"I'm not going, Daphne." Hermione says as she flips a page in her book. The twosome is sitting in the Slytherin common room. Hermione taking up one of the single plush chairs next to the roaring fire, while Daphne took residence on the love seat next to Hermione's chair. Daphne's currently being dramatic, and Hermione refuses to look at her.

"But Hermione, I don't want to miss the game." Daphne says, whining as she lays across the love seat, an arm slung over her eyes.

"I'll be here the entire game Daphne. I'll be fine. When it's finished, you can come right back here, and I'll still be here." Hermione says, still not looking up from her book. She's currently looking through her charms book, trying to find the charm to make something feather-light. She's absolutely sure it was in this book now it was just a matter of finding it.

"You're not listening to me, are you?" Daphne asks, she finally sat up from her prone position on the love seat to glare at her friend.

"Not a word."

Daphne makes a sound that resembles a screech. "Fine, you win this round. But you better not leave the common room, Hermione! I will find out if you do."

Hermione rolls her eyes. "Yes, yes. Now go, I'm sure the match will be starting soon."

"You're insufferable." Daphne says as she stands and smooths down her outfit for the match. She decided to go for a long black skirt that brushed the tops of her mary jane style shoes with were also black. She had a white button-down shirt on, and over top of that was a luxurious green sweater. Overtop, everything was her winter cloak. "Please be careful Hermione. Please."

Hermione waves her away. "I'll be fine Daphne, I promise I'll stay here." Hermione hears Daphne sigh, peeking up out of the corner of her eye Hermione sees Daphne shake her head exasperatedly with a smile and heads out of the common room.

Hermione can't help the sigh that leaves her lips. She, of course, adores Daphne, but the mothering was getting a little over the top! Though, it is nice to have someone care that much about me. Hermione shakes her head out of her thoughts and refocuses her attention back to the book in her hand.

Hermione's halfway through the book when she finally finds it.

Plumatae Levium or the feather-light charm is a charm that makes objects as light as a feather. Its origins are strangely missing, but it is undoubtedly a useful charm. The wand movement is rather simple, as illustrated below.

Hermione practices the wand movement, a simple flick, and swish with a tap to the object that is to be made feather-light. Making sure she is annunciating properly, she repeats the spell a few times aloud before turning her attention to actually performing the spell.

Deciding to practice it on the coffee table, she kneels in front of it. "Plumatae Levium." She says and with a flick and swish ending with a tap on the table. Placing her wand down, she takes a deep breath. Nerves overtaking her, she takes her hand and lifts the table up. A squeak escaping her as she inadvertently flips the table over. Quickly righting it and thankful no one was around to see that, she lets the joy she feels come out.

"I did it! I did it!" She says as she jumps up and down excitedly. She can't wait to tell Daphne!

"Hermione!" Daphne yells as she makes her way down to the common room. Hermione sighs, she can be so loud at times.

"Yes, Daphne. I'm still here." Hermione says. Once she mastered the feather-light charm and placed it on her school pack, she decided to write in her journal. It's been a while since she wrote in it and so she took the peace and quiet and made a significant dent in catching up everything that's happened so far. Hermione closes her journal and stows her quill and the diary into her pack.

"You will not believe what happened at the match today!" Daphne says in her over the top way as she takes back her seat from earlier.

"Slytherin finally managed to beat those idiotic Gryffindors?"

"Ugh, no, I wish." Daphne rolls her eyes. "They're such gloaters. It's like they have no manners at all! But that's not it. Potter was attacked by a rogue bludger, completely broke his arm, and then, oh, you have to guess! But I don't think you'll ever get what happens next!"

Hermione rolls her eyes at her gossip of a friend. "Daphne, just tell me."

"Professor Lockhart tried mending it, but instead of mending it. He…" She pauses for dramatic effect, and Hermione sighs. "He removed all of the bones in his arm! Oh, it was awful, I've never seen an arm just wiggle like that!"

"Oh, that sucks for Potter." Then an idea flashes through Hermione's mind. "Oh, Daphne! I just got the most brilliant idea on how we can get into the infirmary!"

Daphne stared at Hermione, seemingly waiting for her to say something else, but when nothing comes, she deflates. "Oh, that's right. We never did go to the infirmary the other night."

Hermione nods her head, excited. "Exactly, if we just tell Madam Pomfrey that we're there to visit Potter, she can't really say anything!" Hermione pauses and scrunches her nose. "I hope."

"Well, it's not like Potter can't have visitors, you know. And really, how is she going to say no to two cute innocent girls!" Daphne says and flicks her hair over her shoulder.

