"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why can't I get this right?"

Looking up from her parch, Hermione's window, Espree was the pristine image of a lounging cat lazily absorbing the final rays of sunlight from that day. Hermione was the exact opposite her hair wild, her brow scrunched in frustration her wand pointed threateningly at her four post bed. Both witches had been surprised when Hermione heard Espree muttering in her Anamagi form, and while it was at times socially suicidal for Hermione to be conversing with her cat, still they often needed to speak with one another and social suicide was the best option.

"What are you trying to do, love?"

"Tranfigure my blankets into sheets wordlessly! McGonagall refuses to teach me any further until I can command this skill properly. Malfoy overheard and wont stop spouting about how mudbloods can't control magic as a pure blood would!"

Hermione's wand understanding her anger vented fire, covering her bed in flames.

"Oh bloody BRILLIANT! JUST BRILLIANT!"

"Aquarius"

Espree's wandless spell from her Animaguous form created a mix of anger, bitterness, jealousy, and complete awe within Hermione. She watched her smoldering pillows her gut twisting. She could easily fix this, but her bed was a flaming in her face representation of how she just couldn't handle wandless, or silent spells. Pinching the bridge of her nose she tried to calm herself. Espree knew what that meant, Hermione was at her wits end, the bright young witch before her didn't often get things wrong…and for Hogwart's sake she hoped that this wouldn't happen much in the future.

If she is the one…I might as well. Who could it hurt? Bad question! Those thoughts are exactly why the entire world has to deal with this problem! Because some wizards thought that they had the right…I hate…

But still, either way, I should.

"Practice the spell with your wand. Feel the magic, not the annunciation not the swift movement of your wand. You have to understand what you are doing without focusing far to much on the aspects of the magic that don't matter. You'll never get it right if you don't let go of the structure, feel the raw potential that you felt when you cooked your bed."

"Why would she tell me that she won't allow me to move further? What is so terribly wrong with me that she can't help me to move forward? Does she think that I'm not as adequate as everyone else in the course is?"

Transfiguring Hermione's bed, Espree leapt onto the new sheets and curled up on Hermione's pillow starring at the frazzled teen before her. At times it was obvious that Hermione was as human as each of her peers.

"Knowledge without wisdom is nothing. You're teacher is doing you a service by forcing you to learn the highest form, wisdom of the streets. I have never seen a witch at your age, with such a vast library of spells, charms, incantations, along with your ability with potions. Still, even the most advanced hex will do very little when the battle heats. The skills that your teacher is building within you, might one day save you."

"I still can not understand why this is so hard!"

Hermione lifted her wand once again pointing at the end of the bed her brow contorting as she attempted to simply make sheets!

"Say the spell."

"What?"

"State your spell."

Hermione complied her annoyance growing as the bed spread instantly became fine silk sheets as she commanded. Glaring at Espree with her eyes screaming 'I told you this spell was ludicrously easy' Hermione crossed her arms waiting for her next task.

"Now change it back."

"I do not see how using a completely different spell will help me! What effect will transfiguring my sheets back into being a comforter have on my ability to silently cast this spell?"

"Trust me, good you made a blanket, now sheets, good now back."

This cycle continued until Hermione, reached the point at which she was ready to hex everyone into a different century . Her normally lively hair currently stood on all ends and her eyes had a more than a twinge of anger.

"Now do it silently."

Hermione's wand didn't even twitch as she turned her attention back to her comforter and it instantly changed its self into a sheet. Then with a wave of her hand there was a thicker blanket then she originally had. Espree was unsure weather this was intentional or not and with her infinite wisdom she decided to keep her mouth shut. She watched as Hermione's eyes widened, and the anger left her face. Then the brunette walked over to her bed side drawer and pulled out a vial, read the label and downed the entire thing.

"Thankyou."

Hermione murmured tiredly as she flopped down onto her bed, head in her hands. She couldn't remember being so flustered, and the throbbing in her head multiplied as she realized what a prat she had been. Her actions almost reminded her of Ronald when he didn't get his way.

"I'm not normally so….It's just that Umbridge is an intolerable woman whom I spend two double blocks with in Defense against the Dark Arts, and Advanced Practical Magical Protection Against Dark Wizards. She teaches us absolutely nothing! The only place that I am learning to defend myself is in Transfiguration and when McGonagall told me she would teach me no more until I mastered silent spells…I lost it."

