Snake Charmer

Hermione liked the dress, although she did not care for black very much. It was short, comfortable, and showed off a bit of her figure that she had acquired over the years. Hermione poked her head out of the dressing room, smart enough to know better than letting Malfoy see her in anything other than robes.

"Mom, you can come back to see it now. I like it a lot."

"Oh honey, just come out here! Let me have a look at you clearly!" How wonderful. Hermione began to wonder whose side her mom was really on as she shuffled out into the store. Draco had already bought his outfit for the wedding (black jacket and pants, white shirt and a silk green tie, surprise surprise), and was not even paying attention when Hermione walked out. Mrs. Granger made a very motherly-like gasp and stood up, catching the attention of Draco with her praising.

"It looks wonderful! What do you think, Draco?" Oh no. Hermione picked a spot in the store and focused on it. Draco held back a smirk, but nodded his head in agreement.

"Yeah."

Hermione uncrossed her fingers. Did Draco really resist saying something mean to her? Yet when they wee leaving the store, Draco leaned towards her, causing Hermione to blush upon feeling his breath on her cheek.

"Black really doesn't suite you. I was thinking more along the lines of a brown paper bag."

________________________________________________________________________

"Professor Dumbledore, may I have a word?" Narcissa stepped out of the fire, and walked up to Dumbledore's desk, where the headmaster had been sitting, writing a letter. The professor looked up at the woman, and then back down at his letter.

"Sit down, Mrs.Malfoy. I assume this is about the latest news in the Daily Prophet." Dumbledore pushed a newspaper in front of her, the headline reading, "Death eaters Take Over Azkaban: War Has Begun!" Narcissa averted her eyes.

"My son-"

"Is not leaving the Granger residence, I am afraid." Dumbledore had yet to look at the woman, and continued writing. Narcissa stood up, her Malfoy anger getting the best of her.

"I do not want my son to be in any danger!" Mrs.Malfoy snatched the letter, her breathing ragged. Dumbledore met her eyes, and she felt calm again.

"I'm sure you have learned about the Chamber of Secrets from your husband, correct?" Narcissa winced. She had known her husband had been guilty of aiding in the Chamber's opening, but she hadn't said a word to anyone. She did love her husband, if she wished he had not been a Death eater.

"Yes."

"Upon exploring the Chamber, I stumbled across something interesting. It is an artifact that even I thought was a myth. I was only able to transport it to a safe place, but I believe that there is someone who can put the artifact to good use."

Narcissa had heard many tales about Hogwarts, and as she was a Black, many tales about the Great Salazar Slytherin, a founder of the school. Narcissa racked her brain for any stories on an artifact, and finally realized what it was.

"No! The Black family had been looking for it for ages! We never found it!"

"I'm afraid only the Heir to Slytherin himself could ever find it, Mrs.Malfoy. However, I was pleased to find out that it only takes a Pureblood to touch it," Dumbledore said happily, leaning back in his chair. Narcissa's eyes grew big.

"You're mad! If the Dark Lord knew, he would attack this bloody school in an instant! You're putting the community in danger! Lucius doesn't know where my son is, and I'm not going to risk his life because he needs to finish a bloody assignment for a class YOU FORCED HIM TO CONTINUE TAKING! DRACO DOES NOT HAVE TO LEARN ABOUT MUDBLOODS OR HALF-BLOODS OR ANYTHING BUT THAT HE IS A SLYTHERIN AND HE IS ON THE DARK LORD'S SIDE!" There was a ringing silence, and Narcissa was red with fury. She needed her son to come home. He didn't need to do anything for some fool of a headmaster.

"I warn you, that if Draco leaves the Grangers, I will come looking for him. This is between me and my student, and it does not involve you or Lucius."

"He will come looking for him." Narcissa had already been defeated. Dumbledore gave her a small smile.

"Unknowing to your husband, I have several members of the Order already in that area. There will be no attacks, yet."

Narcissa looked out the window at the pouring rain, her mind racing with worry and anger. "Why, Albus? Why all of this nonsense about artifacts and prophecies when there's a bloody war going on?"

"That, I am afraid, is private information between me and our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. She just came in today from the Ministry of Magic in Ireland."

Harry had never wished in his life that he was a Dursley until this summer. He wanted to forget everything he had ever learned just for a year, and then maybe he would be ok. Maybe he would write Hermione back telling her he was ok. Maybe he would write back to Ron saying that he'd pack his things to go to Grimmuald Place. However, Harry was very tired nowadays, and very, very angry. Some anger was his fault, but most of it was the fault of Voldemort, whom had been invading Harry's thoughts every night, muttering words about his mother, father, and now god father into his ear.

