Hey. Sorry about the formatting issue. If you didn't have to deal with it; you lucky soul
I know that it's been awhile and this is a short chapter, but the guilt was in my body. I just wanted to publish what I had 'cause I didn't want you guys to think I was givin' up on you.
Thanks, you're the best
...
The Black Lake was completely frozen over, it's dark surface a sharp contrast against the bright snow that surrounded it. A majority of the witches and wizards were inside the castle, keeping warm and studying for their tests. There were a few students on the grounds bewitching snow balls to fly around, pelting innocent bystanders. Hermione walked in the snow, slowly, only half aware of her surroundings.
Ever since she returned to Hogwarts, she had found that she had been craving the cold fresh air more and more. It helped her think and clear her head. If it ever got too cold for her, she could always summon a jar of magical fire, but she liked the cold. It had it's own distinctive smell and it just seemed so pure. The witch sighed loudly, watching her breath curl up into the gray sky. A strong gust of wind blew her hat off her head, causing her hair to flutter dramatically in the breeze. Hermione summoned her hat back without even blinking. She cursed, shoving the cap back on.
The witch shivered, the wind still blowing. Her mind was clouded with dark thoughts and assignments she needed to work on. The teenager stood still for a moment, examining the simple beauty that the snow caused. She turned around and started heading back towards the castle. Cold's not really helping much today, Hermione mused. She pulled her wand out, melting the snow in front of her so she could get back inside quicker. I hope dinner's ready, I'm-
A strong hill ran through Hermione's body; as if her organs were freezing from the inside out. The snow hitting her face almost felt warm compared to what was inside of her. The witch gasped, her lungs struggling for air, and she knew without turning what would be behind her. Gripping her wand tightly, she pivoted until she faced the thing behind her.
Being surrounded by snow only made the Nigrum Animarum seem darker. Even though no expression could be read, Hermione could feel the hate rolling off of the creature. It was silent except for the wind blowing through the trees and stirring up snow. Hermione shifted her stance and held her chin up, ignoring the slight fear and cold that she felt.
"Well? What do you want?"
It's black head tilted, "You do not know?"
"How could I possibly know? The only thing I've learned from you is that you have some Latin name and that you kill innocent girls." Anger was the only thing keeping her blood warm at that point. The Nigrum Animarum seemed to radiate cold, making the air around the witch seem so much more frigid.
If the creature could smile, Hermione assumed it would have right then, "It appears you are not the smartest witch of your age then. We have traveled very long and far to reach our goal, and it seems that what we wanted was a disappointment."
There was a roaring in her ears that had nothing to do with the weather, "That just makes more questions than it answers!" Fire shot out of Hermione's wand and melted a patch of snow, "You have been terrorizing this school for months. You killed someone and now you're telling me that your damn goal is a disappointment?!"
She didn't realize she had moved until she was mere inches away from the body of darkness. Rage made her body quiver, and she didn't really care what the bloody creature would do to her. She wanted to hex the stupid thing, but she hadn't the faintest idea what would do any permanent damage. There were no eyes to glare into, no smug smile to punch. But Hermione swore she could hear the amusement when the thing spoke again, "Perhaps our goal can be accomplished after all."
Her anger dissolved for a moment, desperation and worry flooding into her heart. She grabbed the thing's shoulders, screaming,"What do you want from us?!"
Just touching the thing made Hermione's fingers feel as if they were about to fall off. She pushed the Nigrum Animarum away, gripping her wand. Flames rose around the pair of them, gripping the shadow and melting the snow. The creature didn't even stir. It's blankness face gazed at Hermione through the fire.
"You'll see."
…
"It was the most frustrating conversation I have ever had! And I practically lived with Ron for seven years."
The snow was back to falling softly outside the castle, and a fire was roaring in the Doctor's office. Hermione was up and pacing the room, her faced flushed with anger and frustration. She kept putting her hair in a ponytail and taking the hair-tie out a few moments later; just needing something to do with her hands. Donna sat in a chair in front of the ridiculously messy desk while as the Doctor sat behind it. Tea had been made, but it had gone untouched. The Doctor's elbows rested on his knees, his gaze not shifting from the witch.
"What happened next? Is that all it said; 'you'll see'?"
Hermione ran her fingers through her thick hair, "Yeah. It...well, stared isn't the best word, but I'm using it. It stared at me for a second then it just sort of melted away, like squid's ink in water. It floated through the air...and some of it soaked into my arms."
The witch rubbed her arms, feeling slightly cold despite the fire. The Doctor straightened, his expression blanking. Hermione clenched her fists, "After that, I ran here."
"You absorbed the shadow?" Donna glanced at the Doctor before looking back at her student.
Hermione nodded, "Yeah, that'd be the best way to describe it."
The witch could see the slight terror and worry on their faces. Hermione pulled her wand out, flicking her wrist to heat her tea up again. She went forward and grabbed her cup, sitting in the empty chair. Goosebumps danced across her flesh, but she ignored them. She stared at the dark liquid; the realization slowly sinking in that she had come face to face with the Nigrum Animarum.
