Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or places in this story, they all belong to J.

The 'POP!' of apparition didn't bother Hermione as usual as she arrived on the overcrowded main street of Diagon Alley. Since she was eleven she had always thought of Diagon Alley to be one of her favorite places in the world; the Hogwarts library being first of course.

The street was over busy as usual; owls flying every which way, shop keepers yelling out the products of the day and most of all the busy witches and wizards running around with their families trying to buy school supplies before the new term of school started. Unlike the crowds, Hermione had already packed and bought all the school books, equipment and new robes well before the new term was drawing near. Today was more about meeting up with Harry and Ron who (as usual) left the packing to the last minute.

"Harry, Ron!" Hermione yelled as she spotted a mess of raven hair and bright red hair moving about in the crowd. The boys turned around just in time as Hermione came running over and giving them both bone crushing hugs.

"Hey mione, how are you?" Ron said; going red from the sudden intimate contact he had just received.

"Oh great, so I was thinking today we should go to Flourish and Blotts because I heard they have a gre-"

"Hold up mione, don't get too excited. Can't we at least go to WWW first? I really want to get some more dung bombs and Peruvian instant darkness powder." Harry interrupted knowing where she was heading with the book craze.

"Yeah come on mione, we need to have some fun! School stuff can wait for now" Ron added.

"Oh, if we must," Hermione sighed, and headed off in the direction of Weasley Wizard Wheezes with the two boys on her heels.

"Oh fucking hurry up would you!" Draco sneered at the shop keeper as he bumbled about looking for a certain dark object that the young master Malfoy had asked for.

"Patience Master Malfoy," Horace Burke huffed and went back to searching.

"Look, you imbecile, I don't have all fucking day to waste hanging around here while you fumble about doing nothing! I'll be back in half an hour and if you haven't found it you better be ready for a world of fucking pain."

The door slammed as Draco stormed out of 'Borgin and Burkes'. It was a grimy little shop in the depths of Knockturn alley. It bought and sold many different kinds of dark magical objects; one would say a favorite shop for the young death eater.

Far out, how fucking long does it take to find one cursed bracelet?! Draco thought as he headed up to the entrance between Knockturn alley and Diagon Alley where his mates hung about waiting for him in the shadows.

"Did you get it?" asked Blaise Zabini.

Draco turned and looked at the dark young man before him.

"No, Burke is fucking around."

"As usual" Theo chuckled.

"Shut it, Theo. You wouldn't have a fucking clue" Draco spat, still clearly annoyed.

"Ah, well, come on guys lets go to the Green Fang for some drinks."

Draco, Blaise, Theodore Nott, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle all headed off deeper into Knockturn alley where the infamous pub sat in between an apothecary and a dark arts shop; practically hidden to the public. Blaise happened to run into it one holiday and immediately chose it over the popular pub 'The Leaky Cauldron.'

As the five boys entered the pub a tinkling sound of the bell rang around the room, alerting the only other customer in the room who grunted at them and passed on the table. It was a dim shabby place; grime on the windows and the paint was peeling off the walls but it was safe from the prying ears of the public.

"Can we have a round of fire whiskey to start with, please" Draco glared at the bartender. The good thing about Knockturn alley was that if there was money involved, it didn't matter what age you were.

The boys chose a table up in the back corner slightly hidden behind a dying shrub for a little extra privacy; even though there was only one other customer it was an important conversation the teens were about to have.

"Ok, this is what he wants us to do" said Draco.

Hermione felt like they had past the same aisle about six times now. Ron and Harry were having way too much fun using the testers of all the jokes. She admitted that some of the pranks were very funny but after an hour she was looking at her watch continuously.

"Guys, can we please go? We've been here almost an hour" Hermione sighed exasperated.

"Having trouble Miss Hermione?" Fred and George said in unison as they popped up behind Hermione making her jump.

"I just want to go do some of my shopping but these two are intent on trying every product in the shop"

"Hey!" Ron butted in; "if you really want to go Mione then we could meet you in an hour or something?"

"I know you guys; you won't get any of the shopping done that you need for school"

"Oh we'll be fine Mione and besides we still have weeks before school, don't worry about it"

"Only five weeks, that's not much and you won't get the best supplies if you wait until the last few weeks!"

"Mione, just because you are a complete genius and school nut case doesn't mean everyone else is, and I mean that with love" Harry said with a smirk.

"Fiiiiiine" Hermione replied and rolled her eyes in defeat, "I'll meet you guys in an hour or two at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor, OK?"

"Yeah sure, cya Mione" Ron and Harry both gave her a quick hug goodbye and went back to debating whether they were game enough to try the puking pastilles.

Hermione chuckled quietly to herself as she headed for the entrance of the shop and off to Flourish and Blotts.

She raised her head to the sunshine as she walked; soaking it up before she went back into the musty darkness of one of the many ancient shops along the street.

