Hello!

First off I'd like to thank everyone for your messages of encouragement! I know I have been slacking on this chapter and I am sorry it took me so long.
I was distracted by life and stuff!

Here is a new chapter for you! I stayed up late rather than wait until tomorrow! (England time anyway!)

Thanks again and I really hope you enjoy it.


Draco jostled along to the Great Hall. Not really paying attention to where he was going. He was thinking about how small Hermione had looked last night, upon his suggestion that Harry might have to…

He sighed loudly.

Someone smacked the back of his head and he let out a surprised yelp.

"Merlin Minister, that bloody" He shouted spinning round, "oh er…"

One of the Weasley twins was grinning at him, with far too many teeth on display for Draco's liking.

"Hello, George?" he hazarded.

"Fred, but close guess!" The boy laughed, before quickly wrapping his arm round Draco's shoulders and pulling him in close. "Listen Draco, mate," he quickly glanced around, "If you know what's good for you, keep you head down today. Got it?" He ruffled Draco's hair and pushed him down by his head.

Stumbling a few steps Draco roughly straightened his clothes and shook out his hair. "Got it?" he childishly mocked. Shooting the laughing Gryffindor a sneer.

In response Fred gave him a thumbs up and a wink.

Draco stuck his tongue out.

"What was that about?" Blaise bumped into him, steering Draco to the Slytherin table.

"If it's what I think it is," Draco sighed, "We had better be on our best behaviour. And stay as far away from Quirrell as possible."

"Quirrell?" Blaise scrunched his face up, turning to look at the head table. "Why, what's wrong with him? I mean, aside from the usual?" He added grinning cheekily.

"You've been warned." Draco whispered ominously, wiggling his fingers in Blaise's face.

Blaise snorted through his nose, batting Draco's hand away. "Owl received, loud and clear."

Turning his attention towards the head table, Draco's eyes slid along the attendees until they alighted on the jittery, turban-wearing teacher.

It looked like the twins were about to make good on his request.

Quirrell was about to have a very bad, no good, rotten day.

Ducking his head to hide his smile, Draco tucked in to his breakfast eager to begin the day. As long as nobody blamed him, this should be entertaining.

Once breakfast was consumed, the young Slytherins all grabbed their bags and ran ahead of the crowd surging from the great hall.

The Gryffindor first years joined them shortly after, as they descended into the dungeons. Harry and Ron greeted Draco with firm slaps to the back and cheerfully shouted hellos.

"Gryffindors! Always so violent!" He exclaimed, "My father will hear about this."

Harry laughed light heartedly, his eyes crinkled in mirth.

Ron let out a little half-hearted chuckle a small frown on his face. He was looking at Draco oddly, head tilted to the side and eyes unfocused. Until Neville bumped into him from the other side and his attention was drawn away.

A sharp pinch at his waist had Draco spinning in place to see Hermione glaring at him.

"Well aren't we enjoying ourselves this morning?" She drawled, moving to pinch him again.

Sharply swinging his arm, Draco attempted to dodge her attack, without looking like a twitching loony in front of the other students.

"Easy Minister, just having a little joke. Didn't mean to trigger you."

"You didn't trigger me, just think you're acting a little casual. You know, when you were plotting Harry's death yesterday."

Draco quickly glanced around, checking that no one had overheard Hermione.

"Are you out of your mind?" he hissed at her, violently waving his wand, casting the muffliato spell.

She had slowed, allowing most of the class to get ahead of them.

"Anyone could have heard you! And we discussed it last night, we'll try for something else."

She was avoiding his eyes, staring straight ahead. "Fine" she huffed, picking up speed and leaving Draco to trail behind her.

What was going on? Last night Hermione had been practically snotting and weeping all over him until he agreed with her, verbally at least…

Now she was avoiding even looking at him.

Slightly bewildered, Draco followed her into the potions classroom.

She didn't even smugly gloat when she received her homework back, with top marks of course.

Draco turned to watch as Harry received his parchment back from Sev. Unusually Harry had actually been receiving good marks in potions and was showing a rather strong aptitude and enthusiasm for the subject.

"Thanks Professor Snape!"

It was almost grotesquely fascinating to watch Sev's jaw tighten, before giving Harry a sharp nod of acknowledgement. Harry beamed at Severus and just looked so genuinely happy to be there.

Draco felt a sharp tug in his stomach, before turning sharply away form the happy boy.

Guilt. That's what this was.

Well if he was experienced in anything, it was in repressing emotions. Shoving his feelings into a dark recess of his mind, Draco continued on with the lesson as normal.

Well, as normal as one can when ones partner was almost completely silent.

He was being extra nice and everything,

But every time he tried to get her to look at him, her jaw clenched and her face darkened and she looked the other way.

It just made him feel worse about the Harry situation. She was probably angry at what he said yesterday, it'd be best to let her calm down a bit. It would be a lie to say that he wasn't worried about the future too.

