Hermione wandered down the dark corridor through a secret passage leading to Knockturn Alley, well known for its less then perfect reputation. Why the hell did I have to try to and prove to everyone that I can be a daredevil when I want to be, she thought to herself as she tripped slightly on the snagging invisibility cloak she was wearing.

Gryffindor had won in Quidditch against Slytherin the same day, and Gryffindor planned to have a huge late night party in the dorms.

"I'll bring the Chocolate frogs!" yelled Ron while he was being carried around the room by his fellow Gryffindors while they sang a verse of 'Weasley Is our King"

Hermione looked up from her book 'Hogwarts through the ages' and grinned, while everyone Fred and George discussed what they would spike the pumpkin juice with.

"Hermione! How about you? What will you bring?" called Seamus from the other end of the room as Dean wrote up a list.

"I'll get some pumpkin juice from the kitchens," she mumbled as her concentration went back to the book.

"Typical," muttered Dean under his breath as he wrote pumpkin juice under her name. Her head shot up at this, and her chocolate brown eyes darkened in anger.

"What is typical?" she asked him in a challenging voice. Harry and Ron winced sympathetically as they had been on the receiving end of Hermione's wrath on more then one occasion. Dean obviously felt the same way, as he gulped and stuttered:

"Nothing, I just meant that you never really…well….it's just that…..your so good," he emphasised the word good in order to stub down the volcano that was bound to erupt, " that….well…you wouldn't consider doing anything….relatively, um…..risky?"

Hermione shot up out of her seat at that, fire in her eyes as her silky, wavy brown hair tumbled down from its temporary bun.

"Are you saying that I am unable to do anything risky…that im a coward?"

Dean gulped once again and shook his head, opening his mouth to rectify his mistake but Hermione rose a silencing hand.

"Fine! You can count me in for getting firewhiksy,", everyone audibly gasped, but she wasn't finished yet, "from Knockturn alley." Ther was a shocked silence while everyone took in the implication. Ron was the first to gather his wits.

"But Hermione…it's a dangerous place to go especially at night…you can't.."

Hermione shook her head. "No Ron, I'm fed up of everyone thinking that im not capable of doing anything involving risks….i'll prove you all wrong tonight."

With that Hermione grabbed her books and stormed out of the room, leaving the Gryffindor common room gaping after her.

"Damn me and my big mouth," she muttered to herself as she finally reached the door to the back of the pub 'The Witch's Cauldron".

"Alohamora", she whispered, and the door slowly creaked open. She crept inside, and her eyes rested on a cart full of firewhisky. She grinned to herself, allowing two dimples to appear on her cheek, and then knelt in front of it, whispering "Incendinare" to shrink the box, but nothing happened. "Damn these repellent charms" she mumbled and went to open it by hand, when she felt a hand covering her mouth and a silky voice hiss in her ear "Miss Granger, what the hell are you doing here?"