A/N:

So I like thinking up stories.

And I wasn't thrilled with DH.

I read some fanfiction.

I wrote this.

For me, Hermione is a great Slytherin. She's devoted to her goals, ruthless when she needs to be, and needs to prove herself. I think my Hermione in this story is fairly canonical, just maybe boosting her ambition a bit and playing around with her motivations. She's still unstable as hell and loves being the best at everything. Without the influence, or friendship, of Harry & Ron she goes through Hogwarts on a very different path. Instead, she gets to deal with Snape, Malfoy, Pansy and the rest of the snake pit. The story mostly follows cannon (with some exceptions, of course) up until Hermione sticks her big bossy nose into things (which happens fairly quickly) and the shit hits the fan, full blown AU (That'll be a few years, though).

I'm not a giant fan of good vs. evil, so most of the characters will be somewhere in the middle. Hermione, especially, is no angel. I have plans! for nearly every character you see in the story (OK, Crabbe and Goyle are just wall hangings...). Some of them may (will) die, but it is a sacrifice I'm willing to make.

I try not to bash anyone or let my personal feelings on the characters get into the way. JK put them there so I should find a way to utilize them effectively or they shouldn't feature. If someone seems to be the butt of everything, it's probably because they are judging Hermione and she's judging them right back. At the forefront will be Ron and Pansy, with a bit of Dumbledore on the side, but I assure you they are more than caricatures (I have plans!).

On that point, as of right now I don't see any reason why this story will stray from Hermione's perspective. We're with her from start to finish, through good times and bad.

Pairings: Nope. Nothing is guaranteed for anyone. We'll see how the characters evolve (and my plans! go out the window).

MMI&II is completed at around 55k words. It is only the beginning.

Chapter I

Back to School

The doctors Granger saw their daughter off on the mundane side of Platform 9¾. They had seen the Hogwarts Express the previous year so they had no need to see it again. Even in the magical world, a train was just a train, they reasoned. Hermione did not mind saying her goodbyes a few minutes early. Once she stepped through the barrier, she was in a completely different world. Her parents wouldn't understand. Twelve months earlier Hermione had crawled through the rabbit hole to find a paradise of magic and wonder, intent on making a name for herself. Today she only hoped for a new start.

Hermione trudged through the chaos of the platform. Steam was beginning to fill the air above her as the Express was threatening to pull away at any moment. Her eyes swept back and forth to detect any danger. Hermione lurched to a stop when she spotted a glint of red hair through the crowd. A girl not much smaller than Hermione was receiving an enthusiastic hug from a rather rotund and matronly woman. She scanned the area around the two for any other redheads, but the only other was a tall boy sporting a shiny badge and looking somewhat uneasy as he stood by the pair. He finally pulled the girl away from her mother and led her onto the train. Hermione restarted her wary approach to the train.

She lugged her trunk up the steps onto the locomotive and made her way down the hallway. On either side of her, other students were queuing to enter compartments and pack away their own trunks. Hermione peered into each room as she passed. Many of them were already full. She didn't know most of the occupants. The palpable excitement and cheer that radiated from everyone else was lost on Hermione. She did her best to stay out of the way while making steady progress towards the back of the train.

A loud commotion rang out behind her and Hermione cringed. A pair of redhead boys sprinted past her, laughing outrageously. They were quickly followed by a dark skinned girl, shouting, "Weasley! You little mongrels!"

Once she checked that there were no more chasers, Hermione continued. It was tough going. She had to stop every few feet to wait for someone to load their trunk into their compartment. The next two rooms were all full, but Hermione saw an empty seat in the one after that. Inside was a gaggle of girls she recognized as Ravenclaws. A dark haired girl seemed to be commanding the attention of the rest, talking energetically with her hands. Hermione decided that it probably wasn't the best place to spend her trip, and started to roll on when she caught sight of the perfectly combed blond hair and pale face of a boy swaggering down the hall. A pair of great apes and a rather enchanted poodle of a girl flanked Draco Malfoy. "My father" was all that Hermione heard before she ducked into the compartment.

