A/N: Hemrione is back!

Sequel warning: This is a sequel to Mudblood Mistress I & II. If you have not read MMI&II I suggest you look to that

Warning: Lots of warnings.

Not the canon HP universe. More on this later.

MMIII will cover all of year 3.

Rating warning: May stray into M from time to time. Language, some violence, etc. Years 4+ will be rated M from the off.

A/N warning: Rather large one post-script. Call it my pre-release interview.

Chapter I

Muggle Life

Dust filled Hermione's lungs. Every breath was torture. She crawled across the cold, damp stone. Hermione could only see by the pale light of her wand. Something warm and wet covered her palms. She shone her light on her hand. Red, sticky blood dripped down her arms.

Hermione felt her limbs shaking, growing weak. Panting for breath, Hermione raised her wand as high as she could go. Darkness. Only darkness. The walls were closing in on her. The only way was forward. Into the darkness. Hermione gasped a horrid, wheezing cough, and felt something drip onto her eyelid. She brushed her eye with the back of her hand and looked at it in the blueish light. Was that blood? Or was her hand already bloody?

A rock tumbled to the ground behind her. Hermione spun onto her back, pointing her wand into the void. Nothing.

Thump. Thump.

Hermione was suddenly incredibly aware of her heart pounding against her chest. Trying to leap out of her.

Thump. Thump.

Hermione's breath was short, ragged. A soft rustling sound filled the tunnel. Cloth against rock. It was coming for her.

Hermione pushed herself backwards slowly. Her wand illuminated nothing but black rock. The passage was blocked. Stones were piled high.

Ping.

A rock dinged off another rock somewhere on the other side of the barrier.

Then silence.

Like a blanket thrown across a bed, it settled down slowly, smothering everything it touched. Hermione lowered her shaking wand. Her white socks were stained crimson.

Something moved.

Just on the periphery of her wand-light, a dark shape lurked. With wand outstretched, one hand behind her, Hermione sat up slowly. One step at a time, she pushed herself backwards.

Thump. Thump.

Her heart was trying to explode.

Something was there.

Following her.

Something was there.

It lunged.

A hand clamped down on her ankle – a skinless, bloody hand.

It dragged her back across the slippery rock. Hermione kicked and screamed. She tried using magic, but she couldn't think of a single spell. Not one. Her tongue was tied. Her mind was blank.

Hermione was confronted by a charred, gashed face. His golden hair had been burnt off. Blood dripped from the corners of his snarling, rabid mouth. She could see her own terrified face reflected in those rage-filled eyes.

Sticky hands locked around Hermione's neck and squeezed. Hermione flailed her arms against him. Punched his mangled face. Waved her wand at him. Nothing helped. With each second, Hermione's vision darkened. She scratched at his hands, gulping for any bit of air.

He leaned close, blue eyes losing focus, and opened his mouth to speak. A rain of warm blood splattered Hermione's face. She felt the last ounce of energy leave her body. His eyes were now glazed over, but they were still boring into her soul.

A sick, raspy voice escaped his cracked lips.

"Granger…"

Hermione sat bolt upright, heaving in her first breath for what felt like hours. She dove for her pillow, snatching under it for her aspen wand. Heart thumping inside her chest, lungs working like a bellows, she looked around her room.

Pale light had begun filtering in through the curtains. Hermione could see her oak dresser; her school trunk was open on the floor. Books and stacks of newspapers littered the surface of her desk.

No hand.

No face.

No…

No one.

Only Hermione.

She looked at her hands. No blood.

Her heart was still trying to climb Alp D'Huez. Her lungs were on the Tourmalet. Hermione leaned back, but recoiled when she felt cold and wet on her back. Her t-shirt was soaked through. Her floral sheets were damp and clingy. Every inch of Hermione's quivering body was covered in sweat.

The clock read 5:58.

Hermione kicked off the sheets, letting fresh air into her boggy bed. She lay in her puddle of sweat, clutching her wand, until the clock had passed 6:05 and her breathing had returned to normal. She switched on the lamp. Soft golden light sprung to life. Hermione reached for the parchment folded neatly on her bedside table.

Everything was going to be okay, she told herself. Hermione had received an owl from Draco. The magical world beckoned. She was going to be okay.

Dear Hermione,

Mother and Father have agreed to have you over to the Manor. They said they will send a letter to your parents to confirm the date, but I think they are angling for the last few days of summer.

Father wants me to remind you that you will be expected to maintain decorum and that there is a strict dress code in the Manor, but he is just posturing. Think of him as Snape and you'll do fine. He likes to test people the first time he meets them.

