Hermione continued to dwell on whether or not Susan would be a good fit for her coven as time went on, the school still on edge. It was difficult to stay focused, though, Hermione's own anxiety over not knowing the monster forming a tight ball in her chest that never seemed to dissolve. The lack of attacks continued, but the feeling in Slytherin seemed to be one of simultaneous annoyance and dread – and apparently, Alexia Rosier and Peter Winikus were still worried that they would be next.
"That's ridiculous," Hermione snapped, when Tracey told her the rumor at lunch one Sunday. "We made a bet, and I already won. They didn't all need to be Petrified, just one of them. They're in no more danger from the Heir than anyone else now. They're idiots if they can't see that, and they need to just get over themselves. They're supposed to treat me with respect and deference, not flee whenever I enter the room."
"Slow down, Hermione," Blaise said, holding his hands up. "No need to rant. We're on your side here."
"Well, I'm just frustrated," Hermione said, shoving another spoonful of pudding into her mouth.
"Is that your second helping?" Tracey asked, glancing at the bowl. "Are you okay? You've been eating a lot…"
"I'm hungry," Hermione informed her. "If I'm hungry, I'm going to eat more. Maybe it's all the extra homework taking over my entire life that's draining all my energy."
Neither Tracey nor Blaise touched the homework topic, all knowing how Hermione felt about that, and Millie neatly turned the topic of conversation toward the Weasley Twins' latest prank on Lockhart, which had been to make his hair flash different colors at different times.
Tom Riddle, at least, seemed to understand her frustration.
The teachers occupy you with busy work so you don't have the time to think and learn on your own, he wrote to her. If you have the freedom to learn outside of the lines they draw for you, they can't control you and keep you in your neat little box.
Hermione had never felt so understood.
Her bad mood continued into the next week. Hermione felt constantly on edge, anxious and angry at the same time. Her friends all noticed her distinct irritability and mood swings, and many of them wisely backed away and left her alone. A thoughtless comment from Ron about her being on the rag saw him hexed with ass's ears before Hermione even realized she'd fired the spell, and she apologized repeatedly as she helped undo the hex, Harry and Neville laughing uproariously.
"I don't know what came over me," she said, frantic. "I just— I was so mad, and my wand was in my hand—I didn't mean—"
"It's fine, Hermione," Neville said, laughing. "Ron deserved it, and you're fixing it. Maybe he'll think twice before saying such a thing to a girl next time."
Blaise, in an act of friendship or masochistic self-endangerment, sat down to talk to Hermione one night, gently asking her what was going on.
"Last year you were making plans, threatening Travers in the common room with cool confidence," Blaise said, concern in his voice. "And I had half a mind you were going to go out kill the monster yourself. And now you're..." he trailed off. "Well, you're not acting like yourself, Hermione. What's going on?"
Hermione couldn't meet his gaze, looking down at the ground instead.
"I just—I can't figure it out, and it's driving me mad," she said. "People are still making snide remarks about me being attacked next. And so many people keep saying it—"
"Hermione, love," Blaise said, taking her hands and looking into her eyes. "The monster is not going to come after you. You explained why not to me yourself, remember?"
"I know," Hermione said. "But just—my thoughts are racing all the time, and I can't sleep right—"
"What is bothering you the most?" Blaise asked, his voice gentle, calming. "Let's solve this one problem at a time."
"I still don't know what the monster is or how it works," Hermione said, frustrated. "I don't understand how a giant serpent could Petrify people. Nothing I've found has indicated any serpent has any power of the sort."
"So we need to learn what type of snake the monster is," Blaise said, summarizing. "What would be the best way to do that?"
"I don't know—ask the cats of the castle? No, I don't want to see a cat die—I don't know, Blaise, that's the problem!"
"Hermione. Take a deep breath." His voice cracked like a whip, and Hermione was startled out of her frenzied speaking. His eyes held hers, hard. "Inhale, Hermione. Count to seven. Now hold it… and exhale through your mouth. Now breathe in."
Hermione wordlessly followed Blaise's instructions, her eyes wide. She'd never seen Blaise take control so commandingly before; she was usually the one bossing everyone around. As they went through the breathing exercise, she felt her thoughts finally start to slow.
"There. Good. Now," Blaise said approvingly, "consider what we are going to do. Can we do a divination ritual to find out what the monster is?"
"Maybe?" Hermione said, gnawing on her lip. "I haven't read much about divinatory rituals yet, but I could. I bet I could make one, though it's just hard to interpret the answers you get, I think, but maybe with Luna—"
"Don't let your thoughts get out of control again," Blaise said firmly. "Stay with me. If not divination, what can we do?"
"I don't know." Hermione fought to keep her frustration from bleeding into her tone.
"We need to solve this problem. It's fine, we'll just keep brainstorming," he told her. "Just like you taught me."
With a loud, exasperated sigh, Hermione cast her eyes around the Slytherin common room, looking for hints about what sort of snake the monster might be. There were snake motifs all over the common room, but none of them monstrous, and certainly nothing that would be able to Petrify anyone.
Her eyes caught on a small line of spiders crowded at the corner of the window out into the lake. They seemed to be trying to escape, not knowing that the window didn't open or that they'd drown even if they managed to make it through.
Abruptly, her mind was made up.
"Fuck it, we'll ask the spiders," she announced, to Blaise's obvious shock. "Get up. Let's go."