“Don’t you remember the last time we were in the Forbidden Forest?”

“Oh, shut it, Draco,” said Hermione, bossily, shining the lighted tip of her wand farther out in front of her.

Harry grinned nervously as he was too fully aware of what had happened the last time, when he had entered the Forbidden Forest. He had faced the killer of his mother for the first time. He had faced the one who wanted him dead. He had been possessed for the first time – and hopefully never to be again. He didn’t want to be there but Hermione had insisted. So, there he was.

Draco was just following along to make sure they “didn’t do anything stupid.” Harry didn’t know if he was more afraid to be with them on their quest or without them. His fingers were gripping the back of Hermione’s robes tightly and he swiped disgustedly at the blood that trickled from his nose. Harry reached in his pocket but Draco stopped him.

“Too early for medicine,” he muttered.

Hermione ignored the exchange between the boys and huffed. “You’re just scared.”

“By Merlin’s balls, Granger, you should be!” He practically screamed and then muttered, “Sodding Gryffindor…”

“If Harry hadn’t found that book in Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom then we never would have known about the last time the Chamber was opened.”

“Bloody Lockhart…” Draco growled seconds before a tree limb whacked him in the face.

It had been partly Lockhart’s fault, Harry thought. If he had not been trying to avoid being alone with the man he never would have ducked into the second floor girls’ bathroom. He had been happy to find it unoccupied by any – living – person. Moaning Myrtle was not one’s typical ghost he supposed though he had had little experience in the matter. But a ghost that liked to stay in the u-bend of a toilet really was quite odd.

The book had simply been lying there in a puddle of water, soaked and blank of any ink. It was only later that he had tried writing in it that he had been introduced to Tom Riddle and it had been him that led the trio to Hagrid’s cabin. As the half-giant was being led away by Fudge and a few Aurors, he had caught a glimpse of them. With a nod at them, looking from behind a large pumpkin, he had simply said to “follow the spiders.”

They had stared at each other and shortly Hermione dragged the boys – rather unwillingly – into the Forbidden Forest.

Harry gripped the book tight to his chest and walked a little closer to his friends. He wouldn’t let them know he was frightened by the howls and rustling limbs. He was trying his best to be as brave as his Gryffindor mother when he thought he heard a scuttling behind him. When he looked he only saw the faint glow left from Hermione’s wand and the black of night. The trees groaned in the wind and swayed ritualistically against the light of the clear night above them.

“Yes, and that oaf opened it!” Draco exclaimed, not noticing as Harry hustled quickly and walked stiffly by his side. “He was taken to Azkaban. Case solved. So why are we off stomping through the forest at midnight looking for some kind of beast when–”

“You are such a scaredy-cat.”

“For your information, Granger–”

A twig snapped and they all turned to look off to the side of them. Harry clutched the book tighter and he felt Hermione’s hand jerk down and grip his robes tightly. It was her first sign of fear and Harry felt his stomach fall to his feet as a one spindly, hairy leg entered the light of Hermione’s shaking wand.

“All this for a murderer…” said Draco as the three backed up into big moss covered tree trunk, a rather large spider with equally big fangs coming into the light of the Lumos charm.

“He’s innocent!” Hermione screamed hysterically, her eyes not moving from the creature as it snapped its pincers in her direction.

“Innocent or not, he’s bloody well getting us killed!”

“Run!” screamed Harry and the three took off as fast as they could. Draco swiped at his nose again and pushed himself with a spurt of energy but he quickly began to lag behind.

“Draco!” Hermione screamed and ran back into the clearing where Draco had fallen. He was laying and seemed to be seizing on the ground, blood trickling down his nose. Harry looked at Hermione as Draco raised a shaking hand, pointing behind him.

“Who disturbs my home?”

Hermione squeaked and fell silent as the two slowly turned around, lifting their heads to take in the giant spider with its many sparkling eyes near their faces. Harry looked at Hermione. Draco stayed on the ground and kicked at Hermione. She kicked back panicking.

“We are… friends,” said Harry shaking a bit, gripping Hermione’s hand tightly.