As soon as she entered the partially empty book store she sighed in a type of genius ecstasy as the smell of ink and old parchment hit her nose. She closed her eyes and ran her fingers over the shelves, picked out a random book, sat down in one of the comfy armchairs in the corner and, was suddenly immersed in the pages of the book.

"S-s-so, the dark lord, wans youto ca'ture te mudblood?" Slurred Blaise after the fourth round of fire whiskey had been drunk by the boys.

"Yes, and then she will be bait to get pothead and weasel" Draco said a little more sober than the rest.

The boys had been at the Green Fang for around an hour; Draco had gone to collect the bracelet from Borgin and Burkes and now they were back in the pub, drunk and celebrating nothing.

"Let's fuckenmove, Iwannago find some hotchicks t'root!" Theo yelled and stumbled out of the pub and onto the street.

Draco sneered at Theo "Get your head on fucking straight, we need to split up and search for the mudblood; she should still be here, knowing the freak she's probably at the book store. Blaise come with me."

"Where shall we go?" Gregory asked as he swayed back and forth.

"Hmmm, how about you three, fucking piss off because you are drunk and a fucking nuisance!" Draco sneered at them before sauntering off.

Draco and Blaise headed off in the direction of Diagon Alley and up to Flourish and Blotts.

Even drunk both the guys worked well together when it came to duels; they easily stupefied the shop keeper and in a matter of seconds the front door was locked, a silencing charm placed and anti apparition wards placed around. They weren't Death Eaters for nothing.

After further inspection they had stupefied everyone and chucked them in a cupboard where they could eventually wake from the spell; the only one left was Hermione, all the way at the back so immersed in her book she had no idea what was happening at the front of the shop.

"Good, pothead and weasel aren't here, we'll get at her from the sides" Draco murmured to Blaise as the snuck around the aisles and aisles of books, the shop obviously had a few undetectable extension charms as it took him a while to get to the back of the shop where the many reading chairs were placed.

Draco saw Blaise at the other side and motioned for him to be quiet.
"Well, look who it is" Draco spat at Hermione as he sauntered over to where she sat.

He saw her roll her eyes and close her book.

"What do you want Malfoy?"

"Don't talk to me that way you filthy mudblood!"

In a matter of seconds their wands were drawn and at each other's throats. Hermione glared at him, her nostrils were flaring in anticipation and she was trembling with fear and rage.

This boosted Draco's confidence as he straightened up and started backing her up to where Blaise was.

"Piss off, Malfoy; I don't want to play your stupid games"

"Oh? But this game isn't stupid, I like to call it 'Let's see how much the mudblood will be willing to succumb" He whispered in her ear, sending shivers down Hermione's back.

He noticed she was trembling even more; he almost had her over to the corner where Blaise was just around the other side. He was impressed that his plan so far had been working like a cinch.

But he thought to soon as the next thing that happened Hermione had quickly brought her wand up and in a second Draco had been flung against the far bookshelf.

Pain ran up and down his body from the crash, fury and hatred burned in his eyes as he scrambled back up.

"You fucking bitch!" He yelled at her just as she ran off for the entrance door.

Draco and Blaise ran after her and found her using different spells at the speed of light to unlock the door.

"It's a shame, you being so smart, yet here you are unable to unlock a door" Blaise sneered at Hermione as she turned around, obviously very pissed off now.

"I may not study the dark arts but at least I don't cower behind my wand and my money like you do!" She screamed at him just as he started throwing curses at her.

Stupefies, jinxes, and every spell coming to the three teenagers minds at this moment were flying around the shop. Parchment, books and furniture were flying everywhere as they raced around the room trying to knock each other down.

After about ten minutes Blaise and Draco had finally managed to corner her in a back aisle and were walking towards her slowly (from having to continuously cast protego charms) where Hermione was crouched at the end throwing curse after curse and nursing an injured leg.

Blaise managed to get her wand as Draco distracted her by grazing her arm with a cutting hex. Wandless and injured she still looked at them with defiance and moved to muggle tactics. Books were flying straight at Draco and Blaise as Hermione grabbed book after book and flung it at them.

Draco smirked at Hermione and whispered "pertrificus totalus."

She immediately fell to the floor and screamed at them whilst making grunting sounds as she couldn't move.

Blaise sneered at her and kicked her in the ribs, making her scream in pain.

"That's what you get for trying to outdo purebloods" He spat.

Hermione looked up at Draco and Blaise with tears streaming down her face, her eyes wide and screaming in pain.

Draco spat at her and kicked her in the stomach making her cry out in pain as she was unable to curl into a fetal position.

"Malfoy, please" She whimpered as he pointed his wand at her.

The look on her tearstained face made Draco's heart pang. It was such a foreign feeling that he had to look away.

"Stupefy"

He heard her body go limp and without looking back he apparated away.