Just a little something I was thinking about. Non-wizarding AU. I'm excited about the direction this will take!

Read. Rate. Review. Be jolly and enjoy cold coffee and greasy hashbrowns.

Hermione didn't know if it was the lack of sleep or her general frazzled state but she was going ten seconds away from knocking on her neighbor's door and telling him to get stuffed. It was nearly two in the morning and she was trying to study for her test tomorrow. She didn't know how much longer she could take the pounding music or the ridiculously loud laughter coming through her wall. She couldn't focus at all. She had tried drowning it out with her own music but headphones just weren't doing the trick.

With a great huff, she pushed herself off the floor. She pulled on her dressing gown and tied it begrudgingly. She shouldn't have to do this at all. Sure, it was a Saturday but anyone with half a brain knew that most of the tenants in the building were university students. She had class tomorrow and there was no way she was going to ace that test if her neighbor wanted to have a party. She opened her door with a huff. She stopped in her tracks. Outside her door was a familiar mess of black hair being mauled by someone who looked vaguely like Draco

"Harry?" She asked in a particularly smug voice.

He pulled away with a gasp and looked at her. She received a chilling glare from his partner, clearly upset about his meal being interrupted. She smiled sweetly. He rolled his eyes. Harry was blushing but he didn't look ashamed at all. And why should he be? It was no secret to her that her friend fancied the blond. Draco was all that he ever talked about. Granted, it was rarely something nice. He was always complaining about the things Malfoy did or said or how he looked. Hermione noticed it a few months ago. No one notices that much about someone unless they liked them.

"'Mione."

"What are you doing in front of my apartment?" She gave a sly smirk

"I'm just... that is..."

"We're a bit busy, Granger. He'll report tomorrow." Draco said rather rudely before eyeing her feet. "Nice slippers."

She rolled her eyes. She liked her crumple horned snorkack slippers. They were a present from Luna. Hermione had no idea what a crumple horned snorkack was but they appeared to be purple and have a nose similar to a rhinoceros but a bit twisted and bumpy. It was a dopey looking animal but Luna had made them and they were extremely comfortable.

"Nice hickey. I'm sure your father will love that." She gave a small smiled before walking over to the apartment next to hers. She passed more people making out in the hall. She saw a few other residents and groaned. She was going to get hate mail for weeks. She popped her head into the room. She didn't feel right coming in uninvited though she doubted all these people had been personally invited.

She stopped a particularly drunk girl who was giggling to herself. "Excuse me. Could you point the host out?"

A manicured hand holding a red solo cup filled with something toxic sloshed as she tried to point to a group sitting on a couch in the most primary shade of blue she had ever seen. In fact, the whole apartment was colorful. She didn't doubt that the owner was as well.

She eyed the floor past the door way and figured if she was ever going to get back to her review then she needed to enter. She padded over to the group who was laughing and chatting loudly. She groaned. They were all completely foxed and she doubted it was going to quiet down anytime soon. Still, she had to try.

"Excuse me." She said politely. No reply.

"Excuse me!" She said in a voice that sounded much too like Professor McGonagall, who she favored as a teacher. The group quieted. She flushed a little because they were all looking at her and suddenly she was very aware of how messy her hair was and the fact that her robe had rubber ducks on it. She hoped her face didn't have ink smudges on it.

"Yes, Duckie?" Came the sweet reply from a long limbed ginger with hair that hadn't seen scissors in quite some time. Rugged and charming with killer blue eyes. She had no doubt that he was trouble and was grateful she would never see him again or his twin sitting next to him. Though his twin seemed a little less dangerous. Maybe it was the fact that his hair was actually brushed and he didn't look like he'd just had a roll in the sack.

"Which one of you is the host?" She asked quickly. She wanted to go home.

"That would be us." Said the cleaner twin.

She wanted to scream. It would be them. They looked inclined to let the party go on until everyone passed out.

