Hermione and Draco

by avatwin5

It is Hermione's first year at Hogwarts, and she has met a charming boy by the name of Draco. But is this romance doomed for failure? And are Draco and his family everything they seem?

1. Chapter 1

Bushy brown hair flew past the startled faces of everyday commuters in the King's Cross Station. The girl underneath the mountain of hair, Hermione, was struggling to regain control of her cart. Stumbling, she tripped and overturned her cart, her trunk opening and spilling onto the floor of the station. Angry mutters arose from passerby as they stalked around her. Bright as a tomato, Hermione stooped and began to collect her various textbooks, quills, parchment and the like. Suddenly, a voice cut through the crowd as a plump, jolly woman crouched next to her and began to help her.

"Quite the catastrophe we have here, isn't it?" the woman said, smiling as she dropped various undergarments into the open trunk.

"Yes, I suppose so," Hermione muttered under her breath, embarrassed. Why wasn't the woman questioning her choice of textbooks as she gathered them? A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration didn't exactly scream "public school".

Once all the items were gathered up, the woman cheerily stood up and brushed herself off. As Hermione began to thank her profusely, she waved her arm and smiled. "No need for that, deary. It was no trouble at all. And I see you're going to Hogwarts as well? My sons-" here she gestured to the clan of fiery red-headed children behind her "are going as well. One of them is a first year, too, as I assume you are?"

Here Hermione finally spoke. Clearing her throat, she said, "Yes, I am." Looking around the woman's plump figure, she waved a bit awkwardly to the children. "Hi," she smiled, "I'm Hermione."

The tallest spoke first. "Hullo. My name's Fred, and this here's my twin, George." George smiled and nodded in her direction. "And this here's Percy, the stuck-up one." Giggles from the twins.

Percy, drawing himself up to his full height, strode towards Hermione, sticking his hand out for her to shake. "Don't listen to them, I'm smarter than them anyways. And I'm a prefect, so they have to listen to me!" More snickers from the twins. Percy whirled around. "Admit it, it's true! And I can report you if you misbehave!"

The smallest of them peered around Percy's shoulders. "Hi," he mumbled, "I'm Ron. I'm a first-year too. And this wonderful woman here," he said, turning to face his mother, "this is Molly, my mum. She's a wonderful mum."

Molly positively glowed with joy. "Oh, I'm so happy you're making friends already! But it really is time to go. Wouldn't want to miss the train, now would we? Hermione, would you join us?"

Here Hermione grinned and began to walk with them. "I'd love to."

Soon they arrived at a brick wall between stations 9 and 10. Unsure of how to get to the platform, Hermione looked to Molly for answers.

"Ah, yes, I suppose this is your first time going on the platform? Do as Fred and George do, you'll see."

Fred, pushing his cart, sprinted at the wall with surprising speed and disappeared into thin air! Hermione gasped. George just grinned, and followed him, with Percy bringing up the rear.

Ron turned to Hermione. "Ladies first, I suppose." Hermione gulped and grabbed her cart.

"Best do it at a run," Molly said. Turning to face the wall, Hermione ran to the wall, fully expecting to get a face full of bricks…

And instead emerged onto another platform, where a brilliant red train sat, steaming and ready to go. Ron and Molly appeared behind her, and they all walked towards the train. After loading their luggage, Molly gathered the children outside the entrance to the train.

"Now, you lot, my children at least, listen to me. You be good to this sweet girl, okay? Don't give her too much of a rough time, and be sure to show her around and explain as needed. Understand?"

Fred, George, and Percy nodded and hugged their mother goodbye, hopping onto the train. Ron hugged his mom as well, pausing to wait for Hermione as Molly hugged her. Molly pulled her in close and gave her a tight, warm embrace, whispering in her ear, "If you ever need anything, anything at all, just send me an owl okay? Address it to Mrs. Weasley, and the owl will do the rest. Have a great year."

Pulling away from Mrs. Weasley and smiling fondly, Hermione turned to Ron, and together, they boarded the train.

When they entered the train, they were immediately hit in the face with an enchanted paper ball. A sheepish 5th year smiled at the pair and apologized. Turning to the left, they searched the compartments, looking, in vain, for an empty one. When they passed one compartment, they were stopped by a gang of three boys.

