Chamber Born

It was two days later when Pansy’s second howler came. She was ready for it. It still hurt.

“YOU FILTHY BLOOD-TRAITOR. DRACO WROTE TO INFORM US. STUDYING WITH A MUDBLOOD? YOUR FATHER AND I FILED THIS MORNING. YOU HAVE BEEN DISINHERITED. YOU MAY NO LONGER USE OUR OUR INFLUENCE OR OUR GOLD. NEVER CONTACT US AGAIN.”

Pansy caught Granger’s sad and stricken look across from the hall. She also saw that both Weasley and Potter were trying to talk to her.

Draco looked—horrified? Pansy smiled at him.

“Well Draco, it seems you got what you wanted.”

“I didn’t—”

“Oh but you did. This was all thanks to you. You heard my mother.”

Then she turned, stood up from the second year section and firmly placed herself across from her sister and next to Ginny Weasley.

“Room for an outcast?” she said cheerfully.

“Of course,” Ginny said at once and slid over slightly. Pansy noticed the other first years give them a wide berth.

“Pans…” Draco started.

“No. You will never speak to me again, unless necessary in classes,” Pansy said with finality, not even looking at him.

Draco looked as if he were about to say something more, but just then his eagle owl dropped a letter in front of him. He opened it and grew visibly paler as he read. Then, quite uncharacteristically, he ran an anxious hand through his hair.

“So, now that we can finally talk in public, tell me what’s new,” Pansy said to Ginny. Aurellia laughed.

***

“Who do you think it was?”

“Probably something Malfoy made up. Can you imagine Parkinson studying with a muggleborn?”

“Hermione, what do you think?”

And just like that, all was forgotten… Maybe, had she not followed Pansy out of the hall the other day, had the girl not ruthlessly, but accurately surmised the way Harry and Ron used her intelligence, over and over again, she would have accepted the olive branch. Maybe accepted it without condemnation, even gratefully and a little desperately. But instead, she turned and raised an eyebrow at Ron.

“Weeks of not talking to me, and now you’d like my opinion on which muggleborn Parkinson is studying with?”

How could no one put together that it was her? They literally walked out of the hall together the other day. Was it that insane?

“‘Mione…” Ron started.

“Oh, I forgot we were on Ronald Weasley’s schedule. Now that your fragile ego isn’t hurt and Harry feels he has permission to talk to me, it’s all okay?”

Harry flinched and Ron turned red. Good. Maybe she’d been spending too much time with Pansy, but she went for the kill. She at least whispered it so only they could hear.

“You know, Harry. When you mentioned how your cousin scared anyone who would have been your friend away from you in Primary, I never thought either of you would put me in that position.”

Harry’s eyes went wide as if he’d been slapped and Hermione stood up and left the hall.

“Granger.”

She turned and saw Pansy walking toward her. Her face must be a sight because Pansy cocked her head.

“What happened?”

Hermione laughed.

“What happened? You just got disowned!”

“That’s not why you left.”

“Harry and Ron… they wanted to just blow over it, like nothing had happened.”

“Well, that’s shit. Want to sneak off to Hogsmeade and get some butterbeer?”

Pansy stopped and grabbed Hermione’s arm.

“Wait. You’ve never had butterbeer.”

“I can’t sneak out.”

“Yes you can, you did it the other day.”

“That was for an emergency!” Hermione hissed.

“This is an emergency! C’mon, I’m really broken up about losing my family. I need something to cheer me up.” Pansy said this in a tone that clearly indicated she was not that broken up about it.

“I’m sure.”

“Oh could you not act like a prefect for once in your life?”

“You think I act like a prefect?” Hermione said, feeling a warm glow spread through her.

“Why do you always take my insults as compliments?” Pansy said despairingly.

“Fine. But I’m blaming it all on you if we get caught. You forced me into it or something.”

“I’ll say I imperiused you into having a butterbeer with me.”

“Done.”

Before she could think twice about what she’d agreed to, Pansy was pulling her along toward the stairs.

It was surprisingly easy to sneak out in broad daylight. Students were free to walk about the grounds, so taking the path to Hogsmeade didn’t quite raise any eyebrows.

“Oh!” Hermione said, and pulled out her wand when they reached the edge of town. She pointed it at Pansy, who flinched. “I’m not going to curse you. I’m just transfiguring your robes so they don’t look like Hogwarts robes.”

