Nocturne

~~~~~

Ginny went to bed the next night without any intention whatsoever of going to sleep. She knew she wouldn’t be able to take another of those nightmares, and she already felt bad enough over bothering Harry about it. He was probably much more worried than he was before, and it was most likely over nothing. After all, it was just a dream.

Still... She didn’t want to dream about Tom again. Especially when she was beginning to treat him even slightly more humanely in her dreams. He didn’t *deserve* to be treated humanely.

So, she sat on her bed and busied herself with twisting her hair into tiny braids and then unbraiding them over and over again, until she eventually got bored and pulled out a book. She had a bit of studying to do, anyway. Transfiguration was probably the subject she was best at, but studying any other school subject would bore her to death and would probably knock her out even quicker. She opened up her “Advanced Guide to Transfiguration” up to a chapter on turning objects into birds and set out to fight off slumber.

Try as she might, she soon went off into a deep sleep, and once again landed in the middle of her now-very-familiar dream.

It was the same haunted-looking forest as always, but this time the trees were spaced further apart. Tonight she was obviously closer to the edge of the forest, so she started walking to where there were fewer trees. She tried to hurry, as if she was afraid Tom Riddle would find her first. And although the trees were fewer as she soldiered on, the weeds and brambles grew thicker than ever, and they clawed at her bare legs and feet. She could only just see the moon through the dark, cloudy sky, and a fog that was rolling in from nowhere made it seem like she wasn’t moving at all.

After what seemed like forever, she finally came across a rusted wrought-iron fence. The fog was so thick now that she had to lean over it to get a decent view. It looked to be a decrepit graveyard. Her curiosity once again overcoming her, Ginny climbed over the fence and wandered through the tombstones. The paths between the graves were riddled with weeds and overgrown grass, and the tombstones themselves were so caked with dirt and grime that most were impossible to read. She stopped at one at random and started to clean off the name, just to see who it was.

“That was my grandmother.”

Ginny whirled around and saw Tom sitting atop one of the tombstones. She was too scared and surprised to say anything other than “Oh!”

“She was a Muggle,” Tom continued nonchalantly. “And a horrible person, as if *that* mattered. She wasn’t nearly as bad as my father, though.”

“Why did you bring me here?” Ginny finally found her voice.

“I didn’t. You came to me on your own.”

“Don’t make it sound like that!”

“But you did. Ginny...” Tom approached her slowly. He went into his robes and pulled out a wand. “Don’t leave my side again.”

~~~

Ginny opened her eyes and shot up from her Transfiguration book. She could hear footsteps coming toward her. She grabbed her wand and ran into the common room, too afraid to look behind her to see whose footsteps were following her.

She dove behind a sofa and tried to think of a few good spells to use in defense, but she couldn’t think of any for the life of her. She just curled up there listening to the sound of the footsteps coming closer and closer...

It was Tom! He was coming for her again!

“Ginny?” Hermione’s head peeked over the overstuffed couch. “What are you *doing?* Are you okay?”

Ginny didn’t speak, but melted into quiet sobs. Hermione hurried to her side and gently rubbed her back, murmuring words of comfort until Ginny was calm enough to talk again.

“No, no, I’m all right... I was dreaming again, and I thought you were someone else, but I’m all right now...”

Hermione frowned. “Ginny, maybe you ought to tell someone about these dreams. They could mean something important or-”

“I can’t do that!” Ginny protested. “They’d think I was mad! My dreams don’t ever make any sense! What would be the use of telling someone?”

“Maybe it would help to get rid of them. You can always go to Dumbledore.”

Ginny shook her head and sighed. “No, it’s noting. ...Maybe I really am going mad.”

“‘There is no madness without reason,’” Hermione quoted. “I can’t remember who it was that said it, but it applies well enough to the situation anyway, even if it has a bit of a double-meaning. Listen, whatever these dreams are, you’ve been having them for a reason, and it could be important. You really ought to talk to Dumbledore.”

Ginny smiled and blew her nose. “I don’t know... Maybe I will.”

