A/N: This is not so much a rewrite as it is a review and revision (fine, it's a rewrite, do you always have to be right!) of what I started writing. I've added/taken out a bit, and tried to correct most of the spelling and punctuation problems (I know you'll still find things wrong, but hopefully not as much as before). This will be posted as a complete story with eight chapters, my main sticking point was how to finish it up and I think I've come up with a novel approach.

For those who have started reading this already, you may want to skip ahead, (or start all over and find what was added/removed) you should be able to start on chapter five. Otherwise, welcome to the nightmare that is my mind. Please, as always, keep your hands and feet inside the ride until it comes to a complete and full stop, thank you for riding and please read and review. It's always good to hear what the washed and educated think.

There is one other "thing" I'd like to address, and that is I use Google Search in this story, I know it wasn't available yet but since this story is Alternate Universe (as almost all Harry Potter Fan Fiction is) Google Search is indeed available then and had been for quite a while. Thank you for understanding.

123irish

HarryPotterismygodhahahaonlyjokingbutmagicisreallyreal

It was only the first week of vacation and Hermione was already hard at work on her pet project, she wanted to know all she could about the different levels of Magical society. She was in her bedroom sitting cross-legged on her Hello Kitty bedspread with her laptop on her knees. She was reading everything she could find on the Most Ancient and Most Noble Houses of which, to her surprise, she knew members of all the surviving original seven. Of the Original Seven, the Emery and Pendragon lines were presumed extinct while the Stewart line became the Royal Family. Of the other four she knew the Longbottoms (Neville and his Grandmother), Bones (Susan and her Aunt ), Blacks (Sirius, the last Black) and most surprising the Potters (Harry being the last of his family). What had come as an even bigger surprise was when, in the section for Ancient Family's, she had run into the Granger name; something she would have to bring up to her parents the next time they visited Gringotts.

What she found odd was, that for all their posturing, both the Dumbledore's and the Weasley's were only Noble Family's and the Dumbledore's only receiving this Honor due to Albus's feats. The funniest thing she found was that the Malfoys, for all of Draco's boasting and bravado, were only considered a Clan and all their money seemed to be through their marriage with the Blacks. If it wasn't for Narcasiss Black marrying into the Malfoys they would be considered little more than a Lesser Clan in Great Britain with only slightly better status than a Mundane-Born. In France (the Malfoys country of origin) they had been an Ancient Family having lost Noble status three hundred years earlier for "Acts of Treason", and at that time having to flee France (who still had Execute on Sight orders for any Malfoy crossing into, under, over or through their country) for England.

Hermione had found all this out after she had become irritated at Mrs. Baumgarten, the Squib that ran the Magical section of her local library. Hermione was told that she (Hermione) had already gone through everything that was currently in the library on the subject and that she (Mrs. Baumgarten) couldn't get any more information at this time. Once back home, and on a lark, Hermione typed "Magi-pedia" into Google Search, and surprisingly it turned out to be a genuine site. The author being one G. Ringotts with a contact address of Diagon Alley dot Mag (you know the drill by now), something else she would be asking the Goblins about before the summer was over. Since the discovery of the site she had barely slept (only seven hours a night, for shame) and had been reading and printing reams of pages to share with Harry when they got together later in the summer at the Burrow.

She caught herself remembering the daring escape of Sirius Black that She and Harry had perpetrated, and of riding on the Hippogriff with Harry. Even though she hated flying Hermione could not think of a better moment then being in the air with her arms wrapped around Harry's waist and her face pressed in his back, she felt… safe. Shuddering slightly with a faint smile on her lips, Hermione knew that she would have to make the first move, even if she was fairly certain that he felt the same way. She knew his upbringing at his Aunt and Uncles house would not allow him to share these emotions with her until he was one hundred percent certain that she liked him as well, and maybe not even then. His "Family" had really done a number on Harry's emotional growth.

