I'm really sorry that I usually update after such long gaps. I'm really trying to work on finishing the story as soon as I can, but more ideas and sub plots just keep coming to me looking better than the previous one each time. But, I solemnly swear to make ten times the effort with this story from now on. Hopefully, there will be an update every few days and it will be complete within a few months!

Thanks for bearing with me (:

Hermione

I stood rooted to that spot for what seemed like forever, in an awkward half-hug with Eva and a look of intense horror on my face, staring at Eva's brother – twin brother – Evan Wagner. And it was weird how alike they looked without Eva ever looking like a boy or Evan like a girl; the same thick, wavy brown hair, blue-grey eyes, sharp features. Oh, they were both very beautiful people to look at, like they had just stepped off the cover of a Muggle fashion magazine. But this wasn't why I was staring at them so avidly now.

To be totally honest, first, the Wagners never struck me as the wizarding type at all, even all those years ago in my purely Muggle days. And, second, did the universe hate me so much so that the second worst part about my Muggle life had come to light in this particular year of my magical one? And, that too, clad in what looked like top of the line Muggle fashion.

Evan tapped my shoulder. "Hermione, are you alright?"

I came to my senses. Slowly, I detangled myself from Eva and straightened up.

"I'm fine, Evan, thanks, just a bit, erm, nonplussed." I said with a nervous chuckle, as I thrust my hand forward. He shook it.

"So, you both are ... magic?" I asked, not being able to contain my excitement, despite the shock and mortification of having to face Evan.

"Yes, Hermione. And, oh, you are, too! This is just so wonderful! Are Dr and Mrs Granger magic as well?" Evanna cried.

"Oh, no." I replied. "I'm muggle-born."

"Oh, Hermione, that is such brilliant news. I'm too thrilled!" she said in glee. And, surprisingly, looked

Someone cleared their throat behind us. Ginny! I'd completely forgotten about my friends!

"Who are your friends, Hermione?" Ron asked, as blunt as ever.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, you guys. Eva, Evan, these are my friends, Ron Weasley, Ginny Weasley and Harry Potter." I noticed their eyebrows go way up at the mention of Harry's name. But they were entitled to gawk. I mean, they had spent half of their magical lives, God knows where, away from the heart of the wizarding community, which probably made it justified for them to be curious about Harry. And all the things we've done. Oh, what would Eva think if she comes to know.

"Harry, Ron, Ginny, meet Evanna and Evan Wagner. They were my neighbours, until they moved away seven years ago. So ..."

There was a round of awkward 'Hi's and 'Nice to meet you's and 'How do you do's, after which we realised we'd been blocking the corridor the entire time, and the only reason anybody hadn't been saying anything was because Harry Potter was part of the hold up. Honestly. If I was Harry, I'd have Levicorpus-ed all these gawkers and left them hanging the whole train ride.

"So, you guys are muggle-born." I told Eva conversationally as we made our way up to an empty compartment.

"God, no, we're totally pureblood. I mean, you know, not pure, I'm sure there's some non-magical blood in our family. But we're not purists, like some ... people." She said. Oh, she did not know what purists were. Insert Voldemort and the Malfoys here.

"So, Mr. And Mrs. Wagner are also witch and wizard?" I asked.

"Yes?"

Ok, I was thoroughly confused. This only meant that Eva was ... an aristocrat or something in the wizarding world, which, of course, was utterly ridiculous.

"So why did you never attend Hogwarts? And why on Earth were you living in a Muggle neighbourhood all those years?"

"Oh. Because that was our cover." She said, which obviously made me more confused than ever. "Dad is an Unspeakable at the Ministry," she explained, "And he's got a lot of confidential information that they can't afford to lose. So the Ministry make us move to areas that we're not likely to live in or ones with severe protection. It also means we can't be left in public much. Hence, not attending Hogwarts."

"King of the sodding Unspeakables, you mean." Evan said darkly from behind us.

"Dad's the Head of the Department of Mysteries," she whispered. "Evan's so bitter about it all the time. Not having an active social life puts a damper on things, you know. He was so excited about the new decree by the Ministry, he was practically skipping for a month."

"Christ, Eva." Evan said from behind us.

I could practically hear his eyes rolling, too, but I chose to ignore that.

"Well, you guys won't have a single boring day around here." I said. They, obviously, didn't get the sarcasm.

"I'm sure!" Eva cried, "So many people to meet and books to read and the whole of Hogwarts to discover."

"And don't forget the Weasleys and Harry and the rest of our outrageous friends." I muttered.

"Yeah, Hermione, so what's the deal with Potter? Seems like you're quite close friends." Evan muttered from behind me.

"Harry has a lot of friends." I said dismissively. Maybe because I hate everyone's obsession with Harry. Or maybe because after almost eight years, I still hate Evan. God, he's such a prick.

"So, you're saying that he's somewhat of a celebrity around here, just like the Prophet does?" he pressed on.

I refrained from gritting my teeth.

"No, Evan. Harry's your average, everyday person with no extraordinary divine powers. He's goofy, he messes up at Potions and gets into detention like any other student. He's also nice and kind and brave and goes out of his way to help people most of the time and one of my best friends. And he is not a Potions experiment." I said, irritatedly.

"So, you have a crush on him." Evan stated all matter-of-factly.

I gasped the same time Eva said "Evan!" angrily and hit him across his arm.

"No, Evan, Harry is like my brother." I replied tersely, and followed Ron, Ginny and Harry into the compartment without another word.

"Interesting." was all Evan bothered to say after that.

About five minutes later, we were all huddled together in a compartment and, to my surprise, my friends and the Wagners started getting along pretty well. They told us about life in seclusion and we tried to fill them in on Hogwarts.

A half hour later, the time came for me to go for the Prefects meeting in the Prefects compartment, of course. Being Head Girl, I had to arrive early and give the rest of the prefects an initiation talk of sorts, which, you know, yippee. Note the dripping sarcasm. Sometimes I think I come across as a person with too flat a personality. Too narrow a mind, even, dare I say it. Alright, that was it. I was going to let loose. Get relaxed. Ron had commented on my oh-so-boring nature in First Year, Snape in Third Year and almost everyone had been majorly irked with me because of my SPEW campaigns. Uptight, they called me. This year, I'll show them.

So, this Chapter was kind of short, but the next one is going to be way better and have a bit more drama excitement in it!