Harry couldn't take his eyes off Matthew. Unlike the other victims, his face was strangely serene, as if he had almost been expecting the attack. But who could possibly anticipate such a fate? If anyone could, it would have been Matthew. Had he known something they hadn't? Had he figured out what the monster was and hadn't told them? The one trait he constantly showed was his ability to keep secrets but surely this was one too big. There was something eating away at Harry, a niggling thought that wouldn't go away. Matthew had shown himself to be one of the toughest wizards out of the student populace. If this monster could render him in this state, then what chance did the rest of them have?

Hermione looked close to tears. In fact, a few had already escaped but she'd furiously wiped them away in a show of strength she wasn't really feeling. Harry, not knowing what else to do, patted her on the arm, a silent affirmation that they were in this together, that they were suffering in the same way. They looked at their friend in despair, wondering how they would be able to go on without him. At times, he was their leader, dictating what path they took. In other circumstances, he would gladly listen to them and follow obediently. But, more than that, he was a source of joy for them, alway finding a way to make them laugh, even if he usually did it with a straight face. The attack coming to someone so close to them somehow made the situation that touch more real, as if it hadn't already been painfully obvious how involved they were.

Dumbledore approached slowly from behind. "He was found in this state by the library. Along with one of the older students." He gestured to one of the other beds that Harry had chosen to ignore earlier. It had been too much to take in on its own without added information. His friend was gone. Why would he care about anyone else?

"Who is she?" Hermione asked, her voice breaking slightly. She was using the question as a distraction, Harry could tell, but he couldn't begrudge her that small comfort.

"A fifth year Ravenclaw by the name of Penelope Clearwater. It seems that she was unfortunate enough to be in the same place as Mister Mormont when it happened."

"She's a Muggleborn." Hermione knew. Of course she knew. There wasn't much that she didn't know. "Another Muggleborn." She suddenly frowned. "But Matthew isn't. He's mentioned before that his family had magical powers? Why would he be the outlier in the victims?"

"Like the professor said, it could just be a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time," Harry replied in a downbeat tone. He wasn't exactly in the mood for solving another inconsequential mystery. All that mattered was that Matthew had been attacked and it didn't matter what sort of blood he had. "I suppose Slytherin's monster has a more expansive palette than we first thought. Look at Nearly Headless Nick. He's a ghost so doesn't have any blood yet he still got caught in the crossfire." His hands were shaking as he looked down at the stiff body before him. He shouldn't have been alone when he faced the monster. They were supposed to have done it all together as the trio they claimed to be. And that raised a pressing concern that slapped Harry in the face.

He turned on his heel, rounding on the headmaster. "The only reason he wasn't with us was because he was in detention. So why was he by the library in the first place? He should have been with you!"

Dumbledore didn't look particularly fussed about his outburst. "I suppose he must have decided to go there after our session was finished. I didn't think to ask where his destination lay."

"That's not good enough!" Harry shouted and Hermione gasped in shock by his side. "You should have protected him! You should have made sure he was safe!"

McGonagall took a step forward. "You will watch what you say to the headmaster, Potter. You should learn to hold your tongue. I know that you are severely distressed by the latest developments but that is no reason to behave in such a manner. Otherwise it will be you who is facing a detention this time."

Dumbledore raised a hand, his mouth set in a grim line. "Minerva, there is no need to make such threats right now. We are all distressed by what is happening but we should acknowledge how difficult it is for those closely linked to the victims. Perhaps it is best if we give Mister Potter and Miss Granger some time alone here so they can gather their thoughts."

McGonagall looked as if she didn't want to agree. The same could be said for Madam Pomfrey, who didn't want to leave her patients. But there wasn't much that she could do for them at the moment. And Dumbledore was doing that thing where his eyes twinkled that much that you couldn't disagree with him. They walked to the set of double doors, the headmaster the last to leave the room. As he did so, he turned to look at them once more.

"I am truly sorry about what has happened to Mister Mormont. More so than you can imagine. But rest assured that he will be the last victim of this dreadful time." And then he was gone, the doors closing, leaving them in silence but not totally alone. The room was still full of people, just ones that couldn't talk. Or move. Or do anything that remotely resembled living. Harry didn't know what to say. His emotional eruption had taken a lot of the fight out of him. In all honesty, seeing Matthew on the bed had taken most of the fight out of him. He felt weak and dejected, wanting to find within him the ability to put things right. But how could they possibly do that?

"Something isn't adding up," Harry said as they stood motionless. "Matthew hadn't left us for that long before the quidditch game was being cancelled. So how did he manage to have his detention and get to the library in such a short space of time?"

