Darkness Falls

Thirteen

1992 - Second Year

It had been weeks since Hermione had spoken to Draco. She had decided that the best way not to think about him was to pretend like he didn't exist at all, which was proving to be quite difficult. She shared most of her lessons with him and he was now on the Slytherin Quidditch Team. Which meant even when she went to watch Harry play his most recent game he was there, flying around on Harry's tail. He was even hospitalised after the same Quidditch match, meaning he was also there when Hermione went to visit Harry, however, she prevailed and continued to pretend like he didn't exist.

After their History of Magic class where Professor Binns had told everyone about the legend of the Chamber of Secrets, Harry, Ron, and Hermione went straight to the books. They needed to find out more information on what the monster was that was potentially making its way around the school. After Harry's arm had healed properly from the unfortunate incident during the Quidditch match against the Slytherins, the group of three searched high and low for answers. The three Gryffindors sat in the library, where they were most days, going over old content when Ron decided he had finally had enough.

"Guys, I'm getting a strong sense of déjà vu right now. This feels like the hunt for information on the Philosophers Stone all over again," Ron complained. Harry put down the book he was flicking through and sighed, nodding in agreement with Ron while Hermione stayed focus on the page she was currently reading.

"There must be some other way we can find out information. We don't have much to go off other than the story Professor Binns told us, which when you think about it, wasn't a great deal. We don't know what the monster is, where the chamber is, if it even exists or who this Heir of Slytherin might be," Harry said as he closed the book he had been pretending to read for the past half an hour or so.

"I bet I know who would know something," Ron told Harry. They'd accepted that Hermione wasn't listening to their conversation and moved away from the table to sit by the window,

"Who?"

"Malfoy."

'Brilliant, I can't even escape him when I'm with Harry and Ron,' Hermione thought as she closed her book and looked at her friends. Ron and Harry exchanged worried looks like they had just been told off by Hermione's slamming of the book.

"It was just a suggestion, 'Mione, I know he makes your blood boil," Ron said as he moved back to sit on the table with Hermione.

"You're not wrong," Hermione told him.

"He makes my blood boil too," Harry said.

"No that's not what I meant, although that is true. I meant he probably would know something, but he's not exactly going to tell us is he?" Hermione said to them both. She kept her eyes down at the table as she spoke, there was a time when she would be able to ask him. There was a time when she could simply send him a note to meet her in their little room and she could comfortably discuss these issues with him, but that time had passed.

"If only there was a way we could trick him into telling us something," Ron said before he sighed and rested his head on his arms on the table in front of him. It suddenly dawned on Hermione that what Ron was suggesting wasn't actually too out of the question, there was perhaps a way they could trick Draco into telling them something.

"Ron you're a genius!" Hermione exclaimed as she stood up and walked away from the table. Ron looked over at Harry, confusion splashed across their faces before they both stood up and followed Hermione.

"The Polyjuice Potion, of course," Hermione mumbled to herself as she read through the pages, searching for what she needed.

"The Poly-what?" Harry asked.