A/N: Well, I'm back everyone. Not only am I back, but I am back with a brand new computer (and a badass one at that!) Things are still going a little rough around here but I've decided that writing calms me down a lot, and so I've come to the conclusion that it's time to start writing again. I apologize for the funk I've been in for the past few months, but things are getting better, despite the few trips to the hospital I've had to make this week for my aunt. But all of that is another story completely…

Return and Rebuild

The sun shone down on us as Hermione and I walked briskly toward the school with the Headmaster.

"Your friends have been completely insufferable in your absence, Miss. Granger," Dumbledore laughed, his eyes twinkling as bright as ever. "I'm sure they will be most eager to see you as soon as they hear of your return."

That thought makes my eyebrows furrow.

I had forgotten about the rest of the people in Hermione's life entirely. That they would have a hard time believing that I was not as stuck up and horrid as I had been acting for years. In fact, I highly doubted that they would accept a friendship between their friend and me, let alone a possible relationship.

And the Weasley girl.

I knew that, like a child, she was quite likely to see Hermione with me and want her back. As if she were some toy that was to be repossessed when the child saw another playing with it.

"- would you, Pansy?" Hermione's voice cut into my thoughts and I shifted my gaze to land upon her face.

"I'm sorry, I zoned out for a minute," I admitted to her.

"Miss. Granger was just asking if you would mind her switching Prefect rounds with your usual partner," Dumbledore smiled brightly at me. "So that you will have more time to spend together."

"Of course not," I gave a warm smile. "I would prefer it, really."

As we closed in on the main entrance, Dumbledore let out a sigh. "Do be careful, you two," he looked at me. "I do not want any fights to start breaking out. The Gods know that you may well hurt someone if it gets to be physical."

"I have never started a fight, Professor," I looked up at him. "I don't plan to start doing so now."

"I will take that as an 'I'll try'," he nodded. "I know how your people are in these types of situations and so I will not make you give a promise you cannot keep." We stopped in front of the door. "Now, I must go fetch Miss. Lovegood and your little cousin."

"What?" I raised an eyebrow at him. "Rasha will be coming here? For school?"

With a laugh, he shook his head and his eyes met mine. "I am sure you will be able to handle her. Besides, she is running out of schools willing to accept her very quickly."

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. "I suppose that's true," I shifted my eyes to Hermione. "And she listens to Hermione really well. Hopefully she'll be in either Gryffindor or Slytherin."

"I am sure it will be fine either way," Dumbledore smiled kindly. "Tatty-bye," he waved happily and disapparated instantly with a loud CRACK.

After barely a moment, Hermione took off like a bolt of lightning toward the door and pushed her way into the school.

Shaking my head, I simply walked in casually, bag slung over my shoulder. I already missed being at home.

Hermione stood at the top of the stairs, glancing back at me then toward the grand staircase and I knew she wanted to go see her friends immediately. No one was up yet, it was far too early. Dumbledore had shown up about three hours after we had gone to sleep.

"Go ahead," I motioned for her to go. "I'm not stopping you. I'll just see you later."

"Lunch?" she suggested with a smile, which I returned.

"Sounds good," I moved up the stairs and toward the stairs leading to the dungeons. "I have some business to attend to, anyway."

With another smile, she rushed off up the stairs and I was left alone, standing in the empty stillness of the early morning castle. Which was rather odd, considering-

"Well, if it isn't little Pug Nose!" the high pitched cackling voice of the poltergeist rang out above me and I glanced up with just my eyes to see him floating, upside, down over my head, twirling a small umbrella.

"Leave me alone," I said in a bored voice, descending the stairs slowly.

"Ohhhh, Puggy Puggerson is angry at old Peevesy!" Peeves chuckled, bouncing along above me. "What's got her knickers all in a bunch?"

"I only just returned from a vacation and you are among the last beings that I want to see right away," my voice was flat as I walked down the hall and toward the Slytherin common room.

"A vacation? With bush head?"

I stopped dead in my tracks and turned to look at the translucent pest. "If you would rather, I could go spend some quality time with the Bloody Barron. After all, I've heard he really is quite the conversationalist once you get past that sinister shell."

Had he been able to, I knew Peeves would have turned even more white than his condition already caused him to be.

Without another word, he was gone into thin air.