"I'd hate to be a party pooper,"

"I bet." interrupted the twin with the roguish charm.

"But I'm trying to study and you're music is quite loud. It's very distracting."

"Can't do anything about it, Love. Speakers are on the skitz." He said with a shrug of his broad shoulders.

"Then unplug the damn stereo. I have a test tomorrow. I'm not failing because you want to get inebriated in a sea of strangers." She growled. She probably looked a bit like a lion right now and it was far from flattering but she couldn't fail and this... this man was being inconsiderate!

"I'm afraid it's been super glued into the socket." the cleaner twin said sweetly.

She glared at him. She was practically shaking. This was not how she saw this going. She expected them to at least say they'd try to keep it down even though they didn't mean it. She pressed a hand to her forehead. She was exhausted. She had an early class tomorrow and a test and work and she hadn't had a proper meal in days. She didn't have the energy to sit here and argue with a set of partiers, even if she found them more than a little appealing.

"Fine. Play your stupid music as loud as you want. I hope you have a hangover from hell tomorrow." She mumbled as she left. She shuffled past girls in tight skirts and men soaked in cologne. She stepped over someone who had passed out in the hall. She tried to open her door to find that it was locked. She jostled the knob. This was not happening. This was not happening to her tonight.

"Open the door!" She shouted.

"Go away!" Was that Malfoy? Why was he in her...oh god!

"Malfoy, you cockroach! You can't commandeer someone's apartment to get off!" She banged on the door. She just wanted to go to sleep.

She huffed back over to the party zone. She walked back to the twins. She bumped into a crying girl on the way and eyed the twins. They weren't going anywhere and this girl was a mess. She assumed their layout was like hers and led the poor thing to the bathroom. She shooed a couple out and cleaned the girl up. She told her to call someone to come and get her and not to worry about her cheating boyfriend at the moment. When Hermione went back to the blue couch she found it mostly empty, save the twins and a very sleepy looking girl who was curled into the clean one's side.

"The prodigal daughter returns!" He bellowed.

"I need to borrow the phone."

"Whatever for, Duckie?"

She glowered at him. "I've been locked out of my apartment."

"However did that happen? You don't seem irresponsible enough for that to occur." He said with a chuckle.

"My best friend decided it seemed like a good place for a drunken affair." She said with a sigh.

There was a passing glance between the twins.

"Poor Duckie. You sit next to ol' Fred and you can borrow his phone." He said as he took a phone from his pocket.

She eyed the spot next to him. The couch seemed clean enough but he didn't.

"I don't bite. Unless you want me to." He gave a playful chomp to the air. She fought a grin. He was cute.

She sat next to him, not touching but close enough to feel the heat rolling off his body. He handed her his phone. She dialed the first number that came to mind. She pressed the phone to her ear and waited. There was a groggy hello.

"Ginny? I didn't mean to wake you." She bit her lip. Maybe not the best person to call. Ginny had practice half past 5. "I shouldn't have called"

"I'm up. What's wrong?"

"I got locked out of my apartment."

"Do you want me to come pick the lock?" She was serious.

"No, I don't need my lock picked. I don't think I want to be in there at the moment."

"What happened?" Ginny asked sounding much more interested.

"Harry is in there... with a friend."

"Oh!"

"I don't suppose I could stay at yours?"

"...sure." The silence was telling.

"You have someone over? Oh god! Ginny, tell me these things!"

"It's fine. I'll kick him out, 'Mione. It's not a big deal."

"No. Don't do that. I'll call your brother. He's closer anyway." She said her goodbyes after assuring Ginny details.

She turned to the twins. They were putting straws up the nose of the girl who had fallen asleep on the clean looking twin. They were laughing and having a good time. She caught the eye of Fred, at least that's what she thought his name was.

"I'm sorry. I have to make one more call."

"Take your time." He gave a brilliant smile that had her wanting to kiss him. She went back to her task.

