The next week or so, Hermione, Harry, Blaise, and Luna spent going around together and hissing, seeing if they could hear the serpent moving or speak to it, being careful not to be caught. There was no movement, however, and their queries to the walls went unanswered. Still, going around speaking in Parseltongue was fun, and it was like a secret language that only they could understand. Harry was overjoyed to have other people who could understand along with him, Hermione could tell, and Luna was excited and skipping at being able to talk to an animal, already wondering aloud (in hisses) which animal they could do next. Blaise was incessant with it, taking delight in hissing whispers in Hermione's ear to make sure things weren't overheard, though Hermione rolled her eyes at his dramatics.
Hermione was relatively certain that the Heir of Slytherin wasn't in Slytherin. Anyone in Slytherin would have owned up to it to at least some people, and there would have been whispers and rumors that would have reached her, like there had been in Slytherin the first time the Chamber had been opened. With no such rumors or whispers, Hermione figured the Heir had to be in another house, hiding away and being careful to avoid suspicion and not get caught.
Also, if it was someone in Slytherin, they'd probably have attacked her first, Hermione thought. Most of the older Slytherins still held opinions about her claiming to be 'New Blood' and wouldn't have hesitated to try and take her out.
That left three possible houses the Heir could be hiding in. Hermione wasn't about to go around hissing to all the young girls and seeing if anyone responded – no one was as stupid as to do that – so she had to plan a different sort of plan, somehow.
It wasn't until Lilian Travers was sneering at her in the common room one day, two of the lackeys who had helped torture her nearby, loudly wondering who would be attacked next and who should be attacked, that a brilliant idea came to mind.
"Colin's still just up there, stiff as ever," Harry said. "It's really unnerving, but at least he'll be able to be cured in the spring."
"Best we can hope for," Neville said gravely. "We're lucky it wasn't worse."
Hermione nodded along, as the four of them (Harry, Neville, Ron, and herself) worked on their homework Monday evening. Hermione had claimed the library was too cold, so they'd invited her up to work in front of the fire in the Gryffindor common room with them after dinner.
There'd been a few murmurs as a Slytherin came among them, but the other Gryffindors hanging around seemed to relax once the Weasley Twins had grinned and started nagging her about pranks to do with them.
Apparently if the Weasley Twins approved of you, you couldn't be a bad sort.
"Everyone's on edge now," Ron said, blotting his quill on his page and swearing. "Even McGonagall seems twitchy."
"It's everyone," Hermione agreed. "Even some of the Slytherins, you know."
"The Slytherins?" Neville repeated. "Really? I'd figure the Slytherins would be the only ones who felt safe."
"Well, that's mostly true," Hermione admitted. "But… let's just say there are some Slytherins who are really anxious about who they really are coming out."
That was enigmatic enough that her friends all looked intrigued, and a sideways glance told her that other people in the room were casually eavesdropping as well.
"What do you mean by that?" Ron said. "Like the Heir's going to attack someone within the house if they get in a fight?"
"Not exactly," Hermione said. She looked around furtively, somewhat obviously. "I'll tell you, but you can't tell anyone, okay?"
The three nodded their assent, and Hermione continued.
"Rumor has it that Lilian Travers is terrified," she told them. "She's a 5th year in Slytherin, from a well-known pureblood family. She's convinced the monster is going to come after her."
"But if she's a pureblood, why…?" Neville questioned.
"Because she's actually not a pureblood," Hermione said in secretive tones, though she didn't lower her voice at all. "Her parents couldn't have a child – struggling to conceive is a common problem among the Slytherin pureblood families – and they stole her away."
"They what?" Ron said, his eyes wide.
"The Travers family stole her," Hermione said with satisfaction. "They bribed someone at the Ministry to get a look at the Book of Names for them, and then they went to a muggle home and stole their infant Muggleborn child."
Neville and Ron gasped, and Harry looked horrified.
"But that family," he said. "With their child gone…"
"They probably did something evil to leave a body behind," Ron said darkly. "Transfigured a dead baby of their own, perhaps – they have stillborns a lot too, I know."
"Whatever they did, they stole the baby and have been passing her off as their own," Hermione said. "Lilian grew up in a pureblood family, and she acts every bit the pureblood princess, but it's begun to leak out within Slytherin just why she's been carrying so many protective amulets around."
"I can't believe this," Neville said, shaking his head.
"It's true. She's terrified," Hermione said. "And as she should be, really."
"Really?" Harry repeated.
"Really," Hermione said, nodding firmly. "After all, who would the Heir of Slytherin hate more than a secret Muggleborn hiding amongst the Slytherins, passing herself as a pureblood all this time?"
With that ominous pronouncement they all sunk into silence, quietly dwelling on that possibility as they finished their Transfiguration essays in front of the flickering flames.
Hermione glanced up periodically, naturally, her eyes surveying the room. Though the Gryffindors were attempting to be subtle, there were definite whispers that weren't there before, and more than a few glances being thrown her way as person went to person and the rumor spread.
She smiled to herself in satisfaction.
One down, she thought. Two to go.