Line Between Nightmare and Dream

The coffee shop was full of students but the table in the back corner was quickly cleared, cleaned, and stocked with fresh muffins when Draco Malfoy walked in.

Hermione had to smile; Draco had done a very good job of restoring the Malfoy name to its proper place in people’s minds. Respect, with the not so subtle hint of fear, it was the best way to keep people honest in business Draco had explained

Hermione and Draco sat for a while sipping their coffee, neither one really sure where to begin this conversation.

‘Sigh’ “Granger you have to talk to me” Draco finally said

“I don’t know what to say” Hermione said

“Let’s start with why you were at the manor” Draco suggested

“I don’t know, I thought I would get some sort of answer…or figure out what the question is” Hermione mumbled

“Mione I’m really getting nervous about these dreams” Draco said sounding uncharacteristically concerned

“Yeah me too, I just want them to stop and I can’t figure out what the trigger is” Hermione sighed

“Bear with me here…” Draco was really hesitant to say what he was thinking “but maybe you should talk to someone more…’helpful’ than me” He held his breath for her response

He didn’t get one though she just looked blankly out the window. Her eyes blinked very slowly and Draco turned tentatively to see what she was looking at. There was a family walking with a daughter in a stroller and another about 12 years old.

“It’s strange how much has changed since we were that age” Hermione said blankly, “At her age we were facing horrific evils”

“And the baby will be told bedtime stories about us” Draco laughed

Hermione wasn’t thrilled. Her eyes widened and fear streaked across her face.

“Mione! What is it?” Draco was scared to know the answer

“You’re right I should go see Professor Phan” Hermione said gulping down her coffee and flinching when she burnt her throat “Thanks Draco” And she ran out the door

Draco sat looking after her long after she was out of sight.

Professor Phan looked up from her work when she heard the classroom door slam. She looked at the clock; her next appointment wasn’t for 3 hours so she put her pen to rest and walked to the door.

Hermione was panting from the sprint over to campus but the moisture on her forehead was more from worry than the trip. She loathed the idea of seeing a shrink but she was at the end of her rope. If Lucius wouldn’t even talk to her how was she ever going to sort this out?

“Ms. Granger? What can I do for you” Professor Phan said hiding her concern

“I’m so sorry for barging in on you I’m sure you have some appointments but I really desperately need to talk to you” Hermione blurted out

“You came at a good time then. Come into my office I have some water in there you look exhausted” Phan directed her to a chair and poured Hermione a drink

Hermione gulped the water in no time and the cup refilled itself

“Thank you so much! I really was thirsty” Hermione said trying to delay the onslaught of questioning

Professor Phan watched her down three more glasses of water before she asked Hermione why she was there

“Well…I have been….I’m not sure if…do you know anything about dreams?” Hermione stuttered

“I have them frequently” Phan laughed trying to lighten the mood. It didn’t work

“That’s my problem, I have been having one dream frequently and it’s really messing with me” Hermione moaned

“What do you mean ‘messing with you’” Phan asked

“I can’t figure out what they mean and they make no sense what so ever. Every attempt I have made to explain them away or resolve them has blown up in my face” Hermione explained

“Lets start with what the dreams are about” Phan suggested

Hermione moaned this was the part she prayed could some how be avoided. Explaining this to a stranger was going to be embarrassing and annoying. If she couldn’t understand these dreams how was this woman going to understand.

“I want to make sure no one will ever hear about this” Hermione tried to sound strong and not like a whiney child.

“Of course! Not only under student professor rules but also patient doctor laws” Phan had heard this question before but never with such fear behind the words.

Hermione downed two more glasses of water to wet her suddenly dry throat and found a place on the floor to stare at while she explained the dreams to Professor Phan.

When she was done she took a deep breath and waited for the gasp. When she didn’t get what she expected she looked up from the floor. Professor Phan was finishing her notes and had a frighteningly calm look on her face.

“Well I have to say I expected something far worse with the way to burst in here” Phan laughed

Hermione’s heart sank WORSE ! WHAT COULD BE WORSE this woman was not going to understand at all ! How could she help when she wasn’t taking this seriously at ALL

“Hermione this is a special case seeing your past but I have no doubt we can work through this” Phan smiled at her again

Hermione groaned this was a huge mistake, maybe she could……then she remembered why she was here. This was her last resort. There was nothing else she could do; she had to go through with this.

“Hermione why don’t you tell me about the last few months, what you’ve tried to get over this and theories you may have about why you have these dreams” Phan prepped herself to take more notes

“Well I have no theories, not full ones anyway, I keep running into dead ends and having to explain them away with ridiculous conclusions” Hermione explained

“Let me hear something you have come up with” Phan pushed

“Mr. Malfoy is extremely good looking” Hermione looked up to see Professor Phans reaction. Her face was flat so she went on “and I wouldn’t be a sane female if I didn’t feel something towards him. The time I was in his house was the closest I had gotten to him. It could just be two separate parts of my brain matching up” Hermione was very hesitant to delve into this; the butterflies were already going crazy.

“That is very intuitive, have you done research on this topic” Phan asked

“You have no idea. I think I have read every book on dreams, muggle, wizard, fiction, everything” Hermione moaned

“Did you find anything interesting” Phan pushed

“No that’s why I’m here. They kept saying things like facing the things in your dreams or reenacting them to find the meaning” Hermione replied

“You have reenacted these dreams!!” Phan couldn’t hold back her shock

“NO!!!! Well not entirely! I have been to the manor and talked to Lucius…well I have sort of…we um kissed…ONCE! But when I tried to talk about it he said it was a mistake” Hermione blushed to a deep purple red

“I think we need to start from the beginning” Phan said flipped to a new page in her note book and began writing

Hermione explained the first dream and the issues with Harry and Ron

“Your friends know about the dreams?” Phan asked

“They know I have them but not that I …well… enjoy them. They think they are nightmares” Hermione explained

“What have been your encounters with the Malfoys?” Phan continued wanting to keep Hermione talking

“I’m good friends with Draco and I have been to his house a few times but…” Hermione stumbled

“But what? Ms. Granger the only way I can help is to know all you know” Phan could see Hermione was shutting down

“I have flashbacks and daydreams when I am in the house. I have had all sorts of triggers and no two have been the same. The smell of a room, the sight of the floor but they are all one time triggers. I can have visions with or without them” Hermione was not liking this at all. She wanted to run to her room and never face the world again

Phan wrote on her pad “ -- dealing with more than just dreams –Hallucinations during the day and at sporadic times ---the subject of the dreams and the past of the patient makes these very difficult to diagnose”

“We’ll Ms. Granger I am very glad you came to me. We are dealing with a very significant disturbance to your life and it may take us awhile to work through it. Are you willing to take chances and work this out?” Phan said

Hermione hesitated taking chances was not a strong point of hers but she was in no way going to live the rest of her life like this. “Yes” was all she could manage

“Good why don’t you stop by tomorrow at the same time and I will tell you want sense I have made from this” Phan walked to the door and walked Hermione a few feet from her office

“If anything happens from now till tomorrow right it down with as much detail as you can manage” Phan said as she walked away

“That could have been worse” Hermione thought to herself and she headed straight home