"Well, looky here, it must be a Weasley," one pudgy boy snorted.

"Yes, it must be. Ratty old robes and red hair? Certainly," his friend leered.

"Boys, boys," one boy chastised, "we wouldn't want to insult what could be our future friends, now, would we?" He stepped forward. "I'm Malfoy. Draco Malfoy. And you are?"

Hermione stepped out from behind Ron. "And we are just leaving, thanks. Ron, I think we're done here." Rolling her eyes, she strutted away from the watchful eyes of Draco, who seemed curious as to just who this girl thought she was.

Finding a compartment containing only a single boy, Hermione and Ron decided that this would have to be the best they could get. Sitting down, they introduced themselves.

"I'm Hermione Granger, and this is Ron," Hermione said confidently. "And you are?"

The boy, looking uncomfortable, muttered, "I'm Harry Potter, pleasure to meet you."

At once there was an explosion from Ron. "You're Harry Potter, the Harry Potter?! Have you got the scar?"

His smile not quite reaching his eyes, Harry pushed back his jet black hair to reveal a lightning bolt on his forehead. Ron gasped, his eyes wide, a big grin on his face.

"I can't believe you're in our year! I can't believe we might be friends, even!" Ron said a bit too loudly.

Hermione, puzzled, asked, "What's so important about this boy? He seems normal," she said, looking him over.

Ron, excitedly, said, "Can I tell it? Can I tell the story?"

Harry sighed. "I guess so. It was so refreshing to meet someone that doesn't know my entire backstory."

Ron, ignoring the insult, began his tale. "You have heard of Voldemort, right? The Dark Lord?"

Hermione nodded. While she was Muggle-born, she had received word of Lord Voldemort as she was shopping around Diagon Alley. Someone had offhandedly mentioned him, and she had learned all about the terrible things he'd done.

Ron continued. "Well, Voldemort killed Harry's parents. But when he went to kill Harry, the spell rebounded and killed Voldemort instead! Harry here's responsible for saving thousands of lives!"

Harry, smirking slightly, said, "Not killed, exactly. Some say he still exists to this day. No one knows."

Hermione's eyes went wide. She was sitting with the boy responsible for saving so many people, for vanquishing the Dark Lord?

Just then a trolley appeared outside their apartment. A plump old woman appeared, and said kindly, "Anything from the trolley, dears?" The trolley was loaded with decadent sweets and desserts.

Moving to pull out her purse, Harry stopped her. "I've got this, he said gallantly. Turning to the woman, he handed her a fistful of coins, and said, "We'll take the lot!"

There was more candy than Hermione could ever imagine. Harry smiled softly at Hermione. "Eat, eat! Eat it all if you want. We've got the whole cart! Here, try a Chocolate Frog. Be careful, they jump!"

Unwrapping the packaging, Hermione went to take a bite, but she was too late. The frog hopped out the window and into the sprawling countryside. Noticing a small card, she turned it over. There was a picture of a wizard with long, white hair, elegant robes, and half-moon spectacles. She turned to Harry. "Who is this?"

Ron answered first, his mouth full of Pumpkin Pasties. "That's Dumbledore, the headmaster at Hogwarts. He the greatest wizard alive!" he mumbled.

Harry looked out the window. "Speaking of Hogwarts, we'd better go change into our robes. We'll be there soon." They went to change, each thinking of the nerve-racking procedure they were about to endure: the Sorting.

The Sorting Hat was placed upon each first year's head. It then decided which house you would go into: Gryffindor, the brave; Ravenclaw, the intelligent; Hufflepuff, the loyal; and Slytherin, the cunning. You were then in that house for the rest of the year.

Hermione didn't know which house she wanted to be in. She considered herself to be very intelligent, maybe she would fit into Ravenclaw? Although, she thought, I wouldn't mind being in Gryffindor. Am I brave?

When the group emerged from the changing rooms, they found themselves pulling up to a magnificent castle with many towers. All of the lights were lit, and it glowed in the darkness of the night. It looked truly magical.

The trio stepped out of the train into the night. A large, burly man was holding a lantern and waving, shouting, "First years, over 'ere! All first years, come with me!" Harry smiled and said hello, explaining that he had met Hagrid a while ago and gone to Diagon Alley with him. Ron and Hermione meekly said hello.

