Narcissa was waiting patiently for her sons and their friend to come through the floo. She had missed Draco and Harry. The floo activated and out stepped Draco, who flew into his mother's arms and started crying.
"I am ok, little dragon. Don't worry so about me." Narcissa said rubbing his back and comforting her son. The floo activated again and a young girl with frizzy brown hair stepped out. "Draco, do you want to introduce me to your friend?"
Draco turned and wiped the tears from his eyes. "Yes, mum, this is Hermione Granger. She is my very best friend."
Hermione had stepped forward with her hand outstretched. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Black. I'm glad to see you are out of St. Mungo's."
"Ms. Granger, please call me Narcissa. I am hoping we will be friends. I am happy to have you in my home and to be out of St. Mungos as well."
"Please call me Hermione then. I would like to be your friend as well if that is ok?"
Harry had arrived by floo at this point and hugged Narcissa. Draco was standing with Hermione as they watched Harry and Narcissa. "He needed a mum so badly," Hermione said quietly. Draco nodded.
Snape came through the floo and greeted Narcissa. "You should not be standing."
"I feel fine Severus. If I don't walk around some, my strength will not return." Narcissa said waving off his concern.
"How long has she been standing, Draco?"
"She was standing at the floo when I arrived," Draco said looking at his mum, worriedly.
Snape growled, "Sit down Narcissa. I don't want you to fall and hurt yourself. Even if you are feeling stronger, you don't need to push yourself yet."
"Very well, please follow me to the living room. Have you eaten breakfast yet? I can have the elves make some breakfast."
"We could eat," Draco said. "We didn't eat very much this morning. We were too excited."
Narcissa smiled at her son as he sat on the couch near her. Hermione sat in the chair closest to Draco. Harry sat on Hermione's other side. Narcissa noticed the way the three friends walked around one another and agreed with Severus. They were very connected. She sometimes could see auras. And she planned to try this afternoon once she had rested.
"Meda is out for an hour. She wanted to be here when you arrived but was called into the hospital to help in the emergency area. I also hear that it is your birthday weekend, Hermione. Is there any kind of food you would like to eat?" Narcissa asked smirking at the girl.
"Please don't make a big deal of my birthday. I want to get to know you and celebrate you being well." Hermione said shyly, shrinking into herself.
"Pish posh. You deserve to be celebrated more than I do. Do you like chocolate cake? Or treacle tart?"
"I prefer chocolate cake," Hermione said quietly looking at her hands. Her parents had always celebrated her birthday quietly. She hadn't had friends before Harry and Draco, and it felt odd to her to be around strangers for her birthday.
"I will let the elves know. What do your parents do in the Muggle world?" Narcissa asked Hermione.
So, Hermione spent the morning answering all the questions that Narcissa had for her. Snape left after eating breakfast with them. All through breakfast, Narcissa asked questions. She included the boys by asking about their classes from their first two weeks of school.
Narcissa found the girl who had become friends with her sons charming and fascinating. Hermione was polite and kind. Narcissa noticed that the three children sat at the table at the same time. Severus had written to her that week about what he had noticed in the three friends, and she noticed it as well. If anything, it was more pronounced away from Hogwarts that the three worked as one unit. The more time that went by, the closer the friends would become. She vowed to try to view their auras later. She had to know how they were reacting to one another.
Andromeda returned by lunchtime, and Hermione loved talking to her about her job at the hospital. Hermione had the same thirst for knowledge that Draco had.
"Why don't you three go outside into the garden and run or fly off some energy. Ms. Granger, I understand that you are not a fan of flying, so if you want anything to do if the boys decide to fly, come find me. We can pull some weeds in the greenhouses." Aunt Meda told them.
"Please call me Hermione. I will be fine watching the boys, I think." Hermione said smiling.
"Only if you call me Aunt Meda." Meda smiled at her. Hermione nodded and followed the boys outside.
