Author's Note: I'm really sorry for the delay; I've been rather busy lately. Time is going to start to pass faster now that Hermione has had all her classes. I tried to write a longer chapter than usual, bit it ended up shorter than some of the chapters here anyway.
Disclaimer: The Harry Potter universe belongs to J. K. Rowling.
The weekend passed by quickly. Hermione finished her rules project, writing down all the loopholes in the book and memorizing the frequently-broken rules. There were, of course, lots of essays to be finished, so Hermione helped Pansy and Tracey with them as Daphne generally preferred to work on her own. Daphne seemed to be getting more distant, staring out the window frequently and staying away from the Slytherin boys. When Hermione tried to ask her what was wrong, Daphne replied "nothing".
Hermione had owled her father on this matter, and he had said not to push it. Instead, if Daphne didn't start talking to people soon, she was to make alliances with the Malfoy heir no matter how full of himself he was. Hermione really hoped that Daphne started becoming friendly again.
When they returned to school on Monday, Hermione continued to do well in her classes, doing her best to stay away from Potter and Weasley. It wasn't that difficult, since she only had Potions with the Gryffindors and they seemed to be avoiding the Slytherins. The Hogwarts library was amazing, filled with books and completely quiet. That was also where she met Padma Patil, an intelligent Ravenclaw girl who loved to discuss Astronomy. She had a twin sister, Parvarti Patil, who was in Gryffindor, but Padma was willing to talk to Slytherins. Padma and Hermione worked on their star charts together, Padma dispensing useful information about Mars along the way.
On Thursday, they had their first flying lesson – with the Gryffindors. Hermione groaned, but Draco Malfoy seemed excited. "Ha! I bet Potter will make quite a fool of himself." Pansy just rolled her eyes in response, since Malfoy was always insulting Potter. Well, Potter was obnoxious and deserved it, but Hermione didn't want to hear about him every single time the Slytherins had a conversation together! Meanwhile, Malfoy was boasting about his flying skills.
"- and then," Malfoy was saying, "I was hanging off my broomstick, still piloting it, and trying to avoid the helicopter blades of that machine the filthy muggle was riding. But I was smarter than that muggle scum, and I went up, confusing him, and dove back towards the ground, narrowly avoiding death!" He was always bragging about escaping muggles in helicopters, and because most of the stories were highly unrealistic if you've ever seen a helicopter, Hermione was certain that he had made them up.
Unlike Malfoy, who was utterly confident in his flying skills, Hermione was very nervous about Thursday afternoon. At breakfast on Thursday morning, Hermione felt rather sick. She had gotten a book called Quidditch Through the Ages and recited all the flying tips that were listed. Hermione had never ridden on a broom before, so she was worried about embarrassing herself in front of her new friends. Looking around the room, she saw Longbottom receive a small glass ball full of white smoke, which she recognized as a Remembrall. Malfoy noticed too, and Hermione gave a small groan. Yes, Longbottom was an idiot, but he had seemed rather nice. The last thing he needed was Malfoy picking on him. Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle all stood up and began to walk towards the Gryffindor table, with the rest of the first year Slytherins watching from afar. Professor McGonagall had apparently spotted the look on Malfoy's face when he saw the Remembrall and was running towards the Gryffindors. Malfoy snatched Longbottom's Remembrall out of his hands, causing Potter and Weasley to jump to their feet. Hermione watched as McGonagall arrived and Malfoy dropped the Remembrall back on the table.
The first part of the day passed in a blur, going to all of her classes and thinking about the flying lesson to come. It was a nice day, the sun shining brightly as the first year Slytherins traveled towards the grounds. "Good Quidditch weather," Theodore Nott was saying, looking at the sky. "The school brooms are rubbish, of course, but it's good that we've got flying lessons today instead of yesterday." The previous day had brought a huge storm, which had almost ruined Hermione's books. Luckily, Gemma Farley, one of the prefects, had cast a charm on them to make them impervious to water. Soon, the Gryffindors arrived, talking noisily amongst themselves.