"I don't know," Hermione replied in a small, emotionless voice.

"Perhaps it has something to do with Dumbledore saying that he's more sorry than we can imagine. What could that mean? Why does he always have to talk so cryptically?"

"I don't know," Hermione repeated, her eyes fixed on Matthew. Concentrating on standing still was the only thing keeping her from collapsing. She felt that, if she tried to move, she would be on the ground before she took one full step.

Harry glanced over at her. The emotional support she needed was way beyond the ability of a twelve year old boy. He considered sending an owl to her parents so that they could comfort her through this loss but then he realised that, if they found out about what was going on, it would take no time before they were coming to take her away for her own safety. Harry didn't know how much she had told her family up to this point and, selfishly, he hoped that it was minimal. With Matthew out of the picture, he couldn't afford losing his one remaining friend.

"He'll be okay," he tried to say convincingly. "They're so close to getting the mandrakes to the point where they can be used. He'll be revived before we even know it. I bet he'll be annoyed more than anything, that he was actually bested by the monster."

"I suppose so." She wasn't giving him much to work with and he could understand why she was reacting like this. But it wouldn't help them fix it and it certainly wouldn't help the boy lying in the bed in front of him. "He looks peaceful," Hermione commented out of the blue. "Probably more peaceful than I've ever seen him. Don't you think that's a bit strange?"

"Depends. I wouldn't be surprised that even a giant monster wouldn't terrify him. He's tougher than an old pair of boots. Or so he claims."

"I meant it's a bit strange that this is the calmest I've seen him. All the time, his mind is whirring like a whirlwind and now he gets to relax, even if he wouldn't want to. I'm glad…that he's peaceful. I don't think I would have been able to look at him if he was scared when he was frozen." She could feel the tears coming and now she didn't have the energy nor the fight to hold them off. They stained her cheeks but no one was around to judge her. Apart from Harry but she knew that he would never judge her, especially for something like this. She always tried so hard to hide her emotions. It was a lot easier to focus on facts and information for classes if you weren't distracted by your feelings. But it was cathartic to finally let go. "You don't think he was afraid, do you? Deep down? What if he thought he was going to…die? And he was all alone, without us by his side. It shouldn't have been like that."

"He wasn't alone," Harry attempted to console her. "He had that Penelope girl with him when it happened. I bet, even if he was a little bit frightened, he put that to one side to make sure that she was protected. I don't know how he did it but he made sure that she was petrified rather than killed. That has to be a good thing."

A smile came to Hermione's face for a second. "That's Matthew. He can't resist a damsel in distress. That's how you met me, remember? He just had to help me with my trunk. And I'm so relieved that he did because I don't know what I would have done here without you two. I might have gone home within a few months. But now I don't have him by my side."

"You still have me," Harry said. "Not that that's worth much or even comparable."

She turned to look at him. "Oh, Harry. You're just as brilliant as him and he'd be the first to say it. You know how much you mean to him. And to me. You're my friend just as much as he is. So don't go telling yourself any different." Hermione narrowed her eyes at him, the tears still evident on her cheeks. "You're right though. I still have you to help me solve this."

"What do you suppose we do then?" Harry was all too willing to help her.

"Well, if Matthew loves to save people then it's our turn to do exactly that for him. And I'm not even considering failure."

xxxxxxxxxx

With each attack that came, the school was sucked into a further state of shock. This was felt most noticeably in the Gryffindor common room as they considered the ramifications of losing yet another of their number. Along with Colin Creevey, Matthew made it two Gryffindors that had been attacked, along with a Gryffindor ghost. That was enough to anger a lot of them, with debates circling about why the staff hadn't removed all of the Slytherins from the school yet since they were the only ones not to have suffered so far. Harry wanted to agree with the vitriol but reminded himself that something far greater than any student House was at play here. He wasn't the only person in his vicinity feeling downtrodden; he'd learnt that Penelope Clearwater had been a prefect, leaving Percy Weasley in a state of stunned silence wherever he went, as if he had never considered that prefects could be targeted too.

The atmosphere in the common room was so tense that Harry felt he couldn't bear it any longer, deciding to pay a visit to Hagrid's small shack along with Hermione. They needed to see a friendly face, as well as hoping that he could shed more light on what had happened fifty years previous. Dumbledore seemed to believe his story and they wanted to too, but that didn't mean his experiences weren't a useful tool. The only issue they faced was actually getting to him. Even with the invisibility cloak wrapped around their small frames, navigating the corridors was a difficult prospect. They'd never seen them so full with people; professors, prefects, and even ghosts were patrolling pretty much the entirety of the castle, marching up the hallways in pairs, constantly on high alert for anything suspicious. Since two students walking around, using an object that was incredibly rare, was the definition of suspicious, the pair made sure to take it slow, no matter how long it took them.

