Disclaimer: I am sorry but I do not own any Harry Potter related stuffs. It all belongs to J.K. Rowling.
A/N- Thank you for the reviews! It really is keeping me motivated! You have no idea. Keep going! I couldn't have asked for lovelier readers :3
Hermione just finished packing her trunk when Ruby knocked on the door.
"Come on girly time to go! I can't wait to go home...this summer is going to be great. How about you, are you excited to go home?" Hermione let out a small breath before looking up and smiling gently. Ruby stood there, her red hair in long ringlets as she clutched onto her trunk.
"I'm not going home, not really." She whispered and Ruby just smiled unknowingly before grabbing her own trunk and leaving the room.
"The carriages are leaving in ten." Ruby called behind her. Hermione nodded to herself before getting her own trunk and dragging it to the common room. As she entered the dark room she noticed pansy standing in the corner with a group of girls, Draco and Blaise. Biting the inside of her mouth she made her way over to them.
"Finally" Pansy said before turning and leaving, flicking her hair over her shoulder, followed by everyone else. Hermione kept silent and followed the group out of the grounds and to the carriages.
As they handed over their luggage and climbed onto the train, Hermione noticed Harry standing next to Hagrid.
Getting a compartment, Hermione sat in between Crabb and Blaise, opposite her Draco sat, with Pansy's arm wrapped around him and Goyle next to the window. Rolling her eyes, she pulled out a book and attempted to ignore the world.
When the steam train pulled up into platform 9 3/4, Hermione couldn't help a soft grin climb across her face as she watched her 'temporary' mother and father. Her mum stood in a lilac silk robe with her platinum ringlets flowing elegantly down her back. Behind her stood Hermione's father, still wearing stubble and a dark midnight blue robe. His grin was just as big as hers as Hermione made her way towards her parents.
However, just before she moved away from her group of housemates, a warm hand clamped her wrist. Spinning around she noticed Harry.
"Hermione! Have a nice summer...I will write to you I promise and ...thank you...for everything this year - it's good to know we can trust at least one Slytherin." The green-eyed boy said happily.
"Thanks Harry, of course I will write! See you after the summer!" Hermione beamed back at him as he nodded and turned to leave.
"Oh and congratulations - for winning the house cup." He called behind him, sending a last smile. Hermione stood there for a few moments, as she watched him walk away with Ron towards Mrs. Weasley. I sure miss the Weasleys... she thought to herself as she mentally said goodbye to them and turned back towards her family.
Looking over, she noticed they were now in a deep conversation with Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy, however, Mrs. Zabini was also there, but didn't seem at all pleased. slowing her step, Blaise and Draco walked past her.
"See you after summer Hermione, I will write soon!" Blaise called, catching the parents attention, which stopped whatever the deep conversation consisted off.
"Of course! See you soon!" Hermione called after him. Draco had slowed his step in time with hers and was now walking along side her.
"Don't get yourself killed." He muttered, keeping his gaze focused on his mother and father, before quickening his pace towards his own parents.
"Have a nice summer too.." she said sarcastically before reaching her parents. Her father knelt and embraced her followed by her mother.
"Darling! We have missed you so much! Oh Merlin we have so much planned for you this summer! I can't wait to spend more time as a family!" Mrs. Granger muttered all the way to the portkey, which was an old umbrella, leaning against the platform wall next to one of their house elves. Soon enough they all ended up back at the manor and a small house elf, dressed in a silver tunic, branded with the family crest, had taken her luggage from her.
The majority of the summer passed, beginning with horse riding lessons from her mother, dancing lessons from her father and 'mother daughter time' doing hair and other 'beauty treatments'. As much as Hermione would have originally said she would have hated doing those sort of things, she couldn't help but really enjoy herself. She learned a lot from her parents. Her mother showed her how to be a 'presentable' pure blood and to 'hold herself' appropriately - which usually ended up in a protest from Hermione. She also learned about her mothers short temper and how she use to suffer from a type of depression before meeting Hermione's father, in fact she said "it was the best thing to have ever happened to me, when I met your father".
From spending time with her father, she also learned that his name wasn't the same as her "real" fathers, but that he was called Serianth and that her mother was called Nyx. She also was told how vital it was to keep a high place in society. In fact it shocked her how dangerous it would be for her father to be classed as a "disgrace." She also found out how her parents met.
