OK, here it is! Chapter 3! AND Chapter 4! I finally got chapter 3 done, and I realized that I would have to re-write chapter 4 as well. So last night I stayed up until 3 in the morning, re-writing and combining them. And also, for anyone who is curious, I finished chapter 11 and I am already drawing up plans for chapter 12. I don't think any of the other chapters need to be re-written...So without more time spent talking about stuff, heres chap. 3 and 4.
Chapter 3
Harry and Hermione woke the next morning to change the couch back to normal and to return to bed, lest they raise suspicions. Harry crawled into his four-poster with and hour to spare before sunrise. He sat pondering through a dream he had only a few hours before.
It started with himself and Hermione, sitting outside, behind the lake. It was more like a beach actually. They were sitting on soft sand, and gentle waves kept sliding towards them, and then back, tickling their feet. But it looked just as if they were within the Hogwarts grounds. It was dark and the moonlight, along with the countless stars, reflected off the water. Harry looked to his left. There sat Hermione, smiling, then laughing. Her face glowed, her hair shone, she was beautiful, healthy, and happy. Without saying a word, she reached over and grasped Harry's hand. His body was filled with warmth and delight. He reached up and lay a hand upon her cheek. That side of her face suddenly crumbled and trickled away off her face like sand, sliding down her body and landing on the ground beneath them. The wind picked up and the trees began to blow; the water began thrashing. Harry tried pulling Hermione up onto her feet, but she wouldn't budge. Her eyes locked onto his, filled with tears and pleading. The hand Harry was holding dissolved, just like her cheek. Harry fell to his knees and wrapped his arms around Hermione, willing her not to go, tears of anger in his eyes. But the harder he tried to hold onto her, the more Hermione disappeared, as the sand that once was her body slipped through his fingers, until it piled up into a mound of sand. Suddenly the wind died down, the water stood still. All was calm. A single drop of water landed on the pile of sand that used to be Hermione. A tear.
The next thing he knew, he woke up panting, in a cold sweat. What did it all mean? The only thing he thought it could mean was that he and Hermione weren't meant to be together. Then again, it was just a dream. It could just be a subconscious feeling that he may never have her, or that she is out of his reach. He decided not to worry about it. By now it was time to get up and prepare for the first day of classes.
The sun was just peeking over the horizon. Harry jumped on top of Ron, knowing it would be the only way to get him up after a summer of sleeping in. "Harry gerroff me! I'm up!" Ron mumbled into his pillow, and turned over staring at the ceiling.
"Why are classes always so early in the morning?" asked Neville, rubbing sleep from his eyes.
"They like to torture us. It's like their kryptonite or something," said Seamus, still in bed.
The boys continued getting dressed and getting ready for classes. Over in the girls' room though, Hermione sat, just finishing up the entry she was writing in her diary.
Dear Diary, (she wrote)
Yesterday was the beginning of another great term at Hogwarts. I saw Harry for the first time since I left his house. I really missed him. I was hoping that he hadn't forgotten all the good times we had there. I mean, he's a great guy, but he's still a guy. When we got on the train, I broke down and told him everything. I even cried. He must think I'm the most psychotic person that ever lived. But then he wrapped his arms around me and told me everything was going to be all right. I really believed it would be, for the first time since last year. Then, he saw my bruises. Talk about mad, he was foaming at the mouth. I thought he was going to puke. I tried not to talk about it too much. He gave me this stuff that made the pain go away instantly. I must remember to thank him greatly for that. Last night I felt a little scared so we cuddled up on the couch together and that's where we fell asleep! He was screaming in the middle of the night. I think he was having a nightmare. My guess would be, he was dreaming about Sirius, or Voldemort, or some Harry Potterish thing. I can't believe I'm in love with the 'boy who lived.' I can't believe it.
She, Harry, and Ron all met in the common room to find a big commotion of people crowded around the message board. Ron, who was one of the tallest in the year, tried to see over the crowd of people, and could just barely make out what the sign said.