“You should.” Hermione stood, and pulled Ginny up after her. “Now, wee should get back to bed. There’s class in the morning. *And* you need to talk to Dumbledore,” she added, not letting it drop. She sent Ginny to bed, and once again went to wake Ron.

She entered and saw him sprawled out on his bed as usual, but Harry was gone. “Ron!” she whispered harshly, rushing to his side and shaking his shoulder until he woke.

“What the-!” Ron jumped at the sight of the desperate look on Hermione’s face hovering over him. “Her-Hermione? Wassamatter?”

“Ginny just had another really bad nightmare, and Harry’s *gone!*”

“Gone?” He sat up and stared blinkingly at Harry’s bd. “Huh. So he is.”

“Don’t you have any idea of where he could be?”

“Well, no.”

Hermione groaned. “Great. Ginny’s hallucinating, and no one knows where Harry’s run off to.”

That, at least, woke Ron up. “Hallucinating?”

“Mm-hmm. She thought I was Tom Riddle coming after her or something, when I was just going to the bathroom.”

The corner of Ron’s mouth twitched again. “I don’t know how *that* could happen.”

“Shut up, Ron.”

“Well, sorry, but with that getup of yours...”

“And what’s wrong with what I wear to bed?”

Now both corners of his mouth jerked. “Oh, absolutely nothing!”

“You pervert.”

“Pervert?!” The color of Ron’s face matched his hair. “*You’re* the one who waltzes in here practically naked-”

“I am *not!*” she hissed. “I just thought you should know about Ginny! It’s not like I came in here to *seduce* you-”

At that moment, Harry walked in, seeing Hermione -and her nightgown, if you could call it that- sitting very close to a very red-faced Ron. The only thing he’d heard prior were the words “seduce you.”

“Sorry,” he said. “Did I come at a bad time?” He dropped his Invisibility Cloak on the floor before either of the others could notice it.

“And where have you been?” Hermione demanded, rather hotly despite how quiet she was trying to be.

“Er, bathroom,” he said. “Look, I don’t want to interrupt or anything...”

“Harry, I was not trying to seduce Ron!”

“Oh. ...You weren’t?” Harry looked her over again.

“That’s it. I’m wearing a potato sack to bed from now on,” Hermione said cynically. Luckily, she didn’t catch Ron’s momentary look of disappointment. “I came here to tell you both that Ginny had another nightmare, and I think she’s starting to hallucinate because of them.”

Harry went over and sat next to Hermione and Ron on the bed, thinking how fortunate it was that Neville and Seamus slept like rocks. Hermione told them both about what had happened earlier with Ginny, lingering especially on how she had woken up still dreaming that Riddle was after her.

“I’m really worried about her,” she said finally.

“What do you think we should do?” Ron asked.

“I already told her she should talk to Dumbledore about her dreams, but I don’t think she will. We ought to talk to him ourselves.”

“I’d ask Sirius, but he’d probably say the same thing,” Harry said.

Hermione’s eyes lit up. “Write to him, anyway! He might be able to help.”

Ron sighed. “If Fred and George knew I went and let our sister go off the deep end on us, they’d kill me.”

Harry raised an eyebrow. “Fred and George? What about your mother?”

“I don’t even want to *think* about that right now.”

