Disclaimer: Not my characters and they will never be… pauvre moi! This is defiantly going to be an A/U, the ending of HBP didn't happen… Dumbledore is still alive and Draco and Severus are not death eaters… nor will they be!

A/N: Hello my adoring fans, I haven't written anything in forever so I may be a little rusty. I'm in uni now so the updates won't be on time or anything like that. Exams are soon so this is my stress reliever. Enjoy!

Chapter One:

Hermione Granger, soon to be seventh year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, was sitting in her room in the muggle household owned by her parents. She had her radio turned up to as loud as it would go without breaking the already rattling windows. She was brushing her long

hair that although not flat had grown slightly tamer as she had grown it longer, as she brushed she looked around her room at the familiar books, clothes and pictures that made the room hers. On the bedside table stood a photo of her best friends waving up at her from outside the Shrieking Shack. She smiled at them before setting down her brush and taking out a long wooden stick, her wand, and waving it around slightly to clean the messy room. She took said photo and placed it gently in the bedside table and walked quietly out of the room and down to the kitchen. She smiled at her parents when they said good morning and sat down with a cuppa and blew the hot beverage to cool it down.

"So pumpkin, what are you up to today?" her father asked.

"Valerie is coming over, I am going to tell her that I'm a witch and that after this summer I will be in the Wizarding world for my apprenticeship" Hermione said looking up at her father.

"Valerie Foreman?" her mother asked.

"Yes, you know, the one who I hung out with pretty much everyday for 11 years" Hermione said slightly annoyed that her parents had to ask.

"Alright Hermione, no need to get testy on us, are you going to do anything in particular?"

"Besides tell my best friend that I'm a witch and I will most likely never see her again… I don't know, maybe we'll go shopping and buy Harry and Ron something for CHRISTMAS!" Hermione said slightly louder than necessary.

At that particular moment Harry's owl Hedwig flew through the open window. She landed on the chair beside Hermione, who reached up and untied the letter from the snowy owl. She handed Hedwig a piece of toast from the plate her mother had just placed on the table. The owl took the toast but didn't fly off, Hermione smiled at her and said,

"He wants an answer right now then"

Hedwig looked at her and Hermione could almost see her nodding. Hermione took another piece of toast and ate it as she walked up the stairs, Hedwig following her to the bedroom.

Hermione opened the door to her room and sat down on the old blow up couch she had sitting in the corner. She opened the letter Harry had sent her and read it quickly, laughing at the antics Harry detailed. He and Ron had almost been caught playing Quidditch near the Burrow by muggles on an afternoon walk. They had pretended to be in the tree and had almost fallen from laughing so hard. Harry also told his best friend that he and Ginny had finally gotten everything fixed between them and that they were going out again. Hermione quickly pulled out a piece of parchment and a quill from her desk. She dashed off a letter about her summer so far to her best friends, she signed the letter and tied it to the owl's leg and sent Hedwig out the window and back to Harry. The second Hedwig has flown the window and Hermione had closed the shutters a knock was heard from her door.

"Come in…" she said as she put away her quill and ink. She turned to the door and saw Valerie standing in the doorway.

"Her Herms, your parents let me in as they went to work"

Hermione smiled and hugged her friend.

"How are you? What have you been doing?" She asked Valerie

"I'm pretty good; Rob and I broke it off again. Other than that I am in my last year of college and then I'm free to go to University. What are you planning to do once you get out of that private school?" Valerie asked.

"Well, I'm not positive but I think I will be doing an apprenticeship at the school."

"That sounds interesting" Valerie said.

Hermione nodded.

"So, what are we up to today?" her friend asked

"I have absolutely nothing in particular planned what would you like to do?"

"Well, I do need to get some shopping done. Do you need anything for school?" Val asked

"Nothing I can get here, I need to go to London for mine. But I just got my monthly allowance from Grandmamma; we can go shopping, for fun"

"I like the way you think Herms, shall we take the bus?"

"No, we'll take my car" Hermione said as she reached into her desk and took out the keys to her car. Valerie looked around at all the books her friend had on the shelves.

"I didn't know you were into Chemistry Hermione"

"Yeah, my school has an amazing program for it. I think that's where I will be doing my apprenticeship after I graduate" Hermione said distractedly as she notice another owl flying towards her room.

"Hey Val, I need to change, could you go start the car?"

"Sure Herms, it's in the garage?"

"Yes, where is normally is"

Valerie left the room and Hermione opened the window for the owl which has perched itself on the ledge.

"Who is this from?" she asked as she took the letter and reaching down into her desk took out a treat and gave it to the bird who flew off. Hermione opened the letter and slipped it out of the envelope into which it had been stuffed. As she read the letter her eyes became wider and wider. The letter was from her friend Victor Krum, who was coming to England in September of team business and would be staying at Hogwarts. He couldn't wait to see her and let her in on a little secret. She bit her tongue from screaming out and dropped the letter when the honk from her car sounded in the drive. She took out her wand and waved it at herself to change her clothes. She picked up her purse and ran down the stairs still thinking of the upcoming visit of her friend and former lover.

A/N: Hope you liked it… hehehe… yes I know Victor was never her lover… but remember it is A.U! Review if you liked it and do it even if you didn't!

Not so Chicken Little