11 Nothing
For a good solid month Hermione was the director for the Culture Club. She had years in reading mystery novels, especially Sir Conan Doyle, and watching crime investigation shows when she was young. The sciences and reasoning were sound but trying to use logic in a world of magic was a lot easier than she had anticipated. By changing some vocabularies like say a dust for fingerprints to use Tempus Humano Revelio to find who and when the person came into the room being investigated.
They had investigated the Trophy Room and found the closet where Ron was hiding in. At the same time it was getting harder to use that specific spell to reveal when someone came into the room because past heavy human traffic. Yet it gave them the rough estimate of time the incident happened, 0012 (12:12 AM). The bad news was that there weren't any spell to detect snakes.
George informed the club that the House Elves came up with nothing but promised to keep a look out. The list Hermione gave the Weasley twins were a rough outline of day-to-day occurrences that were off. If neither the staff members of Hogwarts and House Elves comes up with anything then it would mean the perpetrator was better even for Albus Dumbledore to take notice.
Then there was the very bad news and that has to do with the Owl Post. It didn't stop or halted but from what Daphne told Hermione. The owl posts were being monitored and it didn't take her long to figure out who was doing it. The Board Inspector has been coming to Hogwarts a lot and they had interviewed everyone that was connected with Harry.
Interview was a polite description for what they were doing. Hermione could tell an interrogation from miles away. She had been under one of the best interrogator Britain has to offer. Dan Granger, Hermione's Father, was one such interrogator and had made his daughter confess to crimes such as stealing the cookie after hours and lying about staying up late at night to read. The moment Emily came to school one morning and list off the students who will not be going to class that day and the Headmaster couldn't do anything to stop it. Hermione knew and gently told everyone in the culture club to not say anything. Though she felt sorry for Neville but was surprised he used his Heir Apparent to decline the 'interview' with ease. Hermione wasn't so fortunate and she was shaking form head to toe but luckily she knew how to deal with amateurs.
Fred and George were happy the moment they were let off after their interview and Hermione could tell by the looks on Emily's face that she was the one who was tormented. Su expertly disseminated Emily's argument and if Hermione knew the girl. Su made Emily second-guessed her plans for going after her, Su Li, the Heir to Asian import that could destroy European market with one word. Parviti and Padma were a different story by that it so happens Parviti talked about fashion and bring up different topics to keep Emily off her feet. At the same time Padma did the same thing but talked about Ancient Runes and the likes to run the time down.
Oliver, Cedric, Katie, Angelina and Alicia outright demanded their parents and lawyer to be there. Board Inspector reel back and didn't further pursue them but when her eyes laid on Hermione it looked like Christmas came early. Emily knew that Hermione couldn't bring her father to Hogwarts without breaking Statute of Secrecy and to top it off the little girl didn't mentioned that she had a lawyer.
"Hermione Granger, is that correct?" Emily asked at the beginning of their interview sensing Hermione shaking in her chair.
"Correct," Hermione confirmed not looking up at the woman and all the while kept on chanting about what Harry would do in this situation. The room they were given to do the interview was a small classroom with one table in the center of the room. It was dark and had one lit candle that was on the table.
"Can you look at me?" Emily gently order.
"I won't give consent to having my mind rummage through," Hermione voice out getting the feeling her brother would say that when confronted with attempted mind probe.
"What makes you say that?" Emily said trying to keep her cool.
"Harry-nii said something about mind defense, your need to make eye contact and Headmaster Dumbledore warning you not to do it," Hermione explained and exhaled far more loudly than she wanted. Hermione projected in a matter of fact tone Harry would say when he'd argued, "It doesn't take much to piece it together."
"Quite, how long have you known Harry?" Emily asked changing the subject.
"I don't know how that's going help you find who did it," Hermione nervously shot in and internally berate herself for showing any emotion.
"I'm just trying to cover all the hoops," Emily said smiling at Hermione's nervous tone and she knew that she could use it, "Hermione you're a smart girl you skipped a year and you are still in second place this year. With grades like these you could go anywhere after Hogwarts. Have you ever thought of working for the Ministry."
"No," Hermione quip with a short yes and no answer kept chanting what Harry would do.
"I was told that this snake, Harry's Familiar, was stalking Miss Lovegood a month before it attack her," Emily starts off hoping to get Hermione to defend the snake.
Hermione slowly said in a soft reply, "Incorrect."
