're acting like Anthony's going to eat you if you're left alone with him."
"I'm sorry. It's just this feeling I have about him." Ron shrugged his shoulders.
"Could be worse. You could've been stuck with Malfoy." Said Ron as he began to walk ahead of her. Hermione stopped suddenly in her tracks.
Why wasn't Malfoy Head Boy? Her had the second best grades in the school next to her and would've kicked Anthony out of the running for Head Boy instantly. Dumbledore never bothered to not make him a prefect, knowing of course that Malfoy was on the Dark Side. Pansy Parkinson was here, having been shot a nasty look her earlier, but where was Malfoy? Come to think of it, she hadn't even heard one of his insults all day. Something happened to him, Hermione thought to herself, and I'm going to find out what.
After her patrol time was over, Hermione headed back to the compartment where she knew Harry, Ron, and most likely, Ginny, would be waiting. They were there of course along with Neville Longbottom, and Luna Lovegood, but someone else was there that Hermione didn't feel welcome towards at all.
"Hello again, Hermione. I've saved you a seat, right next to me." Anthony moved over and patted the seat next to him. Hermione shot Ron a glare before gracefully sitting down next to Anthony, who looked rather pleased with himself. He had a smug look on his face that only she alone noticed and felt that uncomfortable, sinking feeling again.
The talk continued along. Hermione saw Anthony's hand twitch several times, as if dying to wrap itself around Hermione's shoulder. Her mind, however, was still focusing on Malfoy.
"Does anyone know what happened to Malfoy?" she asked suddenly. The compartment went quiet and everyone, even Harry who had been starring out the window and not paying attention, looked at her in surprise. "I haven't seen him this whole trip." She said quietly.
"Didn't you hear?" asked Neville. "He turned up on the missing list for the Death Eaters. No one's seen him since the last big battle, which was over a month ago."
"Imagine, one year without Malfoy. Life is good." Said Ron as he folded his hands behind his head in a relaxing position. The others laughed, but Hermione remained in quiet thought. Oh well, she thought. That's one less Death Eater. Only about a million more to go.
At long last, the train began to slow down. They had finally reached Hogsmeade Station where Hagrid was standing there as usual, bellowing, "Firs' years! Firs' years over here!" They greeted Hagrid, who encouraged them to come and have tea with him as soon as they could, then left to help the first years. Hermione was grateful when they were able to shake off Anthony, Neville, and Luna, and it was just her best friends again. They had a whole carriage to themselves now.
"Who invited Anthony to sit with us?" Hermione demanded as soon as the carriage door was shut. Harry and Ginny looked over towards Ron.
"What? He's not a bad guy."
"He seems like a good guy, Hermione. And I think he's also interested in you too." Added Ginny.
"At least he's on out side. It'll be something to take your mind off of school and the war if you two decided to date." Harry pointed out. Hermione was still unconvinced and thought that Harry needed more of a distraction than she did, but she thanked her friends and gave them a weak smile. As the thestals began to move, Hermione became lost in her own thought.
It wasn't until they were in sight of Hogwarts Castle that something jolted her out of her thoughts. Something, or rather someone, was standing at one of the tower windows, looking out at all of the carriages. Shrouded in darkness, Hermione could only make out its tall frame and broad shoulders. She blinked, and he was gone. No one else seemed to notice. Thinking she was crazy, Hermione turned back to the conversation about the new Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher.
The carriages finally stopped, and Hermione and her friends got off and headed for the Great Hall. The castle was cool and lit by thousands of torches, giving it a very medieval look. Hermione sighed. She was home again.
The Great hall looked extravagant as usual. The four long tables were decorated in house colors with their banners portrayed above them. At the Head table, Albus Dumbledore stood proudly watching the students file in. Hermione could see Professor McGonagall's sharp face was hosting a small rare smile, and Professor Snape was dressed in his usual black robes with a sneer across his face. Professors Flitwick and Sprout were deep in conversation, and even Professor Trelawney was there in robes of mystic purple, gazing off into space. A man in deep brown robes sat at the table looking dismal and nervous. Hermione had guessed that it was the new defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.
