A/N: A line in bold without quotation marks is something written. Continued thanks to shygui for being a very helpful beta. Thanks also to all those reading and especially those reviewing.
"I have a cunning plan." ― Richard Curtis, Blackadder the Third
Harry's update to his friends was routine until he got to the last part where Daphne brought up Ron's wand. Ron chose to be insulted despite Harry paraphrasing her far more gently than what she'd actually said.
"She can keep her opinions to herself!"
Hermione tried first, "Ron, I really think…."
"No. I'm doing well enough. I'll see about it during the summer."
Hermione looked to him for help so he decided to try. "I think we should talk to McGonagall about it."
Ron glared at Harry but said nothing. "I'm serious. Maybe she could contact your father instead of your mum. Let him decide."
For the first time since it came up, Ron wavered so Harry tried again. "It's worth a try, Mate."
Ron gave a weary sigh before finally nodding acceptance.
It was late that night before Daphne was free to go to bed. She'd sealed and warded her bed curtains and spent a lot of time writing to her father. It may be a fast way to communicate remotely but it was still slow and tedious writing everything down. In the latter part of their correspondence, her father had been very curious about the malfunctioning portal to the platform. Harry hadn't told her anything about what caused it so it remained a mystery to them. Her father encouraged her to find out anything else that Potter might know about the heir. Somehow, despite all of the children who must be writing to parents, very little had gotten out. This had them both very curious.
Still, she was too preoccupied to go right to sleep. She had slipped up twice during her meeting with Harry and had been careful to allow none of that to come through in what she'd written to her father. He'd been so adorably fascinated to hear stories of his parents that she'd gotten lost in the moment herself. That was bad enough but then talking about having a husband when she'd been explaining why she couldn't share family magic with him was many times worse. She couldn't understand how that had come out of her mouth.
Fortunately, that had seemed to go over his head for the most part. She was also very grateful that he'd changed the subject. So, she had to admit that he was cute. And nice. But they were just associates. Tracey would just have to keep all of that romance nonsense to herself so it wouldn't pop into her head anymore. Her and Harry Potter? Ridiculous.
Monday, Harry and Ron headed to McGonagall's office during a free period hoping that she wasn't busy with a class for some other year but they were lucky and she was in. She greeted them well enough but her suspicious look at him made Harry nervous.
"Are you two in trouble again?"
Harry exchanged an embarrassed look with Ron who looked like he wanted to be anywhere but there. "Err, no. This is really something that happened with the whole car-tree thing. Ron's wand broke and we were hoping to get it replaced."
She looked at Ron when she replied. "That is something your parents will need to arrange."
Harry spoke up when Ron looked down in shame. "He's afraid of his mother's reaction. We were hoping we could contact his father and arrange something."
She gave Harry a hard look that nearly made him swallow nervously but then she nodded.
"Very well, let's see if we can reach Mr. Weasley." She went to her floo and threw in some powder and said "Department of Misuse of Muggle Artefacts, Ministry of Magic."
She put her head into the flames and they only heard her side of the conversation intelligibly. "Hello, Arthur. Your children are fine but I have a request on behalf of your youngest son. It seems his wand is broken and he was hoping to arrange to get a new one."
"Certainly."
She backed out of the fire and Mr. Weasley's head appeared in the flames instead. He looked around and saw the boys looking at him. "Hello, Harry, Ron. Ron, how did you break your wand?"
"Well, err, it happened when the car hit the tree or when the tree hit us back, somewhere in there."
"And this is coming up now because…."
Ron looked embarrassed and looked at Harry briefly before answering. "Well, I've been trying to get along with it as it is but it's not really working out well. My friends think I shouldn't wait to get another one."
"I agree but the timing is rather bad. The inquiry is over but money is a little tight right now and I'd have to talk to your mother about that."
