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I'm sorry that it took me so long. I had a busy week, but I hope you like the new chapter.
WHAT IF
Chapter 3 - Planning A Prank
After Halloween and the incident with the chamber of secrets scribbling on the wall, Hermione had two projects she was constantly working on.
One was, of course, the mystery about the chamber itself. After the petrification of Mrs Norris and Filch's constant reminders of what had happened the whole school was on edge. Everyone seemed to constantly whisper about it and rumours and theories spread like wildfire. But no one seemed to know any actual facts. A situation Hermione wanted to change personally.
She started, of course, at the library, her favourite place for researching any question about the magical world. For weeks she tried to hunt down books about the chamber. She tried every possible book about secret rooms, magical heirs and the history of Hogwarts. Nothing about it made sense to her. She even started to research the word Mudblood but stopped it quickly when she learned how awful some people thought about witches and wizards like her. Honestly, she didn't want to know about that too much.
Hermione became slowly frustrated when she discovered that most of the useful books were already borrowed. Of course, now half of the students at Hogwarts had remembered that there was a library and how to use it. Even Hogwarts - A History, of which the school owned several copies, was not available to her. Hermione found it almost offensive that now everyone discovered a curiosity for history, but still, most of her classmates slept at Professor Binn's classes…
Well, that was an idea, Hermione thought mid ranting to herself. And so, she asked the ghost teacher, who offered some information and first clues, but nothing to work with. But at least Hermione had a new direction for her research:
SALAZAR SLYTHERIN
She wrote the name down into her brand-new research journal and scribbled down questions and ideas. As she did with every other clue. The water in front of the crime scene, the strange behaviour of the spiders in the castle and the scorch marks on the floor. She wasn't sure if anything of that would be helpful in the end, but for now, she was just collecting. And she started again with the research about blood supremacy. And she quickly learned that she had to get used to these old ideologies.
Ron's fear of spiders was another information she collected, but for her other project. The second project that kept her busy was the twins and their names. And therefore, Hermione collected as much information on them as possible.
In the last weeks, Hermione had watched the Weasley twins very closely. At every meal, she tried to sit as near as possible. In the evening at the common room, she always studied close to them. She was absolutely sure that the twins were aware of that as they hadn't betrayed themselves so far. Hermione was almost impressed by their ability to stay in their role but her annoyance and determination won in the end. She had to find out the truth even if it was the last thing she would be doing. No one outsmarted Hermione Granger like that.
But her constant surveillance of the twins had one benefit. By now she was absolutely sure she could tell the twins apart without a fail. One of them - twin one, as Hermione called him - was always a bit louder, bolder and more straightforward, while the other one - twin two - followed the lead and supported his twin. Their voices and the way they spoke were also a bit different. Twin one had a slightly deeper voice, while twin two pronounced some words in a very distinct way. Physically the twins were also not exactly identical. Yes, it was terribly difficult to tell them apart and most times Hermione needed to watch them for a while before she could do it, but when she had enough time to observe them it worked. Twin two was the one with the warm, gentle smile and twin one, on the other hand, was the one with the lopsided grin and the cheeky twinkle in his eyes. Both made the girls in Hermione's year swoon over them, but none of them could tell them apart.
Hermione was fairly sure that the twins' friends like Lee Jordan and Angelina Johnson could tell them apart, plus Ginny seemed pretty good at it. Hermione was sure she could them apart as well, she just couldn't name them. She had to blow their cover. She needed them to lose their poise. And she was certain there was only one way to do that. She had to prank them.
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When Professor Snape had told them about the Polyjuice potion for the first time in potions class it had immediately caught Hermione's interest. And the more she thought about it, the more she found it was an excellent way to reach one of her goals.
Pranking the twins had to be a masterpiece. Her prank needed to be something special, something even the twins wouldn't think about, and it would have to be perfect. And what would be better than pretending to be one of the twins thanks to a bit of Polyjuice Potion?
Hermione had it all planned out in her head. She needed a little distraction to separate the twins, then she would turn into one of them with the potion. Looking like one of the twins she would search the other one and then he would certainly betray his facade. Because really, they would refer to each other by their real names, right? Plan B was to turn into Lee Jordan if she couldn't separate the twins. In front of their best friend, they were bound to let their guard down.
But the plan, of course, had some weak points. First Hermione needed the potion recipe, but since it was in the restricted section of the library that wasn't so easy. Hermione briefly entertained the thought of asking Harry for his invisibility cloak but the bigger part of her mind convinced her that breaking the rules in order to prank the twins wasn't worth it. Not to forget that brewing the potion itself was highly illegal.
