I don't own Harry potter, J.K.R. does. If I owned it I would have much cool stuff.

"Wake up child…….come up its time to wake up."

Hermione heard the gentle tones of the person above her urging her to wake, and opened her eyes. Kneeling beside her was a wizened old lady staring directly into her eyes. Jerking upright Hermione flashed onto all the stories she had read as a child about witches living in the forest and barely stifled a cry of fear.

"Its ok child, nothing is going to harm you, you're safe, at least for now and you have nothing to fear from me. My name is Sabulana." The lady said swiftly but in soothing tones as if talking to a wild animal caught in a snare. "Why are you in the forest child? Don't you know that this is a dangerous place to be?"

          "Call me Hermione." She said with a tentative smile "I know the forest is dangerous, I thought I would be out of it before I fell asleep."

          "No last name child?"

          "Can't you just call me Hermione for now?" she asked plaintively.

The old woman smiled at Hermione gently but expectantly. "If you insist. Where is your family child? Don't you think they will be worried about you?"

          There was something about the woman that compelled Hermione to answer sticking to the truth, albeit heavily abbreviated. "My family's dead and I couldn't stay where I was anymore." As far as she was concerned her father was dead to her and she truly didn't feel that she could stay at the castle and see people's expressions when they learned the truth about her.

          Sabulana could see that the girl was withholding some information but decided not to press the issue at the moment. The girl was calmer and she needed to get the girl into her home, she would get some more information then. "Well you can't stay here Hermione; do you have any place to go? No? Then I shall take you home with me. There's plenty of room child, don't fret and if you wish to leave at any time you may do so." When she saw Hermione`s hesitation she sighed loudly "What do I have to do to convince you I will not harm you child. In the name of all spirits and deities I know I swear it." With that she heaved herself up from her kneeling position with the help of an intricately carved walking stick that had been lying unnoticed on the ground beside her and stood waiting for Hermione to get off the ground herself.

          Hermione sat still for a minute but the sincerity of Sabulana's oath swayed her and she rose stiffly stretching her sore muscles once she made it to her feet. Sabulana motioned at her to follow and set out on a path through the trees. "How far is it to your home?" Hermione asked legs stiff and sore from both her flight through the woods and sleeping on the cold ground all night.

          "Not far at all child," Sabulana replied as we wove her way though increasingly dense foliage. "The entrance just likes to hide occasionally."

          "The entrance likes to hide?" Hermione asked questioningly, trying to follow Sabulana through the myriad twists and turns she made. Despite her age and the terrain she moved quite fast and Hermione was having a hard time keeping up.

          "Yes, but it's a rather long story that can wait till we're inside. Ah here we are." Sabulana exclaimed as she ducked beneath a mossy canopy between two immense trees.

          Hermione startled as the old woman tapped her cane on thin air impatiently.  Slowly a simple white gate appeared.

Sabulana opened the gate and gestured Hermione closer. "This is the entrance to my home; will you enter of your own free will?"

Distracted by the gates manner of appearance Hermione nodded absently and stepped through.

          Sabulana smiled in triumph at Hermione`s back and stepped though shutting the gate behind her. Moments later there was no indication of anything out of the ordinary having ever been in that particular part of the forest.

A: N god I know this is a really, really short chapter and I apologize. First for the incredibly long wait and then this teeny little thing. All I can say in my defense is my life has been crazy.  Anyway I hope you like it and feed the author with reviews. And thanks must go out to my new beta She Who Refuses To Be Named (but doesn't mind whipping on me to write more)