The Heir of House Black

AN: I make no profit from this. Harry Potter is owned by J.K. Rowling, Gundam Wing is owned by Sunrise.

Mendeia helped me out with part of this chapter, much thanks for that.

25: Plans

The return to Hogwarts was met with both joy and depression. Joy to see their friends again and depression because a return to school meant a return to studying. Harry wasn't the least bit surprised by Hermione's immediate return to the library or the start of study sessions. The end of the year was just a few months away and that would mean tests. Tests that she felt they weren't at all prepared for.

When Ron of all people had invited Draco to join their study group… well it had floored just about everyone. Harry wasn't complaining though. By the end of the holidays, his and Draco's relationship had reached a level that he had never thought possible between the two of them. It was both awkward and amazing and he had feared that a return to Hogwarts would have meant a return to the way things were before. He had feared that they wouldn't be able to see each other that much, that they wouldn't be able to spend much time together and that it would ultimately lead to them returning to being at best friendly rivals.

However, Ron had strode right over to Slytherin table on the first night back and told Draco in no uncertain terms that 'You will join us for study tonight or else!' There was of course a little back and forth between the two, but then after dinner not only Draco, but Blaize and Pansy had joined the rather interesting group of people that Hermione had gathered to help get them all through this year's exams.

The group was turning out to be a stunning success. Hermione had split everyone into groups based on their abilities and then written up assignments. Each group would teach the rest a subject that they were doing well in, then they would sit down for the next group to teach. This self-study group had started off with about 20 in total but by the end of the 3rd week, most of 6th year had gotten in on it and lessons had gone from the Library to outside just to meet the room requirements. Harry had almost suggested they use the Room of Requirement, but Hermione had immediately nixed that idea, it was a room that should remain secret. He couldn't disagree really.

They were all so busy, the slight change to Hermione's demeanor went unnoticed. When Quatre finally realized what he had missed, he blamed himself entirely; he'd known he'd been fooling himself, hoping she had recovered from her exposure to ZERO. Hermione had returned to being busy and bossy and altogether normal for herself. Quatre and the others had believed that everything was settled.

But it wasn't.

When it came to exposure to ZERO, those who survived faced three possible outcomes. Most simply went insane and ultimately had to be put down. Those who were able to endure ZERO, survive its use, and cope with the insanity were rare - like Duo and Trowa. They lived through ZERO largely untouched, healing from its impact as if from an injury. But some users survived not by coping with ZERO, but by mastering it. Rather than healing from the damage, these rare few evolved past it, as Heero and Quatre had done. There was no recovery, there was no dealing with the experience; there was instead the creation of a separate persona in the dark side of their psyche, one that exhibited great control over the system. But this process took time. It could not happen all at once.

Quatre now knew the horrifying truth that Hermione had not recovered from ZERO at all. She was still under the influence of ZERO's insanity, still wavering between madness and mastery of the system. If she survived, she had the potential to become like Quatre and Heero - powerful, dangerous, and unstoppable.

Which meant that the Gundams absolutely must find out what she was planning and stop it. They had to save her before insanity claimed her - or she did something unforgivable in the name of

Ultimate Victory

Hermione smiled as she sat with her friends and family. Currently Draco was explaining a rather difficult potion from 4th year. She had long since mastered it, but Harry was hanging on his every word. Ron had done his part. It had taken a little convincing, but she had explained that the benefits of supporting Harry and Draco's relationship and eventually her boyfriend had come around. He still grumbled about it, Ron and Draco still argued about everything… constantly, but Harry was happy and that made her happy. It would be best if he was happy for his last few days alive. She'd been looking into things and testing theories and she was certain now. She'd bought a blade from Borgin & Berkes. It promised to hold and intensify any poison the blade came in

contact with. Then she'd managed to find a way down into the Chamber of Secrets to gather some of the serpent's venom from its corpse. This had been a challenge. It might have been an

impossible challenge for anyone else, but not for the brightest witch of the century. She'd managed to kill some spiders in the forest with the blade. Then she'd used their corpses to create Inferi. The blade had worked on them as well. All she needed now was a way to get those boy's eyes off her. She had figured even that out though. The last Quidditch game of the year. Gryffindor vs Slytherin. Even with Harry and Draco's relationship, the match would prove to be a spectacle, one that would distract even those ever-watchful eyes. That's where the twins would come in. A surprise match, returning champions versus the current year. She was positive those five could be convinced to partake in an end of the year celebration. That's when she would do it.

She looked down at the blade, tinted green from the poison and coated red with the blood of fallen spiders. It was deadly, even to a Horcrux. She would put an end to her best friends suffering and in turn she would strike a mortal blow to Voldemort. Then she would only need to find the coward and she would save everyone from He Who Must Not Be Named.