A/N: Tomorrow I'll have the weekend off and I'll be at home to a stable WIFI Network connection, so I'll be answering all of your reviews. For the guest reviewers, I'll answer your questions in the A/N in the next chapter. Please enjoy chapter 21.

o.O.o

Chapter twenty-one, petrified

A blizzard blown up mid-morning, covering the grounds into a blanket of snow. Draco didn't like snow too much. It always made him think of the Holidays. About the conviviality of families that his didn't have. He might have bragged about his life, but in reality he came home to a house that was cold and gloomy. His father barely noticed if he was home or at school and although his mother was usually happy, she was always busy. Right now she was probably preparing the grand ball the Malfoys always threw during Christmas.

"Have you heard about the roosters?" Goyle asked as Draco tiredly threw a warm robe around his shoulders.

"Why should I care about the roosters?" He asked annoyed. "There are far more important things to worry about aren't there?"

"It's not like you have to worry." Crabbe prompted.

Draco rolled his eyes. The two big beefy boys were always last to know about rumours. Theo had known about the rooster for ages. As they descended the rickety stairs down to the Common room. Ginny Weasley's petrification had been five days ago and the younger students sought safety in their numbers, travelling the halls in large attendance to the clubs dropped sharply. The Muggle-borns, who just as the younger students travelled the halls in groups, seemed to be the most afraid of them all.

Their response to the news that Harry Potter was the heir of Slytherin was instantly. Increasingly outrageous stories went around the school and just like that most of the students started to avoid Harry like the plague.

With a Half-blood and a Pureblood petrified, students were worried to associate themselves with Muggle-borns. Draco thought it was weird. Draco's Father had always hoped for a world non-tolerant for Mudbloods and with the attacks that was exactly what he was creating. The Slytherins thought Ginny Weasley's petrification was only the result of her family being known as blood-traitors.

It was all bollocks of course. Whoever had the book was just using it to deal with some insane revenge plan. Or whatever this was. Even with the twisted logic that those who associated with Mudbloods would be targeted too, it didn't make much sense. Ginny was just a child and, although her parents were what his father would call blood-traitors, she did not really associate with anyone with Muggle parents. Her best friend was Luna Lovegood and, although she is very weird, she is a Pureblood.

"This doesn't make sense," Hermione protested loudly, as Draco and Ron Weasley walked her to their next class the following day. She had been more than a bit peeved when she'd learned, the school now thought Harry Potter was the heir and, instead of Ron Weasley, Draco Malfoy was his sidekick — his sidekick. It made Draco want to hurt someone.

"No," Draco admitted, "but that doesn't matter, if it makes sense of not. It only matters what the others thinks."

"We need— I need someone who can explain the family tree of Salazar Slytherin." Hermione demanded and Ron Weasley shrugged. The redhead's personal vendetta against Draco had lessened, was almost non-existent now, when his sister was petrified. Instead Weasley switched his attentions from Draco to Harry. With Draco's questionable dark past, Ron could live, but with Potter's ability to speak to snake, he couldn't.

Draco had been in a complete different vicinity during at least one of the attacks, while Potter didn't have that luxury. Draco suspected, Weasley was just annoyed, Potter hadn't told him about the ability to speak to snakes.

As far as the rest of the school was concerned Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy were the dream duo for the petrification job. Draco sneered when a Hufflepuff girl paled and practically fled from the corridor they were going through.

"You don't really believe it's Harry, do you?" Hermione asked slowly and Ron Weasley grumbled.

"No," he finally muttered, "but he should have told me."

"I don't think Potter knew he could speak to snakes, to even begin with." Draco muttered, before rubbing his hands over his eyes. "I'm going to the library." he announced, Hermione's face lit up, but he knew she still had History of Magic. She remembered it three minutes later.

"I could find you after our class?"

Draco smiled. "Sure," he would make sure she couldn't find him. Hermione smiled before reluctantly allowing Ron to lead her to their next class. Harry Potter was already waiting at a table in the back a folder full of paper clippings.

It took them two whole hours before Draco found the name which had been written on the mysterious black book. Which had been written on Of course he'd already known Tom Marvollo Riddle was Slytherin, a prefect and Head boy in 1944. But most of all he was the Dark Lord. But now he'd finally understood how he'd done it. He knew he had finally found something. He just hadn't expected what he'd found. Harry was rummaging through other clippings, his glasses ajar on his face and his lips pursed.

"I think I found something," Draco reluctantly said.

Harry sighed almost gratefully and threw his own clipping back on the table before moving over to where Draco was seated. "What is it?"