Hermione had almost forgotten about her little prank masterplan when the idea came back to her suddenly while talking with Harry and Ron. Of course, they could use the potion also to get information from Malfoy. It was the same principle as her prank. Pretend to be someone who the target trusted in order to get your information. It was quite ruthless, Hermione reflected internally, but catching the heir of Slytherin was worth it to break rules. And maybe she could save some of the potion for her prank...
And Harry's plan to ask Lockhard for the signature, well that made the whole thing even better. He had called her his best student and he trusted her enough to sign the paper for her. Lockhard really was a brilliant wizard. And everyone made small mistakes, like Harry's arm after the Quidditch match...
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The petrification of Colin Creevey and the information that the chamber had been opened before, of course, made it into Hermione's notebook quickly. But it also made the threat of the Heir of Slytherin even more real.
For several nights Hermione had nightmares and woke up covered in sweat in the middle of the night. Hermione couldn't really say why she took it so bad. She wasn't an anxious person. But like most other Muggle-born at Hogwarts, she had come to the conclusion that she wasn't completely safe here anymore. But while others became nervous and frightened Hermione became determined. She became even more fixated on her goal to pry the truth out of Draco Malfoy and the upcoming Christmas holidays were the perfect opportunity for that. Even when she was haunted by nightmares, during the day she always tried to show a brave face and a strong will. She was a Gryffindor. She was brave!
With that thought in mind, Hermione worked on her plan to get all the necessary ingredients for the Polyjuice Potion. Stealing it from Snape really was the only option and Hermione found the end justified the means. Even when - deep, deep inside - she was a bit reluctant to break the school rules - again!
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A parslemouth! Harry was actually able to speak with snakes. As soon as Hermione had seen him hissing at the snake her mind had made the connection to Salazar Slytherin, the most famous parslemouth of all times. During all her research about the Hogwarts founder she had learned impressive and frightening things about the founder of House Slytherin, but his ability to speak with snakes was probably the most important one.
And Hermione wasn't the only one who made that connection. Half of the school seemed terrified of Harry now and Justin, the Hufflepuff boy who had been targeted by the snake, was actually avoiding Harry.
Hermione was playing a game of wizarding chess against Ron - and losing again, so she was already annoyed - when she sent Harry off to talk with Justin. Hopefully, they could talk it out and this nonsense would stop.
"You know, this thing with the parsletongue really isn't good," Ron muttered while he stared at the chessboard, probably planning five steps ahead.
"No, it isn't, but it doesn't mean a thing. Harry wouldn't hurt anyone." Hermione said and commanded her queen to slaughter one of Ron's knights.
"Of course!" Ron blushed. "I know that. But people will talk about it. No one else will believe it. Think we can do anything to help him?"
"We are going to prove his innocence when we get the truth from Malfoy," Hermione stated in a hushed whisper. There were only a few other students in the common room but they still had to be careful. Hermione wasn't keen on getting expelled for brewing a highly illegal potion.
Just when Ron opened his mouth to answer something, the door swung open and the Weasley twins climbed into the common room. They laughed loudly and every Gryffindor was immediately looking at them. A strange smell of gunpowder followed the twins as they whispered with each other and then strolled over. Hermione just frowned when she smelled the gunpowder and saw the burning marks on their trousers. Those two… probably already knee-deep in trouble again.
"Checkmate!" Ron suddenly announced with a proud smirk. Hermione only saw how her queen was dragged off the field by one of Ron's pieces and that her king surrendered himself. Frustrated she let out a huff.
"Congratulations," Hermione huffed, annoyed at herself. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the twins sitting at the fireplace.
"GEORGE!" She yelled. For a second both twins seemed surprised and twitched, but unfortunately, it was over too fast for her to make the connection. Both redheads winked at Hermione when they saw it had been her, and then proceeded to whisper and plan whatever mischief they were now up to.
"You know, I could just tell you which one which is." Ron quirked an eyebrow at her. His expression was a mixture of amusement and annoyance.
"No, thank you. I will achieve it on my own." Hermione sniffed. After all this time it seemed like admitting failure if she would take Ron's help.
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Hermione had had the perfect plan. Knocking Crabbe and Goyle out with some sleeping potion, drinking the potion and then make Malfoy talk. It was a pretty simple plan all in all, but still brilliant. And in the end, it had been easier to do than previously thought. Even getting the hair of Millicent Bulstrode, that cow, had been quite easy. Well, if one ignored the fact that Hermione had had to actually physically fight the enormous girl…
So, in the end, the plan itself was simple, which made it so brilliant. And Hermione was keen on using that brilliance also against the twins. She would knock one of them or maybe Lee Jordan out, take their appearance and then get the other one to talk. And the best thing was that the twins would never know how she did it! Her knowing their names would come out of the blue, an unexpected hit, and Hermione grinned at herself as she imagined their confused faces.