Mother says she's excited to meet you. She wants to show you around Diagon Alley, so don't get your books early. Something about boys being no fun to shop with…

-Draco

This was the first contact she had with Draco over the summer. That the letter had come in the middle of August, when Draco had initially proposed the visit in early June, did not surprise Hermione, though she was still disappointed. She suspected that when he said 'I'm sure my parents wouldn't mind' he wasn't being completely honest. Lucius Malfoy didn't get his reputation by inviting Muggle-borns to his home for dinner every other week. But it seemed like Draco had won them over. Now it was her turn.

Hermione had, of course, immediately written back, looking up every few seconds to make sure the Malfoy's owl hadn't flown off.

Dear Draco,

That is fantastic! My parents are being difficult, but I can get them to agree. I don't think they are fans of Diagon Alley, so getting my school supplies with you won't be a problem. Summer break has been boring without magic. I can't wait to get back to Hogwarts. Hope to see you soon.

-Hermione

That was three or four days ago now. The letter from the Malfoys hadn't arrived and Hermione was beginning to get worried. Had they changed their mind?

But those thoughts were pushed from her head when she caught a whiff of the stink that she was stewing in. With a wrinkled nose, Hermione pushed herself out of bed. With careful little steps, she made her way down the hall to the bathroom. She flicked on the light before stepping inside. Hermione looked around.

The one word to describe the bathroom was 'white'. Porcelain plumbing, white wood cabinet, white walls. If Hermione was allowed to do magic she probably would have turned everything hot pink just to upset her mother's decidedly dull ambiance. Helen had painted the house cream. Because it was neutral. Hermione had once asked her mother to paint the house black and gold. Not for Hufflepuff – possibly the house Hermione disliked the most – but for her local football team. But, apparently, "nobody paints their home black and gold".

Hermione closed the door. She poked her wand between the shower curtains, pulling them open and peeking inside. Then she peered under the sink and all the corners of the room. Satisfied, Hermione turned the knob to turn on the shower. She aligned the mat on the floor with the edge of the shower and stuck her hand under the water, waiting for it to heat.

Half a minute later, Hermione pulled her clothes off – her shirt, warm and wet, clinging to her back – and threw them against the cabinet. Instead of a light whoosh on impact, they hit the wood with a more solid thud. Hermione stepped into the hot jet of water and immediately felt better.

Hermione stood there, letting the water wash over her. Every few second, she leaned down to let the jet hit the top of her head and stayed there until the water had penetrated her thick hair and massaged her scalp, dripping deliciously down her neck.

The grime began to rinse away with her nerves. The growing cloud of steam surrounded her like a big, soft, warm comforter on a cold winter's night.

I-I. ⌡. Γ┐

Her parents were sitting at the table drinking coffee when Hermione walked into the kitchen. No matter how early she got up, her parents were always up earlier. Hermione slipped a couple pieces of bread into the toaster and made to get a glass of water.

"An owl flew in through the window," Hermione's mother said, glancing over her mug to the window sill where a white and grey flecked bird hooted. On the table lay a piece of parchment folded into three sections. A letter. An envelope next to it was addressed to Mr. & Mrs. Granger.

"They're quite intelligent," Hermione said as she filled her cup at the sink. "I got a letter a few days ago and the owl brought it to my window."

Hermione's father frowned. "Do you know this… Narcissa Malfoy?"

"I think that's Draco's mother," Hermione took a sip of water.

"Draco?" her mother pursed her lips.

"My friend, mother. I told you about him," then she added, under her breath, "Not that you ever listen…"

"These Malfoys say they are an old wizard family. They've invited you over for a few days," her father continued.

"I know."
"Your mother and I are just not sure about it."

"Sure about what?" Hermione asked bitterly. "Aren't you always telling me to go find people to go play football with or walk around the neighbourhood by myself? Don't you want me out of the house?"
"This is different," her father said. "We're… not totally comfortable with you staying at a boy's house for several days. Alone." The toast popped up.

"I'm sure his parents live there, too," Hermione snorted as she began to spread butter on bread.

"That's not what we mean."
"I can take care of myself."

"You may think that –"

"I know it. If you won't let me, I'll just find a way there on my own." Hermione crossed her arms and stared defiantly at them. "If you want, you can ask to meet Draco's parents," she offered.

Her parents exchanged a long look. "That might be acceptable," her father said after a while.

"Just write a letter back to Mrs. Malfoy, then. The owl will know where to go."

