I rushed into the first bathroom I could find and locked myself in a stall, feeling tears burn at my eyes. I covered my face and felt the sobs be ripped from my body, and I didn't care if anyone heard me crying this loudly in the bathroom. Anyone who wanted to say something could just shove-

"Why're you crying?"

I wiped my eyes hard and looked up to see the ghostly head of a girl sticking through the closed stall door. I blinked and sniffed loudly, wiping my eyes again. The ghost girl frowned. "I already saw you crying."

I sniffed again. "My friends found out I'm Muggleborn."

Moaning Myrtle blinked and floated until she was completely in the stall. I moved back on the toilet, trying to give her room. Moaning Myrtle pushed her round glasses up farther on her nose, looking slightly awkward. "What happened?" She asked.

I looked up at the ghost and sniffed loudly. "My friend, Pansy, she and everyone else hates Muggleborns. So when they found out, they started..." I paused. "I can't go into my own common room anymore. The entire House knows and I can't take one step inside the common room without someone calling me Mudblood or accusing me of tricking the hat or telling me that I don't deserve to be at Hogwarts. I came here because...because Draco Malfoy said I should be the Mudblood that dies from Slytherin's monster."

Moaning Myrtle's silvery eyes welled up with tears and she started crying along with me. Her wails were so much louder than the crying I was doing, but her noise was covering up any sound of me. By the time I calmed myself down and wiped my face with a wad of toilet paper, Moaning Myrtle's see through tears had stopped and she was left sniffling with me.

"I hate crying." I said through a thick voice. I wiped roughly at my eyes.

"It's good to cry though," Moaning Myrtle replied. Even though she was done weeping, the silver tears were still sliding down her face. "I cry every day."

I stared up at the ghost and realized how close she was floating in front of me. "Can we leave this stall?" I asked. Moaning Myrtle floated backwards through the stall door, I went after her and almost the moment I left the stall, the door to the bathroom opened and Granger walked in.

"There you are." Granger said. "Professor McGonagall sent me to come fetch you." She paused. "If it makes you feel better, Professor McGonagall gave Malfoy detention for two months for what he said."

"And knowing who Draco's father is, he'll somehow weasel his way out of it with a slap on the wrist." I fired back. "Consequences don't apply to someone like Draco."

Granger blinked and she set her mouth in a thin line. "I'm sorry, Schmidt. I never thought about how hard it would be being a Muggleborn in Slytherin. How bad did it get that first night?"

I thought back to the day I told them I was Muggleborn, how none of the Slytherins sat near me during class for the rest of the day. And word of what had happened had spread like wildfire so by the end of the day, everyone in my year knew, and half of Slytherin House knew. Instantly, some the older Slytherin students had started asking how I tricked the Sorting Hat.

Marcus Flint was the most aggressive of them. "Hey Mudblood, you think Slytherin's monster will rip you to shreds when it finds out you've been hiding among us?"

"I haven't been hiding." I had tried to explain. But I was interrupted by a fourth year named Patricia Stimpson throwing a ball of ink at the back of my head. I had gone into my dorm room after that, curling into the safety of my four poster bed with the curtains tightly closed. I heard my roommates enter the room, talking to each other in hushed voices.

Pansy's voice had cut through all of them. "I don't know about you ladies, but I don't want to be sharing my room with dirty, filthy liars."

She slapped the curtain hiding me from them and I flinched at the sudden movement. I waited for the lights to go out and for everyone to be sleeping before sneaking out to go to the bathrooms and clean up.

Every day for the past week had gone like this. I spent almost all of my time in the library, staying away from the Common Room. I started eating all of my meals in the kitchens; the house elves were always so happy to see me. Whenever I went back to the dungeons for bed, I'd hide in my bed with the curtains drawn until the others went to sleep, and that was when I creep to the bathrooms and get fully ready for bed.

It had officially been a week since everyone found out, and it still didn't hurt any less that Draco said that I should be the Muggleborn who died.

After I finished explaining everything to Granger and Moaning Myrtle, who was still floating around me, Granger looked utterly sympathetic. Moaning Myrtle started crying again. Granger looked awkward for a moment before saying, "If you want, we can study in the library together. So you don't have to be alone all the time. I know you and Neville are friends, but you can always have more than one friend in Gryffindor."

I blinked at her, not expecting this offer at all. Granger smiled kindly at me, and I found myself smiling back rather easily. I wiped my eyes again and I heard Moaning Myrtle let out a small wail and floated away, taking her tears with her. Granger must have sensed how awkward I was feeling because she continued, "I'm going to be in the library tonight for a while. I think I may have an idea on what Slytherin's monster is. If you want, you could come by and help; two heads are better than one, after all."

