Disclaimer: All characters were created by J.K. Rowling thus they all belong to her *sob*

Author's Notes: This is going to take place during the summer before Hermione and Draco's sixth year, so that they'll both be sixteen. Sweet sixteen actually… enjoy the fic!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Draco gave his horse a good hard kick and it spurred into a gallop. He was stuck in his parent's summer home all summer and he was not enjoying one second of it. Wind whistled in his ears and Draco merely urged his horse to go faster. It was a hot summer, end of July now, and Draco found himself wishing that August would fly by so he could return to Hogwarts. He was sure he'd be damned before he actually wanted to return to that sorry excuse for a school but here he was, doing exactly that.

"Draco Malfoy!" Draco jumped in surprise and pulled his horse to a stop. Damn those listening spells! It was his mother. Draco scowled. He thought she had flown into one of her emotional fits and was locked up in one of the rooms with a bottle of champagne. Obviously not anymore.

"Come back into the house, we have a surprise for you." Draco rolled his eyes. Probably another friend of the family who happened to have a young daughter his age. He was sixteen, for God's sake, not twenty one and he didn't need any possible wives or girlfriends right now. Relationships were sticky and annoying and he didn't want anything to do with them right now.

The breezy, sophisticated summer home came into view with his breezy, sophisticated mother standing outside, wearing a straw hat to protect her face from the sun. She was wearing a simple, silk dress and her hair, as white blond as Draco's, was curled and hung to her shoulders. Draco and her mother actually looked quite a bit alike. They both had the strong noses, hair, and tall, lean built. But Draco's mother had green eyes. Draco had gotten his pale blue, gray ones from his father.

"Where on earth have you been?" she hissed, her nails digging into Draco's arm. Her mood didn't quite match her kind appearance. She dragged Draco inside as Draco groaned inwardly. Seated inside on the silk couches was a tall, dark haired man, a petite woman, and, just as Draco had suspected, a young girl with a curtain of straight, chocolate brown, shiny hair hanging straight to her back. Draco could tell that they were a family by their matching expressions: bored and annoyed.

"These are the Hardings, dear," said Mrs. Malfoy. "And this would be Hannah." Hannah looked up, but then the expression on her face melted. She looked at Draco with a pleased look in her eyes and stood. She was tall and could look at Draco in the eye.

"I'm pleased to meet you," she said, with a slight smile, creating a dimple on one ivory cheek. She was in love with Draco, hopelessly in love much like most of the girls that ever met him. Draco stifled a yawn as he extended his hand to shake hers.

"Like wise," said Draco, sounding bored. Unfortunately for Hannah, she didn't know that Draco wasn't one to fall in love. Try as she might, he was unmovable when it came to love…

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Hermione waited in the hospital room, bored to death. The doctor had poked his head in about five minutes ago and called her parents out. It was July! What was she doing in here? Hermione felt a growing feeling of unfairness. She was supposed to be at the Burrow, with Harry and Ron but no, it was just the day she had arrived when an owl came for her from her parents, making her return. The minute she did come home, they brought her here to this damn hospital.

"Hermione?" Her parents reentered the room, looking concerned.

"Are we ready to leave now? Can I return to the Burrow then?" Hermione's parents exchanged a glance.

"We don't want to worry you but," Mrs. Granger started, hesitantly. Hermione started to cough, bringing her fist to her mouth. When she stopped, she felt the coppery tang of blood in the back of her throat.

"But what?" Hermione demanded. "It's a cold, or some sort of strep throat? Could we please just get the medicine and leave?" Hermione then noticed that her mother's eyes were overly bright.

"Hermione, honey," her father said. "It's more than just a cold. We're afraid that the doctor has diagnosed you with, well…" The doctor stepped in.

"It's best we keep the name of the illness from you, my dear," said the doctor. The doctor looked worried but was trying to hide it. "We wouldn't want to scare you." Hermione closed her eyes.

"But you already have," she whispered.

"We have to run a couple of more tests to be sure," the doctor said, haltingly. Hermione glared at him.

"No!" she screamed. "You took me away from my summer! I don't want to do any more bloody tests!" She shoved her arm in the doctor's face. It had multiple bandages on it where the nurses had drawn blood and parts that were not covered in bandages, it was bruised.

"Hermione, let's be reasonable," said her mother, trying to pull her daughter in her arms. She stroked Hermione's wild hair.

"I said no!" Hermione jumped from the hospital bed and ran outside, past the waiting room, until she could breathe fresh air again. She already knew what was wrong with her. With her magic, Hermione already knew. And she wanted to forget it, she didn't want anyone else to find out. Then her parents take her to this bloody hospital with the damn doctor. How could they? She wanted to be away from everyone. Hermione took out her wand that she had concealed in her back pocket. She had been reading about apparition and disapparition. She was smart. Surely she could Apparate away to the Burrow or someplace safe. Hermione closed her eyes and thought of green fields and a bright sun. Horses maybe, she loved to ride horses, and a sprawling lovely house where she could walk around its marble floors barefoot and sip ginger lemonade. Who cares if this place didn't exist? She would make it exist. Hermione saw the world around her disappear and she felt herself whizzing through space. Suddenly, it stopped and she was dropped onto grass. Hermione lay there, gasping and turned over onto her back. The sun shone down on her. Did she actually do it? Hermione didn't actually have time to rejoice in the fact that she had actually Apparated for a blond haired boy riding a chestnut stallion was galloping towards her at full speed.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

A/N: sooo…was that good? Bad? The story will take more shape in the next chappy when they actually meet. Please tell me if this is okay or not and I promise the next chappy will be a lot more interesting and fun!