A/N: Decided to take a new approach on this story, due to the suggestions of crazyboy88. Hope this chapter is okay.

Story Notes:

Set in an AU sixth year. There is no Voldemort, only a constant tension between Muggle-borns and Pureblood/Pureblood supporters.

15 year olds are allowed to do magic outside of school.

This is a Buffy the Vampire Slayer crossover and it will contain a bangel romance and other pairings from the show.

The Main POVs will be Hermione's and Buffy's.

---

Hermione's POV

I stared blankly at the piece of parchment in my hand. For once, thought eluded me. I blinked my eyes rapidly to clear the water from my eyes, and then I sighed. I was not going to get anywhere when my muse refused to cooperate. What usually gave me inspiration, I wondered.

My eyes caught sight of a picture of Ron, Harry, and I. I smiled at the memory of when that was taken. After Colin Creevey and I were revived using the Mandrake Potion in my second year, Colin decided that the best way to thank us was to take an insane amount of pictures of us. This picture was taken when Harry, annoyed by the flashing light of the camera, had tried to hide behind Ron and I. Ron didn’t like this at all, and he pounced on Harry, who was behind me at the time. Thus we’d all ended up in a pile of limbs on the floor. Colin had gotten quite a lot of pictures before we were able to disentangle ourselves.

As the memory replayed itself within my head, a thought suddenly occurred to me. Ron and Harry had invited me to the Burrow for the summer. Maybe what I needed was to get away from my family and spend some time with my friends. I stood up quickly, nearly stepping on Poor Crookshanks.

“So sorry, Crooksy,” I cooed at the box-faced cat. He hissed at me in response and slinked under the bed. Normally, I would’ve gone to comfort him, but I decided to ignore him for the moment. I walked over to my desk and pulled out a clean sheet of looseleaf. I thought carefully, before penning an explanatory note to my parents.

‘Mother, Father,’ it read, in my neat handwriting, ‘I’m going to the burrow. Harry and Ron invited me a while ago and I’ve decided to take them up on their offer. It will be good for me, since I am bored witless in my room. Love, Hermione’

Satisfied, I stood up to pack my things. Waving my wand around, I thanked Merlin for the earliness of my birthday as I summoned my things into my trunk. Realizing that I couldn’t leave my cat here, I crawled under the pet to fetch him.

“Crooksy, come out. We’re going to visit Harry and Ron-”

At the sound of Ron’s name, Crookshanks jumped from under the bed and into my waiting arms. He had developed an odd obsession with Ron after Ron rescued him from a vicious garden gnome. I smiled, knowing that Ron wouldn’t be so happy to see my Crookshanks.

“There’s a good kitty,” I cooed again, carrying Crookshanks to a black cage. I placed Crookshanks in there before turning back to my room.

“Accio Floo Powder,” I stated and a bag of floo powder sped to her. Since I couldn’t apparate yet, that would be the only way to get to the Burrow. Grabbing it, I whispered “wingardium leviosa” to levitate my trunk and Crookshanks cage, and led them out the door and down the hall. I headed for her parents’ den; that was the only room with a fire place. Inside the room, I lit the fire and threw the floo powder into it.

“The Burrow,” I shouted before I, my trunk, and Crookshanks disappeared in a burst of green flames.

---

I stumbled out of a large grate and into a dark room. The fireplace went out like a light when Crookshanks’ cage toppled to the floor and I knew with absolute certainty that I was not in the Burrow.

Standing up, I kept my wand at the ready. I looked around me and then started. The Malfoy Crest hung above the fireplace, looking newly polished and shined. If the Malfoy Crest was here then there was only one logical answer to my location: Malfoy Manor. I rushed to start the fire again, nearly stumbling over my own feet in my haste. Apparently, my stumble had been pretty loud and just as I cast the “incendio” charm someone grabbed me from behind.

I panicked and used my wand to jab the person in the side instead of casting a spell. The person cursed and I could recognize the voice anywhere.

“Malfoy,” I said disgustedly, turning around to face him.

“What the hell are you doing here, in my home, Mudblood? Did Potty and Weasel send you to spy?” he questioned, with a sneer. His wand was pointed fixedly at me and I realized that if I refused to answer he could probably not only curse me, but send his whole family down upon me. Not wanting that, I responded in kind.