Hermione's breath caught in her throat. The thing that had been terrifying her for months, the thing that was poisoning her from the inside out, this bloody mystery creature had stood right in front of her; and Hermione had done nothing about it. She let her emotions keep her from acting, from finding out real information. All she learned from that encounter was that they were bloody twats that spoke in riddles.
The witch sat her cup down, not trusting her trembling hands. The worst part was; when that creature had melted into her skin; she could feel it's thoughts. She could sense the anger and the need. For what, Hermione wasn't sure. When the shadow had faded into her skin, Hermione was sure of one thing; something inside her was changing. It terrified her.
"Hermione? You alright?" Donna's gentle voice snapped the witch's attention back to the present. She looked up at her staring professor.
It was silent for a moment. She looked back and forth between her friends, feeling a twitch in her heart. It was so nice being back in their company. Upon returning to Hogwarts, the teachers and student went back to their old routine of drinking tea and trying to figure out this Nigrum Animarum problem. The Doctor had never apologized, and Hermione never asked him to. It annoyed her a bit; him never bringing up their argument. How could you fully move past something if you never discussed it? But Hermione knew that the Doctor was not the sort of man to dwell on anything involving his own emotions.
Hermione thought about Donna's question. She wanted to shrug it off, say she would figure it out. Instead, she took a quivering breath, "No. I am quite the opposite."
Hermione never told the teachers about her fear of being possessed. She didn't know how to bring it up in conversation. "It was amazing, seeing Ginny catch the snitch like that! Oh, by the way, I might be slowly turning into one of those shadow people." It wasn't the best conversation starter.
There was still the fact that nothing really could be done about it. She didn't want to see Donna and the Doctor stare at her like she was terminally ill. She didn't want them to think that she couldn't fight or take care of herself. Hermione didn't want to appear weak.
Pride's an amazing thing, the witch mused before she started explaining. She talked in the matter of explaining how to do a complex spell. She was distant from the words that were spilling out of her mouth, her hand motions we simple, and eye contact wasn't a problem. Hermione felt as if she was out of her body, watching herself tell the Doctor and Donna about horrible thing that was happening. It was silent for a moment when the witch had finally finished explaining. She picked her tea back up, sipping the lukewarm liquid.
The Doctor didn't know how bad it had gotten. His hearts felt like weights were attached to them. He ran his fingers through his hair, "Hermione, we-"
"Don't say it. I know what has to be happening to me. I know I'm in danger and I'm dangerous. I don't need you to tell-"
"I'm not as daft as you would think Hermione." The witch shut her mouth and stared at the skinny man, "Well, that's probably not true, but that's besides the point. I was going to say that we need to figure out what this thing wants now. If this Nigrum Animarum starts to control you; there's no telling what will happen. Are you sure you don't know what it wants?"
Hermione shook her head, "No, it didn't tell me anything. It was like it showed up just to annoy me."
The witch rested her elbows on her knees, sighing. She could hear a chair being pushed back and footsteps starting to pace around the room. Worry pressed on the three of them. They each tried to force their brains to figure the solution out, but there weren't enough variables.
"Wait," Donna sat up straight, her eyebrows furrowed, "You said that before you screamed at this thing; it said that their mission was a failure?"
Hermione nodded, "Pretty much, yeah."
The red head ran her fingers through her hair, "Alright...so it said that, you yelled at it, and it changed it's mind."
"Right."
"Well...this may be a stupid theory, not to mention a depressing one, but you showed passion or whatever when you yelled, right?"
The Doctor stopped pacing, his hands hooked behind his back. It was silent for a moment, and Donna took a deep breath, "Do...do you think you could be the goal?"
Hermione's heart dropped, "What do you mean?"
"Well...it attacked you first. Then it went after that little girl who, let's be honest, was remarkably like you. Now your skin is turning black? It's all centered around you, Hermione." Donna's eyes were pleading, like she didn't want to be right, but she knew she was.
Hermione's eyes slid to her knees, and her brain started whirling. No other student or teacher had been attacked that she knew of. The students were thinking that this was the first normal term of school that had happened in seven years. No one besides the three in that classroom remembered the Nigrum Animarum.
The goal wasn't the school, it was one of the witches inside it. Hermione grabbed the sides of her head, feeling a headache coming on, "But why does it want me?"
"Do you remember the night you were attacked Hermione?" The witch looked up at the Doctor, nodding uncertainly, "There was something I didn't tell you."
A smile nearly curled her lips, "What? That the thing in your pocket isn't really a wand?"
He sighed, "You really want to have that conversation now?" A smile lit up his face for a brief moment; then it turned sober again, "When I bravely rescued you from the shadow, it talked to me. It said that the witch was not permitted to live."
This is just getting better and better, Hermione thought. She stood up, twisting her wand in her hands, "Well? What do I do?"
The Doctor and Donna looked at each other for a moment, reading each others expressions. Donna looked back at her student, "We do what we always do. Fight back.