Thanks to Stashthesocks for letting me know that someone out there is interested in this, hehe.

Author's note- even though Voldemort is in power, his Death Eaters are running the show, since he's weakened from making Horcrux. They are all for random attacks, but mostly attack Muggle towns. So, for now, the wizarding population isn't worried about direct attacks on them. (That will change soon)

Maintanence:

Thought

"Normal speaking"

"Spell"

Nonverbal Spell

Disclaimer: I don't own anything other than my weird plot

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Chapter 1- The Beginning

"Damn it girl, GET UP NOW!" Hermione's dad yelled at her. "There's a bloody bird tapping on the glass and it's bothering me!"

By now, Hermione knew better than to talk back to her father, although she would have liked to tell him that he could get off his butt and shoo the bird away on his own. Never let it be said, though, that Hermione was a slow learner; her father only had to hit her twice before she understood that he wouldn't stand for being talked back to.

"Coming, father" She replied dutifully. She had learned that the hard way, too; total obedience. She climbed up the stairs from the basement to the living room, blinking when the light hit her eyes, and followed the noise of the bird to the window in the kitchen. She quickly looked around for any food, but her father never left food lying around after one painful incident.

Hermione was tall for her ten years, and extremely skinny. She had short brown hair, which fell just below her jaw line; it was straight and uncared for. Her eyes were gray, and when she was especially emotional, they would almost become blue tinted, giving them the appearance of ice. She had a small nose, high cheekbones, and a once stubborn-set jaw, which was now turned down into a frown.

The bird was clutching an envelope which was addressed to her. She panicked, unsure of what to do, until she saw her neighbor signal her to come to his house. She hesitated, knowing that she would be punished, but her curiosity outweighed her sense of self-preservation.

"Father, the bird is stuck; may I go outside to free it?" She cautiously asked.

"Yea, whatever, but don't take too long, or you know what'll happen" He replied.

She sighed to herself; her dad just wasn't the same since her mom died. He used to be so kind and loving, and she wondered what happened to the father she once knew and loved. Her pushed these thoughts to the back of her head and went outside. She went over to the bird, who, she was surprised to see, offered the letter to her, and after taking the letter, walked to her neighbor's house.

Her neighbor, Mr. Ben Nicolo was a man around his mid-forties, with slightly graying hair and brown eyes. He was rarely seen outside and there were often weird noises and lights coming from his house. People said he was a sorcerer, but Hermione didn't believe that, since he was friendly enough to her on the occasions that she had seen him. She walked up to his house and he ushered her inside.

"Quickly, before someone sees" He said, with a slight hint of panic in his voice.

"Why, what's going on?" Hermione asked. "And why did you invite me over?"

"I figured it would be easier for you to understand your letter if I was present to answer your questions and explain some things" He said more calmly now. When Hermione looked at her letter, he muttered something under his breath and waved his hand behind his back.

Hermione looked at her letter, and then back at him, wondering what on earth was going on. Before he could say anything, she opened the letter and silently read the words that would change her life forever.

"Dear Ms. Granger, We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry…" Hermione looked up at him and said, "This is a joke, right?" He shook his head. "But this isn't real, I mean, I can't be a witch, I can't even protect mysel-" She stopped mid-sentence, and Ben's head snapped down to meet her gray eyes. She turned away, refusing to meet his gaze. It was then that he noticed how skinny she was, how loose fitting her clothes were, the telltale sign of bruises on her shoulders, and something else, something far worse, on her arm.

"Hermione, can I see your left arm?" He said urgently. She kept her gaze on the floor, but pulled her sleeve back to reveal her left arm. He saw a scar and some bruises, but what really captured his attention was what appeared to be the tattoo of a small phoenix spreading its wings on her arm. "Hermione," he said carefully, his eyes not moving from her arm. "When did you get that mark?" Hermione was grateful that he seemed to be ignoring her bruises until he said, "I'm getting to your other injuries, but I need to know about the mark first."

