This is a promised fic to a very special friend of mine, which is the reason it is a DracoHermione paring because personal I think Draco's gay and wants to shag Harry. Sorry, that was rash, all I mean is this isn't a paring I usually read, which is good cause then I can't steal shit from other authors without consciously knowing it.
Enjoy, and if you want a preview of the next chapter just read my Bio page…
An entry quote that was in my head because of something I read a while back that I thought met and dated this hopeful story very well, enjoy;
No one starts a war—or rather no one in his sense ought to do so—without further being clear in his mind what he intends to achieve by that war and how intends to conduct it.
Carl Von Clausewitz, Vom Kriege
Chapter 1
It takes years to really know someone; everything is downhill from there. Which is why Hermione Granger still didn't understand his behavior. She'd known him for years now and even with their many bad interactions and infinite quarrels she believed he truly was going to ask her to be with him. Silly really, after all how could she even consider protagonist Ronald Weasley like that. He liked her; she could tell, Ginny told her so too, even Harry the boy who lived but knew nothing about desirable love and such could tell. It seemed too cruel to be true but there she was standing on Platform 9 ¾ waiting for her closest friends to show up without even a badly executed invitation for a weekend at Hogsmede.
Hermione had seen Harry and Ron most of the summer before their final year at Hogwarts. She would have stayed with them all summer had she not promised her parents the last two weeks of her vacation for anything they planned. They called it their last chance to be with their grown daughter. She called it deteriorating from the world at hand.
Muggle her parents may have been but ignorant to the Wizarding world they were not, seeing as the Wizarding World had grown more restless with the present happenings backing up Lord Voldemorts return. That and Ron still couldn't deal with asking her to be his girlfriend.
Hermione sighed in a frustrated manner knowing that she always came back to the same disappoint subject no matter the conversation. It was not for vanity sake or anything along those lines did Hermione want to date Ron, Merlin only knows Hermione dropped ideas of permanent beauty and frizzled hair years ago, she just thought that after so many years of supporting each other this was the right time. Then again life was a big bundle of shambled disappointments. Winning this or being clever in order to get what she wanted didn't seem possible since Ron hadn't even hinted towards the slightest idea of anything between them happening the entire summer.
She sighed again and looked around the Platform, a wisp of light hair caught her eye and she almost recoiled but found it incredibly rude no matter who it was from. She turned her eyes towards the two figures and clearly, for the first time after the incident in the Ministry during their fifth year, saw the powerful form of the elder Malfoy.
Lucius was standing his profile in clear view to her, his facial expressions impossible to read if only he had gotten rid of that distasteful lip-curling look. She could tell something was bitter to him and it literally seemed it stood right under his nosed. The only problem with that was that there was no one under his nose. In fact the only thing in Lucius's annoyed line of view was the Malfoy heir himself looking as exceptional as every year but a bit older and more pronounced. Aristocratic features never failed to be flounced, even if it wasn't on purpose. Hermione once again sighed in frustration, hoping she wasn't developing a habit, and remembered her reason for standing watching everyone else look good and have friendly, mingling conversations. 'Where were they?'
"Mione!"
She turned smiling, "Ron, Harry, it's so good to see you." She hugged each one at a time mostly for reassurance of them being solid.
"Well what are we standing around here for, lets get on the train otherwise we won't get an empty compartment!" Ron stated starting towards the train.
"No, Ronald, were actually all set, Luna and Neville are saving one for us, I saw them a while ago," answered Hermione matter of factly.
"Brillant,"Ron smiled pulling his trunk onto the train.
Hermione held Hedwig's cage while Harry pushed his trunk onto the train. He spoke rather quietly to Hermione, almost thought he was mumbling, "Mione, saw Malfoy didn't you?"
She nodded not understanding the direction he was steering the conversation.
"Malfoy senior was with him, odd isn't it?" he questioned.
"Yes, a bit," she answered, "in the sense, I suppose, that he seems rather to busy for a man just out of Azkaban to see his son off when he is old enough to be going alone." "Also odd that he isn't as smug as should be, seeing as he is looking into the eyes of his protégé."
