Dreams of the Four

Part 1->;(chapters 1 to 3)

Chapter 1

She stood silently in the clearing. Her long brown hair ruffled in the wind. She looked around and could see nothing but shapes of trees, dark grass and a moonlit sky. She could sense the cool night air spiraling its way around her as she felt damp dew covered grass under her bare feet. Her hands touched soft cloth causing her to look down at herself. She was startled to see the deep blue gown with silver embroidery on the sleeves and neckline with silver laces running from her waist to her throat. Wrapped around her hips was a belt like garment made of the same blue material with silver edging. It's ends met in the middle and trailed down to the hem of her gown.

She heard cloth rustling. She was startled to see a man in black robes edged with green stride confidently from the trees towards her. His silvery blond hair shone in the moonlight. His gray eyes sparkled silver as he moved steadily closer. He reached to take her hands in his. His mouth opened as of to speak when someone burst forth from the trees and moved quickly toward them. He wore similar black robes but with red edging. She could see his hair, black as night, tousled around his face. He looked into her eyes before stopping in front of her. The two men stared at each other with such hatred and disgust that...

Hermione awoke with alarm. She sat up quickly to feel her clothing. Hermione was expecting to feel soft, wool-like fabric but finding instead the soft cotton of her camisole and boxer shorts she normally slept in. She reached through the curtains surrounding her four poster bed to grab the wand, which she used to light the lamp above her pillow, from her night table. It cast a soft pool of light on her bed. She reached again through the curtains for ink, a quill and her dream journal. Ever since she had started having odd dreams in her fifth year she had decided to record them to help her find their meaning.

Hermione quickly wrote out her dream as she paused for a brief moment. Transfixed in a thought, her hand moved to the small pendent hanging from a delicate silver chain. She had found it in a Muggle antique shop while shopping with her mother the previous summer. It had been tucked away into a corner. As soon as she seen pendant, Hermione rushed to her mother for the 10 pounds to pay for it. From that day on, the pendant has never been anywhere but around her neck.

Crookshanks woke up and padded over to her. He settled himself into her lap as she bent over and cuddled him close. He purred at her attention. She looked down into his wide yellow eyes as thoughts and worries ran through her head. Then she spoke softly to him.

"What am I going to do? The dreams are getting more vivid and more troublesome every night. Before I couldn't recognize the two men but now I know they are Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy. I can't continue this. I have to find a way to make them stop." She sighed in despair, "But how do you stop your dreams?"

* * * * *

Hermione sat listlessly in potions the next afternoon while Snape explained the day's lesson.

"Today you will be making a truth potion. Can anyone tell me how many truth potions exist today?" He sneered at the Gryffindors, who remained silent. His eyes stopped on Seamus Finnigan. "Finnigan, how many truth potions exist?" snarled Snape.

Seamus gulped and guessed, "Three Professor..."

"No Finnigan, there are eight, all outlawed by the ministry except in very extreme circumstances. Five points from Gryffindor. Today you will make the weakest one known. It has the power to cause the person it is given to too give three truthful answers to any question asked." He pointed his wand at the board causing instructions and ingredients to fill the space with silvery writing.

While the others copied the potion quickly, Hermione drew random shapes and spirals on the parchment in front of her. Her mind was on other things. It wasn't until Ron poked her in the side that she realized what was going on and she rushed to copy the potion down.

"When your potions are finished, I will pair you up to test them out on each other. Beware, if the potion is prepared incorrectly, you will cause the person to speak nothing but lies until I can find where you messed up and fix it. Also, this potion could be poisonous if the instructions are not followed exactly." He smirked at Neville, who gulped and shrank down slightly.

Hermione settled herself at a worktable with Harry and Ron and for the next hour. The students worked quietly preparing their truth potion. During this time, Snape prowled around the room making snide remarks about the Gryffindors work and praising the Slytherins. Hermione drifted back to her dream while crushing dried Veritas leaves. It was only when Ron poked her again that she snapped out of it.

"Hermione, what's the matter with you today? That's twice you've lost all attention." He looked at her with slightly worried eyes.

"I'm ok, just a little tired, that's all." She put aside her crushed leaves to add her unicorn hair to the cauldron. She stirred it and watched the potion go from a bright yellow to a silvery blue colour. Just then Snape chose that exact moment to walk by their table.