Professor McGonagall left the table and came back with the first years and the Sorting Hat. It sang its song loudly and was met with a round of applause. As soon as the frightened first years were sorted, Professor Dumbledore stood up.
"At this time, it is customary for me to make a little speech. However, I can hear your stomachs rumbling, so I've decided to break with tradition and say to you all, dig in!"
It was at that moment that something so surprising happened that it, forever more, would never be forgotten. As soon as Dumbledore had settled back into his chair and the food appeared on the table, it came alive. Rolls sitting idly in a basket flew up and began throwing themselves at random students. Chicken legs came alive and jumped onto nearby students' heads and began to beat them. Mashed potatoes began to throw themselves every which way. Every food that night, from the pudding to the green beans, found their way onto one student's face or another's robe.
Students and teachers alike ducked under the tables trying to escape the fighting food. Harry, Ron, and Hermione tried fighting back with their wands, but were forced to retreat under the table.
"Who's doing this?" asked Hermione as she squashed an incoming pea.
"Dunno. Do you think it's Peeves?" said Ron.
"No, it couldn't be. He can't really do this type of magic, and he knows Dumbledore would kick him out of school if her ever actually did do it." Said Harry. "Do you think it's dark magic?"
"Who would waste their time cursing the food? It's not like it's really killing anyone." Said Hermione. Bravely, she poked her head out from under the table. She looked towards the door. There was something funny going on out there. Butter, rolls, roast beef, and pie were flying out there into the Entrance Hall. Maybe the culprit was out there. "I'll be right back." Hermione said to them. "Don't follow."
Quickly, Hermione ducked out form under the table before they could reply and ran as fast as she could out of the hall. The food seemed not to notice her, and she escaped with only a bit of mustard in her hair. When Hermione reached the Entrance Hall, it had gone dark. All of the torches had been extinguished. It's better this way, she thought. I can't see him, he can't see me, and if in fact it is a he. Just then, a spare roll swooshed past her face and went down a dark corridor. Hermione followed.
The corridor was dark, but she could see just enough to know where walls, doors, and the roll were. It flew a little farther down and finally fell to the ground. Suddenly, Hermione heard footsteps and heavy breathing.
"Who's there?" she called into the darkness. The breathing stopped, but there was no answer. So she spoke again. "I know you're here."
This time, a deep voice answered her. "It's not polite to sneak up on people." It said mockingly.
"It's also not polite to make food attack people." She retorted. "If you were hungry, why didn't you just ask the kitchens for some food?"
"I figured I needed a way to announce my presents at Hogwarts. What better way to do it then by making the most trusted thing by people attack them?"
Hermione fell silent for a moment. Then she spoke again, "Are you a ghost?"
There was a snigger. Then Hermione felt something move closer to her until its mouth was right above hers.
"No. A phantom. The Phantom of Hogwarts." And a mouth came crashing down on hers. It was soft, smooth, and seductive. Hermione felt as though she was on pins and needles, but she didn't dare move away. She felt a need deep inside here, and she began to kiss back. His lips caressed hers in a dance of passion; his hands stroked his silky cheek. Before she could try to decipher who this really was, the Phantom was gone, leaving a confused Hermione behind.
Sheltered in shadow, the Phantom watched as Hermione turned around and left. He smirked to himself and licked his lips. She tasted like a sweet savory honey. It was an added bonus considering he had only wanted to announce himself to Hogwarts with a harmless but humorous prank. The next one would be a little bit more… shall we say, less of a prank?
Though he was disgusted with himself for kissing a low Mudblood, he couldn't help but feel that he had already gotten back and Harry Potter in the best way he could: he had kissed the untouchable.
A/N: Hope that satisfied you guys. I'm sorry if this chapter was a little slow, but I feel that if I do all of the explaining at the beginning, I won't have to do it in the middle or end and confuse the hell out of you guys. Until next time! Please review!
Running Amuck,
RonFan