Flames spreading through my arm like a wildfire. A screech so high the back of my hairs stand up, Arms holding me down, shaking me.
"Hermione..HERMIONE! Wake up!" A voice booms inside my head.
My eyes flutter open as I see the familiar face of Ginny staring down at me. Realization dawns upon me as I begin to remember the nightmare, well you could call it a nightmare yet it is a dark distant memory I long to forget. My face is wet with tears and my body sweating from fear, I become conscious of how foolish I must look.
"Sorry, must have been a dream" I say with a look of embarrassment.
Ginny didn't look convinced yet she let me get on with my morning ritual without any fuss. She was less like her mother in that way. I make my way to the bathroom, gathering my robes as I go. To my surprise I see as I glance at the mirror a hardly recognizable girl staring back at me. Her eyes tired with nightmares, her hair formed around her face like a lion's mane, yet there was something different about the girl in the reflection, she seemed stronger and wise beyond her years. She had grown in such a small amount of time.
Realizing the time I raced out of the dormitories making sure I had time for breakfast and to study before first lesson, unorganized was not the Hermione Granger way! Turning a corner I came face to face with Ron.
With a grunt Ron banged into me knocking my books everywhere.
"Bloody hell" he gasped, struggling to keep balanced.
I stood their glancing at the bookmarked pages lost in the fall. I retrieved my fallen books whilst Ron stood their awkwardly.
"Sorry" He utters barely making eye contact. "I forgot my transfiguration book".
Glancing up at his blue eyes, I find myself unable to say anything at all. He finally looked at me with a look I never thought I would receive from him; it was the look of a stranger. Those long nights I sat with him in a tent a few months ago both of us scared, the laughs late at night, the adventures we spent together, all of it forgotten.
A surge or courage came over me "What happened to us?" I asked, hoping for an explanation to why the boy I thought I would spend the rest of my life with is pushing me away.
He glances into my eyes with a look of sadness, "Life" he muttered with an exhausted sigh.
I couldn't deny the fact that when I looked at him I felt that awful sudden feeling you feel when you think you have lost something, usually it ends with me finding it and the panic washing away. Yet this time I don't think it's going to be that easy.
After the awkward situation, I was late for lesson. The first lesson of the year and I'm late. This was really not Hermione Granger! As I tip toed into the lesson trying to be as subtle as possible the door slammed behind me blowing my cover. The class turned all staring at me with faces of astonishment.
"Late on the first day I see Miss Granger?" muttered Professor Jones with a slight husk.
Professor Jones raised his eyebrows obviously wanting an explanation.
What was I supposed to say? Sorry Sir woke up late with a nightmare about the time I was tortured then had the most awkward encounter with the ex love of my life as he's pushing me away and I can't seem to hold on anymore. The silence seemed to edge its way to uncomfortable.
"Just sit down" He said finally giving up.
The lesson consisted of one of the most surreal and fascinating moments of my life, Professor Jones talked for an hour about the water from the Rainforest Lagoon, of wizards who drank the sacred water and died.
"You see, it's not the water which killed them, it's the hallucination. When you drink the water of the lagoon you see something which your body yearns for, everything and anything aches for it. Your mind, your sole, must have whatever is before you. The trick is that you can't have whatever is before you, and it's killing you the temptation of it drives you mad. Some of the greatest wizards ended up killing themselves whilst drinking it. Anyway that's everything for today, read pages 134 to 140 of your books by tomorrow.
The class started to disperse from their seats, I stood up, legs cramped still mesmerized by Professor Jones lecture.
"Hermione" Professor Jones said, without looking up from his desk, "I feel a detention is in order because of your late comings".
"But sir I…" I began to protest.
"I'm sorry Hermione, you know the rules." He said with a sympathetic smile.
From then on the day went from bad to worse, Ron was completely ignoring me, the rest of the day consisted of note taking, and head nodding, to me trying to revise my N.E.W.T.S and completely failing because of Harry's ridiculous obsession with talking about what to get Ginny for her birthday. Before I knew it I was glad for peace and quiet in detention.
I knocked on the door to his office, "Come in" I heard from inside. As I entered I noticed the warm feeling it was surrounded by, there was books everywhere scattered around, a battered old globe in the corner and an orange glow of candle light dimming around the room.
"Choose a book and read" He said without glancing up from his book.
I took my seat the furthest towards him and picked a book from the shelf, it was like a small old library, books of everything from dark spells to enchanted myths. I picked a large book which had the words printed in old ink on the front "The Artists Despair".
"Ah, It's strange you chose that one" he said.
"Whys that?" I forced myself to reply.
"I used to read it as a boy, It's the tale of a man who fell in love with a girl in a painting, ended up painting himself in there with her. Spending the rest of his days staring at him and her together" He explained.
"How foolish" I muttered without realizing what I had said.
"Why would you say that?" He replied.
"Well to spend your life hoping for something that's never going to happen isn't very practical is it?" I said.
He stared at me with a look of puzzle, "Ah but you see he didn't spend his life hoping for something that's never going to happen, he made something happen by painting himself in there with her. He just stared at something that was happening and admired the beauty of it."
I understood what he was saying yet it still seemed rather foolish to me. Hours flew by as we talked about books, and myths. I didn't realize the time until clock chimed 9.
"Damn I didn't realize the time, you should be off." He said.
I looked up at his dark brown eyes to agree but I couldn't help but stare, something strange started to happen. He stared back intensely as my breathing quickened, I found myself unable to look away as he stepped closer to me. I found myself stepping close to him too. My hand brushed past his and the connection was enthralling, my body edged closer to his as his hand brushed my hair from my face, I didn't comprehend what was going to happen until his lips touched mine. Sudden passion filled me; I pulled in for more overwhelmed with pleasure whilst fire surged through me causing such desire I couldn't stop.
Professor Jones pulled away catching his breath, "That shouldn't of happened" he said staring at me with the same intensity he had when I first saw him.
"You should go" he whispered.
I felt my legs slowly respond as I disappeared down the corridor.
Still out of breath I stopped outside the dorm room trying to calm myself down, yet my head was screaming at me, what just happened? That was amazing and exhilarating, so much different than Ron. Ron was warm, and safe and familiar. Sylus was dangerous and exciting and a teacher. It then dawned on me Professor Jones was a teacher. What was I going to do? And worst of all what would people think! I can't go back into lesson tomorrow, what would Harry think? Suddenly my mind started to panic, What about Ron.
I can face this problem, I mean I'm Hermione Granger, I helped defeat the Dark Lord for Christ sake, I'm sure I can handle this! The courage seemed to start to fade away as reality hit, Hunting Horcrux's, breaking into banks, fighting till the death. None of it prepared me for this.