When Hermione awoke the next morning it was to her dismay that she found her face still covered in fur and a tail still sprouting from her lower back – some of her had held out hope it had all been a terrible dream. Madam Pomfrey informed her that the process of getting her back to normal could take a long time – quite possibly a month. Hermione hung her head, now growing angry with herself. How could she have been so stupid? And now she was going to miss the beginning of the new terms lessons! She felt idiotic and stewed for the rest of the morning until Harry and Ron came to see her, laden down with her things.

"We got Ginny to get some of your stuff," Ron said, placing things in her bedside table for her.

They had brought her toiletries, a few books including the new book Harry had got her for Christmas and some of Lockhart's, her hairbrush and not only Mrs Weasley's plum cake but also a selection of the treats she had sent all he children.

"These are you Christmas presents though!" exclaimed Hermione, looking at the mince pies, the fudge and the other assortments of goodies. "I can't take these!"

Ron shrugged. "Everyone wanted to give them to you, and besides mum always sends us loads so we've still got lots more left."

Hermione smiled sadly. It was very kind of everyone but she could not snap out of her unhappy mood.

"Well we just came to drop that lot off, we'll be back in the evening for a proper visit." said Harry.

Hermione nodded. "Are you going to tell me what happened with Malfoy?"

They nodded enthusiastically then left her. Hermione sighed and picked up her new charms book. She lost track of time as she read and she was so absorbed that she did not notice Professor McGonogall had entered the room until she was at the foot of her bed.

"Oh Miss Granger!" She said, sighing.

Hermione head sprang up and looked into her disappointed Professor's face. She felt tears prick the corners of her eyes again as waves of shame rolled over her. She wiped at her eyes hurriedly and tried to smile.

"Hello Professor," she said sadly, not succeeding in stopping the tears from sliding down her hairy face.

Professor McGonogall sighed and drew up a chair next to Hermione's bed. Silently she magicked a tea tray out of thin air and poured them both tea. As she handed Hermione her cup she surveyed her face with sad eyes.

"When Madam Pomfrey sent me a message this morning that you were here my first thought was you'd been petrified. I was very worried." She paused and surveyed Hermione again over the rim of her cup. "Are you going to tell me how you've ended up like this?"

Hermione shook her head, more tears leaking out of her eyes.

"I'm sorry," She whispered.

She had expected Professor McGonogall to yell, to demand Hermione tell her how she had half turned herself into a cat. But instead she just sighed again looking around her.

"Oh, is that plum cake?" She asked suddenly, pointing at the open tin on Hermione's bedside table.

"Yes, Mrs Weasley made it for me for Christmas." Hermione said in surprise

"Oh then we'll have some with our tea,"

There was a pause in the conversation.

"Professor?" asked Hermione tentatively. "Aren't you angry at me?"

Professor McGonogall seemed to regard her for a long time, her mouth pursed in its usual thin line. Finally she put down her tea and cake.

"No Miss Granger, I'm not angry. Whatever you've done to yourself must have been done with magic I wouldn't have thought capable of a second year. I wish you'd tell me how you've done this, but I'm not angry."

Hermione nodded, relaxing now she knew that her professor wasn't angry. It still felt very odd to be sitting in the hospital wing having tea and cake though.

"Are you going to write to my Mum and Dad?" Hermione asked, suddenly worried.

"No. You're not in any lasting pain or damage and you're only in the hospital wing to wait and help your appearance clear up. You'll still be able to do some work. I see no reason to write to them." She answered sipping her tea again.

"Thank you," said Hermione. "And I will keep up with my schoolwork, I promise I won't fall behind."

Professor McGonogall gave a tiny thin lipped smile then turned her head to observe Colin, Justin and Nearly Headless Nick lying in beds opposite and down from Hermione. They ley almost comically immobile in the positions they had been petrified. Professor McGonogall sighed again and turned back to Hermione.

"How do you feel," she asked "About the attacks?"

"I was worried after Justin and Nick got petrified," admitted Hermione, tearing her eyes away from them. "I just didn't know before this year that people would do things like this just because someone's got muggle parents."

Well as the years go by the mentality that pure-bloods are better is dying out. It's a very evil person that's chosen to do this and they will be punished extremely severely." Professor McGonogall said.

They both sat in silence for a while, thinking as they ate their cake and drank their tea. Once she was finished Professor McGonogall stood up.

"I'll leave you now. I hope to see you back to normal soon Miss Granger."

Hermione thanked her and watched as she left the hospital wing, feeling ever so marginally better.

That evening Harry and Ron came by and the three of them spent a long time discussing the things Malfoy had said. Hermione was disappointed that all they're planning had come to nothing and that they hadn't uncovered the heir of Slytherin. It made the situation she had got herself in seem even more pointless.

OOO

Time wore on in the hospital wing and as each day more hairs disappeared off her face, the more Hermione felt happy. She had written to her parents, explaining that she'd had a lovely Christmas and completely ignoring the fact that she was now living in the Hospital Wing. Their replies about their Christmas made Hermione feel sad that she'd missed it but very happy to read their words – it was getting quiet boring sitting here day after day with no one for company.

