Girls Bathroom, 1st Floor, Hogwarts - Christmas Night, 1992

'The Potion will be useless without Crabbe and Goyle's hair,' Hermione said sternly. 'You do want to investigate Malfoy, don't you?'

'Oh, all right, all right,' said Harry. 'But what about you? Whose hair are you ripping out?'

'I've already got mine!' said Hermione brightly. 'I plucked it off Pansy Parkinson the other day in potions when we were stealing all the ingredients. She's currently in detention for stealing my book this morning and throwing it in the lake.'

'Detention? On Christmas?' Ron asked, bewildered. 'I mean, I dislike her, but I wouldn't wish that on anyone.'

Hermione rolled her eyes, 'It doesn't matter to you anyways, you're not in detention. But if you must know, I told McGonagall that if someone ruined my Christmas, surely her Christmas should be ruined too.'

Ron shrugged, 'as long as you're coming with us tonight.'

Ron, Harry and Hermione crowded the bubbling potion.

'Did you get them?' Hermione whispered, and gave a quick smile as Harry held up the strands of hair. 'Good. And I sneaked these spare robes out of the laundry.' She held up the small sack of robes.

After a small discussion, Hermione ladled large dollops of the Potion into each of the glasses. Then, her hand trembling, she shook Pansy Parkinson's hair out of its bottle into the glass. The potion hissed loudly, and then turned a bright shade of pink.

'Urgh – essence of Pansy Parkinson' said Ron, eyeing it with loathing. 'Bet it tastes like sickly sweet cough medicine.'

Ron was right. When Hermione downed her potion after the boys left the cubicle. It tasted like the medicine the stern pointy-faced nurse used to force her to drink when her mother took her to the doctor as a child.

Immediately her insides started writhing as though she'd just swallowed a snake. Her skin felt like it was on fire, and her face was twitching and cramping. She felt like she was about to vomit as a horrible melting feeling came over her. Her fingernails grew, her hair straightened and shortened, her eyes shrank, and her nose turned upwards, into what she assumed was the typical pug-like-nose of Pansy Parkinson.

As suddenly as it started, everything stopped, and Hermione was left on her knees, breathing heavily.

She heard the low grunt of Goyle call out, 'Are you two OK?'.

'Yeah,' the deep voice of Crabbe grunted back.

'I'm fine,' Hermione felt herself squeak. 'Bit shaky though, that was horrible!' She unlocked the door and looked over to where Harry was standing, as Goyle.

'Weird huh?' Harry responded, in Goyle's low grunt.

Ron appeared next, as Crabbe. 'This is unbelievable. Unbelievable.'

'Come on, we have to get going.' Hermione said, in Pansy's high-pitched squeaky voice.

'There you are.' Draco Malfoy drawled, looking at the three of them and Percy Weasley, who was in the middle of confronting them. 'Where have you three been? I hope you weren't allowing them to eat at the Great Hall this whole time, Parkinson. I've been looking for you lot, I want to show you something really funny.' Hermione almost laughed in relief and the irony of the situation, not once in her life had she been happier to see Draco Malfoy than Percy Weasley.

'And what're you doing down here, Weasley?' he sneered.

'You want to show a bit more respect to a school Prefect!' Percy said, looking outraged.

Draco Malfoy sniffed and motioned for the three of them to follow him, stalking away from the red-haired prefect.

Malfoy strutted along the hallway with his nose defiantly held in the air. 'That Peter Weasley –'

'Percy,' Ron corrected, and Hermione could've hit him. What was he thinking?

'Whatever,' said Malfoy. 'I've noticed him sneaking around a lot lately. And I bet I know what he's up to. He thinks he's going to catch Slytherin's heir single-handed.' Hermione's heart leapt. This could be the moment the finally prove their suspicions.

'Who-' Hermione started, but was interrupted by Malfoy.

'What's the new password again?' He asked.