"Well, what are you waiting for?" Madam Hooch, the flying instructor with hawk-like yellow eyes, said sharply. "Everyone stand by a broomstick. Come on, hurry up. Stick out your right hand over your broom and say 'Up!'"
Hermione stared down at her old broom and shouted "UP!" Her broom rolled over on the ground. "Up!" She said again. "Up. Up." She pleaded. She couldn't be bad at this, she had to prove herself since she was a half-blood. It was very, very important that she didn't mess this up! "Up!" Finally, the broom shot into the air and hit her in the nose. "Ouch!"
"You okay?" Pansy asked, concerned.
"I'm fine." Hermione said quickly, wondering why she had to be the worst one at Quidditch. Well, actually she wasn't the worst; that was Longbottom, whose hadn't moved at all. Madam Hooch demonstrated the way to sit on the broom, pacing up and down the rows of broomsticks to correct the students' grips.
"No, no, no, Mr. Malfoy!" Madam Hooch said, moving Malfoy's hands into the proper position. "This is the correct way!"
"This is how my father said to do it! I've always done it this way!" Malfoy protested.
"And is your father the teacher? You've been doing it wrong for years. Now pay attention." Madam Hooch commanded. Hermione heard Weasley and Potter laugh at this statement, apparently just as keen to see Malfoy embarrassed as he was to see them make fools of themselves.
"Now, when I blow my whistle, you kick off from the ground, hard. Keep your brooms steady, rise a few feet and then come straight back down by leaning forward slightly." Hermione felt apprehensive about flying so early, but she couldn't not lift off so she didn't have much of a choice. "On my whistle – three – two -"
But Longbottom pushed off the ground before Madam Hooch had even begun to blow the whistle and He shot off the ground like a bullet out of a gun. Rising higher and higher in the air, Hermione watched him look down and slip, falling sideways off the broom, there was nothing Hermione could do, and –
THUD! He hit the ground with a sickening crunch and something cracked as he fell face-down on the grass in a heap. Madam Hooch bent over Longbottom, ignoring his broomstick which was drifting off towards the forbidden forest. "Broken wrist, come on, boy – it's all right, up you get." Malfoy was trying to conceal his laughter, and for a second Hermione felt like asking him what Longbottom ever did to him, but then she remembered that it was wise not to offend the people in power. Madam Hooch turned to the rest of the class and told them not to move or else they'd be expelled. Supporting Longbottom, Madam Hooch guided the boy off to the hospital wing.
As soon as they were out of sight, Malfoy burst into laughter, no longer trying to hide his amusement. "Did you see his face, the great lump?" The other Slytherins began to laugh to, except Daphne. But Daphne never laughed or expressed much emotion ever, so that was to be expected. Hermione on the other hand, was supposed to laugh. She didn't want to, but that was what her father would expect, so she joined in as best she could.
"Shut up, Malfoy." Parvati Patil, one of the Gryffindor girls, snapped.
"Sticking up for Longbottom?" Pansy responded. "Never thought you'd like a fat little crybaby." She looked at Hermione, expecting her to say something.
"Look at that, it's the Remembrall his gran sent him!" Hermione said, not believing what was coming out of her mouth. She did what she had to do…but this was going a bit too far.
"Thanks, Granger!" Malfoy said, darting forwards and snatching something out of the grass.
"Give that here, Malfoy." Potter challenged. Everyone stopped chattering and turned to watch the conflict that was almost certainly about to occur.
"I think I'll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to find – how about a tree?"
"Give it here!" Potter yelled.
Malfoy glanced at the castle to check for Madam Hooch before leaping onto his broomstick and taking off. Malfoy stopped to hover level with the topmost branches of an oak tree, before calling "come and get it, Potter!" Potter, like the idiot he was, grabbed his broom and soared up into the air. Hermione noticed that he was actually flying well, despite her and Pansy coming to the conclusion that he had been raised by muggles. All the Gryffindor girls and Tracey screamed and gasped, and Weasley gave an admiring whoop.
