Okay okay here we go again, im getting sooo frustrated, cause i cant update as much as i would like. Cause for one thing schools really taking the upper hand, and my parents are on my back like sticky tape! And for another thing, i hardly got any reviews, so i have to asmit im a bit dissapointed. My other Peter Pan fic, Hearts intertwined did really well with reviews and i hope you can read this fic and reply cause it makes me realise how much you guys enjoy it! anyway ill get on with the job, here you go!

Chapter 4; Changes are noticed

Hermione walked out of her room, fully dressed and ready for her first lesson. Feeling fresh and happy, she took a quick glance at the mirror near the door and smiled.

Perfect

She walked out the portrait hole, swinging her bag over her shoulder as she went. She walked neatly down the marble staircase, saying hello to various different people on the way down and conveniently caught up with Lavender so they walked into the Great Hall together.

As they sat down at the Gryffindor table, Shamus smiled shyly at her and she smiled back, making him blush. She wondered why he was suddenly awkward towards her, but she turned to Parvati who was saying goodbye to a tall black haired girl Hermione knew to be in 5th year. They sat down, Hermione in the middle and she took the newspaper from the beak of a large tawny owl that had just fluttered down in front of her breakfast bowl. Professor McGonagall was handing out timetables.

"Excellent!" Hermione said enthusiastically. "We have, like, every subject together!"

She opened it up and began to read the newspaper, while Lavender whispered excitedly to them both.

"Have you seen Kara's new haircut, you know the one in Slytherin? Talk about hideous!" Lavender said, giggling evilly.

"Ooh, she's in our Muggle Studies class next, we can stare at her all lesson!" Hermione said, also giggling.

Parvati leant in close behind the newspaper so that the three girl's head's were hidden from prying eyes. "Oh my god, you have to hear this, guess what I just heard from Alexia!"

Lavender's eyes widened. "Ooh! What? Tell us Parvati!

Parvati leaned in closer and Hermione listened eagerly. She grinned and talked in a sing-song voice. "Someone-has-a-crush-on-Hermione!"

Hermione stopped reading and looked at Parvati's entertained face. Hermione began to speak. "What?"

Lavender interrupted her. "Oh my GOD! Tell us Tell us Tell US! Who is it?"

Parvati giggled and looked around at the house table behind her. "Ok ok, it's Liam Parker! You know, that gorgeous dark haired guy in Ravenclaw. You are soo lucky Hermione!"

Hermione's mouth widened in surprise. "But how do you know?"

"Alexia is Liam's sister" Parvati began. "So she found out from him and rushed to tell you, but you weren't here, so she told me"

Hermione looked over at the Ravenclaw table. Liam was sitting with a whole bunch of his friends, laughing and joking as they ate their breakfast. She hadn't really got to know him that well, but she knew he was in her Transfiguration class, and he was a beater for the Ravenclaw Quidditch team. She wondered how she would feel if he asked her out, he was after all, very popular. He was still really nice though…

They ate their breakfast quickly, as they didn't want to be late for their first class. The three girls soon got up from the table and swung their bags over their shoulders.

"Harry, Ron, come on! You're going to be late for your…what class do you have next? " Hermione said to the two boys, who were still at the table.

Harry had his back to Hermione as he waved his hand uninterestedly. "Um…we have a free I think…we'll catch you up, go ahead"

She shrugged at them and walked out of the great hall, arms linked with Parvati and Lavender, ready for their first class.

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Time seemed to fly by that day. They grumbled at how much homework they got in Muggle Studies and Charms. "How can they give us homework on the first day?" Parvati had moaned.

But the most interesting part of the day was their Transfiguration class before lunch. Hermione walked into the classroom and sat down in the second row of tables. Parvati and Lavender sat on her right, whispering happily. She picked up her bag and placed it on the other seat, pulling things out of it so she would be ready when Professor McGonagall arrived.

"Um, excuse me, Hermione, is this seat taken?"

It was Liam. He smiled down at her and she smiled back. She moved her bag away from the seat to her left and flicked back her hair gracefully.

"No, of course not, sit down!" She said, flirting cheekily. He sat down and pulled out his parchment, quill and ink and placed them on the desk. He then turned to Hermione, smiling.

"Ah, we like the seats over here better, Hermione" Parvati said hastily, getting up from her chair.

"Yeah, see you after class" Lavender said, giggling, also getting up.

They moved away from Hermione, to a complete different table, and when Harry came through the door, she saw them stop him from coming near Hermione, pulling him over to a desk near them. Harry looked highly confused.

Hermione turned back to Liam blushing, but luckily he spoke first. "So, how were you're holidays?"

"Oh they were ok" Hermione said airily. "Pretty normal. How about you?"

"We went to France" Liam replied. "I really liked it"

Hermione's smile widened. "Oh I went to Italy last summer! It's so beautiful isn't it!"

Hermione grinned to herself. This conversation was starting off very well.

"Oh yeah!" Liam said, nodding. "Did you go to Venice?"

"Oh, That was my favourite place" Hermione said.

Liam grinned too. "I learnt a bit of Italian their too" he said.

"Oh really?" Hermione said, laughing. "Like what?"

Liam put his head near hers and said something in Italian that Hermione didn't know.

"What did you say?" Hermione said, still laughing.

"I said; you have grown very beautiful over the holidays, Hermione" Liam said, grinning harder now.

Hermione blushed again and turned to face the blackboard just as Professor McGonagall strode quickly through the doors and briskly began talking as if she had never been late in the first place.