"Article published in the Prophet on the 24th of March 1943." He explained,

'Hogwarts student expelled for keeping a dangerous magical beast'

Thirteen-year-old Rubeus Hagrid, son of Brutus Hagrid working for the Department of regulations of Magical beasts, got expelled for keeping a further to determine magical beast.

Headmaster of Hogwarts, school of witchcraft and Wizardry, Armando Dippet stated that he himself, with the full support of his staff, decided to expel Mister Hagrid forthwith for his serious misconduct which had contributed to the death of a fellow student.

Mister Tomas Riddle, sixteen-year-old Slytherin prefect was awarded with a Trophy for Special Services to the School. After all Young Mister Riddle was the one who caught Mister Hagrid in the act and for that received this special honourable award.

Although the family of the victim expressed the wish Editors and staff of the Prophet sent our condolences to the Warren family and express their sympathy at their sudden unexpected loss. There will be a small service held for young Miss Warren at her home town.

Draco chewed at the inside of his cheek and looked at a horror stricken Harry.

"Hagrid?"

"The article seems to think so." Draco answered. "And while he doesn't seem like the kind to go after students for their blood, he is the type to take dangerous animals in, doesn't he?"

It seemed legit. Hagrid had tried to tame a dragon just last year. Had some sort of fascination with the animals and, although he lived in a wooden cabin, tried to raise it. It didn't explain what it had to do with Tom Riddle. Tom Riddle wasn't some kind of heroic figure. He was dangerous and a maniac. He'd most likely set him up. He wondered how though.

"We could ask him." Draco pointed out.

"Oh, I'm sure that's going to be a nice conversation, us asking him if he might have brooded up another monster."

"Not like that, you idiot."

"Hagrid wouldn't do this, Draco!"

"That's not what I mean either." He sighed, "But he would know about it, if he was at school back then, wouldn't he?"

Harry nodded thoughtfully. "Okay, you have a point. Let me look into this first. And if he has something to do with it, then we'll tell the others, all right."

"Fine with me."

Draco slipped the clipping in his Potions textbook and wrote Trophy for Special Services down into his notebook. He would look into it at a later time and wondered about Slytherin's monster. According to the legend the Monster was sealed in the Hidden chamber, when Salazar Slytherin

"Heard anymore voices?" He asked the other boy absentmindedly. He noticed Harry turn red and he grinned. "Hermione,"

"She told you…"

"You shouldn't blame her." Draco assured him. "She was just worried."

"Well, you can tell her I haven't heard the voice anymore."

oOo

Hermione Granger felt annoyed. She'd promised to meet up with Draco but she hadn't been able to find him. Wherever he was, he was well concealed. Which was a right feat to accomplish as his white blond hair was very easy to recognise. She didn't know anyone who had the same blond hair as he did.

With an annoyed frown she returned that afternoon to the Common room. There were several students, clustered in small groups, laughing and talking with friends, before the evening would set in. When Ron and Harry found her she was bent over the scarred oak wood of a desk in the corner of the circular room. She grimaced at him. He had skipped History of Magic without even telling her about was upset about that too, but then again, Ron got upset no matter what Harry did.

He approached her carefully, holding a few books in his arms. She noticed that Ron was sitting on the sofa in front of the fire, playing a friendly game of chess with Dean Thomas.

"Hermione,"

"Harry," she snapped curtly, "how did you enjoy your time skiving off?"

"How did you enjoy telling Draco Malfoy about the fact that I hear voices?" He retorted edgy and she felt her face flush.

"I was just worried." She told him defensively.

"Yes, well, I told you this in confidence." He responded huffily and she closed her book with a thud.

"What's this really about, Harry? Why are you needling me?" Hermione asked him snottily.

"Draco thinks Hagrid is involved."

Her mouth fell open.

"Yeah, I know, there is this article… I wasn't really planning on telling you, but—"

"Why not?" She demanded.

"Because I wanted to be sure before telling you." He explained, eyeing Ron with an angry frown. "I need your help. I want to do research, but I'm not really all that good at doing it."

"Why are you not going to Draco?" She asked angrily, hurt that he kept her out of the loop. Why hadn't they told her they were doing research on the culprit? She could have helped. She was already researching the monsters and it would have gone a lot faster if she could divide the work between her and Draco. "He has been helping you hasn't he?"

"Yes," he admitted. "He's worried about you. That's why we didn't involve you."

