Sweet Sixteen

Chapter Three

Dear Hermione,

I apologize for any pain I have caused you. I want you to know that I have and always will love you. I wish I could explain everything in a letter, but that's near impossible. Please look under my left...

But Hermione never figured out what the rest of the letter said, because it had been torn. She frantically searched around for the other half, but to no avail.

"Hermione, are you ready to go yet?" asked an anxious Ron.

"Yeah, I am ready," responded an exasperated Hermione.

When Hermione got back to the Burrow all she could think about was that darn letter. In fact, it was all she could think of for two weeks. Why had it been torn? Where was it he wanted her to look? The questions had not yet subsided. She looked down at her lap where Viktor's letter lay. She had to figure this out, if it wasn't important, then why would he have written to her?

"Hermione, go to bed dear, you have a long day ahead of you tomorrow," came Mrs. Weasley's soothing voice.

"Yes, of course, Mrs. Weasley," responded Hermione.

Tomorrow would be September 1^st, the day Hermione Granger resumed her title of 'bookworm' at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She was rather looking forward to this year. She had been named prefect for the second year running, along with Seamus Finnegan. It would have been Harry or Ron, but they were too busy with Quidditch. Also, there was a rumor going around that Dumbledore was going to have a masquerade ball in light of everyone worrying about You-Know-Who. Even if it was just a rumor, Hermione got all excited just thinking about it.

The clock struck 10:58 when Hermione, Harry, and the Weasleys arrived at Kings Cross Station. They had less than two minutes to catch the Hogwarts Express before it departed. Hermione, Harry, Ron, and Ginny said goodbye to Arthur and Molly, and stepped through the barrier to Platform 9 ¾. Just as they were stepping on the train it took off. As soon as they all got settled in Harry and Ron got in a heated argument about Quidditch, while Hermione was reading: Divination, the stupidest form of magic. After a while Ginny departed mumbling something about no one paying attention to her. This was the usual routine for them. When they got on the train, Harry and Ron would talk about Quidditch, whilst Hermione would read a book, then Ginny would leave. It was only a matter of seconds before Draco Malfoy came to ruin it all. In about, five.... Four....Three .... Two... One. Hermione braced herself for the compartment to burst open, but it never did. She waited a couple more minutes, but still nothing. She opened the compartment door, and looked up and down the passageways. Nothing. Huh, that's strange, she mused, and went back to her book.

When they arrived at Hogwarts, everything was as it should be. Peeves was scaring the living daylights out of the first years by chasing them around with Poppin Fireworks. The Great Hall looking greater than ever, with its enchanted sky full of millions of twinkling stars. When the Sorting Ceremony had taken place, and everyone was situated, Dumbledore stood up and gave his famous speech. But at the end he added:

"We will have a Halloween masquerade ball for the sixth and seventh years only."

There was an uproar of groans from all the students below sixth year.

Hermione, however, was absolutely giddy. Later that night, at prefects meeting, Dumbledore said they had to pick partners to set up different events for the ball. Everybody picked partners within ten seconds. It reminded Hermione of a sale at Abercrombie and Fitch. She looked around to see the only person who didn't have a partner was Draco Malfoy. He sashayed up to her.

"I guess that makes us partners," he drawled.

"Unfortunately," Hermione sighed.

Dumbledore came up to them and handed them a slip of parchment. Draco and Hermione were in charge of decorations.

After about an hour or so of bickering about center pieces, Hermione and Draco had decided to leave. They would meet every Monday and Wednesday night in the library at eight. Just as Hermione was walking out, she bumped into Harry, Ron, Parvati, Lavender, and Ginny. They were all going to the kitchens to get a snack. Harry, of course, asked her if she would like to go, but she politely declined. She was awfully tired, besides, she didn't want to be the sixth wheel. When she got to the common room, she decided she would head to bed and read for a while. After about an hour she drifted off to sleep.

Hermione awoke quite suddenly during the middle of the night. She glanced at her alarm clock, it was three a.m., and perched gracefully next to it was her 11-inch mahogany/unicorn hair wand. She glanced at Lavender and Parvati's beds, they were still empty. She felt a draft and looked to her left only to find the window open. Hermione gracefully got up to close it. When she read she opened the window, she felt it soothing. But she could have sworn she closed it. Since she was already up she figured she would get dressed, and headed to the bathroom, when she came out, the window was open. Hermione glanced again at the empty beds, then to her nightstand. Her wand wasn't there. At this point, she started to get a little scared. She felt movement behind her.

She whipped her head around, but found nothing. She decided she would wait for Harry and Ron in the common room, but as she grasped the handle for the door, she found it was locked. Hermione turned around to go through the bathroom, and found about a hundred men around her with glowing red eyes and glistening white fangs. In the middle of the mass stood a man Hermione would recognize anywhere, even in the dark.

"Good evening, Ms. Granger," smirked a malicious looking Lucius Malfoy.