Chapter 19

(once again some of the words come straight from one of the HP books with only slight changes. I make NO claim on JKR's words I wouldn't dare)

My dear Hermione,

Just a few short memories to view today, ones I wish I didn't have to send you but I know I do. I hate that you will see this side of me. I hate that you will see what I used to be, but I'm sure you could figure it out on your own anyway from all that you have seen so far. I will stop here and ask you to view them then finish reading.

She rolled up the small piece of parchment, stuck it in her pocket, and met Harry at the pensieve.

They were soon standing on the Quidditch pitch where the Gryffindor and Slytherin teams were glaring at each other. Ron and Hermione were crossing the grass to see what was going on.

"What's happening?" Ron asked Harry. "Why aren't you playing? And what's he doing here?"

He was looking at Malfoy, taking in his Slytherin Quidditch robes,

"I'm the new Slytherin Seeker, Weasley," said Malfoy, smugly. "Everyone's just been admiring the brooms my father's bought our team."

Ron gaped, open-mouthed, at the seven superb broomsticks in front of him.

"Good, aren't they?" said Malfoy smoothly. "But perhaps the Gryffindor team will be able to raise some gold and get new brooms, too. You could raffle off those Cleansweep Fives; I expect a museum would bid for them."

The Slytherin team howled with laughter.

"At least no one on the Gryffindor team had to buy their way in," said Hermione sharply. "They got in on pure talent."

The smug look on Malfoy's face flickered.

"No one asked your opinion, you filthy little Mudblood," he spat.

Flint dove in front of Malfoy to stop Fred and George jumping on him, Alicia shrieked, "How dare you!", and Ron plunged his hand into his robes, pulled out his wand, yelling, "You'll pay for that one, Malfoy!" and pointed it furiously under Flint's arm at Malfoy's face.

Hermione yanked Harry's hand and pulled him with her out of the memory.

"No, this is another modified one, though the way I remember it, it was Blaise. His mother bought his way onto the team with the brooms. It was Blaise when I think about it. Do you want to see it?"

Harry shook his head, "At this point no, I don't think that's necessary. I believe you. Ready to go on?"

She nodded and back in they dove landing in the Slytherin common room where little Draco was studying by the fire with Blaise and Theo when Crabbe and Goyle came running in.

"The Heir got Granger!" they shouted.

"Is she dead?" Draco asked.

"No, just petrified."

"How do you know?" Blaise asked.

"Everyone knows," Crabbe scoffed.

"Everyone who's been out in the corridors," Goyle added, "everyone was sent back to their houses and not told why but someone had seen her in the hall and it's spreading like wildfire."

"Yeah, it was her and some fifth year Ravenclaw," Crabbe said.

"If the Heir found them why aren't they dead?" Theo asked, "How is it no one has died? Didn't this happen before and someone died? Everyone now is just petrified."

"No one knows," Flint said as he came in the room. "The only thing we know this time is they were found in the hallway and had a mirror with them."

"A mirror?" Draco said. "They had a mirror?"

"They're girls," Flint jeered, "they were probably using it to fix themselves up."

"It would take more than a mirror to fix Granger," someone said snidely.

"Granger wouldn't bother with a mirror for that," Draco said. "Don't you all get it? Don't you see it? Haven't you figured it out. Some Mudblood had it figured out before all of us. We should have known first, we're Slytherins after all."

"What are you blathering on about Malfoy," Flint said.

"A basilisk."

"What?"

"The monster from the chamber set loose by the Heir is a basilisk."

"What are you talking about?"

"It makes perfect sense. Slytherin was a Parselmouth. He loved snakes. A basilisk is a snake, a gigantic snake. If you look it in the eye it kills you, but if you look at it some other way…"

"Like in a mirror," Pansy piped up.

"Yes," Draco said, "you'd only be petrified. How in the bloody hell did a Mudblood figure it out before any of us? She's not that smart is she? How can a Mudblood be that smart? She had to have just stumbled on the answer right? Or maybe that Ravenclaw told her? I could see one of those superior twits figuring it out, but they'd tell Flitwick or some other professor."

"Granger would to."

"Would she?" Draco asked, "or would she go running to bloody Potter and the Weasel and tell them."

"Does it really matter?" Flint asked.

"No," Draco insisted, "it just doesn't make sense."

"Who cares? We know now so we can all be careful. We spread the word here and tell everyone to keep their eyes on the ground unless they're in the house or a classroom. You never know where this thing will strike next," Daphne said. "We take care of our own."

"Like the Heir would attack a Slytherin," Blaise laughed in disbelief.

"Whoever it is might not do it on purpose," Draco said, "but if that thing is roaming the halls we have to be on guard."

"Should we tell someone?" came a small voice though no one could tell quite from where.

"Why? Let the other houses fend for themselves, they wouldn't tell us if they knew."

"What about Snape? What if something happened to him because we didn't tell him?"

"No, we keep this to ourselves. We don't tell a professor no matter who it is."

They nodded their heads in agreement, as the scene faded away.

"That was…" Harry said as they stood by the table once more.

"I know," she replied, "they were right though, to a point. We may have told a professor. You definitely would have gone running off to try and stop it, no wait, you did do that. But would anyone have gone to tell the Slytherins or would we have let them hang until the teachers told them? We would have told other students from Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff if we saw them. I did tell Penelope, but I don't know that even I would have told a Slytherin. There was a lot of bad blood between their house and the rest and I'm starting to really realize it wasn't all their fault. Are we done for today?"

"Unless you want to go visit the Quidditch pitch?"

She shook her head.

"Then we're done and I'll leave you alone."

"Thank you Harry. I don't know that I've said that to you in all of this, but thank you!"

"You're welcome Mione. You should probably read the end of that letter now."

She nodded and opened it back up as he left the room.

I hope that you have finished viewing the memories and not simply continued reading. I know your inquisitive nature could lead you to do just that but I trust that you did not. If so there is just one thing left to say and I know you know what that is but I'm going to say it anyway.

Remember me Hermione.