To Hermione's surprise, she wasn't the only student permitted to return to the Chamber of Secrets; Harry was coming along, to open it up as the only Parselmouth the staff knew of. Harry greeted her with a grin.

"Great morning, isn't it?" he said, his eyes dancing. "Completely normal morning."

"Seems pretty typical," Hermione said with a grin, adjusting her school bag strapped across her chest. "Wake up, read the paper announcing me as a hero to the school, eat breakfast…"

Harry laughed.

"Now you know what it's like, to have everyone staring at you," he told her. "I'm not alone in the fishbowl anymore."

He looked pleased by this, that someone else would experience the discomfort of fame. Hermione hadn't the heart to tell him that she wanted her name recognized. Fame wasn't important to her, but getting her name out there and well known was.

McGonagall took Harry and Hermione to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, where a small contingent of people met them in the hall, led by a sneering Professor Snape.

"Miss Granger – the hero of the hour…" He gave her a wide, sweeping mocking bow, his eyes glittering. "May I present these officially licensed ingredient gatherers, as recognized by the International Potions Guild?" He raised an eyebrow, mocking. "They have offered to help you render your spoils of war."

Hermione ignored his jibes.

"For what rate?" she inquired, looking them over. There looked to be about five of them, all of them looking somewhat anxious and excited.

"Two percent of any sales," one of them said, stepping forward. He gave her a bright grin. "Most of us volunteered just for the chance to get to render a basilisk, but it is a lot of hard work…"

Hermione considered, doing the math.

"That's probably fair," she agreed. She grinned. "Better you than me – Professor Snape hasn't taught us how to properly gather ingredients yet."

The man and Hermione both laughed, ignoring Snape's scowl as he swept his way into the bathroom.

While Harry demonstrated how he opened the sink, Hermione went over to talk to Myrtle.

"I'm sorry so many people are traipsing in and out of your bathroom," she told her honestly. "I'll make sure it's cleaned up again for you afterward."

Myrtle looked at Hermione with suspicion.

"You were the one who got it cleaned?" she accused.

"Well, I didn't clean it," Hermione explained, "but I asked the House Elves to help clean up and fix everything, the broken mirrors and the like."

Myrtle was looking at Hermione with narrowed eyes, and Hermione felt uncomfortable.

"You said no one ever cleaned it, and you seemed upset about it," she said, uneasy. "I thought that implied that you'd want it to be cleaned. If you don't like it, I can help you break all the mirrors again—"

"No." Myrtle abruptly cut her off. "It's not like I like haunting a bathroom, but it's better clean than it was before." She looked down her nose at Hermione through giant glasses. "Those men – they're all going down there to cut up the monster?"

"The basilisk, yes," Hermione said. She paused, gentling her voice. "It was the monster that killed you, Myrtle, fifty years ago."

A strange expression flitted over Myrtle's face at this, and without further conversation, she flew up into the air and plunged straight down. Hermione sprinted from the cubicle, slamming the door just in time to shield herself from the water splash as Myrtle hid herself in a toilet, and Hermione resolved to just leave the matter be – Myrtle was obviously still sensitive about it.

When she went over to the other side of the bathroom, Harry had opened up the tube down. He looked up at her and grinned.

"Glad you wore uniform robes today, aren't you?" he said.

Hermione sighed.

"Once more unto the muck, dear friends," she said with wry humor, "once more."

She was startled to hear one of the ingredient gatherers snicker behind her, obviously amused, and when she turned in surprise, Snape was suppressing a smirk as well.

"Go first, Hermione," Harry urged. "This is your show."

"Fair enough…"

Hermione leapt into the pipe, skidding down, down, down, through the muck in the pipe and past other branching tubes. She was much calmer on the way down this time, knowing what to expect, but she could hear the shrieks of some of those behind her who were following her down.

The pipe leveled with the ground and she skidded out, coming to a stop, and she quickly got out of the way to dodge Harry popping out, whom she helped to his feet.

"Rather more fun when I'm not worried sick," Harry said with a grin. He lit his wand and looked around. "Doesn't really get any brighter down here during the day, does it?"

Hermione laughed. "We're underground, Harry. How would it?"

The ingredient renderers popped out of the tube one by one, all of them looking around the area with obvious shock and awe.

"This is the Chamber of Secrets?" one of them asked her, and Hermione laughed.

"No, this is just the sewer," she told him, folding her arms. "Just you wait."

Once they had the full contingent, Hermione and Harry led the way to the chamber, pausing to let the ingredient renders examine the shed basilisk skin blocking their way.

"This might be worth something as well!" one of them exclaimed. "Two of us will have to come back and very carefully take this apart."

Hermione shrugged. She hadn't the slightest idea of what would be worth money and what would not.

Once Harry opened the stone door into the Chamber itself, everyone gasped.

"This is amazing," one of them said, spinning around and taking in the size of everything as she looked up at the ceiling.

"Forget the chamber; this is amazing," another one said, running to the basilisk and falling to his knees. "This is incredible! It doesn't seem like decay's set in yet much at all."

