Hermione wasn't the slightest bit surprised when she received a letter from her mother shortly before the Easter holidays, asking her to go home for the break. Given what had recently happened, Hermione was more than happy to write back and inform her parents she would be home for the holidays. When she mentioned it to Draco, he also agreed to go home in the hopes that they could see each other over the break.
When it came to the rest of their friends, only Pansy and Theo decided to join them in returning home for the holidays. Everyone else was content to stay in school for the couple of weeks, so as a result it was just the four Slytherins travelling on the Hogwarts Express when it departed from Hogwarts. Of course there was other people on the train, including Potter and Weasley, but Hermione ignored her former friends as she settled down in the compartment with her new friends.
Despite it just being the four of them in the compartment, there was no lack of conversation. Hermione was pleased to find that she was getting on better with Pansy all the time. While Draco and Theo engaged in a game of exploding snap, Hermione and Pansy were more than happy to sit chatting. While Hermione didn't think she would ever be as close with Pansy as she was getting with Daphne, she was still pleased that they'd been able to put their tough start behind them and become friends.
All too soon the journey was over and the train pulled into King's Cross Station. The four Slytherins exited the train together, although they quickly went their spate ways. Both Theo and Pansy said their goodbyes and rushed off when they spotted their parents waiting for them. However, Draco and Hermione were pleased to find their mothers standing talking to one another. Together, they headed over to where Narcissa and Leah were standing talking.
"Hermione," Leah gushed, sweeping her daughter up into a hug. "You're looking much better."
"I feel it," Hermione replied with a smile. She'd actually felt the after-effects of being poisoned for quite a few weeks, but in the last fortnight or so she'd started to feel more like her normal self.
"It's good to see you looking so well," Narcissa said with a smile. "We were all so worried about you."
"Luckily I'm fine, thanks to Draco and Severus," Hermione replied.
"I didn't do anything," Draco said with a slight shrug.
"You did," Leah insisted. "You got Hermione up to school as quickly as you could, and for that we'll always be grateful."
"Yeah, don't be modest, Draco," Hermione said with a pout as she turned to face her boyfriend. "You're my hero."
"I can live with that," Draco replied with a wicked smirk.
"And I think that's enough of that in public," Narcissa remarked with a low laugh as the two teenagers stared heatedly at each other.
"Yes, I think it's time we went home," Leah said to her daughter. "You can see Draco tomorrow. Right now your father is waiting impatiently at home."
"Why didn't he just come to meet me?" Hermione asked.
"He didn't want to create a fuss," Leah replied. "He's still worried about keeping you safe."
Hermione opened her mouth to protest that she was safe, when she spotted her former friends out of the corner of her eye. Looking over to the Gryffindors, she found Harry and Ron standing with Ron's parents. They were clearly watching them, and Hermione suspected there was other members of the Order hanging around to ensure there was no trouble.
Giving Harry and Ron one final glare, Hermione turned her back on them. Saying goodbye to Draco and Narcissa, she let her mother take hold of her arm and the pair dissapparated away from Platform Nine and Three Quarters. Arriving at home, Hermione found her father pacing the floor in front of the fireplace.
"Are you okay?" he asked as she rushed into his arms for a hug.
"I'm fine," Hermione replied. "The effects of the poisoning have all gone. I'm back to my normal self."
"That's good," Voldemort said in relief.
"Do you know who did it yet?" Hermione asked as her mother headed to check that dinner was on track.
"I'm not sure we ever will know," Voldemort replied with a sigh. "As much as I'm convinced it was someone involved with Dumbledore's precious Order, I can't prove it. Like it or not, the old bugger's right. Because it happened in Hogsmeade, it could have been anyone. Not everyone supports me, and I have more enemies than just Dumbledore and his Order."
"Hopefully the attack on Hogsmeade will help," Hermione said. "It's certainly got people in school wary of me. No-one would dare hurt me again."
"Let's hope you're right," Voldemort said. "But even so, I think recent events have shown we can't wait another two years to make our move. I had wanted to get you finished school before things got serious, but that's not an option any more. I need to take control as quick as I can."
"Are you in any position to do that?" Hermione questioned.
She didn't know all of her father's plans, but she did know he'd been planning on building up his support slow and steady throughout her last few years of school. His plans had been to infiltrate places like the ministry without anyone realising what was happening, and when the time was right to strike, he would have a solid support system in all the vital areas of wizarding society.
"I'm not in the strong position I would like," Voldemort admitted. "I have my circle of loyal supporters, and we're only just starting to infiltrate places like the ministry. We'll have to move quicker, and I need more loyal followers."
"Where are you going to get them from?" Hermione asked. "You said you were wary about a lot of your former supporters who abandoned the cause when you disappeared."
"I am," Voldemort replied. "But not all of them abandoned me. There's the group you met over the summer, but there's also another loyal group out there."
"Where?"
"Azkaban."
Hermione smirked as she realised her father's plan. Sitting in the cells of Azkaban were dozens of her father's followers, all of whom would pledge their allegiance to him if he freed them. All he had to do was organise a breakout and his numbers would be vastly improved. It would mean he would be able to initiate more direct contact with the Order. Instead of gaining power slowly, he could attack and gain power by force.
