Behind the mask

Riddikulus

"Granger."

I stare at Draco, confused. Ron just got done telling me none of it was real. But it felt real to me.

"Draco, what's going on?"

"Draco? Since when are we on a first na-"

I interrupt him, "Oh shut up with that." I snap, turning my attention to the blonde.

His eyes widen in shock and hurt before they settle back onto his usual icy glare.
"I thought you said there wasn't anything wrong. How could you even say such a thing? You've always been so selfless, why now?

"Why can't you see how much you mean to me!" His face turns into anger as I yell, and I start to get worried.

"I'm sorry, Draco! I didn't mean for any of this to happen, please believe me, but all this proves is that you're so special. I keep reliving this day and every time we end up together in some way. We've kissed and cared for one another but you won't remember."

I continue. "I need you right now and I can't have you. This is absolute hell, Draco!" Tears start to fall down my cheeks. My head starts to spin as I try to control myself.

"It's alright, love." He says soothingly, reaching out to hold my hand. But he doesn't know what happens next. One minute he's holding my hand and the next he' s gone. The same goes with my whole life.
* * *
I don't realize where I am until someone shouts from behind me, calling my name. I turn around, shocked to see the boy I had spent my entire life with. Except this time, I can't feel his warmth. It feels like my skin is burning. "Ron? Where are we?"

"You forgot our anniversary didn't you, 'mione?" he chuckles lightly. "It's okay, I did too."

"I'm so confused. I-You we're--" I stumble over my words. "We were just in Azkaban and you said--"

"Woah, woah. Is everything okay, sweetheart? Did you have a bad dream?"

"Bad dream?  What? No." I shake my head, trying to make sense of my own thoughts. "How long has it been since I left Hogwarts?"

"Not more than an hour or two, love. Why do you ask?"

"Where is everybody else? The rest of the Weasley family?"

He frowns at the question.  "They've gone home. Hermione, you really scared the shit outta us when you showed up there alone. You were completely zoned out. And when you went straight to bed without saying goodbye, well that just set everyone off."

I feel sick. I feel as if the last year of my life has been a lie. Was it really all a dream? I could ask Snape. He wouldn't lie to me. He doesn't get hit with these kinds of spells.

I take a deep breath. I needed answers, right now.
"I need to see someone."
"Wha-- Oh, Merlin. Please be careful, love."
I smile softly, kissing him on the cheek and heading towards the castle.

As soon as I step inside, however, I'm met with Snape himself. I look over at him and give him a nervous wave. "Professor," I murmur softly.

"Miss Granger, I'm afraid I must insist you stay put while I speak to Professor Dumbledore."

With that, he spins on his heel and walks down the hallway, leaving me standing there in confusion.

Why should I stay here? I want to find out what happened to all of them...but who am I supposed to talk to about it?
I sit down on the floor beside an open door, watching as students pass by on their way to class. There's no reason to wait here forever. Maybe Snape will show up.

I glance around the room curiously. Most of the doors are closed, including one on the far end which is slightly ajar. As I'm looking around the room once more, a small boy comes bursting through. He's running in circles. I blink in confusion, wondering what's gotten him so excited. Suddenly, the child stops abruptly, staring directly at me. He runs over to where I'm sitting.

"Hermione, hey!" He exclaims, stopping right in front of me.

He has bright red hair that curls upwards just slightly at the tips. His glasses are perched on top of his head and his eyes sparkle with excitement. A faint smirk plays across his lips. He looks almost identical to Ronald, only with brighter eyes.

"Do you wanna play wizard tag?" He asks expectantly, tilting his head to the side.

My mouth falls open in surprise. I haven't played wizard tag in years. I used to be obsessed with wizarding games when I was younger. Harry used to go along with me, and would often catch Ron when I ran into walls. Now, though, we'd rarely ever play it. The last game we played was when I was eleven, and it ended in tears.

"Wizards?" I stutter, hoping that he isn't actually asking me to play wizard tag.

He nods quickly, his eyebrows drawn together in concentration. I can tell this means something to him. "Yeah! It sounds silly but we'll make it fun. Come on!" He grabs my hand, pulling me towards the other end of the classroom.

"Let's hurry up, okay?"

The classroom is mostly empty, besides the three people playing a game of wizard chess in one corner. I notice that a few pieces are missing.

"Whoops, I lost my queen." One of the boys, a tall boy with blond hair, mutters apologetically to his friend. They both look up at us, startled.

"Oh hi." He greets politely.

"Hello." I say tentatively. This must be the other boy's twin brother, Marvin, if I'm remembering correctly. He's wearing robes that seem slightly too big for him, the cuffs falling halfway down his arms.

Before we can play anything or even talk, Snape walks in and asks for me to come with him. I follow him down a long staircase and into the entrance hall. I walk out of the castle into a freezing cold November morning.

Severus leads me to a large carriage that's waiting for me and we both climb in. Once he's seated across from me and the carriage begins moving, he clears his throat.

"So, Granger," I flinch at hearing his voice, "where exactly were you yesterday? I saw Ron carrying you off somewhere..." he trails off after seeing my expression.

I sigh sadly. "I was in Azkaban, Severus. At least, I thought I was. Maybe it was just a dream."

Severus' eyes widen with fear, and his face contorts into a mixture of shock and sadness as he realises what I'm saying. He stares blankly for a moment before speaking, "What do you mean? Are you... are you still there?" He asks softly.

My eyes widen as well, I had almost forgotten he wasn't here to listen to my confession. "No," I shake my head, and begin to laugh, a strange sound coming from the back of my throat. I try to stop but fail, tears beginning to form in my eyes. My chest tightens painfully as I feel so much pain inside.

"We know Ron is under a spell now. We can reverse it but we have to find her first."

"Find who?"

"Delphi."

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wow I'm on a roll with these chapters lol. More to come my lovely human beings <3 the end is not near yet!!