Hermione sat resting in the window seat of her family's parlour room. Snow fell gently outside and she tried to make out objects in the distance. Every now and then she thought she saw an ominous shadow move across the roof tops or the crack of a disapparation.

She had been home for three days and had enjoyed the quiet and solitude. Her parents were empathetic to her solemn moods but would not let her waste all day brooding. Both parents couldn't take time off work until the end of the week, and as it was now only Tuesday Hermione was left to her own devices.

Her mother, Jane, had not warned her to venture outdoors as she usually would, having been appraised of the potential security risk. However the Grangers weren't going to let that spoil their holiday season. So they planned to go away somewhere special for the last week of holidays together. It was going to be a bit of a mystery holiday.

Hermione sighed and moved to the kitchen, needing a break from her thoughts. A glass of hot chocolate would distract her temporarily. Hermione prepared her cocoa while waiting for the kettle to boil when she heard a click of a door unlatching upstairs. She spun facing the door and drew her wand, her heart pounding, bracing herself against the counter. She listened carefully. After a moment when no sound reached her ears she relaxed, remembering she hadn't closed her door properly when she came down, the wind might have nudged it closed. Besides McGonagall had put in place magical security wards to disallow Harm from entering the house. It was a most intriguing spell, and old as well, to ward against Harm as if it were a kind of sentient being.

Returning to the parlour she drank her cocoa and recalled being delivered home. McGonagall had been invited in for a warm drink by her parents. Their discourse took a serious turn from Hermione's academic achievements to the matter of security. It didn't take very long for Michael and Jane Granger to grasp the severity.

"A very recent attack has occurred on a muggle and muggle-born sympathiser that has prompted the Headmaster to charge me with the responsibility of warding your property against infiltration," McGonagall explained that night.

"Therefore I have prepared some things to give you peace of mind and allow you to enjoy your holiday as much as can be."

Over an hour later McGonagall bid the Grangers farewell and a happy Christmas before disapparating into the night.

It was almost lunch time when Hermione set her quill down, finishing the last of her homework. Blowing on the parchment Hermione read over her essay one more time before banishing it to her room. Looking outside Hermione could see the weather was improving, perhaps she would go for a walk into town later to search for her parent's presents.

But before that, with Dumbledore's voice floating through her mind, Hermione stood calmly in the center of the parlour and began to gracefully step and weave her arms through the movements of the exercises. This current exercise was the first exercise the book taught. It had a lot more movements and was more physically demanding than the following two. In fact the second exercise required the bare minimum of movements, claiming more of a mental exercise.

Hermione moved sequentially through to the third. Her eyes always closed, her wand hand poised. She could feel a strong current of energy spiraling from her abdomen to her head. She had felt it faintly before, but now it felt almost tangible. A second energy current, which felt much like a circular band, expanded and contracted around her waist. She could feel it, warm, soft and gentle as it pushed against her skin. If her eyes weren't closed she would believe there to be something there. before expanded out before tightening again.

A few minutes later Hermione moved onto the second exercise, this required more wand movements and less body movement. Hermione felt like her feet weren't even touching the ground but she dared not open her eyes lest she break the spell, so to say.

The telephone rang just seconds before she was about to practice the third exercise and with a disappointed pout she opened her eyes to a startling sight. Every piece of furniture in the room including it's contents were levitating at least three feet off the floor. Hermione wasn't sure what to think but the ring of the telephone moved her into action.

She made out of the parlour into the foyer and almost stumbled over herself. The furniture in this room was in the same condition, including the telephone. She wondered if everything in the house was floating and then thought of something before rushing to the window. Thankfully everything outside remained under the effects of gravity. The ring of the telephone brought Hermione back to her present predicament. Right now she needed the phone the come back down, and behold before she could even pull out her wand the phone and the table it resided on landed gently on the floor.

Hermione shook her head of confusing thoughts and answered the phone, panting. "Hello."

"Hermione dear, it's your mum."

"Hi mum," she squeaked, glancing around at the levitating furniture. Her eye bulged as her pet Crookshanks floated past the door.

"Is everything okay, you sound stressed?"

"Oh no I'm fine, I was just doing some exercise."

"I see, very good dear. I just wanted to let you know your father will be home early today, his afternoon appointments canceled."

