Dear Mum and Dad,

Sorry I didn't write to you at the weekend, I ended up being really busy. The first week's been great, my teachers seem really pleased with me and I've already earnt 40 house points! Mum Professor Lockhart is amazing! You definitely have to read his books at some point. He's done so much and has so many stories to tell. Ron and Harry turned up at school by the way. They'd missed the train and flew the Weasley's car all the way here; they obviously got in a lot of trouble for it. Why they didn't just send Hedwig with a note saying they missed the train I really don't know! We went to see Hagrid on Saturday – he's growing these huge pumpkins for Halloween, you wouldn't believe how big they're going to be, you would be able to sit inside them! How are things at home? I miss you guys a lot and I hope everything is okay.

All my love

Hermione x

Hermione sighed and put down her quill, glancing back at the letter she had just written. In truth she hadn't been that busy for the rest of Saturday or Sunday, she just hadn't felt like writing to her parents. Malfoy's insult still echoed in her brain and she had felt funny about writing to her Mum and Dad, especially since she had told her Dad two weeks ago that no one was mean to her because of her Muggle parentage. But it was now Monday evening and she knew her parents would be beginning to worry that no letter had come over the weekend. She sighed again and re-read the letter, biting her lip.

"Hermione?"

Hermione's head shot up, Ron who was sitting in the armchair next to her completing homework for tomorrow had spoken. Harry was off doing Quidditch practise to make up for their Saturday practise that had not happened.

"Yes?" Hermione answered, assuming he was going to ask for help with his homework.

"I …" Ron faltered, looking confused. "Are you okay about what Malfoy said to you?"

Hermione was startled, she had not expected this. "I'm fine Ron, Malfoy's just an … idiot. It doesn't matter."

"No but it does!" Ron burst out.

"What it matters than I'm Muggle-born?" Hermione asked, her brow furrowing, confused.

"No, no it-" Ron sighed, looking frustrated with himself. "It matters that you know that not everybody thinks like that."

"I know that-"

"Stop interrupting! Not all pure-bloods think like the Malfoys. My family is pure-blood and my mum once told us all when we heard that word that if we ever used it, she would lock us in the broomshed for a week! It's vile and it's something only vile people use! The stupid thing about Malfoy is it's not even like he likes and dislikes people because of their blood. If he liked all pure-bloods then me and Neville would be best chums with him but he hates us because of us, not because of our blood! And he hates you because you're much smarter than him and because you're friends with Harry so he'd hate you whether you were Muggle-born, half-blood or pure-blood. He's just disgusting!" Ron burst out.

"Ron I – " Hermione paused she was going to say something about how she was fine and it really didn't matter again, but instead the words that tumbled out her mouth was the truth that had been niggling in her mind for the last two days. "I just don't want people to judge me before they know me, to hate me before they even know me."

Ron's face softened from the mask of anger it had held. "Well, there are going to be a few people who hate you, but those people are just foul wizards like Malfoy who aren't even worth knowing,"

Hermione smiled, "That's what my dad always said to me when I was a kid and people in my first school picked on me – mean people aren't even worth knowing."

"Good, so don't even listen to a word that comes out of that stinking Slytherin's mouth about being Muggle-born." Ron exclaimed, turning his head back to his homework.

Hermione paused, touched at what Ron had said.

"Ron?" She said quietly, he murmured 'Mmm' not looking up from his work. "Thank you for trying curse Malfoy when he said … what he said."

Ron gave a dry chuckle and said "Any opportunity to try to curse that git! Just wish it had bloody worked."

Ron still didn't look up from his work and Hermione smiled, looking back down at the letter to her parents, feeling a lot better. Ron and her Dad were right, Malfoy wasn't worth bothering with. She leaned forward and grabbed an envelope off of the table near to them. She now wanted to send this letter, and she wanted to hear back from her parents because that was one of her favourite things and she wasn't going to let one stupid boy stop that.

"I'm going to take this to Owlery now, before curfew. I'll check over that homework when I get back." Hermione said to Ron, standing up with the letter to her parents.

Ron looked up and gave a goofy grin. "Thanks Hermione!"

As Hermione climbed up to the Owlery and watched as the school bird she'd selected swooped out into the fading light her thoughts played on her parents and wizards like Malfoy. Last year she had thought that most of this wizarding world she had entered was perfect, apart from the odd crazy, evil wizard like You-Know-Who. Now she was beginning to see how this world, just like the one she'd used to live in had its problems. Its prejudices, its disagreements over who was a better person based on things that sane people knew didn't matter. She was still in this deep thoughtful state when she entered the Gryffindor common room and almost didn't realise when Fred and George stepped out in front of her.

