Here it is, Chapter 4. So sorry it took so long, I've been terribly busy with end of semester uni assignments and haven't had a lot of time to write. Hopefully I can get the next part out before I go away to New Caledonia for a week (so looking forward to that one, sun sand sigh bliss :-))

Many thanks to the lovely people who reviewed the last chapter!

Chapter 4: A Beginning

Within a house that was much like any other house, at least from the outside, that sat on a street full of ordinary houses. Two boys that made this particular house anything but ordinary lay awake in a darkened room.

The room was littered with the paraphernalia of both boys, the objects to be seen more magical than muggle. Because, even though the boys were staying in the most muggle of muggle households, neither was really at all muggle themselves.

Harry, the first boy, might have grown up with these muggles, but they had treated him so poorly that he hardly considered himself associated to them in any way. He greatly preferred the magical world that had taken him in at age eleven. This preference showed, because most of the items in the room that were his were magical, there was a broom, a cauldron, a Sneakscope spinning softly. In fact, apart from clothes, Harry didn't seem to own anything muggle at all.

The second boy, Ron, was from an all magical family and not only didn't own anything muggle, apart from some clothing, but understood everything muggle even less.

He had screamed the first time toast had popped out of the toaster.

Then destroyed it, because he thought it was dangerous.

The Dursley's hadn't been pleased.

The Dursley's were the muggle family the two boys were staying with; they were not at all pleased to have two wizards as guests.

In fact Harry had speculated that that was why the Sneakscope was constantly spinning, from all the bad feeling generated by the Dursley's.

"Harry?" Ron asked, his voice breaking the silence of near sleep that had fallen over the room.

"Yeah Ron?" Harry answered after a slight pause, he had just being drifting off to sleep and wondered why Ron, who usually fell asleep instantaneously, was still doing awake.

"Do you think Hermione is ever going to come?" Ron's voice was unusually serious as he asked the question and Harry paused to consider before answering.

"I don't know mate." He finally said. "I think she wants to spend time with her parents."

"She can do that anytime!" Ron said anger starting to creep into his voice. "She should be here, with us."

"I don't know." Harry said slowly. "I think I understand, if I had parents… maybe I'd want to spend time with them as well, before things get really crazy. And Hermione's an only child you know? Her parents probably need her."

"I still think she should be here." Ron said sounding disgruntled. "We need her too."

"She'll still help us Ron. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if we saw her in a few days." There was the sound of rustling bedcovers as Ron turned to look across the room at him

"But you don't think she'll stay? It'll just be a visit?"

"No, I don't think she'll stay." Harry said softly. He heard Ron make a disgusted noise and roll back over to go to sleep. Harry suppressed a groan of frustration; imagining the inevitable increase in the tension surrounding Ron and Hermione. He just hoped it wouldn't last as long as all their other fights seemed to.

It could make things very uncomfortable.

After all, exactly how useful would it be to have two allies that wouldn't even talk to each other?

Draco lay in bed unable to sleep, he still couldn't believe it.

After Granger had left he had returned to his room in a daze, he then spent the next hour staring at his reflection.

The only difference he could see in his appearance was his hair colour, everything else seemed to be the same, he was just Draco Malfoy with brown hair that was slightly less straight than usual.

It made him wonder what Granger saw when she looked at him.

He had been terrified when he had opened the door and saw somebody he was sure would recognise him; in that moment he had been certain that it was all over.

It was only much later that he thought to wonder why other options, options such as making Granger disappear, hadn't even crossed his mind at the time.

He hadn't even thought about a memory charm.

Maybe Dumbledore was right, maybe he wasn't a killer, wasn't a Death Eater.

Did he even really believe in Voldemort's cause?

Sure he still didn't like Mudbloods, but did he want to see them wiped out?

Not really.

He wouldn't have anyone to feel superior over then.

And what was the fun in that?

Mudbloods had their place, and he was there to constantly remind them of that place.

What was the point of being a pureblood, if he couldn't go out in public and spend his endless supply of money, without being arrested and thrown in Azkaban?

Draco had been thinking about these things a lot lately, after all if it wasn't for Voldemort the Malfoy's wouldn't be in the uncomfortable position they were in.

But what to do about Hermione Granger?

Draco felt a smirk tug at his lips, it could be fun to pretend to be her friend, just imagine the look on her face when she finds out who Jeremie really is.

Draco felt his smirk fade, if, he reminded himself gloomily, if, we can ever come out of hiding.