The ingredient renderers quickly descended upon the basilisk, one of them barking out orders and organizing the others.

"Skin it from the belly," she directed. "One clean cut, people, one clean cut! Let's see if we can pull this off in one sheet in its entirety. Maximus, you take care of those fangs – and be careful, for Merlin's sake. You've got your dragon hide gloves on?"

Harry and Hermione watched from the side with wide eyes, not really able to help at all, just taking in the sight. The gatherers worked with speed and skill, and Hermione wondered if they often worked together to rend other large beasts into pieces for potions. Snape hovered behind them for a moment, watching as well, before he sneered at them.

"No need to enjoy the muck so much," he said, flicking his wand at them both, Vanishing the filth on their robes. His eyes lingered on Harry. "No matter how much it feels like home."

Harry looked angry, but Hermione laid an arm on his, calming him. "Thank you, sir," she said.

Snape's eyes glinted as he went over to go join the harvesting group, and Hermione and Harry just watched for a while. The basilisk was enormous - how long could this possibly take? Were they really still needed at this point?

Hermione wondered if she was there as part of her Right of Conquest. To make sure someone didn't sneakily walk off with a giant piece of the basilisk or somesuch, perhaps.

She was distracted from her musings by the arrival of a large group of people after a time, all of them looking disgusted at the grime coating their robes but openly in awe of the large chamber. They were all adults, some of them wearing matching robes.

"Who are they?" Harry wanted to know. "Have we seen them before?"

"The Ministry, for one," Hermione said, recognizing Fudge and the dark-skinned Slytherin Auror who had searched their common room. Fudge was crowded by a throng of people around him. Another group joined the other group shortly thereafter, likely taking turns down the slide, and Hermione caught a flash of platinum blond hair. "I think the Board of Governors, too."

"Is that Malfoy's Dad?" Harry asked, making a face. "Urgh. What do they want with the dead basilisk?"

"The Ministry's got to verify everything, right?" Hermione guessed. "They've dropped the ball in the public eye so much already, the least they can do is make sure the monster is actually dead." She paused. "Not sure why the Board of Governors is here, though."

The Board of Governors, as it turned out, wanted to behold the majesty of the Chamber of Secrets for themselves and see the might of the slain monster. They had wanted to see the proof themselves, as one of them explained to Hermione, before considering reinstating Dumbledore to his post. The Daily Prophet was not always entirely factual, though the photographs had been fairly definitive themselves, and it was better for them to check that everything was accurate.

"And you're only thirteen," one of the governors said, shaking her head in amazement. "Great things will come from you one day."

"She saved the life of the Malfoy scion and slew a legendary monster," another governor said, laughing. "She's already doing great things, Morgan."

The first governor smiled sheepishly.

"That's true," she said. She winked at Hermione. "I'm sure we'll see more great things from you, young lady."

The Aurors and governors were asking McGonagall and Snape tons of questions as they circled around them, some of them occasionally coming over to the side to talk to Harry and Hermione. Hermione answered their questions as best she could, while Harry kept his answers simple and direct. It was clear he wanted to minimize his participation in the entire affair as much as possible.

"I thought you said you'd rather play the sidekick, Harry," Hermione said, nudging him after one of the governors had left. "That you'd help out and make sure the hero had a clear path to the monster."

Harry glanced over at her.

"Of course you would remember that," he said, rolling his eyes. He gave her a half grin. "I did, I suppose. But in the stories, the sidekick generally doesn't get bothered by the press or fans in the aftermath."

Hermione laughed. "Fair enough."

Their good-natured bickering fell off as another governor came over, both of them watching his approach with apprehension. With his platinum blond hair, snake-headed walking stick, and curling upper lip, his identity was unmistakable.

"Mr. Malfoy," Hermione greeted him, dipping him a curtsy. "May I present my dear friend, Harry Potter? Harry, this is Lucius Malfoy, Draco's father and current school governor."

Harry looked fully confused and lost by the introduction.

"Ah— good to meet you, sir," he tried, holding out his hand to shake his, and Hermione mentally groaned.

Lucius Malfoy looked at Harry's extended hand with obvious distaste, his judging gaze lingering there until Harry's hand gradually fell back to his side. "A… pleasure, Mr. Potter."

Harry shot Hermione a look, and Hermione shrugged helplessly as Lucius looked over at the basilisk's corpse.

"So you are the young woman who saved my son's life," he said, raising his eyebrows. "I must admit, I was expecting someone rather more… grand."

"I'm so sorry to disappoint, sir. I'm still only a second-year student," Hermione said sweetly. "The Hogwarts uniform isn't exactly statement-making."

Lucius' lip curled.

"No, you made your statement here, didn't you?" he said, pulling out a newspaper from his robes. "'Hermione Granger, 13, is the hero of the hour, running selflessly after the monster after seeing it abduct one of her classmates'…" He raised an eyebrow at her. "How nice. Not many children manage to get their names in the paper."

"Not many children slay basilisks either, Mr. Malfoy," Hermione said simply. She kept her smile firmly on her face.

"Touché." Lucius looked down at them both. "And I understand you both are the two who caught the Rookwood daughter speaking Parseltongue…?"

