A Gryffindor Falls For A Slytherin: The Angelic Witch and Draco Malfoy (Book 2)

Losing Hermione

Heroneka half wished Harry hadn't found out how to work Riddle's diary. Again and again she, Ron and Hermione made him recount what he'd seen.

"Riddle might have got the wrong person," said Hermione.

"Yes!" Piped up Heroneka. "Maybe it was some other monster that was attacking people..."

"How many monsters d'you both think this place can hold?" Ron asked fully looking from Hermione to Heroneka.

"We always knew Hagrid had been expelled," said Harry miserably. "And the attacks must've stopped after Hagrid was kicked out. Otherwise, Riddle wouldn't have got his award."

Ron tried a different tack.

"Riddle does sound like Percy - who asked him to squeal on Hagrid, anyway?"

"But the monster had killed someone, Ron," said Hermione.

"And Riddle was going to go back to some Muggle orphanage if they closed Hogwarts," said Harry. "I don't blame him for wanting to stay here..."

"You met Hagrid down Knockturn Alley, didn't you, Harry?" Asked Heroneka, thoughtfully.

"He was buying a Flesh-Eating Slug Repellent," said Harry quickly.

The four of them fell silent. After a long pause, Hermione voiced the knottiest question of all in a hesitant voice.

"Do you think we should go and ask Hagrid about it all?"

"Yeah, maybe." Heroneka bit her lip. "But I don't think that would be a cheerful visit."

"Oh, that'd be a cheerful visit, I can tell!" said Ron. "Hello, Hagrid. Tell us, have you been setting anything mad and hairy loose in the castle lately?'"

In the end, they decided that they would not say anything to Hagrid unless there was another attack, and as more and more days went by with no whisper from the disembodied voice, they became hopeful that they would never need to talk to him about why he had been expelled.

In March, the second years were given something new to think about during their Easter holidays. The time had come to choose their subjects for the third year, a matter that Hermione, at least, took very seriously.

"...it could affect our whole future," she told them as they pored over lists of new subjects, marking them with checks.

"I know what my future is," Heroneka said looking bored. "Eventually I will end up being a fully-fledged and evolved angel. I won't be able to kill myself after that even if tried to. And then, I will end up running around the world, trying to figure out how to get back to mother's original world where she came from."

Hermione, Ron and Harry stared at her looking very sad and sympathetic. But Heroneka made it less awkward my beginning to pick subjects.

"I just want to give up Potions," said Harry, after a few minutes of silence.

"We can't," said Ron gloomily. "We keep all our old subjects, or I'd have ditched Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"But that's very important!" said Hermione, shocked.

"Not the way Lockhart teaches it!" said Heroneka.

"Right!" Seconded Ron. "I haven't learned anything from him except not to set pixies loose."

Hermione took nobody's advice but signed up for everything. But Percy Weasley was eager to share his experience with Heroneka.

"Depends where you want to go, Snitchy," he said. "It's never too early to think about the future, so I'd recommend Divination. People say Muggle Studies is a soft option, but I personally think wizards should have a thorough understanding of the non-magical community, particularly if they're thinking of working in close contact with them - look at my father, he has to deal with Muggle business all the time. My brother Charlie was always more of an outdoor type, so he went for Care of Magical Creatures. Play to your strengths, Snitchy."