Authors Note: Okay everyone, just giving you all a wee bit of background. This story is somewhat of a theraputic thing for me, well at least the stuff involving Hermione and the situation she's in. See this past September my mother died, and the way I'm writing Hermione is, for the most part, how I felt and stuff. Okay that's my sob story for the day, I just felt that you guys needed that FYI. Now, on with the story...

Chapter One

Sunset found me wandering the halls, desperately trying to find my way to the Great Hall for dinner; or, at least, to make an appearance at dinner. So far I was having absolutely no luck finding my way, and I was starting to regret not paying attention to the route Dumbledore took to get to my room. I couldn't even ask anyone for directions because, big surprise, there was no else around. It appeared that I was the only on in this entire wing.

"Why does Mother always have to be right?"

Okay, maybe I wasn't the only one.

Either that, or I'm going crazy. I just shook my head and kept on walking, hoping that I would suddenly turn a corner and be at my destination, but with my luck so far I knew that would not happen.

"She at least doesn't need to say 'I told you so'..." The voice was coming from just ahead of me. I turned the corner and nearly ran right into Draco Malfoy.

Damn.

Without saying a word, I turned around and headed in the other direction.

However, I couldn't get very far, "Fancy seeing you here, Mudblood."

I stopped for a second, took a deep breath, and then kept walking. He could call me that word all day long (which he probably would) and I wouldn't care. Things just didn't matter anymore.

"Where are you going Mudblood. Can't stand to be in the presence of my awesome being?"

I just shook my head at his arrogance and went back to my room, all ideas of making an appearance in the Great Hall for dinner gone. If anyone wanted to try and speak to me, they could come to my room. That way I could ignore them in the comfort of my own room.

It was barely five minutes later when I heard a knock on the door. I would have given them at least ten more minutes before coming to look for me, I thought with little humor, figuring that the person on the other side of the door was someone from the staff coming to check on her. On why I was absent from dinner.

I slowly got up from the bed, not caring how long I made them wait. They could wait forever for all I cared. I slowly opened the door, and I was completely taken aback by who I saw there.

Draco Malfoy.

Damn.

I raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to shed light on the reason for knocking on my door.

"Dumbledore told me you'd be here," he said after he realized I wasn't going to say anything.

I continued to stay silent, waiting for him to go on, all the while being suspicious to the fact that Dumbledore and Malfoy had talked about me.

"He didn't tell me why, in case you were wondering."

Yep, I was, I thought. I stood there, still not speaking, just looking at him with a blank expression.

"I can't help but wonder why. I mean the Gold Girl not being allowed to spend the summer with her two better-than-thou friends, it does make one wonder," he drawled.

"Did you just come here to insult me?" I snapped.

Now it was his turn to quirk an eyebrow, "Wonder Girl's got bite, who would have known."

I debated whether or not to shut the door in his ferret-y little face, or to continue on with this seemingly pointless exchange of words. But I decided to choose C: Turn the tables on him.

"Why are you hear Malfoy? Daddy kick you out?" I said. It was widely known that for the last months in school, talk of his father was a sore spot for him.

Wait.

His father.

Lucius Malfoy.

Death Eater.

I froze. I felt my face flush with anger. Things started to come together. I am the brightest witch of my age, and it took me this long to realize. His father was a Death Eater. My parents were killed by Death Eaters. The odds of Draco's father being present at my parents' murder were very good.

I choked at the thought of my parents.

Pull it together Hermione, I yelled at myself.

I reached for my wand, but as I felt an empty pocket I remembered that it was in the drawer next to the bed. So I did what any self-respecting, recently orphaned girl would do.

I punched him; and after doing so I held back the urge to rub my aching knuckles, but it was well worth it.

"What the bloody hell what that for?!" Malfoy screeched, holding his blackening eye.

"Stay away from me, or I swear that the next time I see you I'll use the Cruciatus on you, illegal or no," I seethed.

"Have you gone absolutely mental, wait until my fath-" he cut himself off, a strange look came into his face, but I ignored it completely.

"Your father. What, you going to have him kill me too?! Why am I not surprised, you would relish in my being dead. You'd probably throw a party when it happens. Is that what you did, throw a party when you daddy told you what he did. Did you celebrate how I must have fallen. You must have, you've waited for me to break ever since you met me," I could barely contain my rage, let alone the utmost longing to kill him with my bare hands.

Malfoy was stunned. He stood there at a loss for words.

After a few more seconds of silence he spoke, and I forced myself to listen, "I cannot believe you think that. Have you not read the articles in the Daily Prophet, Hermione I-"

"Shut it Malfoy," I said, taking a calming breath, "you've given me no reason to believe otherwise. Now leave."

"Granger, I had nothing to do with you paren-"

"LEAVE," I shouted, slamming in the door in his face, hoping that it hit him. I leaned against the door, thoughts of my parents coming unbidden to my head. I slowly slid down to the floor, where, for the first time, I cried.