The phone rang through. That was unusual. Ron always answered. She had once called him at 4 in the morning for an emergency coffee run because she was dying and he had showed up 15 minutes later with a latte and scones. He was surprisingly reliable that way. She called again. She tried a third time.

"Damn it, Ronald!" She bit out. She handed him his phone back before leaning into the fabric of the sofa. It was lush.

"Trouble, Duckie?" He asked from beside her, his attention no longer on the sleeping girl who looked a bit like a plastic walrus now.

"No. Yes. I don't know." She sighed. She tipped her head back to rest it on the back of the sofa. She closed her eyes. "Ginny's apartment is at full capacity and Ronald is...who knows. Harry has taken over my apartment and even if he is gone by now I'm not sure I want to be in there at the moment. I don't have the energy to change the sheets and who knows where else they've done it. I can't clean my apartment at 3 in the morning." She said softly as she rubbed her neck. "Back to the love pad I suppose."

She stood and tried to walk towards the door but the horn on her slipper got caught on a cord. She was now in a very warm, very muscular lap of one charming ginger twin. She looked up at him with wide brown eyes. Her cheeks were burning. He had a mischievous smile on his face.

"If you want me to hold you, you need only ask. No need to fall over yourself."

She struggled to get out of his lap. It was much harder than she expected. Her limbs wouldn't listen to her. She placed a hand on his chest and lost her breath for a moment. She hadn't expected so much muscle. He looked lean under her shirt but what she felt was solid. She stood up and thanked them again. She slid pass girls in tight skirts and boys who were drowning in cologne.

She stepped over a man in the hall hugging a bottle of liquor. She knocked on her door again. No reply. She jostled the knob. Nothing. She sighed and pressed her back to the door. She closed her eyes and thought about her test tomorrow. She was going to fail. She was going to fail and lower her average all because she couldn't handle a little noise on a Saturday night and her friend wanted to get some. She leaned her head against the trim and allowed herself a small moment of drowsiness. She felt the hair on the back of her neck prickle. She opened her eyes.

Standing across from her, leaning against the wall in the casual manner that suited him all too well, was the messy one. He eyed her for a minute. His blue eyes were cool and warm all at once and it made her a bit self-conscious. He extended a hand to her. She eyed it; long fingers, clean nails, long nail beds, a bit calloused.

"Come on, Duckie. The back bedroom is empty. You can stay at our place."

She was too tired to think it over. Her eyes burned and her lids were heavy. She placed a small hand in his and he led her to the apartment. The party was dying down. There were a few drifters lingering in the kitchen and a few people laying on the floor but it had quieted down. How long had she been locked out?

She peeked into the bathroom to check on the crying girl from earlier. She was pleased she wasn't there any more. He opened the door and led her into the back room. It was full of deep blues. There were papers everywhere and a pile of clothes on the floor. The dresser had clothes hanging from the drawers and she thought she saw a rubber chicken somewhere but she couldn't be sure because she was half asleep.

She sat on the bed. It was soft. At the moment she could sleep on a rock. She knew it wasn't a good idea to sleep in a stranger's home but she felt safer in here than in the hall.

"You know where the bathroom is. The party is dying down but quite frankly from the look of you, you'll be asleep before you notice." He said with a chuckle.

She took off her robe and kicked off her slippers. She felt his eyes on her. She shrugged mentally. She knew her pajamas weren't appealing. She had stolen a pair of Harry's green boxers and she had never returned the ratty gray t-shirt that Ron had lent her. She laid down and relaxed. The bed smelled lovely; spicy with a hint of citrus and lingering masculinity.

"Smells nice." She mumbled sleepily.

"I'll take that as a compliment." He said as he walked towards the door.

"Yer welcome." She said as she snuggled into the pillow.

"Sleep tight, Duckie."

"Mhmm." The light was switched off and the door clicked shut. She let the darkness wash over her. She was asleep within minutes.

Chapter One done! How will Hermione feel in the morning when she wakes up in a stranger's home?

Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think in the reviews!