A Different Past

Chapter One

She took in the gray tunic and black skirt, and for Walburga, what her daughter was wearing was suitable for a pureblood princess. "You at least know what to wear outside, when it concerns a Black heir, you brother however." Just then Orion Black, Hermione's father walked into the room to greet his family, before they left for Diagon Alley. Orion was an intimidating person when you first met him, but once you spent time with him, he would let down his walls. He patted Regulus on top of his head, and pulled Hermione into a hug. Yes he loved both of his sons, but if he had to say he had a favorite of his three children, It would be his daughter.

"Are you and your brother ready to go to Hogwarts?" He pulled back and looked into his daughter's innocent face. 'You won't be innocent for much longer Hermione' Orion sadly thought. "Yes sir. Once we get everything we need from Diagon Alley." "And for that your brother needs to hurry up. We don't have all day here." Walburga said with a frown permanently fixed on her face. As soon as their mother spoke, Sirius came running down the stairs, and almost ran head first into his sister. Orion let a small chuckle escape his lips at his son's escapades, and Sirius smiled at hearing his father's version of a laugh. Hermione could help but smile at what her brother was wearing. A Black cashmere sweatshirt, with Gray pants. She knew that he hated dressing up like that.

"That's better I suppose. Now let's get going. Both of you take hold of my arms. We're going to apparate to Diagon Alley." Before the twins could however, there were two young arms that were wrapped around the twins waist, holding them in place. "Don't go. Don't leave me. I want to go with you." Sirius and Hermione looked down, and smiled at their little brother. "It will be okay. We'll be back before you know it." Sirius told him. Walburga separated her youngest with the twins, and once they had hold of their mother, the trio, apparated to the Leaky Cauldron.

Once, they passed the bartender Tom, who gave a slight wave at the twins, both mother and children were walking down the streets of Diagon Alley, and taking in the sights. Hermione knew that her brother's first stop would be to Quality Quidditch Supplies. Before she could say a word, he pulled on her hand and dragged her over to the shop, where she knew that he would be lost in for hours. "I thought that you promised me, if I got up this morning, you would buy a few books for me? What happened to that?" Sirius just waved his hand away at her, while he was looking at the different uniforms quidditch players wore.

She sighed and just walked out of the shop, trying not to get lost in the throng of people walking around, and headed over to Magical Menagerie, to look at their cats. Once inside, she quickly made her way over to where the cats were, and one in particular seemed to call out to her. It was a small black kitten, with a gray streak going from the tip of it's nose, up to it's forehead. Hermione patted the kitten's head, and the kitten just purred at the attention It was getting. "Her name is shadow." Hermione looked up at the voice, and smiled slightly at the shop keeper. "How much is she?" As soon as Hermione asked that question, a shadow fell over the shopkeeper, and her smile faltered. "Unfortunately no one seems to want to buy her. Whenever someone tries to pet her, she hisses and sends everyone away. To be honest you're the first person I've seen Shadow take a liking to. So I'll give you her for free."

"Thank you." Hermione said, as she picked up Shadow, and the little kitten just curled up in her new mistresses arms. After she left the shop, she was wondering where to go next, when she felt something crash into her, and it sent her tumbling to the ground, with Shadow, trying not to get squished in the process. "Are you okay?" Hermione looked up, and was stunned for a moment. A young boy about her eyes, with jet black hair, and the most hazel eyes, you've ever seen, was standing right in front of her, a look of concern on his face.

"I'm fine." He held a hand out. "Here, let me help you up." Hermione grabbed his hand, and the dark haired boy pulled her up with a smile on his face. She watched as the boy turned to address whoever had crashed into her, and didn't offer to help her up. "Aren't you going to apologize for running into her and making her fall down?" Hermione turned and found herself in front of a short pudgy boy with blonde hair, and for some reason he made her skin crawl. "Why should I apologize to a filthy little mudblood?" Both Hermione and the dark haired boy gasped when he called her that. Hermione had never been called that in her life, and all it did was send flashbacks to her mind, when her mother went on rants about them.

