This section written by LadyV
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The first week of the Hogwarts school year went similar to every previous year Hermione Granger, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley had attended. The Sorting Hat sorted new students into their houses (Hermione wasn't quite sure why she had never noticed before that there were pretty much even numbers sent to each House), with the usual applause from that House's current members.
Dumbledore made his traditional warnings speech about the forbidden forest and watching out for the giant squid in the lake and the Whomping Willow. He made his little jokes that only some of the students got and none of the teachers seemed to find funny. Despite everything that had happened the past several months, very little was said about Voldemort, but maybe Dumbledore just wanted the first few days to be as fun and normal as possible.
The seat for the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher was empty, but Dumbledore had made an announcement that the new teacher would be coming in a week or two and that classes would be suspended until then. Who their new teacher was, no one knew, but Hermione noticed a sparkle in Dumbledore's eye when he had made the announcement. She was pretty sure that meant it was someone good, perhaps someone from the Order?
But as odd as it seemed, for once Hermione wasn't so worried about teachers and classes and studying. She was too worried about Harry for anything else to be that important. Since Sirius had fallen through the Veil, Harry had become detached from the world. The night Peter Pettigrew had been captured was the most life she had seen in him since Sirius fell.
Hermione had hoped Harry's bonding with Remus would bring him back completely, but now that Lupin wasn't with them, Harry had regressed back to his 'lights on but nobody's home' state.
Hermione tried to talk to Ron about finding a way to force Harry out of his melancholy, but Ron had brushed her off. Ron was convinced that all Harry needed was a little time, and perhaps a trip to Hogsmeade and some butterbeer.
For a brief moment Hermione had wondered if a kiss would pull Harry out of his stupor, but it had quickly passed, leaving her to wonder where she had gotten the idea in the first place. Hermione Granger did not just go around kissing people. And Harry wasn't just 'people', he was her best friend, and she would never want something she did to end their friendship.
Hermione covered her food protectively with her hands when the owls flew in with the morning mail. A fair sized barn owl dropped a letter in front of each of them. She, Harry and Ron. Hermione picked up hers and saw that it was from Remus. That explained why they had all three gotten a letter from the same person.
Ron and Harry were sitting across from her at the breakfast table, and she nudged each of them in the leg under the table. Both boys looked as if they hadn't slept well last night. In fact, now that she thought back, they had seemed even more sluggish in the mornings during the past week than they usually did at the start of the school year.
Harry picked his letter up first, a small spark of life filling his eyes when he saw that the letter was from Remus. Ron opened his as well, scanning the short missive before going back to shoveling food into his mouth. After Hermione read hers, a short letter asking how her first week had been and how she was doing personally as well, she held her hand out for Ron's. He passed it over and Hermione scanned it, seeing that it was very similar to hers.
She glanced at Harry. He finished reading and sighed, the light once more dimming from his green eyes.
Standing, Harry muttered, "I have to go finish my Potions essay before class."
"Harry..." Hermione started, but he was already gone.
Ron yawned across from her, and Hermione frowned.
"Really, Ron, you and Harry should really try to get more sleep so you don't pass out in your plates, or worse, in class."
Ron sighed and propped his head on one hand, "Not my fault 'Mione. Harry's been having nightmares, and he yells something awful every night. Thinking about asking Dumbledore to give Harry his own room."
Hermione's heart sank. She frowned and finished her breakfast. She wanted to confront Harry about this before class started. Were Harry's dreams about Voldemort, or Sirius? In either case, Hermione knew she would try to help him however she could.
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Unable to catch up with Harry before Potions, Hermione ran into Luna Lovegood instead.
Luna grabbed Hermione's arm, muttered something about 'the place between' and the Advanced Runes class finding a prophecy about the 'returned souls'. She then disappeared quickly down the corridor.
Hermione frowned after the odd girl. What had that been about?
It wasn't until late that night when most everyone had turned in that Hermione was able to corner Harry. But he looked so tired and was staring at the stairs to the boys' dormitory with such dread that Hermione didn't have the heart to berate him. She sat down next to him on the sofa and draped a comforting arm around his shoulders.