It was the summer of their fourth year at Hogwarts and they were both in Slytherin but never really spoke. However, this one summer, Nyx's parents decided to have her marriage interviews done early, as they wanted to get her married off at a young age; hence how the depression started. The good news was that her parents had a tradition of hosting a ballroom dance and inviting all the possible bachelors. Each had to dance with her and at the end of the night, she had to sit down with her parents and discuss who she personally found was the best. The parents then discussed for the next week, making the decision for her at the end. Luckily for her when Serianth danced with her, he had already stolen her heart and as if by pure luck, her parents noticed. Due to his high up place in society and large yet stable in-come they agreed to let them marry.
Hermione found this romantic and tragic at the same time; as if something beautiful was created from a nightmare. On one afternoon, sitting next to her father in the library she looked up from her book.
"Will I have to have an arranged marriage, father?" She asked him curiously. He looked up at her in confusion and then sighed.
"I'm afraid poppet, it is a must for all pureblood families. However, as your mother wants to keep tradition we will let you have a ballroom dance, just like her own. I also promise to take your word for 90% of the overall decision. Your mother and myself want you be with someone you love. I will never let anyone hurt you darling. Besides, there is NO way you will be getting married as young as your mother was. We will wait untill we have to - at the last possible moment. We will also fin the most handsome and charming men there ever was." He joked before tapping Hermione on the nose, but she noticed the sadness in his eyes before he turned his gaze towards the fireplace.
Hermione bit her lip, before sighing gently and plastering on a small smile. "I understand father. Thank you."
Almost the whole summer had gone before she received her first letter.
Dear Hermione,
I'm sorry this took so long! I tried to write to you all summer only to find out a house elf, named Dobby had taken all of my letters. Either way I was looking through some photos Hagrid had given me at the train station and that's when Uncle Vernon threatened to get rid of hedwig (my owl). The next thing I know,Dobby, the house elf appears in my bedroom and tells me not to go back to school. Seriously Hermione, it was one thing for him to turn up to my house but he then casted a spell, causing the cake that Aunt Pertunia made to fall on Vernon's' bosses' wife's lap. I know - you should have seen the look on their faces!
The next thing I know, Uncle Vernon decided to bar up my window. Honestly! They are mental, Hermione! I am so lucky Ron and his two brothers Fred and George came to rescue me. They just turned up in their dads flying car! Anyway I will explain when I see you at the train when we go back. I wish you were invited here too Hermione, Ron's house is Amazing, everything cleans itself!
Anyway, I hope your summer has been good and I promise to catch up on the train back to Hogwarts.
Harry
P.S. Do you know anything about Ron's younger sister (I think her name is Ginny)nothing serious, but when she saw me this morning she just ran away. Like actually ran away!
Hermione smiled at her letter, remembering Harry's original first meeting with Dobby and how he ended up at the Weasleys.
Two days later she also received a letter from Blaise, asking how her summer had been and how he had spent his with Draco. Hermione missed Blaise surprisingly, but didn't know how to respond. It was all new territory to her. She also secretly missed Draco - well more the fact that they were sharing the same situation. We should really try and find something on that potion if we want any chance of getting back she thought to herself one night before going to bed.
It was nine days before she was to return back to Hogwarts. She was lying in bed in the morning, wrapped up comfortably in her blue sheets when her father practically ran into the room with a large box and softly placed it at the bottom of her bed. Grinning down at her, she moved into the seating position.
"What's this for?" Hermione asked in a groggy tone, wiping sleep from her eyes as she picked up the long box and pulled it onto her lap.
"A little present for your second year." Her father replied happily. Smiling she peeled off the silver paper and opened the lid. Her eyes went wide and her stomach dropped at the sight that sat before her. "What do you think?"
"It's...it's a broomstick." she said in a half whisper as her stomach began to swim.
"A nimbus 2001 to be exact!" He said, grinning towards her. Hermione sat there silently for a moment. "The latest model!"
"But, but why?" she asked nervously, not wanting the awnser.
"Well, we can't have the Malfoy boy beat you at something like Quiditch, Lucius wouldn't let me live it down!" He laughed happily. "From today untill school starts I promise to give you lessons."
"But, father I can't possibly...ride.. a ...a broom." Hermione swallowed.
"Oh don't be silly Hermione, it isn't that difficult." He replied, holding out a hand for her. "Ten minuets and I will meet you on the pitch. Don't be late." He winked towards her and then turned and left the room. Hermione's stomach was churning, she had always had a fear of heights, hence why she had never really taken to Quiditch.
"Great." she muttered to herself before walking towards the bathroom to get changed.