This picks up directly where Year Two, Part One leaves off…
. . . . . . . . . .
"Who?" Theo passed Draco the pitcher of pumpkin juice and stared at Millie in confusion.
"Colin Creevey," the girl said again. "You know, the little Gryffindor with the camera who follows Potter around everywhere."
Theo flicked a glance at Draco and said, rather dryly, "We don't all pay enough attention to Potter to know who the members of his fan club are, Millie."
"Well, he was going up to see Potter in the hospital wing – he had to regrow bones after the game, you know, because Lockhart bungled fixing his broken arm – and he was petrified. Just like the cat."
"That kid's annoying," Pansy said. "Can't say I'm sorry I won't run into him and his stupid camera all the time anymore."
"He's rude," Hermione said with a shrug. "It's like it doesn't occur to him that people might not want that thing shoved in their faces all the time."
"I didn't know he bothered you," Draco said, a dangerous look on his face and she kicked him under the table.
"I can take care of myself, Draco. Stop with the protective brother crap."
Blaise was suddenly taken by a coughing fit and Hermione stopped talking long enough to squint at him, but he waved her off.
"He wanted to do portraits of all the Muggle-borns at Hogwarts and wasn't taking no for an answer. Not 'Thank you, but I'm not interested.' Not 'No.' Not 'Bugger off.'" She shrugged. "I think, 'If you stick that thing in my face again I'll smash into so many shards no reparo in the world will fix it,' finally got through to him."
"What did he say to that?" Draco asked and when Hermione flushed he glared at her. "Tell me," he insisted.
"I think it was something like, 'stuck up Slytherin ,'" she snapped. "I said he was rude."
"I heard him," Vincent said around a mouthful of scone. "He said you were a stuck up Slytherin bitch who thought she was better than everyone else."
Hermione shrugged, her mouth tight. "Yeah, well," she said, "I may be a bitch, but at least I don't harass people to sit for portraits they aren't interested in."
"Why would you want to be grouped with a bunch of mud… Muggle-borns like that anyway?" Pansy asked. "It's not like you have anything in common with them."
"Exactly." Hermione grinned at the girl. "If he'd said he wanted to do portraits of all the second year Slytherins I might have been interested."
"Speaking of Muggles," Daphne said and Hermione grinned.
"I'll ask my mum to pick up some more."
"More Muggles?" Theo asked and all the girls started to giggle and Pansy muttered, "Don't worry about it, Theo."
. . . . . . . . . .
It took a few days for Colin Creevey's petrification, and what it meant, to fully circulate. "The Chamber of Secrets has been opened," students whispered to each other. "The Muggle-borns are all at risk."
"Someone goes with her everywhere," Draco insisted. "Let the other Houses take care of their people; Slytherins protect our own."
. . . . . . . . . .
When Hermione admitted she planned to stay at Hogwarts over Christmas Break, Draco immediately signed up to stay too. "Though," he said to her, "if I don't bring you home for dinner at least one night my mother will do that thing where she looks disappointed in me."
"That doesn't seem like the worst fate ever," Hermione said and Draco just snorted.
. . . . . . . . . .
The idea of a Dueling Club interested everyone; for what might be the first time since the start of school Hermione was eager to go to an extra-curricular activity. Learning curses in the abstract was good, but learning how to actually use them, well, that sounded much better.
Theo and Blaise both groaned when they saw who was running the club and Hermione glared at them. Lockhart strode throughout the room, his robes billowing, and she could barely contain a sigh. Blaise glanced over at her and smirked.
Snape leaned up against a wall near the gathered Slytherins and watched the other professor explain the rules of the club with a condescending sneer on his face. When the two men actually dueled, giving a demonstration before the students began, Snape held his wand with casual confidence while Lockhart twirled and fussed. She twitched a bit. A duel, she thought, was not the place to show off. When Snape snapped "Expelliarmus!" and a flash of scarlet light threw Lockhart backward she looked at the black-clad, unattractive potions professor with a measuring glance as her Housemates cheered for their Head of House.
Lockhart began to babble on about how that had been very basic and an excellent thing to demonstrate, but didn't Snape feel that… and she tuned him out as she considered the uses of disarming your opponent. Would most people see that coming? What made for better offense: something flashy or something basic brilliantly executed?
