Disclaimer- Don't own Harry Potter or the characters or the characters so please don't sue me.

A/N- Some stuff in this chapter is not explained fully but it will be later on, I promise. Also, my first reviewer (thank you, thrilled me to NO end) didn't get why the dad was putting things in weird places, that too will be explained in later chapters. Enjoy!

Chapter 3

School was progressing quickly for Hermione as it was already the beginning of October. It had taken her longer then ever before to fall into the routine of her classes but she finally had a strong hold. She was still caught up in the death of her father and the disappearance of her mother and would cry herself to sleep a few nights a week. The thought that she could never go home to them again, or write a note to say she loved them was too much for her. She missed and needed the contact with her father as well as her mother.

She never did let it push her over the edge. She would answer questions constantly in class and chat with her peers at meal times. She would laugh when they laughed and she would add in small opinions here or there. She wasn't the same Hermione though. Oh no, she was slightly empty. She felt fake and she felt as if she was missing something important. She desperately needed to talk to someone but it just seemed to her, that no one would understand her trauma.

She knew Harry had lost both his parents and she respected him for being so strong, yet she couldn't talk to him because of the feelings that went with her loss. She was an emotional person and Harry wasn't. He had feelings, sure, and he showed them, he just never discussed them with anyone. Hermione was sure that by bringing up the loss of her parents it would somehow make Harry think of Sirius. She and Ron both knew that Harry was still stuck on Sirius' death and that he would lose it when someone talked about it with him. She would just avoid the subject of her parents' deaths altogether. That was her resolution.

Ron was a different story. He had so many emotions that she didn't know which one she would get. He might become angry because she hadn't told him sooner, or he could become frustrated when he found out she had been keeping this a secret so long. She was almost fearful of his sudden mood swings and didn't want to cause one of them. He could be scary, and, she laughed to herself, he probably had MMS, Male Moodiness Syndrome. She would just have to avoid the subject with him too. Again, that was her resolution.

Of course, Hermione had other friends that she talked with and hung out with but they weren't up to Harry and Ron's standards. Hermione didn't trust any of them enough to tell them she was falling apart, breaking at the seams, cracking. She didn't have it in her to ruin someone else's day by telling them about her summer and loading them down with her problems. She thought she was weak for letting the pain of the situation get to her near 17 year old self, and for not having the guts to tell anyone.

It just wouldn't do she told herself. She had to stop it. Sadly, she crawled into her bed and sobbed into her soft pillow remembering every sour detail that was still in her memory. When she felt as though she could cry no more tears she sat up, exhausted, and walked into her small private bathroom. Hermione peered at herself in the mirror and stopped. This couldn't be her! Hermione stared at herself, which didn't happen often, and took in her appearance. I look like I just got into a brawl. Hermione concluded, A big brawl, and I look pale and sallow. She looked over herself, disgusted. Father told me to be strong, and I will be. I will be strong and I will show the world what Hermione Granger can do. I am Hermione Granger, Head girl, resident mudblood and number one student Hermione told herself, And best of all, I'm better than the purebloods.

Hermione smile at the thought of being better than Malfoy and walked back into her room, I'm going to become strong again for daddy and for mum, wherever she is.

"It is time, my dear, it is time."

"We can begin in a moment. Prepare yourself. It's a long process."

"I am ready when you are."

"Let us begin."

Hermione awoke the next morning to a distant feeling of excitement. It was early on a Thursday morning and she wondered semi-excitedly what the date was. She looked across the room to her calendar and noticed that it was October 5. "October 5th" she thought excitedly, "Happy Birthday to me!" Just then a pounding on her door startled her. "Come in!" She yelled to the door as she sat up on her bed.

"Happy Birthday to Hermione! Happy Birthday to Hermione! Happy Birthday deeeaaarrrr Herrrrrmiiiiiiiiooooooneeeeeee! Happy Birthday to you!" Harry and Ron burst into her room, each with a handful of presents.

"Good Morning to you too!" She exclaimed excitedly as she scrambled to get the presents from their arms. She began to unwrap them to the delight of Harry and Ron. As she opened each present she began to get a strange feeling over her body. She felt herself grow hot, and then she cooled, and then grew hot again. The feelings, as odd as they were, couldn't deter Hermione from her presents and after each one she would hug Harry or Ron (whoever had given her the gift) and thank them profusely.

