Chapter One: Resilience
"Look into my eyes, it's where my demons hide. It's where my demons hide. Don't get too close, it's dark inside. This is where my demons hide."
-Imagine Dragons; Demons
"Hermione!" Her mother yelled up the stairs. It was New Years Eve, and Hermione was supposed to be dressing for a party, but she had gotten engulfed in her book, and was no where near ready.
"Just a minute, Mama!" Hermione called back. Hermione tore through her closet, quickly settling on an asymmetrical one shoulder dress reminiscent of the togas of ancient Greece. It was silver and flowed like a waterfall down her body.
Despite being on the small side, Hermione was a very good example of a woman. She was sixteen, with a beautiful figure, high cheekbones attributed to her italian blood from her father's side as well as dark thick hair. She attributed her pale flawless skin and beautiful figure to her mother, whose icy blonde hair, and bright grey eyes looked the polar opposite of her exotic daughter.
Hermione looked in the mirror. Her pale face that needed no beauty charms, and hair that even restrained in tight spiral curls still tumbled past her waist. Hermione with practiced moves twirled the dark locks into an intricate up do. Here in England it was taboo for a pureblooded witch to have her hair down, according to the ancient traditions, a witch's hair was the source of her power, and she must take utmost care of it. So unlike New York, where even though the witches had their long hair, they'd realized it was quite a hassle to take care of, and wore their hair down or in ponytails most of the time.
Hermione pinched her cheeks once to induce a redder color in them, and pulled on a pair of low slung black heels, before opening her jewelry chest. She first selected a beautiful necklace dripping with emeralds and fastened that around her neck, before picking the matching hair jewels and affixing them to her hair, with practiced movements she worked the delicately wrought silver through her hair, and stood back to admire her finished product.
Hermione made to walk out her bedroom door before turning on a dime and grabbing a clutch purse in which she stored her wand. Then she walked down the hallway to the parlor in which her mother and little brother were stationed, waiting for her to join them.
"Hermione Dear," Her mother started, "You must make a good impression here, this year is when all the parents begin entering into marriage contracts. I must say you'll be the most stunning girl there, no doubt about it, but looks are not all they take into account. Also, your brother is entering Hogwarts as a first year, He needs to be introduced to the correct sort, if he's any hope of having any friends. All pureblood's here have generally been friends since birth, there are very few exceptions. They don't really move around here like they do in the states," She rattled off, Hermione nodded all the way, agreeing. "But most of all Dear, do have fun," She said, kissing both her children's forehead's. Then she took both her children's hands "Ready?" She asked, when both children nodded, she aparrated them to the party.
When the tugging sensation behind her navel ceased Hermione opened her eyes to a beautiful sight. It was a high ceilinged ballroom with peaks ending in a massive chandelier in the middle of the room. Beneath it, many couples, old and young were dancing to music that seemed to be coming from no where.
"I'm going to go socialize with some of my school friends," Her mother said, her voice gaining back some of her Irish accent, "Take care of your brother, and I want you to dance at least once with every available boy here," Her mother ordered. Walking away to approach a white haired lady, who looked about her mother's own age, they embraced, and Hermione was left alone with her ten year old Brother.
"Leo?" He looked up. "Go introduce yourself to those children, and if all else fails, I'll be on the dance floor, or at the bar, depending on how this goes," She told him, he nodded and set off to introduce himself.
"Hello," A male voice said from behind her. "I haven't seen you around her before," She twisted around to face a boy with the same white hair as the woman her Mother had walked up to. "Lord Lucius Malfoy," He said smoothly, "And you are?"
"Heiress Hermione Zabini," She introduced herself, just as smoothly.
"It's a pleasure to meet you're acquaintance, Heiress Zabini," He said his hand extending out to try to kiss the back of Hermione's.
"I'm sorry, Lucius," She smirked. "But, I am an American witch, I'm not used to all this pomp and grandeur, my purebloodedness aside, it's still a bit much. I'm just Hermione," She said to the Malfoy heir.
