She began to write. One word at a time.

Dear Mum and dad Mr and Mrs Granger.

I hope you are well.

I was hoping I would be able to see you.

Soon

Tomorrow night perhaps?

I hope this is not too inconvenient.

Please send your reply via this owl.

With Love From

Hermoine Granger Zabini

She sat back placing the quill onto the table and re read the letter out loud.

The letter looked light but was heavy in her palm as she tied it to her owls leg. She opened her window and whispered Mr and Mrs Granger to her owl. As the owl rose and flew out of the window there was a flash in the corner of Hermione's eye as her fire flared green with floo powder.

"I didn't realise you were still in contact with them 'Mione." Dracos voice emerged from the fireplace as she

"FIRECRACKERS! Draco you shouldn't be in here at this hour let alone listening in to private matters." She shouted throwing a defunked quill directly at his head. Thankfully Hermione's aim was pretty poor as it hurled itself into the fire and sent several feather shaped puffs of smoke up the chimney.

"So. I could hear you through the door as I was sneaking back from Blaizes room. And thought I'd find out what was keeping you awake at such an 'hour' so why contact your old folks? Surely you wouldn't want to open old wounds. Besides it's been a month since you left what are you hoping for? Things to go back to how they were during first year? It won't happen. We go back to Hogwarts In a weeks' time. Surely seeing ginger and scarface is going to hurt you enough considering we're to be betrothed before we leave." Draco lectured Hermione finishing with one of his trademarked jests at her two best friends. Hearing this she jumped up and slapped him in the face.

"Forget it you pig headed son of a Deatheater you think it's funny to joke around like that. It's not. Harry and Ron are my two best friends and I wouldn't marry you even if you were the last person on earth." Her slap had stung Draco. But her words about not wishing to marry him stung even more so. The truth was Draco had always been mean to her to hide his true feelings about her. He had been in love ever since she had knocked on the train compartment door looking for Longbottoms toad and after watching her be sorted into Griffindor and become such close friends with Potter and Weasley had made him put up barriers. Then the real bombshell hit him when he received an owl from Blaize about Hermiones true lineage. His mother and Blaizes parents made betrothal arrangements before Hermione had even moved home.

The betrothal ceremony was in three days which is why the Zabini's had been so secretive, not that Hermione had any choice as to whether she would enter the betrothal. Their parents had signed the betrothal contract in blood, binding it with magic. Neither Hermione nor Draco could back out of it. Not that Draco really wished to.

Hermione on the other hand was a completely different kettle of fish. Her heart had been stolen by Ronald Weasley. So the shock news had sent her into complete meltdown. "Me… You… together? No… you're lying… just like you usually do. I can't… I won't… I don't love you."

"But I love you 'Mione…"