Hermione marched back upstairs with her early breakfast. Her father would request a meeting, but Hermione was sure Mrs. Malfoy wouldn't meet anywhere in the Muggle world. That would mean her parents would need Hermione to get to wherever they needed to go. Hermione would just pack her trunk and leave with Draco whether her parents approved or not.

I-I. ⌡. Γ┐

France had been a nightmare for Hermione. A waking nightmare to go along with her dreamt nightmares.

She did get to see all the beautiful sights. Tracey was completely right. The Eiffel Tower, Versailles, the Champs-Elysees… Paris was wonderful. The countryside, filled with chateaux's and vineyards, those golden fields and rolling hills, was magnificent. The castles, though nowhere near as large or well-kept as Hogwarts, were very interesting. Hermione even got so see a stage of the Tour de France.

The country was fantastic.

No, the company was a nightmare.

Specifically, her parents.

From day one of summer break all three of them were at a head. Hermione had made it clear that she was a witch, first and foremost, and her parents did not like it. Her mother wanted to immerse Hermione in Muggle culture so that she would "know what she'd be missing". Her father was in a perpetual sour mood because Hermione wouldn't listen to him on anything. She picked up some French specifically so she wouldn't need him to translate for her. Hermione barely spoke a sentence a day to them.

They actually began their vacation in Belgium. Their first stop was Bruges. There, Hermione found a group of young wizards enjoying their summer and began comparing notes on the differences between the French and British education systems (they all attended Beauxbatos in France), but it soon turned into a late night expedition through the city.

That was her first mistake, according to her parents.

She stayed out nearly all night with them. They weren't great company and the language gap was glaring, but Hermione had preferred the company of strangers to going back to the hotel with her parents and listening to Helen drone on about what they were going to see the next day. Hermione returned late at night, fumigated by the teenagers' cigarettes (though Hermione would not let one of them near her lips). After that her parents didn't let her out of their sight.

The next incident had been in Paris. Hermione decided to go looking for the French Ministry of Magic, whether they followed her or not. They chased after her across the city until Hermione succeeded in finding the Ministry.

Her parents were not pleased. Strike two.

The final blow came in the Pyrenees. Hermione's punishment for her indiscretions came in the form of biking up a mountain. A real mountain. Thousands of meters in the air. On a bike. Her father was a bastard.

In response, Hermione crossed the Muggle-repelling ward near Beauxbatons to get a closer look. She had popped out of existence, for all that her parents could see, and refused to return until she had circled the school ('to see it from all angles'). It took nearly two hours.

That was when Daniel and Helen Granger ended their vacation. They took their daughter by the scruff of her neck and marched her all the way back to Watford. They tried to take her wand, too, but Hermione protested vigorously, and they ceased their attempted seizure when the train car wobbled and the lights flickered.

The whole trip had been a disaster.

Weeks later, both sides were still bitter over France, and there hadn't been much time to heal wounds. Her parents were always at work, as usual, and Hermione had barricaded herself in her room with her books. Some of them were her Hogwarts books, but most were textbooks on Muggle sciences or history. Her parents had vetoed any trip to Diagon Alley ("you need to improve your attitude, young lady") and she had already read all of her magic-related books so her only recourses for additional readings were Muggle libraries. Hermione briefly considered taking a bus or train into London and going to Diagon Alley herself. But that required monetary funds, of which Hermione had precious little. She would need money from her parents, and she doubted they would oblige. She even more briefly considered asking Draco for help, but dismissed that. She didn't want him to think she was only friends with him for his money, which couldn't have been further from the truth.

No, Hermione would have to wait until Draco liberated her from her mundane prison.

Sorry, but I have some housekeeping to divulge to you, my faithful readers. Some parts may stray into my ramblings on my work, some may be of some use to you.

Genre/pairings warning: The listed genre is Drama/Friendship, not Romance. I do not wish to deceive anybody so I feel it necessary to make a warning about what this story is actually about as we are beginning to wade into the hormone-addled teenager portion of the story (while it may not end entirely, we are getting to the thick of the schoolhouse drama). While Hermione and Draco are developing a close friendship, this is not a Dramione, nor will it become one. While Hermione will develop romantic relationships, this is not a romance, nor will it become one. Hermione's romantic relationships, while important to her, are not the focus of the story. They can add to the story. They can be crucial to the story. But that does not make them any more important than her relationship with Snape, or Dumbledore, or any other character, nor will her romantic relationships take centre stage at any point. This is about Hermione's journey into a new world. Intricacies of romantic outings and the such aren't really in the highlight reel.

