"Malfoy's taking ages," Ron said. Harry looked up from his letter to Moony and Tonks, and then over at the grandfather clock in the corner of the common room. His stomach twisted unpleasantly.

"Maybe Dobby had a lot to say?" Three hours was still a long time, though.

"Yeah," Ron said, nodding. "That's probably it." Harry could tell from his tone, that Ron was worried too. "Or maybe Snape caught him, or something."

"Yeah," Harry said, and glanced at the clock again.

He's fine, Harry told himself. He's a pureblood- Not that that had spared Greengrass. –and his father would have taken measures to ensure his safety, surely. Draco and Hydrus are probably the only safe ones in the whole school.

But the minutes dragged on, and Ron turned more pages of the Prophet, scowling, and students trickled upstairs to bed, and Harry's letter got longer and longer, and Hedwig – who'd shown up just after dinner thanks to her uncanny ability to know when she'd be needed – grew more and more impatient for him to finish writing, but still Draco wasn't back. He and Ron were the only two left, and the dying fire was casting grim shadows on the common room walls.

Harry stroked Hedwig's smooth back, and looked at Ron, who'd put his paper down.

"Harry," he said, "what do we do?"

Harry's instinct was to grab the cloak and map from their dormitory, and try to find Draco… but if something had happened, then they'd have to get a teacher, and he could only imagine what McGonagall would say if she found them wandering around again… Professor Sprout had said it was stress that was making her ill, and a visit from Harry and Ron after hours probably wouldn't help her at all.

So instead, Harry tore the corner off of his letter.

Snape, he wrote, after a moment's hesitation. Draco went to see Hydrus after dinner and hasn't come back yet. We thought someone should know. Harry. Then, Ron reached over, plucked the quill out of Harry's hand, and wrote and Ron.

"To Snape," Harry said, rolling the note into something that Hedwig would be able to hold. She hooted softly and hopped over to the window. Harry opened it, and she launched herself out into the night, and then plummeted, down toward the lower levels of the castle, obviously searching for Snape.

Harry shut the window.

"And just wait," Ron said, with obviously false humour, "any second, Malfoy's going to get back and tease us both for worrying, and then be angry that we told Snape." Harry mustered a weak smile.

Only Draco never came.

Narcissa was just readying herself for bed when she heard the Floo chime. Lucius lowered his hair brush and glanced at her in askance.

"Expecting someone?" he asked. She shook her head, slowly, trying to think of who it could be. The only ones that used the Floo were the boys, purebloods within their social circle, and occasionally Severus, and she wasn't expecting any of them. Her husband frowned. "Dobby!" Dobby appeared before them, and – at Lucius' instruction – vanished again just as quickly.

"Shall I?" she asked, gesturing at the door.

"You've had a big day," he said, and kissed her on the cheek. "I'll handle it." He strode from the room. Narcissa followed, grabbing a dressing gown as she went. "I thought I said I would-"

"I appreciate the gesture, Lucius," she said, tying her dressing gown on. She'd had a very eventful day in the place of what was supposed to have been a simple visit to Bella, and then returned to find Lucius speaking to the Greengrasses about their daughter and the state of things at Hogwarts, and then they'd left, and Lucius had said that he and Draco had argued – and badly, if Lucius' mood was still so awful after managing to remove Dumbledore from the school. Narcissa was more than ready for bed but it seemed she'd have to wait. "But if we're not expecting someone, then it's likely something important." And, frankly, with a sister whose husband had almost broken out of Azkaban today – along with said sister – and two sons at a school in crisis, it was more than likely that it was her presence that would be needed tonight than Lucius'.

His only response was a gentle touch to the back of her hand.

Dobby had brought their guest into the drawing room, and was offering tea when Narcissa and Lucius entered.

"No, thank you." It was Severus that turned and stood, and he looked awful; tired, and sad, and- well, Narcissa decided she wasn't the only one who'd had a long day. "Lucius, Narcissa."

"Dobby, out! Are you well?" Lucius asked.

"Well enough," Severus said. "I- it's Draco."