When Granger and I left Moaning Myrtle's bathroom (after saying goodbye to her), we walked together back to Professor McGonagall's classroom. Professor McGonagall didn't say anything as we entered the classroom, and I refused to look at the four tables that kept all the Slytherins. I sat down beside the Ravenclaw boy I had been sitting next to before, and scribbled some new notes on Transfiguration in my notebook.


I went down to the kitchen for dinner, not feeling up to sitting at the Slytherin table that night. I tickled the pear and the portrait swung open with its high pitched giggle. Seven house elves met me as the portrait closed behind me.

"What do you recommend from dinner tonight?" I asked the crowd of house elves.

The one closest to me grinned. "I worked very hard on some roast beef, madam! I'll go get you some!" He dashed off.

I asked for mashed potatoes and pumpkin juice from two more house elves. They scattered as I sat down subconsciously at the end of the Slytherin table and I wasn't waiting for long before a trio of house elves returned with my food requests. I had just begun to dig into my lonely dinner when I heard the pear's giggle and the portrait door swung open.

The crowd of house elves rushed to go greet the people walking into the kitchen. I immediately recognized the Weasley twins and turned to go back to my food.

"Schmidt?"

I turned around in my seat to see the Weasley twins standing close by, glaring at me. The one I knew to be Fred took the first step forward. "What're you doing here?"

"I didn't want to sit with my house." I said dryly, not seeing the point in lying to them.

Fred snorted. "Why's that? Things get a bit too hostile down in the dungeons?"

"Yes." I said just as dryly. "They did just find out about me being Muggle born and all."

The twins looked at each other with matching frowns. "That wasn't made up?" The other one-George-asked.

"Why the hell would I make something like that up?"

George shrugged and moved forward until he sat down on the other side of the table, directly across from me. "When Ron told us, we weren't sure he was being truthful."

"Wasn't until Hermione backed him up, we even thought about taking him seriously." Fred finished, taking the seat right next to his twin. They stared at me for an uncomfortable amount of time.

I narrowed my eyes at them. "Is there a reason you're staring at me like I just grew another head?"

Fred rested his chin on his hand and continued staring at me. "Never thought I'd see a genuine Muggle born Slytherin. You must be the first one in a century. I honestly couldn't tell-you're prickly enough."

I felt my face burn red and I glared hard at both of them. "I came down here for a decent meal where no one was acting like I stabbed everyone in the back. Now shut up and let me eat my dinner."

A house elf approached cautiously, a platter of desserts in her arms. She narrowed her large eyes as she looked between me and the twins. George smiled down at the house elf and offered to take the dessert from the house elf. I watched through narrowed eyes as the house elf left, looking over her shoulder in suspicion that we'd start snapping at each other again.

But the Weasley twins seemed determined to not do that. Fred leaned forward and cupped his chin in his hands. "So, Schmidt." He started as his twin began piling slices of cake onto a plate. "Why do you think the Hat did it? Why'd it put you in Slytherin?"

I blinked at him. "I don't know. Why'd it sort you in Gryffindor?"

"Because my whole family's been in Gryffindor." Fred answered. "What's your excuse?"

I chose to ignore his question and ate some of my dinner, allowing the Weasley twins to stuff their faces with cake and talk to themselves until I was ready to talk to them again. The twins took my cold shoulder in stride and began talking about Quidditch.

I was halfway through my dinner when the twins decided to rope me back into a conversation. "What d'you think, Schmidt? Do you think the Wasps have a chance at being in next year's World Cup?" Fred asked.

"Unless it's about the House teams, I don't know anything about Quidditch." I replied evenly.

George frowned. "In that case, do you think Hufflepuff has a chance of beating Gryffindor this week?"

I frowned and pretended to think about it. "Hufflepuff haven't been that good at Quidditch in the games I've seen them in. Gryffindor have won nearly every game they've come across. So statistically speaking, Gryffindor has the advantage."

Fred grinned cheekily. "How do you think Gryffindor will fare against Slytherin?"

"You already beat Slytherin."

"Let's be real, Schmidt." Fred said with a dismissive hand wave. "Slytherin will flatten Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff when they play both teams. Gryffindor will play against Slytherin in the finals, I guarantee it. So which do you think will win?" He and George both leaned forward with identical smiles on their faces.

I looked between them and snorted in amusement. "Given how good of a Seeker Potter is and how most of the guys on the Slytherin team are prone to angry outbursts when things don't go their way, I'm putting my money on Gryffindor."

The twins high fived and let out whoops. I smirked at the pair of them and continued eating. For the most part, the twins left me in peace, only interrupting every so often to ask my opinion on this or that. By the time I finished my meal, the twins had saved a single slice of cake, which they promptly put on a plate and handed to me.

"You're cool, Schmidt." Fred declared. "You're the only Slytherin I know who hates Slytherin."

