A/N: Never thought I'd return to this... But I've decided to rewrite my story 'Can I Slytherin' for the THIRD time.. This is it. I hope you like it. Please leave a comment to let me know – it's much appreciated xx
Chapter one - Arriving at Hogwarts
On September 1st 1996 Hermione Granger was followed to King's Cross Station in London by her two Muggle parents. She was carrying a suitcase that contained her school robes, newly bought schoolbooks and tons of other useful things that Hermione always carried with her no matter where she went. She was looking forward to spending yet another year at her favourite place in the whole world, the school of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Hogwarts. She had spent her entire summer getting ready with studying, purchasing new things, practicing spells and so on.
"Can you have a good year, my dear?" Mr. Granger said to his only daughter.
"Yes, thank you, dad," she replied with a smile. She hated saying goodbye to her loved parents, but she knew she would come back home for Christmas.
Her mother had a worried look on her face. She had used the summer trying to convince Hermione to stay at home. She didn't like having to be without her daughter for such a long time, though she was starting her Sixth year. Also, it was hard for the mother to accept that there was a witch in the family. It had been a pure waste of time, though. Nothing could keep Hermione from returning to her friends at Hogwarts.
"Stay safe, lovely," Mrs Granger said in a soft voice and kissed her daughter's forehead.
"I will," Hermione smiled, "you too," she added. She feared her parents' safety, but knew that they were getting the greatest protection there was. Hermione hugged her parents, said goodbye, and then watched them leave the station up the stairs into the Muggle reality. She was thankful that she did not have to go there just yet. She ran towards the brick wall between platform 9 and 10, and ended on platform 9 ¾. As usual the platform was crowded with students, pets and teachers. She had a hard time finding the two people she was looking for.
"Hermione!" a familiar voice yelled somewhere behind her. Hermione turned around and spotted her two best friends, Harry Potter and Ronald Weasly - after all Ron's hair was nearly burning. She ran up to them and held them tight for a few seconds. Both of them had grown several inches over the summer. Ron had grown so much that Hermione accused him for using magic, though she knew he was not clever enough to do so.
They boarded the Hogwarts Express along with many other students, owls, cats and toads. A pure chaos, to be frank.
"Sorry, Harry, but we have to sit in the-" Hermione began, but was interrupted by her black-haired fellow, Harry.
"Prefect compartment, I know," Harry finished for her. He had been sitting in a different compartment than his friends for the past two years. Harry sighed, but then left Ron and Hermione behind and went looking for an empty compartment by himself.
"Harry, hi!" Neville Longbottom, one of Harry's friends from school, yelled a bit further ahead in the train. Neville was a clumsy boy from Harry's year who always got teased by the other students. 'A freak' was what they called him. He was standing next to Luna Lovegood, a Ravenclaw in the same year as Ginny Weasly, Ron's younger sister. Luna was categorized with Neville, and the fact that they were friends did not do any good for their reputation at Hogwarts, but that was one thing they did not care a bit about.
"Hi, Neville, Luna." Luna and Neville were standing close to each other. Harry had always had a feeling that they would end up together. He could just imagine them hunting rare creatures in cold countries together in the future.
"Can I sit with you?" Harry asked. By the glad expression on Luna's face, he could have answered his own question. They found an empty compartment by the end of the train and sat down.
"So, Harry, will D.A continue this year?" Luna asked Harry after hours of silence in the compartment. All three of them were quiet people who preferred to just sit down and think. Harry remembered how much Luna had liked D.A last year. They had been forbad to practice the subject Dark Arts, so instead Harry had taught a group of people what he knew about it and many of them had actually improved their skills.
"Well, there is no reason for it now, is there?" Harry saw the excitement fade away in Luna's silvery-grey eyes.
"Oh," she mumbled. She caught sight of a bit of dirt on the floor and sat still.
"Do you know who will be our new teacher? Now that we are finally rid of Umbridge," Neville asked. He had also been a part of D.A, and loved it. He was the one who had improved the most, and now he had a bit of confidence about practicing magic in public, slowly moving away from his clumsy personality.