"Studying the way that you do, creates tension in the body. This is why young wizards were given a defense against the dark arts class. The course was originally a dueling class where students explored ways to defend themselves however changes were implemented when a first year Huffelpuff met her end from a slytherins ill fated stun spell. The houses united and decided to create a class where students could explore the physical aspect of magic while learning to defend themselves. Your nightly activities m may help your mind relax but you need something more."

Espree made eye contact with Hermione her piercing blue eyes freezing Hermione's brown as the older cat …Er…witch made up her mind.

"I have an idea, something much more stimulating than reading a text book. Come with me."

Hermione found herself in the room of requirement standing with Espree in front of her and as she was about to ask why they were there the other woman once again was human. In a blur Espree's wand was out and Hermione hardly had time to jump as a hex was shot at her.

"Care for a duel, my dear?"

Hermione smiled as she rolled away pulling her wand out.

Hours later Hermione lumbered towards the common room her entire body aching, yet her head was completely clear. Sticking to the shadows she followed Espree who always seemed to know when someone approaching, chalk it up to heightened feline senses.

"Every morning we will meet at three am, and duel for an hour and a half, then you will shower and head to class. Be sure to use your time turner so that you may have breakfast because you will be ravenous after dueling. We should also practice hand to hand combat and spar. That will improve your endurance greatly. If you require assistance in any field my knowledge in magic is ample."

The Three Broomsticks is open for another three hours. I wonder if I could…Tomorrow, tonight I need to write a few essays.

Nodding Hermione strode up to the fat lady who cheekily grinned at Hermione.

"My, Are you going to sleep tonight Ms. Granger? You're only out an hour past curfew."

"Mumbling Mimbul"

The portrait sung open, despite Hermione's deliberate mispronunciation, and Hermione smiled until she noticed Ginny sitting on a couch once again only this time the red head was reading, and hadn't looked up as she walked in. Contemplating making a run for her bed, Hermione found that she had no choice in the matter as her feet rebelled and pulled her towards the red head.

"We have got to stop meeting like this Gin."

The red head glanced up her eyes widening, as she offered Hermione one of the smiles that could make even McGonagall decide against detention.

"I'm glad to see that you're returning at a reasonable time. I haven't even finished my required reading for the night. Are you ill?"

"No Gin, I'm fine. I've got a few more essays to write if you'd like some company."

The younger girls eyes lit up even brighter and soon Ginny was leaning against Hermione's back pretending to read as she relished the physical contact. Hermione for her part was engrossed within her paper finding that once again studying was light and fun and her words came fluidly all but writing themselves on the paper. Grinning she pulled herself away from the parchment and glanced at Ginny's drooping eyes.

"Come on Ginny, it's time for bed."

"Can I sleep with you tonight?"

Hermione nodded as she stood and then offered both hands to the smaller girl, she kept an arm protectively wrapped around Ginny's waist as she lead the red head to the bed.

"What about my reading?"

"It can wait, and so can my essay, now shh."

Ginny who was unstoppable on a broomstick, Ginny who was able to stand up to Malfoy on her own, Ginny who could hold her own with all of her brothers, Ginny who was more stubborn than a Mongolian horntail, curled up in Hermione's arms after having been led to a new bed.

"Hermione?"

"Yes?"

"Did you get."

Hermione smile sleepily to herself as she watched the younger girl snap back to the reality and lift her head to ask a question her eyes still clenched tight.

"New sheets?"

Espree trotted over to Ginny's bed where she had taken to sleeping three nights a week. Leaping into the slightly higher bed she curled up on Ginny's pillow and watched knowingly as Hermione wrapped an arm around Ginny in her sleep and when the red head began to twitch, she wiggled closer to the other body in bed with her and Espree doubted that they could be physically closer…

…………………………………..

"No young one, you need to be three steps ahead of whom ever you are dueling. Many Great wizards have fallen to mediocre opponents simply because they were not prepared, and were not thinking ahead. When you say each spell I want you to have three counters, and two locations that you can readily jump to in avoidance."

