Surprisingly Pure

Chapter 1 - Surprise Guests

Hermione woke and stretched her limbs happily. She was always an early riser, but there was something comforting about summer mornings when she was able to wake without an alarm clock. The sunlight streamed in from her window, caressing her face with its warmth. She sighed, so happy.

Hermione had just finished her sixth year at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. She was exceedingly bright and had a thirst for knowledge that was rare in a teenager. As a result, she had the top marks in her year, though Malfoy was close behind. She was the brain of the 'Golden Trio'- the other two members being her friends Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. She felt like more of the conscience of the group though. The boys were always getting themselves into trouble, very often serious trouble. Hermione preferred never to be in trouble. Detentions interfered with her study schedules.

She padded down the stairs wearing her pajamas- a pair of boxer shorts and a loose T-shirt. Her parents were already in the kitchen eating breakfast.

"Good morning, Mum, Dad." she said, walking over to the refrigerator.

"Morning, dear." they answered, her father distracted by the newspaper and her mother by her laptop computer. Hermione grabbed a yogurt and some fresh strawberries. She combined that with some granola to make a lovely breakfast. At her place at the kitchen table was a fresh copy of The Daily Prophet. She had started receiving the paper a few years ago in order to keep informed of issues in her other home- the Wizarding world.

The Wizarding world was a wonderous community of witches and wizards all over the world. It was fantastic and terrifying at the same time to remember that this entire world existed without non-Magical people, commonly referred to as Muggles, even being aware. Hermione belonged to the group known as Muggleborn witches and wizards, meaning she was a witch born to two Muggle parents. She stood with a foot in both worlds, living during the school year in the wizarding world but spending her summers as a Muggle.

It was becoming increasingly frustrating to spend her summer isolated from the wizarding world though. She knew how to Apparate- to disappear from one spot and reappear somewhere else, but she was forbidden from doing such things in front of Muggles. Even though she was technically no longer an underage witch, having turned 17 in the fall, she was still enrolled at school for another year. She couldn't perform any sort of magic around Muggles, as that was a crime in the wizarding world that could easily be traced. That meant no wand, no Potions, no Floo connection and no Apparating. Hermione was finding life without magic to be rather mundane.

She ate breakfast and headed upstairs to get dressed for the day. She braided her uncontrollable frizzy curly hair. It was the only way to keep some semblance of control in this humidity. She put on a tank top and shorts before heading back downstairs. At the top of the stairs, Hermione heard the commotion that was going on downstairs. She raced back up to grab her wand. Magic for self-defense was a horse of a different color.

Hermione snuck down the stairs, hoping to maintain the element of surprise. She was able to hear the invaders talking to her parents.

"Where is she? Where is my daughter?" one demanded.

"You cannot have her." her father responded.

"She's my daughter you horrible thief. You had better not have hurt her in any way, you miserable excuse for a wizard."

"We don't live in your world anymore, Lucius. She may, but we weren't able to stop her. She will never go with you willingly. She thinks we're her family." her mother snarled.

"You bitch. You have stolen my daughter from me, and I will have her returned." Lucius Malfoy growled. He was pointing his wand wildly, alternating between her mother and father. Behind him, Snape was standing calmly. It was the Potions professor who noticed her. He nodded almost imperceptibly, meeting her gaze.