"Blue Granger! Why is your potion blue, it's supposed to be green." The Slytherins all looked in her direction and she noticed Malfoy grinning at her supposed mistake.

"I haven't added the last ingredient yet Professor." She showed him the crushed leaves.

"Why not Granger? Even Longbottom has managed to finish his potion. You're supposed to be the best student." He smirked down at her and she quickly added the crushed leaves. The potion foamed up and then settled to a glassy green colour. Snape frowned and moved away from their tale to the front of the classroom.

"By now, your potions should be complete. Fill a glass vial with it and then clean up your workstations. When you are finished, I will put you into pairs to test your potions." Hermione followed Harry and Ron to an empty basin to clean their equipment. She rinsed her things and drifted back to her dream.

"I wonder what it means? Where did it come from? And why was I even dreaming about Harry and Draco Malfoy? They seemed to be fighting for my attention but why...?" Hermione quizzically thought.

This time it was Harry who snapped her back to reality. "Hermione, come on, Snape's pairing people up now." She looked at Harry for a few seconds before his words sunk in, "Oh...."She collected her things and followed Harry back to their table.

"Now I will pair you up.... Potter, Finnigan...Weasley, Longbottom...GrangerÂ… Malfoy...". Hermione looked up in Draco's direction in surprise as Snape finished pairing everyone else up. She took the vial over to Draco's table. "After you take your partners potion, I will ask each of you three questions. This will test to see if you actually mixed the ingredients right." He looked in Neville's direction, who sunk down behind his table a little.

Malfoy smirked at Hermione, "So Granger, what's it like being wrong for once?" She was about to answer when Snape approached their table.

"Mr. Malfoy, Miss Granger. Let me see how well your potions work. You're first Mr. Malfoy." Draco took the small vial and handed it to Hermione, who drank it down quickly. It tasted oddly pleasant and it filled her with comforting warmth. Snape turned to her and said, "Alright Miss Granger. What is you full name?"

The question caused her mind to blank out everything except her name. "Hermione Granger..."

Snape wrote something down and continued, "Your age?"

"Seventeen..."

He again marked his parchment, "Your Hogwarts House?"

"Gryffindor..." Suddenly the warm feeling was gone and her mind was again filled with her dream.

"Very good Mr. Malfoy. Now it's your turn Miss Granger." She gave her vial to Draco, who swallowed the potion in on gulp. She watched his face go blank. Snape asked his three questions, which Draco answered. Snape frowned when he realized she had done it perfectly and walked away without saying a word.

She collected her things and left the classroom to find Ron and Harry waiting for her in the hall. They made their way silently up to the tower to drop off their books before dinner. Hermione was sitting at the edge of her bed, deep in thought, when Harry and Ron came looking for her.

"Hermione! What's wrong with you today?" Ron said with a note of frustration in his voice.

"You can tell us Hermione, we are your best friends after all." Harry said as he sat down beside her. His look of concern reminded her of the dream for some reason, even though he had been angry in it.

"It's nothing," she said as she stood up, "I'm just tired, I didn't sleep very well last night" Or any other night for that matter. Ron looked unconvinced and if Harry was, he didn't show it. Which was odd since Harry's thought and emotions usually were all over his face. "Come on, I'm hungry, let's go." She moved quickly from the dorm and down to the portrait.

* * * * *

Hermione sat alone that evening in the library, a large number of books piled high in front of her. The table around her was littered with spare bits of parchment, a broken quill tip, an empty inkbottle, a half-full inkbottle, and various other bits and pieces of litter from her bag. Also, at her side was a small blue book.

She shoved another large tome away from herself and stretched. She had been sitting in the same spot for almost four hours now and was getting a little tired. Mme Pince would be closing the library soon and Hermione was the only student remaining. She rose from the chair, glaring at the useless pile of books she had already collected on dreams and went to the shelves for another.

Chapter 2

She dug through the dirt carefully to find what she needed. Each item, when found, would disappear into the leather bag at her side. She gathered her final item and stood up, brushing bits of leaves and forest debris from her brown and green robes. She settled her green cloak around her shoulders and checked that her leather bag was closed and fastened securely. She turned around to leave but was startled to find someone watching her with green eyes as if questioning her existence.

"Oh, good morning..." she pulled her cloak tighter around herself, hiding the messy state of her robes.