"Says here there's to be a Halloween ball, and 'contrary to popular demand, we are not enforcing dress robes, but allowing students to wear whatever they chose, as long as it's appropriate.' Sounds good to me," said Ron.
"Yeah, I hated those frilly dresses," said Harry.
"I thought they looked nice" said Hermione. Harry and Ron stared at her like she had grown an extra head. "Kind of…" she added hastily.
"I'm starving" pronounced Ron, randomly "Lets go down to breakfast" and they all proceeded through the portrait hole and into the great hall. They were met there by their new schedules. Harry looked over his.
Monday
1. Transfiguration Gryffindor/Ravenclaw
2. Potions (2) Gryffindor/ Slytherin
BREAK
3. Care of Magical Creatures Gryffindor/Slytherin
4. Defense Against the Dark Arts Gryffindor/Slytherin
Tuesday
1. Herbology Gryffindor/Hufflepuff
2. History of Magic Gryffindor/Ravenclaw
3. Divination Gryffindor/Slytherin
BREAK
4. Flying (elective) combined houses.
Wednesday
1. Transfiguration Gryffindor/Ravenclaw
2. Potions (2) Gryffindor/ Slytherin
BREAK
3. Care of Magical Creatures Gryffindor/Slytherin
4. Defense Against the Dark Arts Gryffindor/Slytherin
Thursday
1. Herbology Gryffindor/Hufflepuff
2. History of Magic Gryffindor/Ravenclaw
3. Divination Gryffindor/Slytherin
BREAK
4. Flying (elective) combined houses.
Friday
1. Transfiguration Gryffindor/Ravenclaw
2. Potions (2) Gryffindor/ Slytherin
BREAK
3. Care of Magical Creatures Gryffindor/Slytherin
4. Defense Against the Dark Arts Gryffindor/Slytherin
"Damn" said Ron, eyeing his schedule, "almost every class with Slytherin. It'll never change."
Breakfast continued and then the students began their first day of classes. As Harry went from class to class, his whole day was one long blur. He sat in the classrooms, but didn't hear a thing the teachers said. He read the textbooks, but never understood, nor remembered a word they said. His mind, and his eyes, almost never left Hermione.
A/N Exit chapter 3, enter chap 4.
Harry awoke 2 weeks later, from another restless dream. Almost every night since he came back to Hogwarts, he had been having dreams, terrible dreams, all about Hermione. She was kissed by Dementors, suffered through the crucio curse by anonymous figures, drown in the lake, one time even poisoned by Snape. It was starting to get out of hand. He needed to talk to someone. He hopped out of bed, grabbed a lantern, and stealthily made his way to Professor Lupin's office.
"Harry, what are you doing here at this hour?" Lupin yawned as he opened the door and quickly ushered Harry inside.
"I need help." Harry said plainly. "And I knew you weren't asleep, I saw you pacing in your office, on the Marauders Map." he paused, looking around, "Is Tonks here?" he asked, blankly.
Lupin sighed. "Come on out Tonks." he called. Tonks appeared from under what appeared to be an invisibility cloak.
Harry stared at her, puzzled. "What…?" he began.
"I am here on official order business." Tonks said, a bit peeved.
"I thought the order was on a stand-still." said Harry.
"We're not completely stopped, we just…..don't have anything to follow." said Lupin. Harry stared. "At the moment, we are unsure as to what Voldemort or his followers are doing, or where they are." he seemed a bit ashamed.
"Harry, this is really nothing for you, why are you here?" Tonks still looked a bit innerved.
"Ok, it seems like my whole world is turned upside down, you know? I mean, first with Sirius, and then with Hermione…I've been having these dreams, and I can't concentrate. I don't eat, I don't sleep, my schoolwork is terrible, I walk around like a zombie, and I don't know what's wrong with me!" Harry was panting by now, out of anger, or maybe out of the great energy it took to admit these things.
"What are you usually thinking about, during the day?" Lupin asked.
"Usually,…Hermione." Harry admitted, staring at his feet.
"What are the nightmares about?" asked Tonks. She no longer seemed angry, but sincere and comforting.
