CHAPTER ONE
I hope you think you're clever
Though the journey from the Burrow to King's Cross had undoubtedly gone smoother than any mass send off ever experienced by the Weaselys, Potters, and Grangers, they had all somehow ended up late. Ron muttered darkly about things that might have been pertaining to jealousy (or annoyance, it was hard for Hermione to decipher his words). Harry was looking thoroughly embarrassed to be accompanied by a hoard of Aurors, Mrs. Weasely looked frightened and kept looking about, Mr. Weasely seemed unnaturally cool about the entire situation.
And then there was Hermione.
While she was indeed worried, as she passed through the barrier to Platfrom 9 ¾, whether or not she and Ron would be looked down upon for being late to perform their Prefect duties by patrolling the compartments and keeping an eye out for trouble –for want of a better word- and then to stop the trouble before it escalated into something serious, she was equally troubled by Harry's sudden and rising obsession with Draco Malfoy's seemingly Dark activities. He had tried to convince them to his side the day they'd observed him at Borgin & Burke's. She had indeed gone into the store and tried to coax what Malfoy had been trying to buy out of the owner but predictably, perhaps because of her dreadful lying skills, she'd been thrown out.
As their entire party made it through the barrier successfully, and goodbyes containing warnings of staying safe and out of trouble (something that might have just been a joke to say; considering it was the Golden Trio everyone was talking to), were made the Hogwarts Express's whistle shrieked loudly as a warning to all wandering students. Harry looked at Ron and Hermione and asked if they should go find a compartment. Guilt filled Hermione's stomach like a sack of rocks at the look on Harry's face when Ron reminded him (unwillingly) that by being Prefects, they were practically required to troll the compartments. A brusque 'yeah ok' that Hermione knew was a form of Harry showing his two friends that he was slightly annoyed came from their dark-haired, Chosen One friend as he set off into the scarlet train. Starting off towards the steaming train, Ron followed dutifully behind Hermione. The second they were on, Hermione noted how well they had timed their entrance, for the train lurched forward and was suddenly speeding off down the tracks. Students, first years and returning pupils, milled around for a few seconds as they searched for just the right compartment. Ron, as per usual, shoved his way through the crowds of terrified first years, leaving Hermione in his wake to apologize and reminding herself to scold him for his actions later.
The patrols started off fine, as usual- save for the fact that Ron and Hermione got stared at wherever they went. Should a group of students have heard in advance that two of the six students who had been at the Ministry fight just a few months prior, in their excitement to get a glimpse of the people who had been ridiculously dubbed the 'Sneaky Sextet', 'Super Six', and far more horrible nicknames would press their faces up against the glass of their compartment doors, jabbering excitedly and whispering rumors. Hermione was forced to drag Ronald away from a gaggle of fifth year girls who had gathered around a rather beaming Ron, begging them to show them his bruises (who happily obliged). It seemed that while Hermione glowered under the sudden spotlight, Ron was taking it as easy as ever; finally relishing in the fact that his name had become synonymous with 'Harry Potter'. Hermione wondered if Neville, Ginny, and Luna were getting the same hero treatment.
For a brief moment she worried they were not, but the second such downtrodden thoughts entered her mind she dismissed them; of course they were. Their names had been mentioned in the papers as well; and being in the Daily Prophet (so long as you were not being branded as a lying, crazy heretic) was pretty much a one ticket to fifteen seconds (or several months) of fame.
As the patrols grew to a close, a slight pounding started up in Hermione's head. It seemed as if the lights on the darkening train were too bright, the students too loud. At one point, then the Express banked left on a slight curve, Hermione lost her balance and stumbled sideways into the lunch trolley. Ron predictably came to her aid and when asked if she was fine she simply stood up, wobbled a bit on her now shaky legs and unconvincingly said,
"Yeah…I think so."
