Author's note and disclaimer: Another chapter out. I hope you enjoy it. I know I am loving this story. I want to thank Cici-Star, RoadtoRuin, votehermione and the anonymous Tina. Also, thanks to those who added the story to their favorites or to their alert list. I love knowing that someone is interested reading what I have to say. Sadly, I do not own Draco or the rest of the Harry Potter gang. I have to relinquish that pleasure to the wonderful J.K. Rowling. Just think! Without her, we wouldn't have Draco!

Chapter Four: Goodnight Princess

The Princess sings:

I am the princess up in the tower
And I dream the whole day thro'
Of a knight who shall come with a silver spear
And a waving plume of blue.

I am the princess up in the tower,
And I dream my dreams by day,
But sometimes I wake, and my eyes are wet,
When the dusk is deep and gray.

For the peasant lovers go by beneath,
I hear them laugh and kiss,
And I forget my day-dream knight,
And long for a love like this.

-Sarah Teasdale, "The Princess in the Tower."

Dear Harry,

I have settled in. Madame Monfrey's is a quaint little school, nothing like Hogwarts. I haven't detected anything abnormal since I got here. Just a couple of old batty women who decided they wanted to start up a school. There is a town down the road, a wizarding one, though I didn't catch the name. I am hoping it is like Hogsmeade. I miss visiting The Three Broomsticks. I doubt anywhere could compare to Madam Rosmerta's butterbeer.

Not only that, but Harry, you won't believe it! Madam Monfrey purchases tickets to the Quidditch games for students. Perhaps we could meet up sometime. I am looking forward to them AND classes tomorrow. I won't get my schedule till then.

Oh, I forgot to mention. The other student they chose from Hogwarts… Draco Malfoy. I know what you're thinking. How did that snarky evil Slytherin get in? I hope I won't have to put up with him in classes. I met a lovely girl from Beauxbatons. Her name is Camille. I hope I get my class with her. She is very vibrant with tons of energy, yet somehow calm and soothing. What a contradiction!

I am glad you convinced me to come. Anyway, I will write later. Don't forget to respond.

Love,

Hermione

Hermione folded the letter, placing a wax seal on the crease. She sighed, glancing around the room that had been given to her. It was, like the school that housed it, a quaint little section of the building. It had an oaken bed set against the left wall, rather sizable compared to the old Hogwarts ones. It was covered in a fluffy floral coverlet with matching pillows. Against the far wall, under the window, a matching desk was situated so it gained the most use of the sunlight. It was stocked with a quill, ink and a few blank parchments.

Other than a dresser and an end table, the room was basically empty. Her trunk had been placed at the end of the bed, waiting to be unpacked. Crookshanks watched her with curious eyes as she rose from her spot in front of the desk.

"I guess this is home now, Crooks." She gave her cat a scratch between the ears, smiling when the sound of his purring reached hers. "I know you could get used to that down comforter couldn't you," Hermione teased, smoothing her hand along his fur.

Bending down, she unlatched her trunk and threw it open. "Classes start tomorrow and another year full of homework. I don't believe how much I missed the stress of work." Hermione laughed, shaking her brown locks. Pulling her robes from the chest, she spread them out over her bed. Staring at them, she recalled her first year at Hogwarts. She had been so proud of that patch on her robe. A tiny stencil of thread sewn onto a piece of cloth – so couldn't have worn anything as stately as she worn that crest.

The letter crinkled in her jacket pocket as she lowered her arms back to her side. "Oh, right," she murmured, fiddling the tiny piece of parchment. "I'll be right back Crooks. I have to send this to Harry." She left her room, wondering down the hall all the while taking in the delightful new surroundings.

Though Madam Monfrey's didn't appear to have many surprises, Hermione could feel the magic circulating through the villa. She smiled at the portraits as she passed; receiving friendly "how do you do"s from several ladies that surrounded a table set for tea.

Finding herself at the bottom of the stairs, she glanced down the left hall in search of the Owlery. "Are you looking for something, child?" The seemingly arid voice of Madam Elda interrupted Hermione's private thoughts, sending her jumping slightly.

"Oh, sorry, Ma'am. You startled me." Hermione had turned quickly, hand grasping her beating heart. "Yes, actually I was searching for the Owlery, to send a letter."

"Straight down that hall," Elda pointed a finger down the hall that Hermione had been peeking into. "You will also find a small library down there. I know the voracity with which you conquered the books at Hogwarts." Elda smiled, before making her way up the stairs in a painfully slow manner.