She looked up at him and said, "My mom told me I was born with it. Why?" He shook his head, "Nothing, it's just interesting" he said as he gently brushed his fingers over the mark. Suddenly, he grabbed his left forearm and hissed, as if in pain.

He shook his head, as if to clear his thoughts, and acted as though nothing had happened. "Is your dad hitting you?" He asked, as much to change the subject as to try to help her. "No!" She said much too quickly. He looked at her to let her know that he didn't believe her, but that he wouldn't pressure her into talking about it. He decided that now was a good time to tell her about her new life.

"So you'll be going to Hogwarts this September. I'll take you to Diagon Alley and help you get everything you need" At a look from her, he added, "I'll pay for whatever you need. I'm single with no family, so I have plenty of money I just have no one to spend it on. And you need someone to help you learn the ways of the wizarding world." She hesitated, then, seeing the truth in what he said, nodded her assent. The contents of her letter hadn't really sunk in for her yet, she was functioning without really thinking about it.

She glanced at the clock and realized that her father might kill her if she stayed any longer. She looked at him, and he nodded, "Go on home now; I'll come to get you on the 31st of August and explain everything to your dad." With that he gave her the letter and she ran home, fearful of what her dad would do to her.

Ben sighed after she left, and began composing a letter to Albus Dumbledore, explaining the situation to him.

Unfortunately for Hermione, her father noticed how long she was out, and punished her accordingly. As his belt hit her back, Hermione bit her cheek until it bled, determined not to cry out. She choked back a sob as he slapped her across the face, and then threw her down the stairs into the basement, closing the door with a loud snap. She crawled over to her corner and fell into a troubled sleep.

For the next three weeks, Hermione tread cautiously around her father, not wanting to invoke his wrath or give him a reason to keep her from going to Hogwarts. She found it hard to believe that she was a witch, but if it got her out of her house for a year she was fine with it.

Finally, the day came, and Hermione waited anxiously for Ben to come over and take her away. Around noon she heard the doorbell ring and her fathers' voice. He seemed to be yelling at whoever was at the door. Suddenly the door to the basement burst open and Ben appeared. Her father was close behind him, saying what foolishness this was, and how Hermione couldn't be a witch. Ben motioned for Hermione to come with him, and her father stepped towards her, bringing his hand back to smack her, when he suddenly froze.

Ben had a piece of wood out and said something that sounded like "Stoo-pify" Hermione looked at her father, shocked that he couldn't move, but Ben looked disgusted. He gently took Hermione's hand and led her out of the house. "I'll come back later for him" Ben said softly when Hermione asked what was going to happen to her father. He stuck the arm that had the wood in it straight out in front of him and suddenly a huge bus appeared. He and Hermione boarded quickly, and he nudged her to the back after paying the man at the front of the bus, and telling him they were going to the Leaky Cauldron.

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Hermione was too stunned to move when Ben began to examine the welts, both old and new, on her arms. "I don't know enough medical spells to fix these, but I can glamour you. Basically it will make the marks disappear and most of the pain go away. Once you get to Hogwarts, though, you need to see the Medi-Witch there. Madame Pomfrey is very nice and she won't ask you a lot of questions."

As he started the incantation, Hermione interrupted him. "Can you teach it to me, so, if I, um, need to apply it myself I will know how?" She said. He looked at her, thinking that it might be a good idea to teach it to her. Since I won't be around much longer He thought. "Very well" He said, "The incantation is occultus vultus and the wand movement is like so" He moved his wand in a semi circle, and then moved it sharply to the right.

"Occultus vultus," Hermione said quietly to herself, memorizing the spell. "Yes, that's ri-" Ben broke off suddenly when he saw that the bruises covering Hermione's arms and face were slowly disappearing. He knew it wasn't from him, since he hadn't yet done the spell properly yet. He gaped at her, awestruck. Wandless magic from a ten year old with no magical background He thought to himself. Maybe they have a chance after all. I must write Dumbledore immediately.

