Unique (Hermione x M! OC)

17. Petrified

Tomorrow I get to take Hermione out of the infirmary, it's been two weeks. I took notes for the classes she missed and I made sure to stay with her for two to three hours a day, she needed a friendly face. Of course Ron and Harry made the occasional drop in, but she must've taken on a few catlike characteristics, because now she always wants a head rub, I make sure to oblige when my hands don't ache from writing two sets of notes. I remember one visit of mine quite vividly, I had found a bouquet of flowers in the trash, after she had drifted off. The note read:

To Miss Granger. Wishing you a speedy recovery! From your concerned teacher, Gilderoy Lockhart.

I smiled at her and decided to spend the night. Which I then did for three consecutive nights. Now it's Saturday. Her tail has finally disappeared and she'll be ready to move soon. Over this time, I've gotten a lot of writing done for our book. The first one, after a twenty week stay, has fallen down to number five, and this book feels even better than the last one. Harry and Ron burst in with a little black book, causing me to hit a wrong key. I sigh in frustration before setting my typewriter down. I clutch Snape's watch.

"There's a name in this diary." Hermione says, "Tom Marvolo Riddle."

"Tom Marvolo Riddle?" Ron asks, taking the book, "I know that name... Of course! The night I had detention... My job was to polish the silver in the trophy room. I remember because I kept burping slugs all over Tom Riddle's trophy. I must have wiped slime off his name for an hour."

"What was the trophy for?" Harry asks.

"Special Services to the School or something -- fifty years ago?"

"Fifty years ago! Are you sure?" Hermione demands as if having a eurika moment.

"Yeah, why?"

"Don't you remember what Malfoy told you?" Hermione asks, "The last time the Chamber was opened was--"

"Fifty years ago." Harry recalls, "That means-"

"Tom Riddle was here, at Hogwarts, when it happened. What if he wrote about what he saw? It's possible he knew where the Chamber was, how to open it, even what sort of creature lives in it. If so, whoever's behind the attacks this time wouldn't want this diary lying around, would they?"

"That's a brilliant theory, Hermione. With just one tiny little flaw. There's nothing written in this diary." Harry shows the pages and I groan. "Sam, I might need your help tonight. You are the best student in the school-- behind Hermione, you might be able to help me figure this out."

"I-"

"It's okay, Sammy, I'll be fine alone for a night. Give me our book so far, I'll read through that." I sigh and hand it to her. She takes it and smiles. "This'll keep me occupied."

"Good. Be safe tonight."

"No promises." She jokes. I bend down quickly and kiss her on the cheek. She gets all red and flustered after that, which I always find cute, and I leave with the boys. Again being a boy myself, that sounds weird, but trust me, it makes sense.

Me and Harry sit in the common room, exhausted from looking at this diary for hours to no avail, a ghost reading and humming at a loud volume next to me. Harry snaps first, "Do you mind?!" The ghost walks away with a stuck-up attitude. Shakespeare purrs as I rub my knuckle over her chin then she knocks over the thing of ink with her tail. Harry quickly picks it up as she struts proudly away.

"Sorry about that." I grunt.

"It's fine, the book's rubbish any-" The ink spill disappears after seemingly responding to the mess. Harry gets excited and dips his pen in what's left of the ink before writing out, 'My name is Harry Potter.'