The worst part of Tom Riddle's diary being gone was that Hermione could tell no one.
To the rest of the school, nothing had changed – the Heir was still out there, the monster still a threat. Only Hermione had known that she'd effectively neutralized the attacks, and she had let her worry slacken. But now, with the diary stolen by someone, her fear was back in full force – moreso, even, now that she knew the monster didn't just petrify, but that one look could kill.
She couldn't even tell Ginny, the one other person who might have realized just how bad this was. Ginny had trusted her to take care of the evil book, and she would be upset and betrayed to learn that Hermione had carelessly let someone steal the diary from her. At least Ginny wouldn't have to worry – she was a pureblood, so she was safe.
Though that was a nightmare all of its own to consider. Ginny had believed Hermione was a New Blood, so Hermione hadn't been attacked. There was no guarantee whatever poor soul picked up the diary this time would feel the same. In fact, the odds were stacked considerably against her; it had been older Slytherins in the Entrance Hall when the diary had been taken, those least likely of all to believe.
Her only hope was that it was Tom who held the ultimate influence in who was attacked and who was not. Surely Tom knew she'd figure out who had the diary and catch them? She was the only one who would conceivably get him out of this alive and not destroyed by Dumbledore the second Dumbledore realized what sort of Dark object he truly had on his hands.
Unless, of course, Tom opted to just kill Hermione.
She was the only one who knew, after all. It would certainly be much simpler.
Scratch that. Having Tom be her only hope was an awful idea.
Hermione forced herself to take a deep breath, hold it, and exhale, counting to seven and repeating it a few more times. It was a little easier to settle her thoughts now that part of her magic steadied the rest, but she was ultra-aware that she was still prone to spiraling, especially when she couldn't get outside.
Slowly, her breath steadied, and Hermione was glad that there was no one around to see her panicking.
Because she was definitely panicking.
She'd had the sense to take refuge in the Slytherin common room immediately after it was done being searched, where she knew the basilisk couldn't get to her. The entire common room was empty save for her, which was a rarity; most people will still watching the Ministry sack Hagrid's hut, and Blaise had said that everyone else was going to follow Fudge and the Aurors up to the Gryffindor Tower and see if they could all shove their way in after them - which left her wonderfully alone.
Hermione withdrew a Sugar Quill and a piece of parchment to look at. Though she daren't write anything down, gnawing on the end of the quill while considering her problem helped her think things through more calmly.
The new Heir, whomever Tom would manipulate into doing his bidding, was only dangerous inasmuch as they could control the basilisk. If Hermione could neutralize the basilisk, she would be safe, and she could search for the diary at her leisure. She needed a weapon to be able to take care of the basilisk, though – to protect herself, if nothing else.
She mentally thanked her lucky stars her father had insisted that get a sword. If she only sought to get one now, she'd never have managed it by the end of the year.
So. First thing: write to Bloodthorne and ask for a status update on the sword.
Next, she'd need to maximize her use of the time from now until the next attack. It would take time for Tom to win the trust of someone new, and until he did, he couldn't possess them. It was during this uncertain period that Hermione had the best odds to catch the new Heir before anything terrible happened. It would also be the hardest period of time to catch the new Heir, as the only evidence she'd have would be "oh, that person has the diary," but she had to try. People could die from the basilisk, including her.
Hermione wondered briefly if she should consider looking around corners with a mirror first.
She'd have to clue her coven in somewhat; she'd need to at least trust them with her concern and have them help protect her and help her search. At least with a bunch of Parselmouths all together, one of them would be bound to hear the basilisk approaching if it was nearby.
The fact that none of them had muggle parents would help with security, too.
So, second thing: convene her coven. Preferably as far from Moaning Myrtle's bathroom as she could.
As Hermione gnawed on the end of her quill, looking anxiously over the piece of parchment she'd only imagined scratching into, the Slytherin Common Room door opened. Pansy Parkinson entered, along with Draco Malfoy and Daphne Greengrass.
The image of Rhamnaceae Rookwood shooting a cutting curse at her replayed in front of her eyes, and abruptly, Hermione saw red.
"Expelliarmus!"
Before she was entirely aware of what she was doing, Hermione had her wand out and aimed at Pansy, her attack blasting Pansy backwards off her feet and into the wall, hard. Daphne screamed while Hermione grabbed Pansy's wand from the air, and she leapt at her from across the room, yanking Pansy to her feet and slamming her up against the wall.
"Hermione, what are you doing?!"
"Merlin, she's lost it—!"
Hermione held her wand at Pansy's throat, her eyes deadly.
"Tell me," she breathed. "Was it you who set Rookwood against me again?"
Pansy's eyes wend wide, and Hermione heard her breath catch in her throat, a frightened little gasp. Hermione shoved her against the wall harder as best she could.
"Tell me!" she demanded. "Is Rowle next? Is Snyde? Tell me!"
"I didn't!" Pansy begged. "I—I heard what happened, but Granger, I didn't—!"
Furious, Hermione stepped back, letting Pansy fall to the floor. She glared at her as the other girl got to her feet, trembling under her fury.
"So you didn't set them against me this time?" she snarled. "It was just an attack of opportunity that they decided to seize upon on their own?"
"Granger, I didn't set them against you the last time, either!" Pansy protested, frightened.
"Oh, right," Hermione scoffed. "Like I'm supposed to believe that. You hated me."
"Yes, and they knew that," Pansy stressed. "They needed a decoy to lure you out into the ambush. You'd never have gone with one of them!"
Hermione glared at Pansy, and Pansy held her hands up in surrender.
"I swear to you Granger," Pansy said, her voice shaking. "I may not like you, but I've made my decision. I've seen what you can do, and I decided not to cross you again. I haven't said a word against you all year."
