"Oh, lightning bugs!" Hermione whispered as she peered outside of her bedroom window, "I wonder if I can go down an catch them." She made her way to her bedroom door, her white night gown flowing with every step she took and opened it.
Hermione crept down the stairs carefully trying not to make a sound that would alert her father of her presence.
Her father was spread out on the sofa, he had fallen asleep to old reruns of his favorite tv show.
She tiptoed around the corner and delicately unlocked the door and then unhooked the screen door.
She softly closed the doors behind her and hurried over to her black rain boots.
With her boots on, Hermione grabbed the Masson jar off the porch and darted towards the lightning bugs out side her window.
"Oh no, they're gone," Hermione whispered, she then looked around the open field.
"There!" Just inside the Forrest edge she spotted the two lightning bugs moving deeper and deeper into the trees. She fumbled through the Forrest, branches catching her night gown every now and again.
"Almost got em" she breathed heavily, eyes focused and eyebrows set.
One landed on a white lace flower and the other on a blue flower petal.
"Okay... one, two, three!" She moved her small arms as fast as she could and swooped the jar in one hand, and the lid in the other closed and peered into the jar.
Nothing.
"You will never catch them that way" a small yet honeyed voice broke the silence.
Hermione turned towards the voice, "who's there?" Her voice echoing the fear that seeped into her every pore.
"You should come in from above with your jar and the lid from the bottom" the voice said, ignoring Hermione's question.
Hermione rose to her feet, staring into the darkness where the voice came from, "show yourself" she said firmly. Her voice now projecting confidence even though every fiber in her six year old body screamed to run.
Then out from the shadows appeared a boy not much older then herself. She could make out from the moon light that he had blonde hair, but what stood out the most were his eyes and how harsh they were for a child his age.
Hermione wasn't sure if it was the trick of the moonlight but his eyes were a light shade of green. He was wearing a grey cotton shirt, slim black pants, and no shoes. Even at Hermione's age she knew he was beautiful.
Hermione relaxed a bit at the sight of him but something was off about him. She understood why she was out at this time of night; this was her family's land. She has lived and explored practically every inch of it. This wasn't her first night out in the woods at this hour; she has done this on multiple of occasions. So where did this boy come from?
"What are you doing here, this is private property," she said never breaking eye contact.
"No, no it is not," he raised his left hand and pointed into the darkness, "your family's property ends five yards back near the moss covered boulders."
He lowered his arm and smiled softly at Hermione and spoke again, "currently we are on my land."
Hermione's confidence dropped, "I never knew we had neighbors, did you just move here?" She questioned.
"Yes," he replied not seeming to care too much for the conversation.
No one new ever comes to her small part of England, so meeting a new face of someone her age was very rare.
Hermione asked the next question that popped into her head, "what brings your family way out here?"
"We move where ever the wind takes us..." he said with a smile as though his response was a humorous punch line, then he paused looking Hermione over, "Do you normally come out this late at night?"
"Every now and again." She tilted her head in thought at the boy in front of her and slowly walked towards him, crossing her hands behind her back, "what's your name."
"My name..." the boy asked puzzled.
"Yes your name, everyone has one. My name is Hermione Granger" she beamed.
The boy looked at her, as if he was weighing the thoughts of how to answer.
"My name hasn't been spoken for many years by those outside of my family," he paused studying Hermione's smiling face and decided to close some of the gap between them but only by an arms length, "my name is Draco."
" Draco... that's different but I like it," she reached out her hand to him "there aren't any kids out here... well there kids out here but none around our age, so I was wondering, do you want to be friends?" She blurted tripping over her words from excitement.
"Friends?" He replied puzzled looking down at her out stretch hand. Draco seemed to be confused over her words.
"Yes, friends," she replied still smiling.
A moment of silence passed and Hermione was starting to wonder it her offer was being rejected.
She went to retract her hand but at the sight of this, Draco took her hand firmly and shook it.
"Friends" he agreed.
Hermione beamed, she returned his shake and then looked to the darkening sky.
"I should get going; it's getting late... I've never stayed out this long at night before. My dad might notice I'm gone. Do you wanna hang out tomorrow night?"
Draco looked around the dark forest then back to the young Hermione, "you shouldn't be out this late, it's dangerous."
Hermione took his words into consideration but not willing to take no for an answer replied "okay how about just before the sunset, we can meet at the boulders."
Draco looked as though he was fighting a battle on how to respond until finally he agreed, "tomorrow at sunset then."