Mirror Mirror, On the Wall

Hermione fought her way through the sea of pupils towards the little table at the back where Harry and Ron were sitting. The three butterbeers clattered onto the table.

"Honestly!" she told them. "I mean, trying to get through that crowd." Then she took a look at Harry's tired face. "Oh, sorry, you wanted to talk to us?"

"Yeah." Harry said and leant in towards them.

"Last night, I went for a walk and...and...I saw this mirror down the charms corridor."

"I know the one!" Hermione said suddenly. "I saw it yesterday when I went to give in my essay."

"That isn't due in for another two weeks!" Ron moaned, looking at Hermione.

"Well, I got this weird feeling. Like someone was watching me. Then I heard Voldemort's voice. And...and then he laughed. I ran and found Dumbledore."

Harry hung his head. Hermione and Ron looked thunderstruck.

"Oh, Harry." Hermione whispered, putting her arm around him. Ron looked panicked.

"What are we going to do? You-know-who's here? He could start a rampage on school!"

"Ron, I don't think You-Know-Who is going to attack Hogwarts." Hermione said sensibly. "Dumbledore's here and everyone knows that You-Know-Who is afraid of him. We've nothing to worry about."

However comforting, her last sentence, all knew that it was wrong.

Over the next week, the school noticed some changes. Security in the school was a lot tighter. Tamed dragons were placed at all entrances. Ministry wizards and witches regularly circled the sky on Hippogriffs. Charms were placed on the doors so that if it was opened, a shrill alarm would sound and stunning curses were placed instantly on the person entering the castle. The next Hogsmeade visit was cancelled for an unknown reason. Quidditch practice was cancelled as well, and students were not allowed outside unless accompanied by a teacher.

"It's like someone's about to attack the castle." Seamus Finnigan observed one charms lesson.

Harry's insides writhed. This was all because of him and his stupid overactive imagination. He voiced his concerns quietly one Friday night to Ron and Hermione.

"If I just went along to Voldemort and told him I was not worth bothering about and he Avada Kedravaed me, the world would be a much better place." He groaned, circles showing under his eyes.

"Oh, Harry!" Hermione exclaimed, tears welling up in her eyes. "Don't say thing's like that!"

"Yeah! This is all just a precaution because, you know, You-Know-Who's likely to take his anger out of other people. Like...us." Ron said, his voice failing at the last sentence. "Sorry." He said, realising what he had just uttered. Hermione wiped her eyes hastily with the sleeve of her robes.

"Harry, You-Know-Who is a mad man. I don't know why he's after you. I don't think anyone does. He's a sick-minded fool. He's not going to kill you. You've got us, Dumbledore and Snuffles on your side."

Harry looked at her for a moment. He smiled at her loyalty and trust in him. The first smile he had smiled for a week.

"Hello Harry."

Harry spun around. Voldemort was standing there.

"You!" Harry yelled. He felt in his pocket but it was gone.

"Looking for this" Voldemort twirled Harry's wand idly with his fingers.

"That's mine! Give it back!" Harry shouted, reaching for it.

"Ah Ah Ah." I'll give it back when you kill her."

"Kill who?" Harry wheeled around. Hermione was standing, tied up using a body bind curse, and held up by a masked death-eater.

"Harry, go it's a trap! Run! Don't wait for me!"

Cold high laughter.

"Run go, don't worry about me!"

More cold high laughter.

Hermione screamed and fell to the floor.

"No! Hermione! You killed her!" Harry cried, running towards her. He picked her head up gently. As he did the head morphed into another woman with long auburn hair.

"Mum!"

"No, please don't take Harry! Take me instead!"

"Stand aside you silly girl!"

Another scream and a flash of blinding green light.

Harry awoke with a yell. His old scar on his forehead felt like it was on fire. He sat bolt upright and was about to run and find Hermione or Dumbledore when.

