A/N: I am SO sorry that it's been so long since my last update. For some reason this chapter gave me a hard way to go. BUT it's here now and I hope you like it.

Chapter 38: The Problem With Hermione

It wasn't until later that week that I was able to slip Snape a note while turning in my potions essay saying I needed to talk to him. As it turns out, I didn't need to.

"Potter," He barked while making his usual rounds about the classroom, "stay after."

"Yes sir." When class was over I made my way to the front of the class.

"We have a problem." He said after warding the door against eavesdropping.

I stared at Snape, mind whirling with the implications of that statement. "And that is?" I managed to croak out.

"Hermione Granger. She has not been herself lately."

I nodded, pulling a stool from the nearest desk over. "I'd noticed. I was thinking Polyjuice or something."

Snape nodded. "Feasible. But incorrect." He reached into his robes and sat something on the desk with a faint clink. "This is the reason for her abnormal behavior."

I stared at the talisman in disbelief. "You're saying she's a Horcrux?" I whispered. That would explain a lot. But how?

"You misunderstand. I am not saying she is a Horcrux, I'm saying that she has one. How she came about it, one can only guess, but we have to relieve her from it. The longer she has it, the more power it will be able to draw from her, and the harder it will be to destroy."

I nodded. "I understand. I'll ask around. Maybe one of the girls in her dorm can give me any hints. Do you think it's another diary? No one would think twice about Hermione carrying a book around with her – she practically lives in the library."

"That's possible, and we certainly shouldn't rule that out, but…" he trailed off, looking to be in deep thought.

"But you don't think it's a book. What else could it be though? It would have to be small enough to carry around, and ordinary enough not to draw attention. There aren't many things that Hermione would carry that meet those requirements."

"What about jewelry?" he said after a while.

"I don't think so. People would wonder who she got it from, and everyone knows that she's not seeing anyone."

"She wouldn't have to be." He countered. "She could easily say that her parents gave it to her for her birthday. It might even be the truth. Since they're Muggles, they wouldn't be able to tell if it was enchanted or not, only what it looked like."

"But how would her parents get a hold of one of Voldemort's Horcruxes? I hardly think he'd just leave them laying around where anyone could get to them."

Snape folded his fingers together in thought. "True enough, but the how isn't the important part. For all we know, it could have been stolen by an enemy, only to be filched by some pickpocket and pawned off for a few quick Knuts. It's that what that's important. If we know what it is, then we can confiscate and destroy it. But it won't be as easy as the banishment we did this summer."

"You call that easy?" I exclaimed. "It was bloody painful!"

"For you. It was an easy procedure to perform. Anyone with enough candles and table salt can perform a banishment. Muggles do it all the time."

"So we'd need something more lethal to destroy this one."

"Yes."

Snap was quiet for a moment – probably trying to think of something lethal enough to kill a Horcrux, but still pliable enough to be contained. I finally got tired of the silence, and offered my best solution.

"What about basilisk venom?"

"If we could get our hands on some, it would definitely work."

"Good because there's a dead one lying in the Chamber of Secrets under Myrtles bathroom. I'm not sure it's still intact, but it's worth looking into."

"It shouldn't be. The venom would have preserved it. Under Myrtle's bathroom, you say?"

I nodded. "The entrance is underneath the sink with the snake etched on the tap. It takes a Parselmouth to open it, but I'm sure banishing or detonating the sink would work just as well."

"This weekend then. Try to figure out what the Horcrux is. Once you know, send word. I'll come up with a reason to confiscate it in class."

I nodded. "If you need me to open the Chamber, let me know."

"Of course. I'll see if I can get the ring away from Dumbledore, now that we have a means of destroying it."

"He told you about it?"

"Yes… I just hope he hasn't become too attached to it."

"What if he has?"

An uncomfortable silence met my question.

"Sir?"

I watched as he shook himself free of his thoughts. An immensely distressing look etched itself onto his face, and he sighed mournfully.

"Then I suppose I'll have to take him out with it."

For all our differences, I hope that it doesn't come down to that.