Note: I had purposefully called the item in the letter 'it' because I didn't want to come out and explain it. I wanted it to be a mystery, but you finally get to find out what it is. But, I try to write more and it seems my chapters get smaller. Anyway, I will say I have more words on this thing that is telling. It is not counting how many I have in my second chapter and that is getting on my nerves. But anyway, I finally finished the fourth chapter in between my hectic life. And one more thing. About the hair colors and eyes, I can change that if you want. I can make it brown hair. Or blonde. It really doesn't matter to me. So if you want it changed just tell me. So on with the story (after a whole bunch of rambling and things that don't have meaning)… Oh, one more thing THANK YOU for all the reviews. I really appreciate them. Also, you will NOT believe how hard it was to find a quote for this chapter. I still didn't so you're just going to have to suck it up and deal with these two; even though I don't think they make any sense for this chapter. Lol.

Chapter three:

Up to something?

"When late morning rolls around and you're feeling a bit out of sorts, don't worry; you're probably just feeling a little eleven o'clockish." -Winnie the Pooh

Hermione stepped back onto a lower step. Blood trailed its way through the cracks like snakes in search of something more. There wasn't a lot; it was all just rushing towards her, as if pushed by some mystical force. Gravity. A large shape moved in the background, like a shadow within a shadow. Hermione screamed, loud and echoing. It fled, leaving her alone in the hallway with the body, dripping blood from its arms. The arm was lacerated and sickly to look at.

Hermione pulled out her wand, levitating the body behind her; she made a mad dash for the hospital wing. She entered, calling out. "Ms. Pomfrey!" The school nurse rushed out of her office.

"Hermione, what happened?" she asked as she caught sight of the boy behind her. She rushed around Hermione, "Oh, Lord. Jason." She pulled the boy onto the mat. "A third year Hufflepuff." She turned to Hermione, "Are you okay?"

"Yes I'm fine." Hermione sighed. "Just a bit shocked.

"You'll get over it, soon. Here." She handed Hermione a cup of something. "Now scoot. You need to get to bed."

Hermione smiled, and rushed out.

Hermione sat down in her seat of the first lesson of the day, Defense against the Dark Arts. Today was her first time in the class and she had yet to meet her teacher. A tall, skinny man with black hair and blue eyes walked in. "Class, I'm Professor. Reyes. I will obviously be your new Defense against the Dark arts. This is a seventh year class, I presume?"

"Yes," a random voice from the back answered.

"What two houses," he mumbled to himself, picking up his schedule. "Ah, Slytherin and Gryffindor. My favorite."

Ron leaned over whispering in Hermione's ear, "I that a good thing or a bad thing?" Hermione merely shrugged.

"Class we are going to study a Kappa. Does anybody know what these are?"

As usual, Hermione's hand shot up, "I believe it is a Japanese vampiric water spirit."

"That is correct, Ms?" He paused looking at a piece of paper. "Granger. You earned ten points for Gryffindor."

They continued the lecture with safety precautions of how to be around them, their history. Everything right down to the point of what their webbed toes look like.

"Now, class, before you go. Since this is my favorite two houses I am assigning you partners and research project. I want you to research your favorite creature."

Some groaned, but everybody glanced at someone from the opposite house. Professor Reyes way of picking partners was to drop his hand on the roll of Slytherin and then on the Gryffindors roll. There was no orderly way of doing it. People just got who they got.

"Hermione…" a pause while he drops his finger onto the Slytherins. "Draco." Hermione glanced over at Malfoy, smirking and slouching back in his chair. Oh, this was going to be fun. "Harry, Pansy. Ron, Blaise…. This is due on Friday. I suggest you go to the library. Class dismissed."

"Hermione, you just tell me if he bothers you," Ron whispered into her ear as he stood.

"Ok, Ron. I will." Hermione walked over to Draco. "So, Malfoy. You want to go to the library now?"

"Sure, I would love to get this over with so I don't have to spend all my precious time with you, Mudblood. Come on." He pushed past Hermione, who had her mouth hanging wide open.

"Malfoy," she spun around, following him. "If you call me that again. I will refuse to work with you."

"It would be your grade." He shrugged.

Hermione's mouth clenched shut in a tight line and she stomped after him.

Hermione sat in front of Malfoy, books of every kind sprawled out in front of her. "Ok, Malfoy, what do you want to do this on?"

"I could care less," he was lounging on his chair, grey eyes partly closed, a single strand of blood hair falling out of its perfect order.

