Dangerous

Hermione's alarm went off an exactly five a.m. Her eyes snapped open immediately. She nearly jumped out of bed in excitement. Her bedroom was still nearly dark, as the sun had not risen fully yet. She grabbed her towel and robe and bolted to the bathroom.

She turned on the shower, stripped of her pajamas and studied herself in the mirror. Over the years her wild curls had miraculously tamed themselves, and now fell just below her shoulders. Her skin, due to her meticulous skin care routine over the past two months, was blemish free and evenly tanned (she silently thanked her parents for their desire to travel over summer months).

Today was the start of her senior year of high school and it was going to be amazing. No, it was going to be spectacular. She was taking three AP classes, two honor classes and had received a letter announcing she was the new President of Student Council three weeks into her summer vacation. All of her school supplies sat neatly stored in her backpack; empty notebooks, fresh pens, sticky notes and properly labeled binders. She had been tingling with excitement for weeks.

Hermione stepped into the steamy shower, and poured a generous amount of her flowery shampoo on top of her head. She took a few extra moments massaging her scalp, losing herself in the calming sensation of the hot water against her skin and deeply inhaling her mango soap. When her skin was red and the heat of the water became stifling rather than relaxing, she shut off the shower and climbed out.

With her fluffy towel wrapped around her and her hair sticking to her skin, Hermione sifted through her wardrobe in attempts to find the perfect outfit. She settled on a simple, black skater dress with a pair of nude flats. She kept her make-up simple; one coat of mascara and some tinted chapstick. With gentle fingers, she combed through her hair, slowly untangling the knots.

She took one last look at herself in the mirror, nodded in approval and headed downstairs for breakfast.

"Hermione!" Jean yelped. "You scared me. What are you doing awake?"

Her mum had been slumped over the table, a cup of coffee sitting beside her.

Hermione rummaged through the kitchen without answering right away. She pulled out a bowl and a spoon and a box of cereal from the pantry.

"I'm getting ready for school."

"Getting ready for-Hermione, school doesn't start until half past seven!" her mother choked out with tea dribbling down her chin.

Hermione shrugged and sat down across from her mother before taking a bite of her cereal. It was true, she had gotten up earlier than she probably needed, but she couldn't help it. She was so excited for this year. University applications...French club and Student Council meetings, Graduation practice. She had been working towards this for three years. This was the year to tie everything together before jetting off to University. To bigger and better things. So what if she was ready before she needed to be? That's who she was. Always prepared.

"Then I won't be late will I?"

Her mother merely shook her head as she watched her daughter eat.

Hermione walked through the double doors to a crowd of chattering students; some screeching as they reunited with friends and others comparing schedules. Hermione waved to a few people as she passed; Luna, a junior and one of her closest friends and Neville, a fellow senior. She would have stopped to talk except she had promised Harry and Ron she would meet them in homeroom. They had met in sixth grade and had a brilliant lucky streak of being placed in the same homeroom every year. Their friendship had blossomed when the two boys had told off a seventh grade boy for picking on her relentlessly. The boy had not responded kindly to two wiry sixth grades yelling at him and proceeded to swing his fast towards Ron's face. Harry and Ron had retaliated and almost gotten in trouble with a teacher who had been passing by, until Hermione stepped in and told the teacher exactly what happened. After that day, the three of them were practically inseparable.

She dodged through more crowds of students and told off a few students for sliding down the banisters.

"I am a teacher's aide and I will report you if you don't get down right now." she screeched as several students jumped out of her way.

Finally, after climbing two staircases and turning down three corridors she approached room 307, and sighed in relief. The classroom was on the smaller side, with four rows of desks, four to each row. Her homeroom teacher was nowhere to be seen yet, and so students had taken to sitting on desks, doodling on the chalkboard and checking their phones.

Harry waved to her from the back left corner and she smiled in return. Ron sat on a desk, elbows resting on his knees. He had grown a few more inches over the summer, surely bringing him over six feet. Harry's hair was as unruly as ever, matched with his lopsided grin and bright green eyes.

"Hey guys," she smirked. "Long time no see."

They each pulled her in for a hug, despite having seen one another just a week and a half ago. They spent practically every summer together; sometimes at Harry's and sometimes at Ron's. Her parents were frequently traveling or working long hours and refused to allow people in to the house when they weren't home. Even if those two people were her best friends for seven years, and knowing their daughter had no interest in the male gender.

