Late in Hermione Granger's sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, was she informed that the Granger's were not her true, biological parents and also that she was not muggleborn at all, but part of one of the most secretive and prestigious pureblooded families in all of Britain.
At birth the Etoile's had decided that it was safer for her first born daughter, Hermione, to go into hiding because of the new rules being enforced by their Lord that only firstborn sons were to be accepted. Therefore they thrust their daughter into the arms of an unsuspecting muggle at the nearest orphanage and fled into the night. That was were Harold and Anne Granger found and adopted young Hermione.
The news of her unknown adoption was not meant to come out until Hermione turned 17 and was considered a responsible witch and able to handle the truth, but Voldemort's rise in power and the desperation that the Etoile's were going through to produce some form of heir to be inducted into the death eater ranks forced them to contact Dumbledore ahead of schedule and to have Hermione delivered to them as soon as possible and her family's history and why they had given her up told to her so that she would one day carry on the family and become one of the leaders in the Dark Lords ranks.
Once Hermione Anne Granger had been informed that tis was not actually her true identity and that she was not actually allowed to fraternise with the enemy, aka Harry, Ron and Ginny, her whole outlook on life changed. She was no longer the study conscious teen that seemly had no social life and her appearance from resident bookworm changed to a girl who was still modest but showed a bit more personality and confidence when around others. There had also been the matters including where she was to go that summer. No longer was she allowed to attend the usual gatherings and week long stays at the Burrow but was forced to come home to the Etoile Mansion, situated in the South of France and she was taught to only associate with those of the same social status.
This meant that Death Eater balls had become a regular during her holidays and days in Diagon Alley with the likes of Draco Malfoy, Blaise Zabini and his twin Jessica and Pansy Parkinson had become frequented. Although Hermione put up the strong façade that kept her going through the trying first few months there were times at night where she would break down and sob to her hearts content or until sleep overcame her and dulled her fears. She still missed Harry and the others and wasn't as easily accepting of the Dark Lord's ways, still staying true to her ultimate best friend, but to keep herself alive until she found a way out of this predicament.
She had formed allies with Jessica, Blaise and Pansy almost within the first week and they all understood the pressure and difference this change had on her life cause they felt it hard enough to grow up with it let alone be submerged halfway through your life. Then there was Draco. He stood alone from the group, still making clever remarks and ostracizing Hermione, or Mya as she was now known to them. He was a lost cause and only stood beside her to please his parents and the Dark Lord.
Out of all of them though Hermione felt closest to Jessica, she was the youngest of the Zabini twins though definitely the most mature. She had deep indigo eyes, much like her brothers and the family inherited olive skin, but the thing that set her out from all the rest was her intuition, she could always tell when something was wrong or when her brother was about to do something stupid and would end up screaming out obscenities at him in Italian before her even had the chance to start what he had planned. Maybe it was a twin thing, and then there was her deep ebony curled hair, which reached just past her shoulders and set off her eyes beautifully. She had become Hermione's confident and knew everything there was to know about the situation Hermione felt she was in. They shared long nights talking after Pansy left them and had many trips away to the beach with Draco and Blaise as their Chaperones. For it was a common rule in most pureblooded families that the women were never to leave the house alone. The men were overprotective and the women thought unable to defend themselves.
Oh how wrong that rule was.
The Etoile Manor consisted of four wings. One for each member of the family and then the last which had three levels and was fully equipped with a training gym, library and common family dining hall and kitchen areas. It was the training gym and library which had first sparked Hermione's interest and once she had made a friend to train with, her and Jessica would frequent that place regularly. They practised physical and magical combat for weeks until finally Jessica asked Blaise and Draco whether they would like to come with them. The first time was the hardest and one filled with the most laughs.
Blaise and Hermione paired up and started as the opening display whilst Draco and Jessica watched and critised their friends manoeuvres. Jessica watched with undivided attention as Blaise, as per usual, rushed into things and underestimated Hermione's strength and ability to use compromising situations to her advantage. This left her brother sprawled on the ground with her friend standing their, a confident smile upon her face. Within the next second Blaise had kicked her feet out from under her and brought her down to his level. He looked satisfied. Then both regained their composure over the initial shock and regained their stances, upright! The little spar between the two continued like this for what seemed like ages until Blaise was finally able to pin Hermione to the ground and have her surrender whilst his wand was trained on her neck. Though as she admitted defeat and started to get up another thought came to the brunette's mind and she reached out and poked Blaise numerous times in different positions resulting mainly around his sides just below the ribcage. This sent the older twin into fits of laughter and a bemused look formed upon not only Hermione's face but Draco and Jessica's as well. They both alighted from the stands and headed to the sparring floor trying to prise the two away from their newly started tickle war.
