Disclaimer: All I own is the plot. The characters and everything else belong to someone else.

How does he know?

Chapter One – School Supplies

Hermione Granger was humming as she got dressed that morning, she put on simple blue jeans and a baby blue t-shirt. She was going to meet Ron and Harry in Diagon Alley for their school supplies today. She had missed them so much this summer.

She had gone away for the summer with her parents as usual, they had gone to Italy, to a small seaside town called Anzio, It had been truly lovely but she wished she had gotten the chance of a visit to the burrow as well.

"Hermione, are you ready yet honey?" her dad shouted up

"Just a minute dad, I'm just brushing my teeth" she called back

She quickly finished brushing her teeth and ran downstairs grabbing the list of stuff she needed to get on the way.

"Dads waiting in the car sweetheart" Her mother said as she grabbed her handbag

"Ok" Hermione said taking an apple from the fruit bowl. "Let's go"

The drive to London from Her house took about an hour, so Hermione had taken some magazines with her and was so engrossed that she hadn't even realised they had arrived. They parked down a little back street then went into the leaky cauldron.

"There she is!" Ron yelled to Harry as he saw Hermione and her parents step into Diagon alley.

"Hi guys" she said

"Hello Hermione How was your summer?" Harry asked, he looked a lot thinner than he did before, he had grown a fair bit taller too which made it look even worse.

"Good thanks Harry, I missed you guys so much though, how have you been?"

Harry knew that Hermione was referring to Sirius's death and he still wasn't ok enough with it to talk about it yet.

"So Hermione," Ron said trying to break the tension "are you or are you not going to read all your new school books tonight as soon as you get home?"

"RON!" she exclaimed and playfully punched him on the arm.

"Hermione love, we are going to go and get a coffee at that little ice cream place just down there" her mother said "I could do with a sit down"

"well, well, well if it isn't potty, weasel and the mudblood" a very familiar voice said from just behind them, they turned round to see none other than Draco Malfoy, their enemy since day number one at Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry.

"Although I must say mudblood your looking quite different" he glanced her up and down making her blush quite profusely

Hermione had gone to the hairdressers when she was on holiday and the Italian woman who had cut her hair had been absolutely amazing she had layered it nicely and put some blonde streaks through it. So it now hung in nice waves to her shoulders and she had taken to wearing make up after she had been bought quite a bit for her birthday. Everyone just assuming that's what kind of stuff sixteen year old girls want.

It appeared that Ron and Harry hadn't actually noticed before and they too looked her up and down. If she had known this was going to happen she wouldn't have worn a skirt, her legs were feeling decidedly bare

"Oh please Malfoy" Hermione said rolling her eyes at him.

"Sure sure granger" he said and blew her a sarcastic kiss and walked off.

"Creep" she said

"He's right though Hermione you have changed the way you look a lot" Harry said

"Yeah I know" she said "but neither of you noticed"

"We just didn't want to draw attention to it Hermione, we know how easily embarrassed you can be" Ron said

"Ronald Weasley! I am surprised at you, when did you learn to lie so well?" she asked and laughed at him.

They spent a great day buying everything they needed for school, Hermione bought a couple of new dresses just in case anything came up. After that yule ball surprise in their fourth year she didn't want to be relying on her mother to owl her a new dress should she need one.

"We'll see you at the station tomorrow Hermione" Harry told her as they all went to leave

"Sure Harry" she said and hugged him "See you Ron"

She hugged the red head too and walked to her parent's car.