It was true that Hermione was not a fan of flying. A part of the problem was that Madame Hooch was teaching fifty-first years at a time. There was no one on one time. Hermione needed someone to teach her who would spend time teaching the mechanics of flying. Draco had offered to help her learn.
So, while Harry took to the sky to fly a few laps, Draco stood with Hermione next to two brooms. He showed her the basics of mounting of a broom and how to push off correctly. The week before had been their third flying lesson and Neville had fallen off the broom each class. This only made Hermione more nervous.
"If you don't want to learn, you don't have too. There are other ways of getting places. Floo, portkey, and apparating being three. Of course, apparition isn't until we are seventeen, but flying is not necessary." Draco said kindly feeling the fear that was coming off Hermione in waves.
"I want to learn, I just hate that class," Hermione said looking at him.
"Ok, then let's get you on the broom. Here, stand in front of me. I will mount the broom first and you can sit in front of me. Then we will just push off and hover. We won't go anywhere else. Do you want me to do the charm for motion sickness?"
"Yes please." She looked less nervous knowing the first time she was off the ground would be with Draco. She stood next to him and waited for him to mount, then he leaned back for her to mount the broom.
"Are you ready?" he whispered the charm on her ear and once she nodded, they pushed off and hovered three feet off the ground. "Grab the handle instead of my arms." Hermione had held onto Draco's arms instead of the broom.
"I don't think I can do that, Draco. I'm terrified of letting go and falling off." Hermione squeaked out. She was shaking.
Draco realized her problem. "Let's teach you how to fall off from low heights without injuring yourself. You are most afraid of the fall, right?" Hermione nodded. "Ok, when Uncle Ted gets home, I will ask him to cast cushioning charms, and you will learn to fall correctly. Trust me, it is easy and then you won't have to worry so much. For that matter, we may want to teach Neville when we get back to school." Draco said looking thoughtful.
"Ok, can we go back to the ground now?" Hermione shrieked, still holding onto his arms and shaking like a leaf.
Draco lowered them slowly to the ground. She stepped off the broom and waited for him to dismount the broom and flung herself at him, crying. "You're safe, Hermione. I wouldn't have let anything happen to you. I promise."
"I felt so out of control. I was so scared of falling. I hate flying!" Draco wisely did not state the obvious of they were barely three feet off the ground. He held her close and allowed her to cry her fear out.
He heard Harry land next to them. "What's wrong, Hermione?"
"I hate flying. I'm sorry Draco. I don't know what overcame me. I just couldn't hold in the fear and cry all over you." Hermione apologized.
"You can cry on me anytime. I'm always here for you." Draco said giving her his handkerchief.
"Do you want to do something else? We can go inside and start researching what could be wrong with Quirrell." Harry asked knowing that Hermione was overwhelmed. He knew that feeling well. She had only been in the magical world a few weeks, and Harry only a few weeks longer than her.
Hermione laughed, "where would we start though?"
"Hexed turbans?" Harry asked with a smile. They laughed at his joke and walked inside.
"Mum, where is Hermione going to stay the night? I forgot to show her the house." Draco asked when he walked into the kitchen where his mum and aunt were talking.
"She will stay in Dora's room. Dora won't be home this weekend. She is on assignment. That will be her room anytime that she stays. Hermione, dear, you can change anything you want in the room. Make it your own. Dora is home so rarely now, that she can stay in the guest room if she is here when you are." Aunt Meda said.
"I couldn't displace her. She sounds so nice, I don't want her to be mad or feel like I'm replacing her." Hermione said shaking her head.
"Dear, she was the one that suggested this change. She wants the room to have more use." Aunt Meda explained.
Hermione looked unconvinced, "If you're sure." She was twisting her hands in anxiety.
"Let's go show you the library!" Draco said excited grabbing Hermione's hand and dragging her to the stairs.
"Not the library! Draco, she will never leave!" Harry complained good-naturedly. But he bounded up the stairs after them, laughing at the change in Hermione's magic. She seemed excited now, rather than anxious.
