Disclaimer: My story, I guess you can say it's "AU" but it's still in an order that will be very familiar. My story has the war still a bit far off, but actions are happening and the tension in the air is strongly felt.

Also, my characters, at times may seem a bit OOC, but you'll understand as the story goes why they are like that.

Enjoy.

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Hermione Granger, muggle in England, girl who attend Hogwarts headed down to the local beach carrying a light pull string backpack. Included in her bag was a book, one for the upcoming school year, her wand, which she kept at the bottom, a bottle of water, Chap Stick and a towel.

The sky above her head was strongly overcastted with heavy thick clouds ready to dump their loads. The air was very humid and sticky causing the hair to stick to the back of her neck. Every home along the way had the air systems on, and in full swing. She knew hers was on at home, and the only one at home to enjoy it was her cat Chrookshanks, and he was sitting right in front of it in the front room when she left. Both of her parents were working.

Though the sky looked threatening, the reason she was headed to the beach was because it was going to be the only day that week that it wouldn't rain. For next week it was back to school. It was the last chance for her to enjoy the summer air and heat of the day.

Hermione was excited for school to start, though the feeling was bitter sweet. It was the last year of school; the last chance to leave her mark, to have an impact on someone's life and maybe even change some minds.

War was strongly looming on the horizon. Some students would be fighting in that war, for the right reason or for the wrong reason; she knew it was for both. She wanted them all to be fighting for the greater good, but knew that was never going to happen.

On a happier note, she was made Head Girl. She was not surprised, nope; she was not surprised at all, though for Head Boy, she was surprised and outraged. It was Draco Malfoy. She let that thought go. She didn't want to dampen her mood, but what then dampened her mood was that she missed her friends. She hadn't seen them since the first week of July. After that she was on vacation with her mother and father in New Zealand. Trouble only came with that, but she didn't want to think about that either, for it already plagued her nightmares.

She shook away the thoughts from her head, and finally made it to the beach where she saw what she expected. The beach was packed. Families and bounds of friends, and couples were soaking up the only good day of the week.

A lot of them were in the water too, and she wasn't going to be one of them. She didn't like swimming. She was content on dry land.

The many kids were enjoying this day, for they were returning to school soon whether they wanted to or not, so last minute fun was a must.

Managing to find a spot where it wasn't overly crowded she settled herself in. She had enough space from herself to the next person without being bothered, and hearing their annoying drabbles about small pointless things that would only serve to irritate her. The smell of sun block, made her nose run, she just didn't want to smell it was another reason for the distance.

She laid out her towel, and set her sandals next to it, and pulled out her book. She wore a long white lose fitting blouse, and shorts. She was quite comfortable with her hair pulled back messily with a scrunchy. She then lay down on her stomach, on the towel and opened her book to where she last left off and continued on from there.

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Sometime later, as she was really into the plot, someone walked past her grumbling about 'Mudbloods.' They headed right past kicking sand on her and her book without any consideration.

Spitting out sand, she sat up abruptly, ready to give a piece of her mind when she saw that the back of their head was so familiar it brought on strong emotions. She was about to call out, 'Malfoy,' when he plopped down a mere three feet from her. He looked her way unfazed, but then registration dawned on his face.

"Granger," he sneered with hated. The feeling was mutual.

His face was all messed up. His left eye was swollen, and his cheek was bruised. His lip was busted with blood still trickling. She wanted to find whoever did this to him and give them a cookie. Whatever happened to him he probably deserved it. But, that was not the only thing that shocked her. He was in Muggle clothing. He wore a sleeveless navy blue t-shirt and the same color shorts. His hair was messed up as well, as if he just woke up, or had gotten into a beat up.

"Who beat you up?" she challenged. She wasn't afraid of him, she thought. She wasn't afraid of him anymore and she wasn't afraid of him here. With him here in muggle territory he was strangely at fault. He looked pissed, like he wanted to attack her, but he didn't.

He didn't look armed either.

Malfoy calmed himself down and spit in the sand. He scooted over a little, and said in a low voice, "You're lucky I'm not armed Granger." He looked to the right and then to the left to make sure nobody was watching or listening in, then put his attention back on her.

