Dislcaimer: I don't own Harry Potter

Pain

Draco watched as Hermione anxiously drummed her long, thin, fingers on the table in front of her. Her perfectly curved cuticles at the perfect length clicked in a rhythmic one, two three and four... Draco cleared his throat, throwing an annoyed look at Hermione. She glared at him, yet she stopped. She slowly leaned back in the chair. It let out a hiss as the air flew from it's seems. Hermione rolled her eyes at Draco's pleased look.

"Why are you here, Malfoy?" Hermione asked. Draco wanted to hit her so much...

"Mr. Malfoy is here," Dumbledore said, his back turned to them, "because the events about to take place will effect both of you enormously."

Hermione sighed and turned to stare out the tall floor to ceiling window to her left. The stars twinkled in perfect rhythm, as if playing a silent tune for all the world to see. Draco frowned. It was so perfect, it was discussing. However, Granger seemed to think otherwise. She was truly marveled by the magnificence of these small things. He could read the expression on her face like a book, and it was what people always say when they look up at the stars. Isn't it fascinating? To think that we're just a tiny speck in the universe? And to think, there are millions more out there. It'd sort of frightening in a way. It makes you feel so small... If possible, Draco's frown became more creased. Never in a million years would something as stupid as that.

Dumbledore slowly turned from the small glass cabinet which he had been fiddling with. He glided over to his desk, which was in front of the table that Draco and Hermione were sitting at, and set the object in his hands down with a hollow thud. The thing he had been carrying was a wooden bowl. Inside was a...a...Draco wasn't' sure what it was. It was neither liquid, nor solid, nor gas. It was like Mercury, only it was to light to be Mercury.

"That's a Pensieve," Hermione said in awe. "I've only seen those in text books. They're really common for detectives and aurors. Teachers use them a lot too, but I've never seen one in McGonagall's office."

As Hermione said this, the wrinkled in her brow became deeper and deeper. She was obviously in deep thought.

"Ah, correct as usual, Ms. Granger," Professor Dumbledore said with a smile.

"So what's this got to do with us?" Draco said. this was getting highly irritating. He was tired and wanted to go to bed.

Dumbledore wordlessly put his wand to his head. A silvery strand came from his head. It was obviously a memory. He watched as Dumbledore placed it in the bowl. Draco watched as the images swirled in the pensieve. suddenly, a different color filled the peniseve. It was red. Not just red. It was a deep, caller of the bile, seething, heart-stopping, blood red. Hermione and Draco leaned closer. The image zoomed out to show two people. The image was so small that they practically had to shove their noses over it to see. Suddenly, Draco felt the ground wrenched from under him and everyone was sent head first into the bowl.

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Hermione landed hard on her feet. She twirled around, taking in her surroundings. They had been sent into Professor Dumbledore's memory.

Glancing to her right, Hermione could see Malfoy looking around madly, an utterly confused look on his face. Let him stay that way. Confused. Frightened. Vulnerable.

Hermione turned to the scene unfolding in front of her. She say a younger looking Dumbledore standing in a read position, sword at hand. Across from him is a figure floating in the air. It's a person. A woman. She has long black hair that floats about her, suspended by an invisible force. The twirls around her like snakes. Her pale skin shines will power. Her eyes are a fierce, intense gray. She's wearing a frayed black dress that billows around her. A black light shines around her, sending shivers down Hermione's spine. She hovered above the ground, suspended in the air. She's beautiful in an evil sort of way.

Hermione turns to her Dumbledore. He's frowning. His eyebrows are drawn together in concentration. Hermione bits her lip. Something tells her she's not going to like what's about to happen.

"This is where your time ends, Artemis," says the pensieve Dumbledore. He spoke with a powerful voice that shook the earth beneath Hermione's feet.

"Highly Unlikely, Dumbledore," The woman Dumbledore had referred to as Artemis said. Her voice echoed as if they were in a tunnel. It sounded far away, as if it were traveling from another world. "You may kill me, but I will live on. You will never be able to stop me, for I cannot die."

The pensieve Dumbledore gave a cold laugh. "I'm afraid you're wrong, Artemis. The dieing stops here."

Artemis laughed cruelly. Suddenly, the pensieve Dumbledore launched forward. The long sword made a sickening sound as it plunged straight through Artemis's gut. She let out a long, unearthly howl that hardly differed from that of a banshee's. Suddenly, a white-hot pain shot through Hermione's Stomach. She screamed as she doubled in pain. She fell to the ground at Malfoy's feet. The pain was unbearable. Hermione couldn't control her screams. Looking up, Hermione could slightly make out Malfoy's face through the tears pouring from her eyes. It was screwed up in unimaginable horror as he watched Hermione twist in pain. Slowly, the pain began to ebb. Hermione's screams slowly dissipated to whimpers. It didn't hurt as bad, but the pain was defiantly still there. Hermione turned to see what had happened to Artemis. She lay on the ground, blood oozing from her wound. Hermione felt the bile rising in the throat.