My philosophy on pairings is that they cause more harm than good in any story that is not a stated romance between said pairings. They remove all sense of intrigue or suspense from romantic subplots and can take over more time than they should. As stated in my first A/N of MMI&II, there are no pairings set in stone nor will they be announced ahead of time. This allows for changes down the road as my vision changes and as the characters literally grow up. Any relationships that pop up in the next editions of MM will not necessarily stick. Nor will they all necessarily fail. Teenage relationships are usually frail and mercurial. And any relationship at any point is subject to change. For instance, I won't nix a Molly/Arthur divorce (God knows that family has problems), nor will Harry/Pansy be an absolutely debunked theory. Just because there are no plans for it now does not mean it will not happen – which isn't to say that things will pop up out of nowhere. I'm not going to push characters together if I feel resistance from them. For everything that happens I try to set it up logically and with proper progression, which is a big reason I am completing each year before they go to publishing. So, beware. Be on the lookout. Try to spot things coming. Try to spot things crumbling.

In the end, the story is Hermione's. Not Hermione/xxx's. Each character will have their own motivations. Fleur won't fall in love with Hermione because I want it to happen (I don't). And if she does, they won't stay together for the sake of having them together.

Canon/AU warning: Everything from books 1-4 will try to stick as much within book canon where Hermione isn't concerned - keeping in mind that Harry isn't a reliable narrator, nor is everything said by other characters 100% the truth. Not a complete guarantee, but a promise to give my all.

After year 4, everything is up for grabs. Not labelled AU for nothing. More on the later years below.

If you haven't picked up on it, I'm not a fan of DH. Anything in DH you can pretty much throw out. Or, at least, don't consider it part of the MM universe until it appears here.

Some noteworthy, non-spoiler changes/confirmations that may or may not be important:

Bellatrix is the middle child. Andromeda is the oldest.

Snape does not have the same story as the Prince's Tale. Consequently, neither does Lily.

Dumbledore's history is tailored slightly so his personality has continuity and makes sense (damn you, DH!).

Dorea and Charles are James Potter's parents.

Amortentia is not being studied in the DoM.

The Horcrux mechanics, identity, locations and timeline are not necessarily all the same as canon, so don't think you know more (or know as much as you think) than the characters.

Dean Thomas is full Muggle-born. Cho Chang is halfblood. Blaise Zabini is pureblood. Tracey Davis is halfblood. Patils are pureblood.

Black family birth/death dates may change at my discretion, though I try will try to lock them down ASAP.

My interpretation of AK, Cruciatus and Imperius differs from JKR. Explorations will come in the text as Hermione discovers.

My interpretation of nonverbal magic differs from JKR. Explorations will come in the text.

A bunch of events c. 1973-1982 have been retrofitted. Mostly HBP compliant, but flies in the face of DH.

Many deaths. You've seem one already.

Plodding plot warning: So this year was a slog. I had to battle through it (still am – as I'm posting this I'd say it's ~95% complete. The rest I'll fill in on a weekly basis). I cut about five chapters from my original outline. There were wide stretched that just didn't need to be there. To be honest, this year is mostly set up for the later years, and I want to get there as fast as I can. The plot of Prisoner of Azkaban doesn't lend itself to a Slytherin Hermione who isn't close to H&R. The history Sirius + Remus + James + Peter isn't all that important to Hermione at this point. She's still just a student. So there is no emotional impetus to the Sirius story for Hermione. And I think I really felt that when writing. I lost the passion. It was easier when Hermione thought she was basilisk target #1. It's a transition year for Hermione and there weren't many relevant markers in JKR's plot for me to hit.

Which makes this hard. Because it is a very important year for her. Hermione hasn't screwed with things enough that everything is different, either. So I'm stuck writing a story of subplots, introductions, and character development that lacks that sense of urgency that other years have. I think everything is interesting and important – I just hope y'all can look past the deficiencies of year three to appreciate the story I'm spinning.

Fortunately, I think I've worked out a very unique segue into year four (which I originally thought was going to be the hardest to make into a solid story) which I am extremely excited about. Year three runs parallel to the original plot – Hermione is there, we see it and things happen around her – and year five begins the large-scale AU separation from the books, but year four will largely skirt JKR's original premise and begins throwing open the doors to my own story lines. It is where I will begin to truly test my own writing and plotting skills. And I'm pumped for it. (Seeing Tom again won't hurt, either)

MMIII is 18 chapters long, coming it at around 50k words. Posting will be scheduled for Fridays. Bonus chapters according to how fast MMIV is written. I need some time realize the scope of the story. At this point I'm planning on going up to MMVIII.