In Dreams

WARNING: Some mild language (just to warn you... I'm not one for profanity, but it seemed so Snape at the time). If you don't like it, just pretend like ya didn't see it, or act like it's one of those *insert word here* things. lol Anyway, enjoy!

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Hermione closed her eyes and opened them again. Where am I? She blinked against the darkness trying to let her eyes adjust. Why was it so dark? Stretching her arms in front of her body, she made an attempt to feel for some kind of wall, or familiar object. What's going on? Was I sleepwalking or something? Taking a few daring steps forward, she made her way through the shroud of darkness hoping that perhaps she would eventually grab hold of something tangible. Panic began to grip her when she failed to find anything but further darkness.

"Hello?!" she called out, fear beginning to rise within her. Why didn't anyone answer? She was brought to an abrupt halt as a tiny beam of orange light flickered in the distance before her. Feeling an overwhelming sense of relief, she jogged her way in the direction of the welcoming luminescence. As she drew nearer, she realized that the light she saw was being emitted by a rather large fire. When she was only a few yards away she slowed to a halt. Glancing behind her she saw what looked like a wide path in between the trees of a vast wood. There was a night that covered that wood that was not only caused by the absence of sun, but by some other menacing presence. She was amazed, however, that she had failed to touch upon any of the large oaks that towered within the wood.

Looking up, she could clearly discern the sparkling stars above. It took her only a few seconds to realize that she couldn't possibly be anywhere near Hogwarts because of the locations of the constellations. Her Astronomy classes had obviously paid off. Drawing her eyes from the sky above, she took in her surroundings. The clearing about her was rather large, though something in the air gave it an electricity that was only found in some of the most magical locations. She could feel the intensity of the wards surrounding the area, this place was obviously carefully guarded... so how did she get here?

A sharp crack of a branch being broken caused Hermione to leap in surprise. She shrunk back a bit but held her ground. She was still too confused about how she managed to get there in the first place to have any real fear of danger. A whisper came from the trees, sounds of the air being disturbed there.

"Hello?" She realized as she spoke that the noise was getting louder. It seemed as if a soft wind was approaching. Before she could even think of finding a safe hiding spot, a large group of people emerged from the opening to the tunnel-like void. They seemed to be shadows, figures covered in black from head to toe. The noise was caused by the gentle whipping of their cloaks as they swiftly began to form a perfect circle around the fire. She realized that none of the figures even looked at her, though she was almost directly across from one of them.

"Erm, I seem to be lost... could you possibly tell me the way out?" She knew even before she spoke that they couldn't hear her. It was simply this feeling she got, they were all looking almost directly at the spot where she stood, but she definitely knew their eyes did not see her there. How strange. Why don't they see me? They had stopped moving and were all waiting as if something was about to happen. The electricity within the circle was almost tangible. Hermione was amazed at how still they kept, almost like they were living statues. In fact, had she not seen them move just a moment before, she would have been certain that they were just that.

Right as she was about to make her way to the nearest figure to do a closer inspection, she felt a creeping sensation work its way up her spine. She shivered and slowly began to turn around. Someone was gazing at her with such intensity that she felt as if her body was being controlled by the phantom scrutiny. Finally bringing her eyes to the fire before her, she looked deep into the flames. She was met with the stare of a pair of blazing crimson eyes and a cold voice that caused her mind to go dark.

"Hello. So nice of you to join us..."

***

Hermione Granger woke up to the sound of her own screams. She thrashed wildly before falling unceremoniously off of her four-poster bed and knocking her head soundly on the hard floor.

"Hermione! Oh my god, are you okay?" Parvati Patil raced across the expanse of the room to a violently shaking Hermione.

"I... I'm... fine." The look of abject terror on her face was enough to convince even one such as Crabbe or Goyle otherwise. As she began to calm a bit and catch her breath, she looked up into Parvati's horrified face. "I'm alright, just a dream."

"Shit, Hermione," she said, as Lavender Brown made her way over. "It sounded like someone was murdering you!"

"I'm sorry..." She didn't know what to say. What could she tell them? She was sure that if she told them she had just been greeted by a dream Voldemort, who by the way is just as terrifying as the real thing, that information would not go over well.

"What were you dreaming about anyway?" Parvati asked. Now that the initial shock was over they both looked at her like she might be slightly insane.

"Oh, I... uh..." Hermione sought quickly to find a plausible excuse when a stroke of brilliance hit her. "I dreamt I just failed all my NEWTs," she said shakily. They both looked at her as if their worst thoughts were confirmed.

"Definitely a nut job," Lavender confirmed as she got up and went back to dressing for breakfast. "So, by failing do you mean you only missed one question on each of your exams?" Lavender asked jokingly. Hermione glared at her, but couldn't get mad. She was too shaken up and relieved at the same time. She was glad it was only a dream, but it had seemed so real.