"What about him?" Lucius asked curtly. Severus' expression twitched when he looked at Lucius, though what the expression was, Narcissa couldn't have said.

"He's been attacked," Severus said. Narcissa grasped Lucius' arm to try to steady herself; she felt suddenly ill and dizzy, and Severus' voice seemed to be coming from a long way away. "Attacked? By who?" Lucius asked, looking bewildered.

"Slytherin's monster," Severus replied. "Or so we assume, given that he'd Petrified like all of its other victims-"

"The- but- Draco's a pureblood," Lucius said.

"Lucius," Narcissa heard herself say, faintly, "didn't you say the students weren't going anywhere unescorted?"

"Apparently he was trying to visit Hydrus," Severus said. Lucius' arm stiffened under her hand, and she glanced up at his face, but it was blank and hard, like ice. "But Hydrus said he never arrived and- Draco's absence was… noted… in Gryffindor tower. I found him earlier this evening… He's since been moved to the hospital wing with the others." Severus' face contorted in a rather miserable way, and his tone was bleak.

Lucius tugged his arm out of Narcissa's grasp, and stormed from the room.

"Lucius-" Severus began, but Narcissa held up a hand.

"Leave him," she said, shaking her head. "Oh, Severus, I don't understand! Why Draco?! He's a pureblood, he ought to have been safe!"

"As should have Astoria Greengrass," Severus said. "But I had to visit her parents this afternoon as well. I'm more interested in why he was trying to visit Hydrus."

"They're brothers," Narcissa said. Severus gave her a flat look, and Narcissa didn't like what it insinuated. "I often went to Bella if I was frightened, or needed help." Her tone was chilly. "Is it so far-fetched that Draco would do the same?"

"You would know best, of course." And though his tone was polite and smooth, and his words agreed with her, she knew he was being sarcastic.

"I would," she replied coldly. "I know Draco better than anyone." And she did; she'd had a far more influential role in the way Draco had turned out than anyone but Severus, but Severus wasn't Draco's blood like Narcissa was, just Draco's teacher and legal godfather. And neither would acknowledge that at school; Severus was one of the least paternal people she knew, and also had a reputation to maintain, and Draco was so private and independent that rarely came to her or Lucius for advice these days, so she couldn't imagine him going to anyone else. And he didn't come home very often because he had appearances to keep with Potter – which was the whole point of his Sorting, so she couldn't fault him for that – but he'd been home last summer, and they'd talked about all sorts of things, and – more importantly – he'd listened and said he understood.

"As you say." Severus inclined his head, and the gesture was almost mocking. Narcissa felt cold anger bubbling up inside her, but before she could say anything else, Lucius was back. He'd changed out of his pyjamas and into robes.

"I want Hydrus out of that school, now," Lucius said. "Wake him, have him pack his bags, and send him here through the Floo." Narcissa wasn't sure whether to protest, or be relieved; on the one hand, he was obviously not safe, and she wanted him out of harm's way. On the other hand, he had to pass his second year, and couldn't afford to be missing lessons. "And I want Draco moved to St Mungo's-"

"Draco should stay at Hogwarts," Severus said. "Madam Pomfrey has experience caring for Petrified people now, and Sprout and I are responsible for the restorative." And, though she was annoyed at him for his earlier rudeness, Narcissa would be lying if she said she'd rather a random Healer taking care of Draco than Severus. He had presumed too much in regards to Draco, but that didn't mean he was any less capable as a potions master.

"But St Mungo's-"

"Haven't seen anything like this before. They've had their Healers dropping into Hogwarts from time to time to have a look at the monster's victims, so that they do know what to do if they're ever presented with a case." Narcissa watched Lucius' face; it changed from thoughtful, to frustrated, to resigned. "Very well. But I want Hydrus home." Severus inclined his head. "Will you wait up for him?" Narcissa nodded. "Good. I have some arrangements to make."

Ginny slept. Tom used a bit of Occlumency and Legillimency establish some wards in her mind – one to let him know if she woke, another to stop her from using her mouth, and a third that was more of an illusion and would make it seem as if he was still there – and slid back into the diary, aware that it had been almost a whole day now, and that Potter had said that long-term possession could kill Ginny. He felt a vague, pained sensation from her as he detached himself, and her mind seemed to quiver, but she was too deeply asleep to be woken by it, and it didn't kill her, so Tom counted it a success.

