Run. That's all she could think to do.

They're catching up. she shouted internally as she pushed herself to go as fast and as far as she possibly. Her chest heaved.

You're losing momentum Your wand. Grab for your wand.

"Lumos." she whispered, once she had her grip. She needed to see where she was going, what she was doing. She needed to see who or what she was up against, "Lumos." she commanded again, but to no avail. The thing had been rendered useless.

Before she had time to react, she was on the ground. They had her pinned.

There's only one thing you can do. she told herself reluctantly, as she braced herself and let loose on of the strongest kicks she could muster.

"Blimey, Granger!" a familiar voice bellowed, tearing Hermione away from her dream. Her eyes shot open and she sat up just fast enough to see a tall, red-headed boy collapse, "What the bloody hell was that for?"

"What are you doing here?" she snapped back, still reeling from her dream.

"You fell off the couch. If you rolled any further you would've ended up in the fireplace. I'm fine, by the way. Thanks for asking." he turned toward her finally, still rubbing at his jaw. One look at her surroundings made her realize that she wasn't in her dormitory. She'd fallen asleep in the common room.

"Oh, God. Fred, I am so sorry." she guffawed, finally catching a glimpse of his face by the firelight, "I didn't mean to-"

"No worries, Granger; I know you didn't mean to." he chuckled, extending a hand to her to help her to her feet, "That must've been one hell of a nightmare you were having."

"I'm not even sure if it was a nightmare." she chuffed, embarrassed, "It was just running. I don't even know if I was running from anything. It was just dark and I think there might have been someone chasing me, but I couldn't tell. It was strange."

"It's the fear of the unknown." Fred mumbled, joining Hermione on the sofa in front of the fire.

She turned toward him, utter confusion on her face, "It's a what?"

After a moment of seeming disbelief, Fred grew a grin of utter amusement, "Don't you pay attention in your Divination class, Hermione Granger? A dream like the one you just described means that you have a fear of the unknown."

"Oh, so you're a Divination wiz, are you?" she chuckled, her face lighting up.

"Yes, believe it or not, I'm not a complete failure in all things." he laughed heartily, drawing a giggle from her as well, "Care to tell me why you're so worried?"

"What do you mean?"

"Dreams like that don't just pop out of nowhere. Something must have provoked it. What's on your mind?"

"Why would I tell you what's on my mind? I'm not sure if you've noticed, but we're not exactly friends, Fred."

He gripped his chest in a faux swoon, letting out a dramatic sob, "I'm hurt, Granger. Really, though, I'm probably the best you're going to get, seeing as everyone else in running around like chickens with their heads cut off, trying to prepare Potter for the next tournament task."

"You make a fair point." she sighed, "If I tell you Fred, you have to swear you can't tell anyone else. We can't have the whole bloody castle worked up over something that could turn out to be nothing."

He shook his head with a smile, "Naturally. My lips are sealed."

"We all know that Harry's name coming from the Goblet of Fire wasn't a mistake. We think...it might be...You-Know-Who." Fred nodded understandingly, "And I'm just worried. Eventually there's going to be something to which I can't read the solution."

Fred took a moment to take it all in and then folded his hands, a hint of a smile playing at his lips, "I'm going to tell you the key to my success. It's something I don't think I've told anyone, not even George."

"What's that?" she asked, her interest piqued.

"Make it up."

"I beg your pardon?"

"You can't read everything in a book, Hermione, no matter how hard you try. Sometimes it's best to get your nose out of your books and go out and experience things." he shrugged, "Take my advice or don't; it's no skin off my nose. I can tell you, though...my method has never failed me. I'm brighter than I look." Fred winked, causing Hermione to laugh and slump back into the couch. He sat back back as well, looking into the fire.

They sat there in comfortable silence for a while, until Hermione began to yawn, "What time is it?"

"Almost three."

"I should probably go. I've got an 8 am today." she stood up and smiled, giving his shoulder a pat, "Thank you, Fred. I really appreciate this."

"I'm around if you ever need someone to talk to."

"Likewise." she grinned, their eyes locking for just a moment too long before she finally set off for her room, eyes fixed firmly on the ground, "Goodnight, then, Fred."

"Goodnight, Granger."