A/N This is my first FF and I hope you like it. Also, let me know if you find spelling or grammar mistakes because I hate stories that have them and I will go back and fix them if I have to.

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters...they belong to a magical lady named JKRowling. Thanks for letting me use them!

It was new...and different… I could have sworn I'd seen them all, but this was different. The binding was so smooth...the leather cover, shiny and black, yet the pages looked old and faded. Why was a book like this in the library anyway? There are no words written in it, no title, of course, me having looked in the restricted section (again) could have something to do with the oddities of this book. Still… something about it drew me to it...to take it...and now I can't let it go. Now everything has changed…

Let's go back to the beginning...

"Hermione! Wait up!" Ronald was sprinting through the corridor, haphazardly dropping books and parchment in his trail, trying to catch up to me. Honestly, I had no desire to speak to him, but he just had to keep pushing. After what he told Harry this morning, that horrible comment, that thing he didn't know I heard him say, I really didn't want to see him again.

"What do you want, Ronald?" I made my voice as emotionless as possible to hide the hurt, but I ended up just sounding mean. He looked confused for a moment and then grinned.

"Well, I thought since we both have potions together, we could...y'know...walk together…?" he chuckled nervously and pulled awkwardly on his shirt.

I had no idea what he was getting on about. Just this morning, I overhear him telling Harry exactly what he thinks of me and now he wants to be my best friend? No, Hermione Jean Granger won't stand for being pushed around anymore.

I forced myself to sound as menacing and serious as possible and I opened my mouth to speak, but a looming shadow behind us made me freeze. Then it spoke and we knew we were in trouble.

"Mr. Weasley, no surprise to see you late to class, but Miss Granger, shame on ruining your perfect record." Professor Snape sneered at us and shoved us in the classroom, which I hadn't noticed we had arrived at about ten minutes ago. Ron's got me all twisted up. Focus, Granger. Focus.

"Granger!" Snape shouted from the front of the classroom. I jumped, breaking out of my thoughts and glanced up at his face.

"Professor?"

"Would you care to take a seat, or should we all wait for Your Majesty to get comfortable? Honestly, I don't have all day." His sneer seemed to grow with every word he said to me. At least he left our points intact...usually he would've taken a couple of points away. I sat down quietly and pulled out my parchment and quill. Seriously Granger, focus. I sighed before I was interrupted again by that cruelly soft voice.

"Oh and Miss Granger?" His voice was low and I looked up at him slowly. What was he going to say?

"50 points from Gryffindor for being a distraction and detention after dinner for being late to class." He smirked and began his lecture. Of course. I guess I'll have to stop by the library during dinner. I'm not really hungry anyways. Shoot! What did he just say? I really need to pay attention in class...

I love this place. The smell of the old books. The quiet page turning. The one soft armchair hidden behind the last bookshelf and the pile of books I set aside. Even though I read most of the books already, I can't help, but come here to escape. Also, Ron hardly ever comes in here, unless, of course, he is looking for me to do his homework for him… Stupid git...How could he tell Harry that's all I'm good for? A homework machine? I thought he was my friend...that we had something more than… Shut up, Hermione...Stop dwelling on it and go find a book… Also, stop talking to yourself...Madam Pince is giving you weird looks…

That's when it happened. That book. I recieved permission to go into the restricted section from Dumbledore at the beginning of the year, I still have no clue why because all he said was "Knowledge bring clarity and it seems that you are living in a fog."

Crazy old man…

I was strolling through the aisles, running my fingertips along the tops of the pages, simply soaking in the feeling of the paper when I stopped in front of a shiny black spine jutting off the shelf. I felt the energy wafting off it, as I stepped closer. It pulled me in like a magic force or a dark spell. That worried me at first. It could be another one of the diaries like Ginny had last year in the Chamber of Secrets. I shrugged the thought off, as my curiosity got the best of me. Sitting down in front of it, I simply studied the part sticking out of the shelf. It looked like a normal book. Nothing special or interesting at all. So, I decided to pull it out, but I was smart about it and used some other books to knock it on the ground and just prayed that it wasn't a screaming book, like the one Harry found in our first year. Otherwise, Madam Pince might be a bit upset…

Carefully, I knocked it to the ground and nothing happened. It sat there. The pull was still there, but it wasn't as insistent as it was before. It felt almost encouraging and supportive. It wants me to open it… Hesitantly, I put my hand out and held it next to the cover. It felt like it was breathing with me, a gentle heat blew out of the side of the pages and gently caressed my fingers. Exhilaration washed over my body and I decided I would do it. I went for it and I touched the book and as soon as I did, I felt every emotion, every breath, every thought, everything this book, no, this journal, wait, honestly, I have no idea how to describe it… this life? This person who I thought I knew, was a new being, born again in my open eyes, shedding the skin I knew him by. I jumped up as I realized two things… one, I would be late for my detention with Professor Snape, and two, I had detention with the owner of this journal, the man I knew everything about. Quickly, I shoved the journal in my bag and sprinted out the door, praying I wouldn't be scolded too severely, but hey, who knows what to expect from Snape?