"Hermione."
"I think, I'm beginning to see a pattern here." Lupin turned to Tonks, who nodded in agreement.
"Well, it's understandable. I mean, with all she's gone through, Harry's her best friend! I'm sure he's worried…." Tonks offered.
"Well if that's it Harry, it's really ok. Hermione is safe here, inside Hogwarts. I mean, she has you and Ron, and Dumbledore would rather he die then have a student in harms way. You believe that, don't you?" asked Lupin.
"Yes…" said Harry. "I'm not really worried about her...as I am…." he left the sentence hanging for a moment.
"Intrigued by her?" Tonks smiled.
Harry locked eyes with her "How did you know?"
"So it's true then?" asked Lupin. "You like Hermione?"
Harry shook his head. "No, this isn't like with Cho. I liked Cho. But Hermione means so much more to me than that. It's like, there is no me without her. " he stared at the ground.
"You love her?" asked Tonks. Harry nodded without taking his eyes off the ground.
It was silent for a moment. Lupin finally broke the stillness, with a laugh. "I had a funny feeling about you and her. We teachers notice a lot more than you students tend to think we do." He paused, and became serious. " You know, you're just like your father, when he met your mother. He walked around with his left shoe on his right foot, and pouring orange juice over his cereal. One time, he turned his potions essay in for his transfiguration, and his transfiguration essay for his potions, and they were both written about the wrong topic, and neither of them were finished!" he and Tonks both gave a hearty laugh.
"He was just like you Harry." Lupin smiled. "He couldn't eat, he couldn't sleep, and he couldn't concentrate. It happens to all of us."
"But what about the nightmares. I have horrible dreams almost every night, and in them something bad always happens to Hermione. I wake up and my head hurts and I'm dizzy. You can't tell me that's normal." Harry tried.
"No Harry, I can't tell you it's typical, but I can tell you that it's possible. Everyone's mind works differently from everyone else's. These dreams may just be your way to cope with your bottled up feelings. Maybe if you told someone, your mind wouldn't have the stress of holding it in, and you wouldn't have nightmares."
"I told you," said Harry.
" You know," Tonks intruded their conversation. "Another reason you may be having these nightmares may be because of Sirius's passing. Hermione could symbolize love in your dreams. Sirius was someone you loved. So maybe when Hermione is hurt in your dreams, or taken away from you, it may be you, missing Sirius."
"And I'm very happy you came to me" said Lupin, coming back into the conversation. "It must be hard, first losing your parents, then Sirius. I know you must be feeling lonely, or misunderstood, but whatever you need I'm here for you. I may not be family, but I'm as close as they come." His eyes shone with compassion.
"Thanks" was all Harry could muster. "I feel a lot better now."
"I'm glad I could help." Lupin's eyes were still warm and he held a loving smile.
"Me too" Tonks smiled at him.
"Well, I guess I should go to bed," said Harry. He looked at his wristwatch, which read 2:03 a.m.
"I should probably escort you, I mean you don't know what you'll run into this late at night. Heaven knows Snape'd probably catch you. No telling what he would do. After all, you are his favorite student, to pick on." Lupin stood up, slowly, stiffly.
"I know it," said Harry, yawning. After the adrenaline of coming all the way to Lupin's office, and then confessing his deepest secret to him, subsided, he found himself rather tired.
They reached the portrait hole, virtually unnoticed, except for a couple of prefects patrolling the halls, which obviously had no questions when they saw a teacher accompanied Harry.
After waking the fat lady (not exactly an easy task) Lupin turned to Harry, barely talking above a whisper "Please don't tell anyone about Tonks being here, she's not really supposed to be. You understand."
"Of course." said Harry, as he disappeared through the portrait hole, not knowing that it would be his first dreamless night in almost 2 weeks.
A/N hope you enjoyed. I'm not very satisfied by it, but I didn't want to keep you waiting. Hey, I wrote it at 3 in the morning. Anyway, review if you loved it or hated it or want to kill me or whatever!