"Malfoy!" she hissed softly. "This is not the time to catch up on sleep you lost last night. It was your fault for doing what you did and not sleeping."

"Leave me alone, Granger," he growled.

Hermione shook her head and went back to work, writing vigorously.

Draco's eyes opened wide and he leaned forward; like a new idea had struck him square in the face after it had been there all alone. "Granger, about that favor."

Hermione looked up at him, "Why don't you get to work instead of worrying about the favor-Oh no, I will not do this project all by myself." She began writing again.

"I don't care about the project. I have bigger matters than the project to deal with." Draco said as if that was obvious.

Hermione looked back up slowly, "Is this about the letter?" she questioned, curious all of a sudden.

"Yea," he scooted his chair around the table, till he was directly beside her. "It's about the letter, the Ravenclaw and the Hufflepuff."

Hermione seemed to concentrate more closely on him; her eyes focused directly at his grey ones. She was prepared to hang on his every word, to ask unanswered questions. She was ready.

"You see there is-was this prized necklace among the dark wizards. It rested in the jewelry box and on the neck of Madam Chely Macias. The wife of the most powerful dark wizard next to Lord Voldemort, but we all know he had no wife. So, Chely had placed it in her jewelry box for the night and made her way to the bathroom, but when she came back it was gone. Now all the Dark Lords are on the prowl for this necklace, you see it grants your every wish and complies with your every whim. My father, who has some very reliable sources found out that the necklace is at Hogwarts-"

"Are you in on something, Malfoy?" Hermione's face was serious.

"Just a little something," Draco shrugged. "But anyway I need this necklace and I need your help to find it."

"My help? Why?"

"Because you're smart. You can help me find it."

"Why would you ask me for help, Malfoy. I'm not a pureblood."

"Because, I'm at my very last hope," he answered truthfully. "I have found nothing and I need help."

Hermione smiled, "My help. Me. I could use this as blackmail, you know that."

"Listen, Mudblood will you help me or not?" Draco asked, getting annoyed and not realizing what he had called her.

Hermione sat back in her seat, crossing her arms. "I don't have to help you."

"You are absolutely right. You don't have to help me."

Hermione looked down at her paper, just as Draco stood up. "No. Sit down. You have to help me with this report." She stood up to enforce her command.

Draco eyed her as he picked up his stuff. "I will do one and you can do one; we'll compare. Whichever is better will be turned in." He picked up his backpack, slinging it over his shoulder. Without a good-bye - not like she expected one- Draco turned and left the library.

Hermione watched him, anger apparent in her chocolate eyes. She lowered herself into her seat, but at least she knew what the 'it' in the letter was and she knew what the story behind it was. That was much better off than when she started.

Present day time….

"So, dad was like the evil guy in all of this," Haley spoke up.

"Yea, most everybody feared him." Hermione leaned her head on Draco's shoulder.

"Most everybody?" Chloe questioned, leaning forward.

"There was a few exceptions," Hermione shrugged, "but everybody regarded him as the bad-boy." Hermione laughed, remembering Draco's title in their years at Hogwarts.

Chloe smiled, sharing in her mom's humor. "My dad. The bad-boy." She looked at Draco. "Nope can't see that one."

Draco smiled, "I'll have you know, girls. I was quite the hottie in my years."

"Oh yes, Draco. The heart-stopper," Hermione drawled.

"Anybody want popcorn?" Haley asked. "Sorry, but this story has me craving popcorn."

Draco pulled out his wand, conjuring a bag of popcorn and handing it to Haley and Chloe.

"So anyway," Haley shoved a mouthful of popcorn into her mouth and garbled some words.

"What?" Draco asked, confusion written clearly on his face.

"She said," Chloe spoke up. " 'Who didn't fear dad?' You're just not around here enough, dad, to learn to speak our language."

"Who didn't fear your dad?" Hermione re-stated, while Draco- very un-fatherly or un-Dracoly- stuck his tongue out at his two girls. Maybe having children had softened him to the point he could childishly joke around. "Well, there was only a slim few." Hermione looked up as if remembering, "and the new guy, but then again; he didn't fear anything."

"Don't meddle in the affairs of dragons for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup."

Note: SO how was my forth chapter? Please review. I beseech thee. I would love to know what you have to say. Every idea, question, comment: all are important. I can ramble all I want down here. I am very bored, though you probably don't care. I finished all my homework and have nothing to do. So I figured I'd post, so why don't you do me a really big favor and review. Reviews are good. You want to review. You enjoying reviewing. It's the right thing to do. Swings pendulum. Ok, I'll shut up.