"No wonder your Head Girl, Mione, no better witch for the job."
Hermione had the decency to blush, "thanks, but dot change the subject, what seemed strange to you about the whole ordeal?"
"Just that with all the hype Voldemorts been causing and him being out of jail just a little while now it seems weird, the great Lucius Malfoy being here as a father of duty."
"You're right Harry, but doesn't that make him look more fatherly, upstanding-"
"But it's so no Malfoy like, bugger if I know what I mean but it's just-"
"Untrustworthy?" Hermione supplied.
"Exactly," Harry stated smiling at her permanently deductive attitude.
They ended there conversation knowing it wouldn't take them far with only suspicion as their main defense and joined everyone else inside the compartment minutes later. Harry engaged himself with a game of Wizard's Chess with Neville, winner getting to play Ron who stared unstoppably at the board through the ride.
Ginny seemed to be fascinated with some books the twins had procreated for her from some rummages in their old room and Luna sat quietly reading her usual choice in journalistic literature.
Hermione planted herself down next to Luna trying not to laugh at the ridiculous cover the new issue of the Quibbler was sporting.
"Good summer Hermione?" her honey like voice asked in slow monotonous flows.
"Yes, lovely," she answered looking at Luna as she spoke through the Quibbler, "And you?"
"Quiet fascinating summer, my dad took me to see his office at the Quibbler, greatly ingenious really."
"Sounds very magical, though that isn't hard to find a magically involved journalistic magazine and such," stated Hermione matter of factly.
The conversation seemed to hush after that and then out of the blue Luna sighed contently and put the Quibbler down turning to Hermione and asking, "so who is it you like?"
Hermione was taken aback and her eyes seemed to widen slightly, "pardon?"
"The boy, the boy or girl I suppose that's making you have such a bad aura around you?" Luna persisted.
Hermione checked to make sure no one was paying them any attention before answering with a question of mild surprise, "I have an aura?"
"Why yes, just finished a new Quibbler article and it was fascinating, about aura origins and how they are sparked by filaments of pixie-"
"Sounds truly fascinating but why would this be about a boy?"
"Or girl," added Luna.
"Yes."
"Yes, it's a girl?"
"No, yes to whether this aura thing would be about a boy, or girl!" Hermione huffed in an exasperated tone.
"Oh!" "That's simple," stated Luna, "your aura is a grayish murky color which by the Quibbler means you are suffering from "love of thine enemy" that's why I asked."
Hermione almost rolled her eyes, "No, not unless I am passionately in love with Rita Skeeter and I don't know it." " I am not suffering from whatever your magazine has depicted."
"No, your not," added Ginny, "but you'll suffer McGonagall's wrath at school if you don't show up for the head girl and boy meeting with the prefects."
Hermione gasped looking at her watch and frantically waved goodbye to everyone telling them to wait for her on the platform before running into the corridor.
She walked steadily towards the front of the train muttering to herself under her breath for being so careless and not ready for the meeting, good thing she changed her robes earlier before getting on the train. Her musing almost failed her from noticing the figure in the corridor before her. Looking closely she noticed it was none other then the young Malfoy himself sneering something awful at the window.
As he heard footsteps he turned and stared straight at her. Surprisingly he didn't continue sneering but just looked at her. His eyes were significantly unreadable and his posture of usual arrogance failed to be present. What surprised Hermione even more was that instead of spitting on her or worse he turned towards her and watched as she moved carefully towards him.
Hermione almost wished she had the Quibbler to be able to figure out his aura as Luna put it. Well actually that was a lie Hermione wished for anything at the moment, including the Quibbler, so she could put her nose in it and keep walking without making eye contact. It was too late now though, if she dropped her eyes he'd just silently proved her reigned over her even more. 'Fat chance' Hermione hissed to herself.
She was shoulder to shoulder with him when he made a sudden move and without even knowing it pushed herself away from his presence hitting the window he was glaring at moments ago.