The three friends spent most of the weekend either outside teaching Hermione how to fall, with Uncle Ted's help or upstairs in the library trying to find a reason a turban would move. Hermione did learn to fall, it took Draco and Harry caught her the first few times before she could fall on the cushioned ground in a tuck and roll. They found nothing at all on cursed turbans. It was very frustrating.
Harry gave up more often than Draco and Hermione did, mostly because he had a harder time concentrating. He sometimes felt a little out of place with his two studious friends. But they both understood how he felt and would stop and play wizards chess or do something else altogether.
Narcissa had scheduled an appointment for the following week for Harry to get his eyes examined. He would be removed from school for the afternoon for the examination. He was glad because as much as his friends tried to help, he was falling behind in class.
The boys helped Hermione decorate her room. Draco took them to the attic to look through the old furniture and paintings. Harry found a fun painting that was done by one of Uncle Ted's wizard friends. It was of a Quidditch game when the seeker captured the snitch. Harry decided it belonged in his room. Hermione found a few landscapes that helped keep her calm. There were also some lovely plum curtains for the window in her room. Dora had a desk and a bed, so she didn't really need furniture.
As they were leaving the attic, she found a lovely armchair that was lavender and soft to sit in. Draco called one of the house elves to help them transport their items to their rooms. Since house-elf magic was meant for moving objects easily, the elves did not mind helping their young master.
Hermione was slowly becoming accustomed to seeing Uncle Ted. Draco and Harry sat him down when he got home the first evening and explained that Hermione may be skittish around him and not to take offense. The best thing would be for him to announce his presence if she didn't notice him and try not to be in a room alone with her. This was relatively easily done. The boys hardly left her side anyway. Uncle Ted wanted an explanation as to why but understood that it was Hermione's story to tell.
Sunday morning came quietly. The children slept in but still woke before the rest of the castle would have if they had been there. Hermione found a pile of presents for her on the table at breakfast. There was also a letter from her parents. Harry had allowed her to send Hedwig to her parents with a letter, so they could send any presents they had easily.
Everyone sat at the table and waited while Hermione opened her gifts. From her parents was a pen and notebook set in Gryffindor colors. The pens even wrote in gold gel ink. Her mother knit her a scarf in her house colors. She was excited about winter!
From Harry, there was a book on the basics of flying. She smiled at the thoughtful gift. Aunt Meda and Uncle Ted had gotten her a book bag that was expandable. She could now carry many more books back to her dorm from the library! Narcissa had found a lovely hair clip that was charmed to stay in even in her frizzy hair. She had also given her a book on hair and beauty charms.
Narcissa spoke up when Hermione opened her gift, "It is hard to be a young girl, and you are lovely. I want you to feel comfortable. This in no way is a slight to you. I would have given it to my own daughter had I had one. A girl needs help sometimes." Hermione smiled and thanked her. She knew the book was not meant as a slight but as a help.
Hermione chose to open Draco's present last. It was a lovely winter coat that was fur lined and perfect for the drafty castle. Inside the coat, there was a hidden pocket for her wand and another specifically designed for a book, so if she wanted to go outside to read, she could put the book in the pocket to protect it.
After she opened each gift, she hugged the giver, even Uncle Ted. She felt truly happy to have such great friends and an extended family that truly cared for her.
Once breakfast and presents were complete, Sunday continued much like the day before, with flying practice in the morning and some research in the afternoon. At dinner, a beautiful chocolate cake was served, and everyone sang Happy Birthday to Hermione.
Professor Snape arrived, after dessert, to escort the students back to the castle. Hugs were given all around. Each student promised to write and to look out for one another. The adults did not know what they had been doing in the library all day, and Draco, Harry, and Hermione wanted to keep it that way.
Once the three students went through the floo, Narcissa asked Snape to keep an eye out for the three of them. And explained that they had been holed up in the library much of the weekend doing research. It sounded suspicious to her, and Snape agreed that his three students were probably up to something. She also explained that she hadn't gotten a chance to see the children's aura's because she had been so weak still but would try the next time they came home. Snape nodded and left.