“I have no two-legged friends save Hagrid!”

“We’re friends of Hagrid’s!” screamed Hermione as the spider rose higher above them.

“Then… welcome, friend of Hagrid…”

The trio breathed a sigh of relief as the spider backed away from them a bit. “What is it you wish of me?”

Visibly relaxing, Hermione took charge once more. “The Chamber of Secrets has been opened again. Hagrid has been arrested. Students have been attacked.”

They were expecting some kind of shock or exclamation but were surprised to see the spider rise up on its legs, towering even more so above them. Hermione squeaked and quickly grabbed Harry’s hand, her entire body shaking.

“It was not I, human, who caused the death of that girl nor am I the one doing so now!”

“What was it then?” asked Harry bravely, much braver than he actually felt.

“The creature was born in the castle. It is a creature that we spiders fear among all others.”

“What–?”

Draco screamed.

Hermione and Harry looked behind them as a three spiders as large as boulders were tapping at his shoulder with their legs. Their large fangs were dripping with an opaque slime – poison. Blood was trickling from his nose and ears, matting is blond hair to his cheeks. His face was pale with fear and pain.

They heard a weird sort of noise from the largest spider, something they took to be laughter just before it sunk its fangs into Harry’s shoulder. Harry screamed and felt the venom pulse into his flesh into his blood. He felt his knees go weak and his vision blur. The last thing he remembered was lights flying in the clearing and Hermione’s tears splashing his face.

He clenched the book to him tighter and lost consciousness.

***

He was dreaming again. All he could see was their black robes and their chalky white faces staring down at the broken body at their feet. He saw their lunatic smiles, heard their wicked screeching laugher as one booted foot kicked the fallen man. He could also see the blood – bright, unnaturally red against the monochromatic backdrop – in a puddle around the man, the corpse. Then he saw those floating crimson eyes staring at him, boring into his soul. “Take a look, Mr. Potter. See what we do to traitors.” The being chuckled and the mist reached out as with disembodied hand and rolled the body over.

He screamed, waking up. He was quickly taken into his father’s arms. He noticed in the back of his mind that he was in his room in Severus’ quarters. Draco blinked at him from the other bed. He gave Harry a nod and then rolled over with his back to Harry, giving the two some privacy.

Harry stayed in his father’s embrace, trying to calm his nerves and frantic heart. He bit his lip hard. It was just a nightmare, he thought, it’s not real.

As if hearing his son’s thoughts, Severus said, “The venom is to blame for your nightmare.”

Harry nodded relieved, tears stinging his eyes.

“Would you like to talk about it?”

Harry shook his head, partly in answer to Severus and partly to shake the image of his father’s dead face from his mind.

He looked up as Hermione padded into the room, in clothes that Harry recognized as his own. She was taller than him so they looked a little short but she didn’t seem to notice. She gave him a soft smile and handed Severus a bottle of thick liquid, sparkling and metallic.

He thanked her kindly and uncorked it. Harry recognized the smell. “Dreamless Sleep…” he mumbled and took it from his father with a relieved face.

“Sleep, son,” whispered Severus and soon he and Hermione swam out of Harry’s view.

***

“Heir of Slytherin! Seriously evil wizard coming through!”

Harry flushed as Fred and George Weasley guarded him and his friends on their way to the Great Hall from the Library. He did not really like the attention they received though Ron Weasley’s face at his brothers’ actions was quite comical.

Harry clutched his Charms book to his chest as they walked, head down and face red. Draco walked proudly by Harry’s side while Hermione looked exasperated and perhaps a little thankful at her housemates’ attentions.

“So who do you think is the real heir of Slytherin?” asked Draco to his friends in a rather bored manner.

“Does it matter?” asked Harry quietly.

“Of course, it matters, Snape...” drawled the voice of Blaise Zabini. “You should find out who it is to save your sorry skin.”

“How’s the nose, Zabini?” smirked Draco. “Still broken or did Madame Pomfrey get it wrong? ‘Looks a little crooked to me.”