She wiped the sand off her book and said occupied, "I'm lucky, please. You're the one who doesn't have his wand. Did they snap your wand yet? You know, I made that wish on my birthday candles since I was eleven." She was just plain bitter to him. He never gave her a reason to be nice, and that was the way it was going to stay.

The pureblood remained calm. He smirked though. "You know that isn't going to happen. Nice try. I see that you have come across a close situation these past two months where you almost had your wand snapped." He spoke low, his eyebrows raised cruelly at her. He continued before she was able to let a word in. He said, "But goody two shoes Granger was let off due to her clean track record, and because she is Mudblood-"

"Shut up!" She shouted. She caused all the unwanted attention that she wanted to avoid. She was overwhelmed, and it was all because he knew. Of course he would know who the hell could forget who his father was? Though, only a few select were supposed to know, and it was all in New Zealand. It wasn't fair.

Her raised voice continued, "It's none of your business. It's none of your concern." The last part was sharp.

Everyone in hearing range looked on. They had already lapsed into silence to enjoy the little show. She felt extremely embarrassed. Looking down at her book, she had since lost interest in it, and took her pointer and wiped the sand some more. She wanted everyone to stop staring, to stop whispering behind their hands, and she wanted to calm down before she acted out. She really did not want to cause a scene that could endanger anyone, and or hurt her.

Hermione was on probation till school started. She couldn't use her wand even if she wanted to, which put her at a loss, but also the thought of violence scared her because she wanted to hurt him so bad.

"You can wish for my magic to be gone, but with your little stint I can't be mad you still have yours? Mudblood even you know if you were even Half-blood your wand would have been snapped. Very unfair, it is for now, but it will all change." He flashed a wicked grin shaking his head. The thick air around him was very uncomfortable, like the fore-telling of a storm, but her heart rate was back to normal, and an easy release unclenched the knot in her stomach. A calming filled her, the one from her walk to the beach had returned to her. She cocked her head to the side, and said, "Your side won't win."

"In due time," he added. He spit in the sand, which showed a trace of blood. Hermione had a bottle of water in her backpack, but wouldn't offer it to him because he was a jerk, in all its senses. She hated him, hate her. It was also because they were opposites; both ways: he was a pureblood and she was Mudblood, and they were facing off against each other in the war of things. Plus he was a Slytherin and she was a Gryffindor; a proud Gryffindor she might add.

Will power, and confidence for what she was and believed in shining through she said, "You'll never catch me on the wrong side."

"You should try it, you might actually like it."He was really serious about it. He spit more into the sand, and then bit his lip. She hoped he would choke on his blood or up chuck some into the sand.

"I'd love for you to leave. This is where muggles live. Shouldn't you be somewhere else?"

He looked past her a moment, then to her.

Being watched? She looked in that direction but saw nothing out of the ordinary.

"Well?" she demanded.

He shrugged, but kept the smirk on his lips. How she wanted to wipe his face into the sand. Whatever he had up his sleeves was not going to work with her. She'd defend herself whether she was on probation or not. She had reason too.

"Head Girl," he spoke strongly with sarcasm, "Boy, will this year be the best!" A thousand images flashed across his cruel eyes.

"This is important to me, not you. I deserve this, and you don't death eater," she sneered, eyes bold, she didn't want to break contact. She wanted him to know what he was, and only what he was.

He broke contact, not in defeat but to look past her again. This time he didn't return them to her so quickly. He stood up, and approached her until he was very close, and right on her towel as well tracking up sand. The Slytherin crouched down with both feet flat.

"I deserve better than this. I don't know where this take charge attitude came from, but all I know is you better check yourself again. We are living together now, and I sure have no problem letting loose because no one will hear you scream, or believe that the Head boy would do something wrong when he has to be role model. See you in a week." And just like that he was gone, making his way back the way he came. She watched him. The school year coming up couldn't go well at all. They had to work together and swallow their prides.

Unlikely.

Dumbledore chose the two of them for a reason. To kill each other, yes, but maybe he believed that by the end of the year the school would still be standing.

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That was the first chapter. The second and third may seem familiar, and they are, I've taken this story down so many times, and changed it, but this time I am keeping it the way it is because, like the saying goes, it's fine just the way it is. I hope you've enjoyed. Review and let me know.