She knew she should be dreading the return to her school after what had happened over the summer. Especially now that she had to give it up. But, somehow, Hermione couldn't bring herself to care. She was going back to her most favourite . . . okay, second favourite, place in the whole world.
"Mum, Dad, seriously, we need to go! The train is going to leave without us!" Hermione ushered them into the awaiting car, slamming the boot. Crookshanks was safely tucked away into his basket and her trunk was secured in the back, her wand and school robes on the top of the pile.
"Hermione, calm down. I know you are excited, but please! We're going to make it in time, kiddo, don't you worry." Hermione nodded, but even as her father started up the engine, she couldn't bring herself to relax enough to believe him.
If she missed that train, she was sure she would die.
London had always been packed at this time of the morning as people tried to get to their work and buses ferried children to school across the city, but somehow there seemed to be even more cars on the road than usual. Hermione growled in frustration and sat on the edge of her seat for the entire journey.
As soon as Kings Cross Station appeared between the grey buildings that flanked it, she unclipped her seatbelt, kissed both parents on the cheek, and hopped from the car with Crookshanks in one hand and tugging her trunk out in the other. As soon as it was free from the back of the car, she was running.
Her feet pounded the pavement and she checked the massive clock that stood sentry at the entrance to the train station. She had ten minutes to get to platform nine and three quarters, get through the barrier, find Ron and Harry, and get onto the train with her luggage.
By the time she had reached platforms nine and ten, the station was flocked by muggles. It took some effort, but soon enough Hermione had made it through the invisible barrier and was facing the scarlet steam engine that would deliver her to Hogwarts.
She glanced around the platform, squinting to see through the steam that lay like a blanket all around them, until finally, she caught a glimpse of flame red among the crowd. She grinned and ran towards the family, throwing herself into Ginny's arms.
"'Mione?" Ginny squealed excitedly and they jumped up and down screaming.
"It's so good to see you! Where have you been all summer?" Ginny demanded, glaring at Ron who was now sidling up to them. It was clear he was trying to hug Hermione without breaking up the little girly reunion. Hermione, fortunately, got the idea and squeezed Ron tightly in a bone-crushing hug. It was his turn to demand some answers.
"Why didn't you come visit this year?" She blushed.
"Well. . .it's kind of a long story. I'll maybe tell you later." Unlikely, she added in her head.
"Where's Harry?" Ron shrugged and returned to attempting to stuff his over-full trunk through a narrow door and onto the train. She sighed impatiently and pulled him back. He removed the trunk with some effort and allowed her on first. She grabbed the other end and turned the trunk diagonally, much like you would to move a couch from room to room. It slid in the small door with ease and she quickly jumped back out to collect her own. The warning whistle blew just as she managed her own luggage onto the train and Mr and Mrs Weasley rushed forward to the windows. Molly kissed each of her children on the cheek and almost threw a boy with an untidy mop of black hair, who had just run up to them, through the door. Well, at least they knew where Harry was. Hedwig was pushed through the window in her cage just as the train began to pull away from the platform, and Harry stuck his head out in time to wave to Molly before she disappeared from view. Ron turned and gaped openly at Harry.
"You cut that bloody fine mate!" Harry grimaced and sat down in a nearby empty compartment. We followed suit, Ginny, Ron, Hermione and Neville who had just come ambling along the corridor in our direction.
"Hi guys, have a good summer?" They all hugged Neville and patted him on the back in greeting as he took a seat next to Ginny.
"Well ours was brilliant, eh Harry?" Ron shot a sly grin his way and Harry turned light pink up to his hairline. Despite the horrendous blush, he couldn't stop the silly smile that spread across his face. Her interest was piqued.
"Oh? And what happened this summer, do tell?" Harry opened his mouth but closed it again, as if debating whether or not to tell them. Ron beat him to it.
"Harry has a girlfriend!" When he said it like that, it sounded almost as if it was a taunt. She scolded him lightly.