"Oh, Well. Hello Hermione Zabini," He said smiling slightly. "You said you're an American witch, what brings you to Wiltshire?" He asked.
"My mother, my brother, and I moved to London recently." She answered smoothly. "I've been tasked with inserted myself in with the right crowd. My mother is originally from here, she went to Hogwarts," She volunteered the information.
"Well, if you're looking for the right crowd, you've definitely found him. Come party with my friends and I," He said.
He led her through a cleverly hidden door off to the side, and within was a nightclub type atmosphere, young witches and wizards partying like they did in the states, maybe she didn't hate things here so much after all.
"Can I get you anything to drink?" He asked.
"Not right now, I just want to dance," She said, distracted by the tangle of bodies. If there was one thing that made her feel free, it was dancing.
"Please, at least meet my friends first." He said, his gray eyes pleading with her.
Hermione let herself be led into an area off to the side where five or six people rested drinking and breathing heavily, as if they'd just exited the dance floor.
"This is Hermione," Lucius introduced her. "Well, technically, she's Heiress Zabini, but she's asked us to just call her Hermione," He ended with a sarcastic tone and playful smirk.
"Hi, Hermione," The girl closest to her greeted her. She was a small girl, though not quite as small as Hermione. "My name is Narcissa. Well, technically Narcissa Black, My older sister Bella," She motioned to the girl beside her "Is Heiress Black, I'm just the spare, and I see you've met Lucius," She said. Her eyes held that sort of light that a mother's would hold, she loved him, but it wasn't a romantic sort of love.
"Hello Narcissa," Hermione said shyly. Surveying the three girls who sat on the couches, and the three boys, if you included Lucius that were with them. "These are the Lestrange brother's, Rodolphus, and Rabastan. These are Narcissa's sisters, Andromeda and, like Cissy said, her older sister Bellatrix."
Hermione surveyed them. Bellatrix and Rodolphus seemed to be older than her, and Andromeda and Rabastan younger. So they must all be either paired together already, or they would be soon.
"It's a pleasure to meet you all," Hermione said, "But I have to get out on the dance floor. I promised my mother I'd dance with every available boy here," Hermione smiled before turning to dash onto the dance floor.
She wove into the crowd, she tried to place herself in the middle, because that was where the best dancers always were. She closed her eyes and got lost in the beat of the song, the pulsating lights, and the feeling of euphoria it gave her.
She opened her eyes when she felt someone touch her. She turned around to face a boy. He wasn't like every other boy who tried to dance, this boy could dance. They played a game of back and forth for a few minutes, each trying to outdo the other, and as they danced, weaving through the difficult melody of the song, the crowd parted and the partiers stopped dancing to watch the two dance.
"What's your name?" He asked her.
"Wouldn't you like to know," She responded, trying to lose her thoughts in the beat of the music.
"I would, you know," He said, peering down at her. He struck her as familiar. She'd seen him some where before.
"What's your name?" She countered.
"Lord Sirius Orion Black II" He shouted it a little so she could hear him over the music.
"That's good to know," She responded coyly.
"You have a weird accent, where're you from?" He asked.
"Here and there," She answered, finally turning around to leave, she'd had enough of dancing around him, quite literally.
"At least tell me your name!" He yelled after her as she melded into the crowd, slipping out into the private room Lucius and his crew were in.
"Where did you learn to dance like that?" Narcissa came up to stand next to Hermione, clinging to her elbow. "We could all saw you, that was amazing. You gave Sirius a run for his money, and he's the best dancer here," She said, her doe eyes wide.
"I used to dance in underground clubs in New York. I was involved in the underground dance battles in the muggle world," Hermione told her.
"That's awesome!" Narcissa exclaimed, her eyes going wide.
"Yeah," Hermione said distractedly.
This fic is based mostly on a dream I had. It currently has very little plot and after the upcoming six or so chapters I'll most likely end it.