Hermione sat in her hot car that was parked under a large tree in the park while waiting for her last delivery request of the day to come in. She was tired and was tempted to just drive home but her graduation road trip she'd been dreaming of since 8th grade was only a few months away and she only had a third of the money she needed. "Yeah, but you can just pick up an extra delivery tomorrow" she said aloud as she rested her sticky forehead on the steering wheel of her car. No, that wont work; you have to do your physics project tomorrow." She thought to herself as she mentally cursed her parents for making her do this. Hermione sat up and changed her expression to imitate her mothers and did her best impression of her. "If we're to trust you to go galloping around the country without adult super vision you need to prove that you're responsible enough to do so." she relaxed her shoulders and swiped her hand across her forehead as she sulked at the mess she'd gotten herself into. She would not have agreed so quickly if she had known that her parents meant that she had to get a job and pay for the trip herself. Hermione was just about to reach into her bag and get a head start of her reading homework when she heard her phone go off. "Finally!" She exclaimed as she snatched it up from the passenger seat. "Perfect, this address is only a couple minutes from my house." Hermione said to herself as she quickly turned the key in the ignition and peeled out of the shady parking spot, she had been sitting in. Hermione sprung out of her car eager to get this job over with so he could go home and read the book she had been itching to dive into all week. "Pick up for Hermione." She said in the most cheerful voice she could muster as she approached the counter of the bagel shop the door still swinging in her wake. "Coming out right now" Said a cute but awkward looking boy with dark hair who gave her a crooked smile. Hermione instantly recognized him as one of her long-time school friends. "Oh, hello Neville, I didn't know you worked here." She said pleasantly smiling at him over the plexiglass that separated the customers from the food. Neville ginned and moved down the counter preparing her order as he spoke. "yeah, I just started last week, once I found out how much prom tickets are. I mean ninety dollars a ticket that's almost two hundred for two." He said with a dry chuckle. "Not all of us have Malfoy money." The two gave each other a knowing look and Hermione let out a snort of understanding as Neville continued down the counter. "But I wanna make prom night special for Luna so it's worth it." He finished with a grin holding out a brown paper bag in her direction. Hermione's heart melted a bit at his words "Well Luna is a very lucky girl, but I'm sure she already knows that." She said reaching for the bag in his hands. "Nah I'm the lucky one." He said with a sparkle in his eyes. Hermione smiled the first genuine smile that she had all day as she listened to Neville talk about Luna. "Have a good evening Neville." She said as she turned to leave. "You too Hermione!" She heard him call from over the counter. She looked back and waved before the door swung shut and then began to head back to her car. I could only dream of Ron speaking about me as sweetly as Neville does Luna. She thought with a sigh as ducked into her car. She had just closed her door and buckled herself in when she felt her phone vibrating. Speak of the devil She thought to herself as she answered the call. "Hi Ron!" She chirped feeling giddy, as she connected her phone to her car speaker and placed it in her cup holder. "Hey Mione" Ron said his voice sounding deep and groggy over the phone. It made Hermione's stomach do somersaults when he sounded like this. "Are you still at work" He said as she heard him shuffling around his room. Hermione could not help but feel disappointed, nowadays it seemed that all her boyfriend wanted to do was call her to yell at her for working instead of actually having a conversation. "Yeah I'm doing my last delivery and then I'm heading home. Why do you ask" She answered turning out of the parking lot and onto the main road. She heard Ron mumble something under his breath and grunt and she rolled her eyes. "You're always working, and you never have time to hang out anymore" He whined. Here we go again She cursed as she drove down the street. "Do you think I enjoy doing this Ron I would much rather hang out with you or read a good book, and you know that." She said tightening her grip on the steering wheel an angry edge creeping into her voice. "No I don't, you never bother to call anymore. You just work read and sleep." Ron said, and she could practically hear the pout in his voice. "Well maybe I would call more if you didn't lecture me every time we spoke." She said pulling her car into the wide driveway of her last stop. "Well Maybe I wouldn't always bring it up if you made time for me. It's not like you have to work. You're choosing to; nobody said you had to go on a stupid trip." Hermione's mouth fell open as she parked her car and snatched the key out of the ignition. She opened her mouth to reply and then saw the paper bag in the seat next to her. Snapping her mouth shut she leaned over and grabbed the bag and shoved her door open. "I can't do this right now Ronald I have a delivery to do." She said pausing waiting to see if he was going to say anything or maybe even apologize for being unreasonable, but she heard nothing but rustling around from his end. Jumping out of the car and releasing an angry breath she caught a glimpse of the house across the street as she slammed her door. "Sheesh" She muttered under her breath taking in the White house that had dark green vines growing up the pillars in the front entryway. It had a large circular driveway with a fountain in the middle and a tall black front door. The house and the Garden out front were breath taking but what really caught her eye was the dainty yet somehow intimidating silver M that hung on the front door. Neville really