Well, I think this chapter is a definite improvement over the last but please remember that I haven't been writing in a few months and am still out of practice. I haven't had the chance to go over the last chapter as I didn't want to wreak the small roll I achieved in this own. I still own nothing and have less then AU$18 in my bank account so it's not worth while to sue me.

THIS CHAPTER HAS LOW LEVEL SWEARING SO IF YOU ARE EXTRA SENSATIVE STOP READING THIS STORY, IT GETS WORSE.

Chapter five

Surprise POV:

As pathetic as humans are, they are gifted with a strange amount of sense. With only the smallest morsel of a truth and following the most bewildering and convoluted logic path, they can grasp the most profound facts and simple truths of life. They search for most of their mature lives for that one meaning of life and miss the simplest explanation. There is no meaning to a life; there is simply the accumulation of those life truths. Many mortals have realized that when you live forever, you are going to be lonely most of the time. They realize that those you love are going to die and those around you will resent you as they grow old and you stay young. When you become immortal you lose your connection to life and those contained within it, bound to it and kept away from you. Even when you change those you loved in life, immortality changes you, you grow apart and become alone.

It takes something powerful to overcome the change of mortality and bind two people together for eternity and there, mortals again have found a simple truth. Love conquers time and space and joins two people together forever. The trouble then is what happens when one vessel of that love dies and the other lives forever. Love can not die, it can be hidden, or be misplaced but it is always there and death can not remove it. So if you follow on those most twisting, winding and complicated paths that is truly straight forward logic it is clear that as the love can not be killed then the vessels for the love can not be killed.

My love for Annona keeps her spirit alive but she is bound to mortal vessels. I must find her in her vessel and change her to an immortal so I can keep her with me forever. I believe I may have found her but I have been fooled so many times in the past. I have found a similar vessel and hoped but it is never Annona, they are all lacking in her passion, her grace, her sense of righteousness. I will be more careful checking this vessel. I will test her before I raise my hope and dare to believe this is my Annona returned to me. Only true love will allow the vessel to survive the testing in any case.

Hermione's POV

My main memories of my life before Hogwarts pass by in a swirl of cartoon and book characters, theme songs, sound effects and book names and authors. That is mostly because each morning and late at night I would sneak down to the living room and watch cartoons or music videos. When my parents were fighting downstairs I would take out a book I borrowed from the library and read in my room.

Whichever situation I was in I would need to maintain a awareness of the environment around me, particularly my parents. If I was called I would need to be there almost instantly or would need to bandaged up after my parents got through with me. It was a painful lesson but one I learnt well. By the time I was seven I was able to lose myself in whatever I was doing but still be aware of my environment, even when I no longer feared missing a summons I would still maintain that awareness. I will always know who is in the room and sense when another person enters.

The only person in the entire school who has a chance of sneaking up on me is Professor Snape and it is rare that he makes enough of an effort to do so. These children have no survival techniques what-so-ever and the Professors need to brush up on their skills as well. Still, that ever present awareness means I can allow these wandering thoughts and still know the instant someone stops outside my compartment and starts to open the door. I have that small amount of time to assess the situation and act accordingly. I draw a bottle of water out of my bag and wet my handkerchief then wipe my face as the door slides open and Draco Malfoy steps in.

"Granger"

His voice holds the customary contempt and his face instantly resumes its customary sneer. Most people would accept that but I am more used to looking below the surface. My parents were generally all smiles and hugs one moment then, half the time, belting the crap out of me the next. I had to learn which half it was or my hesitation would cause a worse beating when they had been in a fairly good mood. Malfoy had the facial features but did not have the emotions or intents underneath. It may be why Professor Snape actually likes him and willingly teaches him. It is clear that if Draco grew a backbone he would be on the side of light.

"Malfoy"

I reply. I sound a bit sharp but also embarrassed. I just defended Draco and it is likely he merely wants to disabuse me of any notion I may have that he is good or else to try to use me for his own purposes based on the fact that I clearly fancy him and think he is actually good. It is most likely the second as he sits directly opposite me and tries to look alluring.

"I wanted to thank you for defending me earlier. I know I have done much which would warrant your dislike and I find it gratifying that despite my past actions you still think somewhat well of me."

"I do not think well of you Malfoy. I merely know that Harry was wrong. From what I have heard of your father he is unlikely to buy you grades therefore your grades are the result of your hard work. You are good at Potions and deserve to be a tutor if you can control yourself with the younger students and those of other houses. As we have no current evidence of bad behavior we must assume you will be a decent teacher. It is merely knowledge and logic, not like."

"You defended me against Potters accusations that I am like my father. You have no knowledge on which to build your logic off for that and yet you defended me."