When he arrived by floo, his students were waiting on him and asked if he had made any headway with Professor Quirrell. Since Snape had not spoken to the man all weekend, he could answer honestly that he hadn't. Snape did encourage them to go straight to their dorm and not worry about anything.
When they arrived at their common room, Hermione remembered something Dumbledore had said at the welcome feast. "Do you remember that Dumbledore warned us of something? He said that access to the third-floor corridor was forbidden. Why would that be? This is a castle full of students, and some of them were rebellious. What could be there that makes the corridor forbidden? And do you think it's to Professor Quirrell?"
Draco looked thoughtful, thinking back to the welcome feast and what Dumbledore had said. "He also warned us against entering the Forbidden Forest, but that is mostly because of the dangerous magical creatures that are inside. I know there is a centaur herd, and they do not like humans."
"Could he be hiding some sort of dangerous creature?" Harry asked. He was lounging in an armchair in the corner of the room. Draco and Hermione were sharing a love seat.
"There is only one way to find out." Draco said. "We need to see if we can get in there. I think Quirrell may be after whatever is in that corridor."
"We can't know that for sure. It could just be that it is under construction." Hermione said, unsure of breaking the rules.
"Then he would have said it was under construction, not forbidden. We can at least go near it and see if we can hear something." Harry said.
"I don't want to go. I'm scared. What if Mr. Filch found us? He would throw us in detention for sure." Hermione warned.
Draco looked a little frightened at the thought. Mr. Filch was well known for his horrible treatment of students in detention, especially since he felt he was being mistreated for not being allowed to use chains and whips on the children.
"Ok, let's continue to do some research. Who knows, maybe we will find something in the library." Draco said, agreeing with Hermione on the danger. "Maybe we could talk with Hagrid. He may know something, since he works with the creatures in the forest."
"When Hagrid took me to my vault, the day I met you, Draco, we also made a stop that he said was for Dumbledore. But it was just a tiny package. Smaller than a book in size and wrapped up in brown paper." Harry said agreeing that they should visit Hagrid.
"You didn't tell me that. Do you remember the vault number? There was a break in at Gringotts, but the report said the vault had been emptied earlier that day." Draco asked putting pieces together.
"It was vault 713. I also met Professor Quirrell at the Leaky Cauldron before we went to Gringotts. He was nervous and wouldn't shake my hand."
Draco looked excited, "I think we need to write down the facts, because the vault that was attempted to be robbed was 713. Do you know what this means?" Hermione looked thoughtful, and Harry shook his head no. "Professor Quirrell tried to rob the vault. He failed because it was already taken out earlier by Hagrid. Whatever was in that vault is here at Hogwarts. I would bet money on it. Did Hagrid tell you where he was taking the package?"
Harry nodded, "Yeah, said he was bringing it here to Dumbledore. That Dumbledore trusts him with important things like that."
Hermione was nodding and pulled out her new notebook and pen set from her parents. She wrote down what they knew for sure. When it was put down on paper, it certainly looked like Quirrell was guilty of something.
"I will agree to walk near the corridor, on one condition." Hermione stated. The boys nodded, "We tell Professor Snape of our suspicions. He should receive the same respect we asked of him. This may help him in finding out what is wrong with Quirrell. But we also need to go talk to Hagrid."
The boys nodded, "Let's go talk to Hagrid first and then share what we have learned with Snape. We need to make sure an adult is aware of what is going on. So tomorrow, Harry, can you send a letter to Hagrid asking to have tea with him?" Draco asked.
"Yeah, he would love that, I'm sure." Harry said sounding excited.
"Good, now I would like to go to bed. Good night boys." Hermione said, packed up her notebook in her bag and went upstairs. The boys stayed in the common room and spoke with the Weasley twins who were trying to think of new jokes to play on their younger brother Ron.