"Leaky Cauldron" The conductor yelled. Hermione and Ben made their way to the front of the bus and got off. "Stick close to me, Hermione" Ben said. "Are we in Diagon Alley, Ben?" Hermione asked him as they walked towards a broken down building. "No, this is a charm that keeps Muggles- people who don't have magic- out" He explained to her. They walked to the back of the Leaky Cauldron, whereupon Ben pulled out his stick- or wand, as he told her- and tapped a number of random bricks to reveal Diagon Alley.

Hermione stood with her mouth open for a minute until Ben jostled her into a nearby store. "Hello Madame Malkin, I have a new witch and soon-to-be first year for you. I am taking care of her for the moment, so I need to run to Gringotts to get some money. Can you start getting her sizes and such until I come back?" Ben said to the witch behind the counter. "Of course, dearie, anything for my favorite Ravenclaw." Ben flashed her a grin, and went out the doors to go to Gringotts.

"Interesting man, isn't he, that Ben?" Madame Malkin asked Hermione. "I'm Madame Malkin by the way, and you are?" "I'm Hermione Granger." "Lovely to meet you Hermione, what a pretty name. If you'll just step on the stool I'll get your measurements and find you some nice robes for each season." Hermione stepped up and a tape measure flew around her, getting every measurement imaginable. She blinked a couple times, dizzy from following it around her arms, when Madame Malkin stopped it and went into the back room to get robes. With a few waves of her wand, they were transfigured to Hermione's height, another wave, and they were packaged neatly.

She handed them to Hermione, and said, "Perfect timing as usual Ben." He handed her some coins and nodded to her, then held the door open for Hermione and they left for a Flourish and Blotts to get Hermione's spell books. They left with considerably heavier bags, until Ben put a weightlessness charm on them. Odds Bobbs was next, for her potions cauldron, phials, and ingredients, as well as other, well odds bobs that a young witch would need, like quills and parchment.

"Last stop, Ollivander's, for your wand" Ben told her. "It's better if you go in alone for this, wands are personal." He gave her a pat and she found herself looking around an old, dark room filled with boxes. "Hello, my dear," a voice called to her from the back. "I don't recognize you, so you must be Muggle-born. And I'll assume that this is your first time in the wizarding world. Hm, what to try, what to try" He hopped around the room mumbling to himself and Hemrione was concerned that the old man was touched in the head. "Ah! Maple wood, drangon heartstring, 10 inches. Give it a wave" he said as he thrust a box into her face.

Hermione waved it in a circle, causing several boxes to fall. "No, well let's try this, unicorn hair, walnut, 12 inches." Again, she waved it and this time some glass in the back room exploded. "Hm, this could be tricky," Ollivander said to himself. Ten wands later, and Hermione was feeling embarrassed that none of the wands suited her. Hm, I've never met a child that has so violently rejected every wand that I've given them. She hasn't had any possible matches and I'm running out of ideas. Although, I could try that wand.

He moved to the back of one of the shelves and pulled out a wand. "Phoenix feather given on the full moon, willow, 13 inches" He said, handing it to her. Hermione took the wand in her hand and felt warm all over; it felt as if the wand was made for her. She looked at Ollivander, shocked, and he gave her a small smile, although it seemed sad to her. She thanked him and paid with some money that Ben had given her earlier. "Poor girl," Ollivander said after she left.

On their way back to the Leaky Cauldron, Ben told her that he had to leave for something important. "I called a friend, and they'll meet you here tomorrow morning and take you to the train station. Don't leave the room until he comes to get you, and only when he tells you the password, which is 'furry forsit,' He'll take you and his godson, who is going to Hogwarts this year too, to the train station tomorrow morning." "Do you have to go?" Hermione asked him sadly. She had taken a liking to Ben; he had become a sort of older brother to her.

"Yea, I do have to go, and I don't think I'm going to see you for a while either, because of my job. I work for an important, er, research company, and I need to go away for a while to gather more information for a new experiment we're doing. Here's some money for the year, try not to spend it all in one place." He showed her to the room he rented for her in the Leaky Cauldron, and she surprised him by giving him a hug and saying "I'll miss you. And thanks for everything." Her eyes showed how sad she was that he was leaving, but that she understood. She knew in her heart that something was wrong with what he said and that she would never see him again, but she hoped she was wrong.

