Puzzle to a Frozen Heart

Chapter 5: Nightmares

"Well, this is it, Miss Delacour," said Oliver while opening the door to her room.

"Call me Fleur," the part-Veela insisted.

"Okay, Fleur. Here, let me get your bags." Oliver sighed as he heaved the extremely heavy bags. ("What the hell does she have in this bags? Rocks?") He put them next to the bed and turned his attention to her. " Well, I'm off to meet 'Mione now. Here's a map of the school and my cell phone number in case you need something. Catch you later."

With this said, Oliver made his way out of the room, leaving Fleur with just one thought:

"I want 'im."

Hermione was going berserk. She was trying to put her thoughts in order while looking for Oliver, which was no easy task since she didn't know where Oliver had taken Fleur. Giving up, she finally decided to wait for him in her room as he had requested. She made her way to her dormitory, which left her mouth open with astonishment.

It was huge! It was a double room now, since she was going to share it with the Head Boy, whoever he was. She noticed that the only thing that separated the queen beds was a red and yellow curtain, the colors of Gryffindor. It had only one bathroom and a door which led to a personal common room in case you wanted a little privacy.

Hermione put her bags inside the dormitory that proceeded the curtain, for she didn't like sleeping next to a door that could be opened any minute; she liked her privacy, and since now she was going to have very little of it; for she had to share her room with a boy no less, she would take what she could.

After putting her belongings in order, she decided to check the common room. She let out a gasp once her eyes had taken the sight. It had a wall full of books; two armchairs with the Gryffindor crest on them, two fully equipped desks, a mini refrigerator, and a medium couch. She went towards it and sank down. She desperately needed to relax.

Hermione began to get comfortable and soon, her eyelids began to drop.

**********

"The Chamber of Secrets has been opened again and a student has been taken inside. Call Dumbledore and inform the families that the students will be returning to their residences tomorrow. I'm afraid that this is the end of Hogwarts as we know it," Professor McGonagall's voice pierced through Hermione's ears. She and Ron were watching her while she talked with the other teachers in front of the WRITING ON THE WALL.

"Who was it Minerva?" Madam Pince asked.

" Virginia Weasley," Professor McGonagall stated sadly, taking her leave along with the other teachers.

"Ginny! Oh, my God! My little sister!" Ron exclaimed while reading the new message that had been written on the wall: 'Her body will lie in the Chamber forever.'

"How about we tell the teachers what we know? I'm sure they can save your sister," came the voice of Hermione while trying to calm her best friend. She and Ron had been hiding in the corridor all this time, trying to discover what had happened.

"What? Are you nuts?!! Then we would have to explain how we got the information and I would get expelled!"

"Well, what do you suggest we do?"

"I don't know about you, but I'm going to save her, " Ron determined, getting his wand out of his robes and making his way to the second floor, more specifically, the girls' bathroom.

"Ronald, may I remind you that you flunked Charms," Hermione reminded him.

"So?"

"So? Flunking means 'not passing'. Therefore, that means you can't perform any spell and what's worse, your wand is broken."

"This is my sister we're talking about!"

"I know, but I still think there is another way," she argued, but vainly, for Ron threw the bathroom door at her face before she could even finish her sentence. He was clearly not giving up.

"What an idiot," she cursed and reluctantly went inside Moaning Myrtle's residence. Once there, she heard Ron speaking to another boy.

"What are you doing here, Weasel? Didn't you hear what Mcgonagall said? All the students are to go to their respective common rooms and wait there for further instructions," the boy barked.

Hermione could identify that voice anywhere. It belonged to Harry Potter, the 'Boy who lived' and the Slytherin Seeker.

"Mind your business, Potter! You Slytherin scum!" Ron yelled. Next, she heard a hit and a thud.

Hermione proceeded to enter further to find Ron unconscious on the floor with a black eye. Harry was standing beside him and right behind him was the opened entrance to the Chamber of Secrets.

"Hermione! What are you doing here?" Harry exclaimed, puzzled to see her there. He was still dressed in his school uniform, his tie undone.

"Not your concern. Now, move," she commanded, getting her wand from inside her robes.

"You never break the rules. Is something to matter?"

"Potter, I said move. You're wasting my time and, to my much disadvantage, I don't have much."

"You are going to enter, aren't you?" Harry asked, concern displaying in his eyes.

"Oh, move over!" she barked, pulling him by his robe to clear the way. She then made her way towards the entrance. She was about to jump when Harry grabbed her by the waist, making her land on her bottom against the floor.

"Don't! Voldemort is in there."

"Ginny is also in there!"

"For all you know, she's already dead! Don't add your own to this tragedy."

"What do you care?" she asked sourly, getting up and grabbing her wand from the floor.

"Because! It's not your job to save her."

"Well, look what you did to her brother, idiot." Hermione stepped in front of him.

"I won't let you pass."

That was the last thing Harry said before Hermione pushed him, causing him to fall

backwards inside the Chamber . She took one last look at Ron and went down as well.

She expected a hard landing due to the fact that she couldn't count all the turns that the tunnel had. But when she landed, she didn't even hurt herself. That was, of course, because she landed on top of someone.

"Lumos!" She found herself on top of an unconscious Harry. "Well, serves him right."

Hermine got on her feet, advancing deeper into the dark Chamber , not knowing that this experience was going to change her life in more ways than one ;forever.

She moved carefully, trying not to make a sound. Suddenly, she became aware of where exactly was she. There were a lot of stone- made serpents and a floor full of bones. The serpents were like fountains, water coming out of their mouths and making the floor drown in water, but as she was walking she realized that at the extremities of the floor were huge bodies of water, like lakes inside a sewer.

"Better be careful," she said to herself, unfortunately a little louder than she had intended.

"Well, well. Look who decided to join us, the Heir of Gryffindor!" came a cold, shrill voice, the one of Lord Voldemort .

He literally came out of the shadows, wearing a cloak that hid him well. The only thing visible were his eyes,reddish empty circles. . Hermione was dumbstruck. Even though Harry had warned her as much, she had never expected him to be there. Wasn't he dead?

Well, whatever she had or was thinking of doing, she had to do it fast, for he was already pulling out his wand.

"Rictusempra!" she screamed but he blocked it easily.

"Now, now Miss Granger, let's not be hasty. You don't want to end like Weasley here, do you?" Voldemort said as his disfigured finger pointed at Ginny, who was lying at the floor, unconscious.

"Expelliarmus!" Hermione screamed again, rolling to the floor, not waiting to see if it had affected him and going to Ginny's side in order to check on her. That was her fatal mistake, for Voldemort took that opportunity and threw a curse at her, which made her literally go flying and hit her head with the Salazar Slytherin statue. She collapsed on the floor, unconscious.

Voldemort's chilling laughter being the last thing she heard; before it all went black.

************

"AH!"

Hermione woke up with a start. She immediately got up from the couch, her wand ready to attack, suddenly remembering where she was, the Head Boy/Head Girl private common room.

"Damn it!" she cursed, passing her hand through her hair and discovering that she was drenched in cold sweat.