Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter just using the great characters of JK Rowling

This is the summer before fifth year... enjoy!(Hopefully)

I was going to skip a lot of my ideas to get to the good parts but then I would be cutting good stuff! You guys wanted longer so here it is! Hope you like it. Some of it is a bit fluffy but I am building a story line here people! lol

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Part 6 Summer and Beyond

Draco and Hermione did not see each other on the train. They both sat with their friends, though ignoring conversations and staring out the windows. Both of them couldn't wait for summer to be over.

Their fifth year at Hogwarts would be difficult, but it would also be one of the best years of their lives.

The train stopped and their parents were lined up to welcome them home. As Hermione and Draco stepped off the train, for the last time in their forth year at Hogwarts... They smiled at each other.

~~~

Draco (not wanting to look desperate) waited a week before owling Hermione. Summer was never terribly exciting for him, his parents were always busy attending gathering and keeping up appearances. They dragged Draco around to most of them, showing off the next Malfoy in line. He looked forward every week to writing her since the highlight of his weeks were reading her lengthy replies.

~~~

Ever since Hermione went to Hogwarts she felt out of place at home. She didn't need to stay home and wait for owl post from her friends, but she did. Busy doing homework assignments already, she was excited to see a great silver grey owl entering her window a week after school let out. She knew it must be Dracos owl, which brought a huge smile to her face ...

Hermione started looking forward to every weekend when Draco would write, and over the summer, with each letter that was exchanged, Hermione started to change her mind. Maybe Draco and her could make a relationship work, even if Harry and Ron would never understand.

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There were only two problems that interfered with their weekend exchanges. Hermione was going to be visiting the Burrow and Hermione had to break it to Draco:

Draco

I'm leaving for the Weasley house on Monday to spend a week with Ginny, Ron and Harry. They know what your owl looks like from school and they'd know we were writing each other. It would be better if you didn't write me until I owl you when I get home. Hey, if you can ditch your father for a while at Diagon Alley we can go shopping for our supplies early together. (I can't wait to read out new school books)

Love, Hermione

"Well, I'm glad to see Hermione hasn't changed to much over the summer"

Draco understood completely that if Harry and Ron found out everything would be changed.

~~~

The larger of the two problems was that Lucius had been sneaking around and found out that Draco was writing to Hermione. The confrontation with Draco turned good and bad...

"Draco I know you have been writing to that mudblood Granger girl from Gryffindor,"

Draco became upset at once, he normally just ignored his father but all the hatred of his father was now surfacing,

"and what are you planning to do make me stop.."

"This girl is part of the trash that is filling the wizard world, you know how this family feels about muggle borns"

"The family feels that way NOT me. How could you even say that about her, Hermione is one of the most powerful, intelligent witch's I've ever known, pureblood or not...would you rather I go out with a weak little pureblood like Pansy Parkinson"

Draco was getting more and more upset ,

"Malfoys are superior, isn't that right. Don't be so worried that I'll tarnish the family name. If that's all your worried about, no need, Hermione and I are just friends.

I would think you'd be proud I am doing something that would seriously damage Potter's spirits... You know... never mind"

And on that note Draco turned and walked away from his father, for the first time Lucius Malfoy stood there in shock of what his son just said.

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Hermione had changed over the summers he was now developed and her hair had tamed down a bit. Her visit to the burrow would be Harry and Ron's first time seeing her. This change didn't happen over night, but Hogwarts robes are easy to use to cover up. But Hermione couldn't hide anything more from them. All she planned to do was wear baggy clothes for the rest of the summer. As she packed Hermione thought to herself

'Heck if they were shocked at the Yule Ball seeing me now would change our friendship forever. I will just hang with Ginny most of the time anyway.'

~~~

Hermione stood in front of the Burrow in her baggy T-shirt hearing everyone inside fight over who would open the door.

"Hey I got to invite her here this year so I get to open the door, you already got to open the door for Harry"

"That's only because you would just stand there drooling over him Ginny"

Mrs. Weasley opened the door after a few minutes of hearing the bickering, and the few Weasleys that were standing in the doorway were delighted to see her. Though Ron had a funny look on his face.

"Glad to have you over again this year dear"

"Hermione" yelled Ginny as she greeted Hermione with a hug, Ginny must be happy there is another girl in the house.

But Ron gave a much ruder welcome,

"Wow Hermione, what's with the oversized shirts"

Ginny elbowed Ron in the ribs, as Hermione just gave a sarcastic laugh and brushed it off, she had her reasons.

