For those of you that are wondering whether this story will have a happy end or not: I have not decided yet! Right now this story could go either way! But aren't sad love stories the best?

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 1: An Intruder

Three months earlier

Hermione's sixth school year had been hard. Dumbledore had died - no, he had not simply died, he had been murdered by Severus Snape, the head of House Slytherin. Her best friend Harry Potter was considering leaving school in order to hunt for the missing Horcruxes - a plan that she could not possibly support - and the magical world was in uproar. The Weasley's had suggested that she stay with them, and even though she enjoyed their company - and Ron's - she had opted to return to her family's home, to the muggle world instead.

She knew that being friends with the famous Boy Who Lived made her a target as well, and she wanted to be with her parents in those trying times. Who would explain things to them if she wasn't there? Who would help them? Who knew if those Death Eaters, if You Know Who cared about the laws that regulated the use of magic among people like her family? Maybe they'd pay them a visit in order to give Harry a warning. Maybe they'd hurt them.

The Ministry of Magic had promised to pay attention, to even send guards if the situation got any worse to protect the young wizards involved, but she did not trust them. During the past couple of years Harry, Ron and she mostly had to rely on themselves.

They were alone in this.

She was sitting in her room that was filled with books while her mother prepared a dinner to celebrate her return. The shelves that covered the walls contained a mixture of muggle and wizarding topics. There was even a children's book that explained why it was important to brush one's teeth and what happened in a dentist's office. Her parents had given it to her when they had thought that she was like everybody else and would go to university and become a dentist just like them one day.

But books like this one did not hold her attention at the moment. She had filled her desk with books on the history of magic, books on defensive magic, on rare herbs and potions. She had decided that she would dedicate part of this summer ot her research. There had to be a way to ensure their safety and to give Harry an edge in the times that lay ahead. Her parents had given her a computer - with internet access - for her last birthday, and she was finally putting it to good use.

"Hermione, dinner is ready!" She had just found a most interesting website on dark magic - a thing that she had not really thought existed - wasn't it forbidden? - when her mother called. With a sigh she turned her computer off. She had given her parents some information, as much as she dared, but there was not a doubt in her mind that they would be scared and concerned if they saw that she was reading texts about the most violent of spells.

"Coming!"

She hurried down the stairs and into the dining room. She could not help but notice how nice and clean everything looked. It wasn't the Great Hall in Hogwarts, there was no ceiling that had been hexed to look like the sky, but it was home, and it was much more comfortable. The chairs with their small cream colored cushions were much better to sit on than the stone benches she had to get used to during the past six years. And no magic food could ever compete with her mother's chicken.

A grim smile crossed her face as she thought of how Malfoy would probably call her a mudblood and make fun of her if he knew.

"What's the matter, dear?" Her mother stood there, a large tray in hand and looked at her. Hermione forced herself to smile. "Nonthing, mum. I was just thinking of a classmate."

"Judging by the look on your face he isn't a friend."

"No, not really. He comes from a wizard family, and all this here would seem very strange to him."

"Oh." Mrs. Granger nodded. „I hope he isn't giving you too many problems."

Hermione swallowed hard and shook her head. „No", she lied. „He usually leaves me alone."

She did not want to ruin this perfect evening with memories of Draco Malfoy and his friends and the way they teased her because she was the best student in her year and without magical parents. And neither did she want to think about the war, her research or Harry's plans!

Determined to enjoy the food she dug into the pile of vegetables that was on her plate with a fork and then cut a piece off the chicken.

Seeing that his daughter was not in the best of moods, Mr. Granger decided to tell a couple of his stories. „Mrs. Smith came to me this morning", he began. „She told me she had lost a tooth. Can you guess what happened?"

Hermione stopped eating and grinned. „I have no idea. Please tell me, dad!"

Dinner was almost finished as Hermione noticed that somebody was missing, somebody that usually came right away if he smelled chicken. Crookshanks, her cat, seemed to have disappeared. She'd wanted to feed him leftovers.

„Mum?" she asked and turned to her mother who was about to put the plates away. „Have you seen my cat?"

„He's probably in the garden. I saw him outside just before I served dinner."

Hermione considered that for a moment, then she rose from her chair. „I'll better take a look. This isn't normal for him."

„He's probably met the neighbour's cat. Suzie", Mr. Granger interjected. „The Fleming's bought her a couple of weeks ago."

Hermione made a face. Was her father suggesting something? Crookshanks and Suzie were not snogging, were they?

„I'll go and take a look regardless", she said.

The sky was darkening rapidly as she left the house, and for a moment she could not help but shiver. Hermione Granger was a logical being. She wasn't as easily scared as some of her classmates. She tried to be reasonable, but sometimes … sometimes her feelings got the better of her. In the end she was a human being despite her intellect, her magic talent and her good marks.

She tried to be quiet as she walked around the house, past the garage into the garden. There was the apple tree. There were the slide, the treehouse and the small pool where she spent the hot afternoon. Everything seemed to be normal, but she could not shake that strange feeling off. Was there a shadow, moving along the fence?

Were those footsteps she could hear?

A loud meow rang through the garden. Somewhere in the neighbourhood somebody suddenly turned on a light. And then she could hear something behind her, a fraction of a second before somebody pressed a hand against her mouth.

„Be quiet, Miss Granger, be very quiet, and I promise I won't hurt you."