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Ben left quickly and apparated home. He composed his final will and got together several important documents; he tied all of these into a bundle and gave them to his owl, Lara. "Take these to Dumbledore as fast as you can, then take this to Hermione, she's at Hogwarts too. Don't come back." Then he sat down to wait for the inevitable. As he waited, he thought back on his life as a spy for the Order of the Phoenix. He wondered if the information he gained on the Horcruxes that Voldemort was making would help, or if his sacrifice tonight would help cement the other spies into Voldemort's inner circle.

Around midnight, three figures shrouded in black and wearing masks burst through his door, wands drawn and pointed at him. "Well, it seems that the traitor won't even fight back. Too afraid to fight like a man?" A woman cackled. She removed her mask, saying, "I want to see your face as you die. You betrayed the Dark Lord. We knew as soon as you made contact with the child from the prophecy, and yet you didn't come to the Dark Lord. We knew that you betrayed us. Tell me what you discovered, who you told, and where the child is, and I might grant you a quick death."

The ghost of a smile lit Ben's face. "Bellatrix, no matter what I do, I won't get a quick death tonight, I know that. Just like you know that I won't tell you anything. Although I am curious as to the child you're referring to." "As if you don't know" She sneered. "The child of the prophecy that will wipe out the Dark Lord and his loyal Death Eaters. The child that will be more powerful than anyone could even dream. The child that we will find and either kill, or raise to be evil so that none may threaten us. Now, tell me what you know!"

Sparks were flying out of the end of her wand, but Ben didn't even blink. "Actually, Bella, I have no idea who you're talking about. Are you sure you're not imagining things again?" Ben said recklessly. If I can keep her angry, maybe she'll kill me quickly He thought. "Bella, keep calm, we need him alive for the moment" A masked Death Eater said. "Figures you would be here, Rodolphus, you are the only one that could keep Bella in check" Ben said, although he was worried now, if Rodolphus was here, that meant that his chance at a quick death was gone.

As if to prove his point, Bellatrix cried "Crucio," and pointed her wand at him. White hot pain hit him and it felt as if every bone in his body was breaking and his veins were on fire. When Bellatrix lifted her wand, Rodolphus hit him with a Slashing Curse. "Now, tell me what you know" Bellatrix said again, her voice tight with forced calm.

"Bite me" Ben said flippantly, Hell, he thought. I'm dying tonight no matter what; I might as well annoy Bellatrix before I die, since I'll never betray the Order and Hermione. The Cruciatus curse was back on him, and the pain he felt was doubled, since Bellatrix was angry that he would talk to her that way.

After half an hour of torture, the third member of the group looked at an irate Bellatrix and said, "Enough, this is accomplishing nothing. He isn't going to tell us anything and is practically dead. None of us are good enough at legilimency to get the information from him. Let's just kill him and leave before someone shows up." "Good point, Lucius. Very well, Bella, will you do the honors?"

"Avada Kedavra!" she exclaimed nastily. And with that, Ben Nicolo, spy for the Order of the Phoenix, was dead. As the Death Eaters left, Lucius Malfoy took a last look back, then quietly sent a Patronus to Dumbledore to alert him to the fact that Ben was dead, but he didn't reveal anything.

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Meanwhile, at the Leaky Cauldron, Hermione couldn't fall asleep, so she began reading the textbooks Ben got her. She also read a handy guide that he bought her for. It was for Muggleborn kids that weren't used to the wizarding world. It included everything that she would need to know about the basics of the world she was now a part of, including the names of famous witches and wizards, important events and dates of the past one hundred years, the money system they use, and the names and description of food and other things.

She drowsed off around eleven o'clock, and didn't wake up from her uncomfortable slumber until she head a knock at the door. "Who's there?" she grumbled. "Remus Lupin, I'm here at Ben's request to take you to the train station with my godson Harry. And before you ask, the password is 'furry forsit."

