Abso-bloody-lutely dreadful, I tell you. This fic is absolutely- horrifying, in my opinion.
Well, I'm back after almost a few months and I planned to revise this story, lovelies. After getting some recent reviews, I went back here and decided to see my work so far. ("WHAT THE FECK IS THIS?") I hope that you have all taken the time to read the whole fic again, as it has been edited with a lot more interesting stuff. Clearly, I liked my plot for this fic, but the words weren't- I don't know, perfect, for me. Looking back, I was a bit embarrassing and naive, haha. So, here it is. Enjoy!
Oh, god. One more thing, I have changed my name to [King Piccadilly] from [TheMischiefEra].
Rating: T (included: profanity and most likely to change the rating due to the following chapters.)
Setting: Pre- Hogwarts. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Scotland (Years 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) then follows EWE (Epilogue, What Epilogue?) format.
Pairing: Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy
Summary (Full): I wanted more from her. I wanted to see her shake with rage, to see her cheeks burn up with humiliation, see her lick those swollen lips and her eyes shine with malice. "Locking horns with you, Granger, is always fun. But I'd surely never allow you to get the last word. I thought you'd already knew that." More, but it isn't certainly what you'd normally have in mind. REVISED! DMxHG
The Mischief Era: The Dramione Tales
Hogwarts Express, King's Cross Station, London
2nd Year in Hogwarts, 1992
Don't get her wrong. 2nd year in Hogwarts was exciting and all, just it had been for Hermione's first year; she had no friends back then, and she usually wandered around on her own, until she got into messes with Ron and Harry. But starting the year without them, definitely worried her.
She had arrived at King's Cross Station, 30 minutes early. Excited and eager to get the school year going. So, she had put her bags in already, double checked, kissed her parents good bye and found an empty compartment at the back of the train (the exact same one she had met Harry and Ron, drowning in a pile of candy wrappers, and edible sweets) and sat down, hoping Ron and Harry would arrive soon.
Minutes had passed and her smile began to waver as she zeroed into the magical barrier, still no Harry or Ron. Not even the Weasleys have arrived! Although she had noticed Neville being dragged by the ear by his grandmother fancying a green hat with a large, stuffed vulture. The Patil Twins, Lee Jordan and an odd looking, blonde girl dressed in blue jumper carrying two large pumpkins whilst holding her fathers hand who had the similar long blonde mane.
She even noticed the Malfoys pass by. Much to her surprise, Malfoy's mother had given what seemed to be a warm hug to her son, who wasn't very eager to return the favor but Hermione's eyes darted back to the barrier and the wandering thought slipped her mind as she had seen a very large mass of red trying to make their way to the train. Hermione got up from her seat and plastered her face to the cold window to get a better look. She was right, she thought to herself, as she noticed the crowd to be the Weasleys, and a small unidentified girl with slightly redder hair, she thought to be their little sister, that Ron had mentioned last year. She quickly searched for Harry and Ron, but failed and convinced herself to believe they were just being blocked from view by the rest of the families trying to get through.
She had sat herself down, and watched as students were leaving the station to board the train. And barely anyone else was out the steam filled atmosphere but the families. 4 more minutes, until the Hogwarts Express would leave. Where could they have gone? Had they already boarded the train, and Hermione hadn't seen? Had they perhaps, have been sitting in another compartment, waiting instead for Hermione to join them? The thought made her cringe to awkwardly round about the train looking for her friends that were most probably with a new crowd. What if they never let her join? A way to start the new term!
2 minutes left. The train was soon being filled with students, and the train let out more steam, the engine below rumbling slightly. She scratched her head, her bushy hair, moving slightly. She brushed a small hand through it, feeling the soft, thick curls, swipe through her calloused fingers. She began to rub her temple in annoyance of all the waiting, and just when she was about to give up, the train had started to move.
What? NO!
She got up to her feet, and slammed open the compartment door. She pushed her head through the gap, and looked around. The halls were completely deserted, all except for the trolley woman at the back. She scratched her head again with more force, and slammed close the door. Frustrated, she slumped herself on the seat, and took out Hogwarts, A History , for the nth time.
The compartment was filled with bright light as the train began to pass the trees, and the small clumps of trees now outside of London. Hermione desperately tried to keep Ron and Harry out of her mind, and her mind began to sink deeper and deeper into the book she held tightly in her hands, that she hadn't noticed someone had opened her compartment door, and stepped in.