They kept the cloak on even when they were outside, a starry night looming above them. It was cold and they huddled together, strictly for warmth, until they were at the sanctuary of their friend's hut. They barely had time to take the cloak off after knocking on the door before it was swung open violently. Hermione let out a small squeak as Hagrid aimed his crossbow at them, only lowering the weapon when he realised who it was.

"Oh, it's you," he grumbled. "You shouldn't be out here. Don't you know how dangerous it is?" He still moved aside to let them in, and they were thankful for the warmth that the roaring fire provided. Fang lifted his head at their arrival but he appeared just as on edge as his owner.

"Um…Hagrid," Harry said. "What's the crossbow for?"

"That? Nothing, nothing. I was just expecting…it doesn't matter what I was expecting. Sit down, I'll make you some tea to warm you up." He looked distracted and shaky. He almost extinguished the fire by pouring water accidentally on it, and the kettle was smashed clumsily against the wall when he tried to pick it up.

Hermione stood up, placing a small hand on his large arm. "Are you okay, Hagrid? Why don't I sort this out and you sit down."

He numbly nodded his head, glancing occasionally to the window. Harry watched him carefully. "I'm guessing you've heard about Matthew."

"Of course I have," Hagrid replied tersely. "I couldn't bear the thought of going to the hospital wing and seeing him lying there. Of all the people to be attacked, I never thought that it'd be him. But I guess he was just too curious as ever." He shook his head, and heavy tears splashed onto his armchair. "I shouldn't be acting like this. Imagine what you two must be feeling like! He was…is your friend after all!"

"We're…managing," Hermione said with a fake smile as she set a cup of tea by his side. "But we're obviously behind Matthew. He figured something out that led him into the path of the monster. And we need you to give us that same information."

"I never gave him no information!" Hagrid, already tense, looked close to a full on rage.

Harry was quick to intervene. "We're not suggesting that. But you were there when it last happened. You might have missed a detail out that could be crucial when you told us. What happened the night you were expelled?"

"It's not something that I'm fond of remembering. I can't think of much. It's practically a blur. But I do remember that I knew something was wrong way before the final attack happened. Aragog was beside himself and wanted to leave the castle immediately."

Hermione's eyes lit up. "Aragog. You mentioned that name before. But you didn't tell us what he actually is. He's a magical creature, isn't he? Mistaken for the real monster."

"Like I said, he could never have been the monster. Acromantulas are incredibly misunderstood creatures! They wouldn't attack students like this and certainly not in that fashion!"

Harry was going to ask what an acromantula was when a knock came at the door. The cup by Hagrid's side was sent careening onto the floor as he jumped up, picking up his crossbow from the floor. He gave a dark look to his two companions, who quickly donned the invisibility cloak again and rushed to the far corner of the hut. When he opened his door this time, it was Dumbledore who was waiting for him.

"Good evening, Hagrid." He looked deadly serious, no twinkle in his eye as he stepped into the small building. The headmaster was followed by another man dressed in a pinstriped suit and a long, black cloak. His receding grey hair would have been hidden by an ugly lime green bowler hat if it hadn't been tucked under his arm.

Hermione nudged Harry. "That's the Minister of Magic!" she whispered through gritted teeth. "Cornelius Fudge!"

Hagrid had gone pale and sweaty at the sight of him. Fudge wore a deep frown. "Bad business, Hagrid, I'm afraid. I've had no choice but to come. So many attacks now. Things have gone far enough and the Ministry has to act. I'm sure that you agree."

The gameskeeper appeared helpless as he looked over at Dumbledore. "I never…you know I never would…be involved in something like this. I love these kids! I've had Matthew around for tea loads of times."

"Yes, well, the nature of the most recent student to be attacked is also of a concern to the Ministry."

"I want it understood, Cornelius, that Hagrid has my full support," Dumbledore added to the conversation.

"You know how difficult a position this is," Fudge snapped. "Hagrid's record stands against him. The Ministry has got to be seen to be acting sufficiently. I've had the school governors practically harassing my poor secretary for weeks and this, as you can see, was the final straw."

"Taking Hagrid away from this school will solve nothing. I have told you that numerous times now and yet you still fail to heed my advice."