He looked ever more surprised at her greeting and ran his fingers, nervously through his black hair before answering. "I didn't expect anyone to be here. A lady like your self should not be here alone."

That statement made her impatient and a little angry. She calmed herself down slightly before answering. "I may go where I please. I have no need of any protection." With that, she moved to walk away but he stepped and blocked her route. The wind gusted just then, causing his cloak to move away from his body, revealing black robes edged in red and a large sword by his side. "Now if you will let me pass, I may return to my home." As she moved to go around him, he blocked her way again. "I am getting very impatient with you sir. If I do not get home now, my morning will have been wasted."

He looked at her suspiciously, "Why would your morning have been wasted. All you have is a few simple plants and leaves, nothing important about them." He reached forward and grabbed the leather bag from her hands.

"No! You mustn't harm those plants!" She rushed at him to grab the sack away as he rustled through it.

"Madam, do you have any idea what those plants are?" He looked at her very suspiciously now.

She became suddenly afraid at this statement, and wondered if he suspected what she really was. She reclaimed the bag and reached for the wand secreted inside. He stepped forward, as if to grab her and she whipped out her wand and was about to cast her spell when he laughed at her. It startled her so badly that she froze and looked at him with fury in her eyes. "What, sir is so funny?"

"I'm sorry, my lady, but I couldn't be sure if you were what I suspected you were. You see lady, I know now you are a witch and will have no need to wipe your memory of seeing me this morning." He explained when she looked at him with a shocked expression. "I am being hunted in the Muggle world as we speak on crimes of witchcraft. While I know I can escape the death sentence with my magic, I have no desire to be caught in the first place since they are now hanging, beheading, and dismembering supposed witches as well as burning them at the stake. And I have no desire for that to happen to me. Most Muggles in this area know my face and finding one here in the woods would mean I would have had to wipe a few memories, which is getting tiresome."

She looked at him with a shocked expression. "I should have realized you have magic, I can see it all over you now. Why I didn't see it before, I do not know. Will you let me pass now, I really must prepare these potion ingredients or they will be useless." She moved to return to her home at the edge of the woods and he followed her.

"I could not, in good conscience, allow a lady to walk through these woods alone." He moved to her side as she continued on the path to home.

"I wander these woods alone every day sir, I have no need of an escort." She looked at him and saw by his expression that he would not leave her, "Alright, I accept your escort for today. But be assured, I have no real need for one." They reached her cottage and she turned to say goodbye but he had already disappeared back into the woods. She turned to enter her cottage...

Something landed hard on Hermione's chest and she woke up to find Crookshanks face right in front of hers. "Get off me." She shoved the cat off her chest and sat up. She could hear the gentle breathing of the four other girls around her as she crawled out of her bed. She wrapped a cloak around her pajama-clad body and made her way down to the common room and out the portrait. She needed to do some serious thinking and knew exactly where to go to avoid Filch.

She ran through the castle corridors and out the main doors. She sprinted across the grass until she reached a large tree near the lakeshore. She sat down in the soft grass at the base of the tree and wrapped her cloak tighter around her and pulled her knees to her chest. The dream played over and over inside her head. The man who was Harry, herself searching for potion ingredients in the soft mulch of the forest floor, the soft warmth of the wind, the cool damp of the earth and Harry's voice, repeating in a gentle tenor.

Then she heard what sounded like cloth rustling and looked up to see Harry standing there, his invisibility cloak hanging back from his shoulders. Her looked at her with concerned eyes before sitting down next to her on the grass.

"How did you know I was out here?" Hermione asked before looking at Harry's face.

"I was in the common room wrapped in this when you ran out. You looked troubled, so I followed you." He set the cloak on the grass before continuing. "What's wrong Hermione? And I don't want to hear about you being just tired because that's just simple dragon shit." His eyes searched hers as he waited for an answer.

Hermione looked shocked, Harry rarely swore and she paused before answering, "Its nothing serious Harry, I just..."

"Hermione, the truth please."