Ron was clearly not buying any of this, but might have been far too distracted by a couple girls who had flashed a smile at him to truly act upon his friend's clearly worsening state. And by the time their patrol was over and Ron lead the way to the compartment Harry had picked out for them, Hermione was ashen in the face with distant eyes. And at her friend's nagging and failure to believe that she was 'just a little stressed about the coming year', she finally agreed to head to the back of the train where a deserted compartment had been reported. Stumbling passed the compartments and countless, nameless faces she finally made it to the deserted, darkened compartment. The shadows embraced her pounding head like a soft blanket and she curled herself up against one of the windows. As sleep took her by the hands and lead her off into a dreamless nap her mind traveled to thoughts of Malfoy and what exactly they'd seen that day in Diagon Alley…
She was woken up to a loud voice. Blinking around in the dark compartment Hermione worried that she had forgotten to get off the train and had missed the stop at Hogwarts. Panic shot adrenaline into her heart and as she stood up, she quickly recognized the form of Draco Malfoy and his two cronies Crabbe and Goyle, silhouetted by the flickering candlelight in the hallways outside of the compartments. She also noticed the rhythmic 'chugga chugga chugga' and rocking of the compartment –this meant that they had not arrived yet and she had not missed Hogwarts! Though, judging by the extremely dark windows, they had to be close. And while she could not see their faces clearly, she just knew that there was be a smirk plastered across Malfoy's face (she didn't think much of Crabbe and Goyle's expressions, for she knew there'd be nothing but the blank stare of a bulldog on their ruddy faces). In fact, she could practically hear the gloating and smugness in Malfoy's voice as he jested,
"Look boys, we've rousted the Mudblood from her sleep! Our chance to observe the Mudblood in her unnatural hibernation has passed. What's the matter Granger? Already lost sleep from studying before we've even arrived at Hogwarts?"
His insults stung more than they probably should have and she shuddered in anger but simply set her jaw in a determined line, lifted her chin and weakly barked back,
"Come off it, Malfoy. At least I know I'll pass."
Malfoy jeered at her for a moment before laughing and replying back with an airy voice of hidden disconcert just barely disguised by the pure loathing she knew bubbled in his heart like molten lava,
"Please, your insults have only gotten worse over the summer. I'd hoped that maybe you would have put your otherwise pathetic studying obsession to good use and read up on the proper way to belittle someone. I have also taken notice that Potty and Weasel aren't here to defend you…"
His fingers twitched towards his wand and Hermione drew hers quickly. Draco threw back his sliver-blond head and let out a laugh,
"Do you really think I'd waste my time hexing you? Not when there are other forces at work that I know will soon take good care of you-"
An angry 'oi!' sounded out from behind Malfoy, which caused him and his lumbering blobs of muscle he called 'friends' to turn around. Face-to-face with a clearly upset Ron Weasely, Draco laughed, looked back between the two drawn wands and threw his hands up lazily in the air,
"Oh! You've got me," he then rolled his eyes and shoved Crabbe and Goyle forward, 'c'mon, we're breathing the same air as them."
Hermione, still trembling from anger and anticipation, finally lowered her wand as Malfoy's smug chortling faded away. Ron looked concernedly at his friend and lowered his wand as well and explained,
"I'm glad Harry told me to come check on you –we're almost at Hogwarts….you feeling better?"
Nodding she followed Ron back to the compartment that Harry, Neville, and Luna were in. They all changed into their Hogwarts robes and listened as Ron explained what had happened. Harry, much to Hermione's surprise, did not question Malfoy's actions, which naturally brought up a twinge of suspicion in her gut and she gingerly inquired (well aware of their present company),
"Harry….you don't have anything to say about what Malfoy said?"
Incredulously, Harry shook his head and mouthed 'later', which she knew meant the second they were out of earshot of Luna and Neville he'd explain. Luna, however, caught the mood change and without even pulling her nose out of The Quibbler plainly said,
"If you do not want Neville or me in here, we can go to the front of the train in preparation to be the first off."
Neville, Ron, Harry, and Hermione shifted warily in their seats; all of them uncomfortable at Luna's ability to put the otherwise painful truth in what seemed to be simple truth. Hermione however was determined not to offend their friends and shook her head,
"No, no! It's really nothing important…"
After that, the compartment remained unusually quiet –save for the occasional flutter of pages or indignant hoot of Hedwig or Pig- for the remainder of the trip. Thankfully, the Hogwarts Express came to a halt and students began to file off in a thunder of feet and loud chatter. Excitement crackled through the air like electricity. Hermione, Ron, and Harry stayed behind in their compartment as Neville and Luna fought their way out, partly to not get swept away by the rush to get off and avoid another run-in with Malfoy, but mostly to discuss what Harry had refused to talk about earlier. Turning a keen gaze on her green-eyed friend Hermione demanded,
"You've only spent these last few weeks of obsessing over Malfoy, and now you're not spilling anymore conspiracy theories, what's the matter?"