"Care to explain?" Emily asks and there was an edged in her voice.
"No," Hermione firmly said and that agitated the woman in front of her.
"Do you know what they'll do to someone who has an out of control a familiar?" Emily boom trying to get a reaction and it worked. Hermione's head swivel from side to side as if thinking about the implication. "They strip everything the person has from money to magic! Not to mention, you will never see him ever again! If you have anything to help clear your friend's name please tell me now so I can help him."
Hermione went silent and felt her heart thumping in her chest.
Emily smirked knowing that Hermione was one of the weak willed out of the club Harry lead. From what she knew Hermione was a shy and recluse girl who didn't have friends in the beginning. All of her friends were those in the academic level and Emily could exploit that part of this Granger girl.
"Your psychological and interrogation tactics aren't so different from UKSF," Hermione softly said and that took the rug out from underneath Emily's foot. "Find leverage, my friendship with Harry-nii. Use the leverage to get information from the subject, me. Create an emotional connection, fear to never see him again. Very well thought out Miss Emily. It would work with any other twelve year old but not me." Emily clamp her jaws shut at the frustration that was supposed to be the easiest target out of the bunch. "Good day Miss Emily."
A few moments after Hermione left she room she saw Emily rush over to Headmaster Dumbledore in a foul mood.
"Who are these kids?" Emily hissed at Dumbledore.
"What do you mean Emily?" Headmaster Dumbledore asks.
"The muggleborn spewed things a twelve year old shouldn't know! That Chinese girl outright threaten me if I even glimpse into her mind, the red head Twins expertly blocked my probe with jokes. I can't even get anything from The Indian twins!" Emily hissed, "I'm trying to get to the bottom of this and their not trying to help me!"
"I could understand the Weasley twins talents for not getting caught when they were rightfully caught. They're pranksters through and through but the rest I don't know what you mean," Headmaster Dumbledore said gently smiling at the woman's predicament.
The Board Inspector left the school with less than she hoped.
Hermione shakes her head refocusing on the board that was right in front of her and forget about the interview. The Board Inspector has little to go by and barely evidence to convict Harry. Two witnesses who saw a large snake leave the scene doesn't really seal the case down. It only create more questions like did they see the attack? Or why did the snake leave the scene instead of attacking them? But most of all, why did the snake petrified instead of killing?
"Hey, Hermione, you okay," Katie ask nudge the girl. "Come on, it's time to get back. Curfews about to happen."
"Thanks Katie," Hermione said glancing at the board one last time.
The next day was a Sunday everyone was eating breakfast in the Great Hall. Hermione was sitting next to Katie while formulating theories on the Chamber of Secrets. Fred and George were sitting across from her. They were in deep conversations about their little brother who single handedly lost Gryffindor house points in the staggering negatives. Many of Gryffindors were looking at Hermione to be the one who would take them out of their point slumps. They would at times try to get a conversation out of her to encourage her but her minds were somewhere else. Another times it was thanks to Ron's faction to encourage Hermione through brute scare tactics and harassment. They had ones cornered Hermione and told her she needs to get a hundred points before the end of the day or they would make her life hell.
Ron wasn't with them and Hermione knew that Ron was using that pin size brain to not get in trouble. The group that was harassing Hermione were your first and second years that weren't thinking with their own brains. They were more herds of sheep that follows the biggest voice. Yet Ron would come out of nowhere and scare them away thinking that the display would actually gain Hermione's trust. It didn't work and Hermione saw right through it.
"We have roughly about the quarter the Gryffindor on our side," Fred said facing Hermione, "And most of them are Harry's fangirls. Fanatics the lot of them."
"What are you looking at me for?" Hermione asks.
"Just filling you in, we're going to the kitchen to see if they saw anything," George pitch in, "Also don't be scared to tell us if Ron's and his 'friends' bother you."
"My heroes!" Hermione said and smirk at them.
"Come on we've got something to show you!" Fred Said and grab Hermione's left while George grab her right. In a flash they pull the girl out of the Great Hall and down the stone hall ways only to stop dead when they spots another red head but this time it was a girl.
"Ginny, where have you been?" George asks stopping in front of the girl. "Oh, you two haven't met, Ginny, Hermione, Hermione this is Ginny our dear little sister."
"I g-go-ot rid of it I di-dididd," Ginny stammer and the twins knew something was up.