“Oh, good thinking.”

Hermione did Pansy’s and then her own and then set off into the town. It was beautiful in the daylight. Hermione took it all in with a bit of wonder.

“I can’t believe we won’t see this again until our third year,” she said. Pansy rolled her eyes.

“C’mon Granger. You think this will be the last time we sneak in here?”

Hermione looked at her sharply. Surprised that Pansy was making plans to do anything with her in the future and scandalised at the thought of regular rule-breaking.

“So, where do we go?” Hermione said, deciding to ignore the comment altogether.

“Three Broomsticks. Apparently its the best pub in town.”

They walked deeper into the town, taking it all in, when they came upon a sign with three crossed broomsticks on it. Pansy led the way in and Hermione smiled at the cosy atmosphere of the pub. Pansy wrinkled her nose.

“Bit run down.”

“You are such a snob.”

“It’s called having standards, Granger.”

“I’m pretty sure it’s called being a snob.”

“How can I help you?”

“Two butterbeers, please,” Pansy said in a confident tone of voice that Hermione wasn’t sure she would have been able to muster under the circumstances. The woman gave them a look, but then nodded and filled two mugs with a wave of her wand.

They grabbed a table and Hermione sipped at it. It was delicious. There was a flash of silver light in Hermione’s periphery that caught her attention, but she didn’t see where it had come from.

“Good?” Pansy asked.

“Yeah. Really good.”

“Don’t drink too fast and get drunk.”

Hermione almost spit out her drink.

“What? These are alcoholic?”

Pansy erupted into giggles.

“Oh, I got you. They wouldn’t sell alcoholic drinks to children. They only spike ones for people who are of age.”

“You prat.”

This only caused Pansy to laugh more. Hermione fought a smile coming to her own face.

They had just finished their drinks when Pansy went pale.

“Oh no.”

Hermione turned and felt the blood drain from her own face. Professor McGonagall was walking toward them with a stern expression on her face.

“Come with me.”

The trek back to the castle was awful. Hermione was on the verge of a full blown panic attack by the time she made it to McGonagall’s office. She opened her mouth to confess, to apologise, when Professor McGonagall spoke.

“Have a biscuit.”

“W-what?”

“Have a biscuit. Both of you. Tea?”

“Sure,” Pansy said, with a brazenness that Hermione felt deserved an immediate admission to Gryffindor.

Professor McGonagall waved her wand and a tea set appeared. She poured them each a cup and settled back into her chair.

“Ms. Parkinson, I am sorry about what happened this morning… I have long held the belief that howlers have no place in this school. I believe the headmaster finds them… whimsical.” She said the word with distaste.

“Thank you, ma’am. But it’s probably better that everyone know all at once. The gossip will blow over quicker that way.”

Professor McGonagall nodded.

“I must say, I’m curious that I found you two together in Hogsmeade… given your history.”

Pansy opened her mouth and then closed it. For the first time since they saw Professor McGonagall, she looked uncomfortable.

“Pansy and I have… come to an understanding,” Hermione said. Professor McGonagall nodded.

“I am happy to hear it.

“Well, I’m sure you know that what you did is wrong.” She looked meaningfully at both of them and they both nodded. A slight smile appeared on Professor McGonagall’s face.

“Off with you.”

Hermione’s jaw dropped open.

“What? You’re not going to give us detention?”

Pansy let out a loud sigh. Professor McGonagall definitely seemed to be trying not to smile now.

“Not this time, I think. Off you go.”

They left the office, Hermione in a daze.

“She didn’t give us detention…”

“Yes well, I’m quite the charmer,” Pansy said.

“She should have given us detention.”

“I can’t believe you’re complaining.”

“I’m going to go ask her to give—”

Pansy grabbed her arm.

“You are going to do no such thing. I don’t know what spirit has possessed that woman, but we are going to thank the stars and move on.”

“But—”

“No buts,” Pansy said, dragging Hermione through the halls.

“Oy! Get off her! Kherprei Maledictum!”

There was a flash of light and Pansy was on the floor.

“Pansy!”

Hermione pulled out her wand, cold rage running through her.

“Oculogia!”

Ron yelled, clutched his eyes and dropped to the ground.

“What are you doing?” Hermione shouted at Harry.

“She was dragging you somewhere!”