After she had finished opening her gifts she began to grin. "Hermione!" Ron shouted, "What's wrong with you?"

"I just can't express how much it means to me that you two have given me all these wonderful gifts." She laughed and Harry looked at her incredulously.

"We love you Hermione." He said softly and pulled her into a big hug. Ron joined them and gave Hermione a peck on the forehead. "Now get ready, we have breakfast in 20 minutes!" He and Ron darted out of the room as quick as they had come and Hermione got up to begin the monotonous routine of washing herself.

Hermione was in a hurry. She had taken a long shower and had yelled to Harry and Ron that she would be out in a minute after she had leapt from the shower. She threw on her robes and yanked a pair of earrings and her locket (which she wore constantly) off her dresser and stuffed them into her robe's pocket. The strange feelings were beginning to come back as she walked across the room to the door.

"Hermione! I'm starving!" Ron practically screeched from the common room.

"I'm coming, my gosh, I'm coming!" She yelled at the door as she pulled it open with a bang. "You silly git."

She sighed as she felt a strange breeze, and ran off towards the portrait hole that Ron and Harry were climbing out of.

They rushed to the quickly filling great hall and sat down to eat some breakfast. Hermione was appetite-less as she realized that today, she would get no words of encouragement from her father and mother. It was the first time she had thought of them that morning and she couldn't help but want to cry into her porridge. She blinked back tears, and refusing to let her sadness show on such a momentous occasion, tried to swallow down her breakfast. I am strong! She continuously told herself as she tried to eat the cinnamon porridge.

A few minutes later she realized it was useless, she wasn't hungry, and pulled her locket and earrings from her pocket. She was putting her earrings in when a chill swept through her body. She felt a presence and sighed as she turned around to face the blonde haired ass. "Malfoy, I really am in no mood to argue with you today."

His face was emotionless as he watched her put in her earring and reach for her other. "You like what you see Granger?" Malfoy asked arrogantly.

"Of course Malfoy, I am a female. Most of us appreciate effeminate boys." Malfoy fumed.

"Today is a special day, Granger, is it not?"

"It is. Today is my birthday." Hermione looked at Malfoy and realized that throughout the year she hadn't minded him too much. Sure, she hated his guts mucho but he was Malfoy, and that was just the way he was. She enjoyed the verbal spats they had. It gave her a chance to use her wits to their fullest.

"Oh Joy. Congratulations." He sneered at her. She was such a loser.

Hermione reached down to the table for her locket but Malfoy grabbed it from her. "Malfoy, do you have no other person to torture. Can't you just leave me alone today? Please." She looked at him with pitiful eyes, "Give me my necklace, please."

He looked at her and sneered again. He had seen this necklace on her before, it was nothing to look at. He was sure she wouldn't miss it that much, "Oh you silly mudblood, who do you think I am?"

Harry and Ron had started to stand up in her defense but Hermione, noticing this, had stopped them. Malfoy had overstepped his boundaries when he had taken her locket and she would be damned if she wasn't going to get it back.

"I think you are Draco fucking Malfoy. Now give me my damn necklace back." Draco blanched at her use of words, surprised at her brass, and then masked his face over.

"No, why don't you just have your precious muggle parents buy you a new one. This ugly thing can't be worth much anyway." Crabbe and Goyle, who were standing silently behind him, began to snicker. "What would you do if I dropped this?" he asked rudely. Hermione's eyes widened as he held the locket above his head and dropped it. He caught it though, in his other hand and Hermione visibly relaxed.

"Malfoy, give me the locket back."

"Oh no! What are you going to do? Tell mommy and daddy?" Hermione was getting mad. She could feel herself lose control. She still hadn't told anyone about her parents and the reminder of that wasn't helping her diminishing good mood. She took a deep breath to steady herself, 'I'll give him one more chance,' she thought darkly, 'but if he mentions my parents once more I'll hex him into tomorrow.'

"Malfoy, Give. It. Back." He looked at her, amusement evident in his eyes, as he tossed the locket in the air and caught it. Draco knew that the head girl was head strong, but he also knew that she had a quick temper.

"Maybe the reason you are in such a mood this morning, little Ms. I'm- so- great-and- perfect," Draco began, now realizing most of the great hall was watching the scene, "is because mommy and daddy forgot you." He looked at her and realized he had hit way to close to home.