Harry felt like his heart sank as Mr. Weasley gave Ron a regretful look and Ron looked down in shame. He couldn't let this stand. "It'll be an early Christmas present from me then. I've got plenty to cover it and say – if we could include a little Christmas shopping with it, I'd really appreciate it. I haven't gotten any chance to really do that here. It would be a favour to me too." He thought the last part would make it seem less like charity. It really wasn't charity to him but he knew it wouldn't be easy to convince them of it.
From the corner of his eye he saw Ron giving him a confused look while Mr. Weasley looked surprised.
"Are you certain, Harry?"
"Absolutely, Mr. Weasley. I'd also appreciate the chance to get some gifts as well." He couldn't believe his luck, it was working!
"In that case…. Alright, I will floo Molly that I have to work late tonight and if you can floo here, I'll take you both to Diagon Alley myself. Will that work, Professor McGonagall?"
"Yes, of course Arthur. Remember you aren't a student anymore. My name is Minerva."
"Right, Minerva. Then they can use your floo right after dinner?"
"Of course. I'll arrange everything on this end."
"Great, thanks. I'll see the two of you this evening. Until then."
Harry was elated until his head of house asked for a moment of his time while Ron waited in the hall. He turned back to her with slight trepidation. "Five points to Gryffindor for being a good friend. Well done, Mr. Potter."
He was gobsmacked once again. "Thank you, Professor."
While he waited for Mr. Ollivander to find the right wand for Ron, Harry felt a bit like a fraud. He'd gotten points for something that was more Daphne's idea than his. He resolved to get a nice Christmas gift for her to show his appreciation. He'd finally be in a position to get some gifts for all of his friends.
He'd seen a nice bracelet in a store window and gone in to buy it, although it was a little more expensive than he'd expected. He'd had to endure a suspicious look from Ron, but at least he didn't say anything. Things went more smoothly at the sweet shop where they split up. He was sure everyone was going to get candy from Ron but Harry stocked up too, including some chocolate frogs for Ron for Christmas day. He also got a large bar of Honeyduke's finest but he was unsure about whom it was for at that point. Of course, Ron insisted on going to the Quidditch supply store with an indulgent smile from his father but it paid off as they agreed to go in together on a book about the Holyhead Harpies for his sister.
Harry couldn't believe his luck. He just had to be the one who found Finch-Fletchley. He had ended up late for transfiguration, the only consolation was that Professor McGonagall already knew why he was late and motioned for him to just take his seat. He had trouble concentrating though and luckily, the professor pretended not to notice.
Later, as he was walking towards the great hall for dinner, it felt like his pocket was getting hot. He wondered what was going on until he realized that was where he was keeping the parchment from Daphne. Sure enough, there was a message to meet right after dinner. Although he had told them about the parchment the three others looked at it curiously but luckily they said nothing. He scrawled a quick agreement back then tried not to look for her when he entered to eat. He certainly didn't want to give anything away in his distraction.
Harry was almost done when Hermione pointed out that Daphne had already left. He finished quickly and headed off himself. When he entered their usual meeting room, he was surprised to see her bent over so that he couldn't see her face. When she looked up and sent the spells again he saw that her eyes were red and she looked very upset. He became nervous as he wondered if he was somehow in trouble.
She mostly pulled her stoic mask back in place as she stated, "I heard about Finch-Fletchley. What happened?"
He muttered defensively, "I found him, that's all. I had nothing to do with it."
Her eyes became a little harder. "I never said you did. Tell me what happened."
Harry swallowed nervously and then did just that. She seemed calmer when she responded. "So a window was broken? Did you see anything unusual around?"
A joke about a petrified boy and ghost came to his mind but she was still too serious and he didn't take the risk. "No, Peeves was the only other one around."
"Were they facing the same way?"
Harry had to picture it in his mind again but then he realized that they must have been. "Yes. Justin was behind Sir Nicholas. They were both facing the same way."
"So he would have seen whatever it was through the ghost?"
"I guess so. Is that important?"
"I don't know but I'm trying to get all of the facts. We'd best figure this out quickly or they might close the school. My father will not be happy about this."
Harry gulped, that had never occurred to him. She had a point, they had lost two students already and whatever could petrify a ghost was scarily powerful.
