A/N: Hey, sorry for the late update. I had a lumbar puncture a few days ago and I'm still not feeling my best, but I had this chapter pre-written anyway. Enjoy!

Chapter 10: Hallowe'en

The trio laughed themselves silly when they heard that Goldstein had gotten a week's worth detention from Filch, and that Terry hadn't because he'd chickened out, telling Goldstein that he'd do fine by himself. They managed to avoid getting detention from an irate McGonagall by telling her that they hadn't actually thought he was being serious, and that they'd been asleep long before they'd been supposed to meet. Hermione confirmed their story, saying that she'd seen them go up to their dorm at around nine, and that she'd stayed up another hour and a half, reading up on rare magical creatures.

As it turned out, this was her way of telling the trio that she was working on why there was a Cerberus hidden in the school, and that she would appreciate help from them. Harry didn't see the harm in finding out the extra information, he just didn't want to get into trouble for being somewhere they shouldn't have been, so during lunch, they hastily stuffed down some sandwiches and made their way to the library. Unfortunately, their search quickly came to an end when Professor Snape spotted them in the library, surrounded by books on violent magical creatures.

"I know for a fact that the four of you cannot take Care of Magical Creatures for another two years, so would one of you kindly explain why you are searching tirelessly through books on," he said as he picked up a random book and became deathly still, "the legendary Cerberus?"

They looked at each other, wincing, and Harry knew he would have to tell him everything, since he was a stronger legilimens than they were occlumens, and he was the only teacher they could trust to be as impartial as possible.

"Not… not here, sir. It's too open," Harry said, glancing pointedly at a portrait on the wall.

Snape raised one sardonic eyebrow, noticing Harry's look, but waved his wand to return the books to their original positions and motioned for them to follow. He led them through the winding corridors that made up the dungeons, until he placed his palm on what appeared to be solid wall. It shimmered and became a wooden door, then opened, and Snape led them inside.

"Well?" he questioned as soon as everyone had taken a seat in the surprisingly comfortable sitting room in his quarters.

"I have Magesight," Harry started, shocking the professor out of his typical scowl, "and the first night here, I Saw a vision."

"Of what?" Snape asked, enthralled in the mystery.

"Of Professor Quirrell, muttering to himself in a corner, then a door, and finally a ruby surrounded by fire. I Saw the ruby once before, on my tenth birthday, before my blocks were removed. Last night, the four of us did go out to meet Goldstein, but he didn't show and we were almost caught by Filch and Peeves. We escaped, and we ended up in front of the door, which turned out to be the one in the forbidden corridor. I wanted to see what was inside, so Hermione said a spell and we saw a Cerberus sleeping. We locked it again and went back to the tower."

Through the story, Snape had been getting more and more pale, and when Harry stopped, he cleared his throat and said in a rather hoarse voice, "You… have told no one else?"

All four shook their heads, and Draco stated, "Harry doesn't trust Dumbledore, or Quirrell, and our Head of House seems the type to take points but ignore the danger."

Neville added, "Out of the remaining teachers, you're the only one who already knows some of Harry's secrets, and all four of us trust you to some extent."

Their professor pinched the bridge of his nose. "Mr Potter-Black, you understand that I must inform your guardians of this? I do believe they will be understanding, as they, along with your father, were insufferable rule-breakers as well."

Harry grinned. "I sent them a letter on the first full day, because they made me promise that I would tell them if I had a vision, and I also sent them one this morning, to tell them about the Cerberus."

Snape merely shook his head in mock annoyance, then turned to Draco. "I shall inform your mother, since I think she would want to know about you risking your life in such a manner. I… doubt she will inform your father. As for you two," he said to Neville and Hermione, "since I have no personal contacts with your families, and you have technically been cleared by Professor McGonagall, I shall not inform them. You must all promise me, though, not to go looking for that information again."

They nodded, and Harry said softly, "One more thing, professor. I think Quirrell was muttering in Parseltongue, since I could hear faint hissing under his words, and that's the way I hear the language; English, with hissing undertones. I… I thought it was a rare blood-trait, and Voldemort had it. Does that mean Quirrel is Voldemort?"

Snape and Draco flinched when Harry said the name, and Neville and Hermione looked pale.

*Short switch to Snape's POV*

He breathed a sigh of relief after his godson and his friends had left to prepare for their next classes. Harry's (for he called him Harry in his mind now) revelations had come with a mixture of surprise and resignation. Dumbledore had been adamant about announcing the forbidden corridor at the Welcoming Feast, to lay a trap for the Dark Lord, who he insisted was still alive. Of course, he'd known this was true, both because his Dark Mark hadn't faded completely, and because of Harry's previous admittance to having one of His Horcruxes removed.