Fudge's fingers nervously played with the edge of his bowler hat. "Look at it from my point of view. I'm under a lot of pressure to be seen to be doing something. Now, if Hagrid is proven to be innocent - which I'm sure he is - he'll be brought back promptly without another word said. But I've still got to take him. I have to. It's my duty as Minister."

"Take me?" Hagrid risked asking. "Take me where?"

Fudge couldn't meet the half-giant's tearful gaze. "Just for a short stretch only. You shouldn't see this as a punishment, just a precaution. To protect the students, which you obviously will understand. If another culprit is discovered, then you'll be let out with a full apology."

"Not Azkaban?" Hagrid croaked. Harry had never seen the large man look so small.

Before Fudge could confirm one way or another what his destination was, another rap at the door sounded, disturbing them from their private meeting. Dumbledore was the one who opened the door, though Harry wished he hadn't as Lucius Malfoy strolled into the hut. Fang was immediately on high alert, growling at the intruder.

"Ah, already here, Fudge," he muttered. "Perfect."

Hagrid's sorrow had turned to anger. "What are you doing here? Get out of my house now!"

Malfoy gazed around the cramped setting. "Please believe me that I take no pleasure in being in this…did you seriously call this a house? I was simply told that the headmaster was here when I called by."

Dumbledore's back straightened. "And what matter is so pressing that you had to find me this urgently?"

Malfoy attempted to look sad as he produced a scroll from his black travelling cloak, but there was still an overwhelming sense of glee in his demeanour. "I've come bearing rather bad news. For you anyway. The governors have all decided that it is time for you to step aside. This is an Order of Suspension. You'll find all twelve necessary signatures on there. I made sure to do this meticulously, not that I enjoyed doing it. It's just that we all feel, especially as concerned parents, that your high standards are slipping. Two more attacks this afternoon? And I hear one of them was a particularly great loss. I'm not sure about the other. I'd say that was karma catching up with someone, rather than anything for you to be blamed for. Nevertheless…"

Harry was dangerously close to getting his wand out, consequences be damned, but Hermione was thankfully there to stop him. Fudge looked like he'd been slapped. "This is a grave mistake you're making! Dumbledore…suspended? That's the last thing we need right now."

"The removal of a headmaster is a concern solely for the governors and I'm certain that you're not one of the twelve. Since he failed to stop the attacks, we really didn't have a choice."

"And who is better placed to stop those attacks than Albus Dumbledore?" Fudge was visibly sweating, obviously considering the PR disaster that was coming his way.

"We can navigate that hurdle when we come to it. But who am I to stand against the will of my fellow governors?"

Hagrid stood up. "And how many of them did you have to blackmail to agree with you?" he shouted. Fang cowered in his basket and all Hermione wanted to do was comfort the poor dog.

Malfoy clicked his tongue. "My, my…that temper will get you into trouble one of these days. Or maybe it already has. I wouldn't speak to the Azkaban guards with that tone. Consider that some friendly advice. Probably the last you're going to get for some time."

"Calm yourself, Hagrid," Dumbledore intervened. His fiery gaze turned to Malfoy. "If the governors want my removal, then I will comply with their wishes."

"You can't!" Hagrid complained.

Dumbledore ignored him, still focusing on the cold, grey eyes of his opponent. "However, I will remind everyone in this room that I will not have truly left Hogwarts until there is no one left loyal to me. Help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it."

Harry was certain that the headmaster's eyes locked onto his own, despite the invisibility cloak still surrounding him. Malfoy evidently missed the minute movement of his eyes, so unimpressed he was with the small speech.

"Admirable sentiments indeed. I'm sure everyone will miss your individual way of running things here. Let's pray that your successor is more well equipped at stopping whatever plagues the school. I'd hate for the attacks to turn to more serious events just because you failed in your primary job."

Dumbledore didn't rise to the bait, making sure that Hagrid kept his mouth shut too. A bamboozled Fudge slowly followed them out of the hut as they left in file, eventually leaving Harry and Hermione alone for what felt like the first time in hours. Harry's chest was rising and falling rapidly. Hermione's face was pale. Fang had gone straight to the closed door, scratching at the wooden barrier to try to save his owner.

"I can't believe what I just saw," Harry whispered. "Matthew was worried about what Malfoy would do in retaliation but I never thought he'd stoop this low. We're truly on our own now."

"Not yet. We still have each other," Hermione told him.