"Are you taking any precautions at all?"
The ferocity of her question and the glare she was giving him would have made him step back if he wasn't sitting. As it was, he leaned away from her. "What do you mean?"
"That could have been you!"
He blinked in confusion. He had rarely encountered concern for his wellbeing, that being limited to Hermione and Mrs. Weasley. It appeared that there was now a third person who would do that but neither of the other two had ever been so fierce about it. He was at a complete loss at what to say.
Daphne snapped, "There is a difference between bravery and recklessness!"
Harry was not certain why but he felt very embarrassed at that moment. He believed he had to defend himself though. "I wasn't reckless, I was just at the wrong place at the wrong time!"
"Do you honestly think there is no threat to you in this?"
"I'm not a Muggleborn…."
Daphne cut him off vehemently, "Harry James Potter!"
Harry recoiled so violently that he made the desk he was sitting in move. She knew his full name! He wasn't sure why but her saying his full name like that was very scary. "I'm sorry…."
Daphne closed her eyes and took several deep breaths. That eased Harry's concern a little but he was still on edge. This was not going any sort of well at all, in fact it was very pear-shaped.
Her breathing was still erratic. "This is very likely to have something to do with the Dark Lord. The same Dark Lord who wants you dead! Did you ever think about that?"
Harry felt his face burning and he certainly wasn't going to argue anymore. "I'll be careful from now on."
Her glare finally receded. "See that you do."
She might be calmer now but Harry was not about to stir things up so he kept very still. She looked at him again and her eyes seemed to soften.
"The only creatures I know of that can do this are a gorgon, cockatrice or a basilisk. Gorgons are supposed to be extinct, cockatrices are hard to breed and have been banned for hundreds of years and a basilisk, well, I don't even want to think about that. I don't know of a spell for this but if there is one, the Dark Lord would know it. Maybe it's just advanced transfiguration, I don't know and neither does my father. Whatever this is, is serious. We must all be careful but especially you, Harry."
He saw a flicker of something in her eyes at the end but wasn't sure what it was. He was just glad she was done with the shouting and the scowling. He'd rather face Snape than an angry Daphne.
"There's something odd about the choice of victims here, Potter. Both of them annoyed you before they got petrified. Either someone is trying to frame you or they are trying to protect you in some weird way. Either way, you cannot assume you are not personally involved. Got it?"
"I get it, I do."
"Good. So, have you posed for any more pictures with Lockhart?"
She was teasing him! He was very glad to work with that. "Ugh, as if I'd want to."
She didn't seem to know what to say any more than he did so he decided to satisfy his curiosity about one thing. "When is your birthday?"
"Planning on buying me a gift, Potter? It's January 9th. I expect something nice." She used a very posh voice and put her nose in the air to complete the act. They both laughed. Then he spotted a mischievous look in her eyes and held his breath.
"So, tell me about that bludger that liked you so much."
She was doing it to him again. There just seemed to be something about embarrassing stories regarding him that fascinated her. She was alternately thrilled and concerned as he described the ordeal, including the 'healing' courtesy of Lockhart. She became serious as he explained his meeting with Dobby after the fact and then his earlier encounter at his aunt and uncle's house. She was very pensive for most of the last of his recitation. She seemed relieved when he told her that Dobby had arranged the block on the portal at the train station.
"That really helps. First, you should see about having that infraction stricken. Submit your memory and they'll take it off your record, it should never have happened. I wish you had told me this sooner. If this has happened before, father should be able to find out about it. Also, I remember hearing about Dobby and he is Lucius Malfoy's personal elf. This clinches it; the Malfoys are up to something. Whatever is going on here they are up to their necks in it. My father can use this information, maybe he can do something."
Harry grinned. They were finally making progress and this agreement with Greengrass was totally worth it. She asked if he had any more that could help them and he said no. If he wasn't going to admit to the mysterious voice he heard to Dumbledore, he certainly wasn't going to mention it now.
