Hermione Granger stepped off of the Hogwarts Express. She had changed since the previous year, her hair a little longer and not as bushy. Nobody had seemed to notice any of these changes that year so she never pressed anyone to say anything. Harry and Ron had been missing a lot during the term and she hadn't seen them that much either. Hermione never talked to anyone except Ginny when the two boys were out. Other than that she would spend most of her time in the library. When anyone would ask what she was doing, mostly everyone would say studying. The only problem was that she wasn't. Hermione Granger was drawing. Yes, she would disappear for hours because she would sit and draw in the back of the library. No one, not Ginny, Harry, Ron, or her parents knew that she drew during her free time. Everyday after class she would spend two or three hours on essays or other homework. Then for hours before dinner and after she would sneak in and draw.
Her luggage was not heavy from the clothes; it was because underneath all of it there is a secret compartment. It held all of the art and drawing supplies. Hermione hoisted it up and dragged it to the barrier where her parents were waiting.
"Hello mom and dad. How is the business going?" Hermione gave each of her parents a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
"Hermione dear! We've missed you so much! The business is going absolutely great." Her mother, Anne, gave Hermione another hug and examined her daughter. "My, you're growing so fast!"
"That's great, mom. Well, shall we head on home?"
"Yes, that is a great idea, but first we have something to do." Hermione's father took her trunk and started walking for the barrier.
Hermione ran to catch up with him. He stopped and gave her a welcoming smile. Hermione's father, Richard, motioned for Anne to come over. Anne Granger walked up behind Hermione and took out a bandanna.
"Now hold still while I put this on." Hermione gave her father a questioned look.
Everything went dark and Hermione shifted nervously on her feet.
"It's okay Hermione. We have a surprise for you and we don't want you to guess what it is before we arrive there." Hermione's father spoke from in front of her. Her mother gripped onto Hermione's arm and guided her carefully through the station, Richard just ahead with the luggage.
"So we couldn't wait until I was in the car to blindfold me?"
"Nope, I'm sorry Mia, but we really couldn't take any chances of you finding out. It's supposed to be a surprise. We want to celebrate you becoming an adults in the wizarding world, so we decided to you a little present."
"Really? You didn't have to get me anything, really."
"Oh, but we wanted to! It was a tradition from my parents that I decided with you mother to pass down to you. Don't worry dear, it's nothing old."
"Thank you so much. I would give you a hug, but I can't see where you are."
Hermione heard her mother and father laugh and then she realized that they had just stepped outside. Cars sped by her, leaving behind a gust of wind. One thing, other than drawing, as a passion for her were very fast cars. She loved the feel of the wind blow through her hair when in a convertible. The feeling of being to fast to see in a regular car and the excitement of possibly getting caught. Some of her sketches were of her own designs of cars. She enjoyed coming up with all the decals and things such as paint. Sometimes, if she got way into it, she would use color pencils to detail the car even more. One of her favorite sketches was hidden behind a poster on her wall.
Richard hitched the trunk into the trunk of the car and helped Hermione to get in the back seat. She slid in a fumbled around for the seatbelt. Once she had it, she snapped herself in. Her parents climbed into the front and Richard started the car. Hermione figured it was her father because he always drove and her mother sat in the passenger's seat.
She didn't know how long the ride was until the car had finally stopped. Car doors opened and slammed shut in front of her. She unbuckled herself when the door was opened. Anne grabbed her daughter's hand and hoisted her out of the seat. She guided Hermione to the place and stopped her. A man came up to her and Richard.
"Ah! The Grangers, have you come for it?"
"Yes, lead us to it." Mr. Granger spoke from behind Hermione. Both parents led her to a spot and told her to stay. Hermione heard a gasp come from her mother.
"Oh! Hermione, it's so beautiful! You'll love it!"
"Now, I want you to close your eyes and don't open them until I say okay." Mr. Granger's voice came from in front of her.
"Alright, they're closed. Hurry up! I want to know what it is!" Hermione jumped up with excitement. She wanted to know badly.
Anne Granger removed the blindfold from her daughter's eyes and then turned her around. Hermione Granger's eyes flew open when her father said okay, she let out a gasp at the sight before her. There, sitting pleasantly was a car, not any car but a very fast Porsche. She was overwhelmed with excitement. It was exactly the same as her drawing underneath her poster. It was a real life replica. The Porsche was a royal purple color that had a black panther on the side. The panther seemed to be running along side it. Hermione ran over to the car and let her hand slide over its brand new side. She went to the back and looked at the license plate. Just as she had written, it said, BKPNTHR. She then looked again at the model, Carrera GT. The windows were tinted and there was a black stripe going down the hood. Hermione turned back around and walked back to her father and mother.
"How did you know?'
"Well, I was straightening up the house and when I got to your room to gather a few pieces of laundry, one of you posters was on the floor. When I went to place it back up, I saw the drawing and took it to your father. We talked and decided that it was time to carry on the tradition." Her mother smiled at Hermione and then looked over at Richard.
