A/N: THANK YOU FOR 1000+ STORY VIEW! I love you all so much. I never thought my story would grow as much as it did, starting from less than 100 views, but thank you to all my readers., reviewers, favourite-ers and followers. I am eternally grateful for your support.
Chapter. Ten. Is. Out! A lot of important things to the plot are mentioned in this story so be keen to read this! Also, I'd like to thank one of my reviewers 1 peep 4 ever reading and such for always reviewing! You really make my day. If you like my story, please leave a review. It makes me really happy to see them. Also, on another topic: I have started a new fic! It's called A New Beginning. It's had an overwhelmingly positive response so thank you for that! However, this means that I might not be able to update this fic now that I am working on two at a time, but I'm working hard and I'm keen to get on with it! So, thank you x
The hours of Draco's absence soon turned into days, which in turn became weeks. She had never noticed how much of a presence he had in her day-to-day life, whether it was waking her up on days where she had overslept (not that it happened very often), or their playful banter in Potions when working together. It wasn't a desperate lust a crazy girlfriend would have, after all, they weren't even dating, but it was more of just missing his presence altogether.
As much as she tried to deny how much she missed him, it became quite obvious. Every time she would glance over to his empty chair in Potions, she would unknowingly sigh. Although she hardly noticed herself, Ginny certainly did.
"You miss him, don't you?" Ginny said after a very hectic Herbology lesson while they walked out of the greenhouse. Hermione paused, wiping the dirt off of her robes tediously which was stubbornly clinging to her wool cardigan.
"Scourgify," Hermione said confidently, pointing her wand at herself, effectively removing all traces of dirt. "Why would I miss him?"
Ginny rolled her eyes at her friend's attempt at subtlety. "Don't play dumb, Hermione," she said. Hermione shifted uncomfortably, adjusting her grip on One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi. "I know you well enough to see that you miss him."
Hermione realised it now marked a bit over one month since Draco had departed Hogwarts. However, she wasn't surprised, Draco did have a knack for being late. "So what if I do?" Hermione said stubbornly, waving at Hagrid as she passed by his hut. She noticed a small figure standing next to the half-giant whom she quickly recognised as the timid first year she had met on her first day as Head girl, Iris Jung.
"Hang on," Hermione said to Ginny, pulling herself towards Hagrid's hut. "Iris!" she called, waving towards her. As she approached her, she realised Iris was wearing a green and silver scarf indicating that she had been sorted to Slytherin.
"Want to come in for a bit of tea and a rock cake?" Hagrid asked, Iris, standing behind him. Hagrid's rock cakes were infamous for being jaw-breaking, flavourless and all-around inedibility, however, she, Harry and Ron had been attempting to digest them since first-years.
"Sounds good," Hermione said, a smile plastered over her face, already planning on ways to improve the texture of the rock cakes. While Hagrid's kettle hissed loudly, she decided to use a softening charm to make the rock cakes slightly better. Although it wouldn't be fun to eat something rubbery and bouncy, Hermione was relieved that it wouldn't hold the potential risk of breaking a tooth (or two).
"So how's Hogwarts so far, Iris?" Hermione asked, returning her attention to the young Slytherin. At this question, her face immediately lit up in joy.
"I love it!" she said happily, her eyes widened happily. "Everything is so new and different. The magical world is so different from where I was raised." Hermione gave her a questioning look. "Muggle London," she added. "My mother was a witch and my dad's a Muggle. My mother died when I was very young. Dragon Pox. So my dad's raised me, I gave him quite a fright when my magic began to show." For someone so young, Iris was intelligent, like a Ravenclaw, but the air of confidence she possessed strongly represent her Slytherin qualities.
"Tea is ready," Hagrid said, haphazardly carrying a kettle filled with hot water and a tea bag towards the table. "Help yourselves to a bit of rock cake too." Hermione made eye contact with Iris and they both shared a look of dread. It didn't seem like this was her first time tasting Hagrid's rock cakes before.
"Thank you, Hagrid," Hermione said politely, reaching over to pour herself a cup of tea. "Would you like a cup too, Iris?"
