A/N: Hey guys! Personally, I don't think this chapter is too good, but I just needed to get this out. These first few chapters are mostly just filler to get to the main point. I have the story outlined, so I know how it's gonna end up, but it's the little details that get me sometimes. Thank you so very much to Cyn-twin and Shakari, my lone two reviewers!

Chapter Two

Hermione smoothed down her dress one more time. She was being taken into town by Lucius Malfoy today, and he'd bought her an outfit to wear. The rough cotton shift she'd worn before would've instantly given her away as being a Muggle. By order of the lady of the house, her hair had been washed and she'd been given a hot bath. Muggles were only ever given a hot bath when prospective buyers visited Malfoy Manor. Otherwise, they had to settle for getting water from the stream that ran through the property. Hermione ran her hands through her hair, feeling her sore scalp. The girl who'd helped her take the bath, a young woman named Augusta, had pulled on her hair a little too harshly while trying to detangle it.

Hermione sat down on the bed. She stared at her hands, noticing how she'd never seen them without dirt on her palms or under her nails. The hands she looked at now were almost those of a lady. Narcissa had instructed Augusta to make sure Hermione's appearance carried no traces of her true heritage. Hermione thought Augusta had done a good job.

There was a knock on the door. It opened, and Narcissa Malfoy stood in the doorframe. "Come with me. My husband is waiting downstairs."

Hermione followed her mistress into the central wing and down the main staircase of the house. The heels of her boots thumped against the rug laid over the stairs. Hermione wiggled her toes with every step. She'd never worn shoes in the summer before, and she thought they were a bit constricting.

Lucius was waiting for them on the ground floor. Hermione had never seen this part of the house, but she'd have to wait to see it fully. Before she and Narcissa could finish their descent, Lucius was already out the door, getting into his carriage. Narcissa gently nudged Hermione in the same direction, giving her last minute pointers as to how someone associated with the Malfoys would act in public. She stepped back and glanced at Hermione one last time. "I do wish I had more time to teach you proper social skills," she lamented. "Just let my husband do most of the talking and all will be well."

Hermione was ushered out of the door and into the carriage. Because it only held two people, she found herself sitting right next to Lucius Malfoy. He spared her a brief glance when she tripped over her dress getting into the carriage, but otherwise looked straight ahead and said nothing. Lucius' tapping of his cane signaled the two large Abraxans that were harnessed to the carriage to start moving. The horses cantered along at a light but brisk pace that allowed Hermione to take in the scenery but still had her brushing hair out of her face. The world outside the Manor was exactly the same as it was inside—and yet it was vastly different. There was no fence, physical or magical, to keep Hermione inside anymore. On either side of the road, the forest stretched on for miles, although the trees began to thin out the farther they traveled. It was a sunny day, and the fluffy clouds seemed to dance and play with each other in the sky, making Hermione giggle. Lucius gave her another look from the corner of his eye. Hermione caught it. Feeling slightly embarrassed, she forced herself to sit back and behave. Lucius allowed a satisfied smirk to cross his face.

Hermione could not contain her excitement anymore once the town came into view. Never in her life had she ever seen so many people at once. As a young child, she'd once thought the slaves of Malfoy Manor made up the world's population. If she were to now take every one of those slaves and replace one of the townspeople, they would only have accounted for one-tenth of the people in the area.

The Abraxans pulled up on a street that was lined with coaches. Lucius got out, and then turned to Hermione. "Stay here," he told her, accenting the order with a jab of his cane. Hermione instinctively nodded. Following orders came easy to her, even in her new clothes. Lucius headed off to his left. Hermione followed him with her eyes until he was lost in a crowd of people.

A few hours later, Hermione still sat in the carriage, as instructed. She was nervous. Master Malfoy had been gone for some time, and people stared at her as they passed. They'd never seen her before, what if they knew she was a Muggle? She looked around, hoping to catch a glimpse of the master. She spotted him under a nearby tree a few yards away, conversing with another man. He was about Hermione's age, but he looked exactly like Lucius. This was unmistakably Lucius' son.