Hermione sighed and began her story; "The dreams began in fifth year just after school started in September. At first they were hazy and clouded, just me standing in a gray fog with noises all around me. Then shapes started appearing, vague at first but they got sharper throughout the year. By the end of fifth year, I could make out two human shapes and scenery in the haze of the dream. But always with the underlying murmurs of voices filling the air around me. It remained this way through most of last year as well, human shapes, indistinct voices and slightly hazy scenery. But this year everything has started to get very clear. I know who the two people are, the scenery is very clear and distinct, I can identify the smells in the air now, understand the voices of the two people, and its scaring me now how detailed and familiar these dreams seem sometimes." She looked at him with fear filled eyes and he placed his arm around her shoulders and cuddled her close. She felt safe and comforted by this and placed her head on his shoulder. He then whispered words meant to relax and comfort her in her ear and before long, her eyes closed and she slept.

Hermione woke up to find the sun in her eyes and the softness of her quilt under her. Was it all just a dream? She sat up and realized she still wore her cloak, slightly damp from the grass. I guess it wasn't a dream, that means I told Harry all about them. She toyed with the pendent around her neck before changing from her cloak and pajamas into jeans and a jumper before going down into the common room. There she found Harry losing miserably at chess to Ron. Both looked up as she entered and walked over to watch the game just as Ron's knight took Harry's queen. The tiny woman screamed as she was thrown face first across the saddle and then dragged off the board. The knight returned to the now vacant square, and the queen stood next to the rest of Harry's unconscious pieces and screamed at both Harry and the knight. Hermione was surprised, usually chess pieces became inanimate off the chessboard and she pointed this out to Ron and Harry.

"Their Harry's chess pieces." Ron simply said after his bishop knocked a pawn off the board.

"They have never done that before." Harry responded as his rook took one of Ron's bishops.

"Oh..." Hermione fidgeted with her pendent before turning to leave the common room. Since it was Saturday, they had no classes and Hermione didn't feel like doing homework just yet. She wandered the halls aimlessly letting her dreams occupy her mind so that she didn't notice Draco until she ran right into him.

"Watch it..." he turned and saw who it was, "What are you doing here Granger?" He sneered, "Why aren't you off with Potty and Weasel or better yet, playing teachers pet."

"Oh what.... Sorry Draco." She said distractedly before continuing down the hall. Draco watched her walk away with a shocked expression; it was the first time Hermione had never had some smart remark for him. Curiosity got the better of him and he decided to follow her.

Hermione led him unknowingly around the castle and then outside to the lake. He watched her sit down under a large tree and was about to move closer when he heard something behind him.

"What are you doing Malfoy?" Draco turned and saw Harry leaning, with his arms crossed casually against the castle wall.

"What's it to you Potter?" Draco sneered and Harry pushed himself from the wall and walked over to where Draco stood.

"Why are you following Hermione?" A warning tone flickered in Harry's voice. Draco smirked at him before answering.

"What makes you think I was following her. Last time I checked it was still a free country Potter." Draco crossed his arms and faced Harry with determination. Their hatred for each other filled the air around them.

"Leave her alone Malfoy. She has enough problems without you involved." Harry then walked around Draco towards Hermione. What Harry had said interested Draco.

So, the little Mudblood has problems does she? Draco made his way back to the castle after one last look in Harry and Hermione's direction.

* * * * *

Chapter 3

She watched in dazed wonderment as the scene slowly focused around her. She felt odd, detached as two figures emerged from the fog. They faced each other determinedly, faces emotionless as they drew their swords. From far away, they appeared identical, like two brothers as they stood, ready. Suddenly, they both moved and their swords crashed.

She cried out to them and rushed forward, only to find herself pass through the crossed swords like a ghost. Tears spilled down her cheeks as the two men fought almost as if fighting mirror images of them selves. Then everything changed.

They lunged simultaneously, each hoping to deliver the fatal blow to his enemy and she watched in horror as the swords sank into flesh. As the two blows were delivered, she heard a cry of terror and disbelief echo from the trees. She watched in amazement as a woman burst from the trees, robes and cloak torn, wavy brown hair, a tangled riot trailing behind her and bare feet flashing as she raced toward the fallen men.

She watched herself collapse to her knees between the two men; cries of anguish tearing through the air. Her double crawled to the nearest one and pushed silvery blond hair back from his face. Silver eyes, dulled by pain, looked at her and he whispered a single word that she couldn't hear, but her double could. Tears flooded the woman's eyes as she leaned down and kissed him softly on the lips. His body shuddered as his last breath escaped from his lungs and he went limp.

