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Chapter 1 - That blonde boy

I feel the warmth of the sun radiating upon my face as the light passes through our dorm room window. My lips break into a curt smile as I stretched and opened my eyes. What a wonderful dream I had, or should I say a memory. From when everything has started, from when we were still innocent children.

I stood up from my bed and look around to see if my other dorm roommates are also awake, however, they still are in their deep slumber. Ginny have curled up into a ball, hugging the heart shaped pillow Harry gave her during last year's hearts day. The others are quite peacefully sleeping, abd I do not wish to interrupt them further by staring at their sleeping faces. I grabbed my velvet red robe from hanging from the post of my bed and went to the bathroom to freshen up.

I looked up at my reflection in the mirror, gosh, my hair is such a mess. My bushy hair had been tangled during sleep, I mean this is a common day experience, but, starting today, will be our last year here at Hogwarts, and I want to change. Especially since the war with Voldemort has ended and we are trying to leave the past behind us. I decided that, I don't want my dream to, just be a dream. I've kept it in for so long which made my heartache and there isn't any day in which I would not think of him...

So there I was, holding out my wand, I began to chant a beautifying spell on my hair to fix it into soft curls which falls just above my shoulders. I wanted to look more feminine..for him...because all this time..this seven years...I loved him..

—

Flashback to our first year in school..

My parents had waved me off to platform 9 3/4 when I first caught a glimpse of him. He was with his parents, a platinum blonde haired boy. Honestly, every normal school girl would find him attractive. I mean, he's got this cute face and air around shouts confidence, and I think I also feel a kindess to him in some sort of way.

Staring at him was all I could do, really, like bormal young girls eyeing their crushes, afraid of letting them out of their sight. For a slight moment, I think he felt conscious that someone is staring at him, that he actually snaped his head towards me which caught me off guard! I felt my blood rise to my cheeks to my ears..it was so embarrassing! Maybe he thinms of me as a pervert for staring at him! I pretended that I was looking for someone, gosh, I really wanted to see if he is still aware of me. But I can't help feeling so embarrased, so I borded the train without looking if he'd done the same. I sighed to myself. I wanted to look for him so bad, but I ended up seating with a couple of Indian girls which I think were sisters, and a boy who kept looking for his frog.

I was bored, a while ago, a trolley of treats passed but I decided not to buy, but now, I'm regretting it. My newly found friends bought each a chocolate frog, it was kind of cute actually and magical that it moved and croked that made it so difficult to eat. Just imagine eating a live frog!

The trolley wasn't that far from our seat so I went to go buy some too. It was then that I felt a sudden rush of blood again in my cheeks. There he was, already in his school robes, his platinum blonde hair brushed back so neatly. He was talking with his friends as he rummages through the goodies. This is is, I thought, I want to at least see his face closer. I plucked up all courage and managed to croke, "um." Nice one Hermione..

The old lady selling the goodies turned to me and said, "Why hello dear, want can I get you today". As this was all occuring, I glanced back to the boy I would like to officially call 'my crush'. He was looking at me! His eyes were pale grey, it seemed to pierce me, I felt my ears become hot.

"Dear?" the old lady repeated

I broke my glance, "oh! um, a box of bertie bott's every flavor beans please."

She took a box from the trolley and I handed her a couple of galleons, "thanks", I said to the old lady.

Before I turned to walk back to our seat, I glanced up again at my crush and sighed, he was again busy talking with his friends. I walked away and opened my box of beans.

That moment, I thought, it'd be nice if we were classmates or in the same house, which I heard from my seat mates, that we were to be sorted to four different houses once we arrive.

—

I waited for Harry, Ron and Ginny in the common room by reading our new potions book. My lips formed a smile once more, Potions, means I get to see him. It was his favorite subject after all.

But I can't act like I was before. He was our enemy, yes, the war was over, but there's still this lingering fact that we have not exactly been normal classmates that I can just swoon over him. They tried to kill us! Yet, I can't still look at him as the bad person. It feels that, in all those cruel things he did back then, it was due to his upbringing. Because his father was a death eater, their loyalty lies with the dark lord. I feel like he is a child, lost in all the anger and confusion around him, which forced him to take it out on other people.

I was so caught up with my thoughts that I haven't realized that my friends have been calling for me for quite some time.

"-Hermione, er, are you all right?" said Ron. He was standing right by my head, so I looked uo and said,

"Oh! Sorry, I was caught up in my reading." I stood up and grabbed my things, "let's go get breakfast."

—

"Gryffindor!" The sorting had exclaimed.

Lucky, I've read that Gryffindor is a great house. I just hope my crush falls in the same house as me.

I walked my way down to the house tables and they greeted me warmly. I sat and tried to look for him in front of the dining hall, still unsorted.

A couple of names has been called up to different houses, as well as a person named Ronald Weasley, who seemed to be from a generation of Gryffindors. He sat across my table together with his brothers. The next one was the famous Harry Potter, I've read about him before, that he had defeated He who must not be named. I have met them on the train, however, interesting as he may be, my eyes were fixed to the platinum blonde haired boy in front. He was called up by the Professor and is now to be sorted.

'Please, please be a Gryffindor!' I pleaded.

But as fast as I tried to wish he was sorted with me, it was also so abrupt that the sorting hat called that he be in Slytherin. So much for wishing.

I saw him smirk and I didn't know what to make of it. I just sighed, because I was so disappointed that I won't be seeing him all the time.

—

Out of my mind again, I felt that I bumped onto someone as we trudge down to the great hall.

"Watch it, you mudblood!"

From the words and tone, I knew already who the person I bumped with is. Lucky me, but his comment hurt.

"Shut up, Malfoy" Harry replied.

Ron and Harry were already prepared to have a fight and Ginny was by my side.

I walked in between them and said, "No, stop it guys" I looked to Harry and Ron. "It was my fault in the first place, I was out of it, and bumped him."

I looked up at Malfoy. His face more mature now than the firat time I've seen him on the train station, his built now more manly, his eyes, however, have the same piercing glare he had back then.

"Sorry for that, Malfoy"

He smirked at my apology, "Well what do we have here?" he started, "Ms. Know-it-all, apologizing, to ME?!"

His friends laughed. I felt my blood rising again.

He inched near me, our faces were really close now, "Why Granger, had a change of heart? Weasel bee here not good enough for you now?" He snorted.

'No, I have not had a change of heart, it has always for one person!' is what my mind is screaming to say. But instead, I glared at him.

"You wish", I said and pushed him back and turned to my friends, "come on, before I loose my appetite."

We started walking away from them, Ginny was by my side, consoling me. "That prick, you should've stupefied him", she looked to Ron and Harry.

"Don't worry, next time I see him, I'll bash him soul out of his body", Ron said.

Harry and Ginny laughed. I didn't, I just pretended to smile along with them. I don't want Malfoy to get hurt, that's why I stepped in between them in the first place. Again, there's this feeling that Malfoy is sad that his parents are sent to Azkaban, and confused as to what he wants to do, now that they no longer have their reigns on him. He has no family left, and this made me sad for him. I don't want him to feel any more worse..