Potter turned his broomstick to face Malfoy. "Give it here or I'll knock you off that broom!"
"Oh, yeah?" Malfoy sneered. Hermione could tell he was worried. Potter shot forwards, with Malfoy escaping just in time. Potter turned sharply, making Patil and Brown clap. So the idiot Potter not only breaks the rules, he also gets applause for it? Malfoy was right, Hogwarts really was becoming a disaster.
"No Crabbe and Goyle up here to save your neck, Malfoy!" Potter called.
"Catch it if you can, then!" Malfoy shouted, throwing the glass ball high into the air and streaking back towards the ground.
"Good one, Draco!" Theodore Nott said, high-fiving Malfoy. Wizards did high-fives? Purebloods did something muggles did? It was actually pretty amusing to Hermione.
Meanwhile, Potter dove downwards, Gryffindors screaming, and stretched out his hand. He caught the ball a foot from the ground and toppled onto the grass.
"HARRY POTTER!" McGonagall shouted, running towards the students assembled on the training grounds. Potter got to his feet, trembling. "Never – in all my time at Hogwarts – how dare you – you might have broken your neck!"
"It wasn't his fault, Professor!" Patil protested.
"Be quiet!" McGonagall snapped. She was scary when she was angry, even more frightening than usual.
"But Malfoy –"
"That's quite enough, Mr. Weasley. Potter, follow me, now." Malfoy grinned triumphantly, watching Potter follow Professor McGonagall back into the castle. Professor Snape and Madam Hooch ran towards the students, their robes streaming behind them.
"What happened?" Madam Hooch asked, staring at the students. "Mr. Nott, what exactly occurred that made Mr. Potter dive fifty feet on a broomstick when I told you all to not move an inch?"
"Potter wanted to show off, Professor." Nott said, looking straight at Professor Snape. "So he decided to do some stupid tricks in the air."
"No, Madam Hooch, it was Malfoy, he stole Malfoy's Remembrall and tried to drop it!" Weasley protested.
"It's true, Professor!" One of the Gryffindor boys agreed, nodding.
"What punishment do you think will be suitable for Mr. Malfoy?" Madam Hooch asked.
"I hardly think that the word of obviously biased Gryffindors should be taken on this matter." Professor Snape said. Hermione wasn't sure what she should be doing, so she stayed silent.
"We shall wait until Professor McGonagall arrives." Madam Hooch said. "For now, students, sit down away from the broomsticks." Hermione sat down along with the other students. She felt rather nervous, as if everyone there was going to get in trouble. They might – Professor McGonagall favored the Gryffindor students, and she might blame all the Slytherins for the incident. Soon, Professor McGonagall ran down the marble steps and out onto the grounds.
"What is happening?" Professor McGonagall asked. "Are you unable to find out what happened?"
"We are receiving…conflicting reports." Professor Snape stated. "The Gryffindors accused Mr. Malfoy of riding his broomstick and provoking Mr. Potter, although every single one of my Slytherins agrees with me that he would not be that foolish."
"If the Gryffindors all say that's what happened, then we can safely conclude that that is precisely what happened." Madam Hooch said, her yellow eyes firing up angrily.
"The Gryffindors are known for telling untruths." Professor Snape responded carefully. "And every single one of the Slytherins here agrees that Mr. Malfoy did not break any of the rules. Ask any one of them."
"Very well, I shall ask one of the Slytherins, and if they say Mr. Malfoy is innocent then we shall say he is not proven guilty. But if not – then in that case expulsion would be in order. I am aware of certain students' tendency to frame their rivals in the most negative manner possible." Professor McGonagall said, scanning the group of Slytherin students. Her eyes finally landed on Hermione, and she was sure that Professor McGonagall was recalling the previous Slytherin Transfiguration class in which Hermione had managed to turn in a three foot long essay instead of the required foot. "Miss Granger? Please tell me exactly what occurred."