"I never said I hated Slytherin." I pointed out. "I just have my deep seated issues with the public opinion of Slytherin."

"You sound like a politician." George remarked.

"I have been thinking of a job at the Ministry."

"Ew," The twins both said at the exact same time.

"Never mind," Fred said. "You're no longer cool."

I laughed shortly without thinking and the twins suddenly looked very happy with themselves. "We made her laugh!" George cheered to high heavens. I snorted again and laughed a little more freely this time.

When the cake was gone, the Weasley twins and I left the kitchen together. We waved goodbye to the house elves and headed up the stairs to the ground floor to go our separate ways. I started heading towards the stairs that would lead me down to the dungeons. But the Weasley twins stopped me.

"Oh," Fred shouted down the hall at me. "By the way, you're our favorite Slytherin now!"

"See you later, Schmidty!" George shouted his goodbye. I felt a stiff smile cross my face and I lifted my hand slightly to gesture goodbye. Fred and George Weasley responded by waving their arms goodbye. I felt rather light hearted leaving the Weasley twins after that, and as I made my way down to the cold dungeon Common Room, I thought back on what Granger had said about having more than one friend in Gryffindor.


The Gryffindor and Hufflepuff Quidditch game was this Saturday afternoon, and it would be the first Quidditch game I didn't attend since coming to Hogwarts. Pansy made it clear to me that I wouldn't be allowed to sit with the Slytherins during the game, and I wasn't confident enough to sit with Longbottom or Granger in the Gryffindor section. So as the school got excited and ready for the game, I grabbed my school books and went into a corner of the library.

The library was almost entirely empty, making the silence seem almost unbearably loud. I passed a Ravenclaw prefect with braided blond hair and Madam Pince walking farther back into the library. I sat down at a table and opened up my Transfiguration textbook, ready to write my essay for homework.

If there was any plus side to my entire House turning their backs on me, it was that I had plenty of alone time to keep on top of my homework.

I wasn't alone for long before I heard the sudden sound of footsteps rushing towards me. I looked up just in time to see Granger running towards me, looking flushed and terrified. She skidded to a halt in front of my table.

"It's a basilisk!" She hissed at me in a terrified breath. "The monster in the Chamber of Secrets; that's what it is!"

I blinked and gaped at her. "Oh okay. What do we do? Who do we tell?"

"We have to tell Dumbledore." Granger said in a rush, hurrying around the table and grabbing my hand, yanking me to my feet. "He has to know!"

"Wait, I didn't help you figure this out." I started.

"It's trying to kill Muggleborns, Schmidt." Granger insisted. "If I go tell Dumbledore and it finds you alone, you could get killed."

I stared at her for a moment before turning to start grabbing my stuff. "Let's go then."

Granger and I rushed towards the exit, nearly knocking into the Ravenclaw prefect on our way out. Granger hurriedly asked her for a mirror and the prefect stared weirdly at Granger.

"We know what the monster of Slytherin is." I explained in an angry whisper, not wanting to bring Madam Pince down on us. "We're on our way to go tell Dumbledore."

A flash of fear went over the prefect's face. "Are you both Muggleborn?" She asked. Granger and I both nodded and the prefect let out a shuddering sigh. "I'll help you two get there." She dug into her bag and pulled out a hand mirror. She stared at it for a moment before looking at me and Granger. "I've never been to Dumbledore's office."

"I know the way." Granger said confidently. She took the mirror and led the way to the library doors. "I'm Hermione Granger, by the way."

The prefect tried to smile but it came across as very forced and scared. "Penelope Clearwater. Also a Muggleborn."

What were the odds of three Muggleborn girls in the library on this day? Granger and Penelope Clearwater both looked very nervous as we left the library, and I imagined that I looked the exact same way. Granger opened the library doors and used the mirror to check the corners before we left the safe haven. As she stepped out of the doors, she reached back and grabbed onto my hand, and I felt a piece of folded paper hidden in her fist. Following Granger's lead, I reached back and grabbed onto Clearwater's hand, bringing the prefect along.

Our progress was slow as we clung to the walls of the corridors. There was no one around the the empty halls echoed with our footsteps. Everyone must already be heading down to the Quidditch pitch. I swallowed hard as we paused at another corner and Granger stuck the mirror out to the side to see if the basilisk was lurking there.

I seemed to hear the basilisk before anything else registered. The sound of a heavy body dragging itself around the stone floors echoed around before Granger stuck the mirror out around the corner.

Then I felt Granger's hand turn to stone in my hand and I barely had time to register the utter terror that clawed its way into my throat as my eyes instinctively went to the mirror and I saw a flash of yellow eyes.

I gasped loudly as I felt my muscles stiffen and my vision went black and suddenly it was like I was sleeping.