"I know we haven't been talking all year but you've kept on disappearing," George said watching the girl sway back and forth. "Ginny are you alright."
"Safe, we're safe!" Ginny chime as if in daze.
"Guys," Hermione said looking at the girl. Ginny's hair was in a ruffle as if she hadn't taken a shower in months. Her clothes were all soaked and had traces of slim on her sleeves and shoes. The way she was looking all around was like one would do if you haven't slept in days.
"George?"
"Yeah, I know," Fred said and both picks up their sister. "Madam Pomfrey it is."
Hermione and the rest of the Culture Club minus Daphne follows the twins to the Hospital Wing. Ginny was admitted and at first Madam Pomfrey brush it off as a student overworked. When the nurse started doing secondary tier scans all hell broke loose. The nurse had kick everyone out and didn't give any explanation. A minute later the Headmaster and Deputy Headmistress rushes in with a look a parent would have when they were told to go to the hospital at ungodly hours.
"Did Ginny say anymore?" Hermione ask the Weasley twins on the way back to their clubroom.
"She kept repeating a name, Tom," Fred said and stop when he spots their Clubroom door wide open, "Didn't we spell the door to close automatically."
"Yes," Hermione said stepping behind the older boys who whip out their wands.
Both Fred and George went forward followed by Cedric and Oliver. They calmly walk forward and peer into the room to find someone they didn't want to see.
"Ron! The Hell are you doing in here!" Fred barked seeing their youngest brother spraying paint all over the board where they had their clues and notes.
"I should say the same to you! That dark tosser's rotting in prison and you think that he's innocent!" Ron scream and cast another large black ink at the board. "I saw what happened and I thought my own family would at least believe me!"
"No, no no no no no!" Hermione barges forward with Su right behind her. Hermione saw the mess and torn notes littering the floor. She reel back her fist and hit Ron in the face screaming, "You fucker!"
Su instantly pull the girl back before she could do some real damage. Cedric walk forward shaking his head and magically disarm down Weasley who was about to cast a spell.
"Ron Weasley, you're to come with me," Cedric said sternly.
"She hit ME!" Ron moan.
"I didn't see it but what I saw was vandalism," Cedric said and points to several torn and ripped books, "Those are Hogwarts properties and cost roughly a thousand galleons each."
"I saved you all! You should be thanking me!" Ron bellow getting up and looking at everyone. "When I get rich and famous for this I will make you all pay!"
"Like how you went and tried to save the philosopher stone but left everyone to die last year!" Hermione snapped and everyone turn towards the distraught girl.
"How did you know that?" Fred asks.
"Harry was the one who saved you guys and knocked Ron out," Hermione said and then added, "Professor Dumbledore knew as well."
"You lying slapper!"
"RON!" Both George and Fred bark at their little brother. Both their combined voice jumped the youngest brother back to reality. "Mom's going to hear about this!"
"No, don't tell her!" Ron begged.
"Right after we take you to a Professor," Cedric said.
"Fine! Professor Lockharts office isn't to far away," Ron said trying to act scared.
"Find Professor McGonagall," Katie said and everyone nodded their head in agreement. "After all she's in the hospital wing and he has a bloody nose!"
"Good idea," Cedric said grabbing Ron's arm far to tightly than the red headed wanted.
After a good moment the room felt far less chaotic when Ron left. The girls stayed and Neville was trying to round up loose papers that was scattered all over the floor.
"Madam Pince's not going like this," Neville said seeing ripped pages from several books.
They left Hermione to sitting in a chair that was in front of the ruined board. Whatever spells Ron used weren't coming off. The ink and discolor gave Hermione the impression that she was seeing a Picasso style art.
"Hermione, earth to Hermione," Katie said nudging the girl.
"Wah, sorry," Hermione said standing up, "He'd made quite a mess. Didn't he?"
"Yeah he did but you have to give him credit," Angelina said looking at the board. "We could call this the 'web colors conspiracy'!"
"Yeah, from this angle you would think that this was a spider web," Alicia said barking a laugh.
"Spider web?" Hermione said looking at the board and not really listening one bit.
"It's odd isn't it? Our dorm rooms always have a spider in the corner of the room but this year it they just disappear," Parviti said and then added, "And now we're talking about spider web artwork."
"What?" Hermione snap looking at the girl and rush over to her and grasp both her shoulder, "Say that again?"
"The spiders are gone from our dorm room, I thought it was the elves doing it," Parviti said.