"You alright about what Malfoy said to you Hermione?" Asked George, they'd positioned themselves right in front of her so she couldn't get away.

"I'm fine guys, thanks." Hermione said, hoping this was the last time people brought it up.

"Good because we just wanted to let you know-"

"That Malfoy and his family are gits!"

"Don't even bother yourself with what he said"

Hermione paused, almost amused at how similar what they had said was to what Ron had said.

"Thanks guys." Hermione said with a smile. They nodded at her and went to sit back down, muttering about the Malfoys as they went.

As she walked towards her seat she saw that Harry had joined them for practise. Hermione pulled Ron's homework towards her as Harry and Ron began a game of chess. It was as she was slowly reading through, crossing out a few mistakes here and there that she looked up at the boys laughing together. She turned her head towards Fred and George, sitting in a corner laughing with some friends then she glanced over at Parvati and Lavender. Parvati spotted her looking and gave her a smile before turning back to her conversation with Lavender. Hermione smiled herself. It really did not matter what Malfoy had called her because in this room were people who liked her or treated her with respect and didn't care about her blood type. It didn't matter.

OOO

September rolled onwards with summer fading quickly into autumn, bringing chill breezes and scattered showers. On the 19th of September, Hermione awoke to find a small pile of presents at the foot of her bed. She smiled to herself and pulled some of the cards towards her, tearing them open and placing them on her bedside table when she'd read them. Hermione grinned as Muggle money floated out of the ones from her grandparents and her aunt. Of course they did not know this would be no use to her until the summer holidays. She slid the money safely into her trunk. It was as she was opening the presents from her parents that the rest of the girls woke up. They chorused 'Happy Birthday' at her and Parvati threw a present onto Hermione's bed from hers.

"It's just a small thing from all of us." she said, the other girls nodded.

Hermione paused in unwrapping a present from her parents and carefully opened the gift from the four girls. Out of it slid a small hair slide, silver with a few tiny blue jewels on.

"Oh thank you, it's lovely!" Hermione exclaimed

"Well we've never seen you wear anything in your hair, and this will keep it off your face quite well." Lavender said as she walked towards the bathroom.

Hermione smiled tightly back, Lavender often managed to phrase sentences so they sounded slightly insulting. Parvati shook her head slightly.

"I picked it up in this little shop where Padma and I get all our hair things from."

Parvati and Padma always wore pretty bands and the bottom of their plaits, often with a matching slide at the top.

"Well I love it, thank you." Hermione said. She really did love the colour, it was her favourite to wear.

Hemione continued to unwrap her presents, her parents had got her some new clothes including some lovely winter jumpers 'for that cold Scotland weather' read her mum's attached note. A new matching set of hat, scarf and gloves in a blue-grey colour which Hermione adored and a few new books, including this time, two Muggle books, her mums note read 'I'd just finished reading these and had to buy them for you – I loved them!'. Her Aunt and Uncle had been her only other family not to give Hermione money – they had sent her a lovely pair of shoes. They were emerald green with a few stars patterned on them. Hermione had no idea when she would wear them but they were very pretty.

Hermione smiled at her cards and presents, feeling happy before changing into some of her new clothes, sliding the new slide into her bushy culrs on the thicker side of her hair and heading downstairs into the common room. As she had woken up early she had still beaten the boys down here, however it was only a minute later they appeared carrying a wrapped present and a card each, which they both handed to her. She opened the cards and stowed them safely in her school bag before first unwrapping Harry's present. He had given her a notebook, it was bound in plain leather but was very smart, with a lovely red ribbon for marking which page you were on.

"Oh Harry, it's lovely!" she said.

He shrugged. "Thought you'd use it a lot."

"I will it's so useful." She replied, nodding

Next she moved to Ron's present, tearing back the paper to find two bars with the word Honeydukes printed on the front in a slanting script. The wrappers were vibrant purple and blue.

"It's wizard chocolate, because you'd never tasted it before and you bought me that Muggle chocolate." Ron explained.

"Brilliant! Thank you." Hermione said, smiling at the bars. Last year for Ron's birthday she had given him bars of mMuggle chocolate as they'd had a conversation a few weeks before about the difference between Muggle and wizard chocolate.

"Are you going to try some then?" Ron asked eagerly.

Hermione didn't particularly want chocolate before breakfast but Ron looked so excited that she opened up the purple bar and popped a square into her mouth. She raised her eyebrows, surprised at the different taste. It seemed to warm her as it passed down her throat.

