Hermione jolted awake in the middle of the night, her chest tightening with an all-too-familiar sense of unease. The room was quiet—Luna had fallen asleep peacefully, but Ginny still hadn't returned. Yet, it wasn't Ginny's absence that troubled her now. It was the same gnawing feeling she'd had when she first encountered Skarooth. A deep dread, as though something ancient and powerful was calling to her again.
Why now? Why tonight?
Hermione slipped out of bed, careful not to disturb Luna. She quickly put on her slippers, grabbed her wand, and left the dorm, her mind racing with thoughts of Skarooth.
Outside, the grounds of Hogwarts were still, almost unnervingly so. Her eyes instinctively traveled to the dark expanse of the Forbidden Forest. That's where the pull was coming from—its depths seemed to beckon her like they had before. She hesitated for a moment, gripping her wand tighter.
The forest was darker than she remembered, the absence of moonlight making it feel like she was stepping into an abyss. No sounds of rustling leaves, no distant howls—only an eerie, oppressive silence.
Hermione couldn't explain it—not the urge to keep moving forward, not the strange compulsion that drove her deeper into the Forbidden Forest. There was no logical reason for her to be there, no clear goal or destination. Yet, something beyond reason pulled at her, tugging her toward the unknown.
That's when she saw the tree. It stood out from the others, stark and leafless, its bark dark and gnarled, as though it had withered away under some ancient curse. The sight of it made her shiver, but her feet carried her closer without hesitation.
The trunk, thicker than any tree she'd seen, parted before her, revealing a narrow tunnel, half her height but wide enough for a person to enter. She hesitated for only a second before ducking down and crawling inside, as if something beyond her control willed her to.
But why? Why was she doing this? The questions repeated in her mind, but they couldn't stop her. She was moving with a strange, unsettling purpose, though she didn't understand it.
The tunnel was rough and uneven, scraping against her arms and legs as she descended further into the earth. The darkness swallowed her whole, and the path ahead was invisible, but she knew she was going down. Her body stumbled over jagged rocks and uneven surfaces.
She had no idea where she was, but something told her that whatever she was searching for was close.
Hermione hit the ground with a thud, the impact momentarily knocking the breath out of her. She blinked, dazed, and looked around. It was strange—almost like she had fallen into another version of the Forbidden Forest, one just as eerie and dark. But the most chilling sight was the ancient temple standing in front of her, its stone walls covered in moss, as if it had been abandoned for centuries.
Something about the temple called to her. Without thinking, she walked straight toward it. Her feet moved automatically as if guided by an invisible force. The door creaked open as she pushed against it, revealing a large, cavernous room lit by a pale, unnatural light.
Along the walls stood the humanized Dementors, still as statues, their empty, hollow eyes staring into nothingness.
But what caught her attention were the three figures hovering in midair at the center of the room—Daphne, Fleur, and Ginny. Their eyes were closed, their bodies suspended as if weightless, with their feet dangling lifelessly below them. Hermione's heart raced at the sight. They looked conscious, yet utterly helpless.
Before she could react, a familiar voice echoed through the room—a woman's voice, laced with disdain.
"Oh, Granger," the voice drawled, "must you interrupt every single time?"
Hermione froze. She knew that voice all too well.