"Of course, your safety is still my main concern," Voldemort said. "Moving this way will get me what I want faster, but it could also endanger you. People at Hogwarts might not be so understanding."
"The only people who matter understand completely," Hermione argued. "I don't care what Harry, Ron and the other Gryffindors think. I don't even care what the Professors think. I mean, I've already got one Professor who hates my guts and won't give me the grades I deserve, and its clear McGonagall doesn't like me any more. I can cope with awkward Professors."
"Good, because next year is likely going to be tougher for you," Voldemort told his daughter. "Hopefully the rest of this year will pass without incident, but next year I'm taking the fight to the Order. I'm going to gather all the support I can, and take out Dumbledore and Potter."
"Bring it on," Hermione said, sharing a wicked smirk with her father. The following year might possibly be a tough one, but it could also be the year that gave Voldemort everything he ever wanted.
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Pansy sat cross legged on her bed, dozens of books piled around her. Luckily her parents never ventured into her room so she wouldn't have to explain why she was scouring through dark arts books. Of course she could just say she was doing some innocent reading, but she didn't want suspicion to fall on her when something happened to Hermione. Although, she actually had to find way for something to happen to Hermione and she wasn't having much luck so far.
Pansy knew she couldn't just throw a hex or a spell at Hermione as she was protected from such things. But even if she wasn't, using her wand to curse Hermione would lead directly back to her. Poisoning worked brilliantly, if only she hadn't made it back to school as quick to receive treatment. However, Hermione's near fatal brush with poisoning meant she was extra vigilant and Pansy knew she couldn't try the same trick again. That left her scouring books looking for an answer.
After what seemed like millions of books later, Pansy finally found something. The chapter was about cursed objects, and as she read about curses being placed on objects an old family story came back to her. When she was little she'd heard tales about a cursed bracelet her ancestors had owned. The curse was so strong it couldn't be removed from the bracelet and as a result it was kept locked up in the attic. Wondering if the bracelet was still in the attic, Pansy shoved aside the books and headed to investigate.
Luckily her mother was a perfectionist and even though the attic was full of things no-one was interested in, it was still organised in orderly fashion. It didn't take Pansy long to find a chest that was padlocked shut. Using magic, she opened the padlock and carefully set about checking out the contents of the chest. Making sure she didn't touch anything with her hands, Pansy rooted around in the chest until she found a black case which contained a bracelet.
It had been so long since Pansy had heard the story, she wasn't sure if it was the cursed bracelet, but she wasn't going to touch it to find out. She just had to hope that it was the bracelet she was looking for. After all, why would her parents keep a bracelet locked in the attic when all their other valuables were either in Gringotts or in the safe in her parent's bedroom? It had to be the cursed bracelet, nothing else made sense.
Taking the bracelet back to her room, Pansy slid it into her bottom drawer beside the bed and set about forming a plan. She had to get the bracelet to Hermione without anyone tracing it back to her. She also had to make sure it was Hermione would touched the bracelet. She didn't want to hurt anyone else.
After a couple of days musing on the problem, Pansy found the solution. However, in order to make her plan work she needed access to Hermione and her house. Luckily, Hermione was buying her fake friendship act and a quick owl later, Pansy had wrangled herself an invite to Hermione's for tea.
On the day in question, Pansy headed to Hermione's house with a plan. Draco was also present, which actually made Pansy's plan even easier. With Draco around, Hermione was easily distracted and Pansy had no problem snooping through Hermione's personal belongings. Finding an old birthday card from Hermione's mother, Pansy slipped it into her pocket without anyone noticing.
When she returned home, Pansy magically transferred the bracelet into a box from a fancy jeweller and sealed it up. Using the card she'd stolen from Hermione, she then addressed the package to Hermione making it look like it was from her mother. Now Hermione would open the package without question, just thinking her parents had sent her an unexpected gift.
"Binky," Pansy called, summoning her personal house elf. Binky had been her elf since birth and she was a loyal creature, meaning Pansy trusted her implicitly.
"Mistress called," Binky said, bowing her head as she landed in front of Pansy.
"You're going to do something for me," Pansy said to her elf. "Ten days after I return to school, you're going to get this package from my bottom drawer and send it to Hogwarts with an owl from the post office in Diagon Alley. You're not to tell anyone about the package, ever. Is that understood?"
"Yes, Mistress," Binky replied, watching with wide eyes as Pansy slid the package in her bottom drawer underneath her winter jumpers.
"Remind me what you're to do," Pansy prompted the elf.
"Deliver the package ten days after you go back to Hogwarts," Binky replied. "And use an owl from the post office in Diagon Alley."
"Good girl," Pansy said with a smile. "You can run along now. And remember Binky, it's our secret."
"Yes Mistress," Binky repeated, before she disappeared from Pansy's room.
With a wicked cackle, Pansy threw herself on her bed. Now this plan would work, she was sure of it. Hermione would receive the bracelet, and even if she was rushed straight off to the hospital wing, she wouldn't survive. No-one had ever survived the curse of the bracelet, and there was no reason Hermione would be any different. Finally she'd be gone, and Pansy's life could return to the way it was supposed to be. Draco would be hers again, and she would be the top witch in Slytherin. No more Hermione Granger, Slytherin Princess.