“Even if Harry or Ron had sent me here, I wouldn’t come with a trunk and my cat now would I, ferret boy?”

His eyes looked toward the hissing cage and trunk and then back to me.

“I was travelling somewhere else and obviously ended up here accidentally. Now, if you’ll allow me, I’ll be going now,” I stated. Despite my misgivings, I turned my back on him and moved to upright my trunk and Crookshanks.

Malfoy didn’t move behind me for a moment, and then I heard his footsteps approaching behind me. I was about to raise my wand, but stopped when he didn’t jinx me but picked up Crookshanks’ cage. I guess my surprise at his actions was easy to read, and Malfoy said:

“The faster you get out of here the better. I don’t want any nasty mudbloods dirtying my house,” he scoffed, his nasty smirk covering his face.

Too angry to respond, I hurriedly grabbed Crookshanks out of his hand and kicked my trunk toward the fireplace. Grabbing my bag of floo powder, I threw it into the fire and shouted the Burrow. I disappeared into the flames…only to fall back into the Malfoy Manor once again.

“What the hell-What’s going on Mudblood?” Malfoy asked his smirk leaving his face.

“If I knew, ferret, do you think I’d be back here once again?” I gritted out, annoyed at the situation. The floo network didn’t seem to be working, which was very, very bad.

“Get out,” he growled, clearly as annoyed as me.

“If I could, don’t you think I would have been at the Burrow by now? I said where I wanted to go and it sent me here. Obviously, something is very wrong with the floo network.”

Malfoy, snorted, and to my utter horror said, “I know what you’re doing. You’re doing some spell to make it look like you’re saying ‘the Burrow’ when you’re actually saying ‘Malfoy Manor’ so you can stay here with me.’

I stalked over to him, wand held high, and practically screeched, “Why in Merlin’s name would I want to stay here with you, you arrogant ignoramus?”

He smirked and said, “Because of my good looks of course. Even a mudblood like yourself can’t resist the Malfoy charm, despite knowing that you aren’t even fit to wipe the slime of the bottom of my boots.”

My scream of outrage rang through the room as I jabbed him for the second time with my wand, “How dare you? What charm could you possibly possess that would make any sensible girl fall for a disgusting little rodent like you? You filthy little bastard, I’d rather-”

I never got the chance to finish my tirade for Lucius Malfoy apparated into the room and had grabbed a hold of me. I looked into his cold gray eyes, desperately trying to hide my fear.

“What are you doing here, mudblood?” he practically spat in my face, his grip tightening on my wrist as he held it.

“The floo network, father. It won’t let her get to her destination. Trust me, she does not want to be here,” Malfoy answered, to my surprise. At first I was shocked that he was defending me, but then again, I realized, I had screamed that in his face.

“Damn, I heard it was acting up when I was at the ministry, but this,” Lucius said. He gestured to me at the word this, like I wasn’t even fit to be given a name. I found my fear slowly giving way to anger and I glared up at Lucius Malfoy.

“Let me go, Mr. Malfoy,” I demanded angrily, pointing my wand at him.

He jerked me roughly and said, “Do not anger me girl. If you weren’t one of Dumbledore’s favorites, you’d be dead by now. Don’t try my patience,” he threatened icily, his fingers biting into my skin.

My fear grew strong again and I gulped slightly. Why did the floo network have to choose the day I decided to go to the Burrow as the day to act up? Now, here I am stuck in Malfoy Manor of all places.

I looked back into the face of Lucius Malfoy and was met with a pensive expression. After a minute, his face returned to its normal mask of distaste and he said, “The girl can’t stay here. Draco, you will escort her to her destination. If I let one of Dumbledore’s favorites out all alone, it will look badly upon the family name.”

My face went slack in shock and I saw Malfoy nod slightly. Lucius released me and I fell to the ground, my arms throbbing where he held me. Lucius walked towards the fire and apparated out of the room. I was left all alone with Malfoy.

“Get up stupid Mudblood. It’s too late to leave now, so I’ll show you to a room.”