Hermione rolled across the floor wincing as her arm caught an upturned table that she had previously used for a moment of shelter.

"You need to allow your mind more variety in ways that you can attack and defend yourself. You have many transfiguration classes for a reason, but you can only do what you can imagine. What can you use for a shield?"

Amazingly as Espree lectured Hermione, the torrent of hex's that were being thrown at Hermione didn't decrease, in face the line of fire seemed to only grow with time and Hermione glanced down she was covered in scrapes and bruises, Espree's might have been holding back but she still allowed her magic to cause slight injuries.

A shield. That' what I need!

And silently she lifted her wand and grinned as the table that she was hiding behind morphed into a wall of metal and she enchanted it to stand between her and Espree.

"Very good. Now gone you get to class, but stop and eat before you do anything else."

Nodding Hermione left Espree in the room of requirement and after touching up her appearance with a few concealment charms was on her way to the great hall. As she was walking she noticed a blonde that she was sure that she wouldn't see again.

"I do luv 'ow zhe halls of 'ogwarts makes you feel so small. Zhey are truly magical, do you agree Ermione?"

"Fleur?"

The vela nodded as she matched Hermione's strides.

"Sou are up early. i am afraid that even though I 'ave transferred to Ogwarts I am still on ze time schedual for Beauxbatons, and while ou ave in ze past found my presence intolerable, may I eat with you?"

Hermione nodded her head spinning as she walked into the empty great hall with Fleur at her side. Choosing her normal seat at the Gryffindor table Hermione smiled as a bagel appeared on her plate and watched as Fleur's plate suddenly held the same, and goblets soon materialized filled with fresh pumpkin juice. Somehow the Veela was more beautiful than Hermione remembered, and she looked so right with the rays of the rising sun coming through the roof of Hogwarts.

"My parents ave moved and so I was forced to switch schools mid year. I 'ave been sorted into Gryffindor. Zough I was almost placed in ze house Slytherine."

"I'm always up at this time if you want to have breakfast again."

"Sou do not find my accent unappealing?"

"Quite the opposite. What classes do you have?"

Hermione smiled as she noted that they had potions, and advanced charms together and before she could comment on how she would show Fleur around should the blonde require a tour of the castle, Ron, Harry, Fred, George, and Ginny came boisterously bounding into the Great Hall.

"Hermione who's your friend? Blime FLEUR?"

Ron was unable to even shut his mouth as he began to drool, and Hermione once again remembered why she had found having this beauty around annoying. It was nothing about Fleur, more so, it was Ron's inability to keep his obvious fantasies to himself. Fred and George were smirking as they walked up and sat on either side of Fleur, charmingly warning the veela of the people to avoid along with the teachers.

"Students this morning it has come to my attention that some of us think that they are better than others and in the fashion of education this is simply unacceptable. So whenever one such student shows this they shall have a detention with me, a box shall be posted outside the library for the students who feel that they have been wronged by said know it alls."

Unbridge had yet to finish speaking when Fred mumbled that she was the number one ass pain to miss, Fleur chuckled and instantly Umbridge was glaring at Hermione her eyes not leaving the brunette even after she finished her statement.

"She's disgusting! We both know that her entire new rule is an attempt to punish Hermione and Harry! That's more than wong!"

Ginny was seething and Hermione only smiled at Ginny before Fleur coughed, and as she looked at Fleur the veela smiled. Before any of them could say anything an arm was around Hermione's shoulder as Katie Bell sat on the other side of Hermione.

Looking at George, Fred smirked as he readied himself for death, some jokes were simply worth the wrath of Hermione.

"Jeesh, Fleur aren't you supposed to be the Veela?"

……………………………….

Smiling Hermione walked into the three broomsticks. She hadn't been able to shake the feeling that she was being followed as she snuck away but once she saw the dim lights, she began to feel more at ease. Walking up to the stage she picked up her acoustic, and sang. Looking out into the audience sensually meeting the eyes of a blonde woman she realized that it was FLEUR!

Breathing deeply she continued to play and even managed to keep her voice from quivering as she sang the chorus. After the minimal amount of time that she could play Hermione tried to slip out the back without Fleur..

"Ermione!"

"Ermione, or should I say' Adley?"

…………………………..

To be continued in Chapter 5

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