1. Metamorphosis

A very old memory suddenly struck her. It was a sunny day back then. A little curly girl and her mom in the Saint- James park, full of people of different ages, reading, sleeping, playing, getting a tan and so on. The mother was sitting on the bench watching her little daughter play on the grass. The little girl's hair was so curly that it reminded of a big bush. She threw a ball to her dog in an attempt to play, yet he was rather old for that, and instead of wagging is tail and chasing it, he just glanced lazily at the girl and continued sleeping.

-Oh honey, Archie is no longer a puppy, he is very old. I'm sorry but he isn't able to play with you anymore, his old bones are too weak for that, just let him sleep okay sweetie? Now would you please go and find the ball yourself? We have to get going, your dad is waiting for us at home, - Her mother was a rather short woman with brown hair and beautiful green eyes, which had kept so much love and care inside of them. She stood up and straightened the wrinkles on her white dress, - I will be here, dont worry.

-Yes, mommy, - the little girl was upset that Archie won't play with her anymore, yet she was an obedient girl, therefore she stood up and ran after the ball.

She didn't get too far, when a little blond boy, at the age of 4-5, just like herself ran up to her holding her pink ball covered with flower prints. She noticed that he was dressed strangely. The little boy was dressed in a black robe, completely covering his feet. But the girl knew that staring was impolite, so she shifted her gaze at the blond's face and simply said:

-Hi.

-Hi, - the little boy replied, a bit shyly, - umm is this your ball? I found it over here, - he handed her the ball, gesturing to the place where his feet were standing.

- Oh, yes! Thank you, - she took her ball and smiled at the boy, her cheeks rosy-red from the heat.

-My name is - He was about to say his name, when suddenly a tall man with long blond hair, just like the boy's and a black robe, similar to his, grabbed the boy by the hand and said:

-I'm afraid you won't have time to introduce yourself to the little miss. Excuse us, we have to go. - The tall man observed her quickly with his light blue, almost white eyes, seeming to be very cold. She didn't like the way he looked at her. His gaze was contemptuous, as if he was silently mocking her, considering her to be...to be… to be what? At such a small age she couldn't completely comprehend her feelings towards that man.

-Good bye!, - the blond boy cried out quickly before disappearing behind his father's figure.

-Bye-bye,- the little girl replied, having mixed feelings. She was so lonely, without any fellows or anything like that, and now she was happy to make a new friend, yet thanks to his most probably, father, she didn't even know his name and she probably wouldn't see him again.

Yet there he was. Hermione got back to reality and looked up. The picture that she was currently observing brought a lot of confusion to her. Draco was standing in front of the sink, his back bent, and crying, crying very loudly, his shoulders shaking violently, just like it happens when you can't stop yourself from wheeping and shuddering helplessly. Helpless, is this the correct word to use regarding him in this situation? Was he helpless? She didn't know. She didn't even know what had caused such a bad break down to a boy who's feelings were all locked up deep inside long ago. she only knew one thing. Draco was no longer the little shy, yet friendly boy who had helped her 11 years ago. He was different now. Arrogant, show-off, bully, particularly towards her. Hermione couldn't understand what made him like that and why was he so mean to her, at first, but now she got used to of the offensive things that he called her, and the little pranks that he played on her. She hated it, she hated him and she was trying to stay away from the nasty Slytherin company. All of those childish feelings that she felt long ago were gone. She even forgot that he was different ages ago. The last time when she saw him like this was the distribution of students to their colleges.

They were surprised to see each other there, both being a witch and a wizard. They chatted for a while sharing impressions and hopes, before being separated. Draco smiled cheerfully at her back then, right before his name was announced. He walked up to the chair, sitting down clumsily his gaze kept searching for her. He even waved, oh how innocent it all was back then! As soon as Hermione heard the hat shout out 'Slytherin', her expectations had slowly started breaking down, but she still hoped that it won't change him, that people in Slytherin aren't that bad at the end. Yet she was mistaken. When she saw him many days later, he barely looked at her and his manner of speaking seemed to have changed. He was always referring to his father, all the money and power that they had. But the last drop was when she heard his rude and disrespectful perspectives against halfbloods that he shared with his father, - Lucius Malfoy.. The last tiny hope that lived in her heart was ruined. Her parents were muggles, and she was born a witch by chance. There were many prejudices against halfbloods, particularly among Slytherins, but when she heard the word 'mudblood' easily come out of Draco's mouth in second year, her pride was wounded, and they stopped being friends ever since.