"Is it really mine though?"
"Yes, we want you to have it. Carry on the tradition for us when you have a child." Her father walked over the Hermione and gave her a large breath-taking hug.
"This is the best present ever! Can I try it out?"
"Why don't you just drive it home?" Richard Granger took hold of his wife's hand and squeezed it.
"Thank you! This is absolutely the best day that ever came!"
"Now, get the keys from the desk and we will see you when you get home." Both of the older Grangers walked out of the store and got into their car. Taking off, Hermione counted to three and then she heard her father honk the horn.
Smiling, she walked to the desk and asked for the keys. The man at the desk smiled and handed over a small set of keys. Hermione ran over to the car and got in. Inside was a royal purple leather seat covers and the radio was a satellite operated player that could also hook up an iPod. The same man at the desk pressed a button and large glass doors opened and Hermione turned on the car. Revving the engine, she eased it out of the store and onto the lot.
The car gradually made its way to the road. Hermione revved the engine again and pulled out of the lot onto the road. She smiled and sped up just a little bit. She was still in town and didn't want to get caught right away. The stoplight turned red and she slowed down. On her right a Mustang V6 that was black with a silver dragon on the side and hood. She couldn't see the driver but the Mustang revved its engine and pulled forward a foot. She smiled and revved her engine and pulled forward. Luckily her car was a shift-stick, which is what she preferred over an automatic. Smiling she revved the engine and thrust her foot on the pedal when the light turned green. She shifted into third really quickly and was ahead, suddenly the Mustang easily pulled up beside her and pushed forward. A stoplight was ahead, it was still green but ten feet away it turned yellow, revving the engine she lunged forward and then slowed down. It was easy to tell that she had won the race. Usually they only go until the next light was hit. The black Mustang pulled up beside her and revved its engine again. She took the challenge again and they were off.
Twenty minutes later and five races, Hermione decided that it was enough. She pulled into a parking lot and parked. The Mustang followed and parked along with two other cars. They parked in front of her, giving her a good view of the license plates. The mustang's said DRAGG0N, the one next to it was a '99 blue Mazda said BDYGRD1, the last one was another '99 dark green Mazda that said BDYGRD2.
Rummaging through her trunk, she found her wand and a piece of paper. She changed her hair to a black with a neon purple streaks. Her clothes were of a very short top and low riding pair of jeans. Stepping out of the car, she put on a smile and leaned again her car. The drivers of all three cars stepped out and headed over to her. The Mustang's driver was a tall boy with a skullcap and sunglasses on. It looked like he had blonde hair but she couldn't tell. The other two were average boys that also had a cap and sunglasses on. The Mustang's driver was a lot more handsome than the other two. She smiled and walked up to him.
"Nice ride, where did you get it?" She looked up at the boy and smiled again.
"I had it specially designed. Where did you get yours? Nice designs on it."
"My parents gave it to me as a coming of age present. I designed everything myself. They had it made to look like a drawing I had done awhile back."
"So where can I meet you again?"
"Here, let me give you my username for FastRaces.uk. You know that site don't you?"
"Of course that's where I usually do all of my chatting."
"Hold on a second."
Hermione walked back to her car and rummaged for the piece of paper. She looked down and found the first one. Using her wand she said a spell to write down the username. Behind her she heard a noise, glancing behind her she saw the boy and the two others standing, watching her. She froze and swore many pretty words that everyone would be surprised to hear come out of the know-it-all's mouth. The boy laughed and helped her up. Taking the paper her started walking back.
"Wait, don't you want to know what I was doing?"
"No, I figured that you were a witch so I don't really need to say anything."
The boy stopped and flashed a smirk that reminded her of Draco Malfoy but she brushed off the thought. Getting back into the car, she took off towards home. Her parents were sitting on the couch when she walked through the door.
"I want to thank you guys so much. This day had been wonderful, so I am treating you guys to dinner." Hermione missed the sad look on her parent's faces when she returned. She passed by the mirror and said a small 'oops'. Changing her hair back, she went back into the living room and explained her hair color. They smiled at her then went into the kitchen. Hermione followed them and prepared a hearty meal that she wanted to make special for her parents since they did a lot for her. When the meal was finished they volunteered to clean up. She headed to her room and started to unpack her trunk. Downstairs Anne and Richard Granger were having a sad discussion about Hermione.
Later that night she was on her laptop surfing through FastRaces when a popup came up saying that she had a message. Clicking the link she was transferred to her inbox. It was a message from Draggon. She smiled and clicked on the message.
Black Panther,
You know, I never really talk to that many people because they're all muggles. I'm glad that I have found someone to talk to at least. I can't talk to you too much because of my father. He likes to check to see where I have been and whom I've talked to. Luckily I have been able to keep this site from him, though I don't know how long it is before he finds it. So could you let me know who you are so that I can send owls to you just in case. I've noticed that you live somewhere in the London community among muggles. It must be hard for you to live in peace with them. I know that for me it would be hard. Though, I think father would die before we would even set foot in that area. Let me know soon if we could talk through letters.
