Wow! I love this writing marathon! Even though it makes me hungry like a bear...
"You mean to say that this has been in Ron's possession all along?" Harry was well near panicking and Hermione could understand – after all, Ronald was his best friend, the one person he confided strictly everything to, not even Hermes Granger could keep up with that… even though she was the easy way out when it came to homework and mediation.
Lysander nodded. "But I do not think that he knew, or that he was even aware who it belonged to. Voldemort's true name is technically nowhere to be found in the records… only in a few… less-read examples."
Even though Hermione knew that the book she talked about had been found in the Restricted Section she agreed that Harry did not need to know about that, he'd only see it as an encouragement to go there and leaf through books that would be too dangerous for him, and undoubtedly he'd get detected, which would mean that the patrols there would be reinforced and that would allow neither Hermione nor Luna to go there in order to research.
And damn that would be dire.
"Harry do you have any idea how that could have possibly come into Ron's hands? Any… I don't know… run ins with notoriously Dark Wizards? Did he venture to Knockturn Alley for a dare? Was it maybe delivered with an owl?"
Through her onslaught of questions she hadn't noticed Harry growing sickly pale as of once. She noticed now. "Harry?"
"Run in…" he choked, "With Lucius Malfoy at Flourish and Blott's, he even grabbed Ron's books, made petty remarks and then left again… he could have, could have put it in there!"
Lucius Malfoy, Hermione gained on a pensive expression, apparently the apple didn't fall far from the tree, she had no doubt that Lucius Malfoy was Draco's father – oh what she wouldn't give to meet that brat. She cringed then… so that was why she had never seen that strange wand in Ron's hands before; it wasn't his – it was Voldemort's.
"Well… that might solve a problem and pose yet another one." She sighed as she leant back. "We can be positive that Ron is possessed by what is left of Voldemort, who in turn is trying to come back yet again." She groaned, rubbing the bridge of her nose; this was getting sticky.
"Oh, Albus, we need to let the parents know!" She heard McGonagall's worried voice – Hermione stopped dead in her tracks, pressing flush against the wall just before the corner, she dared not take a breath.
"I am afraid, Minerva, that you are right. Hogwarts is no longer safe…"
"What happened?!" gushed the overly-excited voice of Gilderoy Lockhart, Hermione rolled her eyes, leave it to Lockhart to not be present when he could have been of use.
"The worst." Snape's voice cut in, something fluttered in her chest as the dark timbre reached her, but she conveniently ignored it, she'd have to investigate that later – much later. "A student has been taken by the heir…"
Hermione stopped breathing for earnest – the worst indeed. She craned her neck, trying to hear more of the now whispering voices. "Who is it, Albus?"
That was Pomona Sprout, the Herbology teacher; her squeak relayed her uneasiness even though Hermione could not see her. The headmaster sighed dramatically.
"Ronald Weasley." She kept the gasp in as tears welled up her eyes, Ron may have attacked her and he was a right git at times, but he had been possessed, she doubted that he had gone truly voluntarily.
"Pity, I might have just known the spell to save him." Lockhart boasted – around him the air quietened, before McGonagall finally spoke up.
"Well then, Gilderoy, I believe we can trust you on that matter, can we not? After all it will not be your first adventure, will it? I am sure whatever waits down there for you will succumb to your extraordinary skills."
Now as her DADA-professor sputtered, she had to keep in a snicker – of course Lockhart was at a loss of words, but as he agreed, Hermione realized that perhaps it would be a good idea to at least give him what little information she had – if he was to be believed, after all, he had overcome a Banshee…
"Professor! We need to-!" Harry stopped three steps into the office. "Are you packing?"
Hermes and Lysander looked from behind him and found that, indeed, their professor had been carelessly throwing the most important things into a suitcase that he had just been in the process of closing.
"Ah… yes, important call from high up." He lied through his impeccable teeth.
"But, sir, what about Ron?" Harry tried desperately, the professor, stilling for a moment, then continued his hectic throwing of things.
"I am very sorry for your friend, Bob, but this is out of my hands…"
He wanted to flee. Hermione would have none of it – they needed an adult, even if it was a piss-pony like Lockhart was. Drawing her wand she watched as Luna did the same, Lockhart's back was turned to them, he was so above himself that he had dismissed them as threat.
"We will need you, professor." Was the last thing Harry said to him – Lockhart did not stand a chance, faced with three wands, he dropped his own, surrendering.