Hermione giggles. "Ok, let's go!"

The two girls start to leave the common room and stop when they encounter Nott and Zabini.

"You missed a great game, Granger." Zabini said.

"Apparently so, Daphne just told me all about it." Hermione says as she smiles at the two boys.

"You can always come next game, so you don't miss the next big thing." Nott says with a wink.

Hermione can't help the snort that escapes her. "While I appreciate it, Nott, I will never go to another match. I simply don't see the point in the silly sport. I'm the same way when it comes to football that my dad is such a huge fan of. I don't understand why they have to chase a tiny ball around, and on top of that, it's a miracle if they even score a point!"

Both Nott and Zabini cock their heads to the side. "What's football?"

Hermione waves the question away. "It's a muggle sport that I, unfortunately, grew up on. Maybe one day I'll explain it to you two." She pauses. "You'd probably enjoy it, actually. But we will see you boys later, Daphne, and I need to go."

"Where are you guys off too?" Nott asks.

"We have to go make sure Potter is ok, of course." Hermione says with a grin and a wink. Daphne starts to giggle as the two head up the stairs, leaving behind two very confused boys.

Hermione pushes open the door to the infirmary and is a bit shocked as to how loud it actually is. Hermione takes a quick look at Daphne from the corner of her eye. "Follow my lead." Hermione mumbles, Daphne smiles to show she agrees.

"Can I help you, girls?" Madam Pomfrey asks as she hurries over to the two Slytherins.

"Daphne was at the match earlier today, and she's developed a headache from all the noise. I'm just escorting her to make sure she gets here, ok." Hermione says as she gestures to her friend.

Daphne nods her head. "I've never received such a headache before, by going to a match! It must have been all that commotion that happened afterward that triggered it."

Madam Pomfrey frowns at the two. "Honestly, it's such a barbaric sport! I can't believe the Headmaster allows it to still be played here! There are always so many injuries. But don't you worry, dear, I have something that will clear the headache in just a tick. Follow me, you two, I'll take you to a bed." She says and turns around, heading towards a bed in the back, away from the noisy Quidditch players that are surrounding Potter.

They get to the bed, and Madam Pomfrey gestures Daphne to sit. Hermione stays standing at her side, her gaze quickly scanning the room to see a bed with the white hospital curtains drawn.

"I'll be back in a tick with the potion for your headache." Madam Pomfrey says and bustles off. Hermione watches her a moment before she looks at Daphne.

"I'm going to go check it out if she asks where I went…" Hermione pauses. "Just keep her distracted."

Daphne nods and gives a thumbs up. "Don't worry, Hermione. I got this." Daphne ends with a wink. Hermione nods, and with a quick peek over to where she saw Madam Pomfrey last, she's incredibly grateful to see her back was turned towards her. Reprimanding the loud Quidditch players.

Hermione makes a quick dash towards the curtained bed. Quickly finding the opening, she wastes no time in entering the most likely off-limits area. Hermione walks quickly over to the chair that's by the bedside, and even though it's obscene to put her feet on furniture, she climbs onto the chair, making sure her feet are no longer visible on the floor. Just in case.

Hermione took in the body of the latest petrified victim. The victim was a boy if Hermione had to take a guess as to what year he was in, she'd probably say first. Since he looked younger than her, and she doesn't remember him being at her sorting in first year. He was clearly a Gryffindor, given that his tie was red and gold, and he had the Gryffindor crest on his chest. His face was primarily hidden since he was holding a camera up to his eyes. Other than that, there really wasn't anything that stood out to Hermione. Hardly satisfied but knowing she needed to reappear again in the infirmary, Hermione got down from the chair and peeked out of the curtained area. As she does so, she locks eyes with Daphne.

Daphne's posture immediately relaxes when she sees Hermione pop out of the curtained area. Hermione bites her lip and looks around the room, spotting Madam Pomfrey talking to the still loud Quidditch team; she quickly dashes to Daphne's side.

"She's already given me the potion, I just have to wait 5 minutes for it to start working." Daphne says.

Hermione nods. "Any suspicion?"

"Nope! She asked where you went, I just said the loo, and she didn't ask anything else."

Hermione nods, relieved. "Good."

Madam Pomfrey comes back after the 5 minutes are up and bids the girls goodbye and tells Daphne if she feels anything out of the ordinary to go straight back to the infirmary. Daphne tells her she will, and the two Slytherin's leave the infirmary.

Daphne waited till they were a safe distance away before she begins to talk. "So anything?"