Draggon
Hermione smiled and clicked on the reply button.
Draggon,
I can't tell you my name but I would like it if you could owl me every once and awhile. It would be nice to talk to someone other than my parents. Besides, my friends never talk to me that much. Talking about muggles, aren't you driving something that they built? It isn't as hard as it seems to be living with them if you have for forever. Wait, tell me where you live and I'll send my owl Jasper to come to you. Or at least tell me a landmark.
Black Panther
Hermione smirked and sent the message. She managed to get to read another message before the message screen popped up. She laughed and read the message.
Black Panther,
Tell your owl that the driveway has a car with a dragon on the hood. He should be able to find my window. It's on the third floor with a marble balcony. Now, it's not fair to tell you where I live if you won't tell me who you are. These friends of yours don't sound that great. Really you should find people who are better. I'm glad that you find muggles easy to live with. Trust me even though people think I hate muggles and muggleborns, I actually am not bothered with them. It's my father I have to put up this charade for. It sucks. When I get out of the house in a year I will definitely celebrate not being cooped up in this 'small' house with him. Wait, I have to go soon. I would like it if I could read your reply first.
DraggonP.s. Hurry, father usually comes up at 11:30 to see that I get to bed. Yes, I have a bedtime but I never follow it.
Hermione glanced at the clock. It was 10:59pm. She had time but she wanted to hear more.
Draggon,
I'm glad to hear that it's not fair. You know, having a bedtime can be a good thing, if your like 10 and can't do anything yourself. By the way, what school do you go to? Your reputation must be pretty good if you have to act like that. I find that very comforting that you find muggles and muggleborns okay. If you go to Hogwarts then let me guess that you're in Slytherin. Trust me I won't tell anyone that their precious Draggon is fine with muggleborns. So tell me what is your father like if he's making you act like that? So if you only one year left that means your in 7th year. Okay, since I figured out what school, year, and house you're in I tell you mine. I go to Hogwarts, am a Gryffindor, and also in 7th year. Now's the fun part trying to figure out who I am. So I hope that you keep messaging me even at Hogwarts. Surprisingly, Dumbledore had wireless Internet installed. Only a few people know because there is a certain thing that pops up asking for a username and password. Then you can keep track of who gets on. Just go to Dumbledore and ask to see if you can get a username. It's really easy. We can still owl each other, but if we don't find out who each other was then don't send it during mail time. I would prefer to keep silent who I am. I'm guessing that you want to have the same. Oops I am rambling, sorry. So I'll send this then you get your reply back. Though I am going to have to sign off because there is homework that needs to be done.
Black Panther
She laughed at what his expression would be and sent the message. She kept logged on but went to her work. Glancing at the clock she saw it was 11:30 on the spot. Laughing, she took out her Potions book and a piece of parchment. Snape had given them an essay on the properties of a Polyjuice Potion. Easy, no one knew about the time in second year with Harry and Ron.
Twenty minutes later the message window popped up and startled her. Hermione went to close it, but noticed it was from Draggon.
Black Panther,
Sorry, I had to quickly take it apart and throw it under the bed. Actually, I didn't throw it but you know what I mean. Father was a bitch so I couldn't get on earlier because he was lecturing me on when I need to get off that "damned muggle device". So, you're from Gryffindor; that's interesting because I haven't seen you before. Wait maybe you dyed your hair so that I couldn't recognize you. This is the fun part, trying to guess whom each other is. About that wireless Internet, so all I have to do is ask Dumbledore about it and I can get an account? Wow, who knew that the "Magical School" would have something as simple as Internet? Most wizards don't even know about it. I only found out about computers because of a good friend. All right, we will send the letters at night, but I will find out who you are! Trust me, when it comes to mysteries, I love to solve them. Don't get me started on my father because you might guess who I am. So I will say that he is a hot headed, arrogant, filthy bastard that shouldn't be in this world.
Draggon
Hermione raised her eyebrows in surprise and snickered.
Draggon,
If you do find out who I am, let me know. I doubt it though. I hate to rain on this lovely parade but I do have to get to bed. Tomorrow is an early start on my job. If you're curious, I work at a small café right beside the Leaky Cauldron. Good night. I'll talk to you tomorrow.
Black Panther.
Hermione sent the message and quickly logged off. She turned off her computer and grabbed her iPod. Throwing the iPod on her bed, she changed into her nightclothes and set the alarm clock for 7am. Turning out the light, Hermione Granger placed the ear buds in and turned on the player. She crawled into her bed and closed her eyes. Drifting to sleep she dreamed of Black Panthers and Dragons. She didn't know that a certain blonde was reading her message and smiling a true smile. Later he got into bed after sending a short reply. Dreaming the same thing as she was. That night was the beginning of something unexpected.