Then he noticed that his right hand was starting to ache. He looked at it and saw nothing wrong so he refocussed on Daphne who seemed lost in thought. The pain grew more intense and started to expand up his arm and he finally realized what was going on. His magical promise was not going to let him omit possibly pertinent information. If he wanted this pain to end, he had to speak up.
"Actually, there is one thing that might help but it might have been my imagination."
He had her full attention now as she looked at him curiously. "What?"
The pain had all but disappeared so he had to follow through. "I heard a voice. Twice, actually. The first time was at the end of my detention with Lockhart. He said he didn't hear it. Then, on Halloween night, I heard it again with Ron and Hermione but they didn't hear it either."
"Where was it?"
"It seemed to come from the walls. It wasn't complete sentences it was phrases about ripping, killing, smelling blood. That sort of thing."
She seemed to be thinking furiously and he hoped her conclusion wasn't that he was mad. When he saw a look of dawning horror on her face he began to wish he were somewhere else. "Oh bloody hell!" After her exclamation, she suddenly put both hands over her mouth as she blushed and looked at him with pleading eyes. She removed her hands to speak more quietly.
"Please don't tell anyone I said that."
"I've heard that a lot from Ron. It's no big deal."
"I've been raised to be the heiress of House Greengrass. I have to control myself better than that. Please keep this to yourself."
"Sure, of course." Harry couldn't believe she was so shaken by that minor brush with profanity. He'd heard much worse than that.
She took a deep breath before continuing. "I think it's a basilisk. It fits all of the facts. If seen indirectly it petrifies its victims. It's a snake so it could move through pipes or spaces in the walls of the castle. Also, you are probably the only human being here who could understand what it is saying. Harry, you were hearing a snake and everyone else would hear hissing or just noise."
He'd never put it together, he hears a voice that nobody else heard but he wasn't mad, it was just him being a Parselmouth! She spoke so quietly that he almost didn't catch what she'd said next.
"If I tell him this, he'll pull me out of Hogwarts."
Harry felt his blood drain from his face. She had a point. Why would her father or any parent at that, allow their child to remain in a school with a basilisk running loose? Well, his aunt and uncle wouldn't care; they'd cheer for the basilisk! But any normal parents would pull their child out. His heart plummeted as he realized he'd be back with his relatives sooner than planned and it might be some time before he could return. If he thought it would help, he'd start cursing so much that Daphne would see how little her outburst meant.
He saw a tear slowly running down her cheek and wished he knew what to do. At least she wasn't sobbing but he was really bad at this feelings stuff. How can you know how to comfort someone when you've had so little exposure to that? Well, he could share the feeling, which would be perfectly true as well.
"I don't want to leave Hogwarts either."
She regarded him solemnly for a moment before her eyes softened and she asked, "Those Muggles, they're don't care about you, do they?"
How did they get on this subject? The very thing he least wanted to talk about. All he could do is look down in embarrassment.
"It's not hard to figure out. How you dress when not in your Hogwarts robes, how you act. Just remember one thing: How they treat you says more about them than it does about you. I think you're a nice guy. For a Gryffindor, that is."
He looked up to see her smirking at him. He was grateful for the sentiment but even more for the humour. "And you're a pretty nice girl… for a Slytherin."
Her return smile faded. "We can't keep this to ourselves. This isn't our decision. Should we tell… Dumbledore?"
"Yeah, I reckon so. This is bigger than any one house, it affects the entire school."
"Do you know how to get there?"
"Just saw it today, after, you know… Justin."
She nodded and then spoke a little timidly. "Could you tell him?"
"Well, I could start it but I don't want to take credit for what you figured out. It wouldn't be right."
She mumbled something like 'Gryffindor chivalry' and shook her head as she looked away in thought. She looked torn so he decided to offer her something that would make her involvement less obvious.
"I have my cloak, you could wear it so nobody would see you."
She looked intrigued and then a little shy. "You'd let me wear it?"
"Sure, why not? We're friends aren't we?"
