Chapter One
"As You Wish"
"Hermione," Luna stepped into the compartment and sat on the other side, facing her.
"Luna, how are you?" Hermione discretely put the letter in her bag.
"I'm good. How are you dealing with everything? I'm sure it must be difficult to come back here without Ron or Harry. Are you nervous at all?" Luna looked at Hermione with sincere eyes.
"I'm nervous," Hermione laughed, "But, it will be fine. At least I'm not coming back completely alone."
The two girls exchanged a smile, before the compartment door opened again. Standing there, was Ginny Weasley, who was not happy about returning back to school. But since her family insisted, she did so to please them. Practically throwing herself onto the seat next to Hermione, she let out a sigh. Ginny had always loved Hogwarts. She was an excellent student, and she always had a decent social life (especially the past few years). But after the death of her brother, things seemed different. She didn't look at the War as a victory, which made sense. Hermione had to admit that after seeing all those who had fallen, it wasn't a victory. The war wasn't about killing off breeds, or random people on the other side. The War was about defeating Voldemort for once and for good. Ginny hadn't really been the same since her brother's passing, and Hermione didn't blame her for it. Hogwarts lost a lot of family during that time. And nothing they did could bring those people back.
"Some of the people in the compartment to the left of this one said that they rebuilt the castle to look exactly like it did before." Ginny commented after several minutes of keeping quiet.
The other two girls went silent as the train moved on. None of them wanted to be reminded of the War, but they knew that by going back, they would be engulfed in every memory that they had of it. They were prepared to look at glimpses of rooms full of dead loved ones, tore down sections of stone, shattered glass from windows, and the ghosts of their loved ones who had passed. But nothing could have prepared the girls for what this year held.
The train stopped, and suddenly there was commotion everywhere. New students were rushing towards the front to get off as quickly as possible. Many of the older students, just sat in their compartments, waiting patiently—or impatiently, for the others to move through. They sat around, trying to prepare themselves, trying to tell themselves that things were going to be easier than they thought. Some were right, some were wrong. But it didn't really matter. The only thing that mattered right now was whether or not their personal, pretty lies would be enough to help them to step off the train. Once they were off the train, everything would fall into place. Or at least, that's what they were telling themselves.
Hermione grabbed her suitcase and her bag. She followed the younger girls out into the narrow hallway, and followed them to the front of the train. As they stepped off the train, the wind blew harshly against them. Their hair flew everywhere, and their black cloaks lifted up from the ground. Pushing against the wind, the girls collectively walked towards the rest of the group. This distraction was so abrupt that Hermione didn't even notice her letter flying out of her bag and a few yards behind her on the ground.
Draco Malfoy stepped off of the train, just in time for his foot to catch the letter. He bent down and picked it up. When he noticed who the letter was written to, he put it in his pocket, and walked on. When he entered the Great Hall, he debated walking it over to Hermione. But he knew that she wouldn't respond well, and may even accuse him of stealing. He wanted to lay low for a while, so he stayed at his table, and watched as the open ceremony began. He did not pay much attention to the new comers until one boy caught his eye. He was a blonde boy with big eyes. It was easy to tell that the boy was cocky and mouthy to other people. This boy reminded Draco of himself when he was younger. How he wished he could warn the boy to not be like that now. If he continued his ways, he would end up just like Draco. When the sorting hat called out Slytherin, Draco hung his head a bit lower. The poor boy was in need of a huge attitude adjustment if he was ever going to make it through the upcoming years.
"Students," McGonagall stood in front of the students as the new Headmistress. "I will now announce the Head Boy and Head Girl of this school year. Our Head Girl is Hermione Granger!" There was a loud applause in the room, as Hermione's face turned a bright shade of red. "From our recovered records, our Head Boy should be Michael Jones…but since he has not returned this school year, we picked the next academically inclined student, Draco Malfoy!" Another round of applause followed.
Hermione looked across the room to see Draco staring at her. For a moment, the rest of the room was gone. It was just the two of them, staring at one another. Letting out a soft breath, Hermione could hear her heart beating faster. Her hands clenched and her body tensed up. She had the sudden urge to scream. How could they let that pig-headed idiot back into the school? His family contributed to the destruction of the school, so why would they take him back? Biting her bottom lip, Hermione looked away. Nearby students asked if she was okay, but she was too upset to speak.
After a few moments, Hermione stood up from her seat and walked to the hallway. Tears fell from her face as she climbed the stairs. From the corners of her eyes she could see the paintings moving around within their frames. But she didn't pay them any attention. Moving up another staircase, Hermione stopped at the Gryffindor commons.
"Granger," Draco's voice cut through Hermione. She wiped her eyes before turning around to face him. The last thing she needed to do was let the ferret see her crying. "There's a separate for Head Boy and Girl."
"Stay away from me, Malfoy." Hermione had a tense jaw as she spoke.
"That's going to be difficult with the new living arrangements." Draco walked up a few more steps.
"I said stay away from me!" Hermione drew her wand and pointed it at Draco.
"I'm not going to hurt you, Granger. If that's what I had wanted, I would have already killed you." Draco continued to walk towards her. "And you're not going to hurt me, because let's be honest, you're a damn good witch, and if you really wanted to kill me, I'd be dead by now."
"Why did you come back? Why did they let you back in here?" Hermione cried, "You don't deserve to be here—let alone a Head Boy!"
"There are many things you don't know, Granger," Draco finally reached the last step.
"Let's keep it that way." Hermione headed to the Head Girl and Head Boy corridor. Draco followed beside her, silently. He knew that talking to her wasn't going to be easy.
When they reached the door, Draco whispered a password and door opened. They walked into the room to find a common room. Draco lit the fireplace with his wand as Hermione went into the small kitchen behind the couch. Just past the kitchen was a bathroom and a bedroom on either side of it. The right bedroom was done in beautiful red and gold colors, while the other was decorated in green and black.
"Granger, I think we really need to talk some things through. If we get them out of the way, this school year will be easier for the both of us." Draco offered.
"You're ridiculous. I'm done talking to you." Hermione shook her head.
"Granger, wait…you're the one being ridiculous. I think we're old enough to sit down and have a normal conversation." Draco moved closer to her.
"I told you to stay away from me!" Hermione pulled out her wand again and pointed it in Draco's direction. This time Draco stopped in his tracks. He could tell by the look in her eye and the tone of her voice that this time she was serious. This time she wouldn't think twice about killing him on the spot. He took a deep breath and stepped away from her with a slight nod.
"As you wish," Draco kept his eyes towards the ground as Hermione walked into her room and slammed the door. Maybe Draco hadn't estimated correctly how hard this transition really would be.