Author's Notes: This chapter is post OOTP, I haven't been able to fill out all the details so I hope that you, the reader, have read Harry Potter 1 – 5 and therefore know where I am continuing from. I will be updating every wednesday from now on so look here next wed for another chapter or two :D Thanx and Enjoy
Hermione awoke with a start. It took her eyes a while to adjust to the dim interior of the house that she was sleeping in.
"Where am I?" she thought. It was then that she saw three other bundles lying on fold out cots around her. Hermione had come with Harry and Ron Weasley's family to, once again, number 12 Grimmauld Place. Although the owner of the house, Sirius Black had disappeared the previous year, it now belonged to Harry, as he was the legal heir of his Godfather Sirius. The last five years for Hermione and her new friends Ron, Harry, Neville, Susan, Ron's younger sister Ginny and various other fellow Gryffyndor housemates, had been one of mass excitement and danger. Harry, Hermione and Ron had been up against Voldermort several times, and each time with them thwarting his attempts at trying to return to his full self.
As Hermione sat in her bed, she saw Ginny stir in her sleep.
"What had made her wake up so suddenly?" she thought to herself. Just then she heard the creak of the floorboards. Creeping out of her bed and to the bedroom door, well it wasn't really a bedroom, but an emptied out drawing room, and slowly edged the door open. Distantly she heard faintly frantic voices.
"Hurry get him into the kitchen" said a worried female's voice. Hermione quickly put on her slippers and cloak and scurried across the landing and looked down at the commotion ensuing below in the entrance.
"Give him some room people, let him breathe. Molly get a cup of firewhisky and some chocolate." Arthur Weasley, Ron's dad, said as Hermione saw Molly Weasley, Ron's mum, run from the kitchen to the drinks cabinet in the entrance.
"Hermione dear what are you doing up at this hour?" Mrs Weasley said in shock as she saw Hermione stretched over the banister.
"I couldn't sleep and I heard voices so I came out to have a look. What's happening, what's wrong?" Hermione asked with a hint of panic and intrigue in her voice.
"Never mind dear, just pop back into bed and you'll find out in the morning" Mrs Weasley told her as she grabbed the firewhisky and a block of chocolate from her handbag. As Mrs Weasley disappeared, Hermione hurried back into the bedroom and found her wand.
"Lumos" she whispered, and the wand tip lit up. "I gotta find Harry's invisibility cloak" she thought to herself. She stumbled to the end of the bed in which Harry slept and opened the trunk. Hedwig, Harry's snow owl had just flown in from her hunting trip, soon followed by Ron's erratic owl Pigwidgeon. "Hello Hedwig, have you seen Harry's cloak?" Hermione asked her. Hedwig softly hooted and flew to the bed head on the bed Harry was sleeping in. "Thanks Hedwig" said Hermione, giving the owl a stroke on the back. Hermione then put Harry's cloak on over herself and she was immediately invisible.
Making her way downstairs, Hermione could hear the voices getting louder. "Just slow down Alexander and tell us what happened". That was Molly, and Hermione had never met another wizard by the name of Alexander.
"Well I was on early morning shift at the ministry when I was attacked. It was Lucious Malfoy I tell you. I could recognise those cold grey eyes anywhere." This statement made Hermione freeze. Lucious Malfoy had escaped Azkaban prison!! This was not that unexpected, but it proved that the dementors had finally given up control of the prison and joined the side of Voldermort. As she stood there listening, her heart was beating furiously in her chest.
"Why did he attack you Alexander?" came Remus Lupin's voice.
"I'm not entirely certain, but he didn't get very far. Jocelyn from security heard the scuffle and came running over with her wand out. That scared off Lucious who apparated before we could get him."
"So they're still trying to get at something in the Ministry then" said Mr Weasley, who by the sounds of it was thinking and frowning very hard.
"Well the best thing for anyone right now is to go to bed right away and we'll deal with it properly in the morning" said Mrs Weasley in a stern yet motherly voice.
"Shit they're gonna find me here" Hermione almost screamed as she ran two steps at a time, soundlessly, and just managed to get to their bedroom when the first person reached the bottom of the stairs.
Next morning was an early morning because school term was starting again. "Hurry up kids, if you don't get up now then you'll be late." screamed Molly up the stairs. Fred and George apparated in the bedroom in which Harry, Hermione, Ron and Ginny were sleeping. Ron almost jumped out of his bed with the gun shot arrival of the twins.
"Whaaaaaaaa ..." he yelled as his arms and legs went flailing about and ended up on the floor twisted in his bed spreads.
"Oh sorry Ron didn't know you were asleep" said Fred with a very evil smile. "Yeah just though you might want to know that there's a new guy in the house" said George.
"What?" said Harry, Ron and Ginny in unison.
"Yeah he came in early this morning" explained Hermione.
"How did you know" both Fred and George asked her with put off faces at having their bit of information known about.
"I saw him coming in. I woke up and couldn't get back to sleep and then heard them in the entrance. His name is Alexander and he's from the Ministry. Says he was attacked by Lucious Malfoy."
