A/N: Hello everyone! Welcome back to another fic :) To be honest, I frenzy wrote this when I woke up, and I regret none of it XD I hope you enjoy!

This one is for Round 0 (Practice) of The Houses Competition, where I'm in Ravenclaw House and writing for Potions. This competition, we have to write a drabble (500-1000 words) as well as a standard (1000-3000 words). This fic is the Standard of the two. Prompts are listed below.

Thank you kindly to BeaWrites and Fenix for the beta!

Word Count: 2134

Disclaimers/Warnings:

Summary: Ravenclaw Hermione fades into the background well enough, and sees and hears things that are meant to be kept secret. Harry Potter is the Boy-Who-Lived…and she finds out that he is the Lamb-Raised-For-The-Slaughter. She confronts him about it.

Prompts:

THC Y10R0 (Practice)-Standard:

[AU] Different house!AU

[Dialogue] "Pronoun tried to kill you. Why do you still trust pronoun?"

Ministry of Magic Discord Server: Healer Apprenticeship

You-Know-Who: (Plot Point) Write about having to settle for something

Ministry of Magic Discord Server: Wandcrafting Apprenticeship

Wood: Aspen (Dialogue) "What are you talking about?"

Core: Corupira Hair (Dialogue) "How are you even alive?"

Length: 12 ½" (Plot Point) Waiting for someone

"Little Lamb"

Hermione hadn't been the first student in a long line to want to speak to Professor Slughorn after their Amortentia class, but she also wasn't the last. Having waited her turn and asked her questions, she left the Potions classroom to join her fellow Ravenclaws in the library for a pre-dinner study session. However, upon stepping out of the doorway, she literally ran into Gryffindor's Golden Boy, Harry Potter. A scowl twisted her lips but she smoothed her features out quickly enough. Apologies were made, and she couldn't help but be interested as to why he was lurking outside the Potions classroom when she knew his best friend, Ronald Weasley, had elected to rush forward to dinner to get a good seat for the Halloween feast.

"What are you doing out here?"

"Waiting," came his reply. He seemed a little sullen as he slouched against the wall.

"For who?"

"Why do you care?" Potter's tone was short, as if he didn't want to be here after having spent two hours in the classroom. Hermione ignored his attitude in favor of pursing her lips.

"I'm nosy, that's why." His responding bark of laughter surprised her.

"If you really want to know, I'm waiting for Padma Patil. Professor Dumbledore wanted me to give her something." There was a moment's pause, before he followed up with, "what?"

Hermione dropped the scowl that had twisted her features at their headmaster's name.

"He tried to kill you. Why do you still trust him?" Hermione asked. Potter's face screwed up in confusion.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, confusion lacing his tone. Hermione huffed a bit in impatience as she stepped forward.

"Should I list the shenanigans Professor Dumbledore put you through? Let me see," she said, holding up a hand to tick off her fingers with each point she made. "First year put you into the Forbidden Forest for detention. A Forest that is forbidden for a reason, and dangerous for even a seventh year. What did they expect a first year to do? Then you were given a jinxed broom that acted up in your first Quidditch match. You're an excellent flier, by the way," she added absently, ignoring how his eyebrow shot up in surprise at her admission. "And then you dragged a bunch of your friends down the third floor corridor–which was off limits, by the way, same reason for the Forbidden Forest–just to go through a gauntlet set up by the teachers to prevent a grown man harboring You-Know-Who's spirit from getting a fake stone."

"How do you–"

"I'm friendly with the Weasley Twins and Neville. They eagerly shared the real stories with me," Hermione replied, barely letting Potter get a word out otherwise. She put down her fourth finger. "Second year had you flying a car to school. The barrier to the platform was closed before the train fully left? The barrier doesn't close! It's open year round. You're supposed to be an important figure in our world, and yet, our esteemed Headmaster doesn't have someone keeping an eye on you? It's the fault of the adults that so many bad things happen to the children in this school!"