Hermione walked over to the door and opened it to reveal a man in his mid-thirties with light brown hair and kind brown eyes. He looked tired, but happy, and he had faint scar lines across his face. "Hello," he said. "I'm Remus Lupin, but you may call me Lupin, or, when we get to Hogwarts, Professor Lupin. I'll be your Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. I'm assuming that I have the right room, and that you're Hermione Granger."

Hermione nodded and moved to the side to allow him to walk inside. "Let me just get all my books together" She said. "Allow me; it will be easier if I pack for you." He flicked his wand, and all of her books were piled neatly into her trunk, which locked shut and rolled itself over to her. "Hermione, excuse me for asking, but do you have something different you could wear?"

He was looking at the sleeveless tshirt she was wearing, and noticed the phoenix mark. "Why, is it cold outside?" She asked, pretending to ignore the fact that he was staring at the mark. "No, but the train will be cold" He answered. She suspects something he thought. I can tell from the look on her face. She opened her trunk and pulled a regular tshirt over her other one. "That will do for now, since I'm changing into robes on the ride there" she said.

Once they were ready, Lupin pulled out a broken pocket watch and told Hermione to hold her trunk firmly and touch the watch. "It's a portkey," he said by way of explaining. She remembered reading about them last night, so she held on to her trunk and touched the watch. A few seconds later, they were in an abandoned room, except that, after looking around, Hermione noticed two other people in the room.

One was tall with short black hair and dark eyes; the other was short with messy black hair and bright green eyes. "Ah, Sirius, Harry, you've made it. Good. This is Hermione Granger. Hermione, the tall one is Sirius Black and the short one is Harry Potter."

They each traded a "nice to meet you," and with that, they headed to the train. After convincing Hermione that she wouldn't run into the wall, and letting Lupin go first to demonstrate how to go through the barrier, they were heading to the back of the train to load their trunks. Lupin pulled Sirius aside for a moment to tell him about the mark on Hermione's shoulder, then they were all saying goodbye to Sirius. Lupin would be going on the train with them, since he would begin teaching this year. Harry gave his godfather a long hug, and said "I'll see you at Christmas."

He gave Harry a package, and smiled mischievously "Open it on the train and ask Lupin about it." Sirius turned to Hermione and said "It was a pleasure to meet you, Hermione, with any luck you and Harry will be in the same House and you can keep him out of trouble. Have a good first year." Hermione gave him a smile, "Thank you, it was nice to meet you as well Mr. Black." "Please, Hermione, call me Sirius. 'Mr. Black' makes me feel old" Sirius said with a grin. "Alright then, it was good to meet you, Sirius."

With that, they boarded the Hogwarts Express and found an empty compartment. After about ten minutes, Harry opened his package to find an old map in it. "Lupin, what's this?" he asked. Lupin looked at it and laughed, "I haven't seen that in a while. It's a map of Hogwarts that your father, Sirius, and I made when we went to Hogwarts. It shows secret passages and tunnels, and where all the people in the castle are at all times." Lupin smiled fondly at something he was undoubtedly remembering. "How does it work?" Harry asked, examining the map.

"You open it by saying 'I solemnly swear that I am up to no good' and you close it by saying 'mischief managed,' Take good care of that Harry, and don't use it for trouble" He said, fixing Harry with a stern look. After that, Lupin settled in for a nap, and Harry and Hermione began to talk about their childhoods, and what they hoped to do at Hogwarts.

Hermione was content to let Harry talk, since she didn't want to tell him about her home life. When he asked why she was quiet, she said it was because she had a normal childhood and didn't know about magic, so it was interesting to listen to him. He told her about how Lupin and Sirius raised him after his parents died, but he didn't mention how his parents died. Whenever he mentioned them, his face scrunched up, like he was angry or upset, so Hermione didn't ask him about it.

They changed into their robes when the castle came into view, and woke Lupin up. Soon they were being pushed through the crowds, following a giant man named Hagrid who kept yelling "Firs' years! This way!" They followed him to the lake and into several boats. From there, they could see all of Hogwarts, and Hermione stared at it the whole way. I can't believe all of this is real. I can't believe that I belong to this world now. I have a chance to start over. They all clambered up the stairs until a stern looking witch stopped them.