Harry shiftily looked around and sheepishly said,
"When you two went off to do your Prefect duties I kinda…slipped into the compartment Malfoy was in," catching the horrified look on Hermione's face Harry quickly said, "I had my cloak! And besides, he didn't utter a word, not a single gloating word…"
In Harry's pause, Ron leapt into the silence, "yeah, you'd think that being a git, he'd at least fill in his fellow Slytherin's on how he can get them discounted memberships into You-Know-Who's ran-"
He was quickly cut off as his voice grew more and more cynical and got pointed glares from both Harry and Hermione. Taking the moment to scold Harry, Hermione hissed,
"Mr. and Mrs. Weasely and countless others have warned you to stay safe and then you go off and do a stupid stunt like enter a compartment full of baby Death Eaters unarmed?"
Both Harry and Ron were staring at Hermione now. She knew why: she'd spent the last few weeks rebutting any theory Harry had about Malfoy with strict facts and an even stricter voice, but now it seemed like she'd jumped onto Harry's paranoia-boat and was rowing along without him now that he'd apparently jumped ship. She could see the questions forming on their lips and Hermione snapped at them,
"Oh you know what I mean!"
Not leaving them any room to object or poke fun at her, she hurried out of the compartment with her trunk and Crookshank's carrier in tow. Ron and Harry blundered on behind her. Their conversation had made them slightly late to the carriages, and they were forced into one with an over-excited Collin Creevey and his brother, Dennis. The trio huddled together on the farthest bench in the carriage as it set off, almost pretending that the Creevey brothers hardly existed.
The rest of the evening went as normal. From the Gryffindor table, Hermione caught a glimpse of Malfoy miming what had happened at their encounter, and when he began to obviously mime Ron, the entire section of Slytherins that had crowded around Malfoy and his blond haired self erupted into a roar of laughter, however their jeering and caterwauls of taunts were drowned out as Dumbledore introduced the new Potions and Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers (much to Harry's dismay as displayed by his too loud 'what!'). Finally, when all the plates were cleared the students were dismissed and the scraping sound of wood benches on stone floor created a deafening screech in the close quarters of the Great Hall. Hermione, still deep in thought over Malfoy and his actions, pushed to the front of the Gryffindor crowd with Ron at her heels and led the first years and the rest of the house up to their dormitories in the tower.
Once inside the red and gold clad common room, Ron and Harry tried to con Hermione into playing a game of exploding snaps, but she was hardly interested in playing silly games with them, her head had started to pound again and she just knew that tomorrow was going to be a rough day. She bid her friends goodnight and climbed up to her dormitory. Sliding under the covers she rested her aching head on the soft pillow and before her thoughts could slide to Draco's sinister plans, she drifted off into sleep with dreams full of horrible schemes that only the darkest part of her mind could cook up. At one point, she jolted awake and as she laid there, staring up at the canopy of her four-poster bed. Amidst the soft snoring of her roommates she decided that no matter what Ron and Harry thought of her, she would make it her personal mission to discover what Malfoy was up to, and once more she fell asleep, but this time became immersed in triumphant dreams rather than terrifying nightmares; a smug grin of accomplishment lit up her sleeping face.
Yes, she'd discover what Malfoy was up to, of that much she was certain.
A/N: Hello again, dear readers! You'll remember that my last fanfic (no not my founder's one-shot...that you should go read e_e) was Dramione, and look at that! My new official project is Dramione as well! I must admit that I might almost be more excited about this story than The Caged Bird Sings! But we'll just have to see ;D This is basically my take on everyone's sixth year at Hogwarts, of course with many obvious changes. Story title and chapter title(s) are/will be derived from the Wicked song 'Defying Gravity', such a beautiful song/musical...ANYWAY. PLEASE REVIEW, FAVORITE, ADD TO YOUR ALERTS WHATEVAAAA. Are you ready to go on another adventure with me? BD It'll be loads of fun, I proommmiiiissseeeeeee 3