She pressed her lips together. She wanted to tell him she was not going to help him now, but she knew eventually she would cave anyway. "Fine," she whispered.

oOo

The next morning Draco awoke very early. He wasn't sure what he should do with the information that Hagrid had been set up for murder. He knew Hagrid had an unfortunate liking for large and monstrous creatures — he called a three-headed-dog Fluffy and played with it as if it was a puppy —, so it wasn't that much of a stress for Hagrid to try and find a monstrous creature hiding in the school.

Draco also knew Hagrid had been expelled from Hogwarts in his third year — courtesy of his father — and he had been there the day his father would have been able to pass on the little black book. He wished he could tell someone about that, but then he would have to admit his father was involved. He wasn't ready for that.

Draco felt very small and even with Weasley pressed against his side, he felt very alone. His cheek ached and his vision was fuzzy. Slowly he got up, running a shaking hand through his hair. He needed to pay another visit to the library.

He turned the corridor and quickened his pace when he passed the dark deserted passage on the second floor. The message, announcing that the Chamber of Secrets had been opened, was still there. Filch had been proven powerless against the magic that had been used to put it there. Draco couldn't help but shiver.

"Malfoy!"

Draco quickly turned around. Ronald Weasley was coming from the other side, quickly gaining in on him.

"Weasley?" he asked slowly, "What do you want?"

"Where are Harry and Hermione?"

"What?"

"Harry and Hermione," he explained slowly, as if Draco was a bit slow. "They haven't slept in their beds tonight. Haven't you seen them?"

"No, I haven't I—" he started before shaking his head, "I think I know where they are though."

"Oh really?"

"Tried the library?"

Ron flushed a dark red. "Oh— No, I haven't."

"They're probably there, aren't they?" Draco drawled and Weasley sneered.

"Fine," he snapped back. "I'm going to see if they are there. They better be there. If they're not—"

"For fuck's sake, Weasley!" Draco finally snapped. "When is your idiotic mind finally going to catch up to the fact that I am not the Heir of Slytherin. I haven't opened the Chamber! I haven't freed the monster that lays within."

"Get stuffed!" Ron Weasley snapped back and turned around to go to the library. Draco massaged his temples, swallowing the row of insults he would have loved to throw in the redhead's face, and followed him.

"Wait up, you Oaf!"

"I don't need your help."

"Well, you've got it anyway." Draco drawled sarcastically.

The library was deserted. Ron awkwardly started to search the work chairs and desks, looking around the shelves and sighed moodily. Draco observed him quietly, leaning against a long bookshelf. It was almost as if he didn't know where Hermione normally sat.

"Why is this place so huge?"

Draco rolled his eyes. Why was this boy such an oaf? "Hermione always sits in the back in the Transfigurations section."

"Oh,"

How did he not know that? Draco waited for a moment before following after him. Ron Weasley stalked forward again toward the back of the library. Taking a deep breath Draco crossed the library, trailing his fingers along the spines of the books. Ron turned around one of the staggering, towering bookshelves and then suddenly shrieked.

He quickened his pace, turning the corner and squinting against the sudden darkness, tipped over something, or someone and crashed into the floor with a loud yell. Ron was on him in a second and he squeaked. "They're petrified!"

"What?"

Draco tried to push Ron away, but clammy hands had tightened almost painfully around his wrist. He slowly turned his head to the side and realised there were too bodies, stiff and unseeing, laying next to him.

"Oh fuck!"

"They're dead!" Ron started to say, repeating that sentence like a mantra. Footsteps suddenly resonated through the library. Suddenly, several Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs were staring down at him. Some edged away and others stepped closer, one student — older, taller and looking worried — stepped forward, catching Draco's arm, trying to pull him up from the floor.

"Someone needs to find a Professor." He ordered, "Someone else needs to pull Weasley up. He's still breathing!"

Draco gave the prefect an owlish look, before slowly sitting up. Weasley followed his lead; his fingers still holding on to Draco's wirst and Draco gave him a worried look. No one expected Draco to be foolhardily brave, but Weasley… well, they did expect it of Weasley. Which explained all of their worried faces. A prefect, a girl, pressed the back of her hand against Draco's forehead.

"He's all right." She decided, when he pushed her hand of his person.

Ron barely reacted to the hand to his forehead. "Can you hurry up, this one needs her. Badly. I think he's in shock."

Aware of fingernails scraping over the skin of his wrist, he released a puff of air. Yes, Ronald Weasley was definitely in shock. That was just what he needed… An hysterical Weasley and both Harry Potter and Hermione Granger petrified…

To be continued…

A/N: And here is chapter 21. Please comment. I'd love to know what all of you think!

Harry Potter does not belong to me, but to J.K. Rowling