"Er- hello."
Hermione didn't notice the small voice. And the small voice, tried again, as Hermione's eyebrows furrowed together in deep concentration in her book.
"Ahem- Hello."
No reply.
"Excuse me, I- erm, HELLO?"
Hermione jumped, and she whipped her head to the door. The small girl with the red hair she had seen earlier by the barrier, stood there stiffly. Her brown eyes wide, and her mouth tight lipped. Hermione and the little girl, stared at each other for a few moments, when Hermione, gave a weak smile.
"Sorry, was reading- Hi."
The little girl blushed a bit, and smiled. "Hullo, may I -sit with the compartment- I mean, sit in you- I mean, sit with you in the compartment-?"
Hermione shook her head, "Not at all. I'm Hermione, by the way. Hermione Granger." she said politely as the little girl, dragged a trunk inside, and sat across her. The little girl, brushed her red hair away from her face, and smiled again.
"I know, my brother, Ron, was talking about you, over the summer, with- with-" The little girl began to stutter with her words, again.
"-Harry Potter?" Hermione guessed, and she was correct. The girl blushed furiously, and nodded. She licked her lips, and said in a small, throaty voice,
"I'm Ginny. Ginny Weasley." Ginny held out her hand.
"Yes, I know." Hermione smiled and took the hand and shook it slightly. Ginny's mouth twitched at the corner, and curved into a grin. Hermione frowned, and was then reminded again of how much she resembled Ron's similar smile.
"Is your brother on the train? Would you know where he'd be?" Hermione asked. Ginny looked up, "Which one?"
"Ron, of course." Hermione added quickly. Ginny adjusted her bags aside. "Well, I was about to ask you the same. I haven't seen him since we passed by the barrier." Ginny replied meekly. She played with her hair. " I was supposed to sit with him until we reached Hogwarts."
Hermione grumbled, and was much more troubled to know that even the people she thought Harry and Ron were to arrive with have no clue where they might have been.
Ginny and Hermione had spent their time talking about Hogwarts, with Hermione adding in her first experiences and the subjects and the teachers, but not that Ginny hadn't gotten the lecture already by 4 brothers.
"The Fat Lady does tend to get very crude though, later in the night if you wake her up. She starts whining and looks a bit like a large strawberry." Hermione finished off as the last of her crude remarks about the paintings around the castle, and Ginny let out a small tinkling laugh when the door had suddenly slid open.
The Weasley Twins stood just inside the door, and locked eyes with Ginny.
"Ginny!- then, where's Ickle Ronniekins?" George- or Fred- piped up. They had given a wave and hello to Hermione, and looked back at Ginny, who was simply gaping.
"What?" Ginny and Hermione chorused. "So, he's not on the train? Then, where is he?" Ginny asked.
"We don't know. We've been looking for him, because he's got our Self- Shuffling Cards." Fred chided. George scratched his head, and shared a glance with Fred.
"You reckon they just missed the train?" Fred said. George hit him on the head."What else, would've happened? They couldn't just have disappeared!" George grudged and reached out to close the door, giving a nonchalant thanks to Hermione and Ginny.
"Where do you think they've gone off to?" Ginny said quietly. Hermione tried not to sound to worried or anything eve though she was baffled by the announcement. She had completely forgotten about them, not noticing that it was just her and Ron's younger sister in the compartment. She didn't want to know something bad had happened to them, and it would make her feel even worse.
As they sat in silence, deep in their own thoughts, the door slid open once more.
Another Weasley stood behind the door, his face all scrunched up, and he looked a bit shaky.
"Ginny." Percy adjusted his horn- rimmed glasses, his Prefect Badge shining very brightly. Ginny rolled her eyes, and said in an annoyed tone that Hermione could almost recognize as Ron's.
"Yes, Perce?" Ginny folded her arms, her rusty red brows shooting upwards.
"I've heard Fred and George looking for Ron as I was doing the usual rounds, for my Prefect duties, as you know. I haven't seen him in any of the compartments, even that Harry Potter is not aboard. So I had to send a message to the school, but apparently, it's hard to get past the other cages, so I couldn't get to Hermes-" He adjusted his horn-rimmed glasses again. " Thought, I should check if you're doing fine. I think- it's best, if you stick with me. Just in case."