After greeting the rest of the Weasley's and Harry, Hermione went up to Ginny's room and unpacked some of her stuff.

~~~

The next few days they had a summer like the others before them, Hermione watched the boys play quidditch, she read some books she brought along, and her and Ginny spent a lot more time together. She could tell her new choice of wardrobe had bothered Ron and had intrigued Fred and George to make snide comments behind her back, but only Ginny knew why.

The first night she spent at the Weasley's house she told her whole explanation about the temporary wardrobe, since it WAS summer and HOT, Hermione was not going to sleep in a huge T-shirt, she was going to wear what she normally wore a tank top and boxers. At least Mrs. Weasley made a rule that the boys stay out of the girls room

One night Hermione heard Ron and Harry talking through the wall (a draw back from a smaller house with many people living in it),

"What is with Hermione and her wardrobe the past few days, does she not own anything else. It's not like she has to hide anything"

"Ron you are so dense sometimes, I'd think after the Yule Ball you finally realized that Hermione IS a girl"

Ron, obviously still in denial replied with a "Whatever"

~~~

Almost every day Ron, Harry, Fred, and George had a short conversation about how Malfoy is the most evil, manipulative, weak, spoiled little boy(etc.) and Hermione was getting really use to ignoring them. But on Saturday afternoon, the night before she was going to leave, they went too far. The boys were making up all sorts of ways to pull pranks on Draco and when Ron said, "Malfoy is probably the heir to You-Know-Who's thrown, the dementors should just kiss him now to save the trouble"

And after that comment all of the insults and remarks about Draco added to too much, Hermione slid out of the room up to Ginny's room slammed the door and was glad that Mrs. Weasley had put a silencing charm so no one outside could hear the girls talking. She let out a huge scream in frustration, and she leaned against the wall a tears fell from her cheeks as she slid on to the floor in front of the door.

'They will never accept Draco and I don't care, as long as I have Draco I can vent this, I'm not going to end any friendship with anyone just because they have problems with each other. But if...when they find out they will just have to choose if they still want to be friends with me... and I don't know if Harry and Ron are forgiving enough"

Hermione calmed down and went to the bathroom to splash some cold water on her face, and returned to the kitchen. The ironic thing was, the more Harry and Ron made her feel like this, the more they were driving her to Draco.

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Hermione was glad to return home after her week at the Burrow. She had had a lot of fun with her friends, but some problems too. The thing she was most relieved about was that she could give away her baggy clothes wardrobe, she had her second new wardrobe full of clothes that she couldn't swim in, and it was time to pick out an outfit to meet Draco in. The first thing she did when she got home was owl Draco and they set a date to go to Diagon Alley

~~~

When Hermione got up the morning of her trip to meet Draco she decided to wear deep Slytherin green color, fitted, tank top, and last years Hogwarts grey skirt. 'This would help him pick me out of a crowd, I can't wait to see the look on his face'. She had waited all summer to show off her new look and she was saving it for Draco.

Hermione arrived early for her trip to Diagon Alley with her parents. Her and Draco planned to send their parents off to get their other supplies, while they meet in the book store. But she couldn't see Draco anywhere, Diagon Alley wasn't to busy because there was still 2 weeks until school started. As Hermione passed the Quidditch supply store she felt an arm grab her and pull her into an alley...

~~~

Draco POV

Today was going to be stressful. He had to ditch his father in Knockturn Alley and find Hermione in a growing crowd, and on top of that he had not seen her all summer.

Then he saw her...

She was looking around through the crowd for him, and Draco just stood there looking at her. She was coming closer and closer to where he was standing, as she walked past him, he came out of his daze and grabbed her arm and pulled her into the alley way. Hermione ended up with her back to him up against his chest with his arms holding her waist.

Before she could scream he calmed her down by saying

"So how has your summer been..."

~~~

A smile came to Hermione's face, before Draco had said anything she remembered what it felt like to be in his arms. The awkwardness set in a bit and Draco let go of her waist and she turned around to face him,

"Well kinda boring, but the highlights included owling a friend"

"So how was the trip to the Weasley's, you never wrote about it"(more seriously)

"Let's just say I was glad there was silencing charms on some of the walls, but otherwise ok. It felt like ages...(pause as they just look at each other)... what are we waiting for (grabs his hand)

Draco looks down at their hands and back up at Hermione as she starts dragging him out of the alley and towards Flourish and Blotts.

~~~

No one noticed them together in the alley (they were moving pretty fast), but the owner of the store knew Hermione, and that she was a friend of Harry and Ron, AND that Draco was a Malfoy, so they went in separate directions in the books to get their school books. Every time they passed each others row Draco had a smirk on his face, he just couldn't believe the pile of books that Hermione had stacked high, and he was glad to see everything was going back to how it was.

Just as Hermione and Draco were lining up to pay for their books the fun stopped when Lucius walked into the store, Draco spotted him first and turned to Hermione,

"He knows I was writing to you this summer, I will tell you the whole story later but he doesn't know I met you today..."

"That's ok Draco(understanding tone) I'll see you in two weeks at school..."

Hermione noticed Draco change around his father, and she didn't really feel comfortable around Lucius either. She was just disappointed their few hours together in "public" were cut short. As Hermione turned to get at the end of the line out of Lucius' sight, Draco leaned up to her ear and whispered

"By the way, I love the colours"(smirking)

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