Harry sat on his bed and turned his attention to the cat door as he heard his Aunt pull the bolt, unlocking the flap and sliding a plate with a stale piece of bread and an open can of mushroom soup (condensed and unheated without a spoon of course) through. At least they had removed the bars from the window and were not starving him as much this summer, and they did let him out to use the bathroom three times a day.

As he used the last of the bread to get as much of the soup out of the can as he could, his thoughts went to Hermione and how good it had felt when they had flown on Buckbeak and she had held on to him tightly. She had always given him bone crushing hugs, but this was different, if he didn't know she liked Ron he would have found a way to let her know how much he liked her. If he closed his eyes he could still remember her scent, honeysuckle shampoo and the smell of old books and parchment.

He was brought out of his musings by the pecking on his window from Hedwig; he opened the window and allowed the snowy owl to hop on his arm before taking her over to the perch and untying the note around her leg.

Dear Harry,

I know it's only been three days since the end of the school year, but I've already found out some very good information, actually way more than I thought even possible, that I will share with you once we see each other at the Burrow. How are the Dursley's treating you?

Have you even started your homework or are you going to pull a Ron and wait for me to help? Tell you what, you start it and I'll go over it with you and help make it better if it needs it. Anyway, I really miss you and can't wait the three weeks until I can talk to you in person and show you what I have found.

Love Hermione

PS, How does Hedwig know when I need to send you a letter and that it's okay for me to use her?

Harry smiled as he folded the note up and stuck it beneath the loose floorboard under the bed with the rest of his treasures. He then went to his desk and pulled out a pen and paper to write back to her.

Hermione,

Great to hear from you already, I hope you don't mind the regular paper and that I'm using a ballpoint pen to write this? I've decided that I'm bringing several note pads and packages of pens with me next school year as it should make taking notes easier. I'll still use parchment and quills (maybe a fountain pen, with the correct nib they write just like quills) as required for our homework but it's ridiculous to take notes with the stuff. Someone has to begin to bring the Magical World, kicking and screaming, into the 20th Century and if they want me to fight their war for them (the whole Boy-What-Lived thing) they're going to have to give me some concessions!

I am eagerly awaiting the information that you found and can't wait to get out of here (Durskaban) and be with my friends. To answer your other questions, no I have not started my homework yet but will, at the very least, have rough outlines done as to what I want to say so you can check those for me, thanks in advance.

As for Hedwig, she's just a very special owl and I told her that you can use her whenever you need her. She really likes you as you are the only other person she nips on the ear.

The "family" is treating me okay, I'm getting three meals (notice I said nothing about them being square) a day at least and the rest of the time they pretend I don't exist, so I guess there is an upside to every situation. So stay out of trouble (as if Hermione Granger actually gets into trouble) and I'll be seeing you soon.

Harry

Harry reread the letter before sealing the envelope and asking Hedwig if she would be able to deliver it later tonight. With a soft cooing sound Hedwig nodded a yes and tucked her head under her wing to get a couple hours of sleep before her nightly hunt.

Ron had it all figured out, since Dumbledore was allowing him to have Hermione as a reward for his help in controlling Harry, he was going to solidify his "claim" and make his move this summer when she came to visit. Ron was was going to ask Hermione to be his girlfriend. She was bound to say yes, he was Ron Weasley after all, (she'd just be glad someone liked her) and as Hermione always came to the Borrow several days before Harry, he (Ron) would be able to rub Harry's nose in the fact that he had a girlfriend. Even if it was only Hermione, and she was only going to be a practice girlfriend (not that he REALLY needed the practice, come on, he WAS Ron Weasley for crying out loud) until something better came along. The "Great" Harry Potter would still be single, alone and even easier to manipulate.

