SUPRA VIRES

CHAPTER ONE: A REAL NIGHTMARE

6th year

"Do you think you're ready for this?"

"She is".

"Look at me. That's all I'm asking you to do. Are you ready for this?"

"Stop it. You only know how to lie."

"Yes, this is what I do best, but it's not always possible."

"Hermione..."

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay..."

"Avada Kedavra."

***

Hermione Granger woke up in a cold sweat. She was trembling all over her body. She hurriedly sat up in bed, looking around the dormitory.

"It's not true, it's not true," she repeated these words, crumpling the sheets with her icy fingers. "How could I..."

She raised her hand to her forehead and began to cry bitterly. Last school year was a nightmare. It started with innocent arguments and ended with murder. She didn't really remember much from that day. It's strange that the human psyche doesn't allow to recreate the most important moments in our lives.

She thought about that day many times, how she felt and why she did something she didn't have to do. Unfortunately, to her despair, she was unable to rationally explain her behavior. Maybe that's why she felt so miserable, as if she had become someone completely different for that time.

The girl rubbed her eyes, trying to calm down. She had been back at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for two days, and had been plagued by nightmares since her arrival. Her friends kept asking her why she looked sleep-deprived, but only she knew that bad dreams were nothing more than memories that just wouldn't let go.

"Maybe it's normal?" she wondered. "I guess only a serial killer could kill without blinking an eye, at least not me."

She wasn't sure if she regretted her actions. Every time she thought she did, she tried to remember her victim's face and that sadistic smile that told her that the old Malfoy was back.

No, she definitely didn't regret it at that moment...

It wasn't difficult to establish the obvious facts. She certainly killed a man, which was terrible in itself. An aristocrat - Draco Malfoy - and although no one yet knew what exactly happened to the boy, Cornelius Fudge made a statement two days ago. According to the announcement, all students who have any information regarding Malfoy should report it to the professor's office.

However, the only ones who could do it were herself, Harry and Ron, who helped her dispose of the body like true friends, and a certain Slytherin girl.

Hermione wasn't sure why the Slytherin girl had even approached her with the proposal to get rid of Draco and why she - Hermione Granger, considered one of the most prudent students at Hogwarts, had listened to her. From the very beginning she felt she shouldn't do it. She wasn't herself then. She fell into some kind of trance that told her to kill. And she was also afraid for her parents...

And now? She knew she had no choice. She had to continue lying and learn to live with it if she didn't want to face the consequences of the act she had committed.

It cost her dearly. During the holidays, Hermione hardly left the house at all. Even her parents noticed that something was wrong with their child. Of course, she stubbornly explained that the sixth grade was difficult, so she had to work hard and study even on her days off, but she was sure that Mr. and Mrs. Granger didn't believe her lies. They knew her too well.

More and more often, Hermione thought about Pansy Parkinson's words. If someone had told her earlier that she would be planning the disappearance of Draco Malfoy with the Slytherin girl, she wouldn't have believed it. Especially since this disappearance for a few innocent days turned into something much worse.