ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴅʀᴀᴛᴛᴇᴅ ʟɪʟᴀ ʜᴏʟᴍᴇꜱ || ᴅʀᴀᴄᴏ ᴍᴀʟꜰᴏʏ x ᴏᴄ || ʏᴇᴀʀꜱ 1-3

basilisk

———— hermione pov ————

No one in the school was taking the news well.
Most of them felt guilty. Served them right. Others were just back to being afraid — they no longer had a scapegoat to avoid.

Dean was particularly distraught. I sat with him in classes and outside of them when I could, doing my best to comfort him.

"I know she's a fighter. I believe in her more than anything," he'd said. "But I'm afraid. What if she doesn't wake up? What if this is it for her?"

"It won't be," I assured him. "I promise, it won't."

But of course, this promise was built on nothing but my own determination. Harry, Ron, and I were doing the best we could, but we had nothing to investigate except some Muggle-born boy's empty diary and Myrtle's empty bathroom.

I overheard Snape and Malfoy talking before Potions at the front of his desk, Malfoy struggling to keep it together.

"I don't understand why she'd be so reckless," he said. "She never was before."

At this, Snape had pursed his lips, as though debating whether or not he wanted to say what he was thinking.

"I think," he said levelly, "that Miss Holmes has come across some information that has caused her to act rashly. I think she too has some secrets she wishes to keep hidden."

He looked at me after he said this, and I immediately averted my gaze, thinking he'd been glaring at me for eavesdropping. I only realized at dinner that night what he had meant. I remembered what Malfoy had said about the mind maps — He's the only other Parselmouth that's well known.

Voldemort. Of course.

I dropped my fork in my shock, gaining Harry and Ron's attention.

"Hermione?" Ron asked, concerned. "What's wrong?"

I couldn't tell them. This was Lila's secret to share. I couldn't be responsible for potentially losing her Harry and Ron's friendship. Harry especially — how would he react? Even if he could be related to Voldemort too, it's different when it's someone else.

"Nothing," I said quickly. "Forgot about the Potions project, is all."

Ron groaned, successfully distracted. "Bollocks. I forgot about that too."

Harry wasn't quite so convinced. He looked to me with a raised eyebrow. I only shook my head. I wouldn't ruin this for her — I refused.

———— lila pov ————

I found that the most I could do to aggravate Riddle in the moment was to talk to him. He was very easy to rile up, surprisingly.

"I'm so bored already. What do you even do in here all the time?"

Riddle had paused his sudden frantic writing to look at me. "You're so annoying. Has anyone ever told you how annoying you are?"

"Yes, but I'm a selective listener." I replied easily.

"I should have just killed you when I had the chance." He snapped.

"Yeah, probably." I hummed. He went back to writing, so I went back to bothering him.

"What are you doing?"

He had sat at a nearby desk and begun to scribble onto a singular piece of parchment.

"Replying," he answered. "It seems your hero, Harry Potter, has come upon my diary."

I felt my heart rate speed up. Damn it. Could he trap Harry in here too?