He wasn't sure why she blushed at that but her return nod made him feel warm. He officially had a new friend now and that made him feel much better. He dug it out and offered to her and she took it with a look of wonder. She stroked it and then marvelled at how it made her hand disappear.
He tried not to smirk too much as she examined it but she eventually caught him and narrowed her eyes at him. He cleared his throat and then said, "Should we get going then?"
She dropped her mock glare and nodded before sending the unlocking spell at the door and putting on the cloak. "I'll follow you."
Harry kept a slightly slower pace than usual knowing that it might take her a while to get accustomed to using the cloak. She kept up well as far as he could tell. She was quite light on her feet so he couldn't always hear her. Harry found himself in front of the intimidating stone gargoyle for the second time that day. He tried to sound confident when he gave the password, "Lemon Drop."
The gargoyle moved aside and he heard a gasp beside him when he stepped forward and took his place on the revolving stairs. He could feel her right behind him as apparently, he was not the only one who was a little intimidated. When they were out of sight of anyone who might be in the hallway, she slowly began to remove the cloak and handed it to Harry with a smile and a nod of thanks. Apparently, she had enjoyed the experience.
Before he felt ready, they were before the heavy oak door and just as he had his hand ready to knock, they heard an invitation. "Come in."
They exchanged a look before Harry opened the door and he preceded her into the room. Harry continued forward to approach the headmaster's desk while Daphne trailed behind, looking around at the circular room nervously.
Harry saw Dumbledore look behind him curiously before greeting them. "Harry, Miss Greengrass, welcome. To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"
Harry decided to get the hardest part out of the way first. "Well, Daphne figured out what is petrifying people and well, one of the clues is something I should have told you earlier." He swallowed and watched Dumbledore's expression carefully but only saw curiosity so he decided it was safe to continue.
"I heard a voice, twice. Once was at the end of my detention with Lock… err… Professor Lockhart and again just before the message appeared in the hall. It was going on about ripping, killing and smelling blood. When nobody else heard it, I was afraid others would think I was going barmy so I kept it to myself. But Daphne reckons that it was me hearing a snake talking and nobody else would know what that was. Also, the voice was coming from a wall both times and she reckons it was in a pipe or space within the walls. Anyway, she thinks the thing attacking students is a basilisk."
Harry glanced back at Daphne and saw she was still not close to the desk and looking very apprehensive.
"Indeed? I am very impressed, Miss Greengrass. Take ten points for Slytherin." Harry saw her brighten upon hearing that. "That was one of my suspicions as well and it is supported by the recent attacks upon the roosters that Hagrid has. Do you know why that supports your theory?"
Daphne nodded before answering, "The crow of a rooster is fatal to a basilisk."
"Very good again, Miss Greengrass. That brings us to the fact that someone here is helping the basilisk since the attacks on the roosters do not appear to be by a snake plus it would be more prudent for a basilisk to avoid all contact with a rooster in the first place. You don't happen to have a theory on who that might be, do you?"
Daphne looked crestfallen and shook her head no and when Dumbledore turned his eyes to Harry, he did the same. "It seems that figuring that out will fall to the faculty then." Dumbledore's grin was so infectious that Harry nearly laughed.
Then Dumbledore indicated a stone on the corner of his desk. "I prepared a defence in case we were facing a basilisk. Mr. Potter, if you will, place that stone on the floor and tap it with your wand. Consider this a test of what I have in mind."
Harry did as he was asked and was so surprised when a crowing rooster appeared in the rock's place that he lost his balance and fell on his bum, which startled the rooster into running away from him. Harry heard a sound from Daphne's direction that sounded suspiciously like a stifled laugh and turned to look at her. When he saw her public stoic face, he gave her a mock glare to which she merely raised an eyebrow as if to ask, 'what?'
Harry turned back in time to see Dumbledore return the rooster into a stone.
"I suppose that is somewhat startling to the user. I plan to give one of those to every person who will lead a group of children. Everyone will be restricted to their common rooms unless going to class or the library. Everyone will go in groups, nobody will be allowed to be alone. Harry, can you guess why I added that restriction?"
