The Stranger or L'Etranger
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters. Not even Blaise! Though, I hope to be able to rent them soon. Because, man, Draco would be so much fun to have around... preferably in the nude, but I'm not picky. . . These characters belong to JKR. I adore her. I worship her. I would never steal from her. By the way, JKR, sorry for the DM/HG and even BZ/HG, er... I know it's never going to happen, and I enjoy dreaming.
Rated M: Because there will be cursing, and sex. Among other things. You've been warned. If that's your kind of thing, then by all means, read it. If it's not, move along, buddy.
Note: This isn't exactly an AU fic, but it's not like... exactly loyal to book 6. Ignore that book for this fic. Dumbeldore is alive. It's seventh year. All you need to do is ignore all of the sixth book. That's all, okay? Other than that, the characters are as in-character as possible in a DM/HG fic. Oh. And Ron is a bit of a retard in this first chapter. He gets better though... I hope.
Perspectives
Hermione Granger, September 1st, 1997
"Honestly Hermione, it's no big deal. I'm sure loads of people didn't get their schedules yet," Ronald Weasley said while resting his legs on my lap as if I were his personal footstool. I pushed them off with a scowl, causing him to tilt and nearly fall forward.
"I know, Ron, I'm just worried, you know?" I said and played with the hem of my robes. I looked at Harry for some consolation but he just shrugged, not knowing what to say. I was honestly worried that I wasn't accepted into Hogwarts again this year, though I understand the absurdity of my statement, it seems like a legitimate fear at this point. Two figures walked by the door, but one of them halted and turned his head; I saw the face of the man that I had completely forgotten about. He pulled open the door with his infamous smirk plastered on his face, with a black haired boy that followed him. I paid no attention to his accomplice, he was a Slytherin also, and Malfoy was enough to handle.
"Well hello, the Human Cockroach, the Bastard Accident, and dear Virgin Mudblood," he said, his hands coming up as if to pray at my title. His insults were predictably personal again this year.
"Oh, hello Grease-hog," Harry said.
"Arrogant prat," I added in a whisper.
"Doo head," Ron said with too much confidence. Malfoy burst out in laughter and his friend tried to muffle a chuckle. There followed an awkward silence where Ron looked around confused.
"What do you want, Malfoy? Craving your ferret days?" I said and pulled out a book from my bag along with my graceful long wand, already sick of his presence. He, with force and speed, snatched the book, and I stood up and tried to take it back. He held it above my reach with a triumphant look of power and malice as I stood directly across from him, my wand to his throat, completely peeved and impatient with his childish games.
"What is this? 'The Mysterious Stranger'? A muggle book? Ugh, despicable. Then again," he looked down, his eyes trailing down my torso, "I can't expect much from a prudish sack of infected blood." My look of disgust matched his, my wand digging into his throat now, and Ron stood up angrily, wand in hand. The fact that two people with wands pointed to his face didn't seem to irk Malfoy, only amuse him. He caught on quickly that I was unlikely to attack him during my insecurity of Hogwarts admission, while Ron would probably end up jinxing himself as always.
"You little…!" Ron stammered.
"Yes?" Malfoy asked waiting for Ron to try to come up with a decent insult, but knowing all to well this was unlikely. His black haired friend stepped in front of Malfoy and calmly but quickly took the book, his olive gaze gracing the cover.
"'Mysterious Stranger'? Twain was a man after his time, sheer brilliance how he hypothesized war and chaos in the world of muggles." The friend flipped through the book, though his eyes were not on the words of Twain but instead were on me while a white dazzling smile painted his face, contrasting Malfoy's face of sheer disgust. The black haired boy, completely oblivious to Malfoy's looks, turned to whisper in his ear. Draco Malfoy stared at his friend and his eyes wandered over to us. I couldn't exactly tell what the friend was saying, but Malfoy's eyes grew from anger to what I thought was submission. My beliefs were proven correct when Malfoy stormed out of the room, taking all air of chaos along with him.
The black haired boy stepped towards me and extended a hand. I looked at him reluctantly and placed my hand delicately in his. "'Till we meet again," he said, looking from Harry to Ron, then to me with a sincere, glossy smile.
"Blaise!" Malfoy yelled from the hall.
"Coming," he yelled back, chuckling. The boy - well, man named Blaise placed the book gently in my lap, winked at me and serenely left the room.
Ron let out a low whistle and I looked at him startled.
"Who," he paused, "in the bloody hell was that?"
"Blaise, apparently," Harry answered as I stared at the door. My mind was plagued with questions, which lasted about a minute before I continued to worry about school, as always. I have no need to worry myself with manipulating handsome men when I have no class schedule to keep me sane!
The rest of the ride went by fairly smoothly; minus the one time that Ron accidentally transfigured Harry into a turkey. I had to turn him back, but he would have the sagging neck until we reached Hogwarts. I managed to finish the novel that I had brought along, and the fact that my schedule had not yet arrived still plagued my mind.
Draco Malfoy, September 1st, 1997
"Well, why can't I read muggle books? What do you expect me to read, Draco,Magical Me? I have no intentions of being ignorant of other beings that live on our planet," Blaise told me.
I rolled my eyes. Couldn't he see how corrupt muggles were? Their governments being thrown over by their people, terrorists running around creating chaos, and censors preventing people from learning and knowing.
"Muggles are stupid." I said carelessly.
Blaise sighed and threw off his shirt. "You're being stubborn again, Draco." No doubt. When it comes to muggles, the Dark Lord, power, and women, I couldn't help but stand my ground. "Oh, and why are you so cruel to Hermione Granger? She's not half bad." I froze.
