A few days have passed since the Halloween. Hermione has finally been dismissed from the hospital wing with a bill of clean health. Madame Pomfrey hadn't managed to find anything wrong with her. To anyone else she is completely normal, so why doesn't she feel completely normal? Ever since the incident, she has been feeling odd in her own skin. Not to mention, she had an insatiable desire to head to the Great hall around Midnight that night, long after the feast. And strangely, she didn't feel as surprised as she should have been to see the Cailleach there, or the fact that she knew her name. There have also been the dreams that she now wakes up to at all hours in the night. It's always dark outside; the only people around are several men dressed in red cloaks and chainmail accompanied with tall boots. If she didn't think that was odd, there was also the matter of large swords strapped to their belts.
Every time the dream began out the same. She would be looking down on them from higher up. This time there were two. Then she would swoop down to the gravel road down below. Most of the time in doing so her head would remain pointed towards the knights, but sometimes first she would see a large black paw directly below her before looking up. It was only in these dreams that the scene would change before she attacked those men. Instead she would begin to see floating candle flames. A bright pair of blue eyes is staring directly into her soul and in her hands encase a single red rose. She typically feels calm, safe here, like he's gong to protect her. Even though she never sees more than his eyes, she knows she can trust him with every fiber of her being. His eyes alone cause her heart to swell and contract. She loves him.
So she wakes up every night at midnight on the dot, as if her body has rewired itself with a new internal clock. This has been happening since the incident. Trying to piece it together has been a tedious task and so far she still hasn't gotten anywhere. Most of the time now she will try to suppress her growing unease by settling her mind on other things; namely Martin. From what Ron and Harry had told her during their visits, is that Martin hasn't been to any of his classes. Harry has tried but most of the times he can't even find the boy on the Marauders map. Why doesn't that surprise her? It seems that no matter how many weird anomalies seem to happen around him, she can't bring herself to distrust the guy.
The only problem with her is that she has always taught herself to follow logic and right now it isn't adding up. At the moment she is lying curled up on the couch in the Emrys common room after another sleepless night. The creaking of the portrait entrance sounds, startling her, and she looks up to see Martin just entering the room. This is the first time she has seen him since Halloween and it doesn't feel the same. He doesn't seem to notice her or he just downright ignores her but he keeps forward all the way to the stair of his room and begins the ascent. She thinks to herself, 'where has he been? It's what, one in the morning now?' Whatever it is, she is determined to figure it out.
Short chapter I know but I have a lot of studying to do and I wanted to get this out of my head before it vanished. It is also generally a transition chapter for bigger events to come. Anyways, than you all for reading and commenting; I will try to have the next chapter up soon. Fingers crossed I don't disappoint you. Also, many have speculated so I hope this answers some of your questions. I know you are all eager for the big reveal but I really don't want to rush anything. So thank you again.