"So this is the entrance… Well done, well done, well…" Lockhart tried to flee one last time, but with an uncharacteristic show of strength Hermione single-handedly pushed him down the drain.
Harry looked after him and then at Hermes. "You seem to have picked up some strength, lad."
Hermione smirked. "Pushing boxes at the Leaky all summer should have paid out for something, now shouldn't it?"
"It's really quite filthy down here." Came Lockhart's disembodied voice and the three looked down the dark pipe again – Hermione sighed. "Why is it that we always have to jump down dark holes, I mean couldn't they just come up with something totally unexpected? A rainbow?"
Lysander and Harry both chuckled and with a last look the three of them jumped simultaneously.
It is really quite filthy down here, didn't even cover the sight of skeletons and bouts of rotting flesh that they landed in. Luna and Hermione were very close to squealing in disgust, but managed to do with a shocked gurgle instead. "Gods this is… are those skeletons?"
She scrambled up, away from the remnants of bodies of mice and owls and whatever could be found here, if the Basilisk was Voldemort's pet then she wouldn't put it past possibility that there were one or two humans as well.
What she hadn't counted on was Lockhart waiting for her.
"Fuck!" Before she knew what had happened to her, her wand was in Lockhart's hands she herself kept close to his body by his arm that was hefted over her throat, she struggled not.
"Wands down." Her professor growled – her friends complied. "Now, as you know I am not very resourceful as a wizard… however I have an exemplary gift with Memory Charms, wouldn't have done to have all those other wizards go out blabbing. So: say goodbye to your memories. Obliviate!"
The force of the Charm would have made them forget everything probably, would it not have been for Hermione's waving hands as she suddenly realized that she still was a witch. "Protego!"
Neither Luna nor Harry nor Hermione were hit by the Charm – Lockhart was so confused that the wizard in his arms had just cast wandless magic that he was rendered immobile and Luna used exactly that moment. "Immobilus."
In his exact posture Lockhart froze, making it finally possible for Hermione to escape his grip and get her wand back, glaring at her DADA-professor. "You, you turncoat, will be in for the surprise of your life once we get out of here."
It was decided that Luna would stay with the professor in case the Charm would lose its efficiency, Luna smiled. "I'd also rather that one of us would be unharmed in case you come back with wounds. I'll be back-up, call for me in case something should happen." Lysander looked especially at Hermes as he said that and the Gryffindor nodded back.
Hermione panted as she stood in front of the giant Snake, sure Fawkes had been kind enough to remove those disgusting, deadly eyes but that did nothing to actually keep the Basilisk from coming at her, it could still smell her, still hear her.
And even with her Sword, the one that had materialized in the Singing Hat earlier, Hermione was not sure how to kill that beast off exactly. Chancing a look over the Basilisk, she could see Harry locked in a deadly duel with Tom Riddle. Voldemort still appeared to be young, but then again, he was only a version of the diary… as of yet.
She looked back at the Basilisk – damn, what would Snape do in her position? "I would surely be helpless as a witch, not needing my wand to perform magic." His sarcastic voice snapped annoyed into her ear and she almost blushed when once again she realized that she was not defenceless, even though Harry had needed to take her wand for Tom Riddle had gotten hold of his, as it was though, it was not working properly for him and she needed to help him as soon as possible.
"Oh do come here you rotting slowworm."
Having officially enraged and provoked the animal might not have been her best idea, but it was her only chance to maybe be able to follow through with her plan. And if that didn't work well then maybe she'd be able to fend that beast off until Harry was finished with Tom…
"Ow, you bastard beast!" Lashing out in her anger of having been grazed by one of the fangs of the animal, she beheaded it with a squelching sound – around her the world spun, she felt nauseous… Merlin, she'd die here…
"Hermes. Hermes look at me, come on lad, hang on there…"
Hermione had a difficult time to keep breathing, let alone keep her eyes open, but a mop of blonde hair above her reassured her that Luna was there, it couldn't be that bad then if Luna was right next to her.
"Hermes."
Black enveloped her and she saw her parent's house again. Aunt May sat in the garden with the rest of her family and they laughed, Hermione's heart was at ease as she watched through the garden fence. As if on cue, Hermes appeared in front of her and smiled at her. "I knew you were alive." Her brother smiled as he patted her head through the fence. "I know you're at that school, I hope you show them that a Granger means business, right?"
