A/N Thank you for the reviews and follows/favourites. They make my day:)

Chapter 13

Many students – especially those who weren't pureblood chose to return home for Christmas. Two boys and a cat had already been attacked and a lot of people wanted to see their families in case the same fate crossed them in the future. The only Slytherins in Reece's year that chose to stay were Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle, so he was a little stuck for options.

He sat beside Draco in the hall, with the two large boys across from them filling their faces with food. There was barely any conversation until Draco started cracking jokes about Potter being the heir of Slytherin. Crabbe and Goyle found it most amusing but Reece found it incredibly boring. Malfoy would never shut up about the Gryffindor trio; and now that rumours were being spread about Harry, Draco only spoke of him more frequently. Reece knew that it was pure jealousy. He had known Draco long enough to know that, that was the reason he bullied the three. Reece bullied for other reasons – some of which he had stupidly admitted to Granger when she caught him harassing Terry.

He looked over his shoulder subtly and noticed the trio sitting away from the rest of their house. Granger was the only one facing his direction and he could see her talking seriously to the two boys. Reece was incredibly confused when she began waving two cakes at them. It was quite bizarre to say the least but the cakes did look quite nice. Hermione rose from her seat and left on her own, unknowingly giving Reece the perfect opportunity to follow her. He rose from his seat and excused himself before setting off after her quickly.

She seemed to be checking on the potion as he had followed her to the bathroom. Reece sauntered in quietly with his hands in his pockets and made his way towards her.

"So I never asked what you were even going to use this for." She jumped at the sudden voice and quickly looked round from her seat on the floor.

"Can't tell you I'm afraid." Was she taking the mick? That was along the lines of what Reece had said to her about the petrifying. He glared at her slightly and Hermione soon noticed the hostility. Reece moved towards her and looked into the cauldron. White smoke was flowing out of it softly and that meant that it was almost ready.

"At least tell me whose hair you're putting in it." Reece complained. Hermione shook her head and tapped the side of her nose twice, gesturing that she wasn't going to share the secret.

"Could you do me a favour and place the cauldron in the sink please?" She asked sweetly. Reece sighed and took out his wand. He cast a levitation spell and moved it cautiously over to the sink. The smoke was soon beginning to spill over the sides and Reece put his wand away. "Thank you." Hermione said suddenly. She seemed unsure of her own words and Reece looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "For stealing the ingredients and checking on the potion and stuff. I would have struggled without the help."

"You're um, welcome I guess." Reece scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. They were in a strange situation and neither knew what to say to the other. She hesitantly pushed her hand in his direction, gesturing for a handshake. He looked down at her outstretched hand. Was he really going to shake the hand of a mudblood? Immediately regretting his decision, then taking back the regret, Reece took the hand off of his neck and allowed it to touch hers. They shook twice before Reece let go and shoved both hands in his pockets nervously. "You know, you're not half bad Granger."

"And you're quite alright when you're not bullying people." Hermione replied with an infectious smile. Almost instantly he mirrored her smile, but after a few seconds turned to leave. "Maybe one day we'll work together again." Reece stopped in his tracks.

"Perhaps our goals will cross paths once more," He said clearly, turning his neck to look over his shoulder at her. Hermione was standing over the sink, but her attention was on the Slytherin. "Just don't get killed by the attacker first; and remember that I've got your back if you find no one else has."

"As long as you remember that you can talk to me instead of beating up people." Reece nodded as he turned his neck back to face forward. They could never be proper friends, but someone watching out for him – as he did for her – was all Reece needed for now. The two made quite the academic duo, and it was as if the teachers didn't see it because they were in opposing houses. The division was sometimes a great shame.

Reece was sitting in one of the chairs in the common room behind the sofas. He wasn't exactly in the best of moods after the conversation with Granger in the bathroom. It was as if they had said goodbye to each other, even though they would still see one another in classes and such. Perhaps he just didn't want to admit that the mudblood who seemed to tear off his mask fiercely was friendship material. He was snapped out of his deep thoughts when Malfoy sauntered in followed by a somewhat nervous looking Crabbe and Goyle. He flopped suavely onto the sofa and spread across it, leaving his two thugs to stand, confused.

"Well sit down." Malfoy gestured to the sofa opposite as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. The two took a seat and sat nervously, glancing around the room instead of looking at Malfoy. "You'd never know the Weasleys were purebloods by the way they behave. They're an embarrassment to the wizarding world – all of them." Reece sat observing Crabbe and Goyle suspiciously and couldn't help but be surprised when he noticed Crabbe's fist curling into a ball. "What's wrong with you Crabbe?" Draco asked as Goyle hit his arm.

"Stomach ache." Crabbe replied as he leant forward slightly.