She could feel his smirk before she looked up but surprisingly she didn't even get a chance because he leaned down speaking lowly for only her ears, "Don't flinch, it only feeds them." And then he was gone, robes elegantly swishing behind him in his usual fashion.
There was something almost flamboyant about his exit but Hermione felt that the most dignified thing she could do at the moment, besides hurry so she could be on time for the meeting, was to ignore it. Even what he said didn't make sense in context of their situation and as Draco Malfoy like to announce during potions, 'Malfoy's never procreate gargle and hardly ever misconstrue meanings, etcetera etcetera.' Ergo it was actually worth ignoring since Malfoy's "don't procreate gargle".
She briskly past the recently designate Malfoy danger zone and walked calmly into the compartment where the Head Boy, a Ravenclaw by the name of Greg Norly, stood waiting for her to give the prefect's their instructions.
The meeting didn't last long and Hermione was glad she changed before coming because being seen without her badge would seem unprofessional and she was determined to take this position seriously.
Malfoy did not show up for the meeting as prefect and Hermione almost wanted to yell across the train about his incompetence to actually do something right for a change.
"All right?"
Hermione whirled around and noticed Greg glancing at her with a questioning look.
"Fine, sorry, just a bit dazed, so how did you react the news of becoming this year's head boy?" she questioned changing her brains directional functioning.
"Tell you the truth I almost didn't have enough time to react you know?"
"What?"
"Well, I got my letter about a week ago, which seemed weird because my older brother at the ministry said that when he was head boy he got his letter a month before school started," answered Greg as he and Hermione exited the compartment and walked down the corridor which was starting to get crowded due to them pulling into the Hogsmede station.
"That's odd, I got mine much earlier," muttered Hermione.
They parted and she smiled waving goodbye and jumping onto the platform to see Harry and Ginny waving to her from down the line. She grabbed her trunk and tugged it down the platform.
Ron stood at their empty carriage with Luna already inside. Ron heaved her trunk up for her. Hermione squeezed in between Neville and Ginny.
The ride was short and filled with conversation as the group stepped through the great hall for the last first time. It didn't feel as special as she thought it should but then Hermione realized that it was probably because she expected too much. After all there was a first-last time for everything, good- and bad.
The welcoming feast was grand as usual but for some reason it seemed even more so. All doubts about expecting too much seemed to leave Hermione's head.
Maybe someone's last year did that to them but as she sat in her usual seat across from Harry and Ron, Ginny by her side Hermione smiled and as usual listened to Dumbledore's school starting feast.
The feast ended sooner then they hoped as they all headed upstairs led by the prefects.
Unlike everyone else Hermione followed the instructions given on her Head Girl letter and rose up the winding staircases to the tower appointed.
A painting of a severe looking witch hung on the wall. Her crisp dark robes hung beautifully of her figure and her hair was swept back. Hermione almost snorted at the pose. Her first thought unseeingly turned out to be that the pose seemed so Malfoy like of the woman it wasn't even funny. Instead of voicing her thoughts, though, she fastened on a smile and spoke the password written on the paper, "Merlin."
The witch glanced down at her and muttered something along the lines of, "Headmaster raising ill-mannered brats." Before moving languidly aside to let her in. Hermione bit her tongue recognizing a Pure Blood dead muggle-hating witch in an instant. She might as well have had a radar. Again thought, forces were pulling her to be nice to the witch and ignoring her calling to spew her own thoughts to the pointy nosed, primed, hostile, arrogant, status flouncing-well, it did sound good in her head.
Entering Hermione smelled a most unusual smell for school. It was familiar in such a nostalgic sense she looked straight to the fireplace and configured the form of her father reading to her mother and her just before Christmas morning. She smelled mums unorthodox double made ginger chocolate melted cookies. Double because her mom insisted since she was a little girl that if you make a cookie sandwich of two cookies it would taste twice as good and cancel out the upcoming harsh rush of sugar.
"Amazing isn't it?" questioned a pleasant voice interrupting Hermione's private musing.