"We better hope that's enough."

xxxxxxxxxx

Summer was supposed to be around the corner but, if there was any sun, it certainly stopped at the windows of Hogwarts. When people were forced to walk along the corridors, they did so with trepidation and glum faces. Dumbledore's departure had only served to increase the level of fear in the school but they were forced to continue as if everything was fine, as if the school wasn't poised to close down if one more thing went wrong. Harry and Hermione made sure to always be with one another, not wanting a repeat performance of what had happened to Matthew. Hermione was constantly wanting to be in the hospital wing with their frozen friend and, for some reason, despite the heightened nervousness and fervour to protect the victims, they were allowed in every time. Something told Harry that McGonagall was behind that because he had caught her looking at them sadly on a few occasions, as if she were taking pity on them. Madam Pomfrey wasn't as kind, reminding them that it was practically pointless to spend time with someone who was petrified, but her complaints never resulted in action.

Harry was just thankful to be away from the common room. He was surprised by how selfish some people had grown, looking out for themselves when this should have brought everyone closer together in united fear. Ron Weasley had talked about his little sister trying to confide in him for some reason but he had chosen not to listen, instead wanting to complain about exams still going ahead. Harry had wanted to tell him in no uncertain terms how stupid he was being, which was why they were in the hospital wing now. Hermione knew that it was best to keep him away from people when he got like that.

She was sat by Matthew's bedside, as was her permanent position whenever they visited. Harry had noticed how close she would sit without actually touching him, as if she were scared that doing so would make his state more of a reality. He couldn't blame her. If he found out just how cold his friend's body currently was, he didn't know if he would be able to handle the emotional response. But Hermione did something different this time. She leant forward and grabbed his hand, rubbing a thumb over the rigid skin. Harry didn't understand what had prompted her to make the move, nor did he understand her reaction. He expected her to be sad and yet her eyes went wide for some reason. He stood up, immediately nervous. For one fearful second, he was worried that touching him would make her petrified too. He still didn't know how it worked.

But she was able to turn her head to look at him. "He's holding a piece of paper!"

Harry looked over to Pomfrey's office. The door was thankfully shot and the blinds drawn closed. "Go on! Get it out!"

It took some time and a great deal of patience. Hermione wore a look of furious concentration as she fought not to tear the scrap. Harry let out a breath he hadn't realised he was holding when she eventually managed to procure it from Matthew's hand, waving it triumphantly before flattening it out across the duvet. It was a ripped page from a library book. Harry was surprised that Hermione didn't complain about the sacrilege of desecrating a book in such a fashion. They looked at the writing together.

"Of the many fearsome beasts and monsters that roam our land," the passage read, "there is none more curious or more deadly than the Basilisk, known also as the King of Serpents. This snake, which may reach gigantic size and live many hundreds of years, is born from a chicken's egg, hatched beneath a toad. Its methods of killing are most wondrous, for aside from its deadly and venomous fangs, the Basilisk has a murderous stare, and all who are fixed with the beam of its eye shall suffer instant death. Spiders flee before the Basilisk, for it is their mortal enemy, and the Basilisk flees only from the crowing of the rooster, which is fatal to it."

Hermione let out a gasp. "He figured it out! This has to be the monster! Harry! A basilisk is a giant snake, which would explain why you've been hearing those voices! You're a Parselmouth! Oh, he's brilliant!"

"But there's no mention of petrification," Harry countered. "Unless…yes! What if they didn't look at it straight in the eye? Colin looked at it through his camera. Justin…was with Nearly Headless Nick! He saw it through a ghost, who couldn't exactly die again because he already is! And the floor was flooded when Mrs Norris became the first victim. The water could have created a reflection of the basilisk." He was excited now, fizzing with this new information.

"What about Matthew? He wasn't found with anything."

Harry nodded his head. That was an issue. He began to pace, his gaze falling on the girl who had been with him when it happened. The sun glinted off an object in her hand. He had been so focused on Matthew that day that he'd never thought to look at her. "A mirror! She's holding a mirror. If Matthew knew what the monster was, he could have told her to get it out to protect both of them. They were petrified but at least they didn't die."

"Spiders flee before the Basilisk, for it is their mortal enemy," Hermione recited. "That first night, we saw all of those spiders leaving the castle. And Hagrid said that, fifty years ago, Aragog was desperate to leave Hogwarts. Harry, Aragog was, or is, an acromantula…a spider! It all fits!"

"You're missing something important," Harry pointed out. "How would a giant snake get around the school without being noticed?"

Hermione frowned as she pondered that, until she noticed a small, scribbled note on the piece of paper in Matthew's frenetic handwriting. "Pipes," she whispered as realisation dawned. "Didn't Professor Dumbledore say that the final attack culminated in a student dying? What if that student never left? Harry, I think I know where the Chamber of Secrets is."