Though he was loath to acknowledge it, he was pretty certain that he would not be pursuing a relationship with a certain miss Greengrass this time around. Mainly because this girl would not be the same woman he married all those years ago, there would be an awfully large age gap for one.

This of course meant… That Scorpius wouldn't be…

Well, one more set of feelings to be pushed into the void.

He spent the rest of the class following the motions, sighing occasionally. Twirling muggle quill around in a dramatic way.

As soon as class ended Hermione ploughed her way out of the classroom, ignoring everyone in her wake. He stared after her pensively.

"What's up with Granger today?" Blaise leant heavily on Draco's back, forcing his body to slump forward.

"Hell if I know. Now get off, you absolute troll!"

"Maybe she's embarrassed about something?"

Draco turned his head and caught a glimpse of bright red.

"How can she be embarrassed?" Blaise snarked, "Did you see here score?"

"Why'd you think that Weasley?" Draco asked curiously, as they began walking up to lunch.

"Dunno. Feeling I guess?" he scuffed his shoes as they walked. "It's stupid, don't know why I said… forget I said anything."

Blaise exchanged a raised eyebrow with Draco.

There was seer blood in the Weasley family, plus Draco knew for a fact that Ron had a knack of 'just knowing' many things.

Dropping the conversation for now, Draco steered the little haphazard gang of students towards the Great hall. He began a conversation with Ron about the Chudley Cannons, insert shudder here, and slowed his pace so they were separated from the group just before the main hall.

Something was bothering him about Ron's reaction to him just before class.

"Hey Ron, about earlier."

"About Hermione?"

"Um, no actually. Before class, when I said 'my father will hear about this'…."

Ron's face had taken on the same strange expression it had before.

"Why'd you look at me like that?"

"Um." Ron's ears had turned bright red and his eyes were darting around as though looking for someone to rescue him. "It's… I don't know how to…"

"I won't laugh, I promise." Draco said solemnly.

"It's just, it sounded wrong?"

"Wrong?"

"Yeah, like it should have been said differently. Like, not as a joke?"

Draco was floored for a second. What in the name of Merlin's baggy drawers was going on? Ron could see things that have but haven't happened? Oh Morgana his head was going to explode.

Grabbing Ron's arm Draco stared directly into his eyes. "Does this happen a lot? But with other things? Not just me? Hermione maybe?"

"Yeah, sometimes, I'm not sure. Look Draco we're gonna be late for lunch, we should go…" Ron said, his eyes wide and pleading.

"Yeah, yeah okay. Listen thanks Ron, sorry. I'll see you after lunch, okay?"

"Yeah, okay. Later Draco." Ron vanished from sight rapidly, looking far too relieved.

An honest to Merlin seer, Ron was a fucking seer. But not of the future, no, more like a now kind of seer? Like a see into the present or past kind of seer? Hermione was going to flip when he told her about this. She hated Divination.

Looking all round the tables, Draco couldn't help but notice that his Minister was absent.

"Hermione isn't here, Draco." Huffed Pansy from beside him, "Honestly you have no subtlety."

"I'm not sure what you are referring to Pans, I'm merely looking about."

She scoffed. "Sure you are."

"However now you've brought it up, has anyone seen Hermione?"

Negative responses from all, damn. He'll just have to use the book after lunch to look for her.

A sudden ripple of hushed whispers flowed across the hall, followed by giggling.

Professor Quirrell had just walked in.

"What the actual…" Pansy said, staring in disbelief at their Defence teacher.

Quirrell's turban was bright green and was currently spewing bubbles from the top. Some of the bubbles had become animal shaped and had begun floating around the Great hall.

An undignified snort left Draco and he clamped his hand over his mouth.

The Slytherin first years all glanced at each other before collapsing in fits of laughter; all except Daphne, who was silently watching Quirrell like a hawk as he made his way to his chair.

He was pointedly keeping his chin up and appeared to be fending off the other teachers' offers of assistance. Grabbing his turban very firmly when Flitwick made to jab his wand at it.

Quirrell pulled out his chair.

Daphne pursed her lips and practically vibrated with excitement.

Quirrell began lowering himself into the chair.

Daphne grabbed Pansy's arm tightly and held her breath.

Draco and the boys had stopped laughing and were now watching Quirrell too.

He sat.

An explosion of bright green glittery slime rocketed Quirrell from his chair, splattering across the Staff table and coating the unfortunate DADA professor.

Draco watched in disbelief as Quirrell floundered about, trying to stand only to fall on his arse and become more coated in slime. Impressively he was still managing to keep a hold on his turban.

The hall erupted into chaos.

Draco was pretty sure he was crying, oh man he couldn't even breathe.

