Hermione Granger wound her way through the corridors of Hogwarts, her mind a perfectly organized map of schedules and routines. She knew exactly where to find Harry Potter at this time of day. As predicted, he was in an alcove near the library, poring over a Defense Against the Dark Arts text, his brow furrowed in concentration. The alcove was a quiet spot, ideal for studying—or for discreet conversations.

  She watched him whist he sat there, the books had always made it seem like harry was just naturally gifted in DADA, however the reality seemed a little different, he studied and from what she was witnessing, he studied hard. Was it because he enjoyed the subject, or was this another facet of his damaged psyche from the Dursleys, or perhaps, his subconscious was recalling his mother’s death, that would expin why Dementors in the book were able to dredge up a memory he didn’t even know he had… suppressed trauma was a bitch to deal with.

  Hermione shook her head, pushing aside her sympathy. She had a mission to focus on. With a deep breath, she approached Harry, her footsteps soft on the stone floor. As she neared, Harry looked up, his green eyes widening slightly in surprise.

  "Harry," Hermione said in a low voice, gncing around to ensure they were alone. "I need to talk to you about something important. It's about the Chamber."

  Harry's expression shifted from surprise to curiosity, then to a hint of wariness. He leaned in closer, his voice barely above a whisper. "What about the Chamber? Have you found something?"

  Hermione nodded, her eyes darting around once more before she leaned in even closer. "I think I know where to find something that could help us stop this," she whispered, her voice urgent. "But I need your help, Harry. More specifically, I need to borrow your invisibility cloak."

  Harry's eyes widened, a mix of surprise and hesitation flickering across his face. He gnced around nervously before leaning in even closer. "My cloak?" he whispered, his voice barely audible. "Hermione, that's... I mean, it's not just some ordinary object. It's special. Why do you need it?"

  Hermione hesitated for a moment, weighing her words carefully. She knew she needed to strike the right bance between urgency and discretion. "I believe there's an object in Gryffindor Tower that's connected to all of this," she said, her voice low and intense. "Something dangerous. I need to get in there undetected to find it and potentially put a stop to these attacks."

  Harry's eyes widened, a mix of curiosity and suspicion crossing his face. "In Gryffindor Tower? But how do you know? And... wait, how do you even know about my invisibility cloak?"

  Hermione faked a look of Panic. She needed him to think she slipped up, mentioning the cloak so casually. She composed her features into a mask of calm. "Harry, there's... there's something I haven't told you. I’m not able to tell you, and I’m sorry I can’t tell you what that is, but I really need you to trust me. If we don’t stop that thing now, people are going to die.”

  Harry's expression shifted from suspicion to confusion. He wasn’t against helping her, but how could she know people were going to die because of it? Then he remembered Ron talking about how Professor Trewney was supposed to be a Seer, a fake one that only predicted peoples deaths, which made him consider how Hermione was always in the right pce at the right time to help people saying people were going to die… "You're... you're a Seer?" he whispered, his voice filled with wonder.

  Hermione's eyes widened, and she shook her head quickly. "No, no, I'm not a Seer," she said, perhaps a bit too hastily.

  Harry looked at her intently, clearly not entirely convinced by her denial. "But how else could you have known about the Dursleys? About me being bullied? And you saved Neville from that broom accident..." His voice trailed off, his eyes searching her face.

  Hermione bit her lip, looking away. "I’m not a Seer Harry, besides I already expined how I worked out the Dursleys.”

  Harry seemed to wrestle with this for a moment, then nodded slowly. "Alright," he said softly. "I'll help. But how are we going to get into the girls' dormitory? The stairs are enchanted to turn into a slide if a boy tries to go up."

  Hermione nodded, relieved he seemed to not believe her denial, that would make her future interventions easier to manage. "I'll go up alone. You can keep watch in the common room under your cloak. If anyone comes in, give a signal - maybe imitate a cat's meow?"