"Headmaster," she spoke greeting him with a smile.
"Welcome, welcome, I hope you do find your new abode accommodating, yes?" he questioned his eyes twinkling with the enkindled fires low burning.
"It's lovely," Hermione spoke finally getting a chance to look around and actually be truthful to her recent words.
The room was excellent, much like the common room up in Gryffindor tower with comfortable chairs and a couple of small round study tables. A single couch adorned the center of the room but Hermione's focus again went to the fireplace. It was nothing like the one in the common room. The plating around and atop, especially the mantles were glistening marble made exquisitely in a color Hermione didn't recognize and couldn't describe.
It told a magical story over ages of time starting with a single wizard atop the mantle in the center.
"Merlin?" questioned Hermione moving in for a closer look.
"Quite right, my dear," stated Dumbledore. "Not many see this piece, it was constructed to be the guest residence for powerful figures visiting Hogwarts and at times the residence of the headmaster but as the Headmaster over the years I have found it would be in better use by those who are more deserving."
"The students," Hermione said smiling.
"Yes, precisely, now I believe Mr. Norly is about to join us."
True to his word, Gregory Norly appeared through the portrait hole looking terrible flushed. His collar seemed mussed and his hair was in a slight disarray. Hermione almost laughed at his appearance recognizing it right away. Greg Norly must have run into his friend, Virginia Cross, now whether it was in a broom closet or a deserted corridor Hermione wasn't sure but she was sure she would burst out laughing if someone didn't break the awkward silence.
"So sorry I am late, I just-"
"Was deterred from this engagement?" questioned Dumbledore his eyes dancing. "Quite alright, now as I was saying I hope you enjoy your new home." "Your rooms are designated by house color and there is a bathroom for you to share, I hope there won't be any problems with anything."
"No professor," they both stated.
"Lovely, well then your next meeting should be set sometime next week because the next Hogsmede trip will be two weeks from today as scheduled by the teachers, it will be your job to get the third years situated with there first trip, and so on," Dumbledore stated. "Now enjoy yourselves and do visit if there is something we need to discuss," he finished walking towards the exit his robes blowing behind him.
"Thank you," they both chimed together again before the portrait hole closed.
Greg released a heavy breath and took his first look around and stated, "Smells like my moms summer laundry when I was a kid." "Is that weird?"
"Perhaps," answered Hermione, "but I smell my mums double made ginger chocolate cookies-"
"Double what?"
"It's a muggle thing-wait no scratch that, it's a Granger thing," she smiled. "I think this 'common room' of sorts is enchanted to trigger nostalgic positive points in our memory allowing our sense of smell to derive what we liked best about our usually typical home lives," she stated.
"So sort of like a scented candle with a "Home Smell" nameplate?" he questioned.
"Yeah, something of the sort."
"Well, what do you think about the meshed colors, blue with red and gold and silver," Greg questioned walking to his room seeming half asleep.
"Lovely," stated Hermione and as Greg Norly bid her goodnight and went into his room shutting the door Hermione relished her real thoughts. "Blue and Red, Gold and Silver, the match but they don't belong together, not the right combination," she muttered under her breath as she trudged up her own set of stairs. It wasn't just her, the common room seemed to omit the sense it didn't like itself, kind of dark even in the firelight.
She closed her door and felt the soft comfort of her new sheets as she fell on the coverlet. Her room didn't even matter at the moment. Nothing but sleep mattered because she was tired.
It may have been wrong at the moment but for now it just have to do.
Ch 1 End
Much love if you have tried this first chapter out and I'd love to get some feedback. I am in love with reviews in fact I wish we had a more steady relationship going on but yeah. I am at a loss, so help a girl out.
Flame away, because I need to get used to it but just don't burn me to the point of no recognition.
Thanks,
Velvetine M
P.S. If you notice, and maybe you won't, but I'll point it out. I misspelled Velveteen, instead spelling Velvetine, this is actually done with a purpose and that I can reveal if you review and if I update with another chapter.