"I think someone's little crush has been, err, crushed," Blaise said in a stage whisper to Draco, who looked over at Hermione and smirked.
"That was an instructive duel," was all she said.
The students were quickly paired off; Hermione was unsurprised to see Snape match Draco and Potter up together. When he placed her with some girl from Gryffindor she gave him a displeased look and he murmured near her ear, "If I have to take the little twit to the infirmary I shall be quite annoyed. Keep it subtle, Miss Granger."
She nodded politely at the other girl who looked her up and down and said, "I didn't realize Muggles got sorted into Slytherin."
"They don't," Hermione agreed. "But witches do."
"Now," Lockhart was saying. "At the count of three, disarming only. One. Two. Three."
Hermione had the other girl's wand in her hand in by the time the 'e' was fully out of the man's mouth and she turned to see what was happening with her friends. Potter had hurled a rictusempra at Draco and she began to seethe. Disarming only, huh? Draco had collapsed, giggling, at the tickling spell but still shot off a dancing spell and Potter began to do a jig.
"Enough!" Snape shouted and ended both enchantments. Hermione tossed the wand back at her worthless opponent and began to head over towards Draco only to be dragged back by Theo.
"He has to do this," Theo hissed. "You can't go protect him."
"Potter…"
"Didn't follow the rules?" Theo asked the question with a sneer. "And this surprises you?"
She crossed her arms but let Theo hold her back.
"Let's try this again, just the one pair," Lockhart was saying. "We'll let you boys show how to block those unfriendly spells." Lockhart took Harry and began to show him some complicated spell that involved much wiggling of his wand. Hermione eyed him with growing contempt. Meanwhile, Snape was whispering instructions into Draco's ear.
When the duel began Draco shouted out "Serpensortia!" and Hermione watched, rather surprised, as a large, black snake appeared from the tip of Draco's wand and began moving towards the frozen Potter.
"If you're afraid, Potter," Snape drawled, "I can get rid of it."
"Allow me," Lockhart said and, with a dramatic flourish of his wand, flung the snake into the air. When it landed it was right in front of some boy Hermione didn't know it pulled itself up, ready to strike.
Potter hissed some unintelligible thing at the snake and it collapsed. Hermione looked at Blaise, confused, but the boy was looking at Potter with a coldly measuring expression on his face. She looked back at the scene unfolding before them as the boy who'd just been rescued from the snake shouted at Potter and raced from the room. People were finding reasons to move away from Potter who looked as confused as she felt until Theo breathed into her ear, "So, he is a Parselmouth," and then she understood.
She looked over at Draco who smiled at her, then at Snape, who met her questioning look with an inscrutable expression even as he waved the wand and the snake disappeared into a puff of black smoke.
. . . . . . . . . .
"So, now that we know he's a Parselmouth," Draco said, "can we talk about whether he's the Heir?"
"If we heard him bragging," Hermione said, hesitating over the words, "or we asked him questions about it and he told us… but we'd have to break a lot of rules, have to sneak into the Gryffindor common room and…"
"How would we do that?" Draco asked, eyes narrowed.
"There's a way," she admitted. "But it might be dangerous and…"
Theo rolled his eyes. "Do you plan to spit this out anytime soon?"
"Polyjuice Potion," she blurted. "Professor Snape talked about it in class. Tricky to make but it transforms you into someone else. We'd turn ourselves into, well Weasley and that kid sister of his who's always making eyes at Potter and… no one would know it was us! Potter would tell us anything if he thought that we were part of his adoring fan club."
Theo nodded slowly. "We'd have to work fast; if I'm remembering right it wears off in about an hour."
"How do we get the recipe?" Draco demanded.
"Restricted section of the library," she said. "I'll get permission from Snape to do, I dunno, extra credit research on potions. You know he'd give it to me."
"He does kind of shamelessly favor you," Draco said.
"'snot my fault I'm a good student," she said, tossing her hair.
"Merlin," Theo muttered. "Watch where you're throwing that stuff. You could take somebody's eye out."
. . . . . . . .
"Moste Potente Potions?" Snape asked, eying Hermione with a sneer; she, Theo, and Draco stood in front of his desk and she'd plastered what she hoped was an innocent expression on her face. "If you plan, Miss Granger, to try your hand at advanced work I do sincerely hope you don't plan to steal my supplies and brew things up on the floor of some filthy toilet."
