Chapter 9

Hey everyone. Here is chapter 9. It isn't really that long but it is basically just setting the scene for the next chapter. I have only got 2 chapters left to upload of Year 1 and am not close to finishing Year 2 yet so there will probably be at least a month's wait between the end of this year's upload and next year's, however, we will see. Anyway, enjoy the chapter!

It was about two weeks before the Easter break when Hermione got a letter whilst sitting with Cho and Marietta at the Ravenclaw table. Hermione just assumed it was from Narcissa or Lucius so wasn't very worried about what it was. They had sent a few letters to her since the Christmas holidays and Hermione was extremely grateful to the both of them. However, when she opened it, her face began to drop.

Dear Maya,

I know you told me not to contact you but it's about mother and father. I borrowed one of Cissa's owls after I asked her to, but she and Lucius don't know anything about what I'm about to tell you.

I was just walking out from school the other day and Narcissa and Lucius were busy, so I was happy to walk myself. Anyway, our father came to pick me up. I didn't know what to do so I just pretended to ignore him. He's never really spoken to me before and I didn't know what his voice sounded like. It was scary Maya.

He demanded that me and Aria go home that evening. So, I went home, and I wish I hadn't. The house wasn't what I remembered it to be like. It was always cold but suddenly it felt even colder. There were just piles of washing up and things were everywhere. It looked like nobody had cleaned up since you left in September.

They demanded to know where me and my sister had run off to and I didn't know what to do so I just kept quiet. I didn't want to betray you or the Malfoy's, so I didn't say anything. Then they hit me. They hit me so much that I blacked out and when I woke up a few hours later they had already gone out again.

I'm so scared Maya. What if they come after me again? What if they come after Aria or Cissa or Lucius or Draco? I know what you were trying to protect me from, now. I'm so sorry that you must go through that, and I didn't even know. I feel like such a bad brother. I should have noticed and it's all my fault that they were hurting you. Please help me. I don't know what to do.

Joseph

Hermione froze. She tried to protect her brother and she didn't. He now knew everything. Oh no. It was happening again. Hermione felt like she couldn't breathe. In and out. In and out. She kept telling herself. But it was no use. Everything was going blurry, and she felt like she was going to faint any second now. She couldn't be here, not in front of all these people.

How could Joseph feel like a bad brother when it was her who hadn't been able to protect him well enough? Why had her father confronted Joseph? She was the one they were supposed to hurt and punish, not him. The only hope she had left was that they wouldn't get to Aria, but even that she wasn't sure of anymore. Not after this.

Hermione left the great hall as best she could and made her way to her first lesson trying to calm herself down. They had charms with the Gryffindors first thing as it was a Thursday, and it was only 10 minutes until the lesson started anyway.

Hermione was still hyperventilating when she reached the classroom. She had to compose herself before everybody else arrived so decided to see if she could stay outside for a few minutes to recover when she heard voices inside the classroom.

"I'm telling you Harry that whoever gave that dragon to Hagrid had to have known about the stone," came the voice of Lavender Brown. Hermione had surprisingly managed to compose herself but was still intrigued by the golden trio's conversation so didn't enter the classroom yet or give up her location.

"Then it must have been Snape I'm sure of it," Harry said. "But how did he get the dragon egg?"

"It doesn't matter, how many other dark mysterious wizards are there going to be hanging around a dodgy pub. This must mean that Snape knows about the stone," Ron said.

"Yes, but the question is why does Snape want the philosopher's stone?" Lavender asked.

"Isn't it obvious? He wants to give it to Voldemort so that he can return to power. I thought we'd already discussed this," Ron hissed. Hermione knew that she should make herself known before anybody else accidentally heard this conversation.

Hermione walked into the classroom pretending to not have heard anything before taking her seat in the second row of tables in the classroom. The trio stopped their conversation to glare at the Ravenclaw girl. Hermione just glared back before pulling out her books. Soon the lesson began, and Hermione had forgotten all about Joseph's letter this morning as she tried to figure out what the golden trio were up to.

That night before heading to the astronomy club, Hermione tried to look through the library for anything to do with the Philosopher's Stone. She discovered that it was a stone created by Nicolas Flamel and granted the user eternal life. Hermione was curious as to why the golden trio thought that it was at the school and was going to be stolen by Snape. Hermione didn't have much time to ponder it before she headed up to the astronomy tower.

Over the past few weeks, Hermione had been enjoying going to the astronomy club and had made a few friends. Again, not close friends and she didn't really talk to anybody outside of the club, but Hermione still enjoyed spending time with them every Thursday night. They had been studying the planets that day and Hermione was sad when she had to head back to Ravenclaw tower.

When she arrived at the common room, Anthony and Terry were discussing their plans for Easter which brought Hermione's attention back to her brother's letter from that morning. She didn't know what to do. How could she save her brother now that he knew everything? Hermione didn't know.