24th Dec 2008 - Morning

The air in the Great Hall was thick with the acrid stench of smoke and blood. Cries of war, help, mercy, and unfathomable anguish echoed through the ruins of Hogwarts. The war raged on throughout the castle. The chill in the night was like none prompting Hermione to zip her jacket as she ran after a speck of golden hair neatly put in a ponytail, leaving Ron and Neville behind in the courtyard. She recognized the person at once and would have him at any cost.

"Where are you running away, you coward?", she screamed, firing a stunning spell on the hooded figure. The spell hit the hood, reducing it to ashes and revealing Lucius Malfoy, his pale, aristocratic features twisted in a sneer.

"Do you know whom you're challenging, you foolish, insolent Mudblood?" Lucius sneered his voice a dangerous whisper that filled the space between them. He raised his wand, his eyes narrowing as a crackle of dark magic surged in the air, the charged tension almost suffocating. "You are out of your depth... and yet, here you stand."

'Yes, a murderer on the loose,' Hermione said, fixing her stance and tightening hold on her wand. 'A sadistic adult believing in blood supremacy who couldn't save his own family. A coward who destroyed my life.'

She started firing hexes at him, each blocked or redirected to the sides. The attacks kept coming but Lucius was far too experienced and strong. Before she realized it, he was on her, hitting her with his ornate walking stick in the side. Hermione fell hard. Her upper lip got cut.

"You're a fool to stand against me, Mudblood," he spat, flicking his wand with a flourish. A jet of green light shot toward her, but Hermione was ready, her incantation barely escaping her lips in time. The two spells collided with a deafening roar, scattering debris around them.

She fought with every ounce of strength, her heart racing as she deflected spells and countered with bursts of magic. Lucius was relentless, each strike filled with rage and venom. Their duel spiraled into a brutal ballet of hexes and counters until, finally, with a surge of desperation, Hermione unleashed a powerful curse that struck him square in the chest.

Time seemed to freeze as he staggered back, shock etched across his face. But as he fell, something twisted within him. Instead of fear, he let out a dark, sinister laugh, the sound reverberating off the walls. "You think you've won, Granger? Pathetic!" His body began to shift, the familiar form of Lucius fading, contorting into something else entirely.

Hermione's breath caught in her throat as the figure morphed into Ron, his eyes wide with panic, his wounds bleeding profusely, crawling toward her, desperation etched into his features. "Hermione! Help me!" he cried, his voice tinged with an unnatural tremor. She lunged forward, her heart racing, only to hear a low hiss slither through the air.

From the shadows, Nagini emerged, her scales glistening in the dim light, eyes fixed on Ron with an insatiable hunger. He barely had time to comprehend the danger before she struck, coiling around him, and with a horrifying snap, she devoured him whole. Hermione stood frozen, horror rooting her to the spot, tears streaming down her cheeks as the echoes of Ron's screams faded into she staggered back, Nagini turned her attention to Hermione, gliding toward her with an ominous grace. It didn't hiss anymore. It laughed like a lady. Hermione's mind screamed for her legs to move, to escape, but it was as if a spell had bound her. The serpent wrapped itself around her, tightening its grip, suffocating her breath with a vice-like embrace.

"No! Let me go!" she gasped, her voice barely a whisper against the crushing weight and her wand pressed against her abdomen. She tried to break free but Nagini sensing her intentions, threw her across the wall and let out another chuckle. Hermione slumbered on the ground. Her left leg was fractured, her ribs broken, and her head spun with a concussion as Nagini advanced on her. Nagini's fangs glistened as they drew near, and with one swift motion, she bit down.

Pain shot through Hermione's body, sharper than any she had ever felt. It felt as if the venom coursed through her veins, robbing her of life itself. As darkness began to engulf her vision, her last thoughts were a chaotic mix of regret and despair, the weight of loss crashing down like an avalanche riding on the echo of her mono-syllable scream, Nooooooooooooo.

Suddenly, Hermione jolted awake, heart pounding in her chest, the echoes of battle still ringing in her ears. She sat up in her bed, the dim light of dawn filtering through the curtains, but the horror of the dream clung to her like a suffocating shroud.

Trembling, she buried her face in her hands, sobs wracking her body uncontrollably. Tears streamed down her cheeks as the vivid images of Lucius, Ron, and Nagini haunted her thoughts. "No, no, no…" she cried, gasping for breath, the weight of her loss pressing heavily on her chest.

The nightmare felt so real, and the guilt twisted in her gut like a knife. As a well-oiled machine, she rose from the bed and faced herself in the mirror.

Bangs of hair matted her forehead with sweat as she tried calming herself. Her hair was as disheveled as ever and her eyes had sunk in craters darker than her dreams. Turning back, she saw she had wet the bed again. She hated herself with an intensity she once thought to not exist. She went to the bathroom to freshen up. As she splashes handfuls of cold fresh water,

Ron's last plea, "Hermione! Help me!" echoed in her mind, mingling with Lucius's taunting words, "You are such a fool, Granger." Each phrase sliced through her thoughts, relentless and sharp. She could still hear them, reverberating in her ears like a sinister chant, amplifying her despair

The dream had been haunting her for months, ever since that party, ever since Harry and Draco tied the knot. Standing up, she gathered her loose hair, thick and tangled as ever, into a loose bun on her head and saw the sun rise above the horizon. Streaks of yellow and orange blessed her as the reddish mixed with the blackish-blue of the night to metamorphise into shades of pink, violet, and light blue as the clouds scurried together to curtain the sun.

Hermione stood there for a long time, gathering her thoughts, pacing her breaths as the sun took over its throne in the high skies. She decided it was time to visit Harry glancing back at the package kept by the side on her dresser.