"We did," Harry said defensively. "There were witnesses; you can ask them."

"Oh no, I'm not doubting your story." Lucius' voice was smooth. "Draco assures me that Miss Rookwood was acting as the Heir of Slytherin, that she had sent the basilisk after him because of a rather dramatic dispute they'd had earlier in the day." His eyes were glinting. "Preliminary investigation is showing evidence of her having been possessed by a Dark artifact."

"How interesting," Hermione said, meeting his gaze. "Did you have any questions, then, Mr. Malfoy?"

"Just one…"

His eyes glinted.

"Do you happen to know what that Dark artifact was?"

Hermione quietly moved her hands to her school bag, slung around her body, while Harry frowned.

"Err—was that the necklace, Hermione?" he asked. "I think they were talking about the necklace – it was some sort of skull pendant, made out of a dark metal. It started melting."

Lucius' eyebrows rose.

"A pendant?" he repeated, incredulous.

"Is that so surprising?" Hermione queried. "That a pendant could be a dark artifact, sir?"

Lucius Malfoy turned to her to respond, his lip curling, when he froze suddenly, his eyes darting down.

Hermione held Tom Riddle's diary to her body very casually at her waist, as one might hold any book.

Tom Riddle's diary was a dark-covered, old book. It was one not likely to cause a stir or draw attention unless someone had seen it before. Hermione had opted to carry it around today just in case she had such an occasion as to test if someone was able to recognize it for what it was.

And Lucius Malfoy's reaction - freezing in place, eyes going wide for a moment, his breath stopping - was exactly the sort of reaction she had been waiting for.

After a tense moment, Lucius' eyes flitted to hers, sharp and suspicious.

"I suppose it should not be," Lucius said slowly, carefully. "And yet, I thought perhaps something more had perhaps been taken from Miss Rookwood after she was discovered casting Dark magic."

His eyes gleamed, and Hermione raised her head and met his eyes, unflinching.

"I was looking for Draco that night because I suspected something unpleasant had happened to him. I'm aware of Rhamnaceae's violent temper, after all." She smiled sweetly. "Did you think I would be so careless as to not take care of all avenues of threat, Mr. Malfoy?"

His eyes were sharp.

"I find I am rather surprised that you knew of all avenues of threat, Miss Granger," he said, his tone soft and threatening.

"And yet I am utterly unsurprised by you knowing of such a threat, when you have no possible way of knowing of such a thing unless you were the originator of such a threat," Hermione said coolly.

Lucius Malfoy's eyebrows went high, and Hermione was satisfied to see a brief moment of worry flash across his face.

"I am New Blood," Hermione murmured. "I know of many things. Many powerful people have recognized my potential, and they teach me many things." She held his gaze as she drummed her fingers subtly over the diary. "Many powerful people. And many things."

That was fear, she saw. That was fear flashing behind his eyes, and Hermione felt a jolt of triumph inside of her, though she worked to keep her face neutral.

"We'll chalk your odd threats up to your confusion and concern over your son, yes?" she suggested. "After all, this was a narrowly-avoided tragedy. If I hadn't come running after him, who knows what may have happened to Draco…?"

She trailed off, looking sad, and Lucius Malfoy's eyes were sharp as she tucked the diary back into her bag.

"I find myself happily surprised that you did go running after him," Lucius said, raising an eyebrow and sneering. "One moment you show yourself to embody classic Slytherin values, and the next, a headstrong Gryffindor plunging into danger." His eyes were cold. "I find myself… puzzled, by the paradox."

She was prepared for this one.

"Can you truly think of no reason," Hermione said quietly, "that I might risk my life to save your son?"

Lucius examined her carefully, eyes scanning her face, and Hermione kept her gaze open, her face soft.

"I suppose perhaps I can," he said finally, his voice clipped with disgust as he pulled back. "Not that saving his life would ever help you in that regard, of course…"

Hermione raised her eyebrows.

"Oh, I'm quite sure I've already secured his regard," she said calmly. "I just happen to like having him around."

Lucius Malfoy's look was sharp and deadly as he glared at her, before he strode over to Professor Snape, not bothering to say goodbye.

"Well, he's a complete prick," Harry muttered from her side.

"Language," Hermione admonished.

"He is, though," Harry grumbled. "And what was all that about, fussing about it being a necklace? It's like he expected us to find Rookwood's evil spell book or something."

"I suspect," Hermione said, watching Lucius talk to Snape, the both of them occasionally glancing her way, "that Lucius Malfoy feels like he's lost control of the situation, and that it's not a feeling he's ever had to accustom himself to before."

They watched him talk to Snape for a few moments, before Hermione smiled widely and started to laugh.

"What?" Harry said. "What's so funny?"

"Did you hear?" Hermione said, laughing. "Lucius Malfoy said I 'embody classic Slytherin values'." She smirked. "That's not quite a ringing endorsement, but I'll take it."

Harry rolled his eyes but grinned.

"I still really don't understand why you're so on about this Slytherin pride thing," he said. "But you do you, Hermione. If his opinion matters to you, good for you."