"I, uh…" she stammered as he pulled out a quill and signed her request form.
"I shall assign you one hour per week to work in my private lab undisturbed," he said. "It is unfortunate I am not able to provide you with an advanced class to meet your academic needs, but there are so few students with both talent and dedication it would be little more than private tutoring."
As she was choking out her thanks he waved his hand at them all irritably. "Go away, Miss Granger, and take your pure-blooded swains with you. I haven't time to help you with whatever little project has piqued your interest so please try not to kill yourself." He paused "Or make a mess of my lab. I should be most upset to find it in a condition less pristine than the one in which I left it."
"Well," Theo said as they walked away, "I think we know which would upset him more, your death or a mess in his lab."
"Oh, I don't know," Hermione looked back at the door to the classroom. "I think he'd quite dislike all the paperwork he'd have to fill out if I died in his lab."
. . . . . . . . . .
Hermione had no problems brewing and, leaving her potion to sit, looked longingly back at the well-stocked and immaculate lab before gently closing the door and meeting Theo, her assigned escort for the night.
"Honestly," she muttered, "I'm fine. I really don't need a pureblood escort everywhere I go to protect me from Potter."
Theo looked at her and then said, "Well, he was found standing over the body of another petrified Muggle-born while you were in there making our potion, so I'm going with, yeah, you don't get left alone."
"What?" She looked at him in shock. "How is he even still at school? He was found over the body of a victim and they're still protecting him? How is that even…"
"Chosen One," Theo said shortly. "He got rid of the Dark Lord so…"
"No body was ever found," she said and Theo turned and said, his voice sharp, "What?"
"Voldemort," she said with patience. "They never found a body. I wouldn't call that 'gone.' I'd call that 'missing'."
. . . . . . . . . .
Christmas break was delightful. Even though Potter and all the Weasleys had stayed, so had Draco, Theo, and Greg. She kept checking on her potion, adding ingredients as required; Snape watched her come and go from his lab with half-lidded eyes but said nothing. On Yule itself, all four of them met to go to the Malfoy's for dinner at what could only be termed a 'command appearance'.
"Just… be polite," Draco had said nervously. "Father already likes you but if my mum decided you were… just be polite, okay?"
"I'm always polite to adults," Hermione said dismissively.
"She is," Greg agreed. "She'll kick you and she tells us to bugger off all the time but with professors butter wouldn't melt in her mouth. Even Snape likes her."
"McGonagall doesn't like me," she protested.
"Course not," Greg snorted. "You're a dirty Slytherin."
Being a 'dirty Slytherin' was clearly an asset, however, in the Malfoy household. Mrs. Malfoy fussed over Greg and Theo, exclaiming how they had grown, before examining Hermione. Hand held out she said, "Welcome, my dear. Thank you for taking care of my Draco. He can be a bit impulsive at times and it gets him into all sorts of scrapes."
Hermione shook the woman's hand and smiled, only a little nervously, and said, "I think it's more that Draco takes cares of me, ma'am. He has since I was sorted and now he barely lets me out of his sight."
"Don't listen to her," Theo drawled. "She's threatened that Weasley boy with a wand at least once when he was going after Draco and I had to physically hold her back from attacking Potter in the first Dueling Club meeting when he cheated and hexed Draco."
Hermione flushed. "Theo makes it sound worse than it was."
Narcissa Malfoy did not seem upset at her lack of demure, lady-like behavior, though, and asked her instead what she thought of Slytherin as she led all the children towards a small drawing room that had punch set out. That pulled a much less nervous smile from Hermione. "I'm biased," she admitted, "but I can't imagine being happy anywhere else."
"That's exactly how I felt," Mrs. Malfoy agreed, "though, of course, as a Black there was very little doubt as to which House I'd be in."
Hermione flicked a quick, confused look at Draco and he filled her in. "Some families are almost always in one House or another. Mum's from the Blacks, and they're almost always in Slytherin, like the Malfoys and the Notts."
"And the Goyles," Greg added.
"The Weasleys are always in Gryffindor," Draco finished.
"It's very rare for a Muggle-born to be sorted into Slytherin," Narcissa Malfoy continued. "When I heard that Draco's newest friend was Muggle-born I confess I was a little worried people might make you feel unwelcome. That Draco might make you feel unwelcome."
