It was warm out, and it would get hot later. She could smell the roses from the neighbor's yard. Not much school left now, Hermione thought as she walked down the street. What will I do during the summer? Move, she hoped. Get out of this place.
"Hey, Mione."
A lean, muscular figure peeled out from behind a stone post, and her eyes widened briefly. "Draco," she said but kept walking. If she was paying attention she would have been able to avoid him.
Draco fell in beside. She noticed that he was trying to grow facial hair. To be completely honest, it made him look foolish. He ran a hand through his long blond hair and shifted his grip on a package under his arm. "Going to school?"
"Some of us do."
The Five were more likely to be found hanging out if front of the Hogs Head.
"Hip-hip!"
"Hooray!"
Two boys dropped down from a tree. This time she did jump slightly, and cursed herself. She should have known the others were near. They were never separated. The twins, Fred and George, looked pleased with themselves. George slipped an arm around her waist and gave her a friendly squeeze. "Didn't scare you, did we?" he asked.
"You are such a puppy," Hermione said, removing his arm. He had been her favorite of the twins as they were growing up. He was sweeter and more predictable than his brother, but his gestures have lost a great deal of their innocence in the last year or so.
Fred, the mysterious twin, just smiled sardonically.
She was expecting the others now, so it came as no surprise when Lee Jordan, the twins best friend, stepped out from behind a tree. Neville hopped over a white picket fence to dance his jittery way backwards up the sidewalk, laughing wildly, until Draco hit him on the head.
They wore the same clothes, like uniforms. Black jeans, white T-shirts, and boots. Draco had his sleeves rolled up to show off his biceps. My bodyguards, Hermione thought.
"Saw your mother go into the Hog's Head with Harry last night," Fred said. "She was all over him." His lips were in a sneer and his eyes were narrowed as he said it.
Hermione bristled, but she wasn't going to say anything.
"Yeah, Alice wasn't far behind," Draco said. "And she looked pissed." He laughed.
"Hey, leave my mum out of it," Neville piped up.
So that was whom they were fighting over, Hermione thought. Harry. That was disgusting. He was only twenty. She could date him. Not that she would. Sure he was cute, handsome and really smart. He just seemed full of himself.
"She isn't your mum."
"Fine, leave my step-mum out of this," Neville cried. His real mother died during childbirth. His dad was lonely; he married the first single wolf he could find. No one expected Alice to stick around, but she did. She treated Neville like her own son. They grew close, but ever since Frank died in the fire last year, she barely talks to him.
Draco took the parcel out from underneath his arm, Hermione heard Neville giggle. Draco pulled at the strings. His eyes turned red when he looked at her, a wicked grin spread across his face. Hermione knew he was up to something.
"Hermione, I'd like to give you my heart," he said suddenly. Then his grin returned. "But since it is still intact, I have brought you someone else's"
He dumped the contents of the package onto the sidewalk. Looking down she saw a brown slimy glob.
"Draco! What the hell did you do?"
The Five were helpless with laughter.
Hermione grabbed the box and cleaned up the mess.
"Give you my heart…," he gasped, and collapsed with laughter again.
Where could she put this? Where was the body? She looked down at the disgusting trophy. "Who was it?"
The Five howled with laughter again.
"It's a … It was a sheep's heart!" Lee said between breaths.
"You jerks! I can't believe you would this! Especially after last year. Grow up," she spat. She turned and left, but they followed her at a distant pace, she heard their laughter all the way to school.
Mum thinks the Five have learned their lesson, fat chance.
When Dean had come home from jail, her father had passed judgment swiftly. The punishment for endangering the pack was death.
Hermione couldn't save Dean, but she pleaded with her father for the Five. They were just kids like her. They only killed to prove the witness wrong and to protect the identity of the pack. They wouldn't do it again. So John Granger made them beg forgiveness and let anyone who wanted to, to take a snap at them for punishment. In the end, most said they let the Five off to easily, although they licked their wounds for weeks. Hermione hadn't quite trusted the Five ever since.
It was almost lunchtime when Hermione remember Ronald Weasley. Yeah, why don't I have a look at this poet. See if I like him writing about things he shouldn't know about. Where should she look? She decided to ask her art teacher, he knew everyone in the school.
"Do you know where I could find him?" she had asked.
"Well, if you hang around till after lunch, all you have to do is look out that window. He hangs out with his friends over by the statues."
"What does he look like?"
"I dunno. He's tall, redheaded. You can't miss him. Listen I got to go, close the door when you leave."
"Sure."
Luckily she had brought her lunch with her. She relaxed against the warm windowsill and chewed on a piece of steak as she waited. Groups of kids were scattered across the lawn, eating, talking, and just goofing off.
At the next bell the schedule changed. Kids reluctantly scooped up their stuff and headed to class, while others took their recently vacated spots.
I'll be late for class. Hermione thought. It didn't matter, if someone found out about the pack, it would ruin everything. She had to know what this Ronald guy knew.
Two young men walked into her view. One had dark hair and the other had red. That must be him. Another boy joined them, and then a girl.
So that's you, Poet Boy. Why am I bothering? Because I am a pirate of the night and I want to know ho is trespassing in my territory. But maybe it was one of her kind from a different pack. Or maybe he just knows too much. She laughed at her thoughts as she crossed the grass to the statues.
Should I only look, or should I say something? Immediately she felt like playing wicked games. She put sway in her walk. Maybe I will make him look.
The boy to Ronald's right noticed her first. He had curly dark hair with a straight nose and gray eyes. Hermione couldn't resist she winked, and his cheeks turned pink. It was so easy. The other boy just kept on talking, but the girl looked over and wrinkled her nose. She was small, with long blond hair.
Then Ronald Weasley turned around to see who had captured his friends' attention. His slow easy smile sent a shock through her.
She was staring, she knew, but his face was a mystery. His eyes were amused and dreamy, as if finding everything they saw as funny. He seemed intense but not like the Five. She noticed his tall and muscular frame. A frame that spoke volumes. In human form, he could take her. But in her form, he didn't stand a chance.
"Do I know you?" he asked. He waited expectantly, a bemused smile on his face.
Okay, I got completely frustrated writing this chapter. I needed more characters, so I had a few in mind but I didn't know how to portray them. I looked in most of the books to find out how Lavender and Cedric looked. I gave up on Lavender and just based her off of other people's fics. Is she really a blond? If you know a page that she is on and it describes her please tell me!
So I told you some new characters name. Do they surprise you??
I have to keep little parts of the book in with the chapters. I'm sorry, but I'll only try to use the important stuff. See, the heart thing was in the book and I needed it in there so you could find out what happened to Dean.
I also want to let you know that I am upping the book rating to the book seven spoiler. Nothing huge is going to happen, there is just a couple of minor details that are going to happen in later chapters. I just wanted to let you know in case some of you don't read the spoiler fics.
Oh, and do any of you know what Molly's maiden name was? I know I read it somewhere I just can't remember! I am making that Fred and George's last name!! Weird, huh.
I am really happy about the response I am getting from this fic! It makes me giddy with all the reviews!!
Thank you!