Hermione couldn't help but watch, engrossed in the interaction between the two. Master Malfoy treated even his own son as a business partner. The two expressed no familial recognition towards each other at all. The younger Malfoy seemed to be reporting to his father, who was listening intently. It was obvious that Lucius was not pleased with what he was hearing. She looked on as Draco produced a folded note from inside his jacket and handed it to his father. Lucius read it, his face contorting in disgust, and handed it back. He issued one last order to his son and headed back to the carriage. Hermione looked away and pretended she hadn't been looking, but Lucius knew better. He'd seen her.

"Come," he told her with his arm extended. Hermione gave him a puzzled look.

"I can't have you stumbling out of my carriage in public. Now take my hand and get out," he told her.

Hermione tentatively placed her hand in his. She felt herself being lifted up and out of the carriage. Lucius placed his hand on her back and guided her down the sidewalk and around a corner. Hermione allowed herself to be led into a small shop whose overhang read 'Ollivander's.'

The shop's interior was composed of a small loft that could be entered from staircases at either end of the shop. Right underneath were a small desk and an adding machine. Behind the desk there was a compact hallway that led to a dark door. On both floors, the walls were lined with long, thin boxes that were labeled with ornate handwriting. The shop had only one window. The afternoon light bathed the entire room in a dim glow.

Lucius pushed Hermione forwards to the desk. He cleared his throat and said, "Ollivander." It wasn't a call, merely a statement, but had they been at the Manor, the tone in Lucius' voice would've made Hermione scurry to his side.

There was a thud that came from the second floor. A gaunt, elderly man with a lush head of white hair descended the stairs. His expression upon seeing Lucius was not one of pleasure, and he approached the man with his back straight and shoulders back.

"Ahh, Lucius, to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" he shook Malfoy's hand.

Lucius gestured to Hermione. "This is Hermione. She needs a wand. Her first."

Ollivander looked over to Hermione, who shuffled nervously under his gaze. He turned back to Lucius. "Isn't she a little old for her first wand?"

Hermione looked to Lucius, afraid their secret his out. Her master merely smiled and placed a small velvet bag on the desk. "She is a bit behind, I'll admit. But see, Hermione here is…special. So do you have something for her or shall I be forced to look somewhere else?"

Ollivander scoffed. "You know there is no one else who can help you." He gestured out for Hermione. "Come."

Ollivander summoned a chair from further back in the shop and had Hermione sit on it. He measured various parts of her body with a white string that came from the end of his wand. Finally, he summoned a box from somewhere in the shop and presented it to Hermione.

"Try this one. Holly, dragon heartstrings, ten inches. Go on, give it a wave."

Hermione did as she was told and a bunch of boxes fell from their places. Ollivander quickly snatched the wand back and replaced it with another one. "Even I have off days sometimes. This is definitely the one. Oak, phoenix tail feather, eight and a quarter inches. Nice, sturdy wand."

Hermione took the wand and gave it a wave. A large crack appeared in the shops wooden floor. Ollivander said nothing as he took the second wand and replaced it with a third. Hermione was hesitant to try it. She feared that even if she did have magical powers, the wands would all reject her because she was a Muggle. She gave a resigned sigh and half-heartedly flailed the wand around. A soft breeze fluttered through the shop, and that was it.

Ollivander smiled. "Congratulations, Hermione. This is your new wand. Yew, unicorn hair, nine inches. A beautiful wand, if I do say so myself."

Ollivander escorted Hermione back down the stairs, where Lucius was waiting for them. "Hermione is a very special girl indeed," Ollivander told him. "Her wand is a testament to that."

"Good. Come, Hermione." Master Malfoy led her back to the carriage where the Abraxans were pawing at the ground impatiently. They had been gone the entire day, and the sun was setting. The entire ride home, Hermione fingered her new wand, memorizing the texture of the cool wood. Once they'd arrived at the Manor, Lucius instructed her to go straight up to her room and sleep, as her training would begin the next day.

Hermione proceeded straight to her room and got undressed for bed. She was tired, but she couldn't sleep. Her wand was underneath her pillow. It was a calming presence that she'd never noticed she'd been missing before. For the first time in her life, Hermione felt complete. She sighed and closed her eyes, willing sleep to come.

There it is! Enjoy!