Hermione dropped down at the library table opposite Harry, earning herself a glare across the table from Ron Weasley. She glared back with every ounce of coldness she could muster. She didn't know what Harry saw in the oaf - he was far from powerful and painfully lazy, providing the bare minimum effort in classes then moaning when his grades reflected that.

'Snape hates me, Hermione!' Harry insisted. The young witch was unable to deny it, Professor Snape truly did hate him. He asked him difficult questions on topics they hadn't even been taught yet, sneered at his potions when they were perfectly passable and made everything more difficult by breathing down his neck. Not that Hermione thought his teaching method was particularly exemplary. She encouraged Harry to learn about ingredients rather than individual potions during their study time; actions, reactions and combinations.

'Not as much as McGonagall hates me.' Hermione pointed out. It was unfortunate because Hermione really admired the older witch but it seemed Dumbledore had said something to her. The witch would sniff stiffly every time Hermione achieved the class work, criticising her wand work constantly, even though it didn't matter what her wand work was like when she could perform it all without a wand. It was an exercise in frustration, but she had to keep at it and satisfy her need to learn elsewhere. Perhaps, given time, McGonagall could be swayed from Dumbledore's influence as well.

'Hermione, Potter, Weasley.' A voice greeted over her shoulder. She turned, smiling, to see Theo with his bag slung over his shoulder. He nodded his head deferentially to her and she shuffled aside to make room for him. 'Pince is coming, by the way. You might want to put that sandwich away.' He told the redhead in a friendly tone. Hermione rolled her eyes, already knowing how this would unfold but amused none the less. She almost suspected Theo did it on purpose to get Weasley kicked out.

As promised, Madam Pince did appear around the shelves, spotting first their group then zeroing in on the food. She turned puce, her chest drawing up as if she was about to shout.

'Out!' The librarian hissed in an impressive display of restraint. 'Weasley, out!'

Grumbling irritably, Weasley shoved both sandwich and homework into his bag in an untidy mess. He looked beseechingly at Harry as if expecting the other Gryffindor to follow him, then slouched out when the Boy-Who-Lived remained seated. Madam Pince scowled warningly at the remaining three, then prowled away again.

'Do you ask her to come over?' Harry hissed at Theo.

'No.' The Slytherin boy replied innocently. Hermione was willing to bet he never spoke to her, but that announcement was as good as, especially carrying like it would in the silence of the library. 'What are you working on, Hermione?'

'Charms.' She gestured at the text book vaguely.

'Just in case she couldn't already do fire-making charms.' Harry joked. Hermione scowled at him.

'Just because I can already do the spell doesn't mean I'm excused from the homework.' She huffed. Theo raised an eyebrow.

'Actually, it does. Professor Flitwick set the homework for everyone who hadn't managed the spell.'

Hermione huffed again and kept writing. Hermione had a particular affinity with fire because that was how her magic naturally manifested but she definitely didn't consider that an excuse to slack off on the technical details of casting it. If she ever needed to perform more complex fire magic, perhaps some sorcery, she would need to understand exactly how to wield it.

'Wish I could do what she does. Father says her... Grindelwald... that he could do it too. He was famous for his wandless magic.'

'I'm getting the hang of the witchlight, but nothing else is working for me.' Harry griped. He really had improved and he could easily conjure a light in the palm of his hands. Theo, like her, had chosen summoning as his first spell to learn wandlessly. He was progressing faster than Harry, not because he had more power but because Harry's mental processes were so different to anyone Hermione had cast with that she struggled to help him in particularly meaningful ways. The Gryffindor didn't seem to care though, taking to the task with all the fervour he seemed to lack in potions.

'Have you looked into your seal at all?' Theo asked after a moment of studious silence. Hermione glanced up in interest.

'Not really.' Harry admitted, glancing at the rings that adorned both Slytherin's fingers and then at his own bare hands.

'It's not right.' Theodore said, agitation clear in his voice. Hermione understood what he meant; Harry was the head of a powerful family and the fact that his seal was missing meant that anyone who picked it up could essentially wield his influence.

'The Dursleys might have thrown it away. They hate everything magical.' The dark haired boy admitted gloomily. Hermione shook her head.

