Hermione Granger stood on platform 9 ¾ with her fifteen year old daughter Nichole. Her daughter's trunk sat in front of them as they hugged good bye. Nichole and Hermione had always had a good relationship, they were very close considering Nichole's father wasn't in the picture, Hermione never spoke of him and Nichole always wondered who he was. All she knew about him was that he was involved in the war, so many years ago, but she was never told which side he was on or anything about him either. Considering her mother never spoke of him, she figured he had died in the war. When she was younger she used to ask all sorts of questions about him but Hermione never answered any of them. She had always said, "You'll find out when you're older" but even now, Hermione has still refused to answer any of her daughters questions.

Now, as they separated, Hermione smoothed her daughter's dark brown staright hair, so much different then what it was like when she was a kid, when it was white blonde. It had darkened over the years and for that Hermione was thankful. She was worried that if her hair had stayed light then everyone would know who her father was. It was bad enough she had inherited his eyes, those stormy silver orbs that look so much like him when Nichole was angry. Every time Nichole stormed about the house, whether it was because her cell phone was on the fritz or her friends couldn't hang out or even when she was PMSing, Hermione was brought back to those days at Hogwarts because the look in her daughters eyes were so similar to those of….

Hermione shook her head and looked down at her daughter who was waving at a friend. She wouldn't let herself think about it, not now when her daughter was leaving for her sixth year at Hogwarts. She smiled at her daughter.

"Well honey, this is it, time to go back to school. Now I put a little something in your trunk for you for your birthday. I know we celebrated on the weekend with the Weasley's but I thought you deserved a little something special. Sixteen is a big year for girls."

Nichole smiled, "Thanks mum," she hugged her daughter again and kissed her forehead before helping put her trunk on the train. "Now behave this year, I don't want another letter from McGonagall. I swear you're worse then Fred and George were at your age."

Nichole giggled, "Sorry mum I'll try to behave."

"And leave the Gryffindor's alone this year," Hermione said with a frown, "Of else I'll take it to mean whatever you think of the you think of me." This time Nichole frowned.

"But that's not true mum, I'm sorry, it's just Mystique…"

"I know honey," Hermione said raising a hand to stop her daughter's ranting, "But please just remember I was a Gryffindor and I know how you Slytherins are towards us…" she stopped and the image of him popped back in her head and she repressed the memory. "Just think of saying those things to me next time and see if you can continue with the statement." Nichole nodded. "Thank you."

"I love you mum,"

"Love you too honey." Hermione said as the train's whistle blew for the final warning and kids ran onto the train. The doors shut and the Hogwarts express started to leave the station. Hermione stood there watching the train go before turning and apparating back to her apartment. The day her little girl left for Hogwarts was always the hardest on her. She walked towards her daughter's room and gazed at the double bed in the corner with green sheets on it, to the dark red walls and the blue carpet. She looked at the desk that sat against the far wall, to the closet which was void of most of its clothing. She looked at the dresser where a few picture frames sat, most of them Nichole had taken back to Hogwarts with her. Hermione sighed and turned off the light before walking to her room and collapsing on the queen sized bed with tears in her eyes. She was going to miss her daughter.

~-~-~-

Nichole walked down the aisles of the train looking for the compartment with her fellow Slytherins in it. When she was first sorted into Slytherin everyone was surprised. She was, to her own knowledge anyways, a muggle born witch. She was never told if her father was a half blood or a pure blood or a muggle born like her mother so she just liked to assume she was a muggle born like her mother. Because of that she was picked on at first but as she got older and started hexing anyone who said anything to or about her, people got the message not to mess with her, and things had started to go smoother at school. Sure that involved a few detentions and notes sent home but what did she care? She had started making friends in second year, after learning a few good hexes over the summer. She never did tell her mother about the warning letter she had received from the Ministry about that, but she figured she had to have found out since she worked there and everything. But after that, things had gone better at school and Nichole was happy.

She walked to the back of the train and finally found Mystique and a few other Slytherins in a compartment and she opened up and walked in. They greeted her as she set her trunk above her and sat down next to Bianca Flint.

"So anyways," Blake Molten went on, "My dad said he'd teach me the spell when I turned seventeen. We can finally get those annoying Gryffindor's back,"

"What are you talking about?" Nichole asked. Blake turned to her. He had these deep dark brown eyes that were almost black and really dark black hair that was styled in shag. He was wearing a black t-shirt and a pair of black jeans. Nichole has had a crush on him since third year but she thought of them as more friends and couldn't see it ever progressing into anything serious.

