Hermione had a lot to accomplish in one day and she had to do it on barely three hours sleep. She had stowed the map away in her desk, swearing not to give into temptation, but it was on her mind constantly, making it impossible to fall asleep. When she finally did leave the world of the waking it continued to torment her in the form of a nightmare. She became a set of inky footprints racing around a castle made of paper trying to hide from the enormous black shadow that chased her. Waking in a cold sweat, Hermione pulled on some warm robes and left her room to pace the halls until sunrise.
Ginny was the captain of the Gryffindor quidditch team and she ran a tight ship. On the first day back at Hogwarts she already had the entire team on the field training just after breakfast. With nothing yet to do, Hermione made her way down to the pitch and sat on the stands. She had a book in one hand, but she didn't open it, choosing instead to cheer on her friend. Half an hour later she was joined by Luna who sat beside her quietly, contemplating the contents of the Quibbler. She was in her own world as always but Hermione didn't mind. She was happy not to be expected to make small talk when her mind was already so full. After quidditch practice Ginny joined the two other friends and made friendly banter, joking that it was so good to see Hermione out of her room. This didn't make the older girl feel much better about it, but she smiled to hide it.
They walked together to Hagrid's hut where he was busying himself out the back. His large black dog bounded to meet the girls, slobbering over Hermione's robe in his excitement. Again, it was mentioned in good nature that it was a surprise to see Hermione out of her room, but this time Hagrid made her feel safe.
"It's good to see you, 'Mione, me 'n Fang missed you last semester. Yer a good kid."
Hermione promised to visit more often, maybe every Sunday for tea and cake (which she couldn't eat much of it was so difficult to chew).
The four of them shared their holiday experiences, Hermione not wanting to let on much about McGonagall Manor. It was nearly noon when Hermione excused herself. She had a meeting with the Head Boy and Prefects at 2, but she was feeling overwhelmed by the number of people. Even though these three were her close friends, she wasn't used to such long conversations and it felt like a large bezoar stone had rooted itself in her stomach.
For an hour Hermione hid on the outskirts of the forest, wandering past the tree line into the underbrush. It was quiet here except for the odd bird or insect and it felt safe despite all the horrors the woods supposedly hid. Safe was something she was constantly looking for and sometimes what seemed safest was the most dangerous. Like- she stopped herself from thinking more. It would only make her unwell. Now needing something to do, she went back to the castle to the assigned room where the student council would meet.
After assigning timetables for when they would be patrolling (weekends for the Prefects, week days for her and the Head Boy) and listening to the suggestions they all had Hermione was drained. Not only was she tired from lack of sleep, she was emotionally exhausted and just wanted to curl up in her room and maybe cry. However, she had one more chore before she could retire.
Professor McGonagall was waiting for her on the corner outside the infirmary at 3:30. Hermione was late and immediately began to launch into an apology and explanation about why the student council meeting had run late. However, seeing the distress bubbling up in her young friend, Minerva quietened her and touched her gently on the arm.
"It's okay, darling, I haven't been here long and Poppy works all day."
Hermione felt her anguish dim in the calming presence of Minerva and nodded, the redness in her eyes receding. She murmured a thank you and followed her into the hospital wing.
Madame Pomphrey wore her white nurse robes as always and was busying herself with stocking and organising potions and brews in a glass-doored cupboard. She saw them and indicated towards a bed for Hermione to sit on while Minerva opted to stand by her.
"I've already been informed by the headmistress that you have night mares and sleep disturbances?" She was straight to business, clucking her tongue as if Hermione had purposely set out to cause it.
"I- yes."
"You and Mister Potter have a lot in common then."
Hermione wondered about doctor-patient confidentiality, but kept her mouth shut. She seemed like a nice enough witch, but the doctor was quite intimidating.
"I can give you the Potion for Dreamless Sleep. If you follow the instructions and take it every night you ought to sleep like a baby."
"Are there any side-effects?" Hermione asked. She didn't sound nearly as confident as she wanted to.
