"I'm Sam." Sam blurted.

The girl lifted her head from the thick book in front of her and stared at him. Sam flushed and began to wonder whether he had any latent powers that would allow him to become invisible.

"Um...can I sit there?" He asked, pointing at the spare chair opposite her. She shrugged and he settled awkwardly into the chair, spreading his books across the table.

"Sam Winchester." He added, holding out a hand.

She wasn't what Dean would call pretty. She had rather bushy brown hair, which almost floated behind her and slightly large front teeth with which she was worrying her bottom lip. But her eyes were a deep brown that reminded Sam of the chocolate river he'd seen in a movie, all swirls and unknown depth. She was new in town, or at least newer than him.

In short, Sam was fascinated.

"Hermione Granger." She said coolly, with the sort of cut glass accent Sam had only heard on TV. She shook his hand. "Pleasure."

"You're British?" He asked in amazement.

The girl rolled her eyes.

"Common misconception amongst Americans. I'm English. From London, specifically. And yourself?" She asked, with a slight bite to her tone.

"I'm American." Sam winced, feeling like an idiot.

"Obviously." She watched him for a second and then seemed to take pity on him. "Where in America?"

"Kansas. Haven't been there for a long time though." He shrugged. "We travel a lot. What are you doing here?"

She smiled slightly.

"As in the Library or America?"

"Both really."

Sam settled back in his chair and watched as she thought.

"Well we're here on holiday. I'm heading off to boarding school this summer and Mum and Dad wanted one last holiday before I left. We're here for a month." She wrinkled her nose. "It's a bit dusty really. Mum and Dad found this house and I ran out of books to read so..." She shrugged. "Here I am."

"That's cool."

Hermione frowned at him.

"Really?"

He nodded earnestly.

"Yeah. My big brother Dean makes fun of me for reading all the time. He says it's stupid. What're you reading?"

She held up the large text so he could read the title. "Modern History of Communism"

"Is that interesting?"

Her eyes almost sparkled as she grinned and Sam sensed he had probably asked the right question.

"For a comparative point of view definitely. The histories I've read back home are a bit more inclusive. This is very...fanatical."

"How do you mean?" Sam got the vague sense that he was being insulted.

"Well it's all very Red Scare, isn't it? It's less about the ideology and more focused on the negative aspects. Whoever wrote this was very narrow minded."

"But I thought Communists were evil?" Sam frowned, somewhat conscious that he was parroting the ideas of his last history teacher.

"That's a very negative way of looking at it. There are two sides to every story correct?" He nodded. "Communism, as an idea, isn't evil. Communism is about equality, brotherhood and social change. It's not about improving the wealth of a person, which is Capitalism, but it's more about improving a nation or the people as a whole. Communism doesn't work, as a rule and that's what people remember." Sam watched the older girl gesticulate. "Now the American's tend to focus on the negative parts of communist history. Not the idea but the history of the nations who put it into action, like Stalin, who really wasn't a communist at all. It's hated so much because it threatens Capitalism. People like to be able to get richer, they like to make more money. In Britain it's not such a problem because we have a Welfare State and Liberalism..."

"Welfare State?" Sam asked, somewhat confused.

"In Britain everyone pays taxes and these taxes go to the Government who uses that money to take care of people. We get state pensions and have the NHS and free school meals and benefits for those people who need it. I don't really know much about that. You don't have that over here. That sort of thing never really took off over here. Daddy thinks you're all mad, to be honest." She winced. "I'm sorry. I tend to ramble a bit. And be insulting." She nodded at the books, he'd left in front of him. "What are you reading?"

Unprepared for the sudden change of subject Sam stumbled through the cover story Dean had told him.

"I'm...er..researching. For a...a school project."

She pulled some of his books towards her.

"You've got a project on mythical creatures?" She asked, dead panned.

Sam flushed and nodded.

"Werewolves mainly."

She flicked through the first of his books.

"Just werewolves in general or...?"

"How to kill them." He mumbled.

That earned him an arch look but she didn't comment.

"Well this book won't be any use." She pushed it further down the table and began to sort the books into two piles. She eventually pushed the much smaller pile towards him. "Would you like a hand?"

"Researching?"

"Yes."

"I thought you were reading."

"Well as interesting as highly prejudiced and incorrect accounts are...I am rather bored." She grinned impishly and reached for the book on top and they both settled into read.

Researching went considerably faster with two. Hermione read through the books at a speed that amazed even Sam, who was left to hunt through the newspaper reports for missing persons.

"Hermione?" He asked suddenly.

"Yes...?" She didn't look up for the piece of paper she was writing information on.

"How old are you?"

"Eleven." She muttered.

Same age as Dean, he realised and told her so.

"How old are you?" She asked, finally looking up.

Sam frowned slightly.

"Nine and a half." he lied.

Hermione beamed at him.

"Only two years younger than me. That's hardly any difference at all."

A little later Hermione spoke up.

"Do you want to come to our holiday house? Mum bought ice cream yesterday."

For the first time in Sam's life he considered not doing what he was told. Which was to come straight home after he was done. Dean would understand though. His big brother was awesome.

"Sure. I'm gonna have to call my brother though."

Sam and Hermione spent the rest of her holiday together. But eventually summer began to end and Sam's Dad found a new hunt for them out of state. The days of exploring the fields and sitting in the Library were coming to a close.

"Do you have to go home?" Sam pleaded, well aware he was whining but couldn't being himself to care.

Hermione laughed, the sunlight catching in her curls and showing the little bits of moss she'd gotten stuck there as they'd run through the woods.

"Yes, I do."

The pair of them spent five minutes indulging in plans which ranged from smuggling one of them into a suitcase, to running away together to live in a Library.

"We could always write to each other." She suggested carefully, swinging her legs under the bridge they were sitting on.

Sam sometimes got the impression that Hermione was used to having people shout at her a lot. Whenever she got an idea, she would get very quiet as though she expected someone to yell at her.

"Like letters?" he said doubtfully.

She winced.

"Well, yeah." she mumbled, tossing a stone in the stream.

Sam nodded happily.

"That sounds awesome!"

Hermione treated him to one of her rare full-on smiles. She pushed her notebook and pen towards him.

"Give me your address and I'll write to you."

Sam paused.

"We move around a lot..." He said regretfully. He thought for a moment. "I know. I'll give you Uncle Bobbie's address. He always stays in one place. He can hold on to them for me!"

"You'll keep in touch won't you?" She asked cautiously as she hugged him goodbye.

"Definitely. You're my best friend."

She grinned at him.

"So are you."

A/N

The opinions of these characters are there own and no offense was intended.

This was something I've been thinking about. The rest of the chapters will be written mostly in letter form.

It should be noted that Sam is about eight at the moment. This is set just after he discovers his father journal.

If you want more chapters you're going to have to review.

Hood