Hermione's POV:

I found my way quickly to the common room and up into my dorm to get dressed into my robes before I would head to the great hall for breakfast, to surprise Harry and Ron when they came in for the meal. I dressed quickly and silently, careful not to wake my roommates and bounded down the stairs again and began running down the grand staircase.

All the while, I thought of Pansy as I moved down the stairs, passing the occasional early rising students. They were the ones like me, who preferred to actually study and pass their classes.

I began to wonder just how much Pansy actually studied, or she was another one I would have to bother about studying, just as I constantly had to with my two best friends. Did she have a study schedule? A planner? Did she have special methods for studying or did she just tend to wing it? Study when she felt like it.

Felt.

The way she had felt as she held me close to her the night before; warm and secure. I was safe when I was around her, but I knew I didn't need her to be safe. All the same, she was warmth incarnate and last night had been amazing. Running with her and then sleeping beside her.

The way her soft skin pressed against mine as our lips met for the first time –

"Hermione!" Rasha's voice was in front of me as I exited the grand staircase. She stood there with a little grin on her face, already wearing Hogwarts robes, sans House emblem, not having been sorted yet.

"That was fast," I smiled back and gave her a small hug. "Dumbledore didn't waste any time did he?"

"He doesn't seem like he's the type to waste time," she hugged me back, more tightly that I had done to her. "Where's Pansy?"

"I don't have an answer for that," I pried myself out of her grasp and gently massaged my ribs where they hurt from a werewolf bear-hugging me. "She went off… I guess she's in her room?" I ventured a guess though by the Gods I had no idea where she could have gone. "She said she had business to attend to and that would have lunch together."

"Well, do you know where her room is?" the platinum-haired girl asked, frowning.

"Sorry," I gave a shrug. "But she'll probably come to breakfast. She sits at the Slytherin table, but I guess you can sit where you want for today."

"I guess it can wait then," Rasha sighed. "I-"

"Hermione!" my name was called again, but I had known this voice since I started Hogwarts.

Harry and Ron were racing down the stairs, wearing their Quidditch uniforms and brooms slung over their shoulders.

Ron reached me first and engulfed me in a hug. "Where the hell have you been?" he demanded, looking down at me. "Was this more time turner business?" he asked as Harry took his turn to hug me tightly.

"No," I shook my head and laughed. "It's just such a long story and I'm really hungry right now. Let's just get some breakfast."

"Who are you?" Ron asked sharply, looking at Rasha.

"Ron," I said quickly before Rasha could get upset. That hadn't been quite the nicest first greeting to get from someone she didn't know on her first day. "This is Rasha. Rasha, this is Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. Rasha is new to the school." I looked to the third year who was looking blankly at Ron with her purple eyes.

"Oh, ok," Harry smiled politely and offered his hand to her. "Welcome to Hogwarts, then."

"Thanks," Rasha took his hand hesitantly and shook it gently. "It's nice to finally meet you." She gave a smile that did not quite reach her eyes and took her hand away from him.

"What the bloody hell is wrong with your eyes?" Ron blurted out, crouching slightly to get a closer look at them. "They're purple!"

I froze and kept my eyes on Rasha to see what she may have been thinking. I could see the danger of her being at any school when her unusually vivid purple eyes drew a lot of attention. Not to mention her platinum blond hair. Ron could have been getting himself into a lot of trouble at that moment and I was hoping that he would get lucky and not be thrown across the room.

Rasha looked at him blankly, as if deciding what she was going to do about the boy two times her size staring at her.

"Are you sure you should be a prefect?" she finally spoke, her tone mocking. "Can you honestly not figure it out yourself? I am a witch, you know. A simple color changing spell does wonders."

I covered my mouth with my hand to hide a snicker as I remembered the first time I'd met Ron when he had been attempting to turn his rat yellow.

Ron shot a disbelieving look at me before looking back at Rasha. "You've got a right smart ass attitude on you for a midget," he said, trying to save face as students began passing by us.

Rasha tensed and I could tell she was going to say something or do something foolish.

"Rasha, why don't you go get something to eat?" I suggested, snapping her attention to me.

"Actually, I'm gonna go find Pansy," she sighed and stormed off up the stairs.

"That little pipsqueak is with Parkinson?" Ron frowned, disgusted.

This was going to be a very long year at school...

Pansy's POV:

I stationed myself in the Slytherin common room, waiting for Bulstrode to leave emerge from her dorm for breakfast. She and I were going to have a talk about what she had tried to do to Hermione and what she had forced me to do in order to keep her from hurting an innocent person.