"My father was showing me this spell that will help us sneak into the Gryffindor common room totally undetected, it'll be brilliant we could sneak in and finally get them back for what they did to us at the end of last year."

"It wasn't that big a deal," Nichole shrugged taking her cell phone out of the case that hung off the hip of her skirt. "They only dyed all our hair and the spell was easily reversed."

"Not all of us can be as smart as you Nichole," Bianca said. Bianca was a pretty girl with light brown eyes and brown wavy hair. She was thin and tall and every guy at school wanted her, even the Gryffindor's, Nichole knew.

"It had nothing to do with smarts," Nichole said as she texted a muggle friend of hers, "It was in the charms text book."

"Beside's the point," Gabe Grant said. "Are you going to help us or not?" He was a heavy set boy who acted very thick but he's actually very smart. He had dirty blonde hair he kept cut short and hazel eyes. He was cute but not Nichole's type.

Nichole sighed, "I can't," she said. They all looked at her.

"Why?" Mystique asked. Nichole glanced at her and knew she was mad by the look in her bright blue eyes. Mystique Zabini was a very pretty girl with long blonde hair and Nichole and she always styled their hair similar. Today they both had it all down and falling over their shoulders while their fringes cut diagonally across their foreheads. They both had on skirts and tang tops; Nichols was light blue while Mystiques was pink. Nichole wore black knee high heeled boots that she kept her wand tucked into while Mystique wore brown leather cow boy boots.

Nichole looked out the window and sighed again. "I promised my mother I wouldn't," she muttered quietly. It was silent for a moment as they all stared at her before Gabe broke it and burst out laughing, this was followed by everyone that is everyone but Nichole. She glared at them as they seemed to calm down. "Done now?" she sneered angrily.

"Sorry Nichole but it's just funny! I mean you're listening to a Gryffindor!" Blake said.

"A Gryffindor that also happens to be my mother," she sneered.

"You know you aren't like any other Slytherin," Gabe said.

"Yeah you say that all the time," Nichole muttered angrily.

"Sorry but it's true, I mean for one you know how to show compassion and emotions, something no other Slytherin even dares to do." He said, "Also you're mother was a Gryffindor, not to mention a mu-."

Nichole whipped her wand out and pointed it at Gabe's throat. "Continue that sentence and I will hex you into obliviation," she sneered so quietly and dangerously it caused everyone in the compartment to stop and stare. Gabe looked her in the eye and she was satisfied to see a flicker of fear flash in his eyes. He nodded and she glared at him a moment longer before lowering her wand.

"A muggle born," he said, "but then in a second you turn into this scary, cunning Slytherin who no one dares to mess with,"

Nichole smirked and it seemed as if everything had gone back to normal. "Must be my father in me because my mother is nothing like that."

"Who is your father anyways?" Bianca asked for about the billionth time since she's known Nichole.

"I've told you a million times I have no idea." Nichole said as she received a text from another muggle friend of hers. She texted her back and noticed it was starting to get dark. "We better get our robes on." The others agreed and they started pulling their robes out of their trunks. The boys left so the girls could change. When they returned Nichole saw they were getting closer to Hogwarts. She sent a group message to all her friends letting them know she wouldn't be able to text any of them until Christmas, seeing as the magic around the school messed her phone up and it was unable to send or receive texts or calls, Nichole told her friends it was just because the boarding school she went to had terrible cell service and she couldn't get a signal, which wasn't exactly a lie but it wasn't exactly the truth either. Finally, as the train started to roll to a stop, she turned her phone off until Christmas rolled around, and gathered her belongings and followed her friends off the train. It was going to be a good year this year, she could feel it.

A/N: Alright so this is my new story called Acting Out. I hope you guys like it. There will be a lot of OC's in here considering it's written later on in life. Also I'm going to try to stick close to the books and everything but I can't proimise anything. So Please, review if you read this, it'll mean a lot to me! Also you may notice a bit of OOC ness to some of the characters... mainly Slytherins... which I know is kinda weird but hey... I'm sure the attitudes of some of the house is bound to change over the years... I'm going to try to stick to the mean Slytherins but... who know's what will happen... but you also have to remember... this is Slytherins in their natural habitat... Personally I don't think they'd be all that...rude to their friends... some would but if they are really good friends I don't think they would.. but anyways my point is I'l try my best to stick to Character Traits as best I can!