"Are you sure you're okay? You knocked your head pretty good." Parvati asked in concern. Hermione couldn't help feeling a strange thankfulness towards her at the moment. They might not always see eye-to-eye, but she was all right really.

"I'm good, it was just a dream after all." She smiled earnestly and pulled herself to her feet. Making her way to her trunk she pulled out her clothes for the day and began to dress. Her mind was working quickly as she went about her morning ritual on autopilot. All of her attention was focused on replaying her dream. Now that she was awake, the vision was beginning to ebb and some of the finer details were already forgotten. However, every time she recalled those eyes her stomach would turn in fear. This dream wasn't like the others. This time she had actually been there, instead of watching it from the outside. This time she had seen, and in turn been seen. But was it real?

"Um... Hermione?"

But what could all of this mean? Was I really there?

"Hermione?"

She hoped that this would also be the last time it would be happening, though deep down she knew that it must only be the beginning. Something was happening, Voldemort was beginning to make his final moves.

"OY! HERMIONE!" She snapped to attention and turned to look at Lavender.

"Yeah, sorry. What?"

"What is the matter with you?! Parvati has been trying to get your attention for the past two minutes." She looked at the frizzy-haired witch as if she had gone completely off her rocker.

"Oh, I'm just tired I guess." No, not tired, just wondering if I'll ever be able to sleep again without Voldemort sneaking in for unpleasant nightly visits. She couldn't help wishing that she had at least been plagued by some other sinister figure... like maybe someone closely resembling Johnny Depp.

"Yeah, well... she was trying to tell you that in most countries it is customary to wear your bra under your blouse." She stared pointedly at the other girls chest as if to help her realize her mistake. She glanced down, blushing furiously.

"You don't have to do that, you know. Ron already wants to get under your skirt, so if you are attempting to draw attention from the opposite sex, try going about it another way... for all our sakes." Lavender snorted at her own joke, but Parvati was still looking at her with her brows knitted in deep thought. Hermione thought for a moment that perhaps Trelawny's faith in this girls adeptness to reading others wasn't as off as she might have believed.

Hermione made one final check to make sure she had properly dressed herself this time before heading for the door. Just as she was about to close it behind her, she heard Lavender speak.

"Imagine. A dream about failing her NEWTs. Neville in a speedo, now that's a nightmare..."

***

Severus Snape stood restlessly. What could possibly have caused the Dark Lord to summon them with such urgency? He was planning to set another series of raids in motion, but he couldn't possibly be ready so soon. A multitude of possibilities raced through his mind, each as likely as the next. Shivering slightly he looked up to the sky above. It was still October, but it was already bloody freezing. He secretly wished that when the Dark Lord had chosen the Death Eater's robes he had considered appropriate winter wear as well. Fuck, it's cold.

Just as he was beginning to really loose patience, a fire leapt to the sky before him. The circle of Death Eaters remained perfectly still as they watched their Lord emerge from the amber flames. Voldemort stepped forward looking entirely too pleased about something for Severus' comfort. He had hoped the Order would be able to prevent the upcoming raids before they occurred, but he knew they weren't fully prepared if they were to happen now.

"Welcome, my loyal followers..." the cold voice had the effect of chilling the air further. A few Death Eaters shuddered indiscernably at their Master's voice. This went unnoticed, and it seemed that little could ruin the disturbing joy that was written all over his face. "I have some promising news to give."

Severus noted with a smirk the immediate sense of relief that swept through the circle. Don't these dolts ever learn? He had been a part of Voldemort's inner circle too long to ever hope that one of these meetings would end without someone being tortured for some reason or another. It was something he always counted on. Somehow he got a sick pleasure out of watching Voldemort's 'loyal followers' being hit with the Unforgivables. He felt in a way that it was ironic that they should be tortured in the same way they tortured others. Karma is a bitch after all.

"As you all know, our next sequence of raids is being carefully planned. I am hoping that we will be able to begin our conquests before the end of the year. But that is not why I called you here. In fact, I have some interesting news." The man (if indeed he could still be called that) smiled. Instead of the effect a smile usually gives in a normal human being, his had the unique talent of making anyone cringe in disgust.

"After our rather unfortunate fiasco at the Ministry two years ago, I had one of my reliable sources provide me with some information on the children who fought against some of you that night. It appears that one witch who was there alongside Potter that night is quite the talented little Mudblood. Besides being one of his closest friends, she would be a valuable prize to me." His eyes glazed for a moment as a look of sadistic pleasure scoured his features. Severus was dumbstruck. Besides her intelligence, he could see no other reason for Voldemort's wanting Hermione. Perhaps he thought it safer to have her dead than fighting alongside Potter and Weasley.