Her double laid him gently on the ground and made her way to the other. She took his hands into her own and spoke gentle words. Emerald green eyes opened and searched her face before he smiled weakly. She gently pushed night black hair from his face and he spoke to her. This time she could hear the words,

"I'm...sorry...my...lady..." His eyes closed and his body went limp with death. Tears again filled her doubles eyes and she buried her face into his hair, kissing his forehead softly.

Her double laid his head gently on the ground and stood up determinedly, her eyes dry of tears. She moved herself to the center between the two men and reached inside her torn robes and pulled out a pendent on a delicate silver chain. Her own hand shot to the identical silver pendent that hung now between her breasts.

Her double closed her eyes and placed her hands at either side of the pendent, as if holding a ball in front of it. Air began to stir around her, causing her cloak to flap and her hair to fly. Then a silvery light began to form between the two-cupped hands. Her double began to rise slowly into the air, the light growing brighter with each passing second. She raised the light above her head, cried out ancient words and the area became silver with the light. Suddenly it filled everything, blocking all from sight. And as suddenly as it appeared, it was gone.

She moved forward, toward the center nervously. She looked, expecting to see the bodies of the two men, blood and her double, but they were gone. It was then she saw the saplings, thin and young but covered with leaves. The one closest to her had a silvery blond bark and delicate silver leaves covering its many branches. The other one was covered with a night black bark at its branches were filled with broad emerald green leaves. Between the two, hovered a silver orb or light, which burst into thousands of tiny pale violet birds. The flock split in half with one half going to each tree. Where each bird landed, a pale violet bloom burst forth mixing with the silver and green foliage.

Where the orb had been was now a small plant. It had emerald green leaves, frosted with silver and had a single pale violet bloom. She knelt in front of it and took in its sweet scent as tears spilled from her eyes and down her cheeks. Then slowly, everything around her faded to nothingness.

"Hermione, wake up..." someone was shaking her, "Wake up!" She opened her eyes to find Harry's face in front of her own. "Hermi.... Oh, your awake now."

"Why did you wake me up." She was kind of grumpy, she had a cramp in her neck and her legs were asleep. She moved to stretch a felt her book fall from her lap to the floor.

"You were crying in your sleep. Was it another dream?" Harry sat down on the sofa next to her and handed her the book, which had fallen to the floor. She looked at him and nodded. "It must have been pretty awful if you were crying, you wanna tell me about it?"

"Not right now, ok Harry, later." She looked around the common room and noticed how empty it was. The only light came from the fireplace and it was oddly soothing. "What time is it, where is everyone?"

"It's two in the morning, and everyone has gone to bed. I didn't even know you were still down here until I came to use the bathroom and saw you." It was then that she noticed all Harry wore was a pair of green drawstring pajama pants. It was also then that she noticed how attractive Harry really was. The way the firelight shown on his hair and caused his eyes to sparkle magically, how it caused the shadows to outline how toned he was from Quidditch and how his skin looked so soft and warm right there. Lavender, Parvati and the other two girls she roomed with were always gossiping about the boys of Hogwarts. And Harry was generally near the top of the lists alongside both Ron and Draco Malfoy. But always for different reasons they said, Ron wasn't handsome, he had more of an appealing charm, Harry was the tortured hero that almost everyone loved and Draco had a dangerous air about him that made almost every girl want to swoon. With Draco, it was the idea of the forbidden that everyone enjoyed.

"Umm.... Harry...About my dream, I know I said I would tell you later, but would you be willing to listen now?" Hermione asked timidly. Whether it was because of the dream or something else, Harry didn't know.

"Of course Hermione, I'm always here for you, whenever you need me." Harry told her and Hermione looked relieved.

"It was odd, not like the others. This time I wasn't in the scene, but observing it. It felt like when you're inside a Pensieve." Hermione knew about Pensieve because Harry and Ron had given her one from Christmas last year to help her cope with all her exams. "The scene was hazy but slowly came into focus. There were two men and they were fighting."

"The same two as before?" Harry asked when she paused, "Do you recognize them?" Hermione chewed at her bottom lip before deciding not to reveal that to Harry just yet.

"No I don't." She shook her head and continued. "Just as they killed each other, I came rushing in. Then my double used some form of magic and a silver energy filled the scene. Then when it cleared, the two men had been replaced by trees and my double was gone."