"You know, I'm surprised that the Daily Prophet hasn't done a report on all these attacks." Malfoy continued running his mouth, ignoring Crabbe's off attitude. Reece on the other hand wasn't as stupid. He had just help Granger brew a polyjuice potion and now there were two guys acting strangely off. "I suppose Dumbledore's trying to hush it all up. Father said that Dumbledore was the worst thing to happen to this place. Draco spat." This wasn't going to go down to well.

"You're wrong." Goyle cut in suddenly, much to Draco's surprise.

"What?" Malfoy asked as he stood up and looked down at the two. "You think there's someone here that's worse than Dumbledore?" Crabbe shook his head and Goyle just looked down thoughtfully. "Well? Do you?"

"Harry Potter." Goyle answered suddenly. Reece sat back in his chair, almost laughing at the situation beside him.

"Good one Goyle, you're absolutely right." Draco said with a slight proud scowl. "Potter, and people actually think he's the heir of Slytherin?"

"But then you must have some idea who's behind it all?" For Reece the penny dropped within an instant. As soon as Goyle asked this he knew that they were looking for answers about the heir. Well this was awkward. They were asking the wrong person when an heir was in the room.

"You know I don't Goyle," Draco said quickly as he went and sat on the edge of a nearby desk. "I told you yesterday." He picked up a small box from dinner and threw it into his other hand. "How many times do I have to tell you?" Malfoy moved the box next to his ear and shook it. "Is this yours?" Goyle shook his head smoothly at the question. "But my father did say this, it's been fifty years since the chamber was opened. He won't tell me who opened it, but they were expelled. The last time the chamber of secrets was opened a mudblood died; so it's only a matter of time before one is killed this time." Upon hearing this Reece's posture stiffened immensely. "As for me, I hope its Granger."

"Calm down Malfoy there's no need to get over excited." Reece mumbled from his seat, making his presence known to the three that were now standing. He did most certainly not hope that Granger was going to be killed.

"What's the matter with you two?" Draco asked Crabbe and Goyle heatedly. "You're acting very, odd."

"It's his stomach ache." Goyle said, gesturing to Crabbe large mid-section. Draco began playing with the box he had earlier pocketed, and Reece watched the two intently. Before he could say anything the two had hurtled off, one with gingering hair and the other with a scar appearing. "Where are you two going?" Malfoy yelled as he gave Reece a shrug. They were definitely out of character.

News of Hermione Granger ending up in the hospital wing spread around the school like wildfire. Reece soon heard Draco gobbing off about how she might have been petrified in the common room, and he was growing incredibly frustrated not knowing what was actually up with her. Eventually it all became too much for him to fathom, so Reece snuck out on his own to see how she was. According to gossip, Pomfrey was a light sleeper. He had to cast a silencing charm on his feet to get past Filch and to sneak into the hospital wing without getting noticed. But eventually he got there.

The only people who were in the wing were those who had been petrified, and Hermione wasn't one of them. Reece looked towards the drawn curtains and shook his head. What on earth had she done? He drew back the curtain and stepped through the gap, closing the curtain behind him. Upon seeing her Reece had to hold back a laugh. She was a cat, and she was malting. He tutted and went to sit in the chair beside her bed. Hermione seemed to hear the tutting and woke up slowly, her yellow eyes scanning the room until they settled on the boy beside her bed.

"Didn't you pay attention when I told McGonagall that curiosity killed the cat?" He asked in a patronising whisper. Even though it was dark the cocky smirk on his face as still obvious.

"That was quite rude to say, I'll have you know." Hermione whispered back, almost coughing on a hairball midsentence. "What are you doing here, anyway?"

"I heard the rumours of you being in here and I needed to know if you'd been petrified or not." Reece muttered awkwardly. He was never really the one for caring and such so saying things like that always came out dodgy for him. "But now I know that you tried to turn into Bulstrode while those two gits were playing Crabbe and Goyle. Only you ended up as that bloody cat by mistake." He silently chuckled at the shocked expression on her face. It was as if she expected him not to figure it out. "You know you could have just said you needed their hairs."

"But that would have meant telling you what they were needed for." Hermione whined quietly as Reece watched more fur fall from her cat ears. "You're not my enemy anymore but you're still Harry's and Ron's."

"I would have gotten them if you'd asked. Then you wouldn't be sitting in here choking up fur balls. I know trusting a Slytherin is an impossible thing and all that but all you had to do was ask, like, am I that unapproachable?" Reece ranted, trying to keep his voice down but get his point across at the same time.

"I'm not going to answer that. But you have all your secrets and I have to have mine; I can't tell you things about Harry just as you can't tell me things about Malfoy." Hermione whispered sassily, pushing aside the fact that she was currently fury.

"I honestly don't really care about Malfoy at the moment Granger. I just wanted to see if you were okay, and by the looks of it, you're alive." Reece rose from the chair he was sat in and took one last look at the failed effects of the polyjuice potion. "I just needed to know that I hadn't let you get killed." He uttered under his breath, unaware of her ability to hear what he was saying in the cold silence.