"Harry, Harry, its OK." A calm voice said. A hand was placed on his shoulder. Harry found himself looking into the bright blue eyes of Professor Dumbledore.

"You were having a nightmare. You were screaming. It's over now."

"But, Voldemort, Hermione."

"I'm right here Harry." Hermione's voice said. She was sitting on his bed next to him, looking at his, concerned and upset. Ron was hovering above her and the rest of his dormitory was awake, looking through the red hangings that surrounded their beds.

It was then Harry that realised that it was all a dream and began to feel highly embarrassed. He could feel his cheeks burn.

"But...Voldemort..." he began.

"I have reliable sources that Lord Voldemort is no where around. The last recorded sighting of him is in the South of England. He cannot apparate, if he does, we can find him. Don't worry." Dumbledore said comfortingly.

Harry brushed the dripping hair out of his eyes. He looked from Dumbledore to Ron and finally to Hermione. It felt like she was back from the dead. Shaking his head he lay back down.

"No. He's closer." He said solemnly.

Saturday held no lessons. Instead of his usual lie-in, Harry was the first to wake up. To be truthful, he hadn't been to sleep properly since his dream. Every time he felt himself drift off, the pleas of his mother and the high, cruel laugh reappeared into his head, jerking him back to full consciousness. Hungry, he dressed and made his way down to the Hall alone for breakfast. A few students were already up including

"Hiya Harry!"

"Hullo Colin." Harry replied dully, contemplating going back to bed. It was Colin Creevy, a Gryffindor in the year below him, a somewhat fan of Harry's.

"Hiya Harry!" a squeakier but almost identical voice piped up.

"Hullo Dennis" Dennis was Colin's younger brother, an almost exact replica of his brother. He too had inherited Colin's admiring attitude of Harry but at least he didn't take pictures. Colin luckily had left his camera behind.

"Do you want to sit with us at breakfast?" Colin asked eagerly.

"No, I'm going to skip breakfast and head back to the common room." Harry replied and turned to leave.

"Wait up!"

Harry turned and saw Colin and Dennis finish their breakfast in what must have been a record time.

"We're going too. We'll walk with you. Do you mind?" Dennis said breathlessly. Thinking this was possibly not the time to be mean, Harry reluctantly agreed and set off back to the common room. Colin and Dennis practically skipped beside him, barely containing their excitement that THE Harry Potter was walking back with them. They asked questions, which Harry answered politely, without revealing too much about himself. He didn't want the Creevy brothers to know everything about him. Fred had told him they were going to compile a scrapbook about him with all the various pictures they had taken of him.

Finally, they reached the Fat Lady. Dennis squeaked the password "Dungbombs"

And they came face to face with Hermione and Ron.

"Hello Harry!" Ron said. "We were about to join you."

"Yeah, want to get some breakfast?" Hermione added.

"Yeah, OK, thanks!" Harry said, turning round and joining them. They walked down the corridor until they heard.

"Dennis! Come on! Stop staring at Hermione Granger!" Colin said, in what was supposed to be a hushed whisper, but what actually came out as a loud yell. Hermione blushed.

"I think Dennis Creevy has a crush on our little friend Hermione here!" Ron teased, patting Hermione on the head. She retaliated by brushing his hand away roughly.

"Shut up Ron!" she yelled, causing a portrait of a medieval woman in a tall hat to jump violently.

Harry sat at breakfast listening to Ron and Hermione bicker.

"He likes you!" Ron taunted.

"And." Hermione asked.

"And...he likes you!"

"No-one likes you."

"Yeah they do!"

"Like who?"

"Um...that's not the point. I give in."

"Oh, will you two stop arguing?" Harry asked them.

"Don't think so." Ron replied.

"Never gonna happen." Hermione added.

"OK, what's it about this time?" George Weasley asked, sitting down next to Hermione. "House Elves, whether Hermione's hair is better up or down?" Fred snorted with laughter.

"Shut up you two!" Ron and Hermione said together.