  Harry considered this, then nodded. "Okay. When do we do this?"

  "Tonight, at midnight," Hermione replied. "Meet me outside the Fat Lady's portrait. Make sure no one sees you leave your dormitory."

  As midnight approached, Hermione made her way through the shadowy corridors, her heart pounding with a mixture of anticipation and anxiety. She spotted Harry waiting by the portrait, his invisibility cloak draped over his arm.

  "Ready?" he whispered as she approached. Hermione nodded, and they slipped under the cloak together, their bodies pressed close in the confined space.

  Harry whispered the password, and the portrait swung open. They crept into the Gryffindor common room, the warm red and gold decor a stark contrast to the cool greens of Slytherin. Hermione's eyes scanned the room, searching for any sign of movement.

  "I'll go up to the girls' dormitory," Hermione whispered. "Keep watch here, and remember the signal if anyone comes in."

  Harry nodded, positioning himself near the portrait hole. Hermione slipped out from under the cloak and ascended the stairs to the girls' dormitories, her wand at the ready. The cloak would restrict her movement too much to grab the item. Luckily, she only needed the cloak to bypass the wards on the entrance door that alerted Prefects to trespassers, crafty piece of warding she’d spotted on the Slytherin entrance, that meant in the books Snape had known Ron and Harry had broken in but done nothing about it. Probably expined why he was always compint about preferential treatment.

  In the first-year girls' dormitory, Hermione moved silently between the beds, searching for Ginny's trunk. She found it at the foot of a bed adorned with a hand-knitted bnket. With a whispered "Alohomora," the trunk clicked open.

  Hermione's hands trembled slightly as she rifled through Ginny's belongings, searching for the telltale bck diary. Just as her fingers brushed against something that felt like a book, a soft "meow" echoed from the common room.

  Heart racing, Hermione grabbed the book and shut the trunk. She raced down the stairs, her eyes darting around the common room. She couldn't see Harry, but she knew he must be there under the cloak.

  The portrait hole swung open, and Percy Weasley strode in, his prefect badge glinting in the dim light. He paused, frowning as he scanned the room. Hermione held her breath, pressing herself against the wall.

  After what felt like an eternity, Percy shook his head and climbed the stairs to the boys' dormitories. Hermione waited until she heard a door close, then felt a hand grasp her arm. Harry's head appeared, floating in midair as he partially removed the cloak.

  "Did you get it?" he whispered. Hermione nodded, showing him the small, bck diary. T.M. Riddle was embzoned on its cover in peeling gold letters.

  They slipped out of the common room and into the safety of the dark corridor. Only then did Hermione dare to examine the object she'd retrieved more closely.

  "Is that it?" Harry whispered, eyeing the diary. "What is it? How is this connected to the Chamber?"

  Hermione's grip tightened on the diary. "It's... complicated, Harry. But this diary is dangerous. It's been influencing Ginny, making her do things. We need to destroy it."

  Harry's brow furrowed, clearly wanting more expnation, but he nodded. "Okay. How do we destroy it?"

  Hermione hesitated. "I'm not sure yet," she admitted. "But I have some ideas. For now, we need to keep it safe and hidden."

  As they made their way back to their respective common rooms, Hermione's mind raced. She had the diary now, but destroying it would be another challenge entirely. And there was still the matter of the basilisk roaming the castle. One problem at a time, she told herself. For now, she had won a small victory in this dangerous game.

  "Harry," she said softly as they prepared to part ways. "Thank you for trusting me. And... be careful, okay?"

  Harry nodded, a small smile on his face. "You too, Hermione. And... about these things you know. Your secret's safe with me, whatever it is."

  As Hermione watched Harry disappear under his cloak, she felt a pang of guilt. She was using him, maniputing his trust. But it was necessary, she told herself. To protect him, to protect everyone. With the diary clutched tightly to her chest, she made her way back to the Slytherin dungeons, her mind already formuting the next steps in her pn.