Hagrid grinned at the children. "Well, a friend of Harry's is a friend o' mine!"

The group stepped onto a boat and were joined by Draco, from the train. He groaned and rolled his eyes, although he cast a glance at Hermione, which she met with a glare.

"If you're going to be rude, save it. We're almost here, and I don't want anything spoiling this night," she said fiercely.

Draco sighed, but spoke no more.

The gaggle of boats arrived at the castle. Once they had all gotten off and, in one unfortunate case, dried off (Neville Longbottom had fallen in), they were ushered into the majestic castle. The towering, ornate doors were thrown open, and the children stepped onto a beautiful staircase, where a stern-looking, wizened professor stood waiting. She adjusted her papers and glared at them over her spectacles.

"My name is Professor McGonagall, and I teach Transfiguration here at Hogwarts, although, quite frankly, that doesn't matter right now. When you walk in these doors, I will read your names off of this scroll, and I will place the Sorting Hat on you."

Here some students got scared. A couple were daring enough as to shout out questions: "Does it talk to us?" "Will it hurt?" and "Does it tickle?" were all met with a reproachful scowl.

"No questions will be accepted at this time. And, as I may remind you, if you happen to speak out of turn in my class, as well as your other classes, House points will be deducted." She cleared her throat, and then, deciding they were ready, threw open the doors and ushered them in.

Four long tables with hundreds of students sat in front of them. The tables seemed to each have different color themes; one was scarlet, one was canary yellow, one was a deep, rich blue, and one was a beautiful emerald. The students turned to look at the first years, some whispering, wondering who the new members of their house would be. Hermione spotted Fred, George, and Percy, and waved to them. She was met with smirks.

When it was finally time for Hermione to sit on the stool, she was very nervous. Her heart was racing as she slowly walked up the steps and sat on the rickety wooden stool. It squeaked under her weight.

As the Sorting Hat was placed on her head, the world was suddenly muffled. She could no longer hear the anxious whispers of the other first-years, no longer hear the mingling of those already sorted with their houses. A strange sense of calm washed over her, and a warmth filled her and killed her nervousness.

Suddenly, a gravelly old voice spoke. "Ah, yes, Hermione Granger? Very tricky, very tricky indeed… Now, let's see here. You do seem to have a good sense of bravery, yes? But you are also very intelligent, and I sense you are not afraid to use it… That puts you in… SLYTHERIN!"

Hermione stood up, a little shocked, but nonetheless excited to start her new life in Slytherin. She could hear the groans of the older Weasleys at Gryffindor, and when she turned to glance at the first-years as she walked, she met Harry and Ron's eyes, who looked disappointed and shocked.

I have to admit, Hermione thought, that it would have been very fun to be in Gryffindor with the boys. That house seems like a lot of fun. She shook her head to clear her thoughts of the rival house as she stepped up to the Slytherin table. Looking for a place to sit, she scanned the table until she saw Malfoy, who looked a bit surprised himself, and decided to sit next to him.

As Hermione sat down, she was greeted with cheers from the older Slytherins, and the boys she had ran into on the train glanced at her with a bit of wonder in their eyes, wondering if she really did belong in this house or not. Malfoy simply glanced at her and gave her a small smile, then turned to look at the rest of the first-years once more.

Once the rest of the first-years were sorted, a great feast suddenly appeared on the table, much to the delight of the ravenous students. Hermione reached for a turkey leg, but was suddenly stopped with a hard slap to her hand.

"Oww!" she cried, "What was that for?"

The owner of the hand happened to be Malfoy, who looked a little sheepish. "Sorry," he shouted across the din of the crowded Great Hall. "I didn't mean to hurt you, I just wanted to get your attention, and yelling 'Hey!' until you notice me is near impossible in here, it's so loud."

Hermione struggled to hear him, but nodded along to what he said. "So, what did you need?" she questioned.

"I just wanted to… apologize for how piggish and rude I acted on the train. My family hates the Weasleys, and they, my father in particular," here a dark shadow crossed his face, "my father trains me to be rude to the people they oppose. My family is… very unaccepting, and they like to punish and be rude to those they dislike. So," here he paused to smile and take a breath, "I guess I just wanted to better my impression upon you? I'm really not that mean, I swear!"