“She was preventing me from asking for detention!”

This seemed to confuse Harry and he held up his wand.

“What are you talking about?”

“Put down your wand. We need to get them to the hospital wing,” Hermione said, half a second a way from cursing Harry and bringing them all up.

“What on—”

Both Hermione and Harry’s wands flew from their hands. Then two stretchers appeared out of nowhere and Pansy and Ron were levitated onto them.

“Both of you with me, unless you want to be taken on a stretcher as well.”

They both looked at an outraged Professor McGonagall. They followed her up to the Hospital Wing, Hermione’s hand clenched around Pansy’s arm. Whatever Ron had cast at her, it was bad. Her skin seemed to be rippling, and it looked as if something was moving beneath it.

Madam Pomfrey was at a loss. Ron was unconscious and already healed. But Pansy—they couldn’t wake Ron and find out what he’d cast without seriously risking that he go blind and Pansy’s condition was worsening, they couldn’t move her, and they were still waiting on someone from the spell damage ward at St. Mungos. Hermione felt guilt gnaw at her. It was her fault Ron was incapacitated. If only—

“Ginny!”

“What?”

“Ginny might know. I’m pretty sure they both learned curses from their older brother Bill before they went to Hogwarts.”

“I-I haven’t seen her,” Harry said, looking pale.

“Expecto Patronum!” McGonagall called. A silver tabby cat exploded from her wand and ran through a wall. Hermione had about a million questions, but she restrained herself.

Three minutes later, Ginny burst into the Hospital Wing, gasping for air.

“What’s wrong with Pansy?”

“Your brother cast an unknown curse on him. We would like you to try to identify it. We need to act fast or else Ms. Parkinson may suffer permanent damage.”

“This looks like the scarab skin curse. But I think he cast it wrong. Her skin isn’t supposed to ripple like that. Hold on.”

And then, to everyone’s shock, Ginny dashed out of the room.

***

Ginny ran to the nearest storeroom, went inside, and said, “Colloportus. Lumos.” She used the light at the end of her wand to pull out a quill, ink, and Tom Riddle’s Diary.

“Tom, my brother badly cast a scarab skin curse on a friend of mine. He’s knocked out and can’t tell us what he did. Her skin is rippling, but it seems like the scarabs are also still there. There isn’t much time.”

Rather than words, pictograms and numbers bloomed forth on the page. She stared in confusion.

“Tom?”

Words appeared in the margins.

“Working on it. This requires a lot of focus…”

Lists of equations began appearing and Ginny thought she recognised something from Charlie’s arithmancy books. Finally, words appeared again.

“I can save her, but I need you to let me in.”

“What does that mean?”

“I need permission.”

“Fine!”

Ink coalesced where her fingers touched the page and she found she couldn’t move them. This should have probably panicked her, but she was too focused on getting Pansy help. Then she felt it. Something slithering up her arms and then down her spine. It wasn’t exactly unpleasant, just a little creepy.

“Ginny.”

“Morgana, you’re in my head.”

There was a melodic laugh.

“I see you switched.”

“Yes, well…”

“Lead the way, Ginny. I don’t think we have much time.”

Right, being semi-possessed by a teenage boy not important right now. Ginny ran back into the Hospital Wing and approached Pansy’s bed. She pulled her wand.

“Oh, this is good. A decently close match.”

“What do I do?”

“Relax. I can’t cast if you’re panicking. It will be alright.”

Ginny took a deep breath and let it out. And then her hand began to move on its own. She watched in fascination as the wand moved in an intricate pattern. She felt Tom’s intent, and while she couldn’t see what he was imagining, she felt it. It was an unraveling. Her wand moved faster, the pattern changing slightly, and then she, he placed it in the middle of Pansy’s forehead. A blue light emanated from the point, and there was a flash. The rippling subsided and the scarabs were no more.

Ginny breathed out a sigh of relief.

“She’ll be okay.” She knew it as Tom knew it. Then she turned and saw everyone staring at her in shock.

Well shit.

Madam Pomfrey immediately strode toward Pansy.

“She’s stabilised. It’ll be some time before she wakes up, however.”

Ginny breathed a sigh of relief.

“You doubted me?” Tom thought at her.

“A bit,” Ginny thought back wryly, now giddy from their success.

“Ginny…” Hermione said. “What was that?”

“Errr, something I picked up?”