The Chamber of Secrets (Hermione Granger X Male Reader Insert)

30. An Unexpected Culprit

(Y/N)'s POV

All those times we were in that bathroom, and she was just three toilets away.

(Y/N) was told everything that Aragog had said to them last night in the Forbidd Forest. He couldn't believe how stupid he was in the whole situation. Myrtle was floating right in front of his face the entire time.

Sneaking off to the girls' bathroom wasn't going to be an easy feat either. They'd have to escape a teacher long enough to get there and question Myrtle. With it being the site of the first attack as well, it was going to be impossible.

That day, in Transfiguration, McGonagall gave them the news that their exams would start on the first of June, one week away.

"Exams?" howled Seamus. "We're still getting exams?"

A loud band came from in front of (Y/N). Neville's wand had slipped and it vanished one of the legs on his desk. McGonagall restored it with a, rather lazy, flick of her wand before turning back to Seamus with a frown.

"The whole point of keeping the school open at this time is for you to receive your education," she said sternly. "The exams will therefore take place as usual, and I trust you are all revising hard."

(Y/N) looked at his raven-feather quill. He hadn't dipped it in anything for the better half of a few weeks. He hadn't done much work since Hermione's petrification.

As the class came to an end, (Y/N) took a look at Hermione's empty seat beside him. He felt a twinge of sadness in his heart before he felt a rush of determination. He knew Hermione would be furious if he did awful in exams, and she would feel awful if she knew how her petrification was the source of (Y/N)'s lack of motivation.

He'd revise hard for the both of them if that's what it came from. He was going into a Hermione revision-mode as they walked to second lesson. He was trying to mentally plan catching up on his work and late homework and was also trying to figure out how he could balance that with revision in the library.

(Y/N)'s brain felt like it was overheating with the amount of thinking he was putting it through. However, he was snapped back to reality when he felt a firm hand on his shoulder.

Just before he walked into his next class, McGonagall had stopped him by the door. "(Y/N)," she said, sternly but with a hint of sympathy. "I understand that Miss Granger's petrification has affected you quite a bit. But I trust that you will revise hard, I don't think she'll be happy if she finds out that you scored awful any exam."

(Y/N) let a small smile come onto his lips before he spoke, "I know Professor. Funnily enough, I was just thinking the same thing."

McGonagall gave him her own small smile before she ushered him into the class. "I'm happy to hear that."

...

Three days before their first exam, Professor McGonagall made another announcement at breakfast.

"I have good news," she said, and instead of the Great Hall falling silent, joyful yells erupted.

People shouted and screamed their own theories. "Dumbledore's coming back!" yelled several people joyfully.

"You've caught the heir of Slytherin!" squealed a girl on the Ravenclaw table.