Draco Malfoy seated himself in a deserted compartment, anxious of going to Hogwarts. His mother and father had just recently dropped him off fifteen minutes before the train would leave. As he looked out of his compartment window, he noticed parents and students scrunging about in panic and excitement. His eyes wandered at the flock of people, hoping to see familiar faces. He saw none, but one did catch his eye.

It was a girl. With extremely thick curly hair. Brown hair. He watched her...as she kissed her parents goodbye, as she made her way through the flood of wizards, as she went out of his perferal vision.

It was strange to him, an eleven year old student, to have such curiosity on a girl with such liking. She wasn't even pretty, for crying out loud, but she played in his mind for longer than he wanted.

Soon though, the familiar faces he'd seen many times before appeared in his compartment. Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle. They greeted him and he them. Sometimes, it annoyed young Malfoy to have a friendship with these two boys, but they were all he knew for now.

They talked of nothing worth mentioning, really. Mostly, they talked about Hogwarts, the school, the houses, the professors, etc. The train had begun it's departure a few minutes ago, to their great pleasure.

Possibly an hour after the Hogwarts Express train left the station, the compartment door opened and in walked Pansy Parkinson.

"Hello guys," she said. She had a pug-face and dark hair. "I've been looking for you everywhere."

Pansy made her way across Draco Malfoy and beside Gregory Goyle. "Hey Draco," she smiled. He smiled back, barely. He didn't like her, at least not much.

Her father and his father are in the same social group, along with Crabbe and Goyle's father. Therefore, all their little kids played with each other and attended each other's birthdays and so on. He was forced to like her.

"Pansy. How was the rest of your summer?" He asked politely.

She frowned. "Horrible. But hey, thanks to the sketch book you gave me, it kept me amused."

Draco simply smiled. He remembered giving her the book for a birthday present. Truthfully, he saw it lying around his room with no care given whatsoever. He didn't have a memory of even possessing it so gave it away. To Pansy, pretty much.

"You know, I heard Harry Potter's on the train." She said.

"Really?" He asked in curiosity.

Pansy nodded. "Yeah."

The compartment door opened again, showing another girl.

Draco's eyes widened. It was her, the girl he saw on the train station, the one who kissed her parents goodbye, her. He looked at her in detail. Up close, her hair was pretty bushy, and her front teeth beaverlike. But her hazel brown eyes and her freckles caught him off guard.

"Sorry to intrude," she said in a rush, "but has anyone seen a toad? A boy's named Neville's lost one."

She looked around the compartment without catching his eyes.

"A toad?" Pansy shrieked. "A toad is on the loose?"

"Yes, and we're trying to find it. I'm guessing it's not here, so thanks anyways." With that, she departed after closing the compartment door.

He stood up and opened the door, trying to see her again.

"Draco, where are you-"

Following his instincts, he turned left and headed straight. He saw her; she was in the doorway of another compartment, talking.

"Hey Draco," a gruffy voice said.

Malfoy turned around and discovered his friends, Crabbe and Goyle, had followed him and is trailing him.

"Hey," he muttered. Sometimes, he just doesn't want to be around them.

He looked back to the girl and found she was still talking to them. He stood there, waiting. The guys behind him waited impatiently, whispering hoarsly to each other.

He saw that she had finally closed the compartment door and went out of sight. Before he knew it, he walked in front of the compartment and opened the door. He saw two boys, same age as he, pigging out on a bunch of sweets.

"Is it true? They're saying all down the train that Harry Potter's in this compartment. So it's you, is it?"

He eyed him with dislike. Is that why the girl was in here? To goggle at the boy wonder?

Draco began introducing the associates behind him before introducing himself. The red-head beside Potter annoyed him even more, especially when he sniggered at the introduction. He lashed out on him, calling him things that makes him seem lower than dirt.

Before anyone knew it, a rat had jumped up and bit Goyle in the knuckle. War between the five had started, war that would last unfortunately long. Draco knew that Goyle hated rats, thinks they're worst than a dementor. Therefore, he led the two out, knowing the fear of rats would get the better of him.

He encountered the girl once more, brows in frustration as she walked past them, not giving a moments notice. Draco watched intently how she went by them and straight to Potter's compartment.

