The Hospital Wing and the Astronomy Tower

Suddenly, Seamus made a quick movement to throw Draco down the pipe. Draco fought against his force, and called out for help.

For a few seconds, nobody moved. Then, Harry lurched at Seamus, and tried to pull him off of Draco, but Seamus seemed to have more strength than it appeared, because in one swift motion, he pushed both Harry and Draco into the pipe.

"What's your problem?!" Ron shouted.

"Ron, please calm down," cried Hermione. "I'm sure he didn't mean to do it."

"I've gotta get down there before Malfoy tries to kill Harry," said Ron.

"He wouldn't!" Ginny shrieked.

"Ginny?!" Ron yelled, noticing Ginny for the first time. "I told you to go back."

"I don't want to!" Ginny yelled back.

Hermione and Blaise watched as the two sibling shot looks of venom at each other, both Ginny and Ron rivalling shades of dark red. Blaise was smirking, Hermione was horrified.

"Go, Ginny!" said Ron, shaky with anger.

"No," said Ginny. "You go."

"Ginny, you shouldn't be here," said Ron.

"You have less reason to be here," Ginny said.

"Ginny," said Ron. "I'm warning you. Go back to the Great Hall. None of this concerns you."

"It concerns me more than it concerns you!" Ginny retorted.

"Do something!" said Hermione.

"What? And ruin such a grand form of entertainment?" said Blaise.

"Seamus!" Hermione screamed. "Do something!"

Seamus nodded, walking towards Ginny and Ron. He pulled Ginny by the wrists and pushed her forwards.

"Seamus, what are you doing?!" Hermione cried out.

"Let go of her!" Ron hollered, lurching forward at Seamus.

Seamus pushed a struggling Ginny down the pipe, then followed her down.

Ron cried out in rage, jumping into the pipe behind Seamus.

Hermione, who was on the verge of tears, looked at Blaise. Blaise smiled sweetly at her.

"How could you let that happen?" Hermione asked, shaking with a mix of fear and horror.

"Same way you did," Blaise replied tranquilly. "Why don't you go after him?"

"Right after you," said Hermione.

"Then you won't be going at all," Blaise sneered. "Because I won't go unless I'm after you."

"Fine," said Hermione, sitting against the wall behind her.

Blaise sat down beside her. "Draco and Harry are probably tearing each other to pieces," she said. "Seamus has gone mental, I'll bet he attacked Ron. And poor ickle Ginny, all by herself with the evil leprechaun."

"Stop it!" Hermione sobbed.

"All right," said Blaise, her voice extremely casual. "So tell me, why didn't you follow just now?"

"Because I'd never turn my back on you," said Hermione coolly.

"Yes, but if you were down there, it wouldn't matter," said Blaise.

"Why didn't you go?" asked Hermione.

"I wouldn't want to give you the satisfaction," Blaise replied.

"The satisfaction of what?" Hermione wondered aloud, not expecting an answer.

"Having power over me," Blaise replied, much to Hermione's shock.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Hermione questioned.

"Well, first of all, Harry really admires you," said Blaise. "Already, that makes me feel inferior to you, a mere Mudblood. And you've got the Head Girl position in your pocket, meaning you'd be superior to me."

"No it doesn't," said Hermione. "I study hard, and try to be the best I can be. I don't try to compete with you."

"Every time someone beats me," said Blaise. "I learn to hate them. And when I hate someone, I want them gone."

"You want to murder me?" asked Hermione. "Or you'd just rather not have me at Hogwarts?"

"All of the above," replied Blaise, in a silky voice. "But if I killed you, Harry would hate me."

"What are you trying to say?" said Hermione, not sure she wanted to know.

"If someone else killed you," said Blaise. "Harry would hate them."

Hermione looked at the other girl, wishing suddenly that she had followed Ron down the pipe.

Blaise smiled a cruel smile. "But if I had bribed someone into killing you, I'd live with guilt," she continued. "So if you happened to die by accident, I'd be perfectly fine."

"Why are you doing this?" Hermione asked, reaching for her wand. But her wand wasn't in her robe pocket. She looked at Blaise, startled. "How did you get my wand?" she asked.

Blaise was holding Hermione's wand in her right hand. "Isn't it strange how the world works?" Blaise said, with the air of one commenting on a good book.

Hermione stared at her, not knowing what to do.