Hermione got up. “I’m going to bed. You two should, too; there isn’t too much time before we have to get up for school.” Harry stood to get into his own bed, and Hermione whispered so quietly that Ron wouldn’t be able to hear, “You shouldn’t leave your Invisibility Cloak on the floor like that. It’ll get ruined.” She left without another word. The boys went to bed, Harry thoroughly rattled.

~~~

Breakfast the next morning did not bode well, to say the least. Hermione was nothing but cold towards Harry, and it seemed to put everyone around her in a bad mood, as well.

Harry tried to go and get to class early, but Hermione excused herself right after he did, followed him out the Great Hall doors, spun him around and pinned him against a nearby wall.

“All right, Harry,” she said slowly, a menacing gleam in her eyes. “You’re going to tell me where you’ve been sneaking off to all this time.” Harry didn’t do anything but try to look innocent, so she continued. “You’re going to tell me, or you’ll be turned into a fresh pair of socks for *Dobby.*”

The prospect of this frightened Harry considerably more than he let on, but he still held back. “I told you yesterday I was only going to the bathroom...”

“With your Invisibility Cloak?! And the day before you said you went to get something to eat when I’ve *seen* you do nothing but pick at your food at mealtime. You’re *sick,* Harry! What’s so important that you’re not getting any sleep over?”

“It’s none of your business!” Harry said bitingly.

“Fine, then! I won’t ask you about it anymore!” Hermione turned and stomped off to class.

“Fine!” he shouted after her, but he doubted she heard him. The masses of students were beginning to pour out of the Great Hall, and he quickly lost sight of Hermione’s bushy hair in the crowd.

~~~

The end result of Harry’s encounter with Hermione was five days of his best friend ignoring him. Hermione didn’t say a word to Harry, and Harry, still being slightly miffed as well, didn’t bother to say anything to Hermione. Ron wouldn’t have known what to do if Harry had been awake during the time he was fighting with her, but because of it he ended up spending all of his time with Hermione.

The whole week, Harry didn’t sneak out. He was more afraid than ever of being caught now that Ron was probably on the lookout as well. He wrote a letter to Malfoy to explain his actions, but he didn’t exactly get a positive reply.

“Potter,

    “If that friend of yours is so important to you (not that I understand why), do what I would do in a similar situation: *lie.*

    “And if you’re being watched, there’s nothing to do but meet less often, and more discreetly. We should take a small break from each other. In the meantime, get some rest. You need it.

                “D.”