"I see you two know each other!" Hagrid boomed happily, biting loudly into a rock cake. Hermione and Iris nodded in reply, sipping on their tea. "I met Iris when she stumbled along one during one of my lessons. A baby Runespoor-" Hermione cringed when she imagined Hagrid handling the three-headed snake in front of a class of terrified first years. "- went rogue, but luckily Iris was there." How could a first-year control a category XXXX creature? Hermione thought. How come Hagrid had a dangerous creature like that anywhere near a student?
"She's a parseltongue," Hagrid said. "Just like Harry."
"Harry?" Iris interrupted excitedly. "As in Harry Potter?" While she began to gush about Harry, Hermione and Hagrid shared a worried glance. Being a parseltongue was never good news. It was the ability to talk to snakes that Salazar Slytherin had possessed himself.
"He's a friend of mine," Hermione said and Iris gasped in surprise.
"Is he the Head boy?" she asked.
"Draco Malfoy is the Head boy," Hermione replied, ignoring Hagrid's sudden stormy expression. "He's in Slytherin," she added, and Iris nodded knowingly.
"I have to go," Hermione said awkwardly, in a hurry to leave due to the sudden change in atmosphere in the hut. "I have a lesson soon."
"You should've told me!" Hagrid said, stuffing a few rock cakes into two bags for Hermione and Iris. "Here," he said, handing them the surprisingly heavy bags. "You two take these. I've baked too many." Hermione almost burst out in hysterics at the sight of Iris' nervous gulp before accepting the bag with a hesitant smile on her face.
"Thank you, Hagrid," Hermione said as she and Lyra begin to leave. "I'll see you soon." However, she had barely made it out of the door when she felt a tap on her shoulder and she turned around.
"Be careful around Malfoy, Hermione," Hagrid said, a fiery expression on his normally smiling face. "His family is bad news. Lucius Malfoy has escaped from Azkaban." Hermione's eyes widened in shock.
"B-But, how?" Hermione stuttered. It was almost impossible for anyone to escape the high-level wizard prison, it almost never happened with the exception of a few occasions.
"He got help," Hagrid said. "I know of it. Only one person has escaped from Azkaban by themselves and that was Sirius. Unless Lucius Malfoy is secretly an Animagus, which I highly doubt, there is no way he could've gotten out of Azkaban without any help."
Hermione felt uneasy at the thought of this. She wondered if Draco knew anything about this, but she knew he was feeling down so she decided not to question him when he would return.
"Thanks for telling me this, Hagrid," Hermione said sincerely. "But I really have to go. I have Arithmancy soon." Although, she didn't even have Arithmancy. Professor Vector was unwell that day and had decided to cancel the lesson. Usually, a relief professor would take over the lesson but Professor Vector was a strict teacher and was very particular about what she taught.
Towards the end of the day, since Draco had left, it had become a habit of Hermione's to sit under a tree beside the lake (the very same she had sat under with Draco), bundled up in a blanket, holding a book in her hand. When he had first left, she went there as a source of distraction, but now that he would be arriving any day now, she was awaiting his arrival. For the past few days, she sat in the bitter cold waiting for his figure to emerge from the silver mist. Today, she was more hopeful than other days for his return, his absence was almost well over the one month mark, but to her dismay, he didn't return.
She heard hurried footsteps from behind her and Hermione whipped her head around to see McGonagall hurriedly walking to her. The normally so composed teacher had grey hairs flying out of her tight bun and her hat sat lopsided amongst her messy hair, but most of all her eyes looked haunted, wracked with worry. A look that Hermione hadn't witnessed since the horrible war.
"Miss. Granger," McGonagall said and took a moment to regain her breath. Hermione stood up from her comfortable position and her blanket fell to her feet. "I need you to come with me." Hermione began to bundle her blanket in her arms but stopped when she received an icy look from the headmistress. "Now," she added and Hermione quickly followed her back into the castle.
Hermione huffed as she ran up the winding stairs, somehow struggling to keep up with the elderly witch. McGonagall took a sharp turn into the Dungeons and stopped abruptly in front of a wall. Hermione's blood went cold. The sight in front of her struck her strongly of her first year. The red paint dripping off of the cobblestone wall, closely resembling blood, made Hermione sick.