None of the girls seemed to notice her entry, and she felt a bit awkward to be intruding. She recognized the Patil sisters sitting side by side, silky black hair falling over their shoulders. "Excuse me, Padma," Hermione said in a soft voice to the twin she knew better, "Do you mind if I sit here?"

Padma looked up at her and gave her a thin smile. "Sure." She said, turning back to the conversation.

Hermione slid the door closed. She opened her trunk and retrieved the Standard Book of Spells, Grade 5. She dropped the tome onto her seat, shut her trunk and looked up at the overhead storage. There was room enough for the trunk, the only problem being how to get it there. Hermione grabbed one end of the trunk and lifted. It was quite heavy but she pulled an end onto her seat. It would be much easier to get up there if she had some help, but a quick glance around the compartment told her that there would be none forthcoming. Perhaps if she had gotten a few Hufflepuffs they might have given her a hand. Though, perhaps not…

She stared at her trunk for a second before a thought hit her. "You're a witch." Hermione said to herself. She pulled her wand out with deliberation and performed the simple swish and flick. "Wingardium Leviosa." The trunk shuddered into a hover before slowly raising towards the storage space. Hermione coaxed it into settling down, and rewarded herself with a smile of self-satisfaction. The other Patil – Parvati, a Gryffindor – raised her eyebrows at her magical problem-solving but turned back to the other girls without commenting.

Hermione threw herself down and set her book on her lap. Getting her first real look at her fellow occupants, she didn't recognize anyone but the twins. She wasn't even sure any of them were in her year. Definitely not the upper years, but perhaps third years. Maybe even fourth years. The ringleader, who was babbling about something that made everyone giggle, certainly looked more like a young woman than girl. She was Chinese, Hermione guessed. British, by the accent, but ethnically foreign. However, as she looked from the twins to the girl, Hermione had learned, though in the muggle world demographics were split between races, in the wizarding world her own blood status made her the odd duck out.

The conversation turned out to be about boys. She held a respect for Ravenclaws, who were supposed to be studious and knowledgeable, but she was more than a little disappointed in their choice of topic. Suppressing a sigh, Hermione opened her book to the section on shielding spells.

The Shielding Charm (Protego) is a moderately difficult spell to master completely. Executed properly, the charm will protect the user by blocking unfriendly spells. A quick reaction with the Shielding Charm can mean the difference between life and death for any witch or wizard. Coupled with the Disarming Charm, the Shielding Charm offers a non-violent way to diffuse a confrontation.

The Shielding Charm can be operated in several different ways. A standard shield will create a barrier between the caster and an attacking spell, dissipating the spell before it can reach its target. Alternatively, the Shielding Charm can be used to redirect the offensive spell around the caster. This strategy can be used to lessen the stress on the caster, though it requires quicker reactions, hand-eye coordination and focus. This technique is closely related to Hex-deflection (See Standard Book of Spells, Grade 4). Lastly, a combination of both can be used to send the attacking spell back at the opponent. One such counter-attack is usually not expected and can throw an opponent off. Reflecting a spell requires great magical strength, reactions, and confidence, and should not be attempted without proper supervision.

Hermione blinked when a hand waved in front of her. It took another wave to get her to look up, and when she did, she saw the whole cabin looking at her. "Is it?" the Asian girl asked.

"Uh, what?" Hermione squeaked back.

The queen bee frowned at having to ask again. "Is that a fifth year charms book?"

Hermione knew the answer but turned the book to see the cover to confirm it. "Yes, it appears to be."

"But you aren't a fifth year." She said, a hint of accusation seeping in.

"No. I'm a second year." Hermione answered.

"Why are you reading it?"

Hermione opened the book and showed it to the girl. "Shielding charms." Her expression didn't change. "I just thought that it was silly that something as simple as defending yourself from spells isn't taught until fifth year."

