DRAMIONE. – CHAPTER ONE

"One can question the many mysteries of life. We were given two hands to hold, two legs to walk, two eyes to see, two ears to listen, but why only one heart? The answer is simple, because, the other was given to someone else, for us to find. Two souls with but a single thought, two hearts that beat as one. "

DRACO POV.

Blaise Zabini and Pansy Parkinson sat across from me as I twiddled my thumbs over the table. I could feel Pansy's stare burn into me. She was concerned. After all, I never kept my mouth shut for more than 5 minutes, I was always shouting at somebody. I looked up out the corner of my eye to see Zabini watching Pansy. I was surprised to see how much I didn't care. She was my girlfriend, but I didn't care because in all honesty, I only kept her around for convenience. She wasn't bad looking… if she kept her mouth shut. She did have the most annoying voice after all. It would be kind of nice I guess if she was happy. I heard the Slytherin girls often say how she cried over me sometimes at night. I wonder if she'd ever go for Zabini. I guess not, because one thing I can be sure of Pansy, she's just like me. The only time we're happy is when we are miserable. I wish I could say that now though. I feel like my shoulders have been weighed down with this huge burden that was never meant to be mine. That would explain my outbursts and fury.

Soon enough that burden would get heavier as I approached Hogwarts. We were almost there now. Just pulling into Hogsmeade. Pansy stood up and grabbed my hand. She was icy cold. Zabinni followed behind as we got off the train. Just as I was getting off, all the younger students started pushing and a mass of huge curly brown hair knocked into me. I looked down to see Granger stumbling back to her feet grabbing onto a book. It wasn't her fault she fell into me but I was angry and she was going to take the heat for it.

"Watch where you're going you filthy Mudblood!" I shouted at her, brushing down my cloak where she'd fallen into it.

She gave me a glare and pushed past me. Pansy snarled at her and pulled me along to the carts. As we approached an empty one I looked to the front of it to see a large black skeletal horse pulling it. I stopped in my tracks gazing at it.

"Apparently, thestrels pull these carts" Zabini said following my gaze. "I didn't know you knew anyone that died. I can't see them."

Well I'd heard of them but never seen them. Guess I should of expected it, being a knew Death Eater, I'd seen a few people die at the hands of my father and auntie.

I felt a sinking feeling as the cart began to pull us along to the castle. I didn't know if I could manage to look into the eyes of all the students there. They didn't know about my… assignment, but what was this feeling? Worry? That even one of the stupid Gryfindors might die at the hands of one of the death eaters, and it would be my fault. Could I handle that? My dad dealt with it every day, so did my auntie. But the question I kept asking my self quietly at the back of my head, behind all the other thoughts about wanting to be great, wanting to be the chosen one by Voldemort, the question nagged at me still. Could I handle it?

HERMIONE POV

I glared as I barged past Malfoy and that dreadful Pansy girl. I promised myself I wouldn't let Malfoy and his cronies hurt my feelings this year, I really needed to focus on my studies.

I could hear Ron and Harry behind me, grumbling about Malfoy.

"Right bloody git. One day he'll get what's coming to him, miserable ferret." I heard Ron say to Harry.

"Honestly Ron, ignore him! It'll be like he's arguing with a brick wall if we don't retaliate and I can't imagine him finding it entertaining." I asserted, looking behind to him.

"Hermione, you of all people know that Malfoy doesn't give up that easily." Ron said soothingly yet patronisingly.

I sighed and let Harry and Ron bicker all the way up to the great hall. After we'd eaten and Professor Dumbledore had given a speech on safety now that Lord Voldemort had returned, we all went to our common rooms.

The Gryfindor common room was near enough empty except for Harry, Ron, Neville, Ginny and I. I sat in a spongy red velvet armchair by the fire and pulled the book from the coffee table onto my lap and traced the title under my fingers, as the others chatted.

"Well personally, I do. What about you Hermione?" Ginny asked me, breaking me from my reverie.

"Do I what?" I asked stupidly.

Ginny raised a shaped ginger eyebrow. "Think that Malfoy looks kind of ill or stressed."

That was strange. What had they been talking about? "What makes you say that?" I asked. "Well I know how we all hate Malfoy, but you can't honestly say he wasn't a little bit good looking before. Now he's much paler and did you see the purple shadows under his eyes?" Ginny said, punching Ron on the leg as he began to say something no doubt utterly sarcastic.

"I guess so, I didn't really notice," I admitted looking back to the book on my lap. I really wanted to read it but thought it would be rude to seem anti social. "I'm tired." I claimed to the others, standing up and acting out a convincing yawn.

"Night Hermione."

"See you in the morning."

"G'night" they all chorused together as I dragged my feet heavily up stairs, realising now that I really was tired. When I opened the doors I found the other girls fast asleep so I tip toed quietly across the floor to my bed. I didn't want to wake them up. I felt cosy all at once as soon as I nestled between the silky, warm, red sheets of my four-poster bed. I wanted to lift my book up and read it, hoping it was stimulating enough to wake me up but I found myself slipping into unconsciousness.