"OH MY GOSH! You're a genius!" Hermione squeal and kiss the girl on both cheeks. "Katie how do we get a House Elf here."
"You need to know their name and call out to them," Katie offhandedly said.
"Hogwarts elf to us!" Neville commands and instantly the room was full with short skinny creature with tennis ball size eyes, large flappy ears and long pointy nose wearing a pillow case as their overalls.
"You calls?" They chants in stereo.
"You're a House Elf?" Hermione asks not believing what she was seeing. She had tried to find anything about them but only found two small books that were more of a pamphlet.
"Yes!" They cants looking around the room and instantly went to work cleaning everything from torn books to peeling paint off the boards.
"No no! Stop!" Katie bellow stopping the elves, "Just clean the pages and repair the books. Leave the board alone."
"Yes ma'am!" They chant and within seconds the entire room was clean and the books repaired.
"Um, can I have your attention?" Hermione asks getting a little claustrophobic. "We need your help."
"Tell us and we can do it!" They chant.
"The spiders where did they go?" Hermione ask.
"To the forest," the elves said over one another.
"One at a time!" Alicia bellow, "Now where in the forest."
"We are not given permission, we stay in castles to keep it clean and cook," One elves said nervously.
"Forest full of scary things, do not go in there!" Another elf warns.
"Has the entire castle been spider free?" Hermione asks.
"A second," one elf said and pop away followed by every elf. Ten seconds later they appear and bellow, "Yes!"
"Has there been any other creatures leaving Hogwarts since the Chamber's opening?" Hermione asks.
"We don't think so," One elf said.
"I is see bugs and insect around still," Another elf said.
"Most of them are mostly in the Greenhouse, they is stay there for the warmth," Another elf added.
"Thank you, you all may go," Hermione said smiling and the elves pop away.
"What was that about?" Neville asks.
"Don't you see, there's only a few creature in the world that would instantly ward off spiders," Hermione said and rush over to the repaired books.
"And they are?"
"A Nundu when it's in the last stage of their life," Hermione said propping up a book to show an image of said creature, "That's all I know for now but I need to go back to the library to research some more."
"You said that Hagrid had kept a pet that allegedly killed a student," Su starts off, "Can't we asks what that creature was?"
"Professor Flitwick might know," Padma said.
"Ask me what?" Someone squeal there standing at the door way was the person they were talking about.
"Do you know what creatures Hagrid kept that got him expelled?" Oliver asks.
"If my memories served me correctly, I believe it was a giant spider, an Acromantula, I think," Professor Flitwick said and enter the room but his eyes peer at the board. "So this is what young Mister Weasley has done?"
"Yeah, he kinda destroyed our research," Katie said.
"Professor, has anyone ever kept a nundo in the castle in the past ohh, say a thousand years?" Alicia asks.
"Nundo's are particular creature who will not survive in our environment," Professor Flitwick said and added, "If there was, everyone would know about it. Keeping a Nundo in a small confine space will make them go berserk and destroy anything. What is this all about?"
"We're researching about the Chamber of Secrets and trying to clear Harry and Orochi's name," Hermione said softly.
"I see," Professor Flitwick mumbles.
"Did they ever do an autopsy on Myrtle?" Hermione asks.
"Autopsy?" Professor Flitwick asks.
"A post mortem procedure to examine what cause the death of the deceased," Hermione explained.
"I don't know," Professor Flitwick said, "Do Muggles do that?"
"Yes, most deaths could be explained by examining the dead body," Hermione asks. "I would've thought the Law Enforcement would have a department that could pin point what cause a persons death with a flick of a wand. A diagnostic spell of some sort."
"I dear say I don't know much about how it works in the Ministry when it comes to investigating the dead," Professor Flitwick said, "Now I'm here to make sure that nothing like what happened with Mister Weasley ever happens again. Destruction of Hogwarts property is a serious crime and vandalism's another. I'm going to put a password on the door so please tell me what will it be."
"Can we have something charmed and we could use that as the key that we could only use?" Hermione asks, "I know that passwords are easy to forget and steal."
"Alright, I'm going to spell the door to only open to items you want me to charmed, is that good enough?" Professor Flitwick suggested.
"Okay," Hermione said and watch the professor leaving the room.
"Well, thanks to Ron, I'm feeling woozy for saying this but thanks to that arse we have a lead," Alicia said.