"Oh." The girl's frown melted a little. "I never thought about it." Very Ravenclaw, Hermione wanted to laugh, but didn't. "Anyway, I'm Cho." She extended her hand. "Third year." Cho said, not quite pompously, but obviously thinking it worth mentioning the age difference.

Hermione eyed the hand for a moment, and then leaned forward to take it. "Hermione."

Cho smiled. "So can you cast it? The shielding spell?"

"Well," Hermione murmured, and thought an impressive introduction was in order. "I think I have the fundamentals down. It's a rather simple concept don't you think?"

"I suppose." The girl replied. Obviously, she didn't think so. "I've never seen you in the common room."

Hermione cocked her head.

"You are Ravenclaw, right?" She asked.

"No. Slytherin."

"Oh." Cho nodded and gave an apologetic smile. "Well, as a Ravenclaw, I can appreciate your curiosity." Hermione couldn't help but detect a bit of condescension. Cho turned back to her friends and continued as if Hermione was not there at all.

I-I. ⌡. Γ┐

Hermione sat at the back of the Great Hall, at the end of the Slytherin table staring at the old, worn wooden surface. "Weasley, Ginerva" was called at the end of the sorting ceremony, with a cry of "Gryffindor!" and an explosion quickly following. Hermione didn't know if the school could handle another Weasley. Four was already too many.

The feast appeared from nowhere and the hall descended into the chaos of the welcoming feast. Down the table, Hermione could hear Malfoy spouting to his loyal cronies. "I can't help but notice that Potter and his Weasley pet aren't here." He cackled. "Maybe the old git has expelled them. Wouldn't be surprised." He was rewarded with a chorus of laughter. "Of course, if not, my father could easily arrange it. He is on the Board of Governors, you know."

Hermione tried to ignore him, but she was curious if he was right. Potter had seemed decent enough when she had met him a year before, though he never so much as said 'hi' after she was sorted into Slytherin… other than that business with the troll. But that was Weasley's fault. Oh, Weasley… That boy was a right menace. As opinionated as Malfoy, as self-righteous as Potter. And desperate for attention, though he would never admit it. The pair of them together brought the worst out in each other.

When the feast was over, Hermione was the first out of the hall. She made her way quickly down to the dungeons. "Astus." She said to the wall, and the doors to Slytherin House opened in front of her. She sped down the stone stairs into the atrium.

Slytherin common room had a central sitting area sunken into the ground, surrounded by pillars and an outer promenade. Black leather couches and armchairs circled a central fireplace. Forest green tapestries emblazoned with the Slytherin House crest adorned the walls. Nooks in the outer promenade held variations of chairs and benches around small tables lit by torchlight. Green rugs were spaced throughout the room.

Hermione walked straight through the room and down more stairs to the dorms. At the bottom, the hall split off two ways. To the right were the girls' rooms, boys to the left. Hermione went right and entered the second year room. It was circular and adorned similar to the common room. Emerald curtains hung from five four-post beds spaced evenly around the perimeter. Next to each bed was a desk, a small leather chair, a dresser, and each girl's trunk. The center of the room had a circular table for group activities.

Hermione shrugged off her robes and tossed them onto her bed. She pulled out her towel, an oversized tee shirt, and her baggy sleeping pants from her trunk. Placing her wand underneath her pillow, she started for the bathroom, but hesitated. She wondered if she had time to strip before the other girls arrived. It was easier to do it out here, instead of having to find a place to put them near the shower. Calculating quickly in her head, Hermione quickly pulled off her clothes and scuttled into the bathroom. She hadn't even turned on the water before she heard her roommates enter the room.

The water quickly warmed. Hermione tossed her tower over the bar and stashed her sleep clothes next to the sink. She washed herself thoroughly but decided to forgo her hair for tonight.

She dried herself quickly, stepped gingerly out of the shower and pulled on her baggy pants. The sound of a flushing toilet made her yelp and almost dive for her shirt. Hermione had just pulled it over her head when Millicent excited the stall on the far side of the bathroom. Hermione quietly padded out into the main room, where her other roommates were shouting with glee.