"Malfoy! This is none of your business and if my parents forgot my birthday, which they didn't (because they can't she reminded herself) then I still have a better home life than you!"

"Don't bring my family into this Granger. My mother wasn't a whore when she was carrying me!"

"The only way you would know if my mother was a whore would be if your father was using her! Or maybe Malfoy, your mother isn't as perfect as you want us to believe?"

"Never Granger. Now," He began, trying to keep his cool, "is this locket so special to you because it's from your prostitute of a mother?" Draco smirked at the riled up head girl and, using his quidditch muscles, easily snapped the locket in two, "What are you going to do now that your precious locket broke Granger? Maybe if you follow in your mother's path you can get enough money to fix it."

"I'll reparo it, you ferret. You also admitted that you thought I would get paid well if I ever became a whore. Wishing to use my… ahem… skills, Malfoy?" Hermione was keeping herself composed even though she was deeply upset by what Malfoy had done. She could feel her body tense and knew she was desperately close to tearing the stupid rat's head off.

Draco coughed, "You'll be to busy screwing your father." He smirked but immediately wiped the smirk off his face when he saw Hermione's reaction. She was trembling.

"No."

"I'm sorry mudblood, I couldn't hear you."

"You know NOTHING Malfoy. You know close to nothing." Hermione said clearly, unaware that everyone was staring at her, "You need to realize when you go to far. I can't even hug my father anymore. I CAN'T. My father is dead. I held his hand while he died. I watched him die. Do you know how painful it is to watch the person you love most take his last breath?? As for my mother, I don't know where she is or what she is doing or even who she is with. She's gone. My life is far from perfect and don't assume that you know what I go through. Now just leave me—"

Hermione stopped. She couldn't speak. She stared at Malfoy with blank eyes and then her head dropped back. Draco was speechless. He leaned forward and placed the locket on the table then backed up. Everyone watched as Malfoy began to pale even more. Hermione wasn't moving.

"What the bloody hell did you do to her Malfoy!?" Ron yelled as he stared at Hermione's body.

"I… she… I didn't do ---"

He was cut off by a chill that swept the hall. He turned back to Hermione and saw she was rising above the tables. He looked to Harry and gulped.

Harry was staring at Dumbledore who stood and yelled to the silent hall, "Get under the tables, NOW. Get down. Get down!" Everyone dropped down on their hands and knees as Dumbledore watched the head girl in worry.

Draco still couldn't move and watched helplessly as Hermione rose even higher above the tables. Realizing how open and vulnerable he was he dropped to the floor and pushed himself under the Gryffindor table. He could not, for the life of him, pry his eyes away from the sight of Hermione, slowly rotating through the air. Then a wind passed through the room and Draco gasped as she opened her eyes. Everyone was peering at Hermione as she blinked awake. Her eyes shown through the hall, they were light, solid light. Ron squeaked.

Another wind and this time Hermione's arms extended from either side of her body. Through her fingers beams of light danced. Her feet pointed downward and exploded in pure white rays.

Another wind and each window in the great hall shattered. Gasps of fear and surprise were heard from every table as the girl floated calmly above their heads, the light now streaming from every pore on her body. The enchanted sky above the great hall suddenly turned black and the sky outside began to dim as if it were night. All eyes were on the still rotating Hermione in the air above. Another wind and light came rushing towards her. It was as if she was a star, glowing brightly in the night sky.

A loud bang could be heard as a bright light temporarily blinded the students and engulfed her. A minute later, when everyone could see again, she turned to Dumbledore, the ball of light surrounding her growing brighter.

Dumbledore nodded as he stared into Hermione's eyes. It seemed like she had silently communicated with him. Dumbledore called to the students as he slowly stood, "If she points at you or talks to you, you will bow and then come forward. Please do not let your pride get you hurt. Be careful." He nodded to her.

Snape and McGonagall were watching Hermione as she nodded to the brilliant Headmaster. They watched as she descended until she was only about five feet over the tables. She began to speak in a voice that simply meant power:

"Custos Lumeninis!" She pointed matter of factly to herself, "Qualis lucescere caligo volo productum!" she gestured wildly to all the tables. She began to descend again until she was on the floor. No one moved as she walked through the rows of tables to stand in front of the gold locket Draco had placed on the table. She looked at it and walked about two feet down the table from it and stopped. She looked at Draco pointedly and gestured for him to stand. He did and remembering the headmaster's words, he bowed to her. She pointed to a spot in the middle of the aisle and he walked to it, never turning his back to her. She smiled and bowed to him. He bowed again.

