Running

Chapter 16

WARNING-THEMES OF ABUSE (Ignore the dream sequence at the beginning if that isn't something you want to read).

Hermione runs through a desolate wasteland. Everywhere she looks is just barren. The air is stale and her throat feels tight. She runs, not knowing where to what to but her feet keeps moving and she keeps following them. Her hair covers her face, blocking most of her vision as she runs. Her hands are clammy and sweat cascades down her face, drowning the hair that keeps whipping at her.

She sees a wall in front of her, coming closer as she runs. It seems endless and completely out of place. Tall, metallic, bleak. She continues running towards it. She's panting now, out of breath and terrified. If she doesn't stop she'll bang straight into the wall. It inches closer and closer and suddenly, she runs straight through it.

She's back on the platform at Kings' Cross. She can't feel her arms properly. Her legs are very close together. She looks down and sees her arms and legs strapped together in a straight-jacket. The platform is empty. She can't find anyone. No one is around to help her. No one is there. She struggles and struggles. She pulls at her arms and legs trying to free her self. She feels like she is nailed to the ground. She still can't breathe. She feels her hair wrapping itself around her, tighter and tighter. It is choking her. She closes her eyes, tears brimming at the ends of them. Suddenly, she is pushed against a wall.

She opens her eyes and sees that her hair had been replaced with a hand. Ronald's hand. He tightens his grip, harder and harder. As he does so, he grows getting taller and taller, bigger and bigger. She tries to escape, she tries to break free, as feeling his hand squeezing harder and harder with every struggle. Suddenly he speaks.

L̖̃ͩ̽e̪̘̪̗̟̗̳t̪̩̻͙̦ͤ̈'̯̰͎̞͛s̬̹̟̹͎͔̏̑ ͎̖̹͐p͇̼̹͙͛ͪḻ͕̖͓͇̮̠̽a̗̤ͤͪ̄̽ͤ͌ͫyͯͥͧ ̻̫ͩ͛ͧ̆̔̽̚w͇i̫̱̠̱̳̼ͥͯt͋ͥ͆h̼̜̲̞͆̈̑̎̽͐ͮ ̤̤̞͓̀̒̎̈̊̚t̃͒̈́̄͌̉h̗̼̯ͦ̑͗͋̈e̝̙̻̥͐̎ ͈̺ͩ͊̊̄̽s̟̲͎̙̳̘ͅt͇̺͖̽ͬ͂u̞p̩̘̖̟͕̅̔ͪͫͅĩ͕͌͂ͯͧ͛d̦͙͕̙̠̼ ̤͇͍̘̪̊ĺ̜͗̅ͅi͐̆̉̿͂͐̃t̙̲̱̒ͪt͙͕̠̫̜̯͇l͖̣̎ẹ̘̣͐̀͒̈́ ̹t̪̞̰̞̗̻ͣõ̰̩̞͎̥̱̔͆̿́̒͑yͮ!̆ͥͧ͊

Hermione screams as she hears his voice growl and glitch horrifyingly. He begins shaking her up and down making her head hit the floor and the ceiling of a new room she now found herself in. It was just a white blur to her, she couldn't see what was going on, all she could feel was the pain in her head and shoulders as she was flung up and down.

Yo͏u'́vé ͡b̸een v̧e̵r͢y ̧n̨aug̀hty ̨ha̵ven̛'͘t̕ you͡? ͝
͠Ru҉nnin҉g a̕way ́l͠ik̶e that, you ̛k̷n̨o̶w ̢y̛ou҉ ̢sho̵ul͠d̕n't́ ͡be ̸do҉in͘g̵ ̷things̸ ͟l̷iḱe ͏th̴at͝.
̶I'͘m̴ ̶v̶e̴ry ͏di̢sa͞p̷poin͏te̵d in̷ ̨y̛ou͟.̧
Í'͞m̶ t̷a̶kin͝g ̨yo̡u ͟h̷o͘me ͢ànd ̢lo͏ckįn̸g͢ yo͟u͠ b̡ac͝k͟ u̸p ̀ag̴aíń.́
͘This time͠ Į w͠on͘'̕t ̶l҉e͜t͢ ̸y͝ou out̡.͢

Suddenly, he stops. His grip loosens, and for a brief moment, Hermione feels some relief. Until she opens her eyes and sees that she is indeed trapped in a cage, covered in metal bars and padlocked. She screams in distress, but no one was around to help her.

Hermione woke up drenched in sweat. She didn't know what was happening, she was breaking down more and more. She looked out the window and saw that the sun was only just rising. Still in shock, Hermione could only repeat the sequences of her dream over and over again in her head until she broke down, tears cascading down her face. She ran out of the room, straight into the common room afraid of waking anyone up. More than anything she wanted someone to be there, someone she could tell everything to, but she couldn't. They wouldn't understand. Technically, she was an adult and they were all children. Maybe Harry could understand but a nightmare is no reason to wake anyone up. Or that's what Hermione told herself. She simply spent the rest of the early hours of dawn, bleary eyed, tired and grieving.