'I doubt it. They can usually only be given away, there's nasty curses on them otherwise.' Her own carried a terrible penalty for anyone who thought to steal it; the wraiths that guarded the cairns around her home had fallen victim to it at various times throughout the ages.

'It must have been given to whomever has it willingly by your magical guardian. Have you seen your parent's will, that might be the place to start?' Theo suggested. Looking confused, Harry shook his head. 'My father has contacts with the goblins, they'll be able to tell you who has access to the family vault. I'm sure if you put the request in writing...'

'Hagrid used a key to get into my vault.' Harry volunteered and both Slytherins started, sharing a look that had Harry huffing in confusion. 'What's so important about that?'

'You shouldn't need a key to get into an old family vault.' Theo said slowly, glancing at Hermione. 'They're all below the dragon, and you just have to identify yourself to the goblins. They open it for you. Keys are only for smaller vaults, usually for wizards that aren't personally recognised by the goblins.'

'So you think that's not my vault?' Harry confirmed.

'It's probably a trust vault. I have several in Germany; they're for individual members of the family to access and are usually filled from the main family vault.' Hermione informed him. 'There will almost certainly be a main vault somewhere else, and whoever has your seal has allocated some into your trust vault.'

'Or,' Theo added, 'what's in there is just what was in there when your parents died. Most patriarchs put in a couple of thousand when a child is born.'

'Your parent's will should say who they wanted your guardian to be. It wouldn't have been the Dursleys because you can't leave stewardship to muggles.' Hermione drummed her fingers against the table, glancing at Theo for reassurance.

'Hermione's right. Finding their will might be tricky though. I think going to the goblins would be best; they usually keep a copy.' Theo said decisively.

'Dumbledore might know? He was friends with them.' Harry said hesitantly.

'Dumbledore wouldn't tell you if he did. He has a habit of collecting other family's seals.' Theodore sneered and Harry looked taken aback.

'Hagrid said he was a great wizard.' He said defensively.

'He is a great wizard.' Hermione scoffed. 'He's also a manipulative old coot who tried to perform illegal legilimency - mind reading, Harry, he tried to read my mind - on me.'

'You held him off though, right. Maybe he was just testing you?' Harry asked, looking conflicted.

'That's not the point.' Theo hissed, 'She is a family matriarch so she has family secrets in her mind. Unsolicited legilimency is completely illegal and absolutely dark magic. Occlumency is a last resort, not something you should have to keep up all the time.'

Harry wisely dropped the idea of asking Dumbledore and returned to his homework.

'I could, perhaps, speak to King Ragnuk when we meet over Yule.' Hermione said slowly. Two pairs of eyes shot upwards.

'You're meeting with the goblin king?' Theo demanded. Hermione tossed her hair.

'I am, he requested the meeting. I had hoped that you would both join my party.'

'Join your party?' Theo asked faintly.

'What party?' Demanded Harry.

'Its expected that I turn up with several other people with me when I go to meet with the King. They would consider it offensive if I showed up alone, because it means I don't consider them a threat.' Hermione explained patiently. Only days ago, she too had assumed that she would be going to Gringotts alone and it had been Gorlois who debased her of that notion during one of his random bouts of useful advice among the many rituals and pieces of family history he fed her during their theory lessons.

'So you want to take us?' Harry confirmed. 'I don't know if they'll let me leave Hogwarts for just a day over the holidays.'

'I know, I haven't figured out those details yet either.' She admitted.

'I can speak to my father.' Theo volunteered, then he hesitated. 'Although, he might be difficult about having Harry Potter over for Christmas...'

'Why would he have a problem with me?' Harry asked curiously.

'Nothing, just... it doesn't matter. I'll ask him.' The Slytherin boy said quickly, pointedly returning to his homework even as his cheeks glowed pink. He ignored their curious looks, then after a while Hermione shrugged.

'If he's happy to have us, I'd love to spend Yule with you.' She too returned to her homework and the rest of the evening was passed on lighter subjects - Professor Quirrel's turban and his latest vampire story, Mrs Norris, and the portrait of the drunken nun who'd tried to kiss the knight in the second floor corridor, creating uproar among the portraits.