Nightmares and Revelations

Disclaimer: The characters in this story belong to JKR. The original plot and story belong to Velvet Song.

Author's Note: This is a continuation of Velvet Song's story "Damsels & Dragons", which she has graciously allowed me to adopt. You will find the first thirteen chapters of her story here: http: //www. thepetulantpoetess.com /viewstory.php?sid =18337 (remove the spaces first). I can only hope I do her ideas justice.

Thanks to Fizzabella and Velvet Song for the beta of this chapter.

Chapter Fourteen...Nightmares and Revelations

"Miss Granger! Use that intelligence you're so proud of!" Professor Snape glared down at her from his greater height. "This is a delicate and precise procedure. If nothing is done in ten years, the spell becomes permanent!"

"I want you to think, Miss Granger," he growled in her ear, now standing behind her. "Think! There is an answer. Find it before time runs out!"

Spreading his arms, he flew away, up out of the hourglass, just as the sand started falling on her head and shoulders.

Hermione jerked out of a sound sleep, sitting upright in her bed, her heart pounding and sweat beading on her face. From her window, she heard Athair's screech from the Forbidden Forest. "Bloody dragon," she muttered, dragging the duvet over her shoulders to help ease the shivering. "Now he's disturbing my rest."

Oh, were you resting? I thought you were dreaming!

"Shut up!" she all but yelled. "I don't need my subconscious talking to me at..." She glanced at the wind-up alarm next to the bed. "Two o'clock in the bloody morning." Muttering to herself and shaking her head, she walked into the ensuite bath and looked in the mirror.

"Oh, dear," the mirror snarked. "Don't we look a fright?"

"Keep it up," Hermione said with a glare. "I can always replace you with a Muggle mirror." Quickly splashing water on her face, she reached for a towel. Then she noticed the book, Malus Magice, laying on the edge of the bathtub, as if it had been left there after her bath the evening before. "This is not happening to me," she whispered. "I am perfectly sane."

Are you? Is anyone perfectly sane?

"Will you shut up?" she muttered through her clenched teeth. "Oh, gods, listen to me. I'm yelling at myself."

Is there anyone else to yell at?

Hermione pulled at her hair as she exited to the bedroom. "I need a drink," she said, looking for her wand.

Make mine firewhisky.

"You'll drink what I drink and like it." She rested her forehead against the doorjamb of her bedroom. "Okay, that's it. I'm ready for the Janus Thickey Ward, talking to myself."

I thought you were talking to me.

"SHUT UP!" She closed her eyes and listened. Silence.

"Miss Granger... Hermione! Time is running out! I need an answer!"

"What spell? Professor?"

"Professor?" Once more, she jerked awake, this time in answer to the ring of her alarm. "Oh, gods, this is getting redundant."

Dressed, she made her way down to the Great Hall for breakfast, hiding her yawns behind the sleeve of her robes. The dreams hadn't exactly been conducive to a restful night. Then again, she thought to herself, why can't I remember them more clearly?

"Good morning, Hermione," Harry said as he and Neville settled in on either side of her at the High Table. "Rough night?"

"You have no idea," she answered, stirring three teaspoons of sugar into her coffee. Taking a sip, she grimaced and pushed the cup away. "I woke up at two from a nightmare. Harry, am I going crazy?" she whispered.

"Huh?"

"I feel like I'm going crazy. I keep hearing Professor Snape in my head. I know it's just my subconscious," she hurried to explain, "but why does it have to sound like Professor Snape?"

"Maybe because you had feelings for the man?" Harry answered, pouring cream into his bowl of porridge. "What do you think, Neville?"

"You teach Potions; he taught Potions." Neville shrugged. "Maybe his style of teaching wore off on you."

"You two are no help," Hermione snapped. "Something is not right."

"What was your nightmare," Harry asked in concern. "Maybe that'll be a clue."

Hermione wrinkled her nose in thought. "I can't remember," she admitted. "Something about running out of time and being buried in the sand from an hourglass."

"Sounds horrid," Neville said complacently. He snagged a piece of toast from the plate. "Well, I'm off. Got some transplanting to do before first hour. See you later, love." He leaned over and dropped a kiss on the top of Harry's head before leaving by the staff door.

Classes over for the day, Hermione collapsed on the sofa in her private quarters. She still had grading to do, but for now was willing to just sit and veg out. So little sleep the night before had left her feeling logy and depressed, but at least she had been alert for her students. The house-elf popping into her quarters jolted her into wakefulness.

"Professors Malfoy request Professor Granger join them for dinner," the house-elf intoned. "Will Professor Granger say yes?"

"Not tonight, thank you," she answered, too tired to lie. "I'm really very tired. Perhaps another night?"

"I tell Professors Malfoy," the diminutive creature said and, snapping its fingers, popped out of the room.

Hermione sighed and reached for a book on the coffee table. Fatum Incantare practically jumped into her hands. With a cry of surprise, she dropped the book and looked closer at the books on the table. Tormentum: An In-depth Study of Torture, Fatum Incantare, Tomus Morte. and Malus Magice: An In-depth Study of the Dark Arts all stared back at her.

"Okay," she cried, her face contorted with horror. "This is not happening to me. These are not the books I left here last night. What's going on?"

You need to read.

"Not these books. Never these books. I don't care who wrote them."

You need to read.

"GO TO HELL!"

I'm already there, you silly, little girl.

Later that night, she lay in bed, thrashing about in the throes of another dream. Her cries of alarm were drowned out by the thunderstorm crashing directly overhead.

"Miss Granger, time is running out!"

"Enough questions. Time is of the essence. Read the books!"

"Professor!"

"Read, Miss Granger!"

Athair's screeching brought her upright, hand reaching for her wand. "Read what books?" she asked as her heart slowly stopped its racing. "And why? Bloody dragon! Will you shut up?" she shouted out the window at the forest. "I can't think straight. I can't think... Oh! Gods! NO!"

Flinging on her dressing gown, Hermione raced for the dungeons. Sliding to a stop in front of the quarters shared by Lucius and Narcissa, she began to pound on their door. "Malfoy!" she cried. "Open this door! Now!"

"Gods, Granger, you'll wake the entire castle."

Hermione whirled to see Draco, clad in pyjama bottoms, standing in the door opposite, Susan peering over his shoulder.

"Indeed," came a dry voice from behind her. "What is all this about?"

Whirling again, she looked up at Lucius Malfoy, standing there in a dressing gown. Grabbing his lapels, she pulled him down to her eye level. "Did you know?" she cried. "Do all of you know? Harry! What about Harry? Does he know? Minerva? Remus? Does everyone know except me?"

"Hermione," Narcissa said in a soothing tone, "what are we supposed to have known?"

"THAT ATHAIR IS REALLY SEVERUS SNAPE!"