"Ron, stop embarrassing the poor boy! He has a right to his privacy you know!" Ron scoffed.
"Coming from you? 'Oh, do tell!'" He mimicked her voice badly and she rolled her eyes at him.
"Yes," she stressed, trying to make him understand it in simple terms. Ron was so insensitive. "But I didn't know it was something of this nature. I thought it would be to do with Quidditch or something of the sort. His relationships are his business."
"Thanks 'Mione, but its fine, I don't mind. He doesn't even know who it is anyway, so. . ." Ron looked like he was about to burst of curiosity.
"Yeas, but you met her while you were staying at The Burrow, so it has to be someone from Ottery St Catchpole, and it can't be that hard to figure it out. There isn't actually that many teenage girls that live there, you know." Hermione felt like saying 'Who said anything about it being a teenager?', but she didn't think Harry would appreciate the implication, even in a joking manner. She also couldn't imagine Harry to go after cougars. Hermione shuddered in disgust at even the thought.
Ginny shook her head at her ridiculous brother and struck up a rather loud conversation with Harry and Neville about the upcoming house championship Quidditch matches and who they thought would be on the teams this year, effectively closing off Harry's love life for discussion. Hermione observed that he shot many grateful side glances at Ginny throughout the topic.
It sounded as though Harry had been enduring Ron's constant ribbing all through the summer or at least for as long as he'd known about it. She felt an empathetic surge towards Harry, being reminded of how difficult it was to keep things secret from her best friends.
"Hermione Granger?" They looked up to see a flustered looking third year girl with long black hair looking around the compartment. She clearly had no idea what the person she was looking for actually looked like.
"Yes, that's me. Can I help you?" The girl sighed in relief, finally finding her quarry.
"Professor Dumbledore wants to speak to you in the teacher's compartment. He said it was urgent." Hermione nodded and retrieved her wand from her trunk. It probably wasn't necessary, but she felt safer with it all the same. It was a minor precaution. She stowed the want in the belt loop of her jeans and followed the tiny girl out into the corridor.
And who else was waiting there but the infamous Draco Malfoy? She froze at the sight of him, unable to let previous encounters slip from her mind. She had done as promised, but that didn't make the gut wrenching hurt in the pit of stomach reduce in intensity.
"Granger," Malfoy nodded curtly, also trying to avoid each other's gazes. She returned the gesture.
"Malfoy," They had come to an unspoken agreement. No signs of familiarity, no snarky remarks. Just cool indifference.
"I believe the headmaster wants to see us. Would you be able to shed some insight into the reasoning behind this?" Hermione fell into step behind the girl. Unfortunately, this put her side by side to Malfoy.
"No, I wouldn't know. Perhaps it has something to do with prefect duties. You were a prefect right?" Her words were vague, unfocused. If Malfoy didn't know why they were being summoned, then who did apart from Dumbledore himself? It seemed they would be receiving no forewarning of whatever they were walking into.
All the while, Draco attempted to keep his eyes trained on the girl in front. Unsuccessfully. His eyes continued to wander over the woman beside him, so deep in thought it seemed nothing could bring her back to the present time. He had seen her like this many a time before, her brow creased into a little V in between her eyebrows and her plump, fleshy bottom lip trapped behind her now magically shortened teeth. Whenever he saw this expression, he couldn't help but wonder what on earth could cause her to zone out of reality. For a few minutes, simply because her thought process was becoming far too complicated, her mind just could not focus on both walking and thinking, until it had to choose one or the other. Presently, the option chosen certainly wasn't walking.
She was roused from her ponderings by a dull throbbing pain in both her knees and her forehead.
She shook her head, slightly disorientated, and caught a small smirk tugging at the corner of Malfoy's mouth.
"What? What just happened?" Her cheeks flushed dark red as she realised she had been entirely too consumed in her thoughts and had walked head first into the nearest wall.