"Oh really. Okay. When will be here?"

"Should be any time now dear." Of course, thought Hermione, hearing her dad's car pull into the drive.

"He plans to cook tonight," said Jane a little strained. "Help him out, won't you?" Hermione had to laugh despite the situation, her father was a terrible cook but you couldn't tell him that. He thought watching Master Chef on the telly was all the lessons he needed.

"Okay mum, here he is now." Hermione could here the key turning the lock and desperately she did the only thing she could think of. All the furniture should come back down, she thought. She almost choked in relief when they all did just that. Michael was already in the house, thankfully not paying attention to the furniture that gently touched down all around him as he was reading the post. "Here dad, it's mum for you."

"Ah, thank you darling." He kissed Hermione's forehead before speaking into the phone.

Hermione walked back into the parlour and dropped down onto the sofa, needing to relax. She reached out for the book and wondered not for the first time just what the hell she had gotten herself into. She threw the book onto the coffee table and draped her arm over her eyes.

It did not escape Hermione's notice that she hadn't used her wand earlier.

****

That night, much after dinner, Hermione's parents bid her good night in the parlour. The girl in question was curled up reading a book in front of the fire. She listened as her parent's bedroom door closed and then put aside the book before taking her place on the floor. Getting into position Hermione wondered what surprises might be in store for her this time. Raising her wand, the tip glowed bright blue immediately, Hermione began the third exercise.

Hermione had done as Dumbledore requested and learned all of the book's instructions by heart. Less then an hour later as Hermione shut off the light to the parlour on her way to bed, she idly noted some of the furniture in different arrangements. Huh, she thought, did I not notice it today or is it some kind of phenomena again?

In bed Hermione thought over the her time at home. Earlier in the week she had received a correspondence from McGonagall to assure her of Mr Weasley's health. Not much else was said and Hermione had no interest. She was glad Mr Weasley was alright, he had always been so kind to her. She was curious about Fred and George but other than that she found herself disinterested in the rest.

Being home and away from the castle gave her perspective, something she struggled to achieve while in amongst the constant gossip and student life. Hermione thought of her lost friendship with her friends but this time could not conjure up any feeling on the subject, no sorrow or joy. Of this she was pleased. At one stage it was very painful to comprehend the loss of what had been a special friendship. But she felt she had been through the worst of it, and it had to get better now. She felt better about it, more confident and self-assured.

She had to remind herself of this new attitude in the events that followed directly. When the Death Eaters ripped down the wards around her house and forced their way inside. When their spells rocked the houses' foundations and tore apart furniture and shattered walls. While she raced to her parent's room and tried to gather their unmoving bodies from their beds. When she screamed for them to wake up with tears blinding her vision. When she was knocked to the floor by someone's boot, and when she opened her eyes to find herself sprawled in the backyard, in the freezing snow, somehow instead of on the carpeted floor of her parent's room.

Hermione struggled to stand in the freezing wet snow. Purple, red and green lights illuminated every window of her house. "Mum! Dad!" She screamed and made for the house. Suddenly the roof exploded and she was sent arse over tit back into the cold wet snow. A green skull with a snake coming out of its mouth hung in the air above her.

Forcing herself back up she ran inside calling out to her parents. Inside she found her way blocked by Lucius Malfoy who looked at her suspiciously, before her seemed to come to his senses then blew her a kiss before throwing down his wand and disapparating. With a start Hermione realised it was in fact her wand he threw down. Oh no, she thought.

Hermione could hear the sound of the Auror's apparating onto the lawn even as she ran to her parents bed and looked at two lifeless bodies. She knew she could not explain her way out of this situation. Her wand destroyed her house, her wand with a spell on it to jam the Trace. The evidence was against her. Her body trembled. She had to run.

She could hear the Auror's yelling as they ran upstairs. Quickly Hermione stuffed her hand into her night shirt to put on the ring McGonagall had made her as a Portkey.

"Freeze!" An Auror barked. "Expelliarmus!"

Hermione felt her hand wrenched aside by the spell and her necklace holding the ring flew into the Auror's hand. More Aurors filled the room, the last being Kingsley Shacklebolt. Kingsley looked upon Hermione's parents and upon herself.

"Oh Hermione. What have you done?"