From that point on, he knew he hated the two boys in that booth.


The sorting hat ceremony began. He heard names after names being called and sorted.

"Granger, Hermione," he heard. Realizing that it was the girl, his eyes followed her for the umpteenth time today. She practically ran to the stool, which made him smile in amusement.

"Gryffindor!" The hat shouted. A frown hung on his face. Gryffindor...that house is not one he'd like in his time at Hogwarts. He knew he's to be sorted to Slytherin. It's been like that for generation in the Malfoy family. It's to be inevitable.

At long last, his name did get called out. His friends patted his head while he walked past the rest of the first years. The sorting hat didn't even touch his head before announcing, "Slytherin!"

He smiled. Was he ever wrong? Walking towards the Slytherin table, he took a glance at the girl called Hermione, knowing full well she'd be chatting away with her fellow house-mates. No, actually, she sat staring at him.

She stared until Potter's name was called.


Draco kept a lookout for the Hermione Granger girl everywhere he went, but he didn't see of her much except in classes, where she sits mostly next to the Potter boy, and in meal times, where she's mostly reading.

It was her book-reading where he found to like her the most, the way she would concentrate hard on the words in front of her, not wanting to miss any critical details. Sometimes, he'd see her snap at students who would distract her from her reading.

Classes with her were interesting, he thought. She was smart, very. Probably even smarter than him but he doubted it. In his mind, Hermione was very brave and outspoken just by examining her when she speaks to the teachers. It always amuses him when she'd try to answer Snape's question and always get her head bitten off. But time and time again, she'd always answer him with the right answer at that.


The first flying lesson is today, Slytherin and Gryffindor, with Madame Hooch as the instructor. Draco knew he was great at flying and he desperately wanted to represent his house in Quidditch but being a first year student, it was totally out of the question.

He saw Granger right when he and his associates entered the Quidditch field. This, he thought, is the time to catch her brown eye.

The class started off with the method of getting the broom off the ground. Of course, Draco was the first to do so. He scanned the class. No one had done so. But the second later, Potter had gotten his broom off also. Disguisted, he saw the girl looking at him impressed.

He wanted to shout, "Hello? Look at ME! Stop goggling at Potter and look at ME!" But he kept his cool, waiting for the right moment.

Incidently, the boy named Neville Longbottom began flying off before he could control the broom. He swerved here and there until he fell hard on his bottom. The class crowded around him to make sure he was okay, especially Hermione.

Draco walked close to her, watching as the professor took the boy off to the Hospital Wing. It irritated him, how much the girl looked out for Longbottom. Out of frustration, he started laughing, trying to gain control once more.

"Did you see his face, the fat lump." He sneered, trying to make the girl notice him.

Bickering began before Malfoy saw a glass ball lying on the floor. He picked it up. "Look! It's that stupid thing Longbottom's gran sent him."

He heard Potter confront him. "Give that here, Malfoy."

Potter! How dare he! First with the girl and now with this? He smiled nastily. "I think I'll leave it somewhere for longbotto to find - how about - up a tree?"

He mounted on his broom and started to ascend. Draco smiled as he saw the class impressed with his skill on flying. He looked at Granger who had began to march towards Potter, probably giving him a 'good luck' wish before flying towards him. This made him even more mad.

He threw the ball of glass, which, just as he predicted, Potter would go and get. Surprised to see the four-eye fly as good as he, Malfoy started to descend and headed to his friends.

"Harry Potter!" Professor McGonagall shouted as she appeared on the field. She began shouting at him, "...how dare you..." Draco smiled as this scene played out well; Potter was terrified, McGonagall was furious, Granger was...sad.

Things couldn't get any better, he thought, as he headed for dinner. He looked around the Gryffindor table, realizing Granger eating close to Potter and his friends. This just ticked him off.

He walked with his friends behind him to Potter.

"Having your last meal, Potter? When are you getting the train back to the Muggles?"

Potter snapped back, playing it cool. His hands turned into fists, ready to launch. They talked and one thing led to another.

"Tonight, if you want. Wizard's duel. No wands." He whispered but loud enough to make Granger's ear twitch. He smiled before going off.

He knew he wasn't stupid enough to actually go through with the duel. All was just talk, out of anger and his need to catch the girl's attention. He wanted Potter to be expelled, or at least to get Granger to notice him instead.


