AN: Perhaps I have not been clear enough in stating that this story is AU. While I do try to follow the general story line there will be things differently from the canon.

4th year, Hogwarts.

"How is he doing?" Draco asked.

"Badly." She sighed. "He witnessed you-know-how returning in a very dark ritual. Then he has been tortured with the cruciatus curse and then he had to duel him. Not to mention that he feels responsible for Cedric's death as he was the one arguing with Cedric about taking the cup."

She leaned against the wall of the empty classroom next to the infirmary. She had just spent the last two hours with Harry trying to ensure he would sleep calmly.

"He mentioned your father being there as well."

"I'm not surprised. Father has been waiting for the return of the dark lord since yule. The mark was turning darker with the day." Draco said.

"Yes, I remember you saying that in your Christmas note." Hermione said with a smile. "Will you be safe over the summer?"

"Yes, my father doesn't suspect anything. I'm only worried about who will be the victim of having the dark lord in their house. I think it will be us." He said with a grimace.

"Be careful."

"I will. You be careful as well. As Potter's friend and muggleborn you will be on top of the hit list. I know you are a Gryffindor but try not to do anything rash or stupid this summer."

Hermione laughed tiredly.

"I'll let you in on a secret."

"Oh?"

"The sorting hat initially debated putting me in Slytherin but my status as muggleborn made that difficult."

"Really?" Draco said in surprise. "If you have been a pure-blood you would have been the Slytherin Princess and most desired female in the pure-blood society."

"You don't think that whole marrying for more power, wealth and allies is so old-fashioned? Even muggles saw the idiocy behind that and stopped marrying out their children." Hermione said with a chuckle.

"But it ensures healthy and strong magical children."

"Squibs." Hermione deadpanned.

"Yeah those too…" Draco sighed.

"Not to mention that Crabbe and Goyle are so smart and powerful." Hermione mocked.

"Hey such a marriage resulted in me."

"Just a lucky stroke of the genes." Hermione decided

"Genes?" Draco asked confused and Hermione groaned.

"No wonder you pure-bloods are a dying breed." She said. " If you all don't even know about genes and how they influences about everything you can inherit from your father and mother. You know what, over the summer I'll collect a few muggle books on how babies are created."

Draco started to protest with a dark red blush but she held up her hand.

"Not that part of the story but the rest. About how it comes that you are almost an exact copy of your father but have the same eyes as Sirius Black. If you read that then you can understand how idiotic and dangerous it is to constantly marrying to cousins."

"And muggles know that?" Draco asked sceptically.

"That and so much more." Hermione said with a laugh.

"Come on it's well over curfew."

Summer, Grimmauld place.

Hermione stared out over the street from the upstairs window. Below muggles were walking, parents were chatting and their children playing in a park. They all looked so innocent, so oblivious to the fact that just a few feet away danger could me lurking. Of course they were oblivious.

Sometimes she wished she was that oblivious. Sometimes she wished she was just a muggle. She loves magic but at times like these it wasn't exactly a blessing to be magical.

Ron wasn't exactly supportive of her. Sometimes she wondered if Ron only accepted her because Harry considered her a friend. Harry, was most of the time just angry and upset. Not that he didn't have the right to be angry but it would have been nice if he didn't take it all out on them.

Ginny was too busy with making Harry like her and the twins only thought about pranks and jokes. There was nobody around to help her deal with being a new witch in a strange world that was on the brink of a war. She didn't know how to adapt or how to behave. She followed the example of the Weasley's but she knew that the Weasley's weren't seen as the perfect example by the rest of the magical world.

Moods like these made her wish that Draco was with her. Draco and she had their fair share of arguments, fights and spats but out of the public eye he had been there for her. More so then Ron, Harry or Ginny.

Draco, she realized, is also the only one who could truly help her. He had the proper knowledge about what it is to be a witch or wizard in magical Britain. The book she had been given as a loan had been an eye opener but she needed more information. She needed to know about traditions, politics and hidden magics. Her life could depend on it.

Thinking about Draco made her mood even worse. She worried about him a lot. Like every other summer they didn't have any real contact by owl. She had send him an owl with the information on genetics and a short note telling him that she was safe. But she didn't get a reply, not that she expected it.

If rumours were correct then Voldemort was living in his house. It would not be safe for Draco to be seen writing to anyone. She just hoped he really would be safe.

"What's the matter, love?" Sirius asked. He had the terrible habit on sneaking up on her.

"Just worrying." She said.

"About what?"

"The safety of my friends. My life. My lack of knowledge about the magical world." She summed up.

"Ah, yes. We are all worried about many of those things." Sirius commented. He wrapped one arm around her looked down at her. Hermione looked back and was met with the same stormy grey eyes that Draco had. "In a war no life is really safe. Even our most powerful wards can be breached."

"Spells and charms." Hermione fused. "There is more powerful magic then that and we are forbidden to use it even if it might safe our life."

Sirius looked down at her and smiled.

"You sound like Lily when you rant like that." Sirius sighed. "I explained the same thing to her. The magic you are talking about is banned by the ministry. The reason it was banned is not because it is dark but because it is very unstable and not many are able to control it. Blood magic and rune magic used like that is very powerful and can cause a lot more damage then it does good."

"It is so difficult to understand, Sirius. In muggle America, muggles are allowed to have fire-arms to defend themselves. In case of a life threatening situation they are allowed to defend themselves with the most powerful tool they have and yet here, in a world full of magic, we are told to let yourself be killed instead of wielding that magic." Hermione argued.

"I understand why you would reason like that but magic is violent and very powerful. It is not something even Dumbledore can do easily. It is dangerous. More dangerous then a killing curse."

Hermione nodded and sighed. She wondered if Draco's father had any of those fears or if he would just set up a blood ward so that his master would be safe.

"I still really have no understanding of magics like that." She sighed.

"If you swear to me that you won't go practice these magics I can get you books on them." Sirius said. "Just for educational purposes."

"I swear. I can even give a magical oath." Hermione said. "Do you have any books on the magical world, traditions and politics as well?"

"Of course. This is after all the house of Black. The Blacks are of noble decent."

Hermione nodded and watched Sirius leave the room. Outside the people had started to go inside for dinner. Soon Molly would call and she was expected to be the good girl and help set the table.

Yet her thoughts strayed to Draco and how miserable he would feel with Voldemort in his home. Would he have to share his dinner table with that monster? Would he manage to get out of those dinners alive and unscratched?

'Strange, I used to hate him so much and now I'm more worried about him then I am about my friends.'

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