He'd known Quirrell had been sketchy when the former Muggle Studies Professor had returned from his holiday in Albania with that stutter, purple turban, and ever-constant odour of garlic, but the possibility of him being possessed by the wraith of the Dark Lord was terrifying. He'd have to keep an eye on him, and keep him away from the Stone for as long as possible. He should also consider telling Dumbledore of his suspicions, just leaving Harry's part in confirming them out.

He stood up with a groan, and made his way towards the Floo. Lucius was most likely in a Wizengamot meeting, so that left Narcissa in the clear. He grabbed a handful of the green, chalky powder, threw it in, and stated, "Malfoy Manor," then stuck his head in.

"Severus," said Narcissa's voice in surprise.

"Narcissa," he nodded, "may I come through? I have news of Draco."

She quickly disabled the anti-Floo wards and stepped aside to let him through. As soon as he was free from the Floo's entryway, she rushed towards him, holding onto the sides of his arms powerfully. "How is he? Is he safe? Has he made any friends? Is he settling in to Gryffindor?"

"Narcissa, slow down," he said fondly.

She took a deep breath and then stepped away from him, and he couldn't help but feel the loss (Unusual, he thought, for him to be sentimental like that). "What news, Severus?" she asked, emotions under control once more.

"Draco is fine. Yes, he is safe, and he has become fast friends with Harry Potter-Black, Neville Longbottom, and the brilliant muggleborn, Hermione Granger. He has settled into Gryffindor well… perhaps a bit too well considering that he foolishly risked his life last night."

She gasped, and she was back to clutching at his robes again. "What? What did he do?"

"There is a forbidden corridor on the third floor," he started. He decided quickly on the level of information she would need to know. "He and his friends decided to wander through it and open the only door there, unlocking it with an alohomora. Honestly, such a simple spell, for what was inside. They found Dumbledore's latest anti-dark scheme, which starts with a huge Cerberus of Hagrid's whom he calls Fluffy. Luckily, the creature was sleeping, and they locked it again before going back to their dormitory. They only told me of this, because I found them researching the creatures."

She shook her head, eyes wide, made her way feebly to the nearest chair, and sat on it. He joined her on a neighbouring one, and after giving her a few minutes' silence to process, he said in false cheerfulness, "So, how have you been?"

*Switch back to Harry*

On Hallowe'en morning, they woke to the delicious smell of baking pumpkin. Even Enya had to admit it smelled nice, although she said it would smell even better along with a few dead mice.

Yuck.

Harry's dormmates had all reacted differently to her presence: Neville was resigned, having already gotten to know her; Draco was a bit jealous, spending a lot of time peppering Harry with requests to learn Parseltongue; Ron complained at first, but got used to the hissing pretty quickly; and Dean and Seamus were mixtures of cautious, intrigued, and a bit disgusted, but they quickly got over the latter.

However, despite Professor Flitwick announcing that he thought they were ready to start making objects fly, something they'd all been dying to learn since he'd made Neville's toad fly around the classroom, Harry wasn't really in the mood, since it was the anniversary of his parents' deaths. He tried to put aside his melancholy behaviour as Professor Flitwick put the class into pairs to practice. Harry's partner was Seamus, Neville was with Draco, and Ron was with Hermione. It was hard to tell whether Ron or Hermione was angrier about this arrangement, because neither had warmed up to the other, despite both of them hanging out with Harry frequently.

"Now, don't forget that nice wrist movement we've been practicing!" squeaked Professor Flitwick, perched on top of his usual pile of books. "Swish and flick, remember, swish and flick. And saying the magic properly is very important, too—never forget Wizard Baruffio, who said 's' instead of 'f' and found himself on the ground with a buffalo on his chest."

After a few minutes of fruitless swish-and-flicking, Seamus got so impatient that he prodded their feather with the tip of his wand and, accidental pyromaniac that he was, set fire to it. Ron, two tables down, didn't have much more luck, and Hermione's advice only served to make him angrier. So angry, in fact, that he moaned to his dorm mates as they pushed their way through the crowded corridor outside, "It's no wonder no one can stand her, she's a nightmare, honestly."

Someone knocked into Harry as they hurried past him. It was Hermione. He caught a glimpse of her face, and realised that she must have heard Ron, for she was in tears.

"I think she heard you."

"So?" said Ron, but he looked a bit uncomfortable. "She must've noticed she's got no friends."

Neville stopped dead. "That's not true!" he exclaimed. "I'm her friend, and so are Draco and Harry! You can't just go around, saying horrible things like that about people!"

He stormed off, and Harry and Draco followed him. When she didn't turn up for the next class, the trio was worried, and so instead of going to lunch after, they went to find Fred and George. The twins were known for knowing where everyone and everything was, so they were the trio's starting point.

"What can we do for you, little lions?" asked the twins simultaneously.

"We need to know where Hermione went. Ron insulted her when he thought she wasn't there, and she heard it, started to cry, and she wasn't in Herbology just then. Do you two know where she is?"

The two looked at each other, then said, "We can help you, but you have to… solemnly swear that you won't tell anyone how we do this."