She had come out to her parents at fourteen; it took them a year or two to realize she wasn't joking or going through some sort of phase. Harry, bless his heart, had hardly batted an eye when she told him in his bedroom late at night one year over Christmas break. Ron had been a bit wounded, which she understood once he finally told her he had feelings for her. But he too had eventually come round.

"Let me see your schedule." said Ron.

Hermione handed it to him without a word. She could have easily told him they had no classes together. While she had filled her schedule with as many classes as the school would allow, Ron had a different idea for his senior year. She didn't even want to know how many free periods and study halls he had. Just the thought of all that free time made her shudder.

"You're taking AP History and AP Calculus?" Ron asked incredulously. "Why do you hate yourself Hermione?"

Hermione scowled, snatching her schedule back from his clutches. She tucked it away in her back and adopted her most snooty expression.

"Just because some of us enjoy copious amounts of free time doesn't mean we all do. Besides, if I want to get into Brown, I can't slack off now."

Harry and Ron rolled their eyes. Neither of them understood, as they were both content with attending a community college before transferring to a University. And it wasn't as if she thought less of them for it, it's just that it wasn't what she preferred for herself. It was a difference between them they had all become comfortable with.

As Harry was about to speak up, their homeroom teacher walked in. Ron wrinkled his nose at her; Hermione could hardly blame him. Her skin was covered in leathery wrinkles and her eyes were practically bulging out of her head, made to look three times their abnormal size behind two inch thick glasses. Her hair was grey and pulled back into a tight bun. The ankle length dress looked stained and crumpled, as if she had pulled it off her floor that very morning.

The students fell quiet, immediately settling down in their seats and stowing away their phones. The elder woman shuffled over to her desk, pulled out a clipboard and cleared her throat.

"First I will take roll call, then we shall began with announcements and such."

After a brief pause, she called the first name.

"Aaron Avery."

"Here."

The students tapped their feet impatiently as the woman drone on. Hermione scowled but firmly corrected her teacher at the mispronunciation of her name. It had happened every year. She should have been used to it, but it made her blood boil.

As she was about to call Harry's name, there was a knock on the door and then a loud, abrupt female voice.

"Pansy Parkinson. Here." she said with a coy smile. "I'm new, didn't they tell you?"

Their teacher mumbled incoherently, clearly taken aback by this girl's blunt nature. Every pair of eyes in the room watched as the girl named Pansy sauntered over to the empty seat right in front of Hermione. Hermione felt her stomach drop and her lungs burning for a breath she couldn't find. She shook her head, forcing herself to return to reality. Never mind the absurdly pretty girl sitting no more than five inches away from her.

The teacher continued on with roll call before handing out papers, relaying announcements and explaining that part of the library was closed for reconstruction. Hermione wasn't pleased when she heard the news, but didn't have time to dwell when the old woman called her to her desk.

"Miss Granger, is it?"

Hermione stepped back an inch or two. That woman's breath was horrid.

"Yes."

The old woman thrusted a piece of paper into her hand, not even bothering to make eye contact.

"What is this?" Hermione sputtered.

"You've been elected to show a new student around the school for the first few weeks. The name's on the paper."

Hermione glanced down over her pile of books she was currently balancing with one arm.

Pansy Parkinson.

She groaned. She had enough on her plate as it is and now she had yet another responsibility. Hermione sighed and mumbled a "fine" before heading out of the classroom. Harry and Ron were waiting for her like always.

"You two go ahead. I have to wait for-"

"Me?"

Hermione whipped around to find the new girl staring down at her. Hermione hadn't noticed how tall she was. Pansy's bright red lips twisted into a smirk, her hands on her hips.

"Yes, actually. Now if you don't mind, we need to get going. My first class is AP History and I won't be late because of you."

Pansy shot up an eyebrow in surprise but said nothing. Hermione muttered a goodbye to Harry and Ron, who were both snickering.

"Come on." she said to Pansy.

Pansy, to Hermione's surprise, followed. She listened as Hermione led her down the staircases and proceeded to show her where the cafeteria, nurse's office and the main office were located. Hermione explained the simplicity of the building; the rooms on the first floor are one hundred numbers, the second floor is the two hundreds. It was simple. Pansy nodded at all the right times and Hermione felt a slow wave of relief wash over her. Maybe showing this girl around wouldn't be as bad as she thought.