To Hermione's surprise, that small gesture seemed to break Harry. The 'Boy Who Lived' shuddered and leaned into her. Wanting to help him in any way she could, Hermione wrapped her other arm around him, protecting from unseen outside forces with her embrace.
"I've been having this nightmare, Hermione."
Harry took a strained breath and Hermione waited for him to continue on his own. She didn't want to push him if he was ready to share at his own pace.
"It's the same one every night. Ever since we got to Hogwarts." Harry sighed again but continued, "I see Sirius fall, but then he's wandering in this place, and all it is is darkness..."
"I'm sure Sirius is in heaven," Hermione said softly. Despite what she had first thought of Harry's godfather, she knew Sirius had been a good man.
"No, 'Mione, I don't think the darkness is a bad place necessarily. But Sirius... he isn't alone. There are... I don't know how many faint impressions in there with him, but there are three that are stronger. But I can't see their faces. And then he's sitting and two of them are standing behind him with their hands on his shoulders, but the third one has a knife."
Harry paused again and Hermione whispered, "Is that all of it?"
Harry shook his head, his unruly black hair falling over his glasses. Hermione gentled brushed it back from his face. Harry needed a haircut. Maybe she could find a spell to do it in the morning.
"The dream shifts and I see the door to the Room of Requirement, and there's a light shining behind it. And then, there's just flames."
"Flames?" Hermione echoed. "Do they burn you? Or Sirius?"
Harry shook his head again. "No... they don't hurt, they're just... there."
Hermione was silent for a few minutes, trying to decide if there was something more behind Harry's dream and why fire wouldn't be considered a danger.
"Hermione?" Harry asked quietly.
"Yes, Harry?"
"If I slept on the sofa, would you stay here with me? Maybe having you close would make the dream stop."
Hermione's heart felt tight in her chest, and she wasn't sure why.
"Sure, Harry."
"Thank you, 'Mione."
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Hermione fell asleep in the chair next to Harry's sofa while she watched him sleep. In a way, she wanted to be closer to him than that so her presence could be as comforting as possible, but she knew they'd be in a lot more trouble if they got caught sleeping beside each other. She wasn't sure how long she had been asleep when Harry's cries woke her.
Hermione launched herself out of the chair and gently shook Harry's arm. Her best friend sat up suddenly, wide eyes locking on her. Harry pulled her into his arms, and Hermione wrapped her own around his trembling body.
She held tightly to him until he stopped shaking, wanting so badly to take way at least some of his pain, even if she had to take it on herself. Harry had been through so much already, was his whole life destined to be torturous?
"Was it the same dream?" Hermione asked when Harry pulled away to lean back against the sofa.
"Mostly," Harry confirmed. "But I had just seen the door when you started shaking me, and then the door started to open. It's never done that before."
Hermione felt a shiver slide down her spine. She wasn't the most impetuous person in the world, but she knew an omen when she heard one. She stood, offering her hand to Harry.
"Let's go."
"Go where?" Harry asked, allowing Hermione to pull him to his feet.
"To the Room of Requirement," Hermione answered as if there could be no other choice. "I think we should get your Invisibility Clock first, of course."
"Of course," Harry echoed, a bemused expression on his face.
Hermione went up the stairs to the boys' dorm, pulling Harry behind her. Hermione was on a mission, and Hermione on a mission was not someone to be trifled with. As she entered the door to Harry and Ron's room, she lifted her wand, whispering, "Lumos!"
Unfortunately, Ron had picked a bad time to start being a light sleeper.
"'Arry? 'Mione?" Ron yawned as he crawled from his bed. "What are you two doing?"
"Nothing, Ron, go back to sleep," Hermione whisper-hissed.
Using the light from Hermione's wand, Harry dug his Invisibility Cloak from the bottom of his trunk.
"Where you two sneaking off to?"
"Nowhere." Hermione somehow felt that time was important, and she didn't want to have to explain everything to Ron. He had a habit of turning something simple into a very complicated problem.
"Harry?"
"Room of Requirement," Harry mumbled, shaking out his Cloak.
