Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter

A/N: Alright so this is mainly a filler chapter, so keep an open mind, the writing is a bit jagged and stop-start but bear with it okay thanks. Also there will be some grammar/spelling things that are different here in the UK than in the US, this goes for the whole thing so yeah just go with it if you're unfamiliar with it, and if there's British slang or a word you don't understand, (thing like tap/faucet and aubergine/eggplant - somehow I don't see the last one appearing in this fic but you get the jist) don't hesitate to ask ok cool. ON WITH THE SHOW.


Hermione Granger was spending the last couple of weeks of summer at the Burrow. She rather enjoyed spending time with Harry, Ron, and Ginny. It would've been nicer if Ron wasn't always pouting at her like a child that didn't get their way.

See, after the adrenaline and euphoria of the Battle had died down, Hermione had realised hers and Ron's kiss was nothing more than a mess of heightened emotions and the very strong possibility of death looming over them. Hermione had spent a month with Ron, so as not to hurt his feelings, before she had told him the truth of the matter, one night when he was complaining about her being a "selfish prude" for not wanting to have sex with him. Hermione had been pissed off with him, to say the least, and Ron felt similarly.

It had taken a few weeks for the hostility to die down, and for them to be in the same room without an argument breaking out. It was these weeks Hermione spent the majority of her time at her own home, removing a year's worth of dust and cobwebs, wishing she was able to go to Australia to fetch her parents, but she knew it had to wait until after her year at Hogwarts which she would spend finishing her education. The politics of the situation annoyed her and the Ministry's refusal to let her recover her parents until after everything was sorted had her sending a couple of Howlers, despite the fact she knew it was the wisest thing to do.

Hermione and Ginny were sharing a room and were quickly getting dressed and ready to go to Diagon Alley in order to collect school equipment. Hermione was extremely excited to be able to finish her NEWTs, and more so about the fact she had been made Head Girl. Needless to say, Harry and Ron weren't quite as enthusiastic as she was, but had accepted the offer nonetheless.

"You ready Gin?" Hermione asked the redhead as she hurriedly tied up her shoelaces. Ginny rummaged through drawers in search of something, until she pulled out a small purse triumphantly and hastily stuffed it in her bag.

"Yeah I'm all set," she paused "Hey, Hermione?" Hermione looked up from her shoes and at Ginny, whose eyebrows were furrowed.

"Yeah, Ginny?"

"What do you think Hogwarts will be like now? I mean... after the war and all?" Ginny asked her. The question had bothered Hermione as well and she honestly wasn't sure. Hermione shook her head.

"I don't know, I can only say that I hope to Merlin it's better than the previous year." She smiled and Ginny chuckled.

"Yeah well there's no question about that. I don't think it can get any worse. It's just... it's not going to be the same, is it? You know, as before?" Hermione pursed her lips in thought before pushing a stray curl behind her ear and sighing.

"No, Gin, it probably isn't." Ginny nodded, her face impassive. There was a moment of sad silence before Hermione planted a grin on her face.

"Hey, we don't want to keep everyone waiting now do we? Let's go downstairs, I can't wait to see Diagon Alley again." She enthused and Ginny smiled at her.

The two girls made their way downstairs to the fireplace where Harry, Ron, Molly and Arthur were waiting.

"Come on girls we haven't got all day." Said Molly hurriedly who started fussing with Ginny's cloak and hair. Ginny frowned and stepped back from her mother.

"Mum, I'm not a child!" she huffed, crossing her arms "We're here now, so why are we standing around?" Harry chuckled and Molly rolled her eyes. She threw the powder onto the fire, calling out their destination and her and Arthur stepped into the green flames. The four teens quickly followed suit and soon they were all on the other side.

After a trip to Gringotts, Everyone hurriedly split off to get their things, wishing to get everything quickly so they had more time for leisure shopping. Hermione decided to leave Flourish and Blott's for last, due to the fact she'd be spending most of her time in the bookshop, maybe buying a few to read for fun, browsing through the vast and glorious selection. She smiled at the thought.

So, with bags laden with everything she would need for the upcoming school year, Hermione happily made her way towards Flourish and Blott's.

During the war Diagon Alley had become desolate and cold, simply an echo of what it had used to be. Now, Diagon Alley was making its way towards what it used to be before the war, the warm and inviting place Hermione first visited all those years ago.

With a grin on her face, Hermione entered the familiar bookshop and took a deep breath and looked around the shop, eyes hungrily feasting on the large collection of books. Information, stories, new things to be discovered all hidden within the bindings of the stacks upon stacks of books. Hermione was content. Now this, she thought, is bliss.

Hermione knew her way around the shop easily and with the help from the list she had in her Hogwarts letter, Hermione had quickly found everything she needed for the school year. She dumped the pile of books onto the desk and smiled at the clerk, fishing through her purse for the correct change.

With her school books now paid for and bagged, Hermione was satisfied with the time she now had to browse through the magnificent collection of books, run her fingers along the spines, rifle curiously through the contents, inhale the alluring aroma of the pages. Yes, the bookshop would easily take first place as Hermione's favourite place in the world.

As Hermione was browsing in a section about magical creatures, she found herself bumping into an extremely tall and distracted pureblood. She scowled. Malfoy. She didn't need his taunts and snide comments to ruin her day. She ignored his presence and waited for him to make a jibe at her blood status or make a rude comment about her hair, but he didn't say anything. Instead the blonde just stared at her as if he'd never seen her before in his life. His eyes were wide and shocked.

Hermione was growing uncomfortable; she kept staring at the books in front of her but wasn't really looking at them, distracted by the blonde's incessant staring. Hermione kept peeking up at him with sideways glances but still he had not moved, looking at Hermione quizzically, and his brows furrowed with puzzlement. Hermione noticed his hair had gotten lighter over the summer, now an almost white colour, and was no longer slicked back but instead falling in front of his eyes, eyes which Hermione had never noticed before. They were silver. How anyone's eyes could so resemble unicorn's blood she had no idea, but this intense staring was freaking her out. She turned and faced him.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" she snapped, hands on her hips. Malfoy blinked once, twice, and seemed to be shaken out of his reverie; he scowled and looked down at Hermione.

"Granger?" He asked, confused. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"What? Am I so beneath you that you have decided to not even recognise me any more? Yes it's me, Hermione Granger, the one that punched you in third year for being a prick and who you take such pleasure in tormenting. Remember me now?" she smirked up at him, an eyebrow raised. Malfoy looked extremely distracted and bewildered, like he was only half listening. He blinked again and his eyes seemed to lose their sheen. Huh, weird.

"Um, yeah, I remember you uh sorry I was – uh – looking for a book, didn't mean to bump into you um yeah found it," he took a book from the shelf "Okay see you, Granger." He hurried away. Hermione raised her eyebrows at his retreating back. Wow, had he been flustered and polite? Had Draco Malfoy been replaced by eleven year old Neville? She shook her head and looked to see which book he had been looking for.

Understanding Veelas

Hermione cocked an eyebrow. Why was Draco Malfoy acting like a flustered schoolboy and buying books on something that wasn't even on the school curriculum? Whoever this Malfoy was, Hermione was unfamiliar with him.

Well, at least I won't have to spend too much time around the prejudiced twat in school, she thought.

Oh, the irony.


A/N: Yeah as I said before, this chapter is a bit of a filler. Okay so I'm not good at updates due to the year-long writers blocks I am prone to (as you may be able to tell from my other abandoned fics oops) but I hope to update this once or twice a week. If I don't, you have permission to track me down and slap me. Oh and to the guest that asked who is/what happened to Narcissa's mate, you'll find out soon, faaaab.