As Hermione watched, she could see a black wisp of smoke rising from Artemis's body. Suddenly, the air was filled with a chilling voice.

The evil is gone, yet not dead. It will return to consume another.
Hermione slowly felt herself losing consciousness. The voice seemed to soothe her to sleep.

At the stoke of midnight, the demon shall return.
A girl of birth, so innocent and unsuspected.
She shall live her life a carefree one.
On the eve of her 16th year the evil shall come shining through.
She will have to walk a long path with many roads.
The only one to trust is the evil she fears,
The one who makes her cry.
Together they will stop it once and for all.
The evil is gone, yet not dead.

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Hermione awoke to find herself laying across the couch in Dumbledore's office. Her head spun in an uncontrollable dizziness. Through the fog that clouded her eyes, Hermione could see Dumbledore sitting in an armchair, his head cradled in his hands in deep thought. Draco was standing next to him, his face paler than usual. Hermione groaned in pain. Dumbledore leaped from an armchair and rushed to Hermione's side. Hermione was amazed at the old man's speed. He kneeled by the couch Hermione was sprawled on.

"Are you alright Ms. Granger?" Professor Dumbledore asked.

Hermione slowly shook her head. "I don't know."

Hermione suddenly felt a tingle on her stomach. Hermione lifted her shirt to see a deep wound just above her bellybutton. It shone with blood on the inside. It looked red and puffy on the outside.

"What happened?" Hermione asked.

Dumbledore didn't answer. Instead, he leaned closer to examine the wound. Draco came over, peering at her curiously. Dumbledore slowly raised his hand and touched to wound.

Immediately the wound began to pulse with fierce pain. Hermione fought back a scream. She would wake the whole castle if she didn't hold it back.

'The boy…,' came a voice.

Without thinking, Hermione reached forward and seized Malfoy's hand. She placed his fingertips to her would. Suddenly, the pain disappeared. Hermione stared at his fingertips on her wound. She then looked up at his face. He was staring at her with disbelief. Hermione was about to let go of his hand, completely disgusted with herself, when all the sudden, a blue light began to glow under his fingertips. It slowly wound it's way like a rope around his fingers and then up his wrist, attaching it to Hermione wound. Hermione, frightened, let go of Malfoy's hand. It was no use. The blue ribbon kept his hand firmly there. After a few moments, the blue ribbon disappeared, releasing Malfoy's hand. Malfoy quickly recoiled his hand. He stared at it in wonder, then turned to Dumbledore.

"What's going on?" He asked in a pitiful squeak.

"I'm not sure," Dumbledore said uneasily. "I'll have to do some research on this."

Hermione felt her heart sink. If Dumbledore didn't know what was going on, then they were really in trouble.

"Hermione, I suggest you and Mr. Malfoy go back to your dormitories," Dumbledore said in a suddenly stern voice. "It's probably best you don't tell anyone about this, either. That is, unless you want your names in tomorrows evening Prophet."

Hermione nodded. Draco did the same. Dumbledore dismissed them with a wave of his hand as he turned to his desk. Hermione and Draco got up and left the office. Hermione took one last look at Dumbledore. He was sitting at his desk, buried under a book. Hermione bit her lip in despair as she shut the door and followed Malfoy down the stairs.

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Hermione turned to Malfoy as they reached the staircase. His glare was a cold blizzard of hatred.

"I hope you know this doesn't make us friends, Granger. Just because you had to go and mix me up in your crazy life doesn't mean I like you," Malfoy said.

Hermione started at this statement. What had he suspected? That Hermione had hopped that this would make them closer? That they would suddenly become mates?

"I hadn't planned on it Malfoy," Hermione said cooly. Draco rolled his eyes as he turned on his heel and strutted towards the dungeons.

Hermione sighed as she made her way to the Gryffindor tower. She hadn't decided whether she would tell Ron and Harry or not. She would feel better confiding in them, but gossip spreads faster in this school than colds at a kissing booth. It was bad enough that Malfoy was involved, but to confirm his story?

Hermione soon reached the portrait of the fat lady. After prodding her a few time, Hermione managed to wake her up.

"Password?" she asked grumpily.

Hermione bit her lip. "Vincent the Vampire."

"Do you know when the other one's returning?" the fat lady asked.

"Pardon?"

"The other girl. Long black hair, thin figure."

Hermione shook her head. "Sorry, haven't seen her."

"Hm. I should tell Flitch…," The fat lady said lazily.

Hermione rolled her eyes as the portrait swung open. Hermione quickly climbed into the common room. Without stopping she made her way up the stairs to the girls dormitory. She flung open the door. It made a rather large thump as it hit the wall. Hermione flinched, waiting for the other to wake. Lavender stirred for moment, but then fell silent. Hermione shut the door, quietly this time, and made her way to her bed. She fell onto its soft surface, the frame squeaking ever so slightly under her weight. She pulled the covers over her. They were steel cold from her absence. It didn't matter. She was so tired. The second Hermione's head hit the pillow she drifted into a deep sleep without another thought.