"I doubt you'll die any time soon," said Blaise, standing up. "But seeing as I hold power over you, once again, I feel much better." With those words, she stepped up to the pipe leading to the chamber, and slid into it.

Hermione stared at the place where Blaise had been only seconds ago. She shook her head, and climbed into the pipe herself.

***

"Ow!" said Harry, clutching his scar. "It's been hurting all day, but it just got worse."

"We must be near," said Ron.

"Oh, we are," Ginny said. "I can still remember."

"I thought you were under the Imperius curse," said Draco, who was still being dragged through the tunnel by Seamus.

"Yeah, I was," Ginny replied. "I can just remember stuff."

"Ginny, I'm going to tell you once more," said Ron, through gritted teeth. "Go back to the ball. You shouldn't be here."

"Neither should you," said Ginny.

"I don't want you here," said Ron.

"I don't care," said Ginny.

"Ginny, please, just go back," said Ron.

"No," said Ginny. "I will not."

"Ginny, you're too young," said Ron. "Go back."

"I'm only a year younger than you," said Ginny.

"You're immature," said Ron.

"I am not," Ginny protested. "I'm more mature than you."

"Are not," said Ron.

"Am too," Ginny argued.

"You can't even make decent decisions," said Ron.

"I can," said Ginny.

"No you can't," said Ron.

"Will you two please stop fighting!" Harry shouted. "You're doing my head in!"

"She started it," said Ron.

"Did not," said Ginny.

"Go back," said Ron. "I can't believe I let you come this far."

"No, you go back," said Ginny.

"I wish I could," said Ron. "I don't want to be here right now."

"Well then go," said Ginny. "I'm not stopping you."

"You go, Ginny," said Ron. "You're putting your life in danger."

"Both of you just go," Seamus called. "You're cutting into my Lord's time.

"Ow, you're choking me," said Draco, slapping Seamus on the back of the head.

"Ron, I thought we agreed that you wouldn't try to run my life," said Ginny. "Why are you trying to tell me what to do?"

"I'm only protecting you," said Ron. "Please, Ginny, just go."

"No, Ron, I won't," said Ginny.

"Don't you remember the last time you were down here?" asked Ron.

"I'm not that fragile anymore," said Ginny.

Suddenly, Harry fell to his knees. "My scar," he said. "It really hurts. It's burning so badly, it's as if my head's going to explode."

"Ooh, look at me," Draco mocked. "I'm Harry Potter, the great scar head. Let's drop everything because my scar hurts. My head's almost as big as my ego, and it's going to explode!"

Ron's face turned dark red, though it was hard to note, as it was rather dark in the tunnel. He lunged at Draco, knocking both Seamus and Draco over. He was about to punch Draco in the face when Ginny grabbed his wrist to stop him.

***

"I can hear Ron and Ginny arguing," said Hermione to Blaise. "Can you hear them?"

Blaise listened for a moment. "Yes, and someone's choking Draco."

"We can't be far now," said Hermione, excitedly. "If we hurry, we'll be there in no time."

"Yeah," Blaise murmered, listening carefully to the distant voices. "Wait, was that Harry? Did he just complain about his scar hurting?"

Hermione nodded. "Come on," she said, quickening her pace. "We're really close now, and it sounds like they've stopped walking."

Blaise and Hermione walked around a corner to see Draco, Seamus, and Ron on the ground, Ron's fist in mid-air being held by Ginny. Harry was sitting not too far away on his knees, clutching his scar.

"Harry!" cried Blaise. "Are you all right?"

Harry nodded, glancing at Blaise. Then he looked at Hermione and said, "We thought you'd changed your mind, glad to see you could make it."

"Well, of course I was coming," said Hermione. "I said I would, didn't I?"

"Okay, everybody get up," Blaise instructed. "We're just outside the chamber, and if we want to make an impressive entrance, now would be the time to go inside."

Harry stood up slowly with the help of Hermione, and Ginny pulled Ron up by his wrist. Draco and Seamus also stood up and dusted themselves off before Seamus grabbed Draco's collar again.

"Why the collar?" asked Draco. "You keep choking me."

"Let's go," said Hermione, pulling Ron and Harry forward. "We've got to go inside."

Ginny and Blaise followed Harry, Ron, and Hermione, who were behind Seamus and Draco, and the seven of them walked around the corner to admit themselves into the Chamber of Secrets.