"I am Professor McGonagall. In a moment you will pass through these doors to be sorted. While you're here, your House will be like a family. There are four houses, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. Your Head of House will explain things better to you after the feast. Now, follow me." With that the huge doors behind her opened and she guided them to the front of the hall, where there was a stool with an old hat sitting on top.

"Bissert, Danielle" McGonagall called. "Ravenclaw" the Hat said. "Granger, Hermione" Hermione walked up to the stool and McGonagall put the hat on her head. "Hm, well, you are an interesting one," the Hat said. "A Muggle-born, I see, but that doesn't matter. You're going to do great things, yes, and the mark on your arm will prove that. You will be very powerful, but what you do with that power will be your choice. Clever, yes, very clever, and intelligent too. Brave, but not to a fault, like the Gryffindors are. Loyal, to your new friend, but also, you have a sense of self-preservation around you, not surprising, considering your past. But where to put you. It's never been done before, but I think that it's the right house for you. So it's gonna be – SLYTHERIN."

Hermione took the Hat off and walked to the Slytherin table, who were politely clapping. After Hermione, "Kirby, Katie" and "Malfoy, Draco" were also sorted into Slytherin, and "Longbottom, Neville" was sorted into Gryffindor. When it was Harry's turn, the Hat took the longest out of everyone until it finally declared- "SLYTHERIN." Harry walked over and sat next to Hermione. "Summers, Alianne," was sorted into Gyrffindor, along with "Weasley, Ron," and that was the end of the Sorting.

"Hey," said a boy with white blonde hair. He got up from where he was sitting and was now standing next to Hermione. "Do you mind if I sit with you guys?" Harry and Hermione looked at him, "What's wrong with the people you're sitting with?" Harry asked. "Well, they're kind of annoying, and I can't really be myself with them" He answered. "I'm Draco, by the way, Draco Malfoy."

"I'm Hermione, and this is Harry, and of course you can sit with us. Do you mind me asking why you can't be youself with those other people?" she asked. "No, I don't mind. Well, I come from a family that has a place in wizarding society that we've always held. Those people expect me to behave as my family always has, but I don't think I want to be like that." Harry and Draco shared a quick look and gave each other a curt nod. Harry knew about the Order of the Phoenix, the Death Eaters, and the war with Voldemort almost better than anyone else in his year.

He also understood the need for secrecy. Sirius had told him that Lucius Malfoy was a spy for the Order, one of many, in fact, and that if he should run into the Malfoy boy, he should play along with whatever he did. Harry had learned that silence sometimes told more than actions or words did, since people were less likely to notice you and would let something slip. He had learned to value stealth and perfected his strategic thinking thanks to Professor's Snape training throughout his childhood. Harry also knew that Draco had been trained in the ways of war, and that this was not a game.

He leaned over the table, and Draco did the same, "So what did you tell your friends over there?" Harry asked. "I told them I would come over and make friends with you in order to gain your trust and information on the Order, but it's a load of bullocks. I'm just glad this gives me a reason to hang out with other people." Harry nodded and glanced at Hermione, from the look on her face, she didn't understand what was going on, but accepted that she had been left out for some reason.

Secretly, though, she heard every word, and understood most of what was happening. Draco was from a family that supported Voldemort, the Dark wizard she read about, but his family was probably double crossing Voldemort, since she had a feeling that Sirius and Lupin were a part of the Order of the Phoenix, and by extension, Harry was connected to the Order. If they were considering being friends, it meant that Draco would have to pretend to be spying on them, in order to maintain his façade that he supported the Dark side. The only thing she didn't understand was the mark on her arm, and how it, and she, played into all of this.

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Alright. So there's chapter 1. Chapter 2 will consist of the first half of Hermione's first year at Hogwarts, beginning with an introduction to the first years from my favorite person- Snape!! The second chapter will take me a little bit longer to write, since I don't have everything planned out yet.

Let me know how you like my story so far, and I'm open to any suggestions you have.

Thanks, 3 sinkme