"And now you're going to bring up the Heir of Slytherin bit–"

"Of course I'm going to bring up the Heir of Slytherin bit! Most of the school ostracized you because of rumors, and Professor Dumbledore didn't do anything about it! Were we a Muggle school, the matter would have been addressed, and you wouldn't have been isolated for several months! Why did it take your muggleborn friend, Sally, to be petrified before people realized it wasn't you?"

"You also lost five months of your life. You got caught by the basilisk too. If it wasn't for you, Sally might have died," came Potter's response. Hermione couldn't help but huff again.

"Well someone had to actually start doing something about it. Why was I the only one who could figure out that a basilisk was roaming the pipes? These teachers should have known better! Professor Dumbledore should have known better, even to call in a Parseltongue or magizoologist to figure things out! It should never have been left for schoolchildren to figure out," she argued.

"Thank you, by the way," Potter then said, straightening and sheepishly scratching the back of his head. Hermione looked at him, confused. "You had the basilisk page ripped out and clenched in your hand when you, Sally, and Penny were in the hospital wing. Ron and I found it and used that information to save Ron's sister. Without it, we would have died." Hermione waved off his gratitude.

"It was nothing. The Defense teacher was so inept that year, I'm surprised he lasted as long as he did."

"Still. Thank you. You saved everyone's lives." Potter took a step closer to her, and Hermione had to will herself not to blush.

"Anyway, the fact that Professor Dumbledore not only then ignored the warning signs long enough for you to feel like you had no choice but to go into the lost Chamber of Secrets and then he only sends his phoenix and the Sorting Hat as backup? For a twelve-year-old? He's barmy!"

"They say all of the great men are," Potter replied with a grin.

"And do I even need to bring up our third year with the Dementors and the raving lunatic Black on the loose hunting for you? Professor Dumbledore obviously doesn't know how to keep you safe! How are you even alive?"

"Allegedly."

"What?"

"Alleged raving lunatic. Sirius Black never had a trial," Potter replied. Indignation filled Hermione with a rage, and she was nearly fit to breathe fire at the injustice.

"That no-good, scheming politician! Someone should strangle him with his own beard–"

"Woah, woah, Granger, calm down! What is wrong with you? If I remember correctly, when you first started at Hogwarts, you practically hero-worshiped the headmaster. You were ever so excited to be in Gryffindor on the train, just because he had been one. What happened?"

Hermione's expression hardened at his question. Shooting quick glances down the hallway and the classroom behind them to find no one there, she took a step forward to whisper her response.

"I blend into the background easily. I'm a wallflower that people can forget about. It's easy for me to see and hear things that are meant to be kept secret. This morning, I overheard Professor Dumbledore and Professor Snape talking," she began. Potter's expression took a serious tone and he grabbed her upper arm. She went with him without hesitation, and he led her to an alcove behind a tapestry further down the hallway.

She then heard a set of voices coming from around the corner just as the tapestry settled around them. She waited just long enough for the voices to fade before turning to Potter again. "I overheard Professor Dumbledore and Professor Snape talking," she began again. "They were talking about you, and your homelife." Potter stiffened before her. "Professor Snape asked Professor Dumbledore why he would knowingly leave you in such conditions. The headmaster replied with 'I wanted him to enjoy his childhood while he could. For his safety, he couldn't leave, but for his life, he needs to be ready.' And then Professor Snape looked furious, accused Professor Dumbledore of trying to kill him, and then was ready to stomp off. Professor Dumbledore acted confused, so Professor Snape explained about his Unbreakable Vow to keep you safe."

"You're lying, Snape wouldn't vow to keep me safe–"

"Professor Snape, Potter," Hermione absently corrected. Potter rolled his eyes.

"Fine, Professor Snape," he said. "He hates me. Why would he vow to protect me?"

"He promised your mother," Hermione replied. This stopped him short, and Hermione wondered if she should really keep talking. But this information was too important for him to not know. He needed to make his own decisions, not ones made by a man playing chessmaster.

