A/N: This is my first try at Harry Potter, so please be gentle and leave an encouraging review! Or constructive feedback, that's good too =).
Draco couldn't help the self-satisfied smirk that formed on his lips as he pulled open the door to the Head Boy's compartment on the Hogwarts Express. He had been waiting for this honour ever since he had started attending Hogwarts, and even though he had expected it, he still was inordinately pleased. Power was something he had always craved, and now he had more than any other student in the school, barring whoever had been chosen as Head Girl. That didn't worry him much, though. After all, he was a Malfoy, and Malfoys knew how to control and manipulate other people until they get their way.
Depositing his trunk in the corner of the spacious compartment, he plopped down on a cushy bench and leaned his head back in contentment. This was going to be his year - he could feel it. Even Potter and his irritating friends couldn't ruin his good mood, not when he could exercise his new authority over them. Draco's eyes starting to drift closed as he slipped into a daydream about lording his new power over the students that had been a thorn in his side for years,
The compartment door slipped open only a couple seconds later, ruining his peace and solitude.
"I'll meet up with you both at Hogwarts," an irritatingly familiar voice gushed. "I'm supposed to sit up here, though, with the Head Boy."
"It's fine, Hermione," Draco's nemesis's voice came from the hallway, startling him into alertness.
No. It couldn't be.
"We'll see you soon." The Weasel King's voice was just as nasal and annoying as he remembered, and he cringed.
This can't be happening. Draco's hands curled into fists, and he had to force himself to relax. There was no way he was going to let the Mudblood see him upset about the situation. He had to stay in control, dominate with his confidence, make sure that he took charge. That's the only way he would be able to get through this year with his sanity intact. Deliberately, he adopted a lounging posture and made sure his trademark smirk was firmly in place for her arrival, ensuring that she wouldn't see anything except smug confidence.
Finally, after what felt like forever to Draco's tense nerves, the back of a bushy head appeared in the doorway, struggling to pull a large trunk with her as she carefully walked backwards into the compartment. An idea - a nasty one - crossed Draco's mind, and his smirk widened. Judging her path carefully, he stuck one leg out in front of him and waited.
"Bloody-" The rest of the expletive was cut off by a loud thump and moan as Granger tripped over his extended leg and went sprawling hard to the ground, her trunk crashing to the floor next to her.
"The Mudblood in her natural habitat," Malfoy's amused voice cut through her groans of pain, "lying on the ground beneath her betters." Though his voice was cool and dry, inside he was congratulating himself on a successful beginning to their working relationship - if you could call it that. He was going to ensure that she never got in his way, and this was just the beginning. Leaning down towards her, he added mockingly, "It's good to know your place."
She glanced up towards him through the bushy hair covering her face, and he was pleased to see that her skin was tinted a bright red of embarrassment. "Malfoy," she hissed, awkwardly scrambling back away from him. "What are you doing here?"
Draco leaned back against his seat again, feigning relaxation, though his wary eyes stayed on her in case she decided to retaliate. "What do you think? For someone supposedly so bright," he continued dismissively, "you're remarkably dim. Potty and Weasel must be rubbing off on you."
Again, her face flushed brightly and his smirk widened. Then, her eyes narrowed and he saw a flash of understanding pass over her face. "No," she shook her head. "There's no way...you can't be Head Boy!"
"And the stupidity continues," Draco yawned, closing his eyes as she proved to be more surprised and furious at the situation instead of at him. She was no real threat - goody-two shoes Granger wouldn't hex him in public.
He heard an exasperated huff and some muttered complaints, too soft for him to make out, before she settled into the bench across from him and he heard the unmistakable sound of pages in a book being turned. Of course the bookworm would start studying before they even arrived at Hogwarts. However, Draco was content with winning their previous encounter, and so he let her be. There would be plenty of time to continue to antagonize her throughout the year, and he was going to relish each opportunity. Sure, it might suck, but he was going to make the most of it.
The rest of the train ride passed in silence as Granger read and Draco planned how he was going to make her miserable this year.
...
Hermione stormed into her new common room - the living space she had to share with the Head Boy - after giving the password to the painting of two medieval lovers blocking the entrance. She noted immediately that it was not nearly big enough to avoid him. They would practically be brushing shoulders in the small space. Frankly, all of Hogwarts wouldn't be large enough to avoid him properly, but how could anyone expect them to work together? Clearly, she was the ideal choice for Head Girl, but how could they have picked him? She shook her head in disbelieving frustration. And to make matters worse, she was expected to sleep only feet away from his room! She had been looking forward to the privacy of her own room and private common room, but that dream had been shattered as soon as she had seen his white-blond hair framing his smirking face as he looked down at her on the train compartment floor. She knew now that she wouldn't get a second of peace as long as he was around - his very presence made concentration impossible, as evidenced by how little progress she'd made while reading on the train opposite him. There was clearly no way that they would actually be able to work together. No way.
"Cozy," Malfoy commented, shoving past her and into the common room. "Now, all it needs is for you to keep your big mouth quiet, and it'll be perfect."
"Look who's talking," Hermione muttered, dragging her trunk into the space. It really was cozy, albeit small - there was a small fireplace facing a couch, a little coffee table, a couple end tables on either side of the couch, and a plush rug. Under any other circumstances, she would've be thrilled. If it had been anyone other than Malfoy…
"I'm going to go put my stuff away," she muttered, picking the door to the left of their shared bathroom - how in the bloody heck were they supposed to share a bathroom? - and entering her chosen room.
Once there, she curled up on her bed in a ball, feeling her eyes start to prick with unshed tears. However, she brushed them away with an impatient hand. Draco stupid Malfoy wasn't going to make her cry - she refused to give him that power. She just wished that Harry or Ron or anyone tolerable, really, had been chosen as Head Boy. The loneliness was already getting to her, and she found that she missed Gryffindor Tower more than she had thought she would. She missed the camaraderie of her fellow house members and the chaos as everyone arrived at the start of a new year with trunks stuffed with books and robes...and she especially missed Ron, Harry, and Ginny. She knew they weren't far and that she would sit with them at the Welcome Feast, but for the hours in between, their absence ached.
Suck it up, Hermione, she told herself mentally, forcing herself to stand and to start attacking her trunk. She knew she would feel better once she'd unpacked a little bit and things started to feel a little more like home.
Putting Draco Malfoy firmly from her mind, she lost herself in her unpacking and organization. Dealing with him could wait. It couldn't be that bad, right?
Please review to let me know if I should continue the story! The relationship takes a little build-up, but I promised it'll be worth it, so stick around =).