Hermione frowns and shakes her head. "Not really, but I feel as though I'm missing something. I think I'm going to get my notes and head to the library. I think it's time I start doing some research on different kinds of animals that petrify their prey and possibly kill them, just with a look."

"Are you sure it's just looking at them?"

"I'm almost a hundred percent positive that it's just a look. As far as I could tell, there was no bite or scratch marks on both victims."

"Well, I'll accompany you. I can get some homework done while we're at the library."

Hermione nods. "Good, I also want to check on my stewing lacewings. I want to make sure nothing is going awry."

Daphne pulls a face but nods. "Let's go!"

Hermione chews on the end of her quill as she stares blankly ahead of her. Daphne, herself, Nott and Zabini are all at Hermione's table in the library. Nott and Zabini decided to join the two girls, figuring they could use the study time as well. They asked Hermione again if she'd be ok with helping them a bit on their work. Hermione readily agreed, always excited to help them understand something better.

Hermione has a couple of books open in front of her, but the one that she really wanted to find, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander was all checked out. She was relatively annoyed when she realized that, since that was the actual book she forgot to pack. Thinking she didn't actually need it this year.

I could always talk to the groundskeeper. Hagrid, if I remember correctly. He seems somewhat knowledgeable when it comes to magical creatures. Hermione scrunches her nose at the thought. Maybe as a last-minute resort, I'll talk to him. He seems rather fond of Potter and Weasley. Who knows what those two have said about me, if anything. Hermione sighs through her nose and decides to change where her thoughts were heading. I still need to write that letter to Lady Malfoy. I need to stop putting it off.

With that thought, she goes into her pack and takes out her letter-writing parchment. She also takes out a higher quality quill as well as her more delightful ink. With her new station all set up, she stares blankly at the parchment for a minute.

What in the name of Merlin do I write? Hermione thinks. Deciding she needs a minute before tackling the letter, she looks at her tablemates.

Nott currently has the end of his quill in his mouth as he stares at his homework in front of him. Astronomy this year seems to be giving him a run for his galleons, a little funny considering one of his best mates is named after a constellation. Hermione idly thinks she then looks towards Zabini, and she feels a small string of annoyance go through her. He's sleeping! Hermione glares at him and stands up from her chair. Rolling up her discarded parchment, she leans over the table and hits him on the head with it, ignoring the amused looks from Daphne and Nott.

Zabini jolts awake and almost falls out of his chair. "Ow, what in the-" He mumbles as he rubs the back of his head.

"The library is a place for studying, not sleeping Zabini." Hermione says primly as she sits back down. "If you need a nap, go back to the dorms."

Daphne giggles behind her hand, and Nott snickers, while Zabini pouts. "Aw, man. I'm sorry, Granger. I'm trying to write the essay for History of Magic, and it's just so boring."

"Suck it up." Hermione says blandly, and Zabini sheepishly smiles.

"Yes, ma'am."

The table is silent for a minute before all four of them end up in giggles. Once the laughs died down, everyone went back to their work. Hermione looks at her unwritten letter, and finally, she has an epiphany. Quickly dipping her quill into her inkpot, she begins writing.

Hermione ends her letter with a flourish of her name. Biting her lip, she reads over her letter and can't help but think that it's off. She needs a second opinion, so she nudges Daphne's side with her elbow. Daphne turns to Hermione with a head tilt.

"Can you read this over? It seems off."

Daphne gives a quick nod and swipes the letter from her hand. She quickly reads it. "It's perfect, Hermione. Nothing to worry about."

Hermione frowns as she takes the letter back. "Are you sure?"

Daphne nods. "Of course. Trust me."

"Ok, thank you."

"We can go to the owlery when we're finished here."

Hermione nods her agreement. Folds up her letter takes an envelope from her pack, and addresses it to Lady Malfoy, she then shoves the message into the envelope and seals it with a simple wax seal of the Slytherin house crest. With that finished, she sets the letter aside and clears her area of all the books she had out and puts them back into her pack. She also corks her inkpot, puts her letter-writing parchment back in its folder, and puts away her nicer quill. Quickly running through her homework in her head, she's satisfied with herself when she realizes she's completed all of the work that she needed to.

"Does anyone need any help?" Hermione decides to ask her tablemates.

"Oh, thank Merlin, you asked." Nott says as his shoulders sag. "I'm having so much trouble remembering anything about Astronomy class this past week."

"Ok, let's see where you're at." Hermione says as she leans closer towards Nott.