"But... but ... he's in Azkaban Hermione, he can't get out." spluttered Ron. "Ronald, haven't you been listening to anything that I and various other people have told you about the dementors. They aren't going to stay loyal to the ministry when what they want is with Voldermort." The Weasley children shuddered. "Oh stop it you lot. Fear of the name only increases fear in the thing itself. You have to learn that we, the Light side will over-come Voldermort." More shudders. "Aaaaargh, I give up." and she flicked her wand and her clothes finished folding themselves and the trunk lid snapped shut. "Someone didn't get enough sleep," joked George. Over a hurried breakfast, all the kids asked anyone who would listen who the new guy was.
"Alexander is still recovering from his ordeal, Yes Ron he was attacked, but by whom we're not entirely certain. RON. Do not say things like that about another person, no matter how true it may be, especially in front of your sister" scolded Molly as she backhanded Ron, with a slight smile on her face while trying to explain things to the children.
"We don't know for sure if it was Lucious Malfoy, Alexander thinks it was him, that's all. Now enough talking and hurry up and finish your breakfast, you'll miss the Hogwarts Express."
A rushed couple of hours later and the trio plus Ginny were on board the train. "Good luck with the store guys" yelled Hermione to Fred and George. She knew that it was their lifelong passion to indulge themselves, as well as others with pranks and sweets that make you ill so you get out of class. As the train started Hermione remembered, "Sorry guys but I have to go to the prefect's carriage; you know how it was Ron?"
"Yeah, but you better get back here soon," he replied with an irritated expression as Pig kept twittering in his cage. Hermione stood and readjusted her Prefects badge. Her parents had been so proud of her, prefect two years in a row. Hermione was sure to get Head Girl spot next year. As Hermione walked through the hall, a door opened and the person walked right into Hermione.
"Watch it you filthy mudblood, I just bought these cloaks from Paris and don't want you making them filthy with you mudblood self." Just then Draco Malfoy saw the prefects badge on Hermione's chest at the same time that she saw his badge. "Trust Dumbledore to make perfect miss know it all a prefect two years running" Draco sneered.
"You're a prefect again to" Hermione retorted.
"Well just stay away from me Granger, otherwise who knows what growths will be sprouting from your mouth." At this Draco's cronies laughed and Hermione just glared. She would never forget fourth year, when she and Pansy Parkinson had been hit with spells from Harry's and Draco's wands. It had been an accident that the girls were hit but it was a blessing in disguise, remembered Hermione, rubbing her tongue on her filed down teeth and smiling. She stood up and walked to the prefect's carriage. Susan Bones was also in there. She was the Hufflepuff Prefect, as was Connor O'Patrick for Ravenclaw.
"Students" said Professor McGonagall. "This year there is only one representative from each house, as we will be doing something slightly different this year. The sixth grade prefects will be responsible for seeing that there is no inter-house animosity" and with this statement she gave Hermione and Draco a stern gaze. Draco stared straight ahead of him as if he hadn't heard a thing she was saying. This annoyed Hermione, as she knew that the only teacher Draco ever listened to was Professor Snape. "Right then, the four of you, as well as the head boy and girl," and she pointed to Cho Chang from Ravenclaw, and Isaac Lyricson from Hufflepuff. "Your first task as prefects will be to walk down the corridor and make suer that students are behaving correctly. You will be doing this in pairs; the heads will go together, Susan and Connor then Hermione and Draco. Now any questions?" Hermione just stood there with her mouth hanging open, even Draco was shocked.
"But professor why do I have to go with him?" Spurted Hermione before Draco could protest.
"You two were put together because it is your houses that are causing the most problems in this school. The rivalry between the Gryffyndors and Slytherins is unhealthy and we need you two to sort it out."
"But professor..." spluttered Draco.
"Enough said, this is the school's final decision and you will carry it out. Have a safe journey and you may all leave now." With this, McGonagall ushered the prefects and heads out of the carriage.
"This is so not fair," mumbled Draco. "I'm going to get ..." and here he stopped, comprehension dawning on his face.
"What you going to send you father and owl and get him to bail you out Malfoy," Hermione asked sarcastically. "Oh wait he's in Azkaban isn't he ... oops, or he's probably been given the kiss by now" although she knew well enough that he was out.
"Shut up you fucking filthy, mudblood, don't you dare talk about my father." Draco had his wand out and was pointing it at Hermione.
"How dare you threaten me you insolate prick," and with that she raised her wand. "I'm much quicker with a wand Malfoy so watch it."
"Huh you think you know how to duel? You must be kidding, I know more dark curses then you will ever know" and with that Draco turned and started patrolling the hallways looking for a first year to threaten with a detention if they dared look at him. Hermione, still about to hex Draco, had to count slowly under her breath.
"One ... two... three ...breathe. There at least I'm more clear-headed now" and she followed Draco at a distance, ready to fix any damage he did to any opposing house member.