Ginny became quiet. "But- he's really not on the train then?"
Percy nodded, and gestured a thin arm to Ginny. Ginny hesitated to take it, and turned to look at Hermione.
"Uhm, sorry. But- would you like to -come with, us?" Ginny said awkwardly, as she grabbed her trunk, and shouldered a checkered rucksack.
Hermione shook her head, and gave a good natured smile. "It's alright. I'm fine here.." Ginny became quiet, but then, she hugged Hermione, which made Hermione very quiet, but closed her arms around Ginny. And as if it was too soom, Ginny slipped away from her grasp and had left with Percy, leaving Hermione alone.
Like earlier, Hermione had sat down in her seat and picked Hogwarts, A History back up. She scowled and said, "It's just you and me. Again. for how many times a day." She flipped it open, "I seriously need to get a new book." she mumbled under her breath.
"Or how about a nice hair cut, Granger?"
Hermione let out a yelp in surprise, to the disturbance of her found peace.
She could recognize that same drawl, that same recognizable tone, and the feeling of steel cold grey eyes staring daggers at her back.
She put her book down, and stood up to turn to find contact with that dark glint in those molten silver eyes, and a plastered sneer on his pale, pointed face. Hermione scowled at him, and planted her hands on her hips. But she couldn't bring up the courage to say anything, because something abrupt, just sucked out all the air from her lungs.
Draco Malfoy's face sure had that look that you'd want to just hex inside out or give a rather good slap session to give it a nice ripe color.
"Malfoy. What do you want?" Hermione said as if she was hissing, making it sound more horrible than intended.
Draco sneered. "What would I want from you?" He looked absolutely prim in his fancy robes, looking suave as he leaned back into the open frame of her compartment door.
"Emphasize on the 'you' much, Malfoy?" Hermione grunted. Draco crossed his arms.
"It's not my problem you can't get a better haircut or a nice wash, to look decent for a day. " Hermione had rolled her eyes in his rather immature "insult". He thought as if by the simple would offend her or make her scared to throw a book at his face, which Hermione was itching to do. "Whatever, Malfoy. Bugger off." she said thickly. Draco ignored her. He noticed that she stood fighting with one voice. She was alone.
Almost as if he'd plucked the thought out of her mind, he gave a sly, knowing smile. "Oooh, so you're alone? Where's Scar Head and his sidekick, Weasel? Something scare him off?"
Hermione shook her head in annoyance. "Sod off, Malfoy." Hermione sat back down on her seat, and picked up her book. Draco kept quiet, but was sure to smirk, and to Hermione's greater luck, he stepped inside, and sat across her. "Good thing, too. You lot don't deserve to be here."
Hermione's eyebrows shot upwards and her fingers gripped her book tighter, making her knuckles turn white as Malfoy gazed at her face. She tried best to ignore him, and ignore the sudden urge to say something that'll surely start up a row. He started to look around, pretending to be looking for something, and looked back at her, simply staring. He knew it was annoying the hell out of her. Hermione being already scared and worried to know that her friends were not on the train to Hogwarts, and being stuck with the biggest prat in the world in the same compartment did not help her any better.
But her worries were slightly driven away as she also noticed, Malfoy was also alone.
Now, why was that?
Hermione thought to herself if it was better to keep her mouth shut and just pray to Merlin that he would stalk off, or if she could be the one to annoy the hell out of him, and wish that she'd win this round, and have the last word as he stormed off, humiliated. Why not?
"So your parents decided to let you off without any protection, Malfoy? Or did your bodyguards come in sick then?"
Malfoy's smug smile dropped and was replaced by a pink tine to his cheeks and the sudden tightness in his chapped lips. "They aren't body guards, you stupid mutt. They're called friends, unlike the buffoons you seem to call as mates. And they're just having a little piss break." He sneered.
Hermione sniffed. "Ah, you're bored then? Couldn't handle being alone and decided to just look for some useless little spit throw to make the time fly by? I say, you're quite the needy, Malfoy." She hadn't held a breath , but she had kept her voice calm and concentrated on her eyes to never leave the word she had never left from the beginning of the train ride.