Still it could be entertaining, and this way he could keep himself updated on what was happening in the Wizarding World. After all, where Granger was, Scarhead and the Weasel were never far behind.

And maybe, just maybe, he could find a way to come out of this whole mess with his place in society restored, his freedom guaranteed.

Plus, if he wasn't very much mistaken, all that blushing Granger had been doing seemed to indicate that she was very close to developing a crush on good ol' Jeremie.

And that was just too funny for words.

Just as long as the mudblood didn't try to kiss him or anything.

Draco shuddered at that particular mental picture and rolled over; it was time to get some sleep, tomorrow he had a certain Gryffindor to visit.

Hermione was late, well no, that wasn't true, not by anybody else's standards at least. But, according to the exacting personal standards Hermione Granger set for herself, she was late. According to the rest of the world she just wasn't going to be early, in fact she would probably be right on time.

So, it was therefore perfectly understandable that Hermione was racing around her room in a state of absolute panic.

"Shit!" Hermione exploded uncharacteristically, then slammed a guilty hand over her mouth and looked around furtively, what if her parents had heard?

Removing her hand from her mouth Hermione huffed, for goodness sake, she was seventeen years old, and there was no need to feel like a guilty child every time she swore.

She didn't swear very often anyway.

She was meeting Harry and Ron at the park near number four Private Drive in half an hour and she couldn't find her M.E.A.N. proposal. She had worked really hard on it the last few days; she wanted her proposal to be flawless and well… with boys visual aids always helped.

Hermione was beginning to seriously suspect that Crookshanks was the culprit; it would be just like him to pick up the nicely rolled poster and hide it.

He had never fully supported S.P.E.W. and now it looked like he was going to be the same about M.E.A.N.! Finally, just as she was about to give up hope, Hermione spied a flash of blue peeking out from behind her bookcase.

"Ah ha!" She exclaimed pouncing on it, fortunately it was unharmed, if a bit dusty.

Grabbing the poster along with the papers from the Ministry and a few other 'necessary' items, Hermione shoved the lot in her bottomless shoulder bag.

Hermione wasn't really one for shopping, unless it was books of course, but when she had found the bag early last year on a Hogsmeade visit she hadn't been able to resist.

It was so useful!

And very stylish, the salesgirl had assured her, not Hermione cared about that of course, though it was nice to have something that was both functional and pretty.

Hermione admired the soft black texture of the bag as she made her way down the stairs; it was slightly larger than the average handbag and had no zips or other muggle features.

"I'm going now mum, I won't be long." Hermione called into the kitchen on her way to the back door.

Her mother muttered something incomprehensible in response, deeply ingrossed in a set of client files from work.

Hermione pulled open the door to leave, she'd probably be interrogated when she got home but right now she doubted if her mother would notice a herd of Hippogrifs stampeding through the house.

"Hello Hermione." The soft accented voice drew Hermione up short and she glanced up to find Jeremie, the new neighbour, standing on her doorstep.

"Jeremie!" Hermione gasped in surprise, she could feel herself starting to blush and cursed her fair skin, but she had honestly never expected to see him again, not after her rather dismal attempt at welcome.

"What are you doing here?" She blurted out, and then blushed harder. "Not that you're not welcome of course but, well, it's just a surprise."

"I have come to take you up on your offer." He said smiling charmingly. "I would like to see more of my new home and", he leaned toward her conspiratorially; "I'm told you're the person to see."

"I'd love to show you around." Hermione agreed automatically before remembering Harry and Ron. "But I can't."

"Not right now at least." She hurried to add when she saw him start to frown. "I'm just on my way out to meet some school friends for lunch, but I can show you around this afternoon if you'd like?"

"That would be wonderful." He said, smiling again.

"Great!" Hermione beamed back, noticing how his warm brown hair had a slight bounce to it and how white his teeth were when he smiled.

"I'll come by your place at around three o'clock?" She suggested a little dismayed to discover that she couldn't stop smiling.

"I'll look forward to it Hermione, have fun with your… friends." He placed an odd emphasis on the word 'friends', Hermione brushed it off deciding that it must just be because of his accent. After all he didn't even know Harry and Ron so it wasn't as if he could dislike them.

After saying goodbye to Jeremie Hermione hummed as she ambled through the backyard to the spot she had decided was the most ideal for Apparation. She took the time to look around and admire all the flowers that were in bloom. This part of the garden really was lovely, she should really come out here more often, maybe with a good book. For one of the first times in her life, Hermione was late to be somewhere, and she didn't even notice.

End Chapter 4

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