Just something new I've been working on. Let me know what you think! The idea came to me after watching "Little Men", which is based on the Louisa May Alcott book of the same name.

The title may be subject to change.

Chapter 1
"I want to open a school."

Ron Weasley laughed. Beside the tall, shaking redhead, Hermione Granger glared before refocusing her attention on the two story home that had been vacant since the First Wizarding War. Despite the fact that no one had lived there in two decades, it seemed to be in good shape. Windows were still in tact, doors sat properly in their frames, and with a new coat of paint, the place would look brand new. Again, she stated her intent as she stared up at the large house.

"Hermione, parents in the wizarding world homeschool their kids until they send them off to Hogwarts," Ron explained. "There's no need to open a school here."

"And look how well that served some of our classmates," she retorted. "I'm not entirely convinced Crabbe and Goyle could write their own names."

"Because they were morons," Ron exclaimed.

"Perhaps they wouldn't have been if they'd had a proper education," Hermione argued. Deciding she no longer needed to justify her decision to her longtime friend, she marched up to the front door to read the seller's notice. She pulled the flier off the door and slowly walked back to Ron. "Why does the name Adrian Pucey sound so familiar?" she asked, moving the notice so Ron could read it as well.

When he finished, he took hold of the notice and stuffed it in his back pocket. "He was a Slytherin, Mione," he explained. "There's no trusting him. And if this Three Wizards Realty is a bunch of Slytherins as well, there's no way you'll get this house."

"Thanks for your support," she muttered, grabbing another flier before they walked away. When Ron reached the Leaky Cauldron, intent on returning to his childhood home with Hermione, she stopped. "I, um, forgot to get something at Flourish and Blotts. I'll meet you back at the Burrow."

When Ron nodded and walked inside, Hermione pulled out the flier and began walking toward Three Wizards Realty. Their office was near the end of Diagon Alley, just before the entrance to Knockturn Alley. It was a seedy area, one that made Hermione clutch her purse tightly to her chest as she surveyed her surroundings. Once inside, she breathed a bit more evenly as she approached the receptionist. "Adrian Pucey, please," she inquired, showing the receptionist the flier.

The girl said nothing as she buzzed her boss then returned to a stack of folders that needed to be filed. It wasn't long before Adrian Pucey exited his office, stopping when he saw Hermione Granger waiting. The last time they had seen one another was during Hermione's second year at Hogwarts. He was a sixth year and wholly unconcerned with the frizzy haired muggleborn that his friend, Draco Malfoy, loved to tease. He approached her with a charming smile and extended hand. "Miss Granger," he greeted her. "It's been a long time."

"I'm here to inquire about the property near the Alley," she stated, refusing to allow his charm and good looks to win her over. She handed him the flier and crossed her arms over her chest.

Nodding, Adrian led her to his office and shut the door behind them. "Why this house?" he inquired, grabbing a file before he took a seat behind his desk.

"The wizarding community needs a school, and I think that house would be perfect for one," she replied, head held high.

"Well, it's not the craziest idea I've ever heard," Adrian mused, looking over the property specs. "You realize you'll need a special permit from the Ministry, I assume. I mean, because it's a residential property that you want to use for commercial purposes."

"I understand," she replied. "Could you show me the interior?"

"I'll have another agent do that," he said. "Someone has to be here to see to the clients coming in. Wait here a moment while I speak with him."

When he was gone, Hermione took the time to survey the office. There was nothing fancy about the white walls and beige carpet, nor the cherry wood desk and high back black chair. What caught her attention were the photos and framed newspaper clippings that decorated the long filing cabinet behind the desk. Glancing once at the door to make sure he wasn't returning, Hermione rose from her seat to get a better look.

The first frame was a clipping announcing the opening of Three Wizards Realty. The moving photograph showed a proud group of three men - Adrian, Draco Malfoy, and someone she thought to be Theodore Nott. She sorely hoped the man showing her the house would not be Malfoy. They had had a tumultuous relationship, at best; one that often let to the use of the slang "mudblood" and once resulted in her teeth growing past her chin.

She looked at other photos - his old Hogwarts Quidditch days, parties and Quidditch matches with friends, a house with a gold plated caption underneath that read "Adrian's first sell". But it was a picture at the forefront, a little boy with brown hair and blue eyes and a missing front tooth, that caught her attention. Adrian Pucey had never been front page news, but Death Eaters and their offspring were often reported on by The Daily Prophet. She wondered, if the little boy was his son, how had she never known about him?

"See something that interests you?" Adrian inquired, smirking proudly at having caught the former Gryffindor snooping through his belongings.

Hermione whirled around, her face race and her hand over her heart. "I'm sorry," she replied. "He's, um, he's adorable. Anyhow, I should probably be going."

"What about the property? The realtor is waiting for you," he informed her. "It would be rude not to show."

She felt her face heat up further as she moved around the desk and attempted to leave. "Right, yes, the house," she stuttered, feeling like a silly first year. "I'll just go, and, um, meet him there. Thanks for your time."

Adrian smiled as she made a quick exit, and decided that her idea to open a school for the children of the wizarding world wasn't half bad. Rounding his desk, he picked up the frame he had seen her looking at, and his smile grew. His son Max had been born the year before the war broke out in full force. His mother, a muggleborn, had been killed while trying to go into hiding. Though both refused to choose sides in the war, the new Ministry regime came down hard on anyone of less than halfblood. Adrian had found a family in America who could help her, but she had been found before she ever left the country. And so Max became his full time responsibility.

At four years old, he was Adrian's pride and joy. He wanted the best for his only child, and knew that Hermione Granger could give him that.