"Do you know your parents' telephone number?" Draco's teacher bent down his height. Her hair was grey and she had square glasses resting on her nose which Draco thought resembled a beak.

"Excuse me?" Draco asked politely.

"What is the number I can use to ring your mother and father?" She tried to clarify what she had asked him. The school had no records of the family's phone number.

"I'm sorry miss, but I don't know."

...

"Excuse me, Mr. Malfoy?" Draco's teacher approached Lucius at the school's front gate during dismissal while Narcissa greeted her son with a hug. The Malfoys were one of the only upper class families of the small school; they seemed out of place.

"Yes?"

"Can I talk to you guys inside, please?" Narcissa was about to say no, but Lucius agreed and she reluctantly followed, holding Draco's hand. Ms. Evans, Draco's teacher led the three of them inside the school and then to a classroom. "Sit down please." Narcissa and Lucius both sat down in small plastic blue chairs, which made them feel like giants.

"Is something the matter with Draco?" Lucius asked.

"No, he's a fine student, but he seems to be playing a lot of nasty tricks on other students."

"As in..."

"Well today at lunch, he swapped a boy's sandwich with a toad."

"Draco," Lucius looked at his son, "why would you replace a boy's sandwich with a toad?"

"I didn't. I was just thinking about a toad then I sneezed, and the next thing I knew was some kid's sandwich was a toad!" Draco said excitedly.

"This is not the first time something like this happened either. He dyed another child's hair blue."

"And how do you suppose he did that?" Narcissa asked. She hated Draco's teacher with a passion.

"Mother, I didn't do it, I swear," Draco shook his head about to cry.

"It's alright Darling. Do you want to wait in the hall while we finish talking with your teacher?"

Draco solemnly nodded and then sniffed. Narcissa took him into the hallway and he sat right outside the door, leaning against the wall as his mother went inside the classroom.

A girl about Draco's age kneeled beside him. Her hair was a frizzy
mess and she was in dire need of braces. "What's wrong?"

Draco looked up at her, he had tears streaming down his face. "My teacher is having a talk to my parents because she thinks I'm bad."

"That's a shame. I'm sure you're not that bad."

"I'm not bad at all." He wiped his eyes and the frizzy-haired girl sat down beside him.

"I'm Hermione." She held her hand out to him.

He hesitated before shaking it. "Draco."

"That's a rather odd name."

"Says someone called Hermione," Draco retorted.

"So, what's your favorite subject?" She said ignoring him.

Draco shrugged. He found this strange girl peculiar. But for some reason he liked her.

She reached into her pocket and pulled out two round-pyramid-with-a-fat-bottom-wrapped-in-brightly-colored-foil, "Do you want a Hershey kiss?"

"A what?" Draco asked.

"A Hershey Kiss. It's a type of sweet."

Draco took one from her and examined it. "What does it do?"

Hermione took the chocolate back and unwrapped it, "open your mouth." She put the chocolate in Draco's mouth. "Now you chew it then swallow it or let it sit there so it melts. That's what I do."

Draco swallowed, "Does anything happen?"

"No." Hermione shook her head.

"Oh... Here," Draco reached into his pocket and pulled out a small bag of sweets. "Mum says I'm not 'sposed show anyone. I guess you can have one if you don't tell."

Hermione took one of the sweets out of the bag. She sucked on it and began to feel lighter. She looked down and noticed she was levitating a few inches off of the ground. She was about to scream, but she didn't want to ruin this fun she was having.

"Oh my! Where did you get these?" She asked with a huge grin.

[••••]

"That is not the worst of what your son has done." The teacher said, "He threw a chair all the way across the room, and almost hit a child."

"And how could Draco do that?" Lucius asked.

"His excuse was that he sneezed and it flew." The teacher laughed a throaty laugh. "His lies are getting a bit bizarre."

"Excuse me?" Narcissa was done being polite. She stood up from the tiny plastic chair, "I will not have my son be called a liar by somebody like you."

"Somebody like me? What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means we're leaving this school, and we will not have our son be taught by a... A hairless ape who wears plastic jewelry." Narcissa left the room followed by Lucius. She grabbed Draco's hand and walked fast without saying a word. Hermione waved to him as he was being carted off.

"Mum? Am I bad?" Draco sniffed, looking up at her.

"Of course not. You are far too good for this school."

"I am?"

"You are showing your first signs of magic."

"I am?" Draco smiled.