Hermione giggled. "It's fine, I swear! You're fine, Malfoy." She blushed a bit before saying, "You didn't seem that bad at all. You seemed… powerful."

The corner of his mouth quirked up, and he smirked, becoming serious before saying, "Please, call me Draco. I don't like to go by my family name, but unfortunately, most assume I do." He heaved a deep sigh. "Many people assume the worst of me." He looked down at the table, and recovered a bit, before looking up with a slight smile and saying, "Well, I guess we should enjoy our food! You must be hungry, and I've been rambling on for ages…"

Hermione was impressed! Who knew this seemingly pompous, swelling-with-pride boy had a heart of gold! She knew she would have to learn more about him. Yes, he seemed… interesting. Interesting, indeed.

After chattering on in between bites of delicious delicacies and swigs of the sweetest of butterbeer, a towering girl by the name of Mara stood and began to yell.

"Alright, first-years, follow me! It's time to go to bed! And don't think I won't leave you behind if you're slow!" She glared at the group of children, and began to stalk away. The first-years scurried behind her.

They were led down a sloping floor that echoed with every stomp of Mara's combat boots, and the whispers of the curious first-years bounced off of the walls, ceiling, and tile floor. The temperature slowly dropped as they descended lower and lower. They marched on and on for what seemed like ages until they finally reached a dead end.

Here Mara turned to the group and said, "To get into the common room, you must turn to the correct wall and whisper the password. The password changes every fortnight. If you get the password wrong, or if you whisper to the wrong wall, you will be denied entrance until you get it right or until someone helps you. Although," Hermione could see a glimmer of mischief in her eyes accompanying her smirk, "no one has to help you. You could sleep out here all night."

All of the children snickered and smirked, already imagining the torture they would put the other students through by not letting them in. All except Hermione, who was horrified at the thought of being so mean to the others. Who would do that? Hermione turned to see a slight smirk of Draco's face that disappeared when she looked at him.

Mara riled their attention back in to her, then turned to the wall furthest to the right and whispered, "Mudblood", much to the amusement of the first-years. What does that mean? Hermione wondered.

Suddenly a looming, gloomy door appeared on one of the walls. The first-years gasped in wonder. Mara simply rolled her eyes and smirked. She liked to smirk.

The door magically swung open by itself, and the gaggle stepped through the doorway. A gigantic room met their gaze. There was a roaring fireplace that seemed merely decorative; it did nothing to conceal the chill in the room. There were comfy armchairs and tables for studying scattered about the room, and the theme of the space seemed to be black and green, which were Hermione's least favorite colors. The theme of the entire house seemed to be these colors. If she was judging off of colors alone, she would have picked Ravenclaw: blue was her favorite color, and it was so calming to her.

Mara suddenly spoke again, interrupting the explorations of the children. "Girls take the staircase to the left; boys, to your right. If any boy tries to climb the girls' staircase, this will happen. Anyone want to be my dummy?"

Draco stepped forward, winking at Hermione before turning to face the staircase. He confidently began to walk up, but before he got very far, it turned into a slide! Pure panic washed across his features: his eyes were wide with terror, his mouth, agape, almost as if he was on tv, screaming, but someone pressed mute. He flailed his arms wildly, but to no avail, he slid down the slide and fell, hard, face first onto the hard stone floor. Face beet red in embarrassment, he picked himself up amidst the laughter of the other students. He walked back into the huddle of students next to Hermione, who, attempting to keep a straight face, said, "Well, that'll teach you to go in the girls' dormitory!" before collapsing into a fit of giggles. Draco merely scowled.

Mara addressed the first-years once more: "Your trunks are in your rooms already. Go get ready for bed, you'll have a big day tomorrow." The girls trudged up one staircase, the boys stumbled up the other. Hermione and Draco stayed behind.

Draco turned to Hermione. "Big day tomorrow, right? We're starting our new life here. Are you excited?"

Hermione looked into his eyes and grinned. "Yes," she whispered. "I'm ready."

Hermione walked into her room and was met with the glare of one girl, and the curious glances of two others. The curious girls stood up and greeted her. "Hi," a redhead smiled, "I'm Bridget. What's your-"

The angry girl interrupted her. "Yeah, yeah, we can talk about that later. Who was that boy you were talking to? Are you dating him?"

