Chapter 2- he finds out
The next morning Hermione wrote a letter to Lupin explaining the lie she had told her friends and sent it with the owl Dumbledore had given her, she had named it Secret Life. She dressed for the day and left her room.
Draco was already sitting in one of the many armchairs talking to Blaise Zabini; they turned as she entered the room.
"Hi, I'm Blaise Zabini."
"Helena Gooding. Nice to meet you."
"You too. So what do you think of Hogwarts so far?"
"It's nice. Definitely better than some of the high schools in London, and they're really nice." She smiled.
"Well do you want to walk down with us?" asked Draco.
"No thanks. I promised that I'd meet Lavender, Parvati, Dean, Seamus and Neville."
"Not Potter and Weasley?" inquired Blaise.
"Well I don't really know them. I only saw them briefly and they didn't make an effort to come greet themselves. I could probably understand why; they lost their best friend and they might not be so keen to Dumbledore replacing her with someone with the same initials so soon."
The two boys nodded and Hermione left.
"Well I think she's definitely Hermione. Only question is; does she remember what happened? And; how was she brought back to life?" said Blaise.
"Maybe there's a chance that I can make her remember." Said Draco.
Blaise smiled and patted his best friend on the shoulder and then left with him.
In the Great Hall Hermione walked over to her new friends who all looked up and smiled as she sat down.
"Morning Helena. You ok?" greeted Seamus with a big grin. The others smirked.
"Yes Seamus, although I'm think you've been bitten by that large man's dog."
"Why do you say that?"
"You're drooling." The others burst out laughing causing everyone else in the Hall to turn and look at them.
Seamus looked thoroughly embarrassed.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to embarrass you. It's just that I don't think you would like to have your eggs falling on to your white shirt only to get told off during Potions." Whispered Hermione.
"No it's ok. I'm glad you did Professor Snape would have killed me if I turned up to his lesson looking like I hadn't changed my shirt since last term." He whispered back.
"Knowing him he would have taken points off the House for the smallest things." Muttered Hermione, unfortunately for her Seamus and the others heard.
"How did you know that he takes points off our House for the smallest things?" asked Dean.
"Oh, um just looking at him this morning. He looks like the kind of teacher to favour his own House and dock points from the other Houses for the smallest thing like a right answer or egg down someone's front." Said Hermione hastily.
"Right. Ok, well you're right he does. He loves the Slytherins so don't expect any praise from him if you get one of his questions right, Hermione never got any just criticism for being an 'insufferable know it all' which she was but we loved her for it." Said Lavender.
"She used to confuse the Slytherins with her knowledge and witty remarks at how they were inadequate to the simplest of tasks like waking without strutting. They constantly tried to walk without a strut in their stride but failed miserably." Said Parvati.
"It was hilarious watching them it was like watching a flightless bird trying to fly." Said Neville.
Hermione giggled. Seamus, Dean and the others noticed how her laugh was similar to Hermione's.
Harry, Ron and Ginny entered the Great Hall and saw the new girl sitting with Seamus, Dean, Neville, Parvati and Lavender and they walked over to her.
"Hi, I don't think we've met. I'm Harry Potter and this is Ron and Ginny Weasley." Said Harry holding out a hand, Hermione shook it and did the same with Ron and Ginny.
"Helena Gooding. Lavender, Parvati and Neville were telling me about some comical moments to do with Slytherins. That was after I embarrassed Seamus to the end of the century."
"Oh really? Did they tell you about the time Malfoy was turned into a ferret and bounced all over the Entrance Hall? Ever since then we've called him Malfoy: the amazing bouncing ferret." Said Ron.
"No but I'm sure they'll tell me later."
"Did they tell you how Hermione used to make them walk like flightless birds trying to fly by saying they couldn't walk without a strut?" asked Ginny.
"Yes, that's what we were laughing about."
"Come on Helena; we don't want to be late for your first lesson." Said Seamus holding out his hand for her to take it. Hermione took his hand and they and the others left Harry, Ron and Ginny standing in the Great Hall.
"A bit of advice about Harry and Ron; Hermione was their best friend but in first year they made fun of her. It was only after the night the troll got in and they saved her did they realise that being her friend had its perks; she would do their homework for them even after she complained that they should do it themselves." Said Dean.
"She would look over their notes and because they thought Quidditch, the sport around here, was so much more important she would do it for them." Said Neville
"So you're all saying that because I'm as smart as Hermione was and they see that they'll try to become my friends only so I will do their homework for them?"
The others nodded.
"Well that's disgusting. How did Hermione put up with it? Did she not know what they were doing?"
"Yes but she was too blinded by friendship to do anything about it." Said Parvati.
Hermione stood there in silence.
'They're right; I was too blind to do anything about it. I truly believed that Harry and Ron would start doing their own homework last year but they didn't. How stupid could I have been?'
Tears formed in her eyes and threatened to fall but Hermione did not let them. Just then the door opened revealing Snape; other students had begun to line up behind them.
"Inside now." Barked Snape.
As everyone filed in and sat down in their seats Snape marched up to the front.
"For the benefit for Miss Gooding I shall explain a few simple rules. There will be no talking whilst I am talking. You will refer to me as 'Sir' or 'Professor'. You will not wave your wand unceremoniously under any circumstances. And you will never answer me back when I am talking to you. Is that clear Miss Gooding?"
"Crystal clear sir."
"Now. I do this with every new student and you are no exception. So answer me this; what would happen if I added Moondust to a Draft of Fitful Sleep?"
"The drinker of the draft would fall into a fitful dream but the dream would be very real to them; if they were dreaming about a crazed killer coming towards them they would have no choice but to wake up or be killed in their dream. If they were dreaming of a loved one in danger they would believe that they were awake and that they must help them, even if it meant killing themselves in the process. Most people who dream of a loved one in danger often dream of them falling off the edge of a very tall building or cliff; they try to reach them but they fall themselves."
"Correct. The first part was a perfect reciting from the standard spell book but I'm surprised you gave examples. Tell me; can the Draft and the Moondust combined together create a peaceful dream?"
"No sir, the Draft of Fitful Sleep only creates bad dreams; the Moondust simply magnifies the bad dream. Moondust magnifies any potion."
Snape nodded, "10 points to Gryffindor. You are all lucky to have Miss Gooding in your company." He said turning to the Gryffindors on the lighter side of the room.
The lesson went by smoothly; a few snide comments from the Slytherins to Hermione but she gave them a few snide comments back.
"You must be a mudblood if you recited the first part of your answer. Purebloods don't need to resort to such pathetic needs." Sneered Pansy.
"Really, when I look at your potion, then I look at mine I would gather that you may be pureblood but you have the magical ability and potion making of a new born troll. Maybe you should crack open a book; your grades might improve." Hermione sneered back.
Pansy flushed and turned away. Lavender leant over to Hermione.
"That was good. It sounded like something Hermione would say." She smiled.
At the end of the lesson Hermione ran to her common room and broke down in tears. She didn't know that she was being watched.
"Helena? Are you alright?" came Draco's voice.
"Oh Malfoy. Yeah I'm fine it's just overwhelming seeing what I've missed the past six years." She lied.
"You sure? You can tell me you know, if you need to."
Hermione sniffed quickly and nodded. "Thanks."
Draco smiled. "Come on, we better get to Care of Magical Creatures." Hermione nodded and they left together.