"He promised to keep you safe, and Professor Dumbledore's plans for you were going to get you killed." Potter stilled at her words, and she hurriedly spoke again, to keep her momentum. "Professor Snape accused Professor Dumbledore of treating you like a martyr; that he conditioned you to be the lamb raised for the slaughter."

"But…but I'm the Boy-Who-Lived…Professor Dumbledore started that ridiculous moniker," Potter replied. He looked lost.

"The Boy-Who-Lived-But-Was-Raised-To-Die," she gently corrected. His expression worried her. It seemed tired and resigned, as if he expected something like this to happen. "No." He looked up at her, surprised. "No, you're not going to settle for this. Be angry, do something!"

"What do you want me to do about it? Apparently nothing in my life has happened the way that I wanted it to," Potter replied bitterly.

"And now that you know what's going on, you can do something about it! You have money! You have fame! Use them! Get a solicitor, get a competent adult to help you, I don't care! But don't you dare just sit back and let things happen to you. You deserve better than just settling for some old man's plan for you and your life," she retorted hotly. Hermione glared at him, hating how he was planning to just roll over and take it. "Be a Gryffindor about it."

"Why do you even care?" Potter then asked. "You don't even know me."

"Oh, why would I care that I overheard one of our teachers accusing our headmaster of grooming a classmate to walk to his death? Whyever would I care enough to tell him about it?" she replied sarcastically. They glared at each other for a moment before Potter gave in first, sighing and rubbing a hand over his face.

"Thank you." His words caused Hermione to stop short. "Thank you for caring. That's more than what most of the people here have done for me." Hermione nodded.

"Of course. You're still human too. You deserve empathy and agency. Everyone does." They stood in silence for a moment as another batch of voices passed the tapestry. When they died down, Hermione spoke again. "If you need help, let me know. Advice, learning something, disappearing…what?" she asked at his amused expression.

"Disappear?" he asked incredulously.

"Disappearing and leaving the wizarding world to their mess is an option. You owe them nothing. Their war cost you your parents, and they celebrate you for being an orphan. Who does that?"

Potter laughed humorlessly. "The wizarding world, apparently," he pointed out. Hermione joined in for a few chuckles. "Thank you for telling me. I appreciate it."

"What are you going to do?" Hermione then asked, curiously. Potter ran a hand through his already messy hair.

"Well, for the long term, I'm going to stay in school and keep my head down. I'm going to watch out for myself. I refuse to settle." Hermione grinned widely at his words. "In the short term, I'm going back out into the hallway and keep waiting for Padma. Parvati also wanted me to tell her something."

"Oh, you'll probably have better luck finding her in the library. Padma left the classroom before I did," Hermione pointed out, giggling at the disgruntled look on Potter's face. "Sorry I didn't mention it earlier."

"No, I see how it is," Potter replied teasingly. "You just wanted to get me alone in an alcove, didn't you?" Hermione smothered a snort.

"You were the one who dragged me here first," she pointed out. Hermione blushed again at his lopsided grin.

"My apologies, I was," he amended, the two of them sharing a small chuckle. "So, Miss Ravenclaw Prefect, will you do me the honor of showing me the way to the library? I'm afraid I might get lost." Hermione shot him a look.

"You've been to the library," she pointed out as he pulled back the tapestry and held it for her to exit the alcove first.

"I have. But I wanted an excuse to walk with you. You warned me out of the goodness of your heart. Maybe I want to be friends with someone like that," Potter replied, following her out. She paused in the corridor and adjusted the straps of her book bag before sticking out a hand.

"Well, if we're going to be friends, then you can call me Hermione," she said. Potter grinned widely as he took her hand and shook it.

"Hi Hermione. I'm Harry. Harry Potter."

"I know," she replied, laughing. He settled in at her side as they headed to the library, and Hermione was surprised at how easy conversation came between them. In another life, she was sure they could have been best friends, probably nigh inseparable. She had so very few of them, and would cherish this burgeoning friendship with all she had.