Hermione blushed, taken aback by how forward she was. "No, I-I met him on the train. We're just friends," she stammered.

The girl simply laughed. "Like I believe that for one second. You stayed back to talk to him? You risked the wrath of Mara to be with him? You must like him."

The last girl to speak, with pretty blonde hair and an angelic face, said, "Oh, leave her alone, Astrid. She hasn't done anything to you!" She turned to Hermione and said, "Hi, I'm Angela. And you are?"

Hermione smiled at this girl, thankful that someone was being nice to her. "I'm Hermione Granger." Astrid snorted. Hermione turned to her and glared. "Have you got a problem?" she said scathingly.

Astrid's gaze was icy and cool. "That's just an odd name. An odd name for an odd girl."

Hermione snorted. "Please. You barely know me, and you're already insulting me! I'm not the one that's odd."

Angela and Bridget glanced at each other, almost as if they were talking with their eyes. Finally Bridget stood to separate Astrid and Hermione, who had walked closer and closer together while arguing, until they were finally nose to nose, glaring into each other's eyes.

"Break it up, you two," Bridget joked, trying to lighten the mood. The girls, with one last scowl at each other, turned and flounced away to beds at opposite ends of the room. Hermione changed into her pajamas and climbed into bed. She sighed. Just her luck, an enemy already, when she was supposed to be making friends. She climbed into bed and turned out her light. Oh well, she thought. At least I have Draco.

Hermione awoke to find Bridget and Astrid already gone to breakfast. Angela was sitting on her bed, watching Hermione. She stood and blushed a bit.

"Sorry to frighten you, but I didn't want you to have to walk to breakfast alone. I figured I would stay behind so you wouldn't be lonely."

Touched by her kindness, Hermione smiled at her. "Thank you, how thoughtful of you!" She tried to hurry getting ready. After changing into her robes and brushing her hair, Hermione pulled on her shoes, and together, the pair walked to breakfast.

They chattered all the way, talking about their roommates and musing about what their classes would be like. When they walked into the great hall, it was to discover that most of the students were already eating. They sat sandwiched between Astrid and Bridget, and across from Draco, who smiled warmly at her.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty," Draco grinned. "You slept late."

Hermione rolled her eyes and shoved him playfully. "Good thing I had Angela to walk with. I hate walking down there alone, it's so dismal." Angela smiled into her food.

Astrid groaned. "God, you guys, quit being such lovebirds! Get a room!" That sure shut them up. They blushed and looked down, both of them muttering different versions of "we're not together" and "we're just friends".

Bridget turned to Angela and asked, "How come you got here so late? You were awake when I woke up?"

Hermione answered, "She wanted to walk with me here, so I wasn't so lonely." Grabbing a piece of toast and buttering it, she said, "It was very thoughtful of her."

Astrid smirked. "Afraid of the dungeon, are you, Mudblood?" Bridget and Angela gasped. Draco shot up from his seat, furious.

"Call her that again, I dare you!" he shouted, gathering the attention of many nearby students, who put down their bagels and cereal to watch.

"What's so bad about that word? What does it mean?" Hermione asked. Angela was the one to answer.

"It's a foul, derogatory word to call someone born by Muggles," she whispered, glaring at Astrid.

"It's just about the highest insult you can call someone, and she's a pig to call you it!" Bridget practically screamed. Bridget looked Astrid dead in the eyes, and said, "You call her that again, and I'll-I'll rip you to pieces!"

With that, Angela and Bridget stood up and, casting a glare back at Astrid, who merely rolled her eyes and smirked, escorted Hermione to their next class, one on either side of her. Hermione could hear Draco calling out to her, but she ignored him. Her eyes burned with tears.

Once they were safely away from the great hall, Bridget and Angela hugged Hermione and comforted her. "Are you okay, honey?" Bridget asked. "I'm sorry she called you that, that was a foul thing to say.

Angela frowned. "We should report her to someone-to our head of house, Professor Snape!"

Bridget snorted. "Like he'd report it. It's the Slytherins' style to call people that."

Hermione sniffled and smiled slightly at the girls. "Thanks, you guys. I think I'm okay now." Together, they linked arms and walked to their first class.