Merlin, if he wasn't being paid to be Harry's friend there's no way he be anywhere near the attention seeking, no make that DANGER seeking, prat. He figured that with the hundred galleons a month, he laughed as he remembered when he found out that he was being paid from Harry's own account, he was getting that he was one of the wealthiest teens, Wizard or Mundane, there was (poor, deluded, stupid, mono-brow, lazy..., sorry I kind of got carried away there for a moment, bastard even at an exchange of five to one he'd of only had about twenty thousand pounds which is a good amount just not a GREAT amount). What he so often forgot was that at any given time he only had a couple of hundred (at most, and often much less) Galleons in the bank from all the Chuddly Cannon crap he bought and the amount of food, sweets in particular, he inhaled? Ron was into Instant Gratification and had learned nothing from his family's present plight, he would never be a saver.

Molly Weasley, on the other hand, had taken the thousand galleons a month since Harry's birth and squirreled it away. This was her money for continuing to allow Arthur to touch her and for her to have more children until she had a girl that would marry into the Potter line; and nobody knew about or touched a bloody Knut of it but her. Dumbledore had begun paying her (eventually out of Harry's Trust Account) as soon as he found out that Lilly was having a boy, she was disappointed when she had Ron and not Ronda, but had cut Arthur off completely as soon as she found out she was carrying Ginerva.

As soon as Molly told Dumbledore she was having a girl he had written up a betrothal contract between the two children and had forged James and Lily's signatures. As Molly forged Arthur's signature on the contract she was awash in euphoria, she finally had a daughter to dote on and the Heir to the Potter fortune all in one shot. She knew that she would have to start feeding Ginny stories of the "Boy-What-Lived" as soon as possible to make sure she knew and understood her destiny was to be Mrs. Harry Potter. If everything went as she and Dumbledore planned, Harry Potter might make his seventeenth birthday but by then Ginny would be carrying his child and his money would already be theirs.

Dumbledore sat in the Headmasters office at Hogwarts with a smug expression (as if he had any other type of expression) on his face. Everything had gone as planned so far, he had led Harry through three years of school. He had guided him to the Stone through traps that Grabbe and Goyle could have figured out. Then in Harry's second year things got a little complicated and slightly out of hand as he had not only confronted the Basilisk and survived but had killed the blasted beast as well. The strangest thing was that nobody even questioned why they had to wait for the schools supply of Mandrake to mature and didn't just go out and buy some to create an antidote. Now this last year had been the hardest yet, not only arranging for Black to get that newspaper with the picture of Peter in it, but also to escape as well. He hadn't counted on Black trying to contact the brat but even that eventually worked in his favor.

Dumbledore knew what Harry was going to do almost before Harry did, what with the liberal application of tracking charms on almost everything Harry owned and with Ron letting him know every move that was being made it was all too easy. The only problem was Harry's growing dependence on the Granger girl and his reliance on her advice; he'd have to break up Harry and Hermione's friendship. Well she was only a "mudblood", and since he was "gifting" her to Ron Weasley anyway what would be the harm in starting the administering of the loyalty and love potions a year early.

He'd just have to let Molly know to start the dosing as soon as she got to the Burrow this summer. He'd step up Harry's as well; it was never too early for "true love" to bloom between him and Ginny. Yes, it could only help him to have his timetable moved forward a year. Soon he'd have his hands on all the Potter wealth not just the pittance that was Harry's trust fund; after all it was for "The Greater Good".

Griphook grabbed the summary pages he'd printed and made his way to the Directors office. Reaching the ornately carved double doors of the Office he told the guards that he had an appointment to see Director Ragnok. The guard on his left nodded and, opening the door just enough to stick his head in, announced Griphook.

Griphook entered the office; it really was more of a throne room with a large desk and a high-backed, throne like, chair on a raised dais at the far end and a very large conference table in the middle. Griphook proceeded to the chair to the right of Ragnok and began his report. The hits on the Magi-pedia web site had steadily grown over the first three years they had run it. Ninety percent of the traffic was Mundane Born with nine percent Half-Bloods and one percent accidental hits by Mundanes who considered it nothing more than a joke site put up to try and take advantage of gullible people. Pure-Bloods were still ignorant of the site and most things Mundane. With their tracking software he had good news to report, one of their main "targets" had been visiting the site regularly since the end of the school year and he had been mining her data to subtlety lead her to where the Director hoped she would find the proper information.