Kids were climbing onto the tables to get a better look, screaming and shouting as they did. Others simply slid to the floor, unable to hold themselves upright any longer.

Draco's eyes travelled along the teacher's table until his eyes met a very calm set of black ones. Despite sitting next to Quirrell, Severus didn't have a single drop of slime upon him. All the other professors had at least a little bit of the nasty gunk, either on their clothing or in their hair. But Sev was sitting pretty, a slight shimmer, reminiscent of a shield charm, coating his body.

A whine left his body involuntarily.

Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Double shit.

"Oh Fuck he's smiling." High pitched, whiny, Draco cringed internally.

"Who's smiling?" Theo laughed, slapping Draco on the back, whilst glancing round.

Noting the look on Draco's face, his smile slacked slightly before following Draco's line of sight.

"Shit… You don't think, that he thinks… that we did it, do you?" Theo whispered, ducking his head and sharply kicking all the legs surrounding him.

Shouts of indignation were quickly muffled as Theo began sharply hissing at them all. Almost as one the first year Slytherins calmed down and turned, to eye their Head of House.

"Oh shit he really is smiling…" Millicent said from a few seats down.

"I don't think he's blinked the entire time he has been watching us." Daphne said in an amused tone, lightly giggling and covering her mouth with a napkin daintily.

Pansy whipped round to stare daggers at Daphne.

"Tell me this wasn't you…"

"It wasn't me."

Her words were somewhat ruined by the feral grin that split her face. If she didn't do it, she knew who did. Sev would probably have worked that out already, which was why he was looking so smug.

They lapsed into silence as Dumbledore shot firecrackers from his wand and calmed the hall.

Professor Quirrell was still refusing help from the other teachers, his hands both clasped tightly to his turban. He had managed to stand now and was moving towards the door by the top table.

McGonagall was watching him slowly totter along the floor, lips pursed and face tight. She had tried to assist Quirrell multiple times, receiving protesting screeches as thanks.

Not suspicious at all.

Deciding that Quirrell was beyond help currently, McGonagall turned her gaze to the now silent student body. She began admonishing them all; citing how disappointed she was in whomsoever thought this was an appropriate way to treat a teacher. Draco noticed that her gaze did happen to keep fixating on the Gryffindor table.

Unfortunately the effect of her speech was entirely ruined by the almost manic glee in the face of Severus and the twinkling of Dumbledore's eyes as he stood in front of them all.

According to Hermione, Dumbledore knew, at this point, that Quirrell was working for the Dark Lord and was simply using this year as a test of Ol' Mouldy's strength.

Draco could almost feel the satisfaction oozing from the old man.

Desert was cancelled, a small price to pay for a job well done, Draco thought. He owed the twins, and maybe Daphne, a Butterbeer that was for sure.

If he hadn't suspected Daphne's involvement from her almost precognitive actions earlier, he certainly did when, as they were leaving the hall, she received low fives from both Weasley twins.

Shaking his head, Draco let the tide of students pull him from the hall, keeping his head low to, hopefully, avoid being grabbed by his favourite Godfather.

To no avail apparently, as the man was waiting in the Slytherin common room as they entered.

"Good Afternoon." His words were soft and pleasant, a slight smirk still upon his face.

Draco vaguely heard muttered curse words from his fellow Slytherins.

"I trust you all enjoyed yourselves at lunch today?"

His statement was met with silence. The whole common room was still.

"Entertaining as tonight's little show was…" He drawled, eyes roaming over every Slytherin present. "I do hope I won't 'find out' that a member of my house was responsible."

Draco could hardly believe his ears.

"In the 'future' it would be positively disgraceful if a member of Slytherin were to be 'caught' causing such disruptions to Professor Quirrell's life."

Snape was practically telling them, 'feel free to do it again, just don't get caught'.

His dark eyes surveyed the common room, lingering for a few seconds on Daphne before darting to Draco. "Have I made myself clear?"

Without thinking, Draco's hand moved to tap his ear twice in the 'heard and understood' signal that was used by Aurors.

Shit.

Snape's eyes widened slightly before he made to sweep from the room, pausing as he passed Daphne.

"Oh and miss Greengrass?"

She looked up at him with cool indifference, only the tightly clenched fingers behind her back betrayed her.

"Ten point for your extracurricular project."

It took five minutes after he had left for anyone to move, before suddenly everyone was clamouring to ask Daphne questions.

"How did you get the bomb on his chair?"

"Oh?" She intoned surprised, "Whoever said it was on his chair? If I did indeed have anything to do with this, which you cannot prove, would it not be simpler to simply attach something to the back of his robes?"

Delighted laughter followed this statement, some of it Draco's.

Counting his lucky stars that Sev had a vicious sense of humour; Draco slid from the crowd and headed towards his room.

Very quickly however, he returned to the common room and raced into the hallway, ignoring anyone who shouted after him.

Hermione was not on the map.