The rest of the year began to be repetitive. He'd see her during class and meal-times. Other times, she'd be seen around school hanging with Potter and Weasley. He knew he should get used to it. Everyone at school knew they were the best of friends come February. They went everywhere together, pretty much. Eventually, he did get used to it, but during certain occasions, he felt bothered by how good of a friend she is with them.


Draco Malfoy loosened up eventually once his realization that she didn't like him kicked in. She adores Harry Potter, the scarhead. Nothing will change that.

Even when he knew this, he took every opportunity he can to steal a glance.

Maybe it was puppy love. Maybe not. But how can they even like each other when they barely spoke at all? And if they did mutter a sentence or two with each other, she was always hostile towards him, making him have to counter with a nasty remark.


A few weeks later, Draco with his curiosity, walked nearby Potter, Weasley, and the girl, as they read a letter clutched in Harry's hand.

"Hermione, how many times in ur lives are we going to see a dragon hatching?" He heard Weasley say.

A dragon? They're supposed to be illegal! Dangerous too!

They saw him nearby and quickly hushed up.

He thought it through. Even though he knows it's none of his business and they probably don't need his help, it was the girl he was worried about. What if she gets into trouble? Who'd help her there? Yes, he heard about their victory with the Mountain Troll but that was just luck. This is much worse.

Once again, he followed his instinct and decided to follow the trio to see the Dragon.
He hid by Snape's office near the staircase. It was quiet, until footsteps arrived. Whispers rose. Draco rose and followed the noise, which went up the staircase and kept on going up.

He stopped here and there, hiding behind statues, bookcases, etc. Hoping they wouldn't look back, and they didn't. Finally they reached the top and most highest tower. Out of breath, he slowed down.

A hand grabbed him. "Detention! And twenty points from Slytherin!" A voice shouted. He whirled around and to his horror, saw Professor McGonagall facing him.

Thinking too hastily, he cried, "You don't understand, Professor. Harry Potter is coming with a Dragon-"

She, of course, didn't believe him. She led him to his office, where he also saw Neville, Potter, Weasley, and Granger soon afterwards.

McGonagall yelled in anger but Malfoy wasn't at all scared. He was relieved to find Granger healthy and the Gryffindor boys in trouble, although so was he and the girl. Eventually by the end of the conversation, all of us had landed in Detention.
And so, the five of us were to serve in the Forbidden Forest the next night at midnight with Hagrid. Draco was happy to have been able to spend some time with Hermione but he didn't like the idea of going into the Forbidden Forest. He's heard things...and those things weren't pleasant.

To his great displeasure, Hagrid split them up. Hagrid went with Potter and Granger while Longbottom and himself along with Fang went to a different path. Grumbling, he went along. Not even half an hour went by when Draco felt he wanted a different parter, one he's been wanting to talk to the whole year.

That was when he scared Longbottom, making him cry and Hagrid running to his rescue. The groups rearranged themselves once more: Hagrid with Longbottom and Granger while Fang with Potter and Malfoy. Oy! That's worst than before!

He started to try and act tough, although he was scared out of his wits. What's worse, a hooded creature was seen to be sucking on an animal they were assigned to search for, their purpose of even going to the forest.

Malfoy went balistic screaming and running, scared of having the same fate as the poor animal. He didn't really think of anything else but getting the hell out of there! Eventually, he did. He waited by Hagrid's hut until the rest of the people came also. Hagrid looked at him annoyed. Hermione, well, she didn't give a moments notice. Everything was like before. But worse.


The end of the school year came and everyone in the entire school heard of the trio going against L. Voldemort. Draco questioned over and over if they survived, but acted as if it didn't matter. True, he didn't care about the boys, but the girl. The girl, he dearly cares about. He felt greatly relieved when he saw her walking to lunch soon the next day. She seems quite all right. He smiled.

"I can't believe they made it alive!" Pansy said. "What's worse, it was Professor Quirell!"

Malfoy nodded. "I know."

"Still, I would have thought the Mudblood Granger would have gone on and died. Too bad..." She muttered.

Draco's eyes widened. "Mudblood? Granger's a muggle-born?"

"Yes. Didn't you know?"