Malfoy didn't fum but instead, snickered. "You're right, Granger. You are just spit throw, nothing more than that. And you're still reading that bloody book? Couldn't afford to buy a new one? I should've known after seeing you in Flourish and Bobbits - or whatever that shabby place is called- trying to collect second hand books along with the Weasels, eh?
Hermione was about to try and shut him off but Malfoy kept going. "You really are one to talk, Granger! Can't even keep your mouth shut in class, too selfish to make anybody else answer, because you're desperate to prove that you belong into this world- My world. You don't belong here, Granger. Just like the Weaselbee, and that Potter who hides behind a filthy name and an ugly scar plastered to his face." Malfoy seemed surprised with himself to say such a long, and such a crude insult that he was proud to even lean closer to Hermione, who he thought was dirty with muggle germs to get any close to, and watch that ghastly expression she wore behind her book.
Hermione licked her lips, and almost smiled at his crude and hypocritical remark. "I can't keep my mouth shut because I actually spit out knowledgeable and logical explanations that you can hardly differentiate from in class. I say something worth saying and look who's gotten themselves thick in their own words, Malfoy. You're the selfish one here! Your world? You really think that this whole world revolves around your big old head, and your big fat mouth?"
"Not me! But my kind! Purebloods, the only kind deserving to have magic, unlike you lot; traitors and filthy blood!" Malfoy seethed and Hermione Granger slammed her book shut and threw it on the seat.
Hermione gasped at the tone of his voice that sounded like it'd make her ears bleed. "You wouldn't be called a Pureblood, without us! Without my kind, you- you- you idiot!" Hermione shrilled from her seat. They were both shaking from their amount of effort to control their voices, so that the whole train wouldn't hear.
Malfoy grit his teeth, and Hermione was baring hers.
"Take it back." He spat.
"Finally gotten it haven't you, you hypocritical bugger?" Hermione said almost regretfully. She swore she tasted a little blood from trying to hold the words back. Malfoy's eyes practically glimmered, and his nose scrunched up.
"Take it back, you bloody mutt." Malfoy said in a viscous yet hushed voice.
"Why would I? You started this anyway." Hermione hissed.
"I did not! You were the one decided to taunt me into having body guards!" Malfoy stood up, his fists clenched to the side.
"And you think you're the victim here? You practically strode into my compartment and decided to disturb my peace!" Hermione stood up as well, hot blood quickly rushing to her head at his snide remark to thinking he was the one victimized here! That git!
Hermione suddenly felt uncomfortable glaring too long at his face. They were standing too close to each other, their knees barely touching. Too little space in between them, that she could practically could feel his hot breath against the bridge of her nose, and that there noses were about to touch if he suddenly bent his head lower. She could practically examine his arctic gaze, and his long, fine, golden lashes as his cold stare examined her own. Until his gaze had begun to waver and slide down her eyes, to her cheeks and she followed it to the path of her nose, and realized, he was staring at her lips. Hermione began to tremble, and Malfoy had noticed and his platinum stare had zeroed into her again. But when she was just about to tell him to sod off, and leave her compartment, he had slid away almost immediately, knocking her knees and pushing her back on her bossom. She stared after his blond head as he struggled to get hold of the clasp of the door, stepped out and whisked away and she jumped again as her door had closed with a loud bang.
What the actual feck?
He'd just left! In between that eerie silence and heated look of hatred shared between them like it never had even happened, without her even finishing it without a proper sending! She tried to make herself comfortable in the cushioned seats, clearly exhausted and letting the steam to rush out her ears and nose. Who knew that a short trade of insults could get her so riled up? Did her plan work? Was she able to annoy him, that he suddenly just had to leave? It was obvious from the abrupt exit, but then why did she feel so...so cut short? Left hanging? Even if she did get the last word?
And why did she feel like Malfoy, would be coming back?
Hermione bit her lip, and was nervous to face him again, knowing very well they'd start off another row. This time, she'd hold her tongue, and say nothing at all. That ought to keep him stalking off. Hermione furrowed her brows trying to distract herself. When had the lamps turn on? When did the sky suddenly become so dark? Where in Merlin's name are Harry and Ron?
What do you think? Sure I've changed up the last scene. I realized it never read to be what Hermione would allow, and far too young for Malfoy to even be doing.
Revised version? Like or hate? Tough shit though, I will be continuing to revise the chapters. And I promise to make them much, much longer. I'd love to hear from you guys again!