Their father was laughing loud at something that their mother said and bent over the table to kiss her affectionately, they looked on for a moment, before Hermes turned back to her and smiled sadly through the fence.
"I'm sorry, little sister, but your time has not come yet. You still have a lot to achieve… take care of you."
And just like that she was ripped out of the beautiful dream.
Pain shot through her and she arched her back, hoping to give it some leeway, hoping to make it disappear, and she gasped in short breaths, panting harshly.
"Hermione?" Luna was next to her, she could hear her, and as she settled back on the mattress beneath her, it dipped, indicating that Luna had just sat down next to her – their hands intertwined. "Come on, Hermione, I need you here. I can't get you to the infirmary, you need to fight through this… fight the venom, please Hermione, I need you, here."
Her voice faded out once more as Hermione slipped back into the darkness.
"Mister Granger…" The drawl unmistakably belonged to Professor Snape, but she could not see him. His figure had not appeared somewhere in the darkness, she was not sure if she was indeed hearing him or if she imagined him in her fever.
"Mister Granger…" The man sighed this time, sounding unlike she had ever heard him before. "Come back. Mister Lovegood will have lost his pretty head over you if you do not return soon. That and Hogwarts would be at an impasse as how to explain your demise. Not to say I'd certainly miss being snarky to you because you sprout off knowledge… Get back, Hermes."
Dumbledore stood up at the Head Table, the Hall fell silent. "Students, another year has passed – a year frightful and horrible for some of us, but we can say with pride that those living in this castle will never let it down. I can announce with pride not only the finding of the Chamber of Secrets, but also the demise of the Basilisk having incapacitated so many of our students. First of all, I would like a hefty applause for Miss Sprout and Professor Snape for not resting even one eye until all students were healed."
The Hall erupted in clapping, and though most clapped for Miss Sprout, Hermione clapped for her potions professor – she was still not sure whether she had dreamt it or not, but his words had certainly made her come back for sure. Luna had been there, crying her eyes out and finally throwing herself around Hermione's neck. She had cleverly manoeuvred them into the Room of Requirement that had put a bed, a cauldron, ingredients and a potions book at her disposal. Luna had not once stopped brewing the anti venin and feeding it to Hermione.
When the applause ceased, Dumbledore smiled. "Concerning these matters, I would like to appoint fifty points to Lysander Lovegood for clear-mindedness and quick thinking, never leaving when needed and devoting himself to the last ounce of strength."
Hermione actually stood up when she clapped, solely for the purpose of course, but glad when some of the students followed her example – she guessed that most news travelled fast in Hogwarts and it was no secret that without Lysander Lovegood, Hermes Granger would have been a serious victim to the Basilisk.
"And because sometimes our feet and noses lead us where we shouldn't be, but where we are needed nevertheless, I appoint to Harry Potter and Hermes Granger respectively a hundred points, for courage, loyalty and unyielding strength."
This time around it was Lysander who stood up while clapping and save for the Slytherins (who celebrated their receiving of the House Cup thanks to Snape deducting as many points as possible from Gryffindor down to only 52 points remaining) everyone followed her example, though she was sure that most did it for Harry – she was simply thankful that nothing but a scar would remain from her encounter with that blasted snake.
"Promise you will write." Luna smiled as she hugged her close, Hermione reciprocated the hug in a friendly way and nodded.
"Of course I will, though Tom will make sure to keep me busy."
They were standing in the middle of King's Cross, mainly waiting for Luna's parents, who were meant to pick her up. Technically she should have spent her year at a catholic school, where she was supposed to be learning how to knit, and cook, and raise children and all other blunder.
"You know, you really look handsome, Hermes." She noticed quietly as she straightened Hermione's collar. "But I'm far too glad that I have found out who you really are."
They both smiled at each other, before Luna noticed her parents, accompanied by a smiling Tom, Hermes smirked and looked back at Luna. "Promise me you'll write me back."
And therewith they both set off to their respective summers. Tom smirked at her: "Lovely bird she is, lad, lovely bird."
Tadaaa! I managed to write a whole year in a day! I am somewhat proud of myself. And yes I left the spiders out of the plot - not because I don't like them (I found the trip in the woods quite adventurous and interesting), but because the simply did not seem to fit in the story - I still hope you liked it though!
REVIEW PLEASE