Which meant she was probably doing something stupid.

Draco raced to the seventh floor.


Hermione paced in front of the tapestry of Barnabas the barmy. Her breathing shaky, she watched as the large ornate door swirled into life. Nervously she rocked on her feet eyeing it.

She knew she shouldn't go in here, especially not alone. But she'd been thinking about it and had decided that it'd be better to check exactly where the diadem was. Her stomach twisted, and she checked her book one last time before slipping it into her robe pocket.

"I can do this…" She gulped nervously, taking a hesitant step towards the door. "Just a room. Nothing special."

The door swung open at her touch, scraping gently against the floor. Small objects shifted, soft sounds echoing as they rolled from the door.

Tentatively she stepped into the room, trying to keep her breathing steady.

Silence stretched across the expanse, mountains of cluttered objects towering precariously around her.

Head up, eyes forward, Hermione edged further in, heading towards where she thought the vanishing cabinet sat. She grimaced at the thought, confident in her decision not to bring Draco.

Small flickers of light danced in her peripheral, her breathing picked up, but she ignored them. As she walked further into the maze, the lights were joined by the distinctive crackle of flames. She crouched to the floor, taking a few deep breaths. Shaking her head and clamping her eyes shut, Hermione put her hands over her ears and began humming tunelessly.

'It's not real. It's not real. It's not real.' Echoed through her head like a mantra.

She could taste the smoke, filling her lungs. Her skin itched from the ashy flakes falling on her.

'It's not real. It's not real. It's not real.'

Deep inhale, count to seven. Hold, one, two, and three. Exhale, count to seven. Repeat.

Hermione stayed crouching on the floor for a few minutes, just breathing and counting.

Unsteadily getting back to her feet, Hermione lowered her arms and looked around her. Nothing flickered, nothing burned, and there was only the clink of objects moving beneath her feet. Making sure to keep her eyes open to ground her in reality, Hermione kept moving through the stacks.

She could no longer see the door and it was putting her on edge, she kept looking behind to make sure the path was still there.

Turning a corner, she spotted a large ugly bust of an old warlock, sticking out of a pile of junk. The vanishing cabinet was nowhere in sight. Hermione frowned, glaring around the area; Harry said it was right next to the ugly Warlock.

She knew it had been moved here after it broke… In… In second year.

Shit.

Maybe she and Draco ought to find it again and smash it into tiny splinters? That would certainly make her feel better anyway.

Wiping her palms on her robes, Hermione searched around the bust. It couldn't have been too far, Harry said he simply grabbed it and shoved it on top of the warlock stature. The statue had been moved to sit on top of the cabinet though…

With determination Hermione began tugging on the bust, huffing and puffing with the effort. As it shifted from the mountain, a cascade of trinkets began toppling down around her. Clinking and thunking echoed, as it slowly emerged from the pile of junk.

With one final heave, Hermione fell backwards, staggering a few steps before falling on her arse. The statue fell towards her feet and she jolted them out the way sharply. It took a while for everything to settle down again, the silence returned to the massive room, except for her laboured breathing.

She closed her eyes for a breather, before sharply opening them again. Best to focus on what she was doing. Didn't want to let the memories come back up.

"Old, discoloured, tiara" She muttered to herself as she crawled through the scattered objects. She knew vaguely what it looked like of course; she had seen the Ravenclaw statue of Rowena.

She didn't get a proper look at it whilst they had been fleeing for their lives, but how many old tiaras could there be?

The answer was at least five. And none of them looked like the Diadem. One was too fancy, with jewels missing, one was gold with horrible burns across it, another was a cheap plastic muggle tiara that was almost snapped in half, and the last two were delicate matching things that looked like Hagrid had accidentally sat on them.

Hermione screamed and kicked at a pile of objects next to her, which promptly set off a landslide, burying her in layers of broken knickknacks.

She awkwardly scrambled from the pile, spewing profanities; snapped quills and bits of old jewellery snagged in her hair.

She'd never find it in this mess. It was useless. She was useless.

Her throat tightened and she choked back a sob.

"Stupid…" she hissed lowly, absently tugging at her hair, "so stupid…"

How could she have thought that she could do anything by herself? Harry and Ron had been holding her up all these years, every achievement, backed by other people. What good was having all this knowledge if she was too stupid, too useless, to do anything with it.

Her hand clenched around something cold wrapped into her hair. She tugged at it weakly, tears of frustration pooling in her eyes.

She couldn't even get this stupid metal thing off her head. How did she think she could just waltz in a pick up horcrux?

It was too much, everything was too much, her eyes hurt, her arms were so heavy. Slumping to the ground Hermione let the tears fall.

Useless.

Stupid.

Disliked.

Unloved.

The soft sound of metal clinking and clanking filtered through to her head, but it was so far away.

She wished it would stop. It was hurting her head.