Tears filled her eyes again, which was odd since Hermione rarely ever cried unless you count all the times she did when frustrated with everything in third year because of her time turner. Harry wrapped an arm around her shoulders and held her close while she sobbed. When she finally stopped, she looked up at him with some embarrassment.

"I'm sorry I got you all wet Harry. You're a true friend to listen to all my problems like this." She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and smiled up at him.

Just then, he kissed her softly on her startled mouth. She sat frozen in wide-eyed surprise for a second before closing her eyes and slowly responding to the kiss. His lips were warm and soft as they moved gently on hers. Then as suddenly as the kiss began, it ended. Harry pulled back and again Hermione was surprised.

"I'm sorry Hermione, I shouldn't have done that." He then rose from the sofa and quickly exited the common room. She watched him leave with a stunned expression on her face. She licked her lips and could still taste him there and she touched them softly with the tips of her fingers.

What just happened here? First he was listening to me and then he was kissing me?! Why? She collected her book and slowly made her way back to her dorm still pondering what had just happened.

* * * * *

Hermione sat alone in the library the next day, her history of magic essay forgotten in front of her as her mind was filled with other things. She played with the pendent at her throat as she thought back to last night and Harry's kiss. She was so immersed in her thought; she didn't notice someone approaching her until they spoke.

"What are you doing all by yourself Granger? Did Potty and Weasel finally decide not to hang around with Mudblood scum like you?" Draco jeered as he settled himself in the chair across from her.

"Go Away Malfoy, I don't feel like trading insults with you today." Hermione told him icily and pretended to return to her essay.

"I'm hurt Granger." Draco said sarcastically while clutching his heart. "I would think someone as smart as you could think up a better insult then that." He settled himself more comfortably in the chair and waited for her response.

She looked up at him and had to restrain herself from slapping him across the face. "And I would think even you could tell the difference between an insult and a brush off. Now get lost Draco, I have work to do.

"Why would I leave, I'm having such fun right here." He smirked at and continued staring at her from across the table.

"Fine! If you won't leave, then I will!" With that, she collected her things and stormed out of the library. When she heard him follow her, she groaned. "Can't you take a hint Draco, Go AWAY!" She whirled around and stormed away while he watched with amusement from the library entrance.

When she turned the corner, he held up a book. "Oh Granger, you forgot this." Knowing full well she couldn't hear him. He grinned, turned and started walking the other way, the small blue book in his hands.

* * * * *

Draco sat cross-legged on his bed, examining the book in his hands. It had a dark blue cloth cover and some runic symbols stamped along the spine. He opened the cover and on the first page, in neat blue script, was:

Hermione Granger

Dreams

1995-______

He tried to open to the next page but found all the pages stuck together into one solid block of paper. He tried a dozen different spells and only succeeded in revealing a small keyhole in the center of the cover. Hermione had thought ahead when she had started recording her dreams and had sealed the book with a spell that only she could use, for it was voice specific. And just in case, she also placed a hidden lock that would activate the moment the book left her possession, a key had to be wrapped in her own hair before in would open the lock. Draco knew none of this so he continued in vain attempts to open the book.

He conjured up a skeleton key, designed to open any lock in the world. He placed the key in the lock and was about to turn it when the lock rejected it and the key melted to nothing. Draco slammed to book shut and frowned at it, adding a few curse words as well. He quickly shoved it into his nightstand when he heard someone coming towards the room.

Pansy stuck her head around the doorway, smiled and then entered the room. "Draco, Snape wants to see you in his office right now." Pansy gave him what she hoped was a sexy look but Draco thought it made her look like a constipated manticore.

Draco groaned inwardly, Snape was recently always asking Draco to come to his office. Draco checked that the drawer was secure and moved past Pansy and out the door towards Snape's office.

* * * * *

Hermione opened her bag and began to put everything away carefully. Draco had completely ruined her train of thought in the library, so she had returned to the Gryffindor tower after storming away from him. It was then she noticed the book was missing.

"Where is it?!" She tore apart her bag frantically as she searched. Then she realized; "Draco..." She was filled with fury and then despair quickly followed. She sat hard on the bed, a million thoughts running through her mind. What if he reads it...Wait, I put a spell on it to prevent that...What if he breaks the spell....