With a soft humming, she prepared the last bits of the potion and carefully stuffed a bottle aside for her later prank before she handed Ron and Harry their potions. Hermione had a good feeling about it but then she swallowed the potion.
Pain roared through her bones and a terrifying feeling or burning crept of her skin. Nearby she could hear Ron and Harry groan and concluded that maybe that ripping sensation in her chest was normal. But then Hermione opened her eyes and saw the fur. And she knew that something went wrong.
She waited an hour. One hour in which she just stared at her hand, her legs, her face in the mirror. Starred at the fur and the ears and the tail. And her eyes, her yellow cat-like eyes. She wasn't stupid. She knew what went wrong. But nonetheless, she was desperate because no matter how brilliant Hermione Granger was, she knew no way out of this. So, she just hoped that the effect would vanish after one hour.
For one-hour Hermione was busy with overthinking her decision to brew the potion and start all this plan. What if she would look like this for the rest of her life? What if someone found out about the potion? What if she would be expelled? Oh, Merlin, what would her parents say when they saw her like this?
When Hermione heard Ron and Harry coming back, she felt tears spill. Warm, fat teardrops rolled over her cheeks. The hour was over and she was still a cat! This was the worst thing ever…
At that moment Hermione decided that she would never consume Polyjuice potion ever again. No way in hell!
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It turned out that spending her time as a cat wasn't so bad. Sure, the fur and the ears and the tail were a bit annoying but at least Hermione could study in the absolute silence of the hospital wing and Madame Pomfrey was actually pretty nice. Hermione's mood had become better after Madame Pomfrey had told her that there was a cure for her accident. The healer hadn't asked any questions but still, Hermione had the feeling the woman knew quite well what had happened. And of course, the daily visits from Ron and Harry also made it much better.
But the best thing was the note Hermione got from Professor Lockhard after a few days. A Get-Well Card for her! She couldn't believe that he had thought to write to her and she treasured the card, even if Ron was teasing her about it.
When Hermione went back to classes at the beginning of February she put the card on her nightstand. In her dorm room, she could at least be sure that neither Ron nor Harry would see it. Instead, Parvati and Lavender looked at it flabbergasted one day.
"Professor Lockhard sent you a card," Lavender sighed. The blonde was clutching at one of Lockhard's books. "I wish I was as smart as you, Hermione. I would do anything to get his attention."
"Yes," Parvati nodded eagerly, "his eyes are just sooo…"
"Dreamy," both girls giggled and Hermione guessed that they weren't talking about their Defence against the Dark Arts Professor for the first time like that. A bit shy she joined her roommates.
"Not to forget that he is so brilliant," Hermione added with a grin. "I mean, all these great deeds and how brave he is." For a while, the girls talked about how impressed they were by the books, but then the conversation quickly returned to Lockhard's eyes and smile. And while Hermione would never admit it in front of Harry or Ron, she agreed with her dorm mates that the blond professor was really handsome.
"Lavender and I are writing him Valentine cards. Do you want to join us?" Parvati winked at Hermione and presented her with some awfully pink stationery and a pot of ink that smelled like strawberry. Hermione blushed at the mere thought of writing a Professor something like that but agreed quickly. After all, it was only polite to thank him for the Get-Well Card.
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Hermione was on her way down to the Quidditch pitch when it happened again. Harry stopped suddenly and claimed to hear a voice. A voice that was announcing that it wanted to kill something. In that very moment, something clicked in the back of Hermione's mind.
A voice no one could hear… No one but Harry… Harry, who was a parslemouth and could speak to snakes. Salazar Slytherin, the most famous parslemouth of all times.
Without wasting a second Hermione stormed off to the library. She needed to confirm her suspicion. Then she could tell Professor Dumbledore or Professor McGonagall and maybe then someone would be able to stop this horror.
Hermione ran into the library, which earned her a glare from Madame Pince, and rushed to the Beings and Creature section. She browsed through the shelves until she found one book that looked promising and opened it.
B… Banshee… Basilisk!
With a pounding heart, Hermione read the article about the Basilisk and the more she read the more her nerves began to flutter. Maybe it hadn't been a good idea to just storm off without telling anyone about her suspicion. Cold fear crept into her lungs when she saw that Madame Pince was already out and that nobody else was around.