"It's just you, Harry. No one can stop me but you." Harry knew that now, and although he was ready to jump up and take Voldemort on at any time, he also knew that he wasn't truly prepared. It made him even angrier. He could stop this war with just one fight...

Harry was slowly recovering from Sirius' death, though not fast enough. Thanks to Voldemort, Harry would constantly remember the veil in the Ministry. How could something so simple kill someone like Sirius? It didn't make sense.

Harry watched as an owl he didn't recognize landed at his feet, dropping a letter and then flying away. Harry recognized it to be Hermione's handwriting, and he opened it, reading half-heartedly. The letter basically said the same thing the others had. 'I miss you, Harry,' or, 'please write back, we need to talk.'

He was obviously causing her to worry, and he was sure Ron was too. However, he just didn't feel like any human contact. Still, he needed to know what was going on in the wizardry world, and Hermione's feelings shouldn't be stomped on, especially since she had written that her summer was going horrible. Harry got up off of the concrete steps and went inside.

Draco was sitting in his room, writing down notes from what he observed from his first day with the Grangers.

Muggles seem very clean, and overly friendly when greeting visitors. Mrs.Granger is a horrible cook, using what Muggles call a stove to heat food, using a muggle energy source called electricity. Mr.Granger watches the television often, which is the equivalent of a scrying stone in our world. The user controls the device with a remote control, pressing numbers to change to different channels. Mr.Granger likes to watch a sport called baseball, where-

Draco sat up upon hearing music coming from down the hall. Curious, he followed the sound to Hermione's room. Draco turned around, not willing to go inside when he heard singing. Bad singing. Draco covered his mouth when he felt laughter rise up through his throat. The Mudblood, Little Miss Perfect, was singing! This was too much. Hermione screeched out a particularly high note, and Malfoy had an idea. He raced back to his room, grabbing his glass cup of Sprite, and stood by the door, innocently smiling as Mrs.Granger walked by.

CRASH.

The glass fell onto the floor, the Sprite flying all over the white carpet and the glass shattering into shards. Draco, wiping his grin away, ran into Hermione's room.

"Granger! I think there's a wizard nearby!" Hermione was so shocked she didn't have time to look embarrassed as she lay on her bed, reading a book.

"Huh? Why?" Hermione had been afraid of this. She grabbed her wand and went into the hallway. She stared at the glass.

"Malfoy, what really happened?"

"I don't know. It just broke in my hand...wait a minute..." Draco narrowed his eyes in thought, "it could've been that screeching cat."

"Cat...Crookshanks was in my room-I get it." Hermione blushed. "Very funny, Malfoy."

"Why Granger, I don't understand. What's funny?" Draco felt the corners of his mouth twitch.

"My singing, okay? There, I admitted that it was my dulcet tones you heard. Laugh it up."

"Oh I shall, but not right now. This is something to reminisce on at school. I'm sure your little boyfriends wouldn't find you very attractive if they had heard, Mudblood."

Mrs.Granger gasped, staring at the mess. "What happened?"

"Gr- Hermione dropped her glass."

"WHAT?" Hermione was now red with both embarrassment and anger. She pointed at Draco. "He did it on purpose, mom!"

"I'm sure it was an accident. You two start picking up the glass while I go get paper towels." Mrs.Granger scampered off.

"Thanks, Malfoy, for being the ass yet again." Hermione averted her eyes as she picked up the bigger shards of glass. Draco didn't reply. The two were silent even after Mrs.Granger brought the paper towels. She left them with the duo and left again, though with an expression of concern on her face.

"Ouch!" Hermione pulled her on off of the carpet, revealing a jagged piece of glass in her hand. Blood dripped from the cut as Hermione began to lean over for the paper towels.

Draco reacted faster, ripping one off of the roll and pressing it to Hermione's hand. He held it, applying more pressure to stop the blood flow. Hermione felt her cheeks heat up, but just watched Draco patted the blood away.

"Um...thanks," Hermione muttered, and got up to throw her pile of glass away. Draco followed her, half shocked at his own actions. He thought of things to justify his act, but instead met her words with, "I do it all the time." Instantly, he regretted saying it.

"What?"

Draco shook his head as though to clear his own thoughts. "Just didn't want blood on your mum's white carpet." He went to bed, somewhat angry at the Mudblood, though he couldn't explain why.