“Oh, the blood traitor,” he said in surprise as if he had just noticed Draco.

Harry and Hermione watched worriedly as the other first years came up behind Blaise. They were happy to see that the majority of them didn’t seem as hostile as their housemate – though Hermione was sure that Crabbe and Goyle had no other emotions other than bored and hungry.

Blaise stalked up to Draco. Hermione made to take Draco’s hand but with a quick glare at her, her hand dropped to her side. Blaise noticed this exchange with wickedly curious eyes.

“How does it feel, Malfoy, to defy thy father and to refuse the dignity of your birth?” His voice turned mocking baby-tone, sounding strangely to Draco like his aunt Bellatrix every time he would visit her cell in Azkaban. “How does it feel to be Snape’s poor sickly little baby?”

Draco’s face was pale with rage, shock or pain. His friends couldn’t really tell. Hermione bit her lip and cast a glance sideways at Draco. Harry fisted the other boy’s robes tighter.

“How did you know about that?” asked Draco calmly, though there was a slight lilt in his voice.

“It didn’t take long to figure out, Malfoy. After all, you nearly caused Daphne to faint, poor girl.”

Daphne Greengrass didn’t look very pleased with Blaise for dragging her into the conversation.

“Bleeding everywhere, crying blood, I know that’s not normal. I know what Daddy dearest did to you. Dark magic…” he chuckled faintly. “No wonder you turned into a blood traitor. How does it feel to rely on Granger to save your life every day?”

His black eyes gleaned. “How does it feel to have your life placed in the hands of a mudblood?”

Draco moved so quickly that Harry’s grip was broken so suddenly. He pounced on Zabini pounding his face as fast as he could. Hermione stared in shock at what occurred, tears prickling her eyes and slowly rolling down her cheeks. Her eyes never left Draco and for all her sticking to the school rules, she didn’t once scream at Draco to stop like she had at the Quidditch match.

Soon the ever present heathen yell of “Fight!” echoed and students came running quickly to get a glimpse. Harry vaguely noticed the Weasley twins taking bets from various others.

A small crack came over them and everyone silenced as Zabini’s nose spurted with blood. Draco’s hands were shaking as he gripped the other boy’s robes in his hands, screaming in the boy’s blood smeared face and swollen eyes.

“If you ever, ever call her that again, I swear I’ll kill you!”

Zabini smiled and then winced in pain, but the lingering grin stayed on his face. “You don’t have the guts for it.”

Draco slung his fist back and before he could let it fly at Blaise’s face again, a long spindly fingered hand caught it.

“That’s enough, Draco.”

Snape pulled Draco off the other boy and practically threw him at Harry and Hermione. He stumbled back into them and he and Hermione tumbled to the ground. Harry remained standing and caught his father’s look. He took out the flask he kept in his robes and administered it to a slowly calming Draco. Hermione had apparently ignored as much physical contact as she was able as she was crying into Draco’s sobbing. The boy looked at her suffering embarrassment Harry was sure of. He hid a smile of his own.

***

“One more time and I believe I’ll have you committed!” Draco mocked in Severus’ voice as best he could as the trio climbed up the narrow staircase that led to their dormitory connected to Snape’s quarters.

Harry rolled his eyes as Hermione giggled. He noticed with a smile that her hand had not left Draco’s since she had burst into tears on his father’s sofa when the circumstances were revealed.

With a wish goodnight, Draco and Harry climbed the few steps that led to their shared room. They both stopped talking when they noticed the door slightly ajar. With a soft push, the door creaked inward.

The entire room was in shambles. Their curtains, beds and pillows were slashed, feathers spilling everywhere, the down floating in the air. Books and potions equipment was scattered across the floor. A horrible yowling was coming from a scared Aella, Harry’s cat, as she was curled in the corner under Draco’s bed. Draco went to coax her out muttering viciously under his breath.

Draco quickly rummaged through his things, a sinking feeling appearing in the pit of his stomach. He knew almost instantly and his hope quickly dwindled.

“Tom Riddle’s diary is gone.”