"Why? If you two don't tell me what's going on, I'll just follow..."
"Fine," Hermione snapped. "Come then, just keep your bloody mouth shut!"
Ron opened his mouth, and Hermione raised her wand in warning, her eyes flashing. Ron snapped his jaw shut. He moved closer to Harry so they could have the Cloak over them, but Hermione wanted to put off being squished next to Ron for as long as possible.
"Let's put it on when we get to the portrait hole," Hermione said softly, not wanting to wake the room's other occupants.
Harry nodded and the three friends quietly left the room.
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They reached the Room of Requirement without running into any teachers, ghosts or Filch. Mrs. Norris wasn't seen either.
Hermione shrugged off the Invisibility Cloak and stared at the door. Was she imagining things or did she smell the scent of old smoke? Like something had been burnt but put out?
"Harry," she whispered. "I think you should open the door."
Taking a deep breath, Harry nodded and did so. Hermione cautiously followed Harry inside, Ron behind her. The smell of a fire having burned was stronger in the room, a tinge of sulfur in the air.
Hermione gasped. There, standing in a prominent spot in the Room of Requirement, was the Veil from the Department of Mysteries. The Veil Sirius had fallen through. It looked as if a large animal had torn apart the curtain that now hung limply in shreds from it's frame, the edges blackened as if by fire.
But the Veil was not what made her gasp. On the floor in front of the dreaded thing lay Sirius Black, looking for all the world as if he were sleeping peacefully.
"Harry," Hermione whispered, her voice shaky.
Perhaps Harry really did belong in Divination.
"I know," he said softly. "Three others."
Laying in the same fashion as Sirius on the floor were two women and a boy. One of the women looked younger, probably only a few years older than Harry, Ron and Hermione, while the older one appeared to be around the age of thirty. The younger woman had black hair, the older blonde. The boy, who was probably their age or a year younger, had brown hair.
Harry suddenly snapped into action, moving quickly to his godfather's side.
"Ron, go get Dumbledore and Madame Pomfrey," Hermione ordered.
"But 'Mione," Ron whined. "I don't want to get detention."
Hermione stared at Ron as if he had grown a second head. "Ronald Weasley! Sirius is alive and there are three strangers in the Room of Requirement, as well as the Veil no one was supposed to come back from, which should be at the Department of Mysteries. All here at Hogwarts!" Her voice rose considerably, "Now go get them!"
Ron took off at a run. Hermione joined Harry, who was gently trying to shake Sirius awake.
"Harry, maybe we should wait for Madame Pomfrey. It might be dangerous to wake them up too soon."
Harry nodded, and Hermione joined him sitting next to his godfather's sleeping form on the floor. She glanced at the three other people, wondering which of them had been the one with the knife in Harry's dream. They would have to warn Dumbledore and keep an eye on the new arrivals for as long as they were at Hogwarts.
"He's really here, 'Mione," Harry whispered in awe.
Hermione smiled at Harry, who smiled back. It was the first time she had seen him smile since Sirius had fallen. Hermione couldn't help but lean forward and hug Harry.
He hugged her back, whispering, "Thank you for trying so hard to help."
"You know I'd do anything for you, Harry," she answered softly.
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Professor Dumbledore and Madame Pomfrey were both in their pajamas when they came running into the Room of Requirement. Ron did not return, Dumbledore mentioning sending the other Gryffindor boy back to bed. Sirius and the other three sleeping people were quickly lifted and floated to the hospital wing, Madame Pomfrey quickly uttering 'Mobilicorpus' to move her new charges through the school.
Once all four were in beds and being fussed over by the attentive nurse, Dumbledore turned to the two present members of The Golden Trio for answers. Harry explained his dream, and Hermione went on to tell Dumbledore that it had been her idea to check it out immediately when Harry's dream had changed. When they had finished, Dumbledore muttered 'fascinating' and then fell silent, appearing to be mulling over the situation.
"You're not going to send them to St. Mungo's, are you?" Harry asked.
"No, dear boy," Dumbledore answered. "The proper authorities will have to be notified of course, but they are safer in Hogwarts than they would be anywhere else, and Poppy is a very talented healer. They will be sure to receive the best care under her supervision."