Hermione didn't know what to do. She did not want to lie to a teacher, but she couldn't make an enemy of Malfoy, that would be a complete disaster. And she couldn't choose halfway; any lie she told would have to be utterly convincing. Taking a deep breath, Hermione began her story. "As soon as Madam Hooch left, Weasley began to insult Longbottom, saying that he was almost a squib if he couldn't even keep his broom on the ground. Potter joined in, saying that even though he had never ridden a broomstick before he could do much better. So first he stole Longbottom's Remembrall and tossed it around a bit. And then, he got on his broomstick and flew up into the air. All the Gryffindors were encouraging him, and he did some turns on the broomstick before flying up really high. Right by that oak tree over there. He dropped the Remembrall and dove for it, which is where you found saw him."
"Thank you, Miss Granger, I trust that you told the truth." Professor McGonagall said. It made Hermione feel bad, really evil inside. She had lied to a teacher. She had just lied to a teacher! Hermione must have broken at least three school rules. Yes, she could count them: Be completely honest with any and all members of the staff, as well as Show the utmost respect to all members of the staff, and there was Do not spread falsehoods about other students or staff members. Oh wait, there was also Show respect to your fellow students. Hermione had broken four school rules, all to make an alliance. Actually, it was more to avoid making an enemy because Malfoy would have managed to not get expelled. He would have detention or something, and then try to get revenge. There really was no choice. "Well, I really do have no choice – thirty points from Gryffindor for Mr. Potter's behavior." Professor McGonagall continued, adding "Yes, Miss Brown, from my own house" when Lavender Brown tried to protest. Class is dismissed."
The Slytherins and Gryffindors rushed towards the castle, Slytherins trying to get in there so that they didn't get in a fight with Gryffindors because they lied and Gryffindors chasing after the Slytherins to confront them. "You know you lied, Granger!" Hermione turned around to see Weasley and Finnigan behind her, wands pointed. "And you're not going to get away with telling lies about Harry like that!"
"We're not going to let Slytherins bully Harry Potter, and I'm sure the other Gryffindors would agree. It's you that should be expelled!" Finnigan said, practically shouting. The other Slytherins turned around at the noise.
"It's you who's bullying us." Hermione said coldly. "Step down, there's more of us than you." Weasley looked like he was going to argue, but Professor Snape conveniently chose that time to sweep past, giving Hermione the time to move away from the Gryffindors.
"Where are you going, Hermione?" Pansy asked. "You're right, there's more of us than them."
"It's not worth it." Hermione said. She still felt really bad about lying, especially since Potter really hadn't done anything to her. They walked back to their common room, talking only once they were clear of the Gryffindors.
"Wow, she actually believed you Hermione!" Tracey said, smiling. "Because you're her star student or something. That's really useful!"
"Really Slytherin." Zabini added. "If everyone believes you, Gryffindor will be in negative house points by the time the year's up!" Hermione nodded, although she secretly hated that she was getting congratulated for breaking the ruled. It was just – wrong. That was an interesting use of the word. Her father had told her that "wrong" was what didn't help her. Lying helped, so how could it be wrong? And yet – Hermione kept remembering the look on Professor McGonagall's face when she said that she was sure Hermione was telling the truth.
"Hey, Granger?" Malfoy said, interrupting Hermione's faults. "Thanks for telling her that. I mean, my father's on the school board, so I wouldn't have gotten expelled, but you saved me from a few detentions. And got Gryffindor to lose 30 points, taken by Professor McGonagall no less!" He grinned at the last part. Again, Hermione hated everyone acting like she had just done something great, but if she had already lied she might as well do what her father would want.
"You're welcome. Slytherins have to stick together." Hermione responded. Of course, Slytherins didn't stick together, that was something that most learned by sixth year, but still. It was as good of a response as she could think of."
"Mind if I call you Hermione?"
"Sure." The Slytherins finished walking back to the common room, and Nott spoke the password. Hermione had been planning to work on her herbology essay, but she really, really needed to owl her father. She wrote from the dormitory, using her favorite quill.
Dear Father,
The past few days have been rather ordinary, except for an incident that occurred today. I made a new friend, Padma Patil. She's a pureblood Ravenclaw whose parents came here to get away from a war in their home country.