"I have learned from past experiences that trying to coax individuals to join our cause usually ends in their untimely demise, which I admit is due to my rather frail patience to those who refuse to see things from my point of view." At this he gave a tiny smirk. He continued to pace slowly within the circle, gazing at each member in turn. "So, I have made a decision. It seems to me that such an intelligent girl would be quite useful to us." He came to a halt directly in front of Severus, who stood rooted to the spot. "Therefore, I am going to employ the services of my friend Severus here to bring the girl to me." He smiled once again, this time directly to a rather shocked Severus Snape. He had begun to draw his conclusion early on in this speech, but what he was being instructed to do now was damn near unbelievable.

"Severus, I wish for you to put this girl under the Imperious Curse and bring her to me. You will have until the time of our next raid to do this." He paused, nothing stirred in the still night air. "Oh, and Severus?" He simply stared at the crazed individual before him, not daring to respond. "If you fail to do this, I will kill you." Before Severus could even fully get over the shock, it was already too late for him to take action.

"You are dismissed."

***

Hermione was just about to begin eating what promised to be a very satisfying breakfast when Professor McGonagall interrupted her.

"Miss Granger, the Headmaster wishes to see you immediately." She gave her professor a pleading look. She had finally managed to put the dream aside and in its place had come an overwhelming hunger for something hot. She simply wanted to enjoy her breakfast in peace. Was that too much to ask? "Now Miss Granger, if you please."

Sighing inwardly, she tore herself from the mouth-watering stack of warm buttermilk pancakes before her and made her way to the doors. Just as she left the Great Hall, Harry and Ron entered.

"You've eaten already?" Ron asked. His tone barely hid the sound of disappointment. Hermione couldn't help thinking that maybe what Lavender had said about Ron liking her might be true. She didn't know quite how she would feel about such a development, and she didn't feel much like addressing the possibility at the moment.

"I have to go see Professor Dumbledore." At this Harry shot her a quick look, and she just shrugged in return. She knew what he was thinking, but she honestly had no idea why she was being summoned. "Anyway, I have to go. See you later..."

She made her way to the gargoyles, and was relieved when they leapt aside for her immediately. She supposed that as the Headmaster had called for her they moved out of the way on his orders as soon as she approached. She mounted the revolving staircase for the second time that week and looked up. However, just as the gargoyles leapt back into place, she heard the one call up. "I see you haven't managed to fix that hair of yours yet..."

She entered the office in a rather temperamental state. To make matters worse, the first person she saw as she stepped through the door was a rather angry Professor Snape. Great. All I need is to have to deal with this greasy git. She had ample respect for her professors (even the overgrown bat), but she was in no mood at the moment. She came to the conclusion that as she hadn't requested help from Professor Snape herself, the Headmaster had instead taken the matters into his own hands.

"Miss Granger, thank you for coming. Please sit down, we have a rather pressing matter to discuss." She noticed that the usual twinkle in his wise blue eyes had been extinguished. Realizing that the situation might be serious she steeled herself for the worst. Was it another raid? Were her parents okay? But before any of these questions tumbled from her mouth, the Headmaster began to explain.

"Last night Professor Snape was summoned to a Death Eater gathering." Hermione chanced a quick glance at her Potions professor who currently had his back to her and was staring into the roaring fire. He seemed shrouded in deep thought, though it was obvious that he was listening to everything that was being said with rapt attention. "It appears that during the attack on the Ministry you and your friends did not go overlooked. Although we have always known that Voldemort wishes to find some way to get a hold of Mr. Potter, he seems to have also taken a special interest in you." At this he looked over the top of his spectacles at her shocked appearance.

"Me?!" she responded incredulously. "But what could he possibly want with me? I'm of no use to him..."

"On the contrary, Miss Granger. It seems that he has done quite a bit of research on your academic performances and has found you to be exactly the tool he needs to not only gain power, but to gain Mr. Potter as well."

"But I'm only a student. Couldn't he use someone more powerful?" Albus sighed deeply and looked down at his hands, which were folded placidly on the desktop.

"No, Miss Granger. You are quite possibly the most talented and intelligent witch Hogwarts has seen since Rowena Ravenclaw herself. This fact is well known not only within these school grounds, but outside of them as well." He fixed her with a penetrating look. "I think that Voldemort fears that when you leave this school you will be one of his strongest adversaries."

"Well, if he wants to kill me, he'll have a hard time doing it won't he? He wouldn't dare attempt entering these grounds with you here." Though her words were brave she was shaking visibly. Knowing that Voldemort was specifically targeting herself was like an already signed death sentence. She found herself wishing this was all just a bad joke, as if she was expecting Dumbledore to laugh good-naturedly and give her that familiar jovial wink.

In the moment of silence that had followed her statement, Professor Snape turned slowly around, sneering at the petrified girl. Crossing his arms, he proceeded to give her one of his most snarky looks.

"For an insufferable know-it-all, you sure are pretty dumb sometimes." He paused, his black eyes boring into her own. "Miss Granger, the Dark Lord wants you alive..."