Hermione watched the instructor momentarily before venturing down the candle-lighted hallway. It was longer than she expected, but sure enough, toward the end she could hear the chirping and screeching of the owls. Pushing open the door, she groaned at the sight.

Draco Malfoy stood in the center of the room, petting a dark black owl. His back was turned to her and it would seem as if he hadn't noticed her yet. Hermione took a few moments to take in her adversary. He had trimmed his hair, she noted. He was tall, much taller than she remembered him from Hogwarts. However knowing that they had only been apart about a half a year, it was almost implausible that Draco Malfoy could have had any drastic transformation.

"Would you like something, Granger?" Draco's voice cut through the silence causing Hermione's eyes to widen in alarm. Draco turned around, piercing grey eyes narrowed on her tiny form. "Do you have any business in here or have you come simply to stare at my ass?"

Hermione fought down the blush that tempted to cover her cheeks. Draco Malfoy was never someone she liked to be alone with, especially in a room as cramped as the Owlery. "I'll have you know, Malfoy, that though you may think your god's gift to woman… you have no affect over me."

"I'm heartbroken," he gasped, lowering his bird to its perch, stealthily slipping a letter from its leg. "All my life, I have dreamed of being your soul mate…" He pulled his leather handling glove off as he walked toward her. "And now, all my hopes are shattered." His voice dripped with sarcasm as he stopped directly in front of her. He was so close she could smell the mint on his breath. This was what he lived for. He lived to torture her and he enjoyed it.

"Oh, sod off Malfoy." She shoved him away from her, brushing past him to a brown barn owl.

Draco stumbled backward before catching his footing. "I think I shall enjoy our little year together, Mudblood. You without your posse to watch your back." He smirked, clicking his tongue. "What ever will you do?"

Hermione refused to respond to his little threat. She knew he was egging her on, trying to get a rise out of her. She wanted nothing more than to slap him again. She reveled in the feeling of her hand coming in contact with his cheek, sending sparks of pain through his face.

Behind her, she heard the door open and slam. It was obvious he had left her in peace. Latching the letter to the owl's leg, she saw it off with a tiny treat. "Fly safely," she murmured as the owl took flight from the window.

-

The Dining Hall contained two tables, one for the students and one for the teachers. Each table was set to hold six occupants. Hermione's table was full, however the teachers, she noted, was not. A spot was reserved for another professor who was obviously not joining them for dinner. Hermione had managed to arrive early enough that she made sure she did not have to sit next to Malfoy.

Unfortunately, being that they were sitting at a round table, she did have to stare at him all through dinner.

As soon as everyone had arrived, a heavy-set woman stood from the teacher's table. "I am Madam Monfrey." She had a soft, cultured voice that seemed to whisper in-between each student and demand attention. "I would personally like to welcome all of you here and to hope the journey was safe. I would like you all to take this time to become acquainted with your fellow students, as you will meet all of your teachers tomorrow. With that said, please enjoy dinner."

Similar to Hogwarts, the food appeared as soon as she lowered herself back into her seat.

Hermione's eyes widened at the quantity. She had almost forgotten how overwhelming it could all be.

"I am Camille," the girl to Hermione's right spoke up as she placed a piece of bread on her plate. Though Hermione had met her earlier that day, she didn't fully get a chance to examine her. "From Beauxbatons in France," Camille elaborated. Hermione took in her appearance, sleek and beautiful. She had blonde hair falling in soft ringlets to her shoulder, nothing like Hermione's frizz. Her eyes were a light approachable blue that sucked a person in the moment he or she saw them.

"And I'm Sibyl," Hermione turned to her left, focusing on the only other female student. The girl strangely reminded her of Luna with the dreamy quality of her face. "Also from Beauxbatons," she smiled at the table, pale eyes avoiding Draco's.

It didn't take long for the male students to introduce themselves as Geir and Taber from Durmstrang. Both had dark hair and even darker eyes, a sharp contrast to Draco's soft features.

These were the elite chosen few. The best and the brightest from their respected school. Hermione was honored to be among them, though she would have preferred that Malfoy had not. She glared at him across the table, completely aware of the tension between them.

"Hermione, here, is a Mudblood." Draco nodded in her direction, eyes twinkling with mirth. Sibyl flinched at the harsh term applied to Hermione's ancestry. "I hear they don't allow those at Durmstrang." He turned his head, awaiting an answer from either male student.

"No, they don't." Taber spoke up, his dark stare seemingly boring into Hermione's stiff form. "However, if she is qualified to be here, sitting at this table with me… then I see no reason to mock her for her abnormalities. Who can, after all, chose their parents?"