I've been doing well in my classes, and today we've had our first flying lesson. Apparently, brooms don't really like me, and sadly they're not something that you learn from a book, but at least I'm better than Longbottom! He rose up into the air too early and couldn't control his broom, so he fell and broke his wrist. Professor Hooch said that we would be expelled if we flew at all we would be expelled. Everyone immediately began to insult Longbottom, at least the Slytherins, and the Gryffindors were trying to defend him when Draco Malfoy found the Remembrall that Longbottom had gotten at breakfast. Potter yelled for him to give it back, and for some reason (was he purposely trying to lose Slytherin points?) Malfoy started flying into the air with the Remembrall. Then, Potter follows him up and they all have some sort of air argument over the Remembrall (is it seriously worth getting expelled for?) and Malfoy drops it 50 feet. Potter dives down to catch it, Malfoy returning to the ground first. McGonagall comes in just as he manages to somehow catch it a foot from the ground and takes him into the castle. Professor Snape and Madam Hooch came out to see exactly what happened.
Of course, the Gryffindors said it was Malfoy's fault and Malfoy and his cronies denied that he even touched his broomstick. They waited until Professor McGonagall came out, and then she was going to believe the Gryffindors until Professor Snape said any of the Slytherins would deny it because they weren't biased by the Gryffindor urge to lie. And I don't know why, but Professor McGonagall agreed to that and asked me exactly what happened. I guess I was her favorite Slytherin because I'm the best in her subject. She actually gave me house points for that, and she favors the Gryffindors! Anyway, I didn't want to lie about it, but if I told the truth Slytherin would lose lots of points and then Malfoy would want revenge. So I said that Potter was just trying to show off. But it still feels wrong somehow.
After class, the Gryffindors attempted to fight me and my friends, but Professor Snape came by just in time and we avoided conflict. Malfoy seemed grateful that I lied about it, even though I was just trying to not be hated by the other Slytherins, but as you told me, it's really useful if someone in a position of power owes you something.
Hermione decided to leave the letter unfinished, because she had the feeling that something interesting would happen at dinner, but she rolled it up and stuck it in her bag. Then she took out her Herbology books and began to work on her essay.
"Hermione!" She tried not to groan as she saw Draco Malfoy behind her along with Crabbe and Goyle. "I've got a plan to get back at Potter and Weasley, and I thought you might want to help."
"Ok." Hermione said, although there were much better uses of her time. "I'm ahead on homework, I can help."
"Right. Potter and Weasley are idiots, so we challenge them to a wizards duel and of course they'll accept because they're Gryffindors." Draco begins.
"You're not going to the wizards duel, are you? Because Slytherin could lose a lot of points."
"Of course not! I was going to anonymously tip off Filch about them being in the trophy room, but there's a chance he won't believe it and think it's a trick to get him out of the way for students to sneak around somewhere else and we could accomplish the opposite."
"So you want me to tip him off in person."
"We could earn Slytherin lots of points for informing Filch about rule breakers, and Gryffindor would lose lots of points." Draco reasoned.
"Alright."
"And is it okay if I choose you for my second in the wizards duel that's not going to happen? Because I don't want to spend an hour explaining to Crabbe or Goyle that I tricked Potter and Weasley and we're not actually going."
"Sure." Hermione really just wanted to get back to her homework, but this would get Weasley in trouble and he had been trying to threaten her earlier that day.
"Eating your last meal, Potter? When are you getting the train back to the Muggles?" Hermione heard Draco say. She stood by Crabbe and Goyle, and also by Pansy, waiting for Draco to issue the challenge.
"You're a lot braver now that you're back on the ground and you've got your little friends with you." Potter responded.
"I'd take you on anytime. Tonight, wizards duel. Wands only – no contact. What's the matter? Never heard of a wizard's duel before, I suppose?"
"Of course he has." Weasley defended. "I'm his second, who's yours?"
Draco turned around and pretended to be deciding. "Hermione. Midnight, all right? We'll meet you in the trophy room; that's always unlocked." They all walked off back to the Slytherin table to finish their dinner.
