Summary: The summer before her final year at Hogwarts, Hermione becomes part of a drum corps, what happens when she starts to find other witches and wizards who've done the same as her? What happens when they are not who she expects?

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or DCI/DCA, those all belong to their rightful owners blah blah blah…

Chapter 1

"I want to sleep for a week!" Hermione exclaimed to no one in particular as she flung herself onto the couch of her families American summer house. She had just had one of the most amazing experiences in her entire life this summer. For the first time, she had marched in a Drum and Bugle Corps. ((A/N - For those who don't know what Drum Corps is, please visit and become informed, in short, it's marching band for people who just can't get enough…and without the pesky woodwinds! XD…..continuing)). Over the past couple of summers, Hermione had been learning had to spin flag, rifle, and saber from her muggle friend Ashley, who marched with her high school's marching band in the fall. Hermione, being who she was, was determined to learn how to do this and became quite proficient on all three pieces of equipment in a short amount of time. Her favorite though became the flag, she loved the way it moved around her and the way it moved in the air. She also loved the variety of tosses and angles that could be accomplished. And the color, don't even get her started on the color!

She smiled in exhaustion as she laid her head back on the green leather couch and propped her feet up on the family's coffee table. She was dressed in her normal rehearsal attire. Short black shorts and a red bikini top. It wasn't that she wanted to show off her skin, but you try rehearsing in the blazing sun for 10 hours a day getting one of the most intense workouts of your life, and not be hot as hell! Besides, it was quite customary in drum corps for everyone to be slightly underdressed. They all changed on the bus before and after shows, all the girls showered together (as well as the guys). There was just no room for shame. Hermione had never felt so physically free in her life, her body was pounding with stress and pain and all she could was enjoy the sweet energy high of drum corps. She couldn't understand how something this amazing could be achieved without magic.

That reminded her, Hogwarts started in a few days! She would be going into seventh and final year. Things at Hogwarts were so much more….bearable and easy going since Harry had defeated Voldemort at the end of their 5th year. It was feeling more like she always imagined it would, school and working hard and being with her second family. She looked at the book that was sitting on her table, the bookmark in it from where she had stopped reading before heading off to this weekend's show in some hick town in Pennsylvania. The corps had placed second to their rival corps, but there was still 2 more shows before DCA Finals. She would have to leave from Hogwarts the first 3 weekends, but it was well worth it. She had sent an owl to Dumbledore earlier in the year, and he said he would make arrangements to get her back to America for the shows. Actually, he was quite ecstatic in his reply, stating that one summer back in his youth he had marched with the Boston Crusaders playing snare drum. An image of a white bearded Dumbledore marching around in a drum line was enough to make her erupt into another fit of laughter.

"Ow that hurts my sides! Bloody Quinn and rehearsing the 60 count dance break in the opener all weekend!" She slowly bent her body over trying to touch her toes to stretch out her sore muscles. The summer of drum corps had definitely done her body some good. She had always been slender, but her body now had a more toned and muscular feel to it, not to mention the hours of sun in the summer gave her a very nice natural tan. Her bushy hair stopped being so bushy two years, and now was just wavy and long. Sitting back up she repositioned herself on the couch so she was laying across it with her arm over her eyes to block the sunlight from disturbing her much needed rest. She vaguely heard the tapping on a window before falling into a very dead exhausted sleep.

She was having a wonderful dream, it was finals and the Cavs had just been announced as this years DCA champions. She saw Ron and Harry sitting with her parents far off in the stands and they were waving to her wildly. She could even hear them calling their name all the way from the middle of the field in the huge stadium. Over all the noise and cheering from the entire corps….Something was wrong with this picture…now it just sounded like her mother's voice!

"Hermione…Hermione!!...HERMIONE JANE GRANGER!!!" Hermione grumbled from her joyous sleeping state, along with her amazing dream. She saw her mom standing over the back of the couch holding onto an env cCuriousity would normally have her jumping to ask what was so exciting, but exhaustion had her rolling over.

"You know the rule mom, I don't get disturbed until I've had my proper rest after a show weekend" With that she promptly closed her eyes and began drifting back into sleep. Mrs. Granger promptly smacked her daughter with said held envelope.

"For your information, I have your list of supplies for Hogwarts in my hand, and unless you'd rather go to school tomorrow morning without them, I suggest you muscle up the strength to pull yourself together and get to Diagon Alley." Hermione groaned and looked up at her mother rubbing at her eyelids.

"What are you talking about? I don't have to be at school until the day after tomorrow, I still have tomorrow to shop."

"That would be true, but not when you've just been named Head Girl"

Much to her aching muscles protests, Hermione shot off over the back of the couch trying to grab the letter from her mother, but only succeeding in landing herself on her arse on the floor. She groaned in pain, which was soon forgotten as her mother dropped the letter and badge into her daughters lap. She squealed with glee and she read the letter over and over again making sure that it wasn't telling her lies, or the ink wasn't going to disappear to reveal a cruel joke from the Weasley twins. She sunk down to the floor in pure delight and started to daydream about the wonders of the year, her own dorm as head girl, shared with the head boy of course, but that wasn't a big deal, he couldn't be that bad if he was named Head Boy. Her dreaming was interrupted by her mother's voice coming from the kitchen.

"I've already prepared your favorite meal in celebration, once you wake up from la la land, do get changed and come eat!"

Quick as lighting, she shot upstairs to put on a clean shirt and jeans before flying back down the stairs and practically into the kitchen table. She managed to stop herself before making contact and causing mass mayhem in the kitchen, and clumsily placed herself in a chair in front of a full plate of steak and potatoes. Without a word to her mother she began stuffing her face with the tender meat smothered in melted butter and blue cheese. She'd been hungry the whole ride home with Ashley, Brian, and Jude, 3 of her muggle friends who lived near her and also marched with the Cavs. She could have very easily apparated home, but no one knew she was a witch and she didn't want to risk any exposure. Also, she enjoyed the drives home, they always proved exciting and interesting. For instance on the way home this weekend, Brian and Jude decided to throw a few week old cookies that had been sitting in the back of Ashley's car at homeless muggles on the street. When they threw each cookie they would yell "free cookies!" out the window causing stares from all the passers by on the street. She was so caught up in the memory, and in stuffing her face that Hermione didn't notice that her mother had been asking her a question.

"I'm sorry mum, did you ask something?"

"I asked how the show went this weekend dear, really, can you eat with a little more dignity" Mrs. Granger pointed to her daughters chin which was dribbling with blue cheese and butter sauce. Hermione flushed a little bit and wiped it off, continuing her meal with her normal dignity. She had no want to eat in the same fashion that Ron did at school. In between bites, Hermione went on and on to her mother about rehearsal that weekend, the show, the rivaling corps and how they didn't deserve to win. Once dinner concluded, Hermione gathered her things and threw on a jumper before apparating to an alleyway in Diagon Alley.

"It feels good to be home."