It's been a week since Hermione went to the owlery to mail the letter to Lady Malfoy and she was starting to get worried, she still hasn't received an answer back. Currently, Daphne and herself were eating breakfast with Nott and Zabini sitting across from them. Hermione was waiting impatiently for the usual morning mail delivery, her leg jumping up and down so she can do something with her anxious energy.

"My goodness, Hermione, relax. She'll answer when she has an answer for you."

"I know, I can't help it, though. I'm anxious to see what she has to say."

"What are you waiting for, Granger?" Zabini asks, his curiosity getting the better of him.

Hermione looks towards Daphne, silently asking her if she should include the two in what they've been up too. Daphne shrugs, her eyes telling her basically that it's up to her.

Hermione regards the two boys in front of her, after a moment of deliberation. Hermione leans forward to the two, keeping her voice low. "I'm awaiting the reply of Lady Malfoy on how to trace Salazaar Slytherin's bloodline."

Both Zabini and Nott give her a shocked face, something Hermione can't help but find immensely amusing and laughs at.

"Why would you want to do that?" Nott asks.

"To find out who opened the chamber, of course. I'm also trying to figure out what kind of creature is running amok in Hogwarts petrifying students."

"Why?" Zabini asks this time, and Nott nods with him.

"Well, who doesn't love a good mystery?" Hermione says, dipping into her parfait.

Before Zabini and Nott can say anything else on the matter, owls begin swooping in delivering mail. Hermione waits anxiously, scanning all of the owls as they head toward the table. She wasn't really sure what owl she should be looking for, but it helped ease her.

In a flutter that Hermione almost doesn't notice an owl is sitting in front of her. It was a genuinely regal-looking owl, the majority of the owl looked as though it was dipped into a gold bath. While its chest and a perfect circle around its face was a pure white.

"Well, hello there." Hermione says sweetly and takes the letter it was presenting from its leg. Hermione gives the owl a few owl treats, smiling at the bird. "Thank you for delivering this letter to me. I hope you have a safe flight home." Hermione continues to talk to the owl, and after giving it a small pet on its head, the owl flew off. Hermione smiling as she watched the sweet bird take off.

Daphne looks at Hermione, a look that clearly was filled with awe. "She's never that nice to me!"

Hermione shrugs. "I've always had an affinity when it comes to animals."

Daphne pouts. "That's so unfair."

Hermione grins and then turns her attention towards her letter. Wow, Lady Malfoy has incredible handwriting. She takes in the elegant script, wondering if it would be weird if she saved the envelope. She's never seen her name written so elegantly. Shaking out of her gaze, she flips the envelope over and breaks the green wax Malfoy family crest seal. She takes the letter out and begins to read. When she finishes, she merely blinks at the message. Surprised at the amount of information that she's included. Folding the letter back up and placing it back into the envelope, she almost jumps when Daphne clears her throat.

"Well?" Daphne asks.

Hermione shakes her head. "I have to process what she's just told me. I'll tell you later."

Daphne pouts, disappointed, but she nods. "Fine."

"What's her owl's name?" Hermione asks suddenly, and it takes a minute for Daphne to catch up to what Hermione was asking.

"Dahlia."

Hermione nods and goes back to finishing her parfait.

"Why is my mother sending you mail?" Hermione looks up and sees someone whom she hasn't had a conversation with all year.

"It's not really any of your business now is it Malfoy?" Hermione says with an arched brow.

"It's my business because it's my mother."

"Well, then you can ask your mother why she's writing to me. I don't have to answer to anyone other than myself."

Malfoy scowls at her. "You need to learn your place you stupid-"

Hermione waves him off. "Just go away Malfoy, I can feel my brain cells disintegrating the more you talk to me." Hermione pushes her parfait away from her and stands. "In fact, I'll do you one even better. I'll be the one to leave." With that, Hermione picks up her pack and begins to leave.

"Ah! Hermione! Wait for me!" Daphne says and scrambles to catch up to her friend. Daphne hooks her arm into Hermione's. "You know, I don't really know what to do about Draco."

Hermione snorts. "Malfoy isn't your problem."

Daphne sighs. "That's true, but I can't stand how he talks to you, and I feel as though I should say something."

Hermione stops walking and turns to Daphne. "It's ok, Daphne. He doesn't bother me at all. None of the slurs bother me anymore. I'm the smartest witch in our house and most likely in all of Hogwarts at this time. I know my worth, you know my worth. That's good enough for me." Hermione pauses. "Even Professor Snape sees my worth! Soon enough, everyone else will realize just how powerful I am, and they will be groveling at my feet for my forgiveness."

"My goodness, Hermione! You sound as though you're going to take over the world!"

Hermione winks at Daphne. "You know I just might."