"No!" Hermione rushed to reassure the woman, not noticing the slight smile she and her husband exchanged. "Draco's never been anything but great. Some people from other Houses have been… not as nice but everyone in Slytherin – "
"There was that one boy," Greg said but Theo snorted.
"She took care of him, and afterward about half a dozen fourth years kicked him around too. Anyone who goes after Hermione'll get theirs; we take care of our own."
"And always have," Lucius Malfoy said smoothly. "And shall continue to do so. Draco, why don't you show your friends the view from the back balcony while we wait for dinner to be ready? I'm sure you'd like a little time away from the repressive company of adults."
Recognizing the dismissal, the children followed Draco out to another room where they could be faintly heard duly admiring the view before settling in to speculate whether Potter really was the Heir and, if so, would anyone ever hold him accountable.
Narcissa looked at Lucius. "I must say, you're quite right."
"I thought you would agree. Snape tells me she's brewing Polyjuice Potion in his lab, wholly undirected."
"Isn't that a bit advanced for a second year student?"
"Quite." Lucius looked at her. "Apparently the children plan to turn themselves into the Weasleys to try to find out whether Potter is the Heir to Slytherin."
Narcissa laughed, a delighted trill that carried out to the balcony and made Draco look nervously back towards the room where his parents were. "You don't plan to stop them?"
"Of course not. Their initiative should be encouraged and they can't hurt themselves; Snape tells me the potion is perfect. They'll have their little adventure and bond even more tightly."
"You're really okay with a Muggle-born?" Narcissa confirmed and Lucius looked out towards the children.
"I am with this one," he said. "Every breeder knows you sometimes need an outcross for the strongest results." He looked back at his wife. "He gave her a glass bead bracelet for Yule last year, you know."
"Really?" She leaned back in her chair and smiled. "You didn't do that until we were, oh, thirteen. Has she worn it?"
"Not publicly," Lucius admitted. "But he didn't cry his eyes out over it so I suspect she's let him know she appreciates it."
"I'll have to do something about that hair," Narcissa said and Lucius laughed.
"I trust you to ensure by the time she's of age she's wholly presentable, love."
. . . . . . . . . .
Over dinner Narcissa asked Hermione about her parents, noted that the girl was quietly moving away from the Muggle world without comment, and asked what she thought of Muggle Studies.
"Oh boy," Theo said with a groan, "here we go."
Narcissa hid her amusement at the look Hermione shot Theo. "It's a waste of time," the girl said, gritting her teeth, then, looking at Narcissa, "begging your pardon, ma'am. I hope it's not a special project of yours."
"It's not," Narcissa reassured the girl, briefly meeting Lucius' glance. "I'm curious why you think it's a 'waste of time' as you put it. Surely they aren't making you take it?"
"No, of course not," Hermione said. "It's an elective, after all, and none of us are taking it. But it's still taking up valuable resources. No one leaves the Wizarding world to live with Muggles, it just doesn't happen."
"Very true," Lucius said.
"But," Hermione persisted, "People like me join the magical world every year."
"Oh, I don't think so," Narcissa murmured. "I don't think people like you join our world very often at all."
Hermione looked at her, slightly confused while Draco began to choke on his water. "Are you okay?" Theo asked and Draco muttered, "Fine, I'm fine."
"You were saying," Narcissa prompted and Hermione, frowning at Draco, returned to one of her favorite pet peeves.
"The resources that the school wastes teaching wizards who don't care how to use a Muggle phone could be used teaching Muggle-borns things like wizarding social customs. Theo tries but there isn't even a book I can read and I'm always afraid I'm saying the wrong thing. There're rules for everything and I don't know them!" Hermione's tone ended in a near wail and Narcissa smiled at Lucius again.
"But there is a book," she said as she signaled for the elves to clear and bring out dessert. "Several, really. I'll send copies of them to you. I admit it's not the same as having to grow up with Aunt Walburga's endless lectures but probably somewhat less unpleasant."
"Unless I have completely misread that child," Lucius would say later, "she'll have even the most obscure etiquette rule memorized by the next time you see her."
. . . . . . . . . .
The potion was ready and they all stared at the gurgling liquid with some dismay. Hermione had stolen robes from the laundry draped over a stool and the red and gold seemed garish in the lab. "Does everyone have a hair?" Hermione asked and Theo pulled out two red hairs.