When they walked into their class, Potions, Hermione was pleased to see that they shared the class with Gryffindor, the house that Harry and Ron had been sorted into. Apparently, the rest of the class did not share this enthusiasm. There were boos, hisses, and catcalls as the houses insulted each other. It appeared that the two houses were enemies.

Hermione spotted Harry and Ron walk in, and she waved. They smiled and walked over to her table. "Hey, what's up?" Ron asked. "Besides the fact that, you know, you're in Slytherin instead of in Gryffindor with us."

Hermione frowned. "It wasn't my choice. And I don't exactly like it here. The people seem so… mean. This girl I'm sharing a room with called me a Mudblood!"

Ron and Harry gasped. "Where is she, I'll beat her up!" they shouted in unison.

Hermione rolled her eyes. What was it with boys trying to beat people up for her? "No, thanks. I don't want to be on even worse terms with her. I didn't do anything to her, and all of the sudden she starts being super mean and rude to me! I don't get girls sometimes."

Just then Draco walked up. He could sense that Hermione was friends with Harry and Ron, and he tried to be friendly for her. "Hey, guys. What's up? How d'you like your roommates and everything?"

Harry and Ron shared a look. They turned back to Draco. "We're fine, thanks. Other than the fact that Hermione here," Harry jabbed his thumb in her general direction, "was sorted into a house with the rotten likes of you," Hermione gasped, "instead of us."

Draco's face flushed with anger. "How dare you insult me like that, you little-"

"Little what?" Ron said icily. "I won't have you insulting my friends, thank you very much." He turned to Hermione. "I'm sorry that you have to be in a house with a twerp like that."

Draco swelled with pride. "Actually, we're friends. We talked a lot last night, and I explained to her why I was so mean to you guys on the train, something I've tried to make up to you, but instead, your first reaction was to insult me!" He looked down and sighed, then met the boys' astonished gazes once more. "Look, I-"

Suddenly Professor Snape walked in. His eyes flicked coldly to Ron and Harry, and a cruel smirk appeared on his face. "I expect you to be in your seats and ready to learn when I walk into the room. Understand? Otherwise you will lose points. And, since that is the consequence…" a twinkle appeared in his eye, "twenty points from Gryffindor. And Draco, I will ask you to take your seat as well. Since you are from my own house, I give you simply a warning."

Harry and Ron, stunned at the injustice of it all, stalked to the Gryffindor side of the classroom. Draco slipped into a seat behind Hermione.

Professor Snape strolled to the front of the class and began to teach. "Open up your notebooks, and we will begin with…"

A tap on Hermione's shoulder distracted her from the lesson, and she turned around, angry, before a smiling Draco handed her a note, folded very small. 'To Hermione' was drawn in fancy calligraphy on the front, surrounded by a heart.

Heart racing, wondering what the message could possibly be, scared and excited at what it could contain at the same time, she slowly unfolded the note.

"Meet me in the common room at midnight" was written in his slanting, scrawling handwriting. Hermione would marry that handwriting if she could. She almost wanted to kiss the paper. Instead, she dipped her quill in her ink and pondered what to say. She finally decided on, "See you tonight, Hermione" in her prettiest handwriting, with a heart around the words. Reaching back carefully, she kept her eyes on Snape as she passed the note to Draco, who unfolded it and smiled softly at the back of her head. Turning to Angela, who she was sitting next to, she whispered in her ear, "I have something to tell you after class. Something BIG. Grab Bridget and meet me outside the door when class ends." Angela, looking excited, nodded eagerly.

When the bell finally rang, a monotonous hour later, Hermione strutted outside, being sure to wink at Draco and toss her hair as she went. The corner of Draco's mouth turned up in a smile, and his eyes gleamed.

Angela and Bridget on her heels, Hermione and her giggling gaggle of girls ran to the bathroom. "What is it? What is it?" Bridget gasped. "What was on that note Draco gave you? And why were you guys looking so… flirtatious?" She giggled. So did Hermione.

"Well…" she paused for suspense. The girls were clinging on to her every word. "Draco said for me to meet him in the common room tonight… at midnight."

The girls gasped. "But-but you'll be breaking curfew!" Angela said.

Hermione flipped her hair behind her shoulders and raised her eyebrows. "So?" she said confidently.

Bridget said, "I'm not worried about the time. I'm worried about what you'll be doing with that time. What could he possibly want that late at night?"