"The Chamber has been opened," Hermione said, reading the words off of the wall. "We have taken her." She stepped closer to the wall and found a scarf nailed to the wall. "It's green and silver," Hermione said. "They've taken a Slytherin."
"Why would they take a Slytherin?" McGonagall asked, her face pale. "That's impossible!"
"Unless they want something of their's," Hagrid said, appearing from the other end of the corridor, Fluffy by his side. His face was contorted in an expression of fury and Hermione soon realised what he meant.
"Iris," Hermione said simply. "They've taken Iris." McGonagall looked at her questioningly.
"Why would they want Iris?"
"She's a parseltongue," Hermione said, connecting the puzzle pieces in her mind. "You need a parseltongue to open the Chamber of Secrets." McGonagall gasped. It was the second time the Chamber of Secrets had been opened at Hogwarts. Secretly built by Salazar Slytherin himself before he departed from Hogwarts, in the Chamber lied the King of Serpents, a category XXXXX creature, a Basilisk. Hermione began to panic at the thought of the Basilisk roaming around Hogwarts, the students as its victims, but she quickly realised something.
"B-But, the Basilisk," she began nervously. "It's dead. Harry killed it in our first year."
"Then the threat is-" McGonagall began before Hagrid quickly interjected.
"Well, um, you see, that," Hagrid stuttered. "I came here because I have to tell you something, Minvera." McGonagall raised an eyebrow questioningly and sighed.
"What have you done now, Rubeus?" she asked exasperatedly. Hagrid was known for the antics he got up to. Although he had good intentions, his actions usually ended up with a few dangerous creatures going loose.
"I ordered two Runespoor eggs for my class," he mumbled. "But I only received one. Someone else must've gotten their hands on the other egg."
"Rubeus," McGonagall said, her voice shaking. Hermione couldn't tell whether she sounded fearful or angry. "Do you mean to tell me that there is most likely a Runespoor wandering the halls of Hogwarts and a parseltongue Slytherin child has been kidnapped to do so?"
Hagrid coughed nervously. "Well, the Runespoor is a baby." Hermione sighed at his hopeless defence. "Mine wouldn't hurt a fly."
"What do you think will happen when the Runespoor grows up?" McGonagall asked, her voice clearly laced with anger. "So you're saying a category XXXX creature wouldn't hurt a fly? It has extremely venomous fangs!" Hagrid flinched and he looked defeated by the furious headmistress.
"I-I'll go alert the other professors," Hagrid said and McGonagall nodded.
"Miss. Granger," McGonagall said after Hagrid had hurried away. "Please send an owl to Mr. Malfoy. We need our Head boy back."
Desperate to avoid the wrath of McGonagall, Hermione scurried away to the Owlery and began to write a letter to Draco.
Draco,
I hope you're well. I know the reason you have to be away from Hogwarts is a good one, but I need you to come back. Hogwarts needs you to come back. There's so much going on, far too much to write in just a letter, but to put it plainly; a parseltongue Slytherin in their first year is missing, the Chamber of Secrets is open and inside lies a baby Runespoor. For now. Please come back soon.
Love,
Hermione.
It felt strange explaining what was happening so blatantly to Draco, but it had to be done. She placed the parchment into an envelope and sealed it with a wax stamp. Before tying it to an owl's leg, she planted a kiss on the envelope. She watched the brown barn owl become smaller and smaller as it travelled further away. Soon, enough it was only a speck amongst the sad, grey sky.
"Come back soon, Draco," Hermione whispered to the whistling wind that blew her brown curls away from her face. "I need you. I can't do this without you."
A/N: Hope you enjoyed that chapter! Make sure to follow/favourite the story, and please, please, please leave a review! I don't want to be that author that will only update if you review, it's just that I love to see your review. Everytime I receive one, it really makes my day! So thank you to everyone who has already reviewed x It means a lot to me.
Word Count: 2123 (sorry for the short-ish chapter, it just seemed like an appropriate place to end this chapter!)