"What?" my voice was filled with sheer and utter disgust. "You like Granger?"
"She's pretty. And she's intelligent, so why not?" Blaise said slowly and carefully. He was crossing some boundaries, and he knew it. I had learned to put up with his different tastes. He was funny and charming, and great to have around when in trouble. He seemed to be able to talk his way out of anything, but this was pushing it.
"Stop talking about the mudblood," I said with repulsion. There was a knock at the compartment door. I enchanted it so that it would show us who was behind it, for you see, I had a knack for learning new magic. Such as an unlockable locking charm, that only the person and his chosen partners could open, and other spells.
"Ugh, Pansy," Blaise said in a low whisper. "Tell her to go away."
"Why? She's not that bad."
I let Pansy in and she squealed in a high voice, "Draco! Oh Draco! I missed you, oh I missed you so very much. We must get you naked at once." Thank you, dearest Pansy, now get your fucking fat arse off of me.
"Hello, Pansy," I say and share a look with Blaise. He's staring at her with hatred and I smile.
"How was your summer, baby?" I shrug.
"It was nice, hung out with Blaise here a lot." She started slobbering all over my neck and Blaise made a gagging face, "Pansy, babe, can you get off of me? Blaise and I would like to have some time to talk. Understood?" She pouted.
"Draco, why? Don't you want me?" She wrapped her arms around my neck and I tried to push her off of my lap.
"No, Pansy, gerroffme." She gave me her most innocent pout, which ironically made her horns glisten in malice more. "Pansy, now," I ordered firmly.
"I love it when you talk like that to me. But, I want to stay. You can tell me anything, you don't need privacy to be with Blaise, baby," she replied. Blaise was having enough of this and pulled out his wand.
"Pansy, get out or -- may the Gods of Gravity help me, I'll levitate you out of this compartment. Leave. Now."
"No, I don't think you will," Pansy challenged and turned to me, "Are you going to let him talk to me like tha-?" Before she knew it, she was being thrown out of the room through an invisible hand of anti-gravity holding on to her. Blaise then continued to lock the door and conjured a thick drape over it so that Pansy couldn't see or hear anything even if she tried.
"What an annoying piece of shit," he said with anger as I sighed.
"She's a decent fuck. Always willing to please."
"Goddamnit, I do not want to picture Pansy in bed. Draco, please, that's…" he paused, "just argh."
"Well, thank you for empathizing with me. That is exactly, if not less than, how I feel about you talking about…" I shuddered with disgust, "you with Granger."
Blaise grinned, tempted to tease, humiliate, disgust or infuriate me further, but instead, he replied: "Looks like we're here."
The train stopped at the Hogsmeade Station and, as tradition would have it, I bullied second, third and fourth years into moving out of the way so we would get the best carriages.
"How rude, Malfoy!" Granger yelled with authority before I climbed into the carriage. "That was uncalled for, you're not supposed to pick on the students younger than you!" She was marching towards me in angry strides.
"Go away, Granger. Go do something productive, like comb your hair." Though it had appeared that her hair had grown rather nicely after the fireball incident last year in Herbology. Why am I thinking this?
"You're a disgrace to the wizarding world, Malfoy. And to all humanity, you foul, prejudice arse!"
"Ooh, Kitty's got claws, ey, Blaise?" Blaise popped his head out at his name and saw us quarelling.
"Draco, behave." I rolled my eyes at him. He kept on telling me to not make trouble. The less attention this year, the safer my arse is. Though he had no idea what I had up my sleeve. Blaise looked at Granger and smiled brightly, "please excuse him, Hermione," he said and pulled me into the carriage roughly. Good thing too, I was so close to smashing her mudblood face in for approaching me like an equal.
"Be nice to her, Draco! How on earth am I going to be expected to seduce her if you're ruining the name of all Slytherins?"
There was a pause. I was trying to keep my breakfast down at the thought.
"Se-Seduce her? Wha- I'm ruining the name? Slytherins, my dear old idiot of a friend, do not meddle with dirty blood." I sighed and threw my feet up on the other side of the seats with frustration, my hand over my mouth to keep me from gagging further.
Hermione Granger, September 1st, 1997
"I would like to make an announcement before we begin to eat," Dumbledore's voice echoed through the Great Hall. "There have been a few," he paused, "inconveniences with the letters this year, regarding those who would be titled Heads and Prefects. As it happens, we have not yet introduced the prestigious positions yet, and it would be a great honor to present the students with the position of prefect..."
"No wonder, Hermione," Harry whispered over the table. "That's why you didn't get your letter, because they had problems sending them."
"Yes, but what on earth would create a problem? It's not like it's a machine that chooses the prefects, it's magic." Harry and Ron shrugged.
"The Slytherin Prefects will be Anthony Kelpler, and Gezebel Rollingson. Yes, well done! The Gryffindor Prefects will be Ronald Weasley and Christine Samson." Silence ensued on the Gryffindor table, and I have to admit, I too was rather surprised. I suppose I did something wrong? His voice continued to resonate with a hint of amusement, "The Heads this year will be Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger."
Silence now ensued on every table until...
"What?" Ron asked in an outrage.
"Congratulations, Mr. Malfoy and Ms. Granger," Dumbeldore finalized, "now that that's settled, tuck in!"
The food appeared, but I was left too shocked to notice.
AN: How was it? Want to tell me in a comment? Good. By the way, I'm going to try and not have Pansy say "Drakie-poo" or something to that effect. Bye, love.