As fast as she could Hermione ran to the exit only to stop in front of the door. Every step outside bore the risk of meeting the Basilisk. The beast was on the loose, Harry had heard it. And there was no way she could defend herself against it or run away from it. What to do? What to do? What to do?
Hermione ran back to the book, ripped the site off, scribbled down her additions and closed her fist around the paper. Even if she would meet the beast, she would still deliver her information. Determined she searched for her small hand mirror and opened the door. She was about to the step out when she saw the other girl.
A Ravenclaw prefect sat alone at one of the tables, studying and completely immersed in herself. The older girl didn't even seem to notice Hermione.
"You need to come with me," Hermione ran to the girl and pulled her out of her chair. The Ravenclaw looked confused and also a bit offended but before she could say anything Hermione was already rambling about her discovery.
"The monster in the chamber is a Basilisk and I think its hunting again. We need to get out of the castle as quick as possible." Hermione pulled the girl behind her.
"What? Are you sure?" The girl's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Here," Hermione showed her the site from the book. "Everything fits. We need to tell a teacher. I think we should split up. Do you have a hand mirror?" The girl nodded and pulled the mirror out of her pocket. Hermione briefly explained why and how to use it and then went to the door.
"Wait," the Ravenclaw stopped Hermione from opening the door." What's your name?"
"Hermione Granger."
"Penelope Clearwater." They both smiled weakly and nodded at each other, pulling the mirrors out and opened the door. They wanted to split up after the next corner. But then Hermione looked into her mirror to see behind the corner and she only saw eyes. Big, terrifying eyes. She felt her body stiffen and there was only fear in her heart.
Maybe Penelope makes it, was her last thought before everything went black and cold.
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Hermione stretched her muscles. Her eyes were heavy and her head felt like she had been hit by a troll. Every part of her body felt stiff and cold and hurt painfully. Her chest was aching with every breath she tried to take and her heart seemed to beat at an impossibly slow rate. A groan escaped her as she tried to open her eyes.
Oh Merlin, what the hell had happened? She couldn't move, but a warm feeling seemed to creep through her veins. A feeling that with every passing second got stronger and stronger till it reached her heart and her lungs. Finally, Hermione could take a deep, deep breath of fresh air and her chest became lighter and lighter. Confused she opened her eyes. It took her a few moments to realise what she saw and where she was.
Hogwarts. Hospital Wing. Chamber of Secrets, Basilisk.
Hermione pulled herself up and looked around the room. Madame Pomfrey, Professor Sprout and Professor Snape were helping the other victims of the Basilisk as they slowly woke up. Hermione saw how Colin sat up and sadly inspected his camera. How Justin and Nearly Headless Nick both laughed timidly with each other. Penelope was also in one of the beds with Percy Weasley by her side. Both were holding hands and Percy seemed oddly emotional.
"Miss Granger, it's good to have you back." Professor McGonagall stood in front of Hermione, a warm smile in her normally stern face and fresh clothes in her hand.
"There is feast going on in the Great Hall and if you are feeling well enough I think your friends would be delighted to see you."
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Her second year ended too soon, Hermione found. She had spent most of it at the hospital wing - conscious and unconscious - and wasn't quite ready to leave yet. But there was no way around and so she enjoyed the ride on the train even more.
Hermione, Ron and Harry were in one compartment with the twins and Ginny. Ron's little sister was a little bit less shy than during the school year now that the shadow of Tom Riddle wasn't clouding her mind anymore. She joked with her brothers and even managed to talk with Harry a bit. But towards Hermione, she seemed oddly indifferent.
"Ha!" Hermione triumphed as she managed to disarm one of the twins. They had all been practising the disarming spell but no one had managed to pull one over the two pranksters till now. With a satisfied grin, Hermione caught the wand and smirked at them.
"Well, well, well," Hermione inspected the wand like she was thinking about something really hard. "What should I do now?" The twins raised their eyebrows at her but she could see that they weren't afraid of her. And honestly, she wasn't going to threaten them.
"You know, I could demand that you tell me your names." She suggested.
"You could, but really-"
"-wouldn't that be like cheating?" The twins smirked.
"Maybe," Hermione tossed Twin One his wand. "Plus, when I get your names I want a far better victory than this."
"Sounds like a declaration of war."
"You're on, little Miss Granger."
Yeah, game on, Hermione thought and with a grin, she leaned back in her seat. She couldn't wait for the next school year.
Third-year begins in the next chapter and as the description said, this will be the year our fourteen-year-old Hermione falls in love. So, things will start to speed up a bit now and I hope this also motivates me to write faster.
As always reviews are more than welcome.