Draco frowned, not expecting the response he was given. "Very nicely put, I suppose." He conceded the argument for the moment, but the look in his eyes told Hermione that she had not heard all she would hear on the subject.

Dinner dwindled into the night. She made friends quickly with the girls quickly. Taber and Geir took a little longer to warm up to her. However as dinner began to wrap up, it was only Draco Malfoy who still seemed to despise her and simply for the blood that ran through her veins.

Hermione returned to her room alone, fuming internally the entire way. She couldn't believe the nerve of that boy – for that was all he would ever be in her eyes. He still couldn't swallow his pride and accept that being Muggle-born wasn't bad. It wasn't a sin. It infuriated her that he could mock her, whereas she could only call him a prat. What would she taunt him for – his pureblood, his hideousness? She knew herself that he was far from hideous and his pureblood wasn't something to be ashamed of.

Hermione roughly jerked on her doorknob, anger surging. She nearly snapped when Draco's soft voice broke into her thoughts, "Goodnight Princess." His voice was tainted with sarcasm as he entered his own room. Grey eyes glinting to silver as he passed under the candlelight.

As Hermione crossed the threshold into her room, her thoughts were murderous. She flung off her outfit, slipping into her pajamas. All she could do was hope that he wasn't in any of her classes tomorrow.

It wasn't long after Hermione had curled into bed that she had drifted off to sleep. Her exhaustion allowed dreams to take over.

They were gathered around the fire, all laughing and smiling. There were seven knights that had pledged their loyalty to Hermione. Seven out of hundreds. The odds were not in her favor. A graceful smile lingered on her rosy lips as she glanced around at the others around her. An evil man had usurped her and the knights that surrounded her were the only ones that could see this.

The man next to her sensed her discomfort and placed a warm hand over hers. Hermione raised relieved eyes to her knight, catching the soft flicker of silver in his irises. "Thank you," she murmured.

"I know you need someone to lean on, my queen. I want you to know that I am always here for a helping hand and…" he voice faded into the darkness, leaving the sentence unfinished.

Hermione wanted to pressure him for a finish to his statement but before she could a man across the fire began whispering harshly. "Douse the fire, cover and protect the queen – I see lights coming this way."

The comforting hand that covered hers slipped away as her knight rose to his feet, hand straying toward his sword. "Into the woods, my lady." He ordered, voice stern.

"But I cannot leave you-"

He interrupted before she could finish the sentence, "Hermione!" Noting the hurt look in her eyes, he finished softly, "please, I cannot protect you here. Go into the woods, I will follow shortly. Gabriel, go with her."

Hermione did as she was told. However, she caught one last look at her knight before Gabriel drug her away. He unsheathed his sword, standing bravely despite the fact that the entire world seemed against them. In the darkness, she saw the approaching lights and prayed.

Hermione woke in a cold sweat, pellets of perspiration dripping from her forehead and soaking her hair. It had been the second dream of similar occurrences. What did they mean? She collapsed back onto her bed, fingers running through her tangled locks.

Rolling her head to the side, she caught glimpses of the sun peaking through the curtains. It was time to get up. She felt as if she hadn't slept a wink. However, she pulled herself from the bed, excited to get back into classes.

It didn't take long for Hermione to get dressed being that she didn't have to fight over the bathroom. She had her own personal one tucked away behind a door in the corner of her room. Slipping her robe over her outfit, she was suddenly hit with a violent gust of cold air. Noting that it wasn't winter and the window was closed, a chill racked Hermione's body. Slowly, she turned around.

A phantom stood before her, seemingly soaked. Water dripped onto the carpet, seeping toward Hermione's feet. Her dress was covered in algae and weeds. Despite all these, the face underneath was deathly beautiful. A ghostly hand reached toward her, fingers wizened and spiny.

Hermione stepped backward, tumbling into her trunk. Her eyes closed as she began her descent, wincing as she knocked her elbow on the edge of her trunk. When she opened her eyes, the ghost was gone, as were the phantom water stains.

What is going on here?

Author's ending note: Hope you liked it. Classes start next chapter. How many secrets and strange occurrences are already haunting Hermione. Not to mention Draco Malfoy, whatever will she do?

Much more to come later… secrets hidden in the school, in the teachers, in the hearts of students… hint hint

Oh, yeah, comment and tell me what you think of it. I feel like the story isn't getting any love. By the way, if you haven't noticed, I revised the first chapter. I added in some elaboration on some scenes. Check it out if you haven't.

Much love,

M.R.