Tracey was jumping from bed to bed, laughing. Pansy was following her on the floor, twirling around. "We're back!" Tracey shrieked.

Daphne sat on the side of her bed slipping off her shoes, a silly grin breaking through her ladylike decorum. Pansy flopped down on her bed, hugging Daphne around the waist. "We're back, Daph!" Tracey pounced across the gap and grabbed Daphne across her shoulders, pulling her down onto the bed. The girls collapsed into a fit of giggling.

Hermione made her way to her own bed, retrieved her spell book from her trunk and laid out her towel to dry. She retrieved her wand and settled down in bed to read. She was sure the girls would be up for a while yet. She thought of closing the curtains to settle down to sleep, but was too tempted by the large book. She looked to her left, where the three girls were now all laying across the bed and sharing stories about their summers. To her right, Millicent was leaning against her own bed, taking off her shoes. "Hello, Millie." Hermione said. The larger girl nodded at her, then walked over to the girls and slid herself carefully onto the end of Daphne's bed.

"My father took us to Paris," Tracey was saying. "You know, say what you want about muggles, but they sure know how to build things."

"Muggles?" Pansy snorted.

"Oh yes. Have you seen the Eiffel Tower? Or Versailles? They are magnificent." Tracey prattled on.

"The Champs-Élysées is really pretty." Millicent ventured.

"Definitely." Tracey agreed. Millicent smiled.

"Please." Pansy shook her head. "That's nothing. I was invited to Malfoy Manor a few weeks ago."

"Ooohh…" cooed Tracey. Daphne, who had been doing snow angels on her bed, perked up.

"It's really something else." Pansy sat up a little straighter. "Now, my family's house is big. You've seen it, Tracey." She nodded. "But Malfoy Manor… whew. It is big. I mean, really big. Massive. There are these pillar you walk through to get to the doors, and when you enter, you are in this big atrium, granite floors, a giant spiralling staircase to the upper floors, its magnificent. And Draco showed me around the grounds. They have their own Quidditch Pitch. Well, not full sized, but top quality. He's really good. I think he's going to make the team this year."

Hermione was watching the girls out of the corner of her eye. Daphne was examining her nails now, but Hermione could tell she was listening intently. "I've seen Mr. Malfoy." Daphne offered vaguely, tearing attention away from Pansy. "When he was visiting my father on business."

"Yes. Draco's father is very impressive." Pansy blurted. "Like, whenever he enters the room everyone looks at him and he's like, 'Oh do carry on, everyone', like he owns everything. Draco was saying how he owns the whole Wizengamot." She turned to Millicent. "That's our government." Millicent just nodded, and Hermione almost tasted the vomit in her mouth. "I got to sit next to Draco on the train, and at the feast. He is quite charming, you know. And so handsome."

"Oh, give him a few more years." Daphne said idly. "He'll grow into himself."

Pansy gave an evil grin. "Why wait when I can make him mine now?"

"I'm going to wait until he figures out what he really wants."

Tracey suppressed a little laugh.

"You think you can walk in and take him away from me after I've had him for a few years?" Pansy smirked.

"Oh, I'm sure of it." Daphne slowly sat up, and lifted her shirt up over her head, then stood and pulled her skirt down suggestively before leaning back into Tracey, allowing Pansy to take in her pale body. "I have confidence in myself."

Hermione felt a slight flush when she understood Daphne's meaning. She was now staring at the other bed where Daphne's milky body was sprawled. Overall, her slender body had all the right proportions, and Hermione was more than slightly envious of her unbridled confidence. Hermione had never really considered her own body but now thought that she was nothing compared to the princess laying in the bed next to her. Even Tracey, who was definitely a step down from Daphne, had a much pretty face. Pansy, even, must have been attractive to boys if Malfoy had really taken an interest in her.

She decided it was time to call it a night and pulled the curtains closed around her bed and dove under the protective skin of the blankets. At least she was better looking than Millicent.

She hoped.

Conniving twelve year old girls... Watch out, young wizards.

A peek at Hermione's first year is next.