Chapter 8- Nightmares
Her Dad opened the door with a smile on his face. He glanced at Hermione for a long moment then scratched the back of his head. "Do I know you?" His expression was devoid of recognition and for a moment pure panic seized her heart. He didn't remember his own daughter! Then he smiled and pulled her in for a huge hug.
"It's good to see you, Hermione." He pulled her into the house, seeming oblivious to her pained expression. That was a bit too real for her tastes, since she'd lived through her father really not knowing who she was.
Her mother was sitting at the table in the kitchen, reading People Magazine with a scandalized expression.
"Hermione dear, what on earth are you doing here? Did your father play that horrible joke on you?" She gave Hermione's father a stern adoring look and put her magazine away. Hermione took a deep breath and let it go, rubbing her temples.
Anger was replacing the fear and panic rapidly. Hermione sat down beside her mother let out a sigh.
"So there isn't anything wrong with dad?" She asked at last. Her mother shook her head slowly.
"Why would you think that? He's in perfect health." Her dad winked at her and opened their refrigerator. Hermione froze for a long second.
"Hermione? Are you all right? We haven't heard from you since you left for school! I thought you were going to write."
Hermione swallowed the fear in her throat," Yes, I was, and I will but settling in has been very difficult. There have been a few problems with my friends. I… I'm sorry."
Her mother took her by the shoulders, "There is nothing to apologize for. Why do you sound so sad?"
Hermione shook her head stubbornly, "I had to have special permission to come see you during the week, so I must get back. I'll write soon I promise." Hermione pulled out her wand and though her parents flinched neither said anything. Hermione let light blue sparks escape the tip of her wand, warding the house. Her parents were appalled by the unnatural lights for a few moments.
"Just warding the house, Mum. It doesn't do anything but tell me if someone tries to break in."
Her mother relaxed and ushered her husband upstairs to shower. Apparently they were going to dinner.
"We would love to have you but if you have to get back to school…." Her mother trailed off.
"Oh, it's alright. I have a lot to do."
Hermione couldn't get out of the house fast enough. Who in the world was intercepting her letters and responding to them? Why would anyone do that? It wasn't surprising that some of Voldemort's followers had escaped but what would any of them want with her? And why use letters sent to her parents. Surely the ones to Ron and Harry would make more sense. Her parents were muggles!
She appeared at Hogwarts front gate, spotting students running around hurriedly. Not entirely unusual, but the terrified screaming sure was. She through a shield around herself and ran into the castle searching for Ginny, or maybe Minerva, someone that could explain what was happening.
"Granger!" Hermione heart shuddered when she heard Malfoy call her name desperately. He was a little green in the face with blood smeared on his hands. He took three fragile steps toward her before his legs apparently gave out. Hermione didn't hesitate to kneel beside him, ignoring the spellfire and screams all around.
"What's happened?" She whispered urgently.
"A curse. Like one I've never seen. It makes your nightmares come to life, makes them a reality. That Creevy kid was the first and once he died everyone started screaming and running. Everyone…such horrible things…those nightmares…." He broke off into a coughing fit. Hermione just stared at him for a moment lost in the horrible of the situation.
"That isn't possible. The power it would take to infect the entire school would be unimaginable." She whispered logically but without much hope.
He grinned wryly with anger and bitterness, "It feeds on our own magic and the castle's. The first years are mostly dead, they had the simple nightmares that aren't easy to spell away."
"How long has this been going on? I was only gone for an hour!"
He rolled onto his back, his eyes widening in terror. "No! No!" He screamed and his eyes rolled back into his head as his body jerked. Hermione looked around and spotted Voldemort himself, wand trained on Malfoy. Hermione disarmed him with disbelief. The figure faded away like it was made out of smoke. She had never seen anything like it.
Malfoy caught his breath, "I've been seeing him everywhere and he tortures me every time. I wish I could get a new nightmare."
Hermione wasn't listening anymore because she could see her father standing right in front of her, anger flushing his face red. He seemed to materialize out of thin air.
"Dad?" How was he here? She just left-
Her father's fist swung at her face cracking her nose and knocking her over. Blood gushed out of her nose, clogging her airway for a moment.
"Stun him, it isn't really your dad!" Malfoy yelled urgently. Hermione sent a stunner towards her fake father, wiping the blood from her lips once he'd vanished.
A nearby second year let out the most terrifying scream yet and Hermione couldn't see what he was screaming about.
A large booming thud shook the entire hall and a roar rung in their ears. A giant. It was the biggest she'd ever seen and the second year was running so quickly, but not quick enough. The giant smashed one enormous foot down on his puny body, crushing him to death in mere seconds.
Guilt and sheer fear pounded through Hermione's heart. Merlin she should have helped him.
"Once they've been killed the nightmares stay. They won't fade away." Malfoy was getting to his feet shakily. Hermione could see the painful tremors rolling through his body.
"Who did this?" Hermione whispered in horror.
"I don't know! No one does, but the professors are being affected too so they aren't much help." He sounded angry. Hermione needed to find Ginny and Luna. How could she have just remembered them.
