Chapter 10

In their second year, the morning of the quidditch match that Professor McGonagall cancelled, Hermione left for the library. She just knew she was on the verge of a breakthrough with a historical book she'd begged McGonagall to let her burrow from the restricted section. The Ravenclaw prefect that was found with her later on was at the library at the time and offered to help. She had gotten up to find another book to reference something and when she returned, there was a lone, torn, book page sticking out of her favorite textbook, Hogwarts, A History. That was the page in question now, the one that had saved her life and countless others.

Hermione had kept the page, safety tucked inside her favorite textbook to preserve it. She pulled the page from the textbook and slid it across the table towards Draco, "Do you recognize this page?"

Draco had to try really hard not to look surprised when he turned around and saw Granger slide a familiar page across the table to him. After all these years she still had it. Just before his second year of school began, Draco overheard his father talking to other Death Eaters about the heir of Slytherin returning. When Draco asked his father about it he was told vaguely about the events from fifty years prior, when the heir of Slytherin had ordered a creature to petrify muggle-born students. It even killed a girl in a bathroom. Lucius wouldn't say who was accused of controlling a creature that was accused, only that they were expelled.

So, Draco had searched the Flourish and Botts bookshop and found a book that answered the question of what creature is capable of petrification that the hair of Slytherin could possibly control. He found the page on a significantly rare creature called a Basilisk. He had ripped it out of the book for later reference when he would access to the Hogwarts library restricted section.

Then came the attacks again and Draco knew it wasn't his family that were the heirs of Slytherin. It frustrated him that Potter was rumored to be the heir after the dueling club encounter when he spoke parsaltongue to a snake Draco had summoned. One evening after dinner Crabbe and Goyle had asked him very oddly about his knowledge of everything going on, again. He wanted Granger to be petrified or attacked by the basilisk, but who was controlling it was still unknown. After that conversation with Crabbe and Goyle, Malfoy got the idea of slipping her the basilisk page. If anyone would find out the heir was, she could. And would probably get petrified or perhaps die in the process. Just like the girl in the bathroom from fifty years prior.

So he found her in the library and patiently waited for the opportune minute to slip the page in her favored Hogwarts, A History, making sure a corner was exposed so she'd find it upon her return. "Yes, I do." He replied and carefully picked it up to inspect it, "I ripped it out of a book I found at Flourish and Botts. That day in Diagon Alley, when you met my father while buying school textbooks for second year." He explained further, deciding to take a seat across from her for surely her mind was already forming more questions.

A smirk found its way onto Hermione's face. She loved being right, even if it was just a hunch. She sat back in her chair and folded her arms, "Might I ask why? Self-preservation, I'm sure, after you realized that you weren't the true heir of Slytherin." She lightly accused. She never thought he'd do it for a good reason. She just hoped he knew his actions had a positive influence on the rest of the world.

"Not self preservation. I did not think I was a target for the Basilisk. I slipped it to you because; if anyone could figure out who the heir of Slytherin was with this information I knew you could. If you happened to get petrified or killed in the process well…let's just say I was going to enjoy being top of the class." Draco answered honestly, though his voice held no malice or sinister intention like it would have back then. He had no idea that it was Potter and Weasley that had interviewed him that night he came up with the idea to slip the page to Granger.

"How sweet of you to think of me." She said half sarcastically. It rally was flattering that he thought highly enough of her to bequeath crucial information on the subject contrary to everything he's said prior to this year. "I was simply curious. I mean, if it hadn't been for you, hundreds could have died, including Ginny Weasley, and Voldemort would have been revived much sooner than anyone would have been ready for."

She understood there was nothing sweet about his past actions. He was jealous of her being top of the class. He had become a disappointment to his father in the first year when Draco came in second, and had to explain the top of the class was a muggle born girl. When Lucius didn't tell Draco what he wanted to know, he searched what he could and figured Hermione could find out the info he wanted and get petrified or killed in the process.

"If I had known about the diary I probably would not have given you the page. I would have known the 'heir of Slytherin' was nothing more than Ginny Weasley being controlled by Tom Riddle's Diary. My father didn't want me privy to the knowledge of him using the diary in hopes of causing Arthur Weasley to suffer. In my childish spite against you I unknowingly counteracted what my father had attempted to do. Funny…I never realized that until now." He said the last notion more of a statement to himself then her. He passed the page back across the table and stood up to leave.

Hermione's smile started to wane; she should have known that he never had good intentions back then. Her odd mentality that he was a good person at heart was starting to falter as he spoke. But she remembered events more recent. He couldn't kill Dumbledore despite his and his family's lives on the line. "Well nevertheless, I'm somewhat glad things turned out the way they did. Well, I suppose we could have done without the war." She packed up her things and stood up, it was getting close to supper time, and she wanted to take a shower beforehand. "Well, I'll be on my way. See you tonight?"

He nodded in confirmation. "See you tonight." He watched her leave, exhaling a heavy sigh once she was out of sight. It was a burden to be a disappointment to everyone, even to the person who had no reason to hope for a better you. But clearly she still thought his tainted soul had a chance at redemption.