Harry wasn't sure so he got up to give himself a few moments to think. He came up with a guess before the silence became too long. "Whoever is helping or directing the basilisk is probably working alone. If nobody is allowed out alone, they won't be able to coordinate any new attacks. Also, groups are riskier to attack, all victims had been alone."
"Very good, Harry. Ten points to Gryffindor. Do either of you have something else to suggest?"
Harry thought it was a good plan so he looked at Daphne who seemed uncomfortable with the attention. She replied, "I have a question."
"Which is?"
"Why haven't the petrified students been revived yet?"
"We are waiting for Professor Sprout's mandrakes to mature."
"But they are still young. My father's business is potions supplies and potions. He could supply either mature mandrakes or the potion itself. There's no reason to wait."
Dumbledore appeared to consider her carefully for a moment. "That is a very good point, Miss Greengrass. Have your father get in touch with Professor Snape. They can make the arrangements between them."
"Of course, Headmaster."
Dumbledore nodded jovially before speaking again. "Very well, I had better let you two return to your dorms then. Harry, please take that stone with you and escort Miss Greengrass to her dorm. If you hear that voice or any other indication of an attack, use it quickly and do not look for the basilisk."
"Yes, Professor." Harry went over to retrieve the stone and saw Daphne waiting for him and trying to appear calm. He knew her well enough by now to tell that she was nervous despite her act. He waited until they had left the office and were on the stairs to act on his knowledge.
He whispered, "Is something wrong?"
"My father wanted our association to remain private. If you escort me to my dorm we'll be seen."
Harry grinned at her and held out his cloak and she began to blush. "Oh, right. You can be under the cloak and others will think I'm alone." She then gave him a smirk and he wondered what was next. "I'll feel very safe with my gallant, invisible protector accompanying me." She gave him a mock curtsy and he barely stifled a guffaw.
He gestured for her to precede him and started to put on the cloak. Harry had his wand and the stone ready but the trip to her common room was uneventful until she stopped, looked around and gestured for him to stay. He realized why when she stepped closer to the wall, whispered a password he didn't catch and disappeared through a door that appeared in the wall. His return to Gryffindor tower was equally uneventful.
Daphne had great difficulty maintaining her stoic mask when she heard about Finch-Fletchley since it included Harry Potter. Especially when one version of the rumour had Harry as petrified also. She ignored the versions that had Harry as the attacker. She had forgotten to bring her parchment linked to Harry's with her so she took it after the last class and wrote to him to meet right after dinner. She was relieved to get a response while she was getting her food.
She saw him enter with his friends and tried to keep an unobtrusive eye on him, which Tracey found amusing. She gave up on trying to watch him and finished her meal so she could be alone and wait for him. When she got to the room, she finally let her feelings out and had a short cry. She was worried about what was happening, about Harry in particular but also mad at herself for being this way. This is not how her father had raised her to be and it shamed her.
She tried to keep her normal demeanour but that idiot boy was making it so hard for her with his total disregard for danger. Was it idiocy rather than bravery that made Gryffindors like they were? Once she made her point she felt bad about it though. His reaction to her anger just reaffirmed her impression of how he had been raised. Her feelings about this boy were just all over the place and it made things worse. Then she'd called him by his first name but fortunately, he didn't seem to catch on to that fact.
It took her a while to find a subject to try to get things back to normal but it led back to another clue. She was now sure that the Malfoys were behind this mess but there was obviously something she was missing as Draco's reactions to what was happening didn't match up to him controlling the situation. Could his father be controlling things from outside the school? If so, why not keep his son informed? On the other hand, since Draco was so bad at keeping a low profile, it would be smart of his father to leave him uninformed.
She was puzzling over that mystery when Harry surprised her again. Mysterious voices only he could hear would normally be a bad sign but Harry wasn't mad in her opinion and he was special in a way: could those facts combine into an answer? When she connected it to what she knew of that could petrify people, she came up with an answer that she had dreaded. Basilisk!