Angela giggled and said softly, in a sing-song voice, "I know what he wants. He wants to kiss you, I know it!"

Bridget shrieked with laughter. Hermione gasped. "Angela! We've just met! I barely know him! We're not ready for… that!" More giggles and shrieks from Bridget.

"Yes, but don't you want that? It seems like you two are really close," Bridget questioned.

Hermione nodded her head slowly. "But-what should I wear? And my hair-what will I do with my hair? It's a mess!"

Bridget and Angela laughed. "Don't worry," Angela reassured her, "That's what we're here for! We'll help you get ready."

Bridget smiled. "Yeah, don't you worry. We'll make sure you look your best."

Later that night, Hermione was sitting on her bed while Bridget and Angela buzzed around her, flurry of activity and words. Angela studied her. "I think you'll look best in pink she said. I have a dress that's perfect for you!"

Bridget paused painting Hermione's nails to say, "No, go with red. Red is seductive and confident, and everyone looks good in it! Here- boy, do I have a dress for you!" She rummaged through her trunk before pulling out a long gown of a deep scarlet hue, and Hermione gasped.

"Whoa! Va-voom, va-voom!" Angela giggled. "It's perfect!"

Hermione took the dress from Bridget's hand and held it up. She wasn't sure it would fit, but she stood and slipped it on anyways. The satiny fabric fell into place perfectly and draped over her body. The front accentuated her curves in a noticeable, but still classy, way, and the dress hugged her just right.

"What? What-do I look bad or something?" she said nervously.

Bridget grinned. "Just the opposite sweetheart- you're a heartbreaker if I ever saw one!" Angela nodded her head violently.

Hermione turned to look in the mirror. She gasped when she saw her reflection. The girls were right-she looked amazing! The color of the dress really made her tan pop. She smiled with pride: she had worked hard to get that tan. Every day was spent at the pool during the summer. But now, it was finally worth it.

"Wow… this dress is amazing! Thanks so much for letting me wear it." She pulled Bridget into a hug. "Now, let's make me beautiful!"

After many hours of painting her nails a glossy red to match her dress and attempting to tame her unruly curls, Hermione was ready. Her hair was slicked back into an elegant bun, with a few stray pieces left undone to frame her face. Her heels gave her the intimidating yet elegant height she lacked.

Hermione's eyes filled with tears. "Thanks you so much, you guys!" She pulled them into a hug. Before she left, she put on some mascara and a lipstick. "Wish me luck!" she said happily.

"Good luck!" the girls chorused. They waved and blew kisses as she left.

Hermione walked slowly down the spiral staircase. She wondered if she had the right idea when she had gotten so dressed up. When she finally stepped off of the stairs, Draco was not there. She looked at the clock. 11:55. Early.

Hermione sighed and went to sit on the couch. When she got there, she gasped in delight. There were rose petals littered across the couch, along with little notes. She picked up one of the notes. "I love your wild, curly hair" it read. Hermione looked at her hair. She had tried to tame it in the hopes that he would like it.

She picked up another. "I love your modest clothes" was the message inscribed. She frowned. The dress Bridget had picked for her was not modest. Not even a little!

Hermione realized that the beauty expectations of society were wrong. She had dressed to the max and made everything neat and tidy because that's what that's what she thought men wanted, but it wasn't. Sure, maybe some men enjoyed it, but not everyone.

Hermione looked at the clock again. 11:57. She still had time. She ran up the steps and burst back into her room, only to see something… strange.

Bridget and Angela, not hearing Hermione's appearance, continued making out on Bridget's bed. Bridget's hands were in Angela's hair, and Angela was fumbling at the buttons on Bridget's shirt.

"Ahem, ladies," Hermione said. Angela and Bridget shot up and off the bed.

"Her-Hermione! What are-what are you doing here?" Angela said sheepishly.

Bridget stood and walked towards Hermione, apparently not wanting to talk about the situation she had just walked in on. "Yeah, aren't you supposed to be with Draco in" she checked her watch "two minutes? Why'd you come back up here?"

"Because I realized that I prefer my natural beauty much better. And don't you worry, we'll be talking about you two later," Hermione said as she hurried around the room, changing into her school robes and taking her hair out of her bun, trying to muss up her hair so it looked like it usually did. "And apparently," she was trying to rub off her mascara and lipstick, "so does Draco. I'll explain later." Before they could reply, she was out the door and running down the steps again.