This is almost starting to be fun. I always enjoyed debating and there are few in Hogwarts who would be suitable to debate against. Most of those with the knowledge and truly logical mind were in Ravenclaw and were too involved in school work to bother with recreational debate.

"I have history as my base of knowledge Malfoy. There are many bad men, or men perceived to be bad, in both muggle and wizarding history. Children are never the same as their parents, some are better in character and some are worse. The worst I have ever seen you do, Malfoy, is call students by bad names and use childish hexes whose results are more embarrassing then purposely dangerous. It is the hexes which are most telling and I have never witnessed you doing worse then Harry himself has done. If your character is inevitably evil then, in all likelihood, so is Harrys."

"I wonder what he would say if he heard you say that?"

"The same thing he said when I told Professor McGonagall that his broom may be jinxed, absolutely nothing until I was proved right and he needed help for his homework. With the demands of this new program that is likely to happen sooner rather then later."

"Surely you have more trust in your little friends then that. I mean, I know Potty and Weasel are idiotic gits without an original thought in any of their heads but you have always supported them, why is that changing now?

"You know, you are asking an awful lot of questions and I am not getting anything in return. You might want to start making this worth my while if you intend to get any more information from this little session. Perhaps offering some information of your own?"

"I do not need to offer anything to a little mudblood like you!"

"And I do not need to talk to a little inbreed pureblood like you. Yet I am doing it anyway, for another few seconds anyway."

Draco sighed, he must be desperate and so was probably under orders. Probably needed to destabilize the golden trio and weaken Harry's support group.

"I have been talking to Professor Snape. He is my godfather and often invites me to spend a few weeks of the summer holiday with him. He discussed you with me a few times. A muggle born who is top of most of her classes and who masters most spells within minutes. Muggles have almost destroyed the wizarding world and are destabilising our culture but muggleborns and half-bloods are not our enemies and causing civil war is most certainly not going to help. As important as tradition is, some change is necessary to prevent a society from becoming stagnant and eventually destroyed by a more progressive and somewhat advanced society."

Malfoy sounded resigned and practically recited the end of his speech but it was a step in the right direction. Hermione knew Draco had a brain but he simply wasn't used to using it with the exception of for schoolwork. Hogwarts was a lot like olden muggle schools. You were made to memorise information but were not encouraged to actually think. There was only one right way to do something and you were either right or wrong. It was a wonder that there was actually a department for spell formation, it must be a skill taught after school.

"Are you under orders to get this information and is this information going to anyone, whether you are under orders or not?"

It was blunt but I had an explanation for my current behaviour so I could exchange personalities a couple of times before anyone got suspicious. Harry and Ron had really served me well by ignoring me for so long; it was almost a relief to exert a new personality for a while before becoming a doormat again.

"Answer for an answer?"

"Why not, but you answer first."

"I am not under 'orders' to speak to you. I am meant to make life difficult for Harry and have been asked to for the past few years. I will tell my father this year that I intend to discourage Harry by causing problems with you. Your little outburst will be all over the school by the welcoming feast and the fact that you were defending me is likely to be the main fuel for these rumors. It will get back to my father and so I do not see a reason why I should not use it to my advantage. I will not give details focusing my recount on the answer you give for my question. Why aren't you supporting the escapades of Potty and Weasel anymore?"

"They are just so frustrating at the moment. They did not write to me once these holidays. I didn't get invited to the Weasley's like I have since the end of first year. I didn't even get a thank you note for the birthday present I sent Harry. They didn't meet me at the station and Harry wasn't exactly pleasant even before I started defending you. How much offence can be interpretated in 'hi'. I was speaking normally so it wasn't something in my tone and I don't think it was body language."

"Potter is an arrogant bastard. He is to self absorbed to actually care about you and with the events of the ministry and the increased publicity he probably forgot all about you. It is harsh but in no way your fault."

"That doesn't explain how harsh he was when I said hello."

"He was feeling guilty because seeing you would have reminded him how he forgot you. Being friendly and understanding was like rubbing salt in the wound and he lashed out. Being vindictive and yelling at him would of done the same thing but staying calm and making him yell at you would have given you the crowds support and helped to discredit him. A few tears would also have helped."

"That would have been somewhat dishonest. I'm not sure I could have done it."

"I know you have been dishonest. You have broken rules and lied to teachers, I suspect you are quiet adept at it."

Now this was a difficult situation. If Draco was bluffing and she confirmed she would be giving him dangerous information and potential blackmail material but if she lied convincingly and he had actual information then she was giving away her abilities. Luckily she was spared the need to answer by the door sliding open yet again.