Harry, as a result, spent the week alone in his bed.

~~~

By the morning of the sixth day, Ron couldn’t take the tension anymore. He slammed his fork and knife on the table in the middle of his biscuits and gravy and shouted his protest to the situation as eloquently as ever: “It’s dumb of you two to fight!”

(AN: Yay, sarcasm.)

Hermione only sniffed and returned to her own breakfast. “Don’t scold *me* for worrying about an idiot friend of mine. Talk to him.” She thumbed toward the black-haired boy sitting across from Ron.

Harry stood up before either of them could anything more. “Look,” he said. “I’m sorry I can’t tell you what’s going on right now, because I don’t understand half of it myself. The half I *do* understand, though, has to be kept secret for just a little longer. I really wish I could tell you guys, but I can’t. All I can do is promise to tell you everything the moment I have a chance to. But until then, please don’t question me about it.”

“But Harry-” Hermione started, but Harry just shook his head and left the Great Hall. Once again, she followed.

“Harry!” she called again, but he kept walking. She rushed up to him and hugged him from behind. “Please just listen to me.”

“Hermione, don’t,” Harry said.

She couldn’t see his face from how she was holding him, but she felt his body stiffen when she grabbed him, so she loosened her arms a little. “I’m not going to ask where you’ve been going all this time!” she said. “I’m just so worried, Harry; you’re my best friend. You’re always so pale, and you hardly eat anything anymore, and you sleep all the time, and you don’t act like yourself, and... and... you won’t tell me what’s going on, so if *course* I worry...”

“Hermione,” He heard a sniffle coming from just behind his shoulder blade, and that stopped him. He spun himself around. Oh, don’t cry!

Hermione fell into him and pounded his shoulder with her fist. “*God, you’re so stupid!” she sobbed.

Harry patted her on the back a little, not knowing what else to do and said, “Come on, everyone’s leaving for class.” He led her down an empty hallway.

“It’s Herbology first today,” Hermione pointed out after she calmed down enough. “This isn’t the right way.”

“I know. But do you really want to go to class looking like *that?*”

“Oh.” Hermione wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her cloak and sat down next to a statue of some ancient wizard. Harry sat down next to her.

“Sorry,” he said after a while.

“It’s okay.” Nothing more was said until Hermione was finished drying her tears. “I guess there are some things we never do end up talking about.”

“What do you mean?”

Hermione looked him straight in the eyes. “Love, for one.”

Harry turned bright pink. “L-love?”

“Yeah. Love.” She took her gaze off him and directed at a painting of two people sitting and chatting by a pond. “It’s a little unfair, so I really can’t ask you anything.”

“Oh, because you’ve never told me about Ron?”

Now it was Hermione who turned pink. “What about Ron?”

“You *like* Ron.”

“I do not like Ron!”

“You like Ron. You’re just too scared to do anything about it, and he’s too thickheaded to notice.”

“Look, I don’t like Ron, and we’re going to be late for class-”

“Sit *down,* Hermione,” Harry said before the girl had a chance to move. “You wanted to talk, didn’t you? Well, now we’re talking. This whole conversation is going to be a secret from Ron, anyway. I won’t tell if you won’t.”

“Harry...” she threatened.

“Well, it’s just that you go out of your way to *not* be obvious, which makes it obvious.”

“Oh, you don’t get it.” Hermione frowned, turning an even deeper shade of red, and stared hard at him. “We’re off-subject! What about *you?*”

“Why, what about me?”

“That’s the reason why you’ve been sneaking out, right? You’re leaving for secret late-night meetings with someone.”

“...” The whole conversation was making Harry suddenly bashful.

Hermione smirked. “I’m right, aren’t I?”

“You, you said you wouldn’t ask me about it.”

“Harry, if you’re so worried about people finding out, I swear to you I won’t tell. No matter who it is. I just want to know *who.*”

“I never said I was seeing anyone.”

“But you didn’t deny it, either.”

“I’m not seeing anyone!”

“You’re seeing someone, I can tell. You’re just too embarrassed to say anything about it, and she hasn’t stepped forward with any information, whoever she is. Now, who is it?”

“...I’m not saying anything.”

“Harry, that’s unfair.”

“Look, I can’t tell you! It’s a secret.”

“So you *are* meeting someone in the middle of the night. Who is she?”

“I can’t tell you who.”

Hermione eyed him incredulously. “It *is* a she, isn’t it?”

“No. It is not a she.”

“Then it’s a he?”

“I’m not saying anything.”

“Harry, you’re gay?”

“I-I’m...!” Harry was too flustered to finish his sentence.

“It’s all right, dear. I’m not going to tell anyone anything if you won’t, remember?”

“But-”

“Now, tell me, Harry.”

Harry pronounced the words slowly. “I. Can’t.”

“Why?”

“It’s a secret, how many times do I have to tell you?! ...Besides, you’d kill me.”

“No, I wouldn’t. It’s not like you’re routinely having a snog-fest with Professor *Snape* or anything...”

Close enough, Harry thought. “No, it’s not *Snape.*”

“Then who?”

“You’ll kill me.”

“No, I won’t.”

“Do you swear?”

“I swear. And I won’t tell anyone, either.”

“Not even Ron?”

“No, not even Ron.”

“All right,” Harry took a deep breath and braced himself. “...Malfoy.”

Hermione’s jaw dropped, and for the longest time, she couldn’t find her voice. “...M-Malfoy? *Draco* Malfoy?”

Harry nodded.

“Harry,” she said. “If I didn’t already say that I wouldn’t kill you, I would kill you.”

“Don’t tell Ron.”

“Tell Ron?! He’d kill you. Of course you couldn’t tell him! Honestly, Harry, what do you *see* in him?”

He smirked and shrugged his shoulders. “He’s not as bad as you think.”

“Right. He’s only been horrible to everyone since we’ve met him, not to mention he’s a *Death Eater*...” She smiled sadly and leaned against his arm. “Only you would be able to see any good in him, I guess.”

“Hermione.”

“What?”

“We’re missing class.”

It was like the thought never occurred to her. “Oh, no!” Hermione immediately rushed off in the direction they came, but then halted and turned to Harry. “By the way, I meant it when I said I didn’t like Ron.” Then she hurried off, leaving Harry to wonder what in blazes she meant by that.

~~~~~