Hermione severely doubted that. More likely was she hadn't said anything that Hermione would be able to trace back to her.
"If you didn't plan the whole thing," Hermione demanded, "than who did?"
"Rhamnaceae," Pansy said immediately. "Lilian and Saunder were the loudest complaining about you, but Rhamnaceae's the one with the cunning to do something about it. That's why I couldn't believe when I heard that she attacked you openly like that – it's so unlike her."
"I'm not. It was all her allies around," Hermione scoffed. "Everyone knows she and Lilian were close. She saw an opportunity for a 'crime of passion', and she took it."
"She really might have just lost her temper?" Pansy ventured. "With the stress of the common room being searched and the security checks—"
"Do you think I care about why she decided to attack me?!" Hermione's scream was furious, and Draco made an aborted motion towards Pansy as if in alarm, but Daphne held him back, her eyes wide. "Pansy, it was dumb luck I didn't die the first time, you realize? The only reason I let you get off easy is you didn't know how to cast a cutting charm!"
"Wait, what?" Pansy blanched. "You wouldn't have—"
"Don't you dare tell me I wouldn't have died," Hermione breathed, her eyes like fire. "It was dumb luck that I knew a healing charm to patch my ankles back up so I could stagger out for help. A half hour of lying there unfound, I would have bled out, and if blood loss hadn't gotten me, my lacerated spleen would have."
Her glare was venomous, and Pansy had the sense to stay silent.
"I had the sense to know a first year with no name wouldn't stand a chance against seven purebloods of higher standing," Hermione said steadily. "I'm not so stupid as to not know that legal recourse was not available to me." Her eyes glinted. "But that doesn't mean I'm not going to pay you all back."
Pansy's eyes went wide in horror, and Hermione rolled her eyes and waved her hand.
"Relax, Pansy," she said, dismissively. "You got your turn first, with the secret of your troll blood coming out."
Pansy looked torn and cautiously grateful. Draco and Daphne were staying very still and very silent.
"You swear to me it was Rhamnaceae Rookwood who planned my attack?" Hermione said.
"I swear it on my magic," Pansy said immediately. "Give me my wand; I'll swear it."
Her own wand still aimed at her carefully, Hermione gave the smaller girl back her wand.
"I swear on my magic, to the best of my knowledge and in any planning sessions I was privy to, Rhamnaceae Rookwood was the one to plan the attack on Hermione Granger that took place a little over a year ago," Pansy said immediately.
There was a green curl of magic in the air that dissipated, and Pansy breathed out a sigh of relief, looking to Hermione with pleading eyes.
"I didn't know it was going to be that bad," she said. "I didn't know it was that bad."
Hermione looked at her steadily.
"I have been given a gift, Pansy, you realize?" she said finally. "Magic imbued me, chose me. I was chosen to help wizards regain what they have lost. Their power, their prestige, their fertility…" She shook her head. "And you nearly snuffed it all out before it even began."
Pansy was pale, and Hermione folded her arms.
"Are you going to tell anyone of what happened here tonight?"
"No!" Pansy said immediately. "Absolutely not!"
Hermione turned to look at Draco and Daphne over her shoulder.
"And you…?" she asked.
"I won't," Daphne promised immediately. She gave Pansy a cold look. "Your secrets are my own, Hermione."
Hermione's eyes flicked to Draco, who swallowed hard.
"I can promise I won't tell anyone here at the school," Draco said carefully. "But my father—"
Hermione snarled.
"Does your father question you under Veritaserum, Draco?" she demanded.
"Well, no, but—"
"Then you lie to him," Hermione spat. "You lie. Do I need an Unbreakable Vow from you?"
Draco's eyes went wide.
"We—we can't," he stuttered. "At this age—we'd stunt our magic—"
"Maybe that's something you'd need to worry about," Hermione said, giving him a sickeningly sweet smile. "As the one touched directly by magic, somehow I'm not afraid of my magic being stunted."
Daphne elbowed him harshly, and Draco stumbled.
"I won't tell him," he said finally. "But if he learns of it another way, I can't lie to him."
Hermione rolled her eyes in disgust, but she presumed that was probably the best she was going to get from him.
"Great," she muttered sarcastically. "Now I need to add 'Lucius Malfoy' to my list of people to deal with, do I?"
Draco winced but didn't object, and Hermione let out a noise of frustration and stomped her foot.
The common room door opened, and Blaise, Tracey, and Millie entered, immediately freezing upon seeing the tense standoff, Hermione still holding her wand at Pansy.
Wide-eyed looks of fear were shared between Draco, Daphne, and Pansy, before Blaise just cocked a jaunty eyebrow.
"Alright here, Hermione?" he said.
"Yeah," Hermione said, finally lowering her wand. "Just taking care of some things."
"Oh?" Blaise inquired, moving toward her side. He looked at Pansy. "Anything new I should be worried about?"
"I was checking, but no," Hermione said. "At least, not anything you weren't already aware of."
Blaise nodded, before looking to Draco and Daphne.
"Need help with them?" he asked, withdrawing his wand. "Oaths of Secrecy extracted, perhaps?"
Draco went a pale white, but Hermione dismissed it with a wave, turning back to face Blaise directly.
"No. Let them break their promise to me," she said. "They all saw what happened to Damon Rowle and Lilian Travers after they crossed me. If they decide spilling my secrets is worth risking my wrath…"
She trailed off, shrugging, and Tracey was grinning while Millie was smirking, which made Hermione suspect that Draco was making that terrified expression again where it looked like he was about to wet himself.
"In that case…" Blaise gave her a sideways glance. "Luna sent me to get you. She said you needed us…?"
Hermione tossed her curls back, haughty.
"Lead the way."