They nodded, and George pulled out an old bit of parchment. "I solemnly swear, that I am up to no good," he said, tapping it with his wand, and ink faded into being, forming the words, Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs are proud to present the Marauder's Map.

"Moony? Padfoot?" asked Draco, astounded. "Aren't those the nicknames of your godfathers?"

Harry nodded. "Prongs was my dad, and Wormtail was the traitor. They formed a group called the Marauders in school, and they pranked people like crazy."

Fred and George had their mouths wide open. "What? Sirius and Remus are… wow. All this time, they were right under our noses. Okay, after we've got Hermione back, you've got to invite us over sometime. Then, I think we might consider handing this over to you," Fred said, and George nodded ecstatically.

The five boys looked over the map, and finally found her in a girl's bathroom. They made their way down to it, and Fred took on the task of convincing her to come out. "Hermione?" he called gently.

"Go away! How did you find me?" they heard her voice say.

"Which one is it?" Fred asked cheekily.

"Ugh." was her only reply.

Fred winked, entered the bathroom and said, "The little trio told Forge and me what happened, and asked for our help to find you. I know it's not the same thing, but I'm sorry for what Ickle Ronnikins said to you, and I'm pretty sure the trio are too. Harry told me on the way here that the three of them, Neville mostly, stood up for you as soon as you left, and then left him."

"R-really?" she hiccuped.

Fred's voice was closer to hers now, and they heard the sound of a cubicle door opening. "Really, Hermione. Come on, give us a hug. That's it. You have friends, you know. Quite a few of them, from the looks of your rescue party."

It took a few more minutes of Fred calming her down for her to emerge, but when she did, she gratefully embraced Harry, Draco, Neville, and George in turn. The twins showed them the way to the kitchens, where they had a short lunch before the four first-years went to collect their Transfiguration and Defence books.

The rest of the day was eventful, to say the least, with Ron shuffling over and apologising to her quickly, and then the wonderful feast. Or rather, the feast was wonderful up until Quirrell ran into the Great Hall, screaming about trolls, and fainted. Still, the aftermath feast in their common rooms was nice, and Hermione stuck closer to the trio than before. It seemed that she now knew they thought of her as their friend, and she reciprocated the feeling.

That night, Harry couldn't sleep properly, both due to the bad mood he'd pushed away at the beginning of the day, and due to something he'd seen in passing on the map, and had discounted immediately as impossible. However, he couldn't help but remember Sirius' stories about all the unbelievable stuff they'd seen, and later confirmed as true, when they'd had the map. Quietly, so as not to disturb the person in question, he got out of bed and got both his cloak and the map out of his trunk. He crept down the stairs to the common room and sat on one of the armchairs. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

Harry sat there, stunned, as betrayal and anger swept through him like a storm. He felt his magic crackling all around him violently, but his emotions were stopped instantly when two arms wrapped themselves over his shoulders, and Draco asked, "What's up? You look really angry."

Not trusting his voice, he pointed at Peter Pettigrew's dot on the map. Draco gasped. "Wasn't he the one who betrayed your parents? How is he next to Ron?"

Harry nodded, then found his voice. "It's Scabbers. My dad, Sirius, and Pettigrew all became Animagi for Moony, because he was turned into a werewolf when he was five. Pettigrew, a rat; Sirius, a Grim hound; and my dad, a stag. I need to find a way to get him to the Ministry."

Draco thought for a moment, then snapped his fingers and said, "Dobby!"

A house-elf much younger than Kreacher showed up with a soft pop. "What can Dobby do for Master Draco?"

"Wait," said Harry, "I thought you wouldn't be able to contact Malfoy house-elves since you're disowned."

Draco nodded. "Dobby was my house-elf, though. I called him a while ago just to see if his bond made him mine or Father's." He turned to the miniscule elf and said, "Dobby, please conjure a cage with wiring too small for a very skinny rat to fit through. Enforce it so that the animal contained in it cannot transform out of its animagus form."

"Of course, Master Draco!" the creature squeaked, and with a small amount of concentration, a small cage appeared with a pop.

"Thank you, Dobby. Any Dark behaviour from Father?" Draco asked.

Dobby shook his head quickly, causing his bat-like ears to flap back and forth. Draco sighed in relief, and dismissed him. Evidently, Draco had tasked the house-elf to see whether anything bad was going to come from his father, for which Harry couldn't fault him.

Cage in hand, they went back up to their dorm, stunned Scabbers, wrote a hasty anonymous note to the Head of Magical Law Enforcement, and snuck up to the owlery. They watched in silence as Hedwig carried an explanation to Harry's godparents, and Draco's owl Titan carried the cage containing Pettigrew to the Ministry.

Once they'd returned to bed, Harry fell asleep quickly, content. It had been ten years to the day since Pettigrew's betrayal had caused the death of his parents, and now, the traitor was finally apprehended and brought to justice.