"Well?" asked Ron.

"It's different. Less chocolaty more magical – just like you said."

He and Harry grinned and she put the chocolate and her new notebook into her bag.

"Thank you so much." She said to both of them before they headed down to breakfast together.

The rest of Hermione's day passed much the same as other days. Professor McGonogall wished her a Happy Birthday at the end of transfiguration which made her smile and to her great excitement and embarrassment, so did Professor Lockhart. Hermione had blushed furiously and the colour didn't fade from her cheeks for most of lunch. Ron had kept asking her what the matter was.

OOO

Harry had frozen, clutching the wall for support as he stared around him. He, Ron and Hermione had just left Nearly Headless Nick's Death day Party. The rest of September and all of October had passed very quickly for Hermione; she was still doing very well in lessons and writing to her parents every week. Now they had all stopped on their way up to the Great Hall.

"Harry, what're you -?" Hermione began tentatively.

"It's that voice again – shut up a minute – "

Hermione and Ron had both taken a small step towards Harry, watching his face screw in concentration and panic.

"Listen!" He exclaimed urgently. Hermione froze, straining her ears to hear this mystery voice that Harry could hear. He and Ron had mentioned the voice to her the morning after Harry detention when he had first heard it. However hard she tried though, all Hermione could hear in the silence was her own beating heart.

Harry's head slowly turned towards the ceiling above them then in a shout of "This way" and a burst of movement which made Hermione jump, Harry began to run up the staircase in front of them. Ron broke into a run to follow him and Hermione dashed after him, trying to keep up with the boys who could run a lot faster. She skidded in the entrance hall then continued to run up the marble staircase. They paused on the first floor, Hermione took a few deep breathes to try to control her breathing.

"Harry what are we –" Ron began

"SHH!" Harry hissed loudly, turning his head upwards again. Suddenly a terrified look crossed his face. "It's going to kill someone!" He shouted and set off at a run again up the next flight of stairs

Hermione glanced at Ron quickly, bewilderment was mirrored on his face, before they both set off again, Hermione panting heavily. They ran the whole length of the second floor until Harry stopped at the beginning of the last, deserted passage.

"Harry what was that all about?" Ron asked, Hermione took another deep breathe and looked down the corridor, squinting slightly. "I couldn't hear anything…"

Hermione gasped in horror as she started to discern something shining on the wall ahead. Her stomach seemed to drop in the fear that Harry really had heard something terrible happen

"Look!" She said, pointing down the corridor ahead.

Together the three of them approached the wall slowly. As they got closer Hermione could see that foot-high words had been written between the two windows.

THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED.

ENEMIES OF THE HEIR, BEWARE.

"What's that thing - hanging underneath?" asked Ron with a small quiver in his voice.

Together they edged nearer and Ron and Hermione's hands flew out as Harry slipped in a large puddle of water on the floor. Both of them still clutching his arms they crept further forwards. Hermione discerned what it was and her stomach gave a horrified leap. Still clutching each other all three of them leapt back, having realised that the dark shadow beneath the words was Mrs Norris, hanging stiff as a board, her eyes wide open and staring.

They all stayed absurdly frozen for a few second before Ron muttered.

"Let's get out of here."

Hermione was more than ready to do just that. Her heart was still beating wildly in fear.

"Shouldn't we try and help-" Harry began to say.

"Trust me, we don't want to be found here." Ron replied.

But to all their horrors in was too late. A loud rumble from below told them that the feast had just ended. The distant sounds got closer and closer and hundreds of feet stomped up the stairs towards them. Then from both ends of the passage, students came crashing in. All the noise died in one sudden second as people spotted the cat and the message. Hermione heart began to beat even harder as she Ron and Harry were caught in the middle of the corridor, hundreds of eyes turning to glance from the cat to them.

"Enemies of the heir, beware! You'll be next Mudbloods!"

Hermione's body seemed to chill slightly as she whipped her heard around to find the source of the shout from the crowd. Not to her surprise Draco Malfoy had pushed his way to front on the hoard of students and was grinning in the most sickening way at the sight of Mrs Norris. Hermione felt fear bristle and the back of her neck and she shuddered. Something was very, very wrong.

AN: Dun Dun Duuuuun! so that conversation with Ron - too out of character? I just think that The Weasley's feel so strongly against families like the Malfoy's and words like Mudblood (Ron, Fred and George all tried to attack Malfoy) that Ron would try to talk to Hermione about it. I don't know :) Please review and tell me whether your liking/any constructive criticism xxx