wasn't kidding about that Malfoy money. Hermione thought as she tore her eyes away from the house and made her way up the much more modest in comparison driveway. She had heard rumors about the "Malfoy Mansion" but had never seen it in person before. It wasn't like she had a reason to go there though. Draco isolated himself from everyone save for his six friends and the people who he did talk to outside of his followers wished that he didn't. "Delivery!" Hermione Yelled as she reached the front door. She gave the door a quick double tap before standing back and awkwardly letting her hand hang by her side. Hermione heard movement from inside and was startled when the door flung open. She tried not to stare as a woman with a black mop of curls and a strange glint in her eyes stood and stared wildly out the door and past Hermione. Hermione stumbled back and cleared her throat. "I um- sorry if I scared you, but I have an order for a Bellatrix from Bagel Bistro." She said holding out the brown bistro bag. The woman looked at Hermione as if she had just realized she was there. "Why, I do recall placing an order." She said giving Hermione a brown smile. It looked as if someone had smeared chocolate on her teeth and the smell coming from her mouth could only be described as death. Bellatrix made no move to take the bag and Hermione was left with her arm hanging awkwardly in the air. "so…should I just leave it here or-" She was cut off by Bellatrix grabbing the bag out of her hand "Thank you" she said staring deeply into Hermione's eyes and flashing her another sickening smile before abruptly slamming the door in her face. Hermione heard a raspy throaty laugh coming from inside the house and promptly decided that she had stayed long enough. Trying to keep herself from running Hermione walked and half skipped all the way back to her car. She quickly got inside and locked the door. Having forgotten about their previous argument Hermione began to babble. "Ron, I think I've just met a real-life witch s-she had the crazy hair and-and warts and long nails and her teeth oh god her teeth." She said whispering and fumbling to put her seatbelt on. Clearly happy that Hermione was not going to continue their argument Ron played into the distraction. "Don't be dense Mione." He said with a throaty chuckle. His laugh seemed to dispel all memory of their earlier disagreement from both of their minds, but Hermione was still a shaken from the way that the woman had stared at her as if she knew her or something. "I'm serious Ronald" She hissed as she started the car up Ron again chuckled over the phone. "Well if what you're saying is true it sounds like you should refer her to your parent's office." Hermione let a small smile grace her lips at her boyfriend's attempt to make her feel better "No. no way I'm going back up there. She's probably watching me right now and will attack me if I get out of the car again" Hermione finished with a shudder. "Then get the hell out of there. Yeah?" Ron said amusement still evident in his voice. Hermione was still looking at the lifeless looking house when she swore that she saw a hand grabbing the curtain like a child was about to snatch it back and yell "Peek-a -boo!" She wasted no time throwing her car into drive and pulling out of the driveway, but in her haste, she turned to wide and hit something with the back of her car. "Shit!" She said as she glanced nervously at the house on her left making sure that the crazy woman wasn't watching her from the window. "Hold on Ron I just hit something." She said switching her car of while quickly throwing off her seatbelt and stumbling out the car. "What!" She heard Ron yell from his end of the phone. "Should I come get you" she heard him ask as she walked to the back of the car to see the damage. "No, I'm fine." Hermione yelled back as she rounded the trunk. She stood back and looked at her right taillight and felt all the color drain from her face. There was a sizable dent and a large scratch on the back of her car, and right next to it were the remains of a statue of a snake crawling up an apple tree. Hermione scuttled back into her car and slammed the door staring straight ahead. "Hermione, what happened, are you okay?" Ron's panicked voice rang through her car. She felt tears pricking her eyes as she opened her mouth to speak. "Ron I just hit and destroyed one of the Malfoy's Statues." She heard Ron suck in a deep breath, and she knew it was bad "How'd you do that" He asked trying to stay calm for her sake. "There's a statue on both sides of the driveway and I hit one while I was backing out…Ron what do I do?" She asked rubbing her temples and then banging her head on the steering wheel. "Is anyone home?" He asked after a second or two. Hermione looked up and saw that the giant driveway was empty. "No, I don't think so... Why?" She said curiously. "Because if no one is home then you can leave" Ron said speaking each word slowly like he was speaking a child. Hermione's scowl deepened. "No I can't?" She said making it sound more like a question than a statement. "Fine." Ron said indifferently with a sigh "but if you know like I know you'd split. You're already going to have pay for the damages to your car; throw in the Malfoy's statue and you might as well kiss your trip goodbye." Hermione grasped the key that was hanging limp in her ignition as she nibbled on her bottom lip. Ron was right she might be able to somehow scrape up enough money for the trip and beg her parents to repair her car, but she would have to work years before she could afford that statue. Hermione fiddled with key turning it until just before it would start the car and then stopping. "C'mon Mione just go home knowing them those bastards probably have fifty more in their basement." Hermione sighed and strapped on her seatbelt. She wrapped her fingers around her key and was about to start it for real this time when a shadow was cast across her face. Dread filled her entire body as she slowly lifted her head and was met with the frosty eyes of Draco Malfoy.