"Don't worry nobody saw. Except me." She groaned loudly and continued walking, wallowing in embarrassment and berating herself. The girl stopped, pulled back a sliding compartment door, and left.
"Mr Malfoy, Miss Granger, how kind of you to join us. Won't you please take a seat?" Hermione edged into the small space and sat at the window. This effectively placed her directly in front of Professor McGonagall and leaving Malfoy the seat across from Snape.
Dumbledore clocked their confused and slightly worried expressions and smiled.
"Now then, there is no need to be frightened, you have been called here due to a wonderful opportunity that has presented itself. Your house heads and myself have come to an agreement that, judging on your overall results in your O.W.L.s and the general standard of your work in class that you appear to be the most reliable candidates for this year's Head Boy and Girl." He smiled indulgently at the pair, awaiting their replies.
Hermione couldn't believe it. Head Girl. Her dream since arriving at Hogwarts had been to attain the position, and mostly what had driven her over the years to do her best. And now, the headmaster sat in front of her, telling her that she had been chosen to carry out the Head's duties! A large smile worked its way across her face and she beamed at her teachers.
Malfoy's mind was scrambled. Head Boy? How could that have even happened? He had been a complete and utter little menace in school and now he had been chosen? It didn't add up. He knew that he was Snape's favourite and he knew that he had excellent marks in class. But still, all that responsibility? He wasn't sure if it was entirely a good idea. Either way, he smiled thankfully at Dumbledore and Snape, and even offered a tentative smile at McGonagall.
"Well now that the shock has somewhat worn off, lets go over a brief summary of your duties. You are expected to work out a timetable with the other prefects to patrol the castle after hours. You will be given a private common room to use as a work place or leisure facility, but you will be staying in your respective house common rooms. You will be asked for your opinion on various plans for whole school functions like the Christmas ball and whatnot. Now, do you have any queries or questions?" he steepled his fingers and peered expectantly at the bemused pair. The shook their heads and he smiled.
"Good. Now you may return to your compartments for the rest of your journey, but I suggest changing into your school robes. We are nearing the castle." The got up and Malfoy who was closest to the corridor was halfway out of the door when they heard an exclamation.
"Oh! I almost forgot, thank you Minerva. Miss Granger? Mister Malfoy? I believe you will be needing these." He held out his thin hand in which sat two glinting badges. Hermione gingerly picked up the crimson badge with lettering in shining gold. It read Head Girl in a shimmering banner across the centre. She glanced at Malfoy's and found his similar with green and silver.
"Thank you sir," He nodded them off and they turned back to walk down the corridor. When they heard the compartment door shut behind them a little later, they let out twin sighs of relief.
"Head Girl! I never thought I would get it!" She allowed herself to grin proudly down at the badge in her palm and glance up at Malfoy.
"I figured you would be the one to get it," he admitted. She smiled shyly at him.
"Thanks. And it was pretty obvious you would get it. You have one of the highest marks in our year." He scoffed.
"Yeah, right behind you. I don't know if I'll be any good at this though. I'm not exactly head boy material, you know? Too much of a bad boy streak in me." It was her turn to scoff.
"Right, because you're such a cowboy." She rolled her eyes.
"Wait, what's a cowboy? You're not telling me someone's actually half cow? And even then, what does that have to do with being bad?" he was genuinely confused. Being a pureblood meant that despite taking Muggle Studies, he still didn't know a lot about their various cultures. His confusion turned into a scowl when Hermione couldn't keep the grin off of her face and she burst out into uproarious laughter.
"You-cowboy-ha-what? Do you-haha-do you even know-hahahaha! Oh my God, that's-!" He had crossed his arms during her little laughing fit and was now sporting a pout. This was incredibly strange to see on a Malfoy, especially in the presence of one Hermione Granger or in fact any of her friends.
"Okay, I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that's not what cowboy means?" This only intensified Hermione's laughter. He couldn't help but smile a little himself. Obviously he had gotten it very, very wrong judging by the fact that she was now almost on all fours laughing.