"One from the git in our year, one from his little sister."
"And who are you?" Hermione asked.
"I," he said, rather smugly, "am your lookout."
"Coward," she muttered. "Do you not trust my brewing?"
Theo laughed. "You two go and entrap Saint Potter. I'll make sure the weasels are out of your way."
Draco took one hair and dropped it into his flask and cringed as the liquid boiled and bubbled and then settled back down, having turned an orangey-red color. Hermione took the longer hair and watched as, after she introduced it to the potion, the whole vial frothed and almost curdled before turning a rather dark red flecked with bits of black.
"Huh," said Theo. "Wouldn't have expected that. Essence of girl Weasley is kind of dark."
"Bottoms up?" Draco asked and Hermione grinned at him and threw back her whole vial. Both boys watched as she seemed to melt and bubble and then, before them, stood a small, red-haired girl who glared at them both.
"Well," she said and nearly jumped at the different sound of her voice. "It worked?"
"It worked," Draco said, and drank his in one swallow. He melted and shifted until Ron Weasley stood in the lab. "I feel stupider," he muttered as Theo handed him his Gryffindor robe.
"You look uglier, that's for sure."
"I'm starting to feel sorry for the girl," Hermione said as she shrugged into the robes. "Can you imagine having to wear this color with this hair?"
"You've been hanging out with Pansy over those Muggle fashion magazines too long," Theo snorted. "Stop worrying about the miniature red girl's style woes and go quiz her stupid hero while I knock out the actual weasels and leave them in some kind of hideously embarrassing compromising position." Draco and Hermione both looked at him and he shrugged. "If you can't keep it clean, keep it in the family."
Draco made a gagging noise and Hermione screwed up her face with utter disgust. "You're really evil, Theo. Are you trying to make me sick?"
He smirked at her as the three of them left the lab.
. . . . . . . . . .
Snape watched the two children transform and traipse out of his lab. If the Dark Lord did return, he wondered, how would the man handle a Muggle-born being quietly taken to the bosom of the family of one of his main supporters?
. . . . . . . . .
Theo veered off to immobilize the two actual members of the weasel clan. Their discovery, hours later, passed out and in one another's arms, fueled gossip that persisted for years.
Draco and Hermione found Potter outside the library.
"There you are," he said to Draco. "Why's she here?"
"My mum wants me to keep an eye on her," Draco said, sounding bored. "What are you doing with this whole Chamber thing?"
"Well," Potter said, slouching against the wall, "Go away."
"No," Hermione said, glaring at the boy.
"As long as she stays away from Malfoy, she'll be fine," Potter said. "I love your mum, but I don't see why you have to baby-sit."
"What do you mean, 'stay away from Malfoy'?" Hermione asked, trying to control her voice.
"Well, Malfoy's clearly the Heir. Who else is that much of a pureblood snot?"
Draco looked at Potter with disgust but managed to say, "I don't think so, mate. Isn't he friends with that Granger girl? And she's no pureblood."
"Gad," Potter made a face. "That swot. Can you believe he took her home for Yule? I'd have loved to be a fly on the wall for that little family gathering. I bet his parents just hate that he's friends with her." He seemed pleased by that idea. "I got my hands on a copy of that Hogwarts: A History book, and the last time the Chamber was opened a Muggle-born died. I wonder if anyone dies this time, if that'll make Dumbledore get rid of Malfoy at last."
"You're sure it's Malfoy?" Hermione asked.
"Who else would it be?" Potter frowned. "I wish Dumbledore would just expel that rotter. I'm tired of everyone thinking it's me just because of the Parseltongue. And the voices thing. I asked Parvati about it and she offered to read my cards. Like tarot cards are going to help if I'm hearing voices." He sulked. "It's so unfair, you know."
"Not really," Hermione said and Potter looked at her.
"Who opened the Chamber last time?" Hermione asked and Potter shrugged.
"I dunno. Why are you even still here?" he asked, tone unfriendly. "Don't you have little girl things to be doing, Ginny?
"I suppose I do," she said and tromped off down the corridor.
Draco sighed and made an apologetic noise and chased after her.
"Well," she said once they were out of earshot, "it's not him. I wonder who it is."
. . . . . . . . .
