By Reason Of Birth

Author's Chapter Notes:

new warning.... violence

The Faemin are Mistress Malfoy's creation, and are used here with her permission. If you want to know more about them, then read her fic 'The Seven Days of Saint Valentine.'

The Provocation

The rest of the week flew by, and soon Hermione found that Saturday had arrived. She was thankful that she didn't have to go to tea, but this week it was her father's turn to host the men's get-together. Her parents had had a minor tiff over whether or not she should go for twenty minutes or so in order to introduce her to everyone.

In the end, her mother had won with the argument that she doubted Hermione would be comfortable in such a setting. Caoilinn knew that quite a few of the men, including some from the younger sect, had been Death Eaters, but she didn't know how many of them Hermione would recognise either by face or voice. She would have to meet them eventually, but Caoilinn thought that now was not the time.

During the early part of the afternoon, Hermione watched as the house-elves Transfigured the ballroom into a set of rooms, all in mohagany and cream. One room held a few billiards tables, as well as card tables. Another was a smoking room with fancy ashtrays and plush furniture; a bar was in the corner that held elf wine, as well as high grade whiskey and bourbon. There were two other rooms, but neither looked to have any particular purpose other than socialising.

Half an hour before the guests were to start arriving, Hermione found herself walking to a secluded area of the back gardens she had found only two days earlier. It was a small clearing in a group of willow trees whose leaves almost reached the ground. In the center of the clearing was an old stone bench, well-worn from both the elements and centuries of use. All of the other benches on the property were no older than fifty years, and Hermione found this one to be positively charming. It was no more than four meters away from the white path, but it was barely detectable through the trees. The spot had quickly become her favourite part of the entire grounds.

She strolled through the gardens, her mind on the new friends she was making. She would have never guessed that she would become friends with a group of Slytherins, but she found that she didn't care what house they were in, only that they were good people. Daphne was quickly become the closest female friend she had ever had, and Savannah and Lilah were fun to be around. Well, at least when Lilah's tongue wasn't down her brother's throat.

And then there was Blaise. She didn't really have words for Blaise. Even after the one week he had been at the Nott's she would classify him as a good friend, and if she were honest with herself, which she tried very hard not to be, she would classify him as more than friends. He was flirty with her in a subdued way, with gentle touches that he could get away with in context of a given situation, and light teasing, but somehow it didn't feel the same as when Theo teased her.

Her relationships with her family were also blooming, and she was very glad of it. She and Brisco had come to terms with one another the other night when they had had a long talk, him telling her about his years as a Death Eater, and her telling him what it was really like to be Harry Potter's best friend. It seemed that things were finally falling into place in her new life.

She settled down on the bench, her legs straight out in front of her as she cast a Pillowing Charm on the armrest so it would be comfortable to lean against. She opened her book, and was soon lost in the world of Bram Stoker's Dracula.

Two hours later, Hermione awoke with a start. She didn't remember falling asleep, but obviously she must have. The sun had set and the full moon was still low in the sky, hidden behind the trees. Once her eyes had settled into the darkness, she gave a low whistle, and in moments there was light streaming down from above her.

After she had gotten lost on the grounds two nights earlier and had to get Brisco to find her by telling him what she was near, he had introduced her to the Faemin, or Illuminous Faerie. She would now never have to worry about the darkness while on Nott land.

A sudden noise made her jump, and she pulled out her wand. "Who's there?" she called out, expecting her brother or Blaise to answer. They had found her new spot yesterday and knew that they would be able to find her here over any other place on the grounds.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" drawled a voice that Hermione knew all too well. "Hasn't anyone ever told you it's not safe to be in the woods at night during a full moon, Granger?"

"Hasn't anyone ever told you it's not safe to go wandering about on other people's property?" she retorted.

Draco gave a low chuckle that sent a tingle up her spine before she gave herself a mental shake. She had never been afraid of Draco Malfoy, and she wasn't about to start. "Is there any particular reason you're here? You should probably be getting back to the house," she told him in a bossy tone.

"You actually think that I'm going to do something just because you said so?" he laughed, stepping closer as he started to circle her, her wand trained on him. "You and Pansy may have come to an understanding, but you and I never will. Do you want to know why, Granger?"

"Not particularly," she responded, seemingly bored with him, though she was incredibly curious to hear what type of tripe he would be trying to sell her.

"Granger, Granger," he taunted her, tsking and shaking his head, "You've never been able to lie, so you really shouldn't even try. But just this once, I'm going to tell you what it is that you want to know.

"We will never have any type of understanding between us because you are nothing more than the dirt beneath my feet. By some dumb luck, you may not be a Mudblood, but you are still Hermione Granger," he said, his voice cold as ice as he continued circling her, getting closer to her with every step he took and forcing her to turn in a circle so she could keep her wand, which was shaking in anger, trained on him.

"You are still an annoying, know-it-all little shrew, who thinks she's better than the rest of us who have actually grown up in the Wizarding world. You still don't know the first thing about being a pureblood, or how society works. In short, you are still nothing. Nothing but an insignificant little-"

"Are you done yet, Draco," she interrupted, knowing that using his first name would annoy him. "I may not yet know how everything works, but I will, and sooner rather than later. It must really irk you that I'm a pureblood. That my blood is just as pure, as untainted, as your own. In fact, we're probably related somewhere. How does that make you feel, Draco, knowing that no matter what you say to me, or to yourself, that I am your equal?"

He started to say something, but instead, she spoke over him. After all, he had had his turn. Now it was hers. "I am not insignificant, if only for one reason. You would not be here, wasting your time trying to put me down, if I were. In the grand scheme I may be nothing and no one, but to you, Draco Malfoy, I am not insignificant."

There was no time for her mind to catch up. One moment, she was unloading on him just as he had done to her, and the next he was right in front of her. She didn't see his wand until he was flourishing it at her chest, and she barely heard his hate-filled voice when he spoke the curse. "Sectumsempra!"

Chapter End Notes:
thanks as always to the readers, the reviewers, and the lovely, wonderful, stupendous, Lupie. also thanks to mistress malfoy for her permission to use her brilliant original magical creatures, the faemin.