The common room in the diary was a welcome sight, and Tom enjoyed the quiet of it; there was no Ginny here, to whine at him, or insult him, or to try to push him out, though he could still feel her when he probed out with Legillimency. Come morning – or whenever Ginny woke – he'd have to go back to her, to make sure she didn't give him away, but for now, it was just him, and the knowledge of all he'd accomplished; Ginny's brother and friends were falling victim to his monster one by one, and his attacks had driven Dumbledore from the school. Potter had handled Granger's attack well enough, but Tom hoped Malfoy's death or Petrification would unsettle him further. Tom thought he'd like to watch Potter's slow descent into hopelessness.

With a content sigh, Tom settled into his armchair and prepared to wait out the night.

It was Snape that came to fetch them for breakfast the next morning, not McGonagall. Harry caught Ron's eye and wondered, with a sinking stomach, if she'd been attacked too; Snape had written back late last night to tell Harry and Ron that he'd found Draco, Petrified, in one of the dungeon corridors.

"Professor McGonagall is simply busy," Snape said, perhaps anticipating the question on everyone's minds. "She'll meet us at breakfast." He gestured – rather impatiently – for them to follow him. "Don't dawdle; I have no intention of waiting if you do, and being alone in this school is assuredly a poor idea." No one needed to be told twice; everyone hurried along after Snape in tightly packed group, whispering.

If anyone else had noticed Draco's absence, they didn't comment on it, but despite the tight walking formation, the space around Harry felt oddly empty. Hermione wasn't chattering away at his side about something or other she'd read, and her masses of hair weren't obscuring Harry's peripheral vision the way they usually did, nor was her over-full book bag knocking against his leg as they walked. And Draco – while not as talkative as Hermione – wasn't there to bicker with Ron, or tease Harry about silly things he'd done or said, or catch Harry's eye and smirk when someone else said or did something silly.

That said, Harry knew he wasn't alone in missing them; several times, he'd noticed Ron glance back or to the side, as if expecting someone to say something, and then look disconcerted when there was no one there. Ron was by him now, looking closely at the walls as they walked.

"Where's Malfoy?" Ginny asked, appearing on Harry's other side.

"Hospital wing," Harry said glumly, "with all the other victims."

"How awful," she said. Something in her voice sounded off, and Harry glanced at her, but she wasn't looking at him; she was watching her feet, and her face was pale and drawn. He sniffed the air, trying to be casual about it, and when he did catch her scent, it made his eyes water; misery and anger were rolling off her in waves, and there was defeat in there too. It was such a thick, unpleasant scent that Harry was almost drowning in it. He rubbed his nose, and decided to breathe through his mouth instead.

Harry reached for her shoulder and gave it a squeeze, and that made her jump and stare at him.

"It'll be all right, Ginny," he said, though at the moment, it didn't really seem that way; with Draco gone, there wasn't any real way to get to Dobby, though Harry supposed the attack might prompt Mr Malfoy to take back the horcrux, or let slip something about its nature or appearance. They knew it was Tom, knew the monster was a basilisk, and knew that Tom was probably here because of a horcrux, but they didn't know where Tom was, or where the Chamber was – though Harry suspected Myrtle's bathroom was involved – and they didn't know if anyone at Hogwarts was helping Tom. And, Harry didn't know how to stop him – if the locket was any indication, getting rid of a horcrux wouldn't be easy. But Ginny didn't need to worry about that, and she looked like she could use some comfort, so Harry mustered a smile.

She stared at him for a long moment and then said, "We'll see." She melted back into the mob of Gryffindors – probably to find Fred and George – and Harry felt his smile wither. Ron was watching the place where his sister had been, looking upset.

Snape walked them past the Great Hall and down into the dungeons, much to everyone's confusion, and then asked them to wait, before disappearing down a corridor. Harry wondered if they were close to where Draco had been attacked.