"Peter Dear, what are you doing with filth?" Hermione glanced upwards, and found a dark blonde haired woman, wearing a blue short sleeved dress that didn't fit her at all. "What do you mean filth? I'm not the one who ran into someone, causing them to fall down, and not even try to help them up. And I'm sure as hell not the one who called someone a filthy mudblood. No, that would be your son!" The boy with hazel eyes just stared in awe at Hermione, for what he said. Peter wouldn't look at her, and her mother pursed lips was any indication of her anger towards Hermione.

"What's going on here?" Hermione smile lit up her face when she spotted her brother a few feet away, who clearly was angry, by the scowl on his face. He must have heard his sister's rant. The older woman, just held her head up high, and beckoned her son to come with her. "Come Peter. This is exactly the kind of people I told you to avoid once you get to Hogwarts." The trio silently watched as Peter and his mother walked away. "Are you okay Mione?" Hermione hugged her brother, and laughed as Shadow nudged herself in between them. "I'm fine. In fact, I would like you to meet the guy who helped me up after Peter knocked me down." Hermione turned and found the black haired guy smiling at her. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name."

"It's James. James Potter." ''It's nice to meet your James, I'm Hermione Black, and this is my twin brother Sirius." "It's nice to meet you too. Uh Mione, what's with the cat?" Asked Sirius. "Well I didn't want to look at Quidditch things all day, so I went into Magical Menagerie, and found her. Actually I think it's more like she found me, but whatever." "What's her name?" James asked, as he bent down and rubbed the spot behind Shadow's right ear, and she just relaxed at James's touch. "Oh, her name is Shadow. Weird." "What's Weird?" Sirius raised a brow at me. "Oh it's just something the lady said at the shop. Apparently Shadow is very particular on who can touch her. She said that I was the first person to do in a very long time. So Shadow must really like James too."

"Son, where did you go off to?" All three children looked up, and James smiled when he saw his mother Dorea Potter, walk over to them with a smile on her face. "Oh I see, made some new friends. Well I'm Dorea Potter, and you obviously know James. Who are you?" Hermione smiled at the older blonde haired woman, but before she could answer, Walburga's screech nearly made the twins and the Potter's deaf. "SIRIUS ORION AND HERMIONE WALBURGA BLACK!" The twins cringed and tried to find a place to hide, but there was nowhere to run.

"Hello Cousin." Walburga sneered at Dorea, while placing a vice like grip of both of her children's arms. James couldn't help but notice the grimace on Hermione's face when her mother took hold of her arm. A flash of white hot anger went through James at Hermione being hurt, and James couldn't explain that feeling for a girl he had just met. "Walburga, I just met your delightful children. Tell me, where did their personalities come from? After all, they don't resemble you or Orion. So they must have broken the mold with them." Dorea finished with a smile for the twins.

Sirius and Hermione's respect for James mother just increased ten fold. Dorea Potter was one woman you did not want to cross, and the twins just loved her more for it. "My twins are perfect. They will be in Slytherin, and grow up to be respectable purebloods. They will not be spending their precious time with blood traitor families such as yours, or with filthy mudbloods. You should have never been born a Black." At that Walburga turned and was about to drag her children away, but Sirius and Hermione stayed right where they were, and continued on talking to James and his mother, liked nothing had happened.

"So we'll save you a seat on the train?" Sirius asked his new best friend. After all anyone who helped his sister out, was okay in his book. "Sure. I can't wait to get to Hogwarts!" Hermione couldn't help but laugh at James's excitement. It nearly matched Sirius's own from this morning. She turned and focused on the elder Potter, and Dorea wrapped the young girl in a hug. "I'm so sorry for my mother. I want you to know that my brother and I don't believe In all that pureblood hype she spouts." "You don't need to apologize for that woman who calls herself a mother. As soon as I saw James smile, I knew that you and your brother were special. I can't wait to get to know you more Hermione."

Hermione smiled and pulled back from the hug. She was about to hug James, when Walburga shouted for her and Sirius. "We'll see you on the train." She gave an apologetic smile at James, and picked up Shadow, and dragged her brother away, who waved at their new friend, and ran forward to catch up with their mother