Disclaimer: No, I don't anything related to Harry Potter. :(

Beginnings

Hermione yawned and slowly rolled out of bed. She was so excited for this year to start! But it was just a wee bit early to be excited for anything. When she got the letter telling her she had received Head Girl status she had squealed and then promptly told everyone she knew, not that anyone was really surprised. She slouched to the bathroom to take her shower and wake up when a tapping caught her attention. Throwing on a robe, she went to the window and let in a beautiful tawny owl. She recognized the owl and smiled. She and Minerva had been keeping up a running correspondence throughout the years, so she knew whose owl it was.

The owl haughtily stuck out its leg until Hermione untied the parchment. Once it was removed, the owl affectionately nipped her finger, drank out of the water bowl, then headed back to his Mistress. Hermione laid the letter on her desk, then proceeded with her usual morning routine. It was 10 by the time she got out of the shower, so she decided she would read the missive on the way to King's Cross. She packed her last minute things and got into the car along with her parents. Hastily, she ripped open the letter, expecting to see more ramblings of her good friend. Instead, she found an invitation.

Choosing to keep the information to herself for the time being, she rolled the paper back up and stuffed it in her bag. She kept her attention on her parents' conversation that revolved around dentistry, careful to not roll her eyes. They were going on about which root canal procedure would be less painful for the patients. The old car finally pulled into the parking lot and the three Grangers carried Hermione's luggage into the station.

"Hermione!" The girl's vision was suddenly obstructed by vivid red hair. "I'm so happy to see you!"

Hermione laughed as she peeled Ginny off of herself. "It's good to see you, too! Even if I only left the Burrow a couple weeks ago."

The younger witch stuck her tongue out and then ran off to find the rest of her family.

Hermione turned back to her parents and said her goodbyes, hugging and kissing them both. "I'll see you both later. Love you."

Jean and John both smiled at their daughter. "We love you, too, dear. Have fun at school this year."

Hermione smiled and bounded off to the platform, hardly noticing the weight of her luggage. Once she was on the platform, she shrank the luggage to make it easier to carry. She searched the compartments to find the clan, but didn't manage to find them before coming in contact with Malfoy. He sneered at her.

"Granger."

She nodded. "Malfoy." She glanced down at his chest, noticing the gleam of the Head Boy badge. "Good to know we're on equal footing." She smiled, but he simply grunted and stalked off in the opposite direction.

"Hermione!" Harry came bounding up to her. "What's taking you so long? We've got our compartment almost full up."

Hermione smiled. "I just got held up by Mr. Head Boy back there." She rolled her eyes. "I'll only be in the compartment for a few minutes before I have to go meet with him and Slughorn."

Harry smirked. "You don't have to sound so excited, you know." He slid the compartment door open and ushered Hermione inside. Everyone looked up and greeted her with a smile. Harry glanced down and noticed her badge, modestly set on her robes, some of her covering it. "You probably noticed how Maloy's been puffing his chest out?"

Hermione giggled. "Yeah, actually. It's rather amusing, isn't it?"

Ginny smirked. "Amusing doesn't even cover it. Now sit down! You know I don't like it when you stand all the time." She scooted over so that Hermione and Harry could sit on either side of her.

Hermione looked around. "Where's Ron?"

Ginny gave an exasperated sigh while Harry chuckled. "He's off in a locked compartment somewhere with Lavender." She put an extra mushy emphasis on the other girl's name.

Hermione snorted. "How much you want to bet they're going to get married?" She stood and put on a mock-serious face. "And we are here today to join Lavender and Won-Won in holy matrimony."

The compartment exploded in laughter, not stopping when the door slid open, presenting the subjects of the conversation. The laughter only doubled when everyone saw who it was. Ron looked about wildly for a second before cracking a grin. "What's so funny?"

Hermione wiped tears from her eyes and slid past the couple in the doorway. "I'll let them explain. I have a meeting to get to."

Ron turned, bewildered. "What?"

Hermione left the sounds of laughter behind and went to find the Head car, knowing she would find two of her least favorite people waiting for her. She was surprised when she arrived though, because there was an entirely different Slytherin sitting alone in the compartment when she arrived.

"Good afternoon, Miss Granger." The delicious velvet voice came from the far seat. Hermione stopped at the door, hesitant to come in. "Are you waiting for a formal invitation than the badge sitting on your chest?" His voice dripped with disdain.

Hermione blushed and unconsciously crossed her arms over her chest. "I simply thought that Draco would be here already."

Professor Snape raised an eyebrow. "Excited for him to come? My, my. I didn't realize you two were so… close."

Hermione fought the urge to roll her eyes. "It was just a remark on the situation. He is Head Boy and I expected him to be here." She tried to force just as much disdain into her voice, but could not quite manage quite the same level.

Before Snape could respond, Draco slid open the door. If he noticed the tension in the room, he didn't comment on it, but he did look surprised to see Snape sitting where he thought Slughorn would be. He nodded towards the older man. "Professor Snape."

The dark-haired professor returned a slight tilt of the head, but never took his eyes off Hermione. "Are we ready to begin?"

The Head Girl and Boy nodded and the meeting began.