Hermione continued walking and headed to the opposite side of the room. She pointed to Pansy Parkinson who was shaking under the Slytherin table. Pansy looked at her with fear in her eyes and Hermione bowed and gestured her out. Pansy moved quickly from under the table and bowed back. Hermione walked to her and placed her hands on her shoulders. Pansy stood deathly still for a moment while Hermione's bubble of light began to dim. When Hermione removed her arms from Pansy the light bubble began to glow again. She turned to Pansy and spoke to her clearly, "Protractum!" Pansy seemed to understand the words and bowed. Hermione motioned for her to stay standing. She complied.

Hermione continued to walk. Her powerful stride made her look like she was floating. The bubble made her look angelic. She pointed to two younger Slytherins and they came out from under the table and bowed. She held their shoulders, yelled "Protractum!", and then motioned for them to stay standing.

Hermione walked anywhere from the Slytherin table, to the Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Gryffindor tables. After at least an hour everyone was standing and she was nodding. She turned to the headmaster and nodded. He stood. "Do not turn your backs on her, it is considered highly disrespectful. Now please take your seats." There was a great bustle of movement as everyone scrambled to a seat. Hermione began to ascend again. When she was at least ten feet in the air she floated to the Gryffindor table and made eye contact with Draco Malfoy. He gulped as she pointed to him and he stood and bowed. She turned to the headmaster and cocked her head to the left.

"Ms. Granger, are you sure this one?" he asked shocked. She nodded then cocked her head to the right, "He is strong Ms. Granger, strong and loyal and smart. If you choose him, you will be in for trouble but you will have chosen wisely." She nodded and the headmaster turned to face Draco.

"Mr. Malfoy," Dumbledore said in absolute seriousness, "Ms. Granger has chosen you. You may accept or decline what she is offering; she is giving you a choice. I do not know the outcome of this situation so do as you may. Make your decision wisely and when you do either bow to her or sit down. The choice is yours."

Draco looked at the headmaster and then looked at Hermione. He had never thought her beautiful or pretty but surrounded in a bubble of light with her hair flowing down her back Hermione looked saintly. She too was smart and loyal. He looked at her again and realized that if he chose whatever she was asking him, his life would be seriously screwed. Draco smiled. His choice was obvious. He turned to her and sneered. He turned to the headmaster and sneered…

and then he bowed

'Hey,' he thought, 'no matter what I choose my life is screwed. At least I get to make this choice myself.'

Hermione smiled then began to speak, "Meus! Communico!" she motioned upwards and Draco felt himself rise. She held out her hand, palm forward, and nodded. He placed his hand on hers and a blinding light once more filled the great hall. No one spoke.

Hermione looked around at the people and then spoke again, "Custos Lumeninis! Telum! Specula! Invesperacit candesco. Concilio circulor." Draco began to shine. He looked into her eyes and saw innocence and he knew he had made the right choice. He was drawn into her eyes again and the hand he had been touching with his was suddenly gone. A pain worse than ten crucios came over him. Then, it was gone as if not had never been there at all. Draco was overcome with a feeling of happiness. He felt, for the first time in his life, free.

The kids in the hall gasped as the bright light they had finally become accustomed to vanished.

The light began to return to the hall and the sky began to take its normal shade of color. Dumbledore muttered a quick spell and the windows repaired themselves. He looked to either side of him on the staff table and then down to the floor of the great hall where a pure and innocent Hermione lay, a disheveled Draco sprawled to the side of her. He sighed at this new situation. Then eyed the teachers again, making eye contact with Severus Snape.

Snape looked at Dumbledore and murmured, astonished, "The keeper of the light."

A/N- Everything she says will be explained in the next chapter as well as what this has to do with Draco and basically… blah.

OH, also, the Hermione cussing at Draco spat-- I always want Hermione to be strong and hold herself high, this was a lapse. I can keep my temper for a while and shoot comments but if I am worked up and someone completely pushes me over the edge, then I'll yell cuss words too, which I usually do not do. SO basically, this is just a Hermione break down.

Review!! Either Positive or Negative reviews are pleasant, and I really do love receiving them.

Yours,

Unspotted Giraffe