She stepped off the last stair just as the clock chimed. Draco was sitting nervously on the couch, looking down at the mess he'd made with the notes and the roses. A frown was on his face, wondering if she'd like it, or if she'd think it was too much.

"It's perfect," Hermione said softly. Draco looked up, a shy smile slowly spreading across his face.

"Really? It's not too much- or too soon? I can get rid of them if you want, here, I'll-"

Draco moved to sweep everything away. "No, don't!" Draco looked up, startled. "I love it," Hermione grinned. Draco grinned too.

"Do you want me to read you the notes?" he asked. "Or do you want to read them for yourself?"

"I've already read them. I was down here before you, but I went back upstairs to change." Hermione looked down at the ground, sheepish.

Draco looked puzzled. "Why did you change?" he asked. "What were you wearing?"

"I, umm…" she blushed, embarrassed. "It's kind of embarrassing."

Draco tilted her chin up. "It can't have looked bad on you," he whispered. "You're gorgeous no matter what."

And then he kissed her. It was wonderful. His lips tasted sweet, and he kissed her gently, not wanting to scare her or take it too fast. It was her first kiss, and it was wonderful.

They pulled apart, and Hermione blushed, looking down.

Draco looked startled. "What-did I-did I do something wrong?"

She smiled. "No," she whispered. "Everything is perfect."

After a dazzling night filled with many kisses, Hermione hurried up to her room before anyone else woke up. Since there were still a few hours left until she would wake for breakfast, she quietly slipped into her pajamas and climbed into bed, hoping to sleep a little so she wouldn't be so tired for her classes. Her eyelids fluttered shut, and all she dreamed of was being with Draco once more.

Hermione woke at an early hour to find that Bridget was the one sitting on her bed this time, waiting for her. She smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry to startle you or be creepy, but I figured we should talk about what happened last night. I sent Angela to get us some breakfast so we could… chat."

Hermione smiled softly and opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted when Angela burst in, carrying several trays of various pastries and breakfast foods.

Angela smiled brightly. "I brought you a tray with eggs, sausage, and bacon, crispy the way you like it." She handed it to Hermione, who thanked her. As she dug in, Angela continued to distribute the trays.

They all sat in a lopsided circle on the cold hardwood floor, eating silently for a few minutes. Angela was the first to speak.

"What you saw last night… I promise it won't happen again. It was uncalled for and unnecessary."

Bridget nodded her head vigorously. "I swear, it was a one time thing and-"

Hermione interrupted. "Did you think I wouldn't be okay with this?"

Bridget and Angela glanced at each other, then back to Hermione. Bridget cleared her throat. "Well, we, um, we-we weren't sure if you'd be willing to keep it a secret and support us for who we are, or if you still wanted to be friends."

"No!" Hermione cried. "Of course not! Are you kidding? You girls are the best friends I've ever had. I would never leave you over a relationship. I'm just hoping you'll do the same for me."

Angela gasped. "That's right-I almost forgot! So," she wiggled her eyebrows and grinned, "how'd it go last night?"

"And why did you change?" Bridget demanded. "We made you look so hot!"

Hermione blushed. "I changed because Draco left rose petals with little notes scattered all across the couch. I read the notes, and they all said that he loved me for who I am, and that he never wanted me to change. And I realized that being that well made up and-and classy, and fancy-that isn't me! That isn't who I am!" She grinned. "Now, that's not saying that it wasn't fun to get all dolled up-you girls did a great job! Just-maybe save it for a special occasion?"

Loud aww-ing ensued. It was soon after accompanied by "tell me more, tell me more!"s and "what else happened? We need the juicy scoop!".

Hermione shushed them with a wave of her hand. "We just kissed, that's all, I swear!"

Bridget rolled her eyes. "'That's all'? Really? Isn't that your first kiss? And catching someone on the second day-girl that takes skill!"

Angela giggled. "So-how was it?"

Hermione sighed happily. "It was all I'd ever hoped for."

The three girls smiled.

Angela looked at the clock and gasped. "Oh no-we better book it or we'll never make it to class! Let's go!" The girls raced to change into their robes, grab their bags, and hurry to class.