A Time of Reckonings

Thanks to all my reviewers!

~Merrick

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A Time of Reckonings

Chapter Three: I Didn't Expect This!

Hermione thought she was going to pass out. There before her very eyes sat Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall. She opened her mouth to speak, but she couldn't find the words.

Professor McGonagall stood up. "It's not what you think Miss Granger. We're not alive. Albus and I are ghosts. You remember Professor Binns telling you that ghosts are here because they have unfinished business? Well, our business will be forever unfinished until Voldemort is defeated."

All Hermione could do was nod. It made perfect sense. Meanwhile, beside her, all Sahki could do was stand there staring.

Dumbledore looked at Sahki and said, "So you are the famous shapeshifter I have heard all about. It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Sahki." He smiled; she fainted.

Hermione looked at her. "Eneverate!" she said, pointing her wand at her friend. Sahki sat up and looked at her. "I've had many encounters with spirits, living on the islands, but never with a ghost before."

McGonagall looked at her sternly. "Now, Miss Granger, Miss Poplomanu, we have some things to review. Please sit. It's time for class."

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Harry looked around. 'I'm dreaming again,' he thought. 'This is my dream world.' He could see throuhg the edge of the forest, and saw a large castle across the lake. And if he looked hard enough, he could see a giant sea creature swiming near the surface.

'Oh, well,' he thought. 'Might as well look around.' He walked out of the forest, around the lake, and over to the castle doors. He knocked, waited, and knocked again. No one answered. 'Well, let's explore, Harry,' he thought to himself as he opened the doors and went in.

He could hear voices coming from a large room on his right. He turned and entered. Promptly, the voices stopped. Everyone in the hall turned and looked at him. You could've heard a pin drop. He looked around, then looked up. The ceiling perfectly mimicked the sky overhead. A few overcast clouds, but otherwise a perfect day.

"Mr. Potter," he heard a voice at the end of the hall say. He looked, and saw an old man stand. "Welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. We've been expecting you," he said as he smiled at Harry.

Harry started walking down the hall towards the front. He could hear voices all around him. "Look, it's Harry Potter! The Boy Who Lived!"

"You must be mistaken," Harry said. "My name is Harry Allen, not Potter. You've got the wrong guy."

"Harry!"

He turned and looked at the girl running towards him. "Hermione," he said, recognizing the girl from his previous dreams.

"This is our world, Harry. The world you should be in. We need your help, Harry. Dark forces are quickly taking over our world. You are the only one who can save it," she pleaded desperately.

"Yes, Harry," a girl whom Harry didn't recognize from his earlier dreams said. "Help us."

"But how?" he asked.

"You can find us, and we'll show you," Hermione said. "But hurry! We must teach you your powers, and SOON!" she said.

"But how do I find you?" he asked. He could feel it all slipping away, as sleep crept further away.

"We're easy to find! See you in class tomorrow!" Hermione said, waving as Harry woke up.

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Harry sat straight up. 'Who do Hermione and that girl remind me of someone. I swear I've never seen them before,' he thought.

"My name is Amy. Yamini and I are here from England," he could hear the voice in his head saying clearly as if she were right there. He mentally smacked himself.

He sat straight up in his bed and looked towards the window. 'Hermione and that girl sound just like Amy and Yamini! It couldn't be. Could it?'

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Hermione wiggled her bare toes in the sand. She looked up and saw the moon, which was reflecting off the ocean. The waves crashed on the shore, but it was a comforting sound. She was lost in a whirlwind of memories.

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"Ron, wait up!" Hermione yelled as they ran down the corridors of Hogwarts. She could see him going up a flight of stairs that led to the Astornomy Tower.

"You've got to catch me, Mione!"

Hermione looked up at his retreating back and started to sprint. She could barely see him up ahead, and ran up the stairs in a futile attempt to catch him.

When she reached the top of the stairs, she could see Ron's back. He was at the edge of the deck, staring up into space. She walked up behind him and put her arms around him. He took one of her hands and kissed it.

"Hermione?"

"Yes?"

"I've been thinking."

"What about?"

"Us."

"Us?"

"Yes. I've made a decesion." He turned to face her, and got down on his right knee. "Hermione, when this is all over, and we're out of Hogwarts, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?" he asked, opening a small box, which contained a diamond ring surrounded by tiny saphires.

Hermione gasped. "Of course, Ron!" she said, and he put the ring on her finger. She pulled him up off his knee and kissed him deeply.

"I love you Mione."

"I love you too, my Ickle Ronnikins," she said with a grin on her face.

He smiled. "Only you can call me that," he said.

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Hermione could feel a lone tear running down her cheek. She got up, and went towards her apartment.

When she was inside, she stopped to look at the hall mirror. It was a plain Muggle mirror, so it wouldn't talk back to her.

'Wow,' she thought. The Advanced Polyjuice Potion was working its wonders. Where Hermione normally saw a brown haired, brown eyed girl, she saw a red headed, green eyed girl.

'Oh, Ron.' she thought. 'I miss you so much.'

At that moment, Sahki burst into the house in the form of a raven. "Hermione! Come quickly!"

"What?"

"There's been an attack on some local high schoolers. My sensors all scream Dark Magic."

"Let's go!"