"No, I'm not quite sure actually." But Harry was lying. During his summer vacation the school headmaster, Professor Dumbledore, had taken Harry along for a trip to one of his pal's, Horace Slughorn, house. Dumbledore had asked him to start teaching at Hogwarts again and after some persuasion he had agreed to go - if he got a raise.
"Where is he?" Hermione gasped impatiently. They were all seated in the Great Hall, eating after a long, exhausting train ride. Well, all except for Harry. Neither of them had seen him since they boarded the train hours ago. Hermione had been following the Gryffindors up to the carriages, and her throat was sore from screaming at them for not listening. There had been so much talking that no one had paid attention to her anyway. Even Ron had just walked as had he not had a job to do.
"Dun'no," Ron replied, filling his mouth with roasted chicken. Hermione rolled her eyes. She was sick of Ron not paying any attention to her. To anything! Why had he not commented her new hair 'do, or noticed that her eyes were shining brighter?
"How can you be so calm about this, Rona-" In that very moment a blood stained Harry, and Luna Lovegood entered the Great Hall. "-oh."
"See, no need to worry," Ron said, only throwing a quick glance at the two people approaching them.
"He is covered in blood!" Hermione pointed out. "Harry, what have you been doing?" she asked as Harry sat down, saying goodbye to Luna who found her spot at the Ravenclaw table.
"I'll explain later," Harry spat out. "It's not save here."
"Now, tell," Hermione said as soon as they entered the Gryffindor common-room after dinner. She had been anxious to hear the story all the way through the castle.
"Malfoy," was all Harry said, as if the last-name of their archenemy explained why his nose was bleeding at dinner. He was still in shock over hearing that Professor Snape was their new teacher in Defence Against the Dark Arts, and Professor Slughorn was teaching Potions. Of course, Slughorn didn't seem like the type of man who should be teaching DADA - too clumsy and insecure - but being taught by Snape could possibly be the death of Harry.
"Blimey, Snape? There is no way I will pass the subject this year!" Ron complained and threw himself into one of the common-room's empty armchairs. Most of the students had gone to bed as Dumbledore had told them to do. Hermione ignored Ron's presence and kept her eyes on Harry. His scar was still exactly where it had always been, he was still just skin and bones, though his hair was newly cut and didn't cover his eyes as it used to do.
"What about him?" she asked. She was curious, of course.
Harry told her how he had been hiding in Draco's compartment on the train, how Draco had discovered him, paralyzed him and tramped on his face so Harry's nose had broken. Afterwards Malfoy had put Harry's invisibility cloak on him, in hope that nobody would find him before the train returned to London. Fortunately, for Harry, Luna Lovegood had searched the train wearing a pair of Spectrespecs and had found Harry. She had also healed his nose, which Harry very much appreciated.
"And before all of that I heard Draco say that he might not even return to Hogwarts next year," Harry added after his story, which made Hermione look frightened at first and then confused.
"But why should Malfoy not return? I mean, his parents are probably really strict about him getting his education and all," Ron cut in.
"Yeah, but I know someone who doesn't care about education. Someone who would be interested in getting Draco as soon as possible," said Harry, speaking in riddles.
Ron and Hermione didn't understand what he was talking about; they looked at each other confused.
"Voldemort, guys," he explained as if it was obvious.
"Oh," Hermione and Ron said at the exact same time, which made both of them blush.
"Harry, you cannot seriously still believe that.." Hermione started.
"That Draco is a Death Eater? Yes, I still think so. I know so." Hermione hushed at him. She was afraid somebody was eavesdropping, though the chances were small.
"Harry, that is so ridiculous. You and I both know that Draco is far too young for that. What would You-Know-Who want to do with him now?"
Harry did not answer. He, too, could honestly not come up with something Malfoy could be doing for Voldemort, but he was sure that there was something. He knew Malfoy was a Death Eater. There was no other explanation.
The next morning at breakfast Harry and Ron were discussing the Quidditch try-outs. It was different this year because Harry was captain for the Gryffindors and had to pick out the team.