It took 30 minutes and 50 or so conjured pillows and soft objects to stop the playful fight that had broken out and for the four of them to realise that they had finally bonded and for three of them to realise that Draco, The Draco, I don't want anything to do with the former mudblood, was joining in and actually the one assaulting Hermione.
They all laughed of the odd behaviour of the blonde and had him looking like a beetroot for minutes. Times like those were what brought them together. And after that Draco and Hermione became friends. It even showed in the more frequent visits to Diagon Alley and since school was to start in two weeks and Hermione was now head girl and surprisingly Blaise head boy they had little time to prepare.
Heading into the Alley way the next day was the only thing the four could do and they all needed to get out of their own respected mansions since each ones parents had recently been on a raid which had gone wrong and suddenly they were to blame.
Though they had expected some people to be shopping on the early Sunday morning they had not foreseen Harry and co to be there. Ginny Weasley now walking in Hermione's old place between her brother and boyfriend and giggling like there was no tomorrow until she spotted Hermione standing ahead, alone for the moment cause Blaise and Draco had gone to look and brooms and Jessica was getting ice-creams for them all.
"Mione!" the red head exclaimed as she came bounding up the side-walk and trapping Hermione in a hug. "Where have you been? I've sent you letters all holidays and they all came back unanswered?"
"Oh, ummmm," she began.
"Mya which one was yours, was it chocolate or the hazelnut?" called a deeper female voice from behind as both Harry, Ron and Ginny looked passed Hermione's shoulder to see who it was.
"It was the hazelnut Jess," Mya called back as the raven haired girl came up alongside her.
"What are you doing here Zabini?" were an enraged Harry's first words for at school a Zabini was almost as bad as Malfoy.
"None of your Business Potter. Here you go Mya."
"Why are you with her Mione, what happened these holidays?''
"Well Harry, ummmm, ifoundoutmyparentsarentmyparentsandimactuallyadoptedandpurebloodandaheirtooneoftheoldestwizardingfamilies…."
"What?" came the voice of a confused and baffled Ron.
"I found out my parents aren't my parents and I'm actually adopted and pureblood and a heir to one of the oldest wizarding families."
"Oh, so does that mean you just ditch us for that trash?"
"Watch it Weaslette, you never know who might be listening."
"I'm sure I can handle them."
"Ginny, Jess don't fight! And no I didn't abandon you I was simply banned from seeing or contacting anyone apart from old family friends."
"Right Mione, you still could have owled us. I know you if it was important you would've."
"That's not it Ron!"
"Ladies is there a problem here?" asked Draco as he came and snake an arm around Jessica's waist and as Blaise walked up inbetween Jess and Mya and entwined his fingers through his sisters and the uneasy Gryffindors.
"None of your business Malfoy!"
"Well if your insulting my girlfriend and her best friend then I think it is." He replied, winking at Jess.
"Your nothing but pureblooded trash Malfoy and you know it and Hermione never did I think you would ditch us for the likes of them….." Harry said giving Hermione a nasty glare before turning and starting to walk away from her the others in tow.
"It's not like that Harry, you have to listen…" Mya called out to his retreating back.
"I did Mione and you didn't give a good enough reason!"
"You Conniving Prat of an Ego inflated Gryffindor. You treat your friends worse than your enemies!" Jess called out through Diagon Alley.
"Yeh well she lost the privilege of a friend as soon as she befriended you!" with that he left.
Ron went to follow but not before throwing one last saddened glance at Hermione and Ginny just ran after him like a lost little puppy, disregarding her used to be best friends hurt expression.
"Mya pay no attention, your just as good a person even better. You know just have evil parents and Slytherin tendencies." Laughed Jess attempting to lighten the mood.
"She's right Mi, there not worth your time if they treat you like shit!" Draco added as he offered her a smile.
Blaise just took her in a hug and gave her a I-understand- and-we'll-get-them-back look before leading the rest of them and their melting ice-creams back down towards Knockturn Alley and their way out.