Hermione had not known that all the students were back from Christmas until the day afterwards when she heard multiple voices outside the Hospital Wing door after breakfast. She turned her head to see a great number of students standing outside, trying to peer through the gap in the doors. She heard gasps and whispers as she looked at them and quickly turned away. Seeing her distress Madam Pomfrey came and chivvied them away. However this continued throughout the day, the numbers only increasing after lunch-time so Madam Pomfrey brought out the movable bed curtains and placed them around the side of Hermione's bed that faced the door. Hermione had become so distressed she had cried again.

As soon as lessons began again Hermione instructed Ron and Harry (who visited her every evening) that they must bring her all the homework they got set. She was very pleased to have something to do all day and actually looked forward to doing it. Two days into the new term starting, Madam Pomfrey brought her an envelope along with her breakfast. Hermione had received quite a few Get Well Cards all of which she had put up on her bedside table. She ripped open this one, wondering who it could be from. It was a thick golden card with a picture of a glorious bunch of flowers on the front. Hermione opened it with interest at read:

'To Miss Granger, wishing you a speedy recovery, from your concerned teacher, Professor Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of Merlin, Third Class, Honourary Member of the Dark Force Defence League and five times winner of Witch Weekly's Most-Charming-Smile Award'

Hermione blushed furiously as she read the card, her heart fluttering and her stomach filling with butterflies. It was so thoughtful of him, so kind. It was such a lovely, expensive looking card too. And he had written just to her! Hermione's stomach didn't stop summersaulting for hours and as she got ready for bed she finally let go of the card, tucking it beneath her pillow and smiling widely for the first time in weeks.

OOO

Hermione felt like she could sing when she finally left the Hospital Wing at the beginning of February. Harry and Ron picked her up before breakfast and for the rest of the day Hermione's classmates and teachers welcomed her back with much enthusiasm. Her good mood continued into the month and it was on the evening of the thirteenth that Hermione could be found in her dormitory instead of the Common Room. She had been considering whether to do this for the last week. She pulled on the Get Well Card that Lockhart had sent her from her bedside table and looked at it again, smiling. Then taking a deep breathe, she opened the card embosomed with a heart in front of her and her and wrote:

Dear Professor Lockhart,

Happy Valentine's Day.

Lots of Love,

A secret admirer.

Hermione giggled as she put the card into an envelope – he would never know who it was from anyway. She then hurried off to the owlery to send it.

The next morning Hermione walked down with Lucy and Julie to the Great Hall as neither Ron nor Harry appeared after a few minutes of waiting. As they entered it was to find a completely changed room – all the walls were covered in beautiful large pink flowers and heart shaped confetti was falling from the ceiling. The three girls looked around and laughed then glanced towards the staff table. They all stared at Professor Lockhart who was wearing pink robes to match the decorations. He spotted them looking and gave a cheery wave and a wink. Hermione, Lucy and Julie, grabbed each other's arms, giggling madly as they sat down.

After a few minutes Ron appeared, his face taking on a look of disgust as he glanced around the Great Hall. He sat down opposite Hermione and asked.

"What in the name of Merlin is going on!"

"Happy Valentine's Day!" Hermione said with another little giggle – what had come over her? "Professor Lockhart did all this I think – isn't it wonderful!"

Ron gave her a look of deep disgust and despair before pulling bacon and sausages towards him, shaking his head.

The rest of day passed with Hermione excited mood remaining until Charms towards the end of day. It was broken by Malfoy's horrid remark at Ginny after Harry had been sung his singing Valentine. He really was a bullying slimeball. It wasn't until the next day however that Ron and Harry hurried her into a secluded corner outside and began to tell her about Harry's journey into the diary.

"And you didn't tell me until now!" She screeched angrily.

"You'd gone to bed when I went up and found Harry, what were we meant to do?" Ron asked.

Hermione huffed but listened intently to Harry's story. Her heart sunk like a stone when he revealed it was Hagrid who Riddle had caught. They all agreed they wouldn't go and talk to him unless another attack happened and as the weeks passed this seemed less and less likely. The spring term seemed to flash by for Hermione, one of the only interruptions to her comfortable weekly routine being Ron's birthday on March the first. Hermione had bought him a pair of bright orange Chudley Cannon's socks.

"They're a bit bright," She said worriedly as he opened them. "You probably won't want to wear them."

"Are you joking?" He said as he tore of his shoes and the socks he'd been wearing, stuffing his feet straight into the new ones. He grinned at Harry and Hermione who had laughed a lot. He'd looked very funny.

Spring rolled on bringing slightly warmer weather over the cold Scottish mountains. The whole school's mood grew as the time from the last attack stretched on and the mandrakes got closer to being ready. To Hermione's great surprise, the Easter holidays came upon them and as well as revision for her upcoming exams Hermione had the hard decision of choosing her subjects for next year. She poured over the lists, fretting that if she didn't choose some subjects it would limit her future career options. She wanted to give everything a go and after continuously snapping at the boys about what she should choose she signed up for everything – there would be a way she could go it. The rest of the Easter holidays and the beginning of the summer term passed quickly in a blur of revision every day. As all her homework came back with close to full marks Hermione felt a contentment that had been missing earlier in the year with all the worry of the Chamber of Secrets.

AN: In the early books the time between Christmas and Easter just seemed to last a couple of pages for Jo haha! I know the chapter was a bit of a 'filler' but the rest of the chapters are MUCH more exciting and I'm really proud of them! You all can guess what's going to happen next right? Please review it makes me so happy!