"But Ron, you do not even have to try out! Of course you are on the team again this year," Harry assured. He knew that putting his best mate on the team did not look good, but Ron was actually really good. At least sometimes. Well, his and Ron's friendship was worth more than a Quidditch championship.
"Really? Why, thank you, Harry, my mate!" Ron looked pleased. Probably because he knew that if he actually tried out he would not succeed. It was his luck that Harry was captain.
"You are the best Keeper in Gryffindor!" Harry said. He knew that he was overrating Ron's skills as a player, but it seemed to make Ron all confident and happy which was exactly what made him good at the game.
"Blimey, thank you!" Ron made his way through some more bacon as to celebrate his "great talent". He seemed to have gotten his appetite back again.
"You do not even have to be at the try-outs, actually," said Harry. He would feel far less nervous without Ron around. And then Ron had a tense to, er, interrupt Harry's thoughts.
"Good, I also have a lot of studying to get done," Ron said, as was it the most natural thing for Ron to do in the beginning of a semester. A mix of a choke and a chuckle sounded from next to Harry. Hermione had nearly gotten her breakfast down her oesophagus.
"Studying?" she chuckled. "Ron, we haven't even started classes yet, not before today. How far behind can you be?"
Harry chuckled along with Hermione, but Ron did not move his gaze from the delicious bacon on his plate.
"I actually…" said Hermione, but then cut herself off. "You what?" Harry asked without sounding further interested.
"No, nothing." Hermione's voice was fragile, like she had said something she had not intended to say.
"Yes, something! You can not just start a sentence, and then not tell us the rest!" Ron broke in. "For God sakes, woman." He had apparently been paying attention to the conversation without showing.
"I..." Hermione took a deep breath. "I-have-considered-trying-out-for-the-Quidditch-team," she said in such a hurry that it took a couple of seconds for the words to sink in. Ron dropped the piece of bacon he had halfway chewed.
"You have what?" he cried aloud. Somewhere behind that cry was laughter. Their conversation had caught almost the entire table's attention.
"Well, Hermione, that is…" Harry was looking for the right word to use. He remembered playing friendly matches with Hermione at The Burrow during summer time, but he had never considered her as a professional. "great," he then added after an amount of time. Too much time…
"You both find me silly," Hermione said, but it wasn't a question, more of a statement.
"Hermione, Quidditch… Honestly? I mean, you are really great and smart and so, but..." Ron mumbled. Hermione turned red in her face, but not from blushing. She was furious.
"Blimey, Ronald Weasly, I am so sick of you never believing in me or supporting me in any sort of way! Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean that I cannot play Quidditch!" she said, then got up from the bench and left the Great Hall to prepare for her first lesson of the school year.
"Quidditch... She must be insane," Ron said to himself while finishing up his bacon. Harry was frozen to his chair. If Hermione tried out, how could he in any way turn her down - she obviously was not good enough to play on the team - without her getting mad at him? Was Hermione's friendship also more important to him than the championship, and how much was he willing to give up? Sometimes Harry hated making decisions.
At the following day's Quidditch try-out Harry watched many Gryffindors, and other curious students who had sneaked in, fly around in the air. He could sense them all being very nervous, and in his mind he thanked Professor McGonagall for putting him on the team without even having him try out. Only a few managed to impress Harry. He found it hard to be captain, because there were so many things that had to be arranged by him, so many things to keep under control. He had kept Ron because he knew it would be hard to find a new Keeper.
After having seen all the hopeful students fly around (sending half of them away because they were not in Gryffindor), Harry had a struggle to find out just who to put on the team. Both Katie Bell and Ginny Weasly had done a great job as Chasers, but he needed one more. Ron was the Keeper, Harry himself took place as Seeker, and Jimmy Peaks and Ritchie Coote were the Beaters. Harry kept thinking of Demelza Robins and Dean Thomas, but none of them had done so well.
"Is it too late or can I still try out for Chaser?" a familiar voice asked from behind. Harry turned around and looked directly into the familiar, chocolate brown eyes that he had known for so many years.