'Pure-blood.' Hermione answered, annoyed. Harry and Ron turned around to face her, shocked. She shrugged behind Malfoy's back, she'd done her research.

Malfoy smirked at the response, and marched through it, Harry, Ron and Hermione followed him. The Slytherin common room was completely deserted, she supposed everyone in Slytherin must have fancy dinners with their pure-blooded families.

'Wait here,' Malfoy said to three of them, motioning to the chairs closest to the crackling fireplace. Malfoy hurried off up a set of stairs, and the three sat down.

Hermione nudged Harry and Ron, who sat on either side of her, and pointed towards the clock. 'We've only got 20 minutes left!'

'Blimey, that went quick, we better get these answers out of him soon.' Ron replied.

Malfoy came back a minute later, holding a clipping from the prophet in his hands. 'That'll give you a laugh.'

The three read the offensive piece, and Hermione saw Ron's face turning red at each insult to his family. Hoping to save the situation and remind the boys of who they were pretending to be, she started giggling. It was odd, trying to giggle without meaning it, and trying to make it like a sound Pansy Parkinson would make.

Malfoy's eyes glinted evilly, 'Arthur Weasley loves muggles so much he should snap his wand in half and go and join them. You'd never know the Weasleys were pure-bloods, the way they behave.'

Hermione knew that Ron was close to snapping at this comment and attempted to change the subject.

'You know it's funny, I thought they'd have more about the attacks at the school in the prophet.'

Malfoy nodded, 'I suppose Dumbledore's trying to hush it all up. He'll be sacked if it doesn't stop soon. Father's always said Dumbledore's the worst thing that's ever happened to this place. He loves Muggle-borns. A decent Headmaster would never've let slime like that Creevey in.'

Malfoy started cruelly imitating Creevey, and Hermione started to panic slightly. All this planning, and they couldn't work out how to question him, without giving away their identities.

'Saint Potter, the Mudbloods' friend,' said Malfoy. 'He's another one with no proper wizard feeling, or he wouldn't go around with that jumped-up Granger Mudblood. And people think he's Slytherins heir!' Hermione felt her anger bubbling, but pushed it down, hoping this would be the moment. She could finally get his confession –

'I wish I knew who it is!' Malfoy exclaimed.

Wham. What a waste of time. Hermione felt her hope lowering. They were at a dead end, again.

She drowned out the rest of the conversation Harry and Ron were trying to have with Malfoy, she heard her name mentioned a couple of times, followed by 'It's only a matter of time before one of them's killed this time...I hope it's Granger.' Draco Malfoy didn't even know who the heir of Slytherin was. She wasted months on this potion, and it wouldn't even help. She felt her stomach sinking, thinking of all the muggle borns like herself, living in perpetual fear at the school. She was hiding her worries from Harry and Ron, she couldn't let them know how scared she was. She felt like her whole body was sinking down...down...down... oh merlin, that wasn't her imagination.

She, Ron and Harry looked at each other in shock. They'd realised too late, they'd already fully transformed back! Ron swore.

'What the HELL?' Malfoy cried. 'What the bloody hell are you three doing?' He stood up and raised his wand at them, standing up immediately.

Hermione went to draw her wand, but she was too late, Malfoy cried out 'Expelliarmus!' All three of their wands flew into his other hand.

Harry stood up too, followed by Ron and Hermione, their arms raised in astonishment.

'How the HELL did you imitate my friends, Potter?' Malfoy growled. 'Where are they?'

'Well I wouldn't really call them your friends now would I, Malfoy?' Hermione seethed, 'Considering you were didn't know them well enough to tell that we were them.' Harry and Ron looked at her in shock, Hermione never acted like this when they got caught. She normally knew what to do to get out of a situation, not make the situation worse, but Hermione didn't care. This whole Chamber of Secrets stuff was getting on her nerves, not to mention she was afraid for her life, one twelve-year-old Slytherin couldn't do that much damage.