"Right, Granger, explain. Now." She climbed back up, holding onto the wall for support and looked him dead in the eye.
"No, no, you were right the first time. Some muggles got a cow pregnant and the result was a cowboy. Yep." She was clearly hiding a smirk, and he raised one perfectly arched eyebrow at her.
"Right, you're sure about that? You're not just taking the piss now?" She shook her head in glee at the conflict on his face. He didn't think she was serious, but his ignorance on the matter and his ego were getting in the way of his judgement. Hermione could see the cogs in Malfoy's head turning furiously as his calculating mind was put to work.
"Okay Granger. You win, yes let's make fun of Draco. Now the truth please." He smiled sweetly and fakely at her.
"Fine. Cowboys are people in the southern parts of the U.S.A and places with similar climate, places like Texas, who herd cattle on the backs of horses. They wear hats to shade them from the sun, and traditional cowboys wear metal spikes on the heels of their boots to make the horses go faster called spurs. You're right, you were waaaay off with the whole half human thing." She burst out laughing again, and this time Malfoy smiled widely.
"Yeah, I think you're right about that one." He scratched his chin. "Texas you say? I go there for a week every summer to visit my aunt. How did I not know about this?" She shrugged and stopped walking.
"Well this is my compartment. See you at school?" He nodded and smiled.
"See ya Granger," She cracked the door open.
"Bye," he waved and continued on down the corridor to his own compartment.
Hermione sighed sadly and slid into the small room where all her friends sat. She sat back in the seat she had earlier vacated and helped herself to a chocolate frog from the huge pile in the middle of the seats.
"Uh, Hermione?" She looked up to see four pairs of shocked eyes looking at her.
"What? What happened? Is everyone okay?" She was scared now. Why would her friends be looking at her like that?
"Hermione, tell me that wasn't. . . Malfoy?" Harry looked strangely green.
"Yes it was. Why?" she bit into her frog and looked around innocently.
"Well, you were laughing. And he was smiling. It's weird!" he suddenly sounded defensive with the last accusation because she had delicately raised one eyebrow in a disapproving stare.
"And why, exactly, is it weird to share a joke with someone?" Ron turned puce.
"Because it's Malfoy!" She glared at him.
"Yes, it is! And I will be working in close quarters with him this year with Head duties! Maybe it's a good thing we were able to converse without being at each other's throats for once, because it will be a hell of a lot easier that way than trying to kill my partner!" Ron spluttered for a moment.
"Fine, but don't ask me to be nice to him just because you've lost your mind, because its one thing I won't do!" He grabbed his case and got out his robes.
"I'm going to change." He slammed the door behind him and they could hear him slam the changing room door as well.
"Well done on getting Head Girl Hermione," Ginny offered a smile in the silent compartment.
"Thanks Gin, I was hoping I'd get it." She cast one last glance around her group of friends and collected her robes from her trunk.
"I think you should all be getting changed too. I expect we'll be arriving soon," Then she too left to change.
Harry patted one of the skeletal horses that had pulled their carriage to the school. The thestrals hardly ever fought. They were a familial and calm species. Harry just wished his friends were more like the thestrals.
Ron had been cold to everyone for the rest of the journey, especially towards Hermione. Harry couldn't see what exactly she had done wrong to cause Ron's silent fuming, except call a truce with an old enemy. Was it such a crime for Hermione to make life easier for herself? Harry didn't think so, but obviously Ron had taken great offence. Of course, he found it difficult to understand why she was able to speak to the ferret so easily without destroying him, but that was a completely different issue.
Hermione had stormed ahead of the group, waving her wand viciously at a bucket full of water that appeared to be floating above the door, glared at the now visible Peeves, and sent him to the dungeons. She then strode as far away from the door where Ron and Harry liked to sit and took a seat by Ginny and Dean.
Harry sighed inwardly and lowered himself onto the Gryffindor bench.
"I so need to find new friends."