Oh, Harry." Hermione sighed, exasperated with her friends guilt-complex, "I'm a Muggleborn. I was already on the list to be attacked. It was just bad luck it happened to me, out of all the other Muggleborns in Hogwarts."
"No, the person behind the attacks chose to stalk you until you were alone, or close to it, and then attack you to make sure I'd go after him." Harry corrected her.
Hermione looked startled again. Harry had only given her and Ron the highpoints of what had actually happened in the Chamber, but perhaps he should elaborate on that after breakfast.
"I'll tell you after I've eaten something." he promised and Hermione nodded. As they entered the Great Hall, the two friends noticed Draco Malfoy sulking at the Slytherin table, still angry that his father had been sacked as a School Governor.
"Looks like Draco's still sour." Harry muttered to Hermione with a hint of satisfaction in his voice.
"Poor Draco." Hermione said with false sympathy, "My heart just bleeds for him."
The two of them laughed at that, earning a glare from the Malfoy Scion as the walked to the Gryffindor table and sat next to Ron Weasley, who was in the middle of his who-knew-how-many helping of an all English Breakfast.
" 'ello, 'arry." Ron said, his mouth full of food.
"Ronald, either eat or talk! Don't do both!" Hermione scolded him on automatic.
"Oh give over, Hermione!" Ron moaned as he finished his mouthful, "What are you, my mum?"
"I daresay Mrs Weasley would do worse than scold you if she saw the manners you display at the table in Hogwarts." the bushy haired girl replied instantly.
As his two friends settled into one of their regular (and frequent) quarrels, Harry got down to the serious business of eating what he could before breakfast was over. As he moved bacon, sausages and some toast onto his plate, he began to think about how to tell his best friends about his…well, his marriage problem was the best way to put it, he supposed.
The main problem was, the law that activated the Bloodline Legacy Continuation Act, the Line and Lineage Conquering Act, was under the Fidelius Charm, thus he couldn't tell them about it, which was…not good.
'Professor Dumbledore is one of the Secret Keepers for that law. Maybe he can help me explain it to them?' Harry though, unusually optimistic, 'At the very least, he can let them in on the secret.'
Cheered slightly by the though of having the help of the headmaster in telling his friends, Harry dug into his food.
Later -Empty DADA Classroom
"You-Know-Who was the one who possessed Ginny?!" Ron gaped in shock. For once, Hermione seemed to be on the same page as Ron, because she was white in shock, with her hazel eyes wide.
"Yup." Harry said not really looking at the pair of them, "Professor Dumbledore was quite impressed with how Riddle enchanted the diary at only sixteen."
"That makes four times that he's tried to kill you now Harry!" Hermione said, her voice rising in volume and pitch as she spoke, making Harry glad that she had cast several Silencing and Notice-Me-Not Charms on the door at his request.
Harry waved a hand at her. "Hermione, the Dark Tosser's had it in for me since I was one." he said impatiently, "I beat him as a baby; that's an insult he cannot let pass if he ever comes back. The point is that being around me is going to get more dangerous. Look at this year; Ginny was targeted because she is my best friend's sister and Hermione was targeted because she's my other best friend."
"Harry James Potter, don't you even dare think you are going to try and push us away 'for our own good'!" Hermione yelled at him.
"Too right mate." Ron agreed with Hermione, "Harry, my entire family are considered Blood-Traitors by You-Know-Who's followers. She could have been chosen because of that!"
"And as I told you before, I am a Muggleborn; friends with you or not, I am a target for V-v-v-voldemort." Hermione said angrily, only faltering on saying the name of Riddle's nom de guerre.
"I know." Harry said, sinking into a nearby chair with a sigh, "But you have to admit that if you aren't so close to me, you won't be targeted with as much…zeal as if you stay close to me."
"That doesn't matter Harry." Hermione said softly. She leaned against the desk and put a hand on his shoulder, "Ron and I are not abandoning you, regardless of what you say. Understand?"
"If you don't I can get Fred and George to prank the idea firmly into your head." Ron quipped as he grinned mischievously at Harry, who snorted and shook his head.
"Thanks, but I'd rather not wake up looking like Malfoy on a bad hair day." he said dryly, making Ron fake throwing up and Hermione wrinkle her nose.
"Mate, I so didn't need that image!" Ron said in disgust, "He looks bad enough on a good day; I do not want to see him on a bad day!"
"Agreed." said Hermione, looking rather green at the thought.
Harry laughed at the reactions of his two friends, but then became serious.
"Guys, there was a…consequence of sorts to what happened down in the chamber." he said, gaining their immediate attention, "Nothing life threatening or immediate, but…well it isn't something I'm happy about."
"What? What's wrong?" Hermione asked sharply.
"…I can't tell you all of it, because part of it is concealed behind a powerful Charm called a Fidelius." Harry replied slowly, "Until the Secret Keeper tells you two himself, I literally can't say anything about it."
"I've never heard of that Charm." Hermione furrowed her brow in thought, "What does it do? How does it work? What are its limits?"
"Blimey Hermione, let the man get a word in edgewise!" Ron interrupted her.
Harry smiled, as one of Hermione's strongest traits appeared: her thirst for knowledge. He briefly summed up what he knew of the Fidelius Charm, adding that he only knew the bare bones of what the Charm did.