With ten minutes left to spare, Hermione offered to drop Pansy off at her first class of the day. She didn't know why she had asked. Pansy seemed smart enough to figure it out on her own.

"Or you could show me the library." Pansy offered with a dazzling smile.

"But part of it is closed for construction. It looks better when it's not covered in sawdust and besides, we only have ten minutes. The library is on the other side-"

"So we better hurry then, shouldn't we?"

Hermione fought to keep up with the raven-haired girl.

"Pansy!" she shouted, still a few steps behind. "Hey!"

Pansy stopped. She spun around slowly, looking quite annoyed with Hermione.

"What?" Pansy snapped.

Hermione's mouth dropped slightly. Who did Pansy think she was talking to her like that? She was new. And clearly she was careless when it came to rules. She thought of Harry and Ron. They had gotten her into trouble a few times, but majority of the time she let them get into whatever mischief arised. It was no use attempting to talk them out of it, she had learned over the years. She might as well talk to a wall.

"Look, I have to get to class. I showed you around the school, so if you want to explore the library by yourself then you go right ahead. But I am leaving." Hermione said haughtily, hoisting her bag higher onto her shoulder.

Pansy rolled her eyes and turned away from her. "You're such a coward."

Hermione could have smacked her. But instead she bit hard on her tongue. Her skin prickled as adrenaline pumped through her veins. She clenched her teeth as she glared at the girl smirking at her.

"I'm not an idiot is more like it. What good is getting into trouble?" Hermione bit back.

Pansy cackled, shaking her head at Hermione. "You only get into trouble if you get caught."

Hermione bit her lip. Why she was even contemplating this she had no idea, but it troubled her deeply. Pansy huffed impatiently. She stood with her arms crossed over her chest and had taken to peering down at Hermione.

"Fine! But we don't have much time, so let's go!" Hermione decided, throwing her hands up in exasperation.

Pansy smiled and pulled Hermione by the arm through the double doors. To the left, the library was fully lit and functioning. The service desk was empty however, and the computer monitors were black. Almost half of the bookshelves were blanketed in darkness. Large white sheets covered the desk and computers to their right. Hammers and wood and ladders were strayed over the closed section.

With a sudden jolt and a sharp pain traveling up her arm, Hermione found herself crouching on the floor behind Pansy.

"Ow! That hurt!" Hermione whispered angrily.

Pansy hushed her and led them towards the bookcases. Pansy still had a grip on her arm. Hermione glanced down at her watch only to gasp in horror. They had four minutes until first period started!

"Pansy, we have to go. We're going to be late." Hermione pressed.

Pansy didn't respond. She kept crawling along the carpeted floor. Hermione's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"I'm leaving. I don't have to put up with this." she hissed before turning around.

She didn't see Pansy stop and stare after her as she crawled back towards the door before disappearing out of the library and down the hall.

Hermione slipped into her seat with two seconds to spare before the bell rang, piercing her ears. The teacher, a young male who looked at her in disappointment. His glasses had slid down to the bridge of his nose, and his dark brown hair hung over his eyes.

"Almost late, Miss Granger. I trust it won't happen again." his voice was stern and gravelly.

"It won't, Mister Wilkes." she replied shakily.

A few other students snickered, including a boy with platinum hair and a rather pointy face. Hermione felt her shoulders tense as she blinked back tears. She would have and could have gotten here sooner if Pansy Parkinson hadn't talked her into going to the library. Hermione cursed the girl under her breath, opened her textbook, took out a notebook and tried to ignore the lingering scent of vanilla and cinnamon.

Screw Pansy Parkinson and her plump red lips and cunning nature. That girl was on her own. Let her get herself into trouble and sneak around in places they weren't supposed to be! Pansy clearly didn't need her, and Hermione was completely fine with that. From now on she would just ignore her long legs and sultry voice and shiny hair. Pansy Parkinson was nothing more than an annoying speck that she would quickly flick away.

A/N: I'm very excited about this fic! A little note, this is set in America because part way through writing the chapter I realized I had been writing as if they were in an American High School, and I was too far in. So.

Thank you for reading, please review! Follow me on tumblr as well, I'm more likely to answer any questions you have.

Next update: Burn, October 17th

Next chapter update for this fic: November 21st