"Why's he brought us down here?" one of the first year boys asked.

"Maybe there isn't anyone to watch us in the Hall," Katie Bell said, glancing back up the stairs.

"Or maybe Snape works for Riddle and he's brought us all down here to die." This theory was met mostly by frowns and headshakes, but Harry smelled concern on the people around him. It was almost as funny as it was tragic; no one particularly like Snape – and Harry was among them – but assigning detentions and tricky essays, and being generally a bit of a git didn't mean he was out to kill students. But, Harry supposed people were scared enough to consider anything.

"If that's the case, Mr McLaggen," Snape said, appearing around a different corner than the one he'd left around just before, with what appeared to be all of Slytherin House behind him, "then I'm sure you can't trust me to take you back upstairs, and you'll be safer on your own." Snape stared him down, and McLaggen shook his head – in the meekest gesture Harry had ever seen him make – and stepped back in amongst his friends. "Ten points from Gryffindor for idiocy."

Snape stepped around them and took the lead again, and the Slytherins fell into step with the Gryffindors.

"Your Malfoy's gone too?" Blaise appeared beside Harry, and his dark eyes glanced over Ron and then around them.

"Blaise," Harry said.

"Zabini if you don't mind, Potter," Blaise said, putting his nose in the air. But there was a gleam in his eye, and Harry knew he was only saying that to keep up appearances. "Weasley."

"Zabini."

"Now look; Weasley understands how to be proper," Blaise said. Harry wasn't really in the mood for this sort of conversation, and tried to let his expression say so. Then, his mind caught up with what Blaise had said.

"What do you mean gone?" he asked.

"Snape came bursting into the dormitory at about one in the morning," Blaise said quietly. "Had Malfoy pack his truck, and said he was going home." Harry looked at Ron. "Rumours are flying, of course," Blaise continued. "Snape burst in about this time last year, only he was looking for Morton-" Blaise looked uncomfortable. "-so everyone's wondering if Malfoy's involved…" He looked at Harry, almost expectantly.

"Draco was attacked," Harry said quietly. "Snape found him last night." Blaise's eyebrows climbed, and Harry could see him trying to make sense of it all. They climbed the stairs but somehow, the large, bright, open Entrance Hall didn't seem any more inviting than the dark, cramped dungeons had.

"Greengrass said Granger was attacked," Blaise said eventually, looking sad. "And given that she isn't here… Sorry to hear it, Potter, Weasley." Harry nodded, stomach dropping at the reminder.

They were in the Great Hall now, and Blaise ducked off to rejoin the other Slytherin second years. They made an odd group, without Hydrus' platinum head in the middle of them.

"Malfoy's gone home?" Ron asked in a low voice, as they sat in the empty space between Neville and George at the Gryffindor table. "What do you think-"

"If I could have your attention, please." McGonagall had just come in through a door at the front of the Hall, and stood in front of the teacher's table. Harry was relieved to see that she looked healthier than she had yesterday, though he thought he'd heard a small shake in her voice.

"The Board-" And when she glanced off to the side, Harry noticed Mr Malfoy and Minister Fudge speaking quietly together. "-of Governors, the Ministry of Magic, and I – on behalf of the staff here at Hogwarts - have spent the early hours of this morning in lengthy discussion about the best course of action for Hogwarts and for you as students." This time, Harry definitely heard her voice catch, and he exchanged a wary look with Ron. "These past few hours, I have been writing letters to your families, so that they too are aware of the situation; it will affect them, after all." McGonagall pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and dabbed at her eye. Murmurs broke out in the Hall, but ceased as soon as she held up her hand. This time, her voice was steady. "You are to eat your breakfast here, and then you will be escorted back to your common rooms, to pack your things."

No one spoke, but Harry imagined he could hear everyone's minds racing, as they reached the same conclusion.

"The train leaves at midday, sharp," McGonagall continued, clasping her hands in front of her. "Hogwarts is closed, from now until it is deemed safe. We shall keep you updated by post."

Breakfast appeared in front of them as she moved to stand with Malfoy and the Minister, but Harry found he didn't have much of an appetite.