"Side-effects?" Both of the older witches eyed her curiously.
"You know, light-headedness, cotton mouth, weight gain?" She trailed off.
"This potion stops dreams. It doesn't make you gain weight." The nurse's tone was almost mocking.
Hermione bit down an apology. She knew in the muggle world most medicines had some undesirable affects. Clearly this didn't happen with potions. Unless you used the wrong ingredient, like cat hair.
Madame Pomfrey gave her a bottle of bright purple liquid and a piece of parchment with instructions on it, telling her to come back for a refill when she ran out. Thankfully, Hermione took them and left, waiting a few moments for Minerva to appear. When asked if she was still interested in dinner, Hermione turned down the invitation. She was just too tired and wanted to sleep. She promised to have something sent up from the kitchen. They parted ways with after an awkward moment where Hermione wanted to hug the older witch, but knew she couldn't.
Hermione put the potion on the nightstand and sat on her bed, kicking her shoes off and taking off her top layers of clothes. The sun was just beginning to set outside her window, setting the snowy mountains aglitter. It was a beautiful sight, but her eyes fell away from it and came to rest on her desk. More precisely, on the drawer of her desk in which the map was nestled. She groaned. In all the excitement and anxiety of the day she had forgotten she even had the blasted thing. Why would Harry even give it to her? To protect it? So she knew Ron wasn't using it? To prove something? She didn't know and it was killing her. If there was something fishy going on she should find out, but she didn't want to stoop to Ron's level by spying on anyone. Desperate to take her mind off it she decided to write to Harry. Practice charms. Knit. Anything except take out the map.
All night Hermione worked, but her mind and her eyes were constantly drawn to the drawer. There was that nagging curiosity begging for just one look, but she had been so angry at Ron for using it to watch her. It felt like a betrayal of trust and she didn't want to make the same mistake with Minerva. Her belief in her close friend's innocence was strong, but her faith that Harry would never deceive her was equally so.
After taking a bath and collecting a plate of food from the kitchens, Hermione took out the map and placed it on her desk beside her plate. It was taunting her and she could barely manage a bite to eat. Frustrated, she rose and began to pace her room, turning every so often to glance at the map. Would looking at it really be that big of a deal? Minerva wouldn't know and she wouldn't have to admit it to the boys. Clenching her fists, she dropped onto her bed and glared at it angrily. She didn't want to entertain the thought of abusing its magic the way Ron did, but she couldn't help it. Hesitantly, she went back to her desk and picked up the parchment.
She lay back on her bed and opened it, just observing the way the paper was woven together, the coarseness of the grains and the smell of ink. Her wand was beside the bed and she took it up, hesitating. Just one look wouldn't hurt. Her curiosity grew until she gave in to the urge.
"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." Her voice wavered. Even the revealing spell was telling her that what she was doing was wrong.
Ink curled its way over the parchment, lines appearing for walls and names and titles. Hers was the first name to appear, looping letters exposing her position in her room. Names materialized in an outwards spiral from her own. Someone was walking down the corridor, another was pacing between two statues. Ginny was out on the quidditch pitch with others she identified as the Gryffindor team. Running her finger over the walls, Hermione finally found the name she was looking for. Minerva was in her office, still and unmoving.
Satisfied, Hermione put the paper beside her bed and picked up the potion she had been prescribed. Taking the suggested dosage, she turned off her lights and lay back. Already she was feeling drowsy and comfortable, sleep tugging at her to abandon all her worries. It was only after she slipped away into a dreamless sleep that a shadow appeared at her window, the cat watching her sullenly. If Hermione had been awake enough to study the map she'd see the name hanging beside hers. But she didn't.
Like always thanks for all the reviews! They keep me going. Apologies for not posting this chapter sooner- I broke my computer and had to get it fixed.
Next chapter: The cat's out of the bag! (I'm seriously taking title suggestions otherwise the angstiest chapter will have a pun for a name)