It was harder to enjoy the way the whole school seemed to believe Potter was the Heir once they knew he wasn't. "I want to know," Hermione muttered as she hauled book after book around, reading everything about the Chamber of Secrets she could find. "What petrifies things?" she asked, nose buried so deeply in a book even Theo's teasing couldn't extricate her.
Draco finally gave up trying to follow her everywhere she went when all she did other than go to classes was to sit, surrounded by books in the library. It seemed safe enough; there had been no attacks in months. Maybe, they thought, the Heir and his tame monster were wary now that the school was on high alert.
"Mr. Malfoy." Draco looked up from an essay he was trying to pad to get an extra two inches. Professor Snape stood in the door of their common room. "Would you be so kind as to follow me?" The tone allowed no argument and Draco shoved his work into his bag and stood.
"I understand you and Miss Granger are… special friends," the man said, his mouth one degree away from a sneer.
"We… she's one of my best mates," Draco said with caution. "But there's no… understanding or anything."
"Mr. Nott." Snape looked further into the room and Theo jumped to his feet. "With us, if you please."
The boys looked at one another in slowly growing horror as Snape led them silently through the halls towards the infirmary. Before he opened the door he said, "This may come as a bit of a shock, but Miss Granger has been attacked, as has another student who is not in our House."
Draco stood in the doorway for a moment and looked at Hermione, frozen on the bed, before he rushed forward and dropped to his knees at her bedside. "Hermione," he whispered. "Can you hear me? It's Draco. I'm right here, Hermione. I'm right here."
"Can you explain this?" Madam Pomfrey held up a small hand mirror and Draco shook his head. She looked at Theo who shook his head as well before pulling a chair up to the side of his friend's bed.
"Hermione," Theo said. "This isn't fair. You don't get to just go and get petrified. How are we supposed to get enough points to beat those Gryffindorks without you?" His voice choked at the end of the sentence.
Snape let them sit with her for a few minutes before he said, voice level, "I will escort you boys back to the dungeons. A strict curfew is being instituted; students are to remain in their dorms except during classes and meals."
"I'm staying," Draco said, not even looking back at Snape.
"Mr. Malfoy," Snape said, sneering now. "You informed me that you and Miss Granger did not have an understanding. Was that inaccurate?" The boy shook his head and Snape said, "Then you will return with me to your dormitory at once." He softened his tone and added, "If you wish to send a message to your father regarding what has befallen Miss Granger I will see to it that he gets it."
. . . . . . . . . .
Lucius Malfoy strode into the school the next day, robes flung behind him. "Dumbledore," he said, accosting the main in the main hall. "I demand an explanation."
"Mr. Malfoy," Dumbledore said, tone mild but eyes blazing. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"
"Do you really want to do this here?" Lucius looked around the hall, at the groups of students not even pretending to look away. When Dumbledore didn't respond the man narrowed his eyes and said, "Very well, then. I have been charged by the Board of Governors to suspend you." He pulled a roll of parchment out of one pocket and handed it over to the Headmaster. "You will find that it's all in order, all twelve signatures in place."
"How many people did you have to threaten to get that signed?" demanded Professor McGonagall, who had approached the pair.
"Not a one." Lucius looked at her. "I realize you are used to operating with almost total autonomy, Minerva, but people start to object when multiple students are attacked and petrified by some monster you are apparently unable to find, much less stop. Did you think you could keep this under wraps because all the victims are Muggle-borns? That since none of them had parents with even the faintest idea how to so much as lodge a complaint you wouldn't be held accountable for the stunning lack of competence?"
"I didn't realize, Lucius, you were so concerned with the fates of the Muggle-born," Dumbledore said with deceptive calm.
"You have consistently overestimated my feelings on blood-purity," Lucius said dismissively. "Try not to assume that because I do not share your somewhat narrow opinion on the Dark Arts and wizarding traditions that we are similarly opposed in all areas. I do believe my son's best friend is a Muggle-born and you've not heard a word of censure from my lips on that matter, nor will you. She is a dear girl. She is also, or so I have been informed, lying petrified in your infirmary without so much as a word to her parents."
"You have taken Miss Granger under your wing," Dumbledore said, exchanging a glance with McGonagall.
"You may think of it that way if you like." Lucius Malfoy examined the other man. "However, I think you should be leaving now."
"Albus," McGonagall objected, "You can't leave. There's sure to be an attack as soon as you leave."