"Ginny!" She yelled looking around at each student that rushed by, chased by their nightmares. Something caught her sleeve and slammed her into the stone wall hard enough to make her breathless. She focused her eyes, had her wand out and ready, but nothing was in front of her. Dread tingled up her spine, desperate for it to be over. She had a feeling she knew what nightmare this was. Hermione's mum always said she had nightmares of an invisible man when she was little up until Hogwarts.
Fingers closed around her neck and pressed in angrily. A breath of air fanned across her neck causing her to shiver with disgust.
"What the hell?" Malfoy snarled in shock, watching as Hermione was strangled by something he couldn't see. He took a chance and stunned the air around Hermione. Hermione sagged against the wall gasping in air faster than she could actually use it.
"It can use any nightmare you've ever had?" Hermione asked incredulously. Malfoy nodded, perplexed.
"I always had nightmares of the invisible man when I was little. I haven't had that nightmare since I've been to Hogwarts." She explained still trying to breathe properly.
Malfoy sighed and limped the help her stand. Purple indentations were appearing on her neck. Hermione pretended she didn't notice people staring at them.
The room of requirement was where Ginny would go if she couldn't fight by herself. Hermione refused to believe a nightmare could take down such a fierce girl.
She knew Malfoy was limping after her, but she didn't really care. Hermione shot spells at the monsters and death eaters following the younger students. It seemed that a lot of kids hadn't healed from the war as well as everyone thought. All of these children were having nightmares of the war and bringing the war back to life.
Hermione stopped once she came to the seventh floor corridor. The door opened after a few moments and Ginny flew at Hermione so quickly that she fell over.
"Where have you been?" She shrieked and dragged her into the room. Hermione glanced behind her and aware of the stares, she helped Malfoy in the door and closed it behind him.
"Not a word." She said sternly to Ginny and the few others in the room. Ginny closed her mouth with a snap, looking angry and hurt.
"But-"She motioned towards Malfoy ignoring Hermione's warning. Malfoy trembled against her more violently than before and collapsed. Hermione ignored Ginny's shocked expression and led him to a bed nearby. Someone called out a protest, but she didn't see who.
Malfoy continued to jerk and then he started screaming.
"Mione! The curse doesn't work in here! Why is he screaming?" Ginny yelled over the noise. Hermione pulled out her wand and cast a silencing charm on his screaming form. Ginny looked appalled.
"He was tortured. Why isn't the whole school in here if the curse doesn't work?" Ginny flushed and looked to the others for help.
"We were too scared to go back out there." That was Terry Boot who spoke up and Hermione had to admire his blunt honesty.
"Well, that's not an option. Do you know that almost all the first years are dead?"
The faces she could see froze with horror. "Dead? Hermione what on earth are you talking about?"
"The curse makes your nightmares come to life, Ginny. Then they kill you. There was a giant and it just stepped on the first year…." Hermione closed her eyes, wishing she could erase that memory from her mind.
"But…how! I thought we were just seeing things not being killed!" Ginny looked ready to cry. Hermione rubbed her temples and sat down beside Malfoy on the bed. He'd stopped jerking and screaming. He looked like he'd fainted too. She took the silencing charm off and made sure he was still breathing, while ignoring the curious stares of her fellow classmates.
"We're going to go find the rest of them, now." She said finally getting to her feet. Her neck was throbbing with pain and when she touched the back of her head it came back red and sticky.
"Oh." She said faintly. Hermione looked at Ginny waiting for an outburst. Ginny just stared at her hand before summoning a wet rag and wiping it off before healing the wound on her head as best she could.
"Let's go." Ginny whispered and asked if anyone else wanted to go. No one did. The door to the room of requirement opened letting in the screaming and yells for help. Hermione was about to leave when a thought occurred to her. She couldn't leave Malfoy, a former death eater, with all these people. Hermione put a shield around Malfoy, which no one should be able to get into except for her. That would have to do because he wasn't in any condition to help anyway.
Ginny spelled her hair away from her face and did the same to Hermione's.
"Just easier I guess." Ginny said by way of explanation. Hermione stunned a death eater torturing a fourth year a few feet away. Ginny told the fourth year where to go and he ran without question.
"Tell anyone you see to do the same!" Ginny hollered after him. Hermione leaned against the stone wall to catch her breath. Everything was happening so quickly.
Minerva came into view moving faster than Hermione had ever seen her move.
"Stun him!" Albus Dumbledore was marching malevolently after Hermione's favorite teacher. It was a very bizarre picture but Hermione stunned him without question and watched as her favorite headmaster faded away. She waited for Minerva to regain her own breath.
"I don't know who did this, but there aren't any more students that way. They're either hiding or already in the room." Minerva said a few moments later.
"Well we best get back there as well. We've only sent two students back." Hermione told her.
"We've got about sixty students in the room already." Ginny said softly and Minerva smiled hopefully.
"That's very good. Very good girls." Minerva headed towards the room and Hermione and Ginny followed after her.
A/N: a lot happens in this chapter and I hope it all made sense. Reviews are welcome!