"Why do they make us pick electives that aren't electives?" Hermione groaned into her parchment one night.

"What are you talking about?" Lavender asked.

"How is divination or ancient runes an elective? These things are supposed to be fun. Like sports, or art."

"I thought you'd like ancient runes," Parvati said. "It sounds a bit like an English class in the muggle world. Or maybe closer to Latin."

"Well I know I'm not taking muggle studies," she said. "Would feel a bit too much like cheating."

"You really don't need to take division and arithrmancy," Lavender added. "They're both ways to tell the future and from the older students Professor Trewlany doesn't exactly focus on anything that those without a natural ability would find beneficial."

"I take it you have one of those natural abilities?" Hermione asked skeptically.

"Good heavens no," Lavender laughed. "I'm just really good at making up tragic things. Which is the other thing they said she likes."

Hermione laughed. "I guess that's an option."

"I also don't know what the point of care of magical creatures is for me," Parvati added. "I like other things. I do like some animals, but I'm not an outdoor person."

"All important factors to consider." Hermione frowned. "Still don't like that they're trying to lock us into career trajectories now."

"I don't think that anyone wants to be shoved into a job at thirteen," Lavender said. "But you mentioned those muggle sports. And a lot of quidditch players pick that early."

"Yeah. I have a friend who's trying to become a pro," Hermione slipped.

"Didn't know you were friends with Wood," Lavender joked.

Hermione shook her head. She supposed they wouldn't mock her too bad. And it wasn't like Viktor went to her school. Or that they would ever meet him.

"Not Wood. Though I guess that shouldn't surprise me."

"Who?" Parvati asked. "I didn't know you were friends with anyone from the other houses."

"No." Hermione waved her hands. "His name's Viktor. He doesn't go here."

"Where does he go?" Lavender asked. She seemed more interested all of a sudden.

"Durmstrang," Hermione said.

Parvati let out a low whistle. "Impressive."

"How'd you meet?" Lavender asked. "Where did you meet actually? How long have you known him?"

Hermione frowned. "I met him in Greece. I remember he didn't speak Greek. I thought it was the strangest thing."

"What were you doing in Greece?" Parvati asked.

"Visiting my grandparents."

"Your grandparents live in Greece?" Lavender fell onto her bed. "Oh my. I'm learning all sorts of things. And I thought the Weasley twins were joking at the beginning of the year."

"I don't think they'd tease me that way."

"The twins might not tease you that way. But I don't think half the school stopped talking about Malfoy's face. And he's stopped talking down on you. So I thought they were just taking the piss out of him," Parvati said.

"No. I've been teaching them some Greek. But only Fred seems to show much interest. I swear the Twins have only half a brain each," Hermione said.

"Probably for the best," Lavender said. "I wouldn't want to imagine what they could do if they were both geniuses."

Hermione had to agree.

Hermione had started checking around corridors with her mirror just in case. She didn't think it was a cockatrice or a gorgon, but reflections were significantly less dangerous. And if it were something more dangerous she didn't want to be caught unaware.

The day of the quidditch match she was in the library, still trying to figure out what kind of snake it could be. But also, how it was traveling around the castle.

She had three editions and revisions of Hogwarts: A History open all around her.

"You looking for something in particular?" a Ravenclaw asked her.

"Nothing a little schematics wouldn't solve. But considering that we don't even have a map of the school I don't think that's likely to happen," Hermione groaned.

"Schematics?"

"Blueprints. Building plans. Doesn't help that the building is old. Older than I think any of the ruins I've seen around the country."

"Never seen blueprints for a magically constructed building," the Ravenclaw said. "Scoot over."

Hermione stared at the older girl. "Who are you?"

"Penelope Clearwater. Ravenclaw Prefect. You're Hermione Granger. Percy talks about you a lot."

Hermione stared. "Percy Weasley?"

"Oh yeah. He's my boyfriend."

Hermione sat in stunned silence for just a minute. She couldn't believe that Percy Weasley of all people had a girlfriend. She was only thirteen, but she thought that Percy was too uptight for anyone to like him enough to date. Evidently, she had misjudged.

"Well, the monster has to be getting around the castle somehow without being seen. That or it's tiny," Hermione said. "But I doubt a cockatrice is."

"You think it's a cockatrice?" Penelope asked.

"It's what makes the most sense with the info I have right now. But it doesn't quite fit. But that's why I have this." She showed Penelope her mirror.

"Oh, that's beautiful."

Hermione blushed. "It was a gift."

"Someone loves you," she said.

Hermione flushed further. "I think that they were just trying to keep me safe. We spent all Christmas holiday looking up things the monster could be."

Penelope gave her a smile that Hermione couldn't quite decipher. But she didn't say anything.

"So this cockatrice," she hedged. "What does it do?"

"It turns people to stone by looking at them. But the surefire way to kill it is by having it look at itself. Hence the mirror. That, and I don't really like the idea of turning to stone myself."

"Better than dying," Penelope muttered.

Hermione froze. "What was that?"

"Better to be petrified than dead."

Hermione started pulling more books out. She opened encyclopedia after encyclopedia. Referenced one book running back and forth to the stacks.

"What are you looking for?"

"What snakes can kill you," Hermione said. "Magical snakes."

"I think most of them," Penelope said.

Hermione rolled her eyes and then opened even more books.

A page fluttered out of one of them. She bent down. It appeared to have everything on it. "This is it," she whispered.

Penelope looked over at it. "How's a Basilisk getting through the castle?"

"It's got to be inside the walls. I just wish I knew how," Hermione admitted. "It's not like it's a mouse."

"When we had bats get in our house, they got in through the vents. I don't think castles have vents, but this one has something else that goes through the walls, and floors."

"Pipes," Hermione breathed.

She scribbled it down on a piece of paper. She and Penelope ran out of the library, mirror in hand. Suddenly, there were large yellow eyes in the mirror, and Hermione found herself stiffening.

A/N: I know this probably could have been split into two chapters. But I kind of got carried away. Please let me know what you think.