"Thank you, Professor," Harry said.
"Is it alright if we stay for awhile?" Hermione asked.
Dumbledore's eyes twinkled at her and he smiled gently, "Of course, Miss Granger. I shall have both of you excused from classes for the day so you can be here when Sirius awakens."
Hermione smiled back, "Thank you."
Dumbledore nodded and left the room, presumably to notify their teachers and send an owl to the Ministry about their new guests. Hermione and Harry moved to the empty bed closest to Sirius and sat down to wait. Harry reached for Hermione's hand, and Hermione held his lightly, continuing to show her support.
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The first of Madame Pomfrey's patients to wake up was the blonde woman. She sat straight up in bed, her brown eyes flying around the room, lingering on the three sleeping people before focusing on Harry and Hermione. Madame Pomfrey had gone to get more supplies from her office.
"Where am I?" the woman asked.
"You're at Hogwarts School of Wizardry and Witchcraft," Hermione answered. "Do you remember anything about how you got here?"
The woman shook her head slowly. "The last thing I remember was being taken to the Department of Mysteries by hooded men and shoved at some type of curtain."
Harry and Hermione shared a glance. Had she been gotten rid of by a Dark wizard for some reason?
"What year is it?" Hermione suddenly asked.
"1935."
Harry's eyebrows flew upward. She had been inside the Veil for a long time. Voldemort had only been a baby then. Had there been another Dark wizard back then who had targeted her?
"What's your name?" Hermione asked softly.
"Michaela Archer."
"Well, Miss Archer, you've been gone a long time, it's the year 1996 now."
Michaela's mouth fell open and she stuttered, "I think I... I'd better lay back down."
An hour later, the boy woke up. He had been gone much longer than Michaela, over a hundred years had passed for him. His name was Devian Lorren and he was fifteen. He had been visiting the Ministry to see where his father worked when he had gotten lost. Hearing voices behind the Veil, he had believed it to be a portal of some kind. His curiosity had gotten the best of him and the next thing he knew, he was here at Hogwarts.
Madame Pomfrey left again to tell Dumbledore of the latest developments. The other young woman began thrashing. Hermione went over to her bedside, pulling the blanket back up from where it had fallen. The woman's eyes flew open and locked on Hermione's. The latest patient to wake up had silver eyes, and thinking that Draco and Lucius Malfoy were the only people Hermione knew of who had eyes that color, Hermione also took note of how pale the young woman was.
"What's your name?" Harry asked softly, having moved to Hermione's side when the woman woke.
"Lavinia," the young woman answered softly. "Lavinia Malfoy."
Harry stiffened. Perhaps this one was the one who'd had the knife in his dream. The name certainly fit.
"Any relation to Draco Malfoy?" Hermione queried. When all she got was a blank stare, she asked, "Lucius Malfoy?"
Lavinia sat up quickly and tried to climb from the bed, hitting the floor hard when she got tangled in the sheets. Hermione moved to help her, but Lavinia shrank away from her.
"He's not here, is he?" she asked, her voice full of fear.
"No," Hermione immediately soothed, "He's in Azkaban. But his son goes to school here."
Lavinia visibly calmed and allowed Hermione to help her back into the bed.
"Who are you?" Lavinia asked when she was once more settled.
"I'm Hermione Granger and this is Harry Potter."
"It's nice to meet you," Lavinia said in what Hermione suspected was an automatic response.
Harry finally found his voice again. "Are you related to Lucius?"
Lavinia's silver eyes clouded, "Yes, he's my uncle. My mother was his older sister, Asta."
"Was?" Hermione asked at the same time that Harry asked, "Why didn't you know Draco's name then?"
"My mother's dead," Lavinia answered Hermione's question first. "And the last I heard, Narcissa was pregnant. How old is Draco now?"
"Sixteen," Hermione answered, knowing Draco had to be at least that old to be in their year.
Lavinia nodded absently. She bit her lip and studied Hermione and Harry intently for a minute.
Then she softly asked, "Has Voldemort been defeated yet?"