When Griphook learned she had found the Ancient House of Granger he had the Inheritance Department run a Family Line test on stored blood (as unethical as that is the Goblins liked to know who they were dealing with) and found that Hermione Jane Granger was indeed the last of that Ancient House. Since she would be the 50th generation of witch or wizard, with the clean record of the Grangers, Noble status and a seat in the Wizengomot was assured.

Griphook also informed the Director that Miss Granger had been printing all the information she could find on the Most Ancient and Most Noble Houses paying close attention to their other hopeful Harry James Potter (the Goblins had heard rumors of the close friendship between Hermione and Harry and believe that setting yourself up now for success in the future was essential). Griphook suggested that it may be time to contact Mr. Potter and see if a meeting could be arranged, maybe intimating that he should bring someone with him for advice and as a sounding board. Director Ragnok agreed and dismissed Griphook telling him that he would write the letter to Mr. Potter personally.

Harry had been awakened that morning by Hedwig lightly nipping his ear to get Harry's attention. Harry instinctively reached to his bed side table and gave the owl a couple of treats before sliding the letter off her leg. He reached for his glasses at the same time as he sat up and as the world came in to focus opened the latest letter from Hermione.

Dear Harry,

Just wanted to keep you up to date as to what I've been doing. The research is going very well; I think that you will be happy with what I've found. On a different note, have you been talking to Ron? I've received several letters from him and while that is unusual in itself, what has been bothering me are the darker undertones I've gotten from his letters.

He is writing as if I am his property, telling me what we'll be doing for the rest of the summer and how I should act around his family and friends. Speaking of which, he has been trying to lead me into spending less time with you and suggesting that you are a bad influence for the two of us.

Harry let me be brutally honest, if it was not for the fact that Ron is your friend, because of the way he has and still does treat me I would have nothing to do with Ronald "The Human Garbage Disposal" Weasley.

He's a nice boy (and I do mean boy, I'm not sure he'll ever grow up. Sometimes he acts worse than Malfoy) when he wants to be but that isn't often enough. I do like a guy in our year though, I know you know who it is and if you give it a little thought I bet you can come up with his name.

I love you,

Hermione

Harry was pretty slow when it came to girls, but even he didn't need to be beat over the head with a heavy rock and shown the neon flashing picture of Hermione to figure out what Hermione was hinting at with that last line and the sign off (for those slow on the uptake, she was obviously trying to tell him she was deeply in love with Neville Longbottom... or possibly Luna Lovegood, maybe Moaning Myrtle, it really is confusing and I am just a simple guy after all?). A smile crossed his lips as he thought about him and Hermione kissing, it turned into a frown as he thought about Ron's reaction. Harry was brought out of these musings as a rather large crow swooped in through the open window and landed beside Hedwig on her perch.

The instant Harry released the bundle it was carrying the crow flew back outside and was gone. The package had the Gringotts symbol on it and contained a letter and a long, slim box; The letter was addressed to Harry J. Potter, Durskaban, Smallest bedroom with the broken desk, looking around to find where the cameras were hid, he cautiously broke the seal of the letter and began to read.

Master Harry James Potter,

It has come to our attention that there is some business that needs your direct involvement here at Gringotts. Please find enclosed a reusable two-way portkey, the activation word is "Snorack". Please use this at your earliest convenience, it is suggested that you bring someone you trust to act as an advisor with you. I'm sorry We can't give you any further information at this point in time as the situation is of a sensitive nature.

Director of Gringotts and King under the Bank of the Goblin Nation,

Ragnok

Harry opened the box and found that the portkey was a Golden Eagle feather, and knew that as soon as he got to the Burrow he would have to let Hermione know, as she was the only person he trusted enough to want to take with him as an advisor and confidant. Smiling as he remembered Hermione's letter, he also vowed to ask her to be his girlfriend as well.