Now, she was not only concerned about Harry but also her future. With a basilisk loose, her father would pull her from school faster than she could raise an objection. She tried not to think about being separated from Harry too. Oh, his relatives - he'd have to go back to them! This was a disaster!
It was his attempt to comfort her, lame as it was, that brought her back from her panic. She decided to tease him and when he teased her back, it helped her think of a way that might allow them both to be able to stay.
She really didn't want to go with him to Dumbledore though. Based on her father's feelings about the man, revealing their association to him was not something she wanted to do. Only the fact that the alternative was likely to be taken home, she relented.
Then he stunned her by offering to let her use his cloak. She was entranced by the quality and effectiveness of the cloak. She felt very privileged for this opportunity and his calling her a friend nearly started the waterworks again. She had never even imagined that she could feel this way about a boy. She'd seen marriage as a family obligation, not in a romantic way so she had never really considered dating or boys. That wall was beginning to crumble now though.
When the ugly gargoyle and the immediacy of meeting Dumbledore hit her, it did not escape her notice how she had gravitated to Harry for reassurance. Her father had emphasized self-reliance for as long as she could remember and she had never sought reassurance from her father and rarely from her mother. Yet, here she was looking for it from someone she had only recently officially met.
She had tried to remain in the background but neither Harry nor Dumbledore had been inclined to allow that to happen. She was surprised when Dumbledore did not seem interested in using or manipulating her. He'd acted like a professor and after his eccentric appearance and speeches, it was not what she expected in private. Perhaps revealing themselves to the headmaster was not as bad an idea as she'd thought.
She was deeply troubled by his answer about reviving the petrified students though. He was Dumbledore! He had to be very aware of the availability of mandrake and the potion itself outside of Hogwarts. What was he playing at? She was leaning towards incompetence as a motive for deliberate delay escaped her.
Dumbledore's suggestion that Harry escort her back brought her mind back to the danger. However, it also set them up for blowing their cover and she felt like an idiot when Harry had to point out his cloak after she'd just worn it there. That was just an example of the muddled thinking that could result when she allowed her emotions to control her mind. She wasn't being a good Slytherin or heiress when she acted like that. It didn't matter if that was what she wanted or not, it was a fact.
She'd tried to make light of the fact that he was protecting her but a part of her was not letting that fact go. She tried not to think of the fact that Dumbledore's new policy would make it nearly impossible for her to meet Harry alone anymore. At least they still had the enchanted parchments.
As they got closer to her common room, she tried to prepare herself for meeting an undoubtedly curious Tracey and most of all, how to manage her father. She regretted the fact that she had to keep their password safe from a Gryffindor. She hoped he did not take it as a slight but she just didn't feel up to talking to him right then. Her emotions were still too close to the surface and it might not go well. She had never realized that she could feel so many different emotions at once. This was a totally new experience for her and she was not confident in managing it well.
She sighed as she saw Tracey brighten when her friend saw her enter their dorm. She knew that look in her eyes, she would want details. Unfortunately for Tracey, there weren't any details she'd share on the subject of Tracey's interest. She had much more serious news to give her friend.
Harry practically groaned in relief when he finally got to lie down in his bed. Neville and Ron reacted pretty much as expected but Hermione had been especially tiresome that night. She didn't seem to like it that Daphne had figured out what was attacking students and fought the idea until she heard that Dumbledore had accepted it. Then she promised to research a solution only to find out next that Dumbledore already had one. She had been quiet and distracted for the rest of his revelations so it had finally ended.
He really liked Hermione, she was normally a very good friend. However, this drive she had to figure everything out herself was annoying. It wasn't until he was contemplating this in his bed when he realized that might be what she saw as her role in their group. It was nice to have a studious friend at times but really, all he wanted was a friend. She didn't have to solve everything especially as he had learned that not all problems have a practical solution. Sometimes, you just had to live with something – like the Dursleys. He'd have to figure out a way to tell her that.