"If I have been suspended by the Board, Minerva, I will, of course, go." Dumbledore's tone was very even. "However, I will never truly leave Hogwarts."
"Poetic, I'm sure," Lucius Malfoy said. "I find, however, that I am less interested in your flights of poetry than I am in the well-being of the children in your infirmary."
. . . . . . . . . . .
Draco walked about, covering his fear for Hermione by bragging to anyone who would listen that his father had gotten rid of Dumbledore. "Worst Headmaster this place has ever had," he said. "Partial, incompetent old bugger. Maybe we'll get a decent Headmaster now."
In Potions he tried not to look at Hermione's empty seat, instead said to Snape, "Maybe you could be Headmaster, sir."
"Dumbledore is merely suspended," Snape said through a tight-lipped smile.
"Still," Draco persisted, "I'm sure you'd have my father's vote, sir. I'm amazed they've even left this school open. Who knows who the monster will attack next." He looked at Potter with loathing. "Maybe you, Potter. Maybe next time the thing will actually finish the job."
. . . . . . . .
"She'll be fine," Theo said in the common room. Pansy and Daphne sat clutching their magazines, fingers turning pages of unmoving Muggle models one after another past their unseeing eyes. "Fine," Theo said again.
"We heard you," Draco snapped.
"You aren't the only one who's worried," Blaise said.
. . . . . . . . . .
"It has to be Draco Malfoy," one girl said to another in the hall. "Those Malfoys were in deep with the Dark Lord and you know what Slytherins are like."
"No," the other girl shook her head. "He'd never hurt Hermione Granger. He's half out of his mind with her petrified up there."
. . . . . . . . . .
Draco sat at Hermione's side. He'd been coming up every day after class but before dinner in order to read to her from some of his favorite books. Madam Pomfrey's insistence that she couldn't hear him had only made him shrug. She didn't respond with so much as a flutter of an eye, but he couldn't stand to just sit there and do nothing and whenever he wasn't there he just worried.
"Hermione," he said, setting the book down and reaching for her hand. "I… I wish you were here. I don't know what to do and you're the one I need to help. My father owled your parents and told them you were sick; told them the medicines would be ready soon. Dumbledore hadn't even informed them anything had happened." He rested his fingers over her stiff, clenched hand and frowned when he realized she had something wadded up in her fist. He tugged at it and pulled out a sheet of paper.
"Basilisk," he breathed, reading it. "Of course. You brilliant, brilliant girl."
He ran through the halls, looking for Theo. "She figured it out," he gasped when he found the boy. "It's a basilisk."
"Of course," Theo said, looking at the paper in Draco's hands. "Merlin, Draco. We should have thought of that."
Neither of them noticed Harry Potter, who'd stepped back into the shadows the moment he saw Draco come tearing past.
. . . . . . . . .
Blaise looked at the paper. "Do we go tracking this thing ourselves?"
Draco rolled his eyes. "Are you an idiot? You want to go face down some kind of mythical beast living in some secret chamber? Do you have a death wish? We tell my father, let him bring in actual experts to deal with the thing."
"Prat," Blaise muttered but his shoulders sagged with relief.
. . . . . . . . . .
By the time Lucius Malfoy arrived the school was in chaos. "What is going on?" He demanded as he walked to the Headmaster's office. "Minerva," he stopped short when the door opened to reveal Albus Dumbledore. "Albus."
"Yes." The man's eyes twinkled. "Upon hearing that there had been another attack I was summoned back to the school. It would seem no one could find a suitable replacement and Professor McGonagall refused to take the position."
"How very loyal of her," Lucius said with a sneer. "Then I shall bring my information to you instead of her. My son has brought to my attention that his friend, Miss Granger, was doing research that has identified the monster as a basilisk. I am sure, Albus – "
"Yes, Lucius." Dumbledore sat calmly. "I am aware."
"I beg your pardon? Then why has nothing been done?"
"But something has been. The monster has been killed."
"And do you know who opened the Chamber in the first place?" Lucius drawled.
"Indeed." Albus Dumbledore leaned back in his seat and regarded his opponent. "The same man who did fifty years ago. Voldemort. This time, however, he used an enchanted diary to bespell an innocent girl and have her do the work for him."
"A likely story," Lucius snorted. "So a student opened the Chamber and you're claiming it was because she was possessed by a man who has been missing for years?"