After dinner was over, Hermione started the walk to Filch's office. The room was gloomy and windowless with a single oil lamp dangling from the ceiling. The smell of fried fish filled the room and wooden filing cabinets were pushed against the wall. A shining mass of chains and manacles hung from the wall behind the wooden desk at which Filch sat.
"Granger, are you trying to dirty the floor? I just cleaned it, but of course you wouldn't care…you students laughing too much and smiling, yes smiling like there's something wrong with your faces!"
"Um, Mr. Filch? I heard Potter and Weasley talking about how they were going to sneak into the trophy room tonight, and I just thought it would be best to, um, tell you that." Hermione said, slightly intimidated by the shackles hanging behind the desk. She wasn't lying, not technically. She did hear them agreeing to sneak into the trophy room, so it was okay if one of them threatened to hex her, right? Hermione really didn't want to be lying again, but she couldn't really refuse to tell Filch about Gryffindor rulebreakers.
"A likely story, that. More likely trying to sneak to the other side yourselves and trick me and Mrs. Norris." Filch said nastily, petting an ugly cat that had peeked out from behind the desk.
"Well, if that was my plan, sir, I wouldn't have come to you in person. I would have tipped you off anonymously so that you wouldn't suspect me." Hermione reasoned. Filch was obviously taken aback by the use of "sir", since most students weren't respectful to him in the slightest, and the logic did make sense.
"Erm, thank you, Granger, for the advice."
"You're welcome." Hermione said, leaving the room as quickly as possible without appearing to rush. That was probably the gloomiest place she had ever seen, and that smell was downright horrible.
When she got out, Hermione went back to the common room and added the part about the duel to her letter before sending it to her father with Archimedes. Then, she finished her homework and went to bed, trying not to wonder if Weasley and Potter would get caught.
The next day, Weasley and Potter were still at Hogwarts. Hermione should have known that Potter was too famous to get expelled, and now that they were still in Hogwarts they would have to watch out. They would know that she had been in on the plan, and Weasley had already tried to hex her after she got Potter in trouble for the broomstick incident. And now, it couldn't possibly get worse, Hermione thought. At least they seem to hate Malfoy more. Hermione turned out to be wrong.
When the owls came in, dropping letters down to their owners, a large thin parcel was delivered to Potter. At once, Hermione knew what it was. A broomstick. Potter had broken the rules and he got a broomstick for it? Potter and Weasley started to take the broomstick out of the Great Hall in order to unwrap it.
"C'mon." Malfoy said to Crabbe and Goyle, leading them out of the room.
"We should follow." Pansy said. "Or else there might be an actual wizards duel." Hermione couldn't help but agree; Draco was always meaner when his cronies were around, and Potter and Weasley always managed to make everything into a fight. Hopefully if Pansy and Hermione followed, Slytherin wouldn't lose any points.
"You'll be in for it this time, Potter, first years aren't allowed them." Hermione heard Draco saying.
"It's not any old broomstick, it's a Nimbus Two Thousand!" Weasley said, grinning. "What did you say you've got at home, Malfoy, a Comet Two Sixty? May look flashy, but not in the same league as the Nimbus."
"And you have to brag about your friend's possessions because you're too poor to have any of your own." Hermione found herself saying. It wasn't even a good insult, but she was still really annoyed with Weasley.
"Just because you thought of the plan to get us detention, Granger, doesn't mean that you can go around insulting me!" Weasley said angrily. He thought Hermione had created the plan? Oh, no, now he was really going to try and get revenge.
"Not arguing, I hope." Professor Flitwick said as he walked past. Potter began to talk with him, so Hermione left the room as quickly as possible and returned to the Slytherin common room. Before the year was over, Weasley was going to try to hex her, she was sure of that. And, Hermione thought as she looked through her spell books, when he does I'm going to be ready.
AN: Please review; it definitely encourages me to keep writing. Next chapter will probably cover Halloween. And again, I apologize for the long delay for this chapter.