The first time they spoke was on the train to Hogwarts. She had knocked politely on his compartment door and asked to sit down with him. Draco had been taken aback by the eagerness on her face. He had been dreading what was to come and could not have imagined anyone looking forward to the sorting. Instead of telling her to go away, instead of getting up to find Crabbe and Goyle, he had cleared his throat and invited her in. He had asked her name and immediately realized that they could never be friends. Nevertheless, he had smiled politely and answered her questions.
She had joined him at the start of their journey and had happily nattered on about all manner of things, clearly excited for what awaited her at Hogwarts. He responded as best he could, quite reluctantly at first. After a while, however, he realized that his fate hadn't been yet decided and there was a slight possibility that he could end up in a house other than Slytherin. When she left him to help a boy who had lost a toad, he was left alone, dreaming of a future he could never have.
Later, when Draco sat at the Slytherin table, he had stared gloomily across the hall at her. He stared at her, big bushy hair and all, laughing and smiling with the other Gryffindors around her. How he wished he had actually had a choice. When the sorting hat had been placed upon his head, it had yelled Slytherin almost immediately. However, Draco had been thinking with all of his might 'anywhere but there, please.' The sorting hat, instead of saving him, had said gently, "We all have our roles to play, young Malfoy - Slytherin!"
The second time they spoke was after the first day of classes. He had noticed her, eager once again, trying to prove she belonged in this magical world. He had watched others, noting that some were already annoyed with this know-it-all girl.
Now, he waited and pulled her into an empty classroom after their last shared class. She smiled, at first, remembering him from the train, and then, glancing at his tie, squared her shoulders and braced herself. "Hermione." Draco opened his mouth to explain, to blame the sorting hat, but she stopped him before he could even begin.
"Draco, there's no need." She half smiled, "I know that since I'm a muggle-born, you and I can't be friends. I read all about it, you see. Gryffindor and Slytherin are always enemies. Pureblood and muggle-born don't get along." She closed her eyes briefly, her eyelashes fanning her cheeks. "We're opposites in every aspect, blood, connections, experience. We're even opposites in colouring."
His eyes widened as he glanced between his pale, translucent skin and her olive toned skin. The words he wanted to say came tumbling out of his mouth before he could even think them over. "They say opposites attract."
Hermione smiled at that and sighed wistfully. "I wish I could believe that, Draco."
He nodded once, his heart falling in his chest. She turned to go and he couldn't help himself, the words just flowed out of him without censor. "Give me a chance, please." She stopped, her hand on the handle, ready to pull the door open. Draco wanted her to turn around, but she didn't. She just paused, waiting for him to continue. "I was worried about yesterday and where I would be sorted."
She glanced over her shoulder with one eyebrow raised. He took that as a sign to continue and so he stumbled forward with his explanation. "I wanted to be different. I wanted to do something different with my life. But the sorting hat said -"
He paused, eyes dropping to the floor as she turned completely toward him. "The sorting hat? Does it speak to everyone?"
Draco looked up and stared into her deep brown eyes. "I don't know."
"Please, continue." Hermione motioned with her hand, intent on finding out what the sorting hat had said.
"I asked the sorting hat to be placed anywhere but Slytherin." Draco sighed and dropped his head once again. "And it replied, 'We all have our roles to play, young Malfoy,' and then it put me here," His eyes narrowed and he tugged at his collar, at the green tie that had been threatening to choke him all day. "It put me in Slytherin anyway."
Hermione took a step forward and touched his hand which was still toying with his tie. He grabbed ahold of her hand as if it was a lifeline. "The sorting hat is very cryptic. When I was reading Hogwarts: A History, the information about the sorting hat was very vague. I know, I reread the section last night." Draco looked up and met Hermione's eyes. "You see, Draco, the hat told me that I also had a role to play."
Draco let out the breath he didn't know he was holding. "But what does that mean?"
Hermione smiled, "Well, the hat was a little more accommodating with me than with you. I asked it what it meant and it asked me a question in return." She glanced down at their hands, still joined. "It asked me if I believed in truth and justice. If I was prepared to fight against evil. If I believed in going to the ends of the earth to rescue someone." Draco's eyes widened. "I said yes, of course, and so the hat yelled Gryffindor. You see, before it told me that I had a role to play, it was debating whether or not to put me in Ravenclaw. So I knew Gryffindor meant something special" She paused and then continued, "Just before Professor McGonagall took the sorting hat away, I swear it said 'save him.'"
"Hermione." Draco took a step closer to her, not fully believing what he heard.
"Draco," She smiled back at him. "If it's you who I'm supposed to save, I suppose we will have to be friends after all."
Draco cleared his throat nervously, "there's a lot you should know, in that case."
Hermione smiled brightly back at him. "I love knowing things."