"That is exactly what I am claiming."
"And this student, this innocent girl who opened the Chamber and loosed a monster on your charges, am I to assume you don't plan to punish her at all?" Lucius Malfoy looked nearly apoplectic.
"I think being possessed by Voldemort is probably quite punishment enough, Lucius."
"Would I be completely wrong in assuming this girl is one of your precious Gryffindors, Albus? An Order child, perhaps?"
"But Lucius, I suspect you know exactly who this child is." Dumbledore leaned forward. "Fortunately she was rescued by her brother and another student, and fortunately the diary that possessed her has been destroyed. If it were to have become known that the daughter of a prominent pureblood family were killing Muggle-borns? Well, it would have discredited her father and the work he's doing with the Muggle Protection Act, not to mention his work trying to track down Dark artifacts, would it not?" There was a long pause.
Lucius Malfoy narrowed his eyes and he and the old wizard stared one another down. Finally Lucius said, "This isn't over."
Dumbledore smiled. "If any more of Tom Riddle's school things were to find themselves in the hands of my students I would know exactly where to look, Lucius. Go check on your little charge up in the infirmary. I'm sure she'd be delighted to know you were the architect of her misfortune."
. . . . . . . .
"I am sorry, child," Lucius said, brushing her hair out of her face. Hermione blinked at him, confused. Draco was hovering just behind his father, looking nervous and awkward. "We are at war, however much it may be a cold one, but I never intended for you to be a casualty."
"I…." Hermione swallowed hard and tried to gather her thoughts. "You don't need to apologize to me, sir."
"Nevertheless, I insist you accept it."
"I…" she looked at Draco who bit his lip and shrugged. "Of course," she finally said.
"And you'll come stay with us at the Manor this summer for a few weeks," Lucius added smoothly. "Daphne and Theo will be there as well so there's no need to be concerned about any appearance of impropriety.
"I… I'd like that."
Lucius walked the children out of the school to the train, resting one hand on Hermione's shoulder. He gazed at Dumbledore, who looked back, as the three of them walked out toward the summer.
. . . . . . . . . .
A/N – Well, and so the slow journey away from canon-Hermione to something else takes another step. I am about 9K words into Year Three, which I should send off to my long-suffering and remarkably patient beta, Shealone (Debt of Time. Sirius/Hermione. Read it.) next week.
Thank you all, again, for your enthusiasm and your reviews and your follows and your everything. The wave of energy you send me keeps me going with this as I try to figure out, no, really, why would Slytherin!Hermione care about Sirius. At all.
Also. It was NINE DEGREES out this morning. Fahrenheit. That's -13 for those of you who live where people use rational measuring systems. It's hard to motivate to do anything when the air hurts your face but you all do help with the motivation. Well, the motivation to write. There is nothing that will motivate me to go outdoors happily today.
I did try to respond to all reviews. Some of you lovely people, of course, reviewed as guests or have the PM feature turned off so… P.E.(Still fangirling over there that you're reading this and I will ABSOLUTELY swap Slytherin!Hermione for Veela!Hermione because I so love your Veela fic.) General Mac (Thank you! I'm about 9K words into Book Three at this point and should have it off to my lovely beta next week.) Silver Star 90 (Thanks!) ferret (as you requested, and thanks!) Guest (She'll get more OOC as we go, I'm afraid) Mel (thank you!), Guest (I'm typing as fast as I can *grin*), Guest (Luna will show up when she shows up in canon. Nev, well, as much as I do love him he's in the rival house so I'm afraid our heroine may be a tad biased against him), Guest (thanks for the ideas!), giggles (Yeah, for the whole thing to work the conceit of 'house trumps blood status' is pretty much essential), Guest (thank you for your suggestion but I don't plan to edit Parvati out), NerdyMom89 (thank you!), Guest (alas, Harry is pretty much the champion of the other side so…), Matt (thank you!), Guest (thank you), Guest (thank you. I had fun with the idea that even her Slytherin friends can't resist teasing her about Lockhart because, well, Lockhart. Eww.), Guest (thank you), Guest (well, I think all your questions were answered by the second half! I hope you like the way it played out), Guest (thanks. Some of the future things I have mapped out, mostly in a series of increasingly silly emails with my beta, and some I'll be winging.)