Malfoy pointed his wand at her, 'I could have you all expelled for this.' He almost laughed, 'finally a way to get rid of Potter and his loser friends in one go.'

'Then do it.' Hermione glared. 'Finally get rid of us. Or are you too scared people will laugh at your for falling for this?'

Malfoy lowered his wand slightly. 'I'd tell them I knew it was you, and that I had to wait it out for this- this -whatever it is you were using- to wear off.'

Hermione rolled her eyes. 'Alright, whatever you say. Look we're just gonna go now, so can you give us back our wands?'

Malfoy glared at her but lowered his wand, 'I'll only give them back to you on one condition.'

'And what's that?' Ron asked.

'Let me have five minutes to talk with Granger, alone.' Malfoy responded.

Everything moved so quickly Hermione barely had time to respond. Harry immediately stood in front of her, shielding her, while Ron grabbed the front of Malfoy's robes.

'Like HELL that'll happen.' Ron growled.

Malfoy pushed Ron off, and held his wand in between Ron's eyes. 'Watch as your wands burn in the fireplace then.' He motioned to throw the three pieces of wood into the fireplace behind him.

'NO!' the three shouted.

Malfoy stopped, and turned back to them, smirking.

'Fine!' Hermione said. 'Five minutes, and then you'll give our wands back? You have a deal, so long as you don't touch me, and you put all four wands on the coffee table in front of us, got it?' Malfoy nodded.

Harry and Ron turned to gape at her, 'Hermione, you can't be serious! Not even five minutes ago he said he hoped you would be killed by the monster in the chamber!'

'Just let me do this!' Hermione cried out, exasperatedly, 'I want my wand back as much as you two, so just get out of here and I'll there in five minutes ok? And if not, you both can come back in and beat Malfoy up, or whatever you immature boys need to do.'

Harry and Ron finally left, their protests could still be heard by both Malfoy and Hermione as they left the Slytherin common room.

Hermione sat back down, and so did Malfoy, putting all four wands on the table in front of them, as promised.

'What is it, Malfoy?'

'You have to leave Hogwarts.'

Hermione's mouth nearly hit the floor, 'What do you mean I have to leave Hogwarts? I was under the impression you wanted me to stay here and, what was it? Be killed by Slytherins Monster?'

Malfoy got up and started pacing in front of the fireplace. Hermione was bewildered, what on earth did he mean?

'You have to leave. You have to get out of here.' He said, after a minute. 'It's dangerous.'

'Yes, you said that the first time. But why are you telling me this?' Hermione asked, genuinely curious. She already knew that being at Hogwarts was dangerous, but Malfoy telling her to leave? This was another level of unbelievable.

'It's not safe for you here. Just please...I can't explain, but Hermione- I mean- Granger, please, you have to leaveHogwarts.' Malfoy said, turning to face her, and at that moment he almost looked like he was begging her.

Hermione couldn't help but gape at him in silence. He said her first name and then asked politely for her to get out. What was happening with the world?

'I need you to know that I'm sorry, for what I said earlier this year at the quidditch pitch, about you being a you-know-what, and all the things I have to say in front of my friends about you.' Malfoy said, but he didn't offer an explanation. 'Just get out of this school. Please.' At this, Malfoy must have decided that this conversation was over, and he held out Harry, Ron and Hermione's wands for her to take.

Hermione stood up and took them silently, still in shock. As soon as the wands left his hands, Malfoy turned away towards the fire, avoiding her gaze. She began walking towards the entrance, but as she reached the door, she decided to turn back. Malfoy had turned around and was watching her go, and they made eye contact.

'Thank you' She mouthed, and he nodded. She had no intention of leaving Hogwarts, and he more than likely knew that. But whatever it was that had just happened between them, she respected that he wanted to warn her. She still wasn't sure why, but he did it anyway, and she had a strange feeling that she would never see this side of Draco Malfoy again.

A/N: Hi! Thanks for reading. Everything belongs to Rowling :)