Hermione

It had felt like a good day. The weather was good and I was actually quite excited to watch quidditch. It was Hufflepuff against Gryffindor. Then it got cancelled.

We were no longer allowed to roam freely through the castle. We were to remain in our common rooms from six pm on. We were to be always escorted by teachers from and to our classes. And lastly, if there were another attack, the school would be closed.

Soon it had spread that Hermione and the Ravenclaw prefect were attacked. I felt awful. My stomach churned uncomfortably every time I heard myself repeat it in my mind. ".. a mudblood was killed. I hope it's Granger this year." Why can't words be taken back?

The common room was eerily silent.

Ginny silently was scribbling in a book in a corner of the common room, looking pale and incredibly nervous. Greg was feeding the bow truckle and Vin was glancing at Ginny every few moments in concern. Pansy, albeit shocked, was playing chess with Theodore. Blaise was doing his hair. Millicent was cuddling her three cats to her chest.

I received a letter from my father. I felt a horrible sense of doom. The groundskeeper was to be sent to Azkaban. , Even worse, he is going to kick Dumbledore out of the school. Would the school really be any saver without Dumbledore? There would be a dead student before the end of the school year. I felt sick.

I needed to do something else. I needed something to keep my mind of things. I started drawing what I expected the sky would look like tonight. I drew the stars and the constellations after which my mothers family named their children. Orion I drew bright. I drew them all and the planets as well. This was good, don't think about how you wished Hermione harm and how she is now in her petrified state. Besides the mandragora's are maturing, she will be conscious soon enough and she'd probably still get better grades in her exams, while having missed plenty of classes. Besides it is not like she's dead. Like you wished her to be, a tiny voice in my mind accused me.

So from that moment on, we were accompanied from and to all our classes by teachers. It was eerily calm, nothing much happened.

Then professor McGonagall announces that exams take place in a week. Well, at least I had a decent shot of being the best in exams this year, might as well take a shot. I started studying with vigour. Somewhere I hoped Granger would still find a way to beat me, even in her petrified state.

Three days before the first exam, professor McGonagall announced that the mandragora's were ready to be cut and used to restore the petrified students. I start clapping, like the majority of the students. I feel something heavy being lifted from my chest. Hermione. I barely even know her. Still. I felt awful. My stomach churned uncomfortably every time I heard myself repeat it in my mind. ".. a mudblood was killed. I hope it's Granger this year." Why can't these words leave me alone? No matter how much I draw or study or talk with Pansy or play chess with Theodore.

I need to visit her and no one can know. Only Vin, he will understand. It was after Defense that I saw my chance. Well, actually it was Potter. Lockhart was complaining about the extreme cautions that were taken and Potter started to fully agree with him, kindly suggesting him to let us walk to our next class alone. I grabbed Vince arm, who looked at me questioningly. Seeing that Potter and Weasley were taking off towards the other side of the castle: not to Hermione, I took my chance.

I looked at Vin. "I did not want her to be petrified, you know." I felt stupid for growing upset. "Sometimes you just say stupid things."

Vin smiled at me. "Draco, you are not the heir, why do you act as if it's your fault?"

"I said horrible things," I snapped.

Vin still looks kindly at me. "Who cares? So many people say horrible things."

I look at Hermione. She looks pale. I take her hand. It's cold. She seems to be holding some piece of paper. Curiously, I take it from her. I still feel it is at least partly my fault. Then I hear footsteps coming closer. I look in panic at Vin and softly whisper hide towards him.

Then Potter and Weasley are escorted into the hospital by professor McGonagall. Me and Vin hide behind some curtains, where I fold the piece of paper open. Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant that girl. Even ripped a page out of a book, that is actually quite though for a know-it-all. Of course she got petrified because she found out what hided in the chamber of secrets. I feel frozen, just thinking.

I look at Vin. He seems just as shocked. We should show professor Snape. Vin and me sneak away. Vin follows me silently. We go to the teacher's room, but then all teachers seem to accumulate and we end up hiding in the closet, listening in on the professors. There was another attack. It was Ginny. Written on the wall was that her body would lay in the chamber for eternity. I felt sick.

Tomorrow the school would be closed. Tomorrow we'd be sent home. This could not be happening. I looked at Vin, both thinking the same, we would save Ginny ourselves. Slytherins have each others backs, right?

Then Lockhart started boasting he'd save her. I felt furious. He could not even fight corned pixies. How dare he say he would just save her as if her life is a joke? The teachers then conclude that he will take care of saving Ginny, since he seems to know all that is needed to save her. I feel terrible. How could the teachers give Lockhart the responsibility of Ginny's life?

McGonagall then announces she will collect Ron Weasley from the hospital. Professor Snape decides to contact the Weasleys at the Burrow and Professor Sprout will retrieve the Weasleys from the common room, then accompany Potter back to the common room.

I look at Vin. "Potter is our best Chance," I whisper nervously, "he might know more."

When the corridor is empty, we move as quickly and silently as we can. When we walk into the hospital room, Potter looks shocked at us. Weasley seems to already be collected by McGonagall.

I stun Potter, together with Vince I drag him into Myrtle's bathroom. The place where I would never expect the teachers to look for Potter and closest to the hospital.

I hesitate. Come on, no time to lose. "Potter, we need to save Ginny. I am not the heir. I cannot petrify students. I am only fourteen. Besides I do not wish death or petrification on anyone. If you know more, I.. Tell us. Ginny is our friend. We care. The teachers have given stupid Lockhart the responsibility of looking for Ginny. We have to do something." I try to breath slow and deep. Good. Calm down. "We know there is a basilisk that roams Hogwarts. A snake. You are a parselmouth. You need to be able to find the chamber, no one else could, but you are a parselmouth. It needs to mean something."

I then looked expectantly at him. "You stunned him," Vin reminds me. I blush. That was kind of dumb. I breath in deeply. Please don't scream, Potter. Help Ginny.

I unlift my stunning spell.