"Ok everyone settle down. Jason, feet off the desk thankyou! Now, before- Jenny, you silly girl get that thing out of my classroom! Now, if you all don't mind I would like to begin."

She circled around her desk and sat down, straight-backed in her wooden chair, staring at them all. Hermione sat quietly but couldn't help notice many eyes staring at her. They all looked away quickly as she glanced at them, however. McGonagall spoke again, in a clear and curt voice which made the room silent.

"I hope you all had an enjoyable summer" She said, looking around at the new haircuts and tanned shoulders in front of her. "But remember this is NOT the holidays. This is school, and you are all in 7th year. I think that is plenty of time to have gotten used to our regime here at Hogwarts. I am therefore going to warn you now, I will not take any excuses what-so-ever for not handing in homework! The number of times I have had tall tales from you lot…it's enough to make a witch mad. Now that we have that over and done with, lets get started!"

She turned her back on them and began writing on the blackboard. Hermione looked down as she felt something drop into her lap. It was a small piece of parchment. She picked it up and opened it underneath the desk quickly.

If you have a free next, meet me in the courtyard near the greenhouses, we can…I dunno, do something fun. Better than homework anyway!

Liam

She looked at Liam, who was busy copying down notes from the board. He looked up, smiled at her, and she, too, picked up her quill and began scribbling words on a fresh piece of parchment, feeling very pleased with herself.

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When the class ended, Hermione walked swiftly through the crowd of students packing up their things and copying the homework from the board, to the back row where Parvati and Lavender were waiting for her. They linked their arms in hers immediately and steered her out of the classroom and into the corridor.

"Okay" Parvati said briskly. "Tell us everything"

Hermione smiled mischievously and her eyes sparkled. She shrugged at them and turned away.

"Oh don't you dare!" Lavender said exasperatedly. "Come back here and give us details!"

Hermione laughed and shook her head. "I have to go" She said, hitching her bag more securely over her shoulder. "Got to meet someone"

"Ah hah!" Lavender said triumphantly, holding a finger up to point at Hermione. "So you are doing something with him them!

"Perhaps" said Hermione, leading them away from the Transfiguration department and down a level of the marble staircase to the Arithmancy floor. They followed her eagerly, trying as hard as they could to get information out of their friend. Hermione mumbled the password to her common room and let Parvati and Lavender walk inside before her.

The two girls stared impressively around them, walking in and settling themselves down in chairs at the table. "Nice" Parvati said. "Very nice"

Hermione thumped her bag down on the couch, and was just about to walk up the stairs, when she heard a yell of anger. She turned around, just in time to see Malfoy straighten up from the couch, throwing the bag off him.

Hermione burst out laughing at the look on his face. "Oops! Sorry Malfoy, didn't see you!

"What-how dare you-can't I get any peace round here-why did you let them in?

Lavender and Parvati looked from one to the other, laughing hard too.

"I'm just dropping my bag off, cool it okay?" Hermione said, still grinning.

She walked upstairs to get changed into something more comfortable, and Parvati and Lavender began talking excitedly, ignoring Malfoy.

Malfoy glared at them and sank back down on the couch, waiting for Hermione to come back so he could demand an explanation.

Since when has she been on speaking terms with me without using an insult? and what's with those two? Hmm…their talking about something, better listen in…

Malfoy, pretending to slouch back on the couch again, perked his ears and listened hard to Parvati and Lavender's conversation.

"She is soo lucky…"

"I know, I mean LIAM!"

"Talk bout G o r g e o u s! Anyway, it's not like it came as a surprise, ya'll know what I mean…

What the hell are they talking about?

"Yeah, god I wish I was that pretty"

"I know, but hey! We're happy for her, right? Like, who knows how far she's willing to go with that guy…

Malfoy cocked his head, trying to understand the female language as he heard loud giggles.

"He's really nice though, strange we never thought of him, isn't it? Well at least she didn't choose some Slitherin..."

Draco opened his mouth in outrage. Those little…

"I'm not saying I wouldn't, some of those Slitherins…

"Ha! I hear ya girl! Not mentioning any names...but…"

A very loud round of giggles circled this time, and Malfoy's eyes narrowed.

Well who would have thought it…they DO like slitherins…

"But you know, I wouldn't be surprised if some of those Slitherins did like Hermione…"

Before he could hear anymore, small clicks of shoes could be heard as someone walked back down the staircase. Malfoy got up and walked over indignantly.

"Granger, what the hell? Would you be so kind as to get these freaks out of here! You know McGonagall said we weren't allowed to bring anyone in here, never thought you would be the one to break the rules!"

Hermione stopped walking and looked back at him absentmindedly. She flashed him a sly grin and spoke words of the deepest malice.

"Ah, shut up hun"

Malfoy's mouth fell open in wonder. Hun? Who was this and where was the real, under-confident, ugly Granger he had always known? Since when had the bookworm not cared about breaking rules? He was about to question her further but found he couldn't speak. Hang on…he couldn't SPEAK! Trying again he opened his mouth but no words came out. Clutching his throat in amazement, he looked at the girls in front of him.

Parvati was doubled up with laughter. Her hands rested on her knees dramatically while Lavender was laughing so hard she was crying, her weight having collapsed onto Parvati's back. Then he finally looked up at the face of Hermione. The hand grasping her wand lowered and she inclined her head to him, a very evil grin playing about her face. With one swift turn, she flicked her chocolate brown hair away from her face and walked briskly away, her heels clicking gracefully, and her two friends following her out, leaving a very shocked Draco Malfoy standing in the middle of the room.

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