Student after student passed me, nodding in recognition that I was back and I would nod back at them.

Then the last person I wanted to see dragged himself down the stairs, his two goons following close behind him. They looked even dumber than they had when they had in our first year, when I had decided it would be best to eventually attach myself to one of the males and ruled them out at first glance. Draco was the best choice out of the three, and I decided to stick with him.

"Where have you been, Parkinson?" he drawled when he saw me, stopping in front of me, blocking my view. "Haven't seen you in days."

"I don't see how it's any of your business," I said flatly, my eyes emotionless as I stared at him.

"Well, I heard that you and Granger were sent home around the same time for personal reasons," he sneered, pushing his hair back out of his eyes. "Did you hex her good?"

"Why I went home is no business of yours, Malfoy, so nose down," I glared.

"Come on, tell me what you did to her and then maybe we could go somewhere..." he placed his hand on my hip and I knocked it away.

"Don't touch me ever again or I swear I will pull every last hair out of your greasy head," I hissed at him. "Daddy is in Azkaban now, so you can't hide behind him anymore," I added with a sneer of my own.

"You'll be sorry you said that," he growled and stalked away. "Crab, Goyle! Come on!" The chastened dogs followed their master obediently.

"Good doggies," I smirked after them. "Woof woof."

They were either too scared to say something back at me, or too stupid. However, it was quite possibly a mixture of both.

After another half hour, my target finally descended the stairs gloomily as she rubbed sleep from her eyes. When those eyes caught sight of me, she attempted to run away back up the stairs.

Stupid move; she only cornered herself and made it easier for me to get to her.

In her dorm, I found her sitting on her bed and looking at me as if she were seeing a ghost.

"What?" I raised an eyebrow as I kicked the door closed and flicked my wand to lock it quickly. "Surprised to see me again? Thought you had killed two birds with one stone by forcing me to reveal myself to a human?"

She did not say anything, draining of all color.

"You did," I laughed coldly. "You thought I would be imprisoned and Hermione killed. The fact is, pup," I kicked over a wastebasket as I stalked toward her, "we may well be mated soon. Therefore,, if you even think about touching her, I have every right to kill you when school ends. I may do it anyway, when I take your pack in ten years," I add as an afterthought. "You deserve no less."

"We're changing," she said quietly, eyes pleading with me. "We're getting stronger."

"Oh, really?" I tilted my head to one side. "And do you think, even if you are getting stronger, that you will ever be a match for me?"

Her head lowered obediently and I nodded. "This is your last warning," I hissed quietly to her. "Keep your head down and keep to your side of the castle grounds on full moons."

She gave a nod, not daring to look me in the eyes.

Kicking the basket again, I moved through the door and slung the bag over my shoulder once more.

The walk through the halls was quiet; the few students I passed ignored my presence and carried on toward the Great Hall. The feeling of entrapment seemed as if it had lessened now that I knew my potential mate was in the castle with me. I felt a small smile curl my lips and let it stay.

It felt good to smile a genuine smile.

My room was just as it was when I had left. Alex's portrait was facing the stone wall and Alice's was still facing the correct way. In fact, she was waiting for me when I walked into my bedroom.

"Ah, the young Alpha returns," she grinned as I set my bag down on the bed and stretched my arms. "And I trust that your young mate has returned as well."

"She's not my mate," I rolled my eyes. "Well, not yet at least."

"Oh, but she will be, dear," Alice laughed and clapped happily. "You two are far too perfect a couple."

"You really are very cryptic," I sighed as I picked out new clothes to wear. "I suppose you won't tell me how you know this?"

"Not a chance, young one," she laughed again.

"Fine."

I dumped my bag out after I dressed myself, put away my clothes, and place the books that I'd brought with me on my bookshelves.

Pansy, if you're around please say something! Rasha's voice intruded my thoughts and I sighed to myself. She sounded pissed off and she couldn't have been here for more than a half hour.

What? I thought back to her.

Where are you?

I'll come find you in a minute. Just try not to kill anyone and stay where you are.

This would surely be a very interesting year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...

A/N: Ok, so I know it's not a very long chapter and kinda "A to B" but I will be working on the next one come tomorrow since I don't have to babysit or do anything at all, really. But R&R and let me know what you think. Also, if anyone is interested in drawing up some FanArt for this fic, you are more than welcome to and I would be very interested in seeing it.