AN: I do NOT own Harry Potter. The character art in my Story Image does NOT belong to me either. I just thought they were cute. :)
I hope you enjoy the chapter. Please review, constructive criticism more than welcome! (Also, Story is Rated M for later chapters... and with good reason...bwahahahaha...) =)
Times were different now that the war was over. It has been a year since and though everyone still continued to heal, days grew more brighter as did the atmosphere. Yes, many lives were lost during that dreadful time, however, many others did survive. They chose to continue on with their lives; to "get back in the saddle" as some muggles would say. And it is those survivors that begin a new tale. This is the tale of life after death, and of course, the hardships/newfound happiness that follow...
"Hey, 'mione!" A voice called out from a crowded Platform 9 ¾.
Hermione turned around and came face to face with her best friend. "Ron!" She squealed as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "It's so good to see you." She lets go quickly, a bit flushed from her behavior. "Um, where's Harry?" She swiftly asked, looking past Ron and into the crowd in search of her other best friend. "I'd thought, for sure, he'd be with you. He did decide to stay at the burrow with you, didn't he?"
Ron, looking a bit red in the face said, "Oh he's around, probably with Ginny…" He looked at Hermione with a defeated smile, "They're sorta…together…" he said this last bit in little more than a whisper. "Its quite disturbing, really, my best mate and my little sister. I never saw that coming, although I should've. They've been spending loads of time together lately. I guess since... you know... the war and stuff, it kind of brought them closer together..." He said, his eyes filling up with the horrible memories of the past.
Hermione smiled comfortingly. She knew it was hard on Ron, having lost a brother and so many others close to him. For she lost people she'd love also, but, now it seemed that he could lose Ginny in a different way. "Well, you seem to be taking it quite well, Ronald. I'm so very proud of you." She said as she placed her hand on his shoulder.
He knew that Hermione meant what she said in many ways. She had been proud that he stood strong for himself and for the sake of his family through all the heartache. He also knew that she was happy to see that he didn't completely mind the budding relationship that Harry had with Ginny. Somehow, it all just seems so right... so why bother to fight it? He thought to himself. Shouldn't they be happy? Didn't we ALL deserve happiness after all these years in darkness? Who am I to stand in anyone's way? He had decided that he would not be the cause of anymore sadness by being the one to stop his sweet sister from being with the one that she loved. He was her protector, not the squanderer of her dreams.
He looked down into Hermione's eyes sheepishly, "Um… well, I figured what better chap for my little sister than Harry, right? I mean, he'll treat her well, won't he?" He looked at Hermione quizzically, both for assurance and for courage.
"Of course he will, Ronald. It is Harry we're talking about here. We've been through so much together, there shouldn't even be a doubt in your mind about that. He's the BEST there is…" she stopped once she saw the saddened look on his face. She continued, "…he's the best for Ginny." Ron smiled at that.
"So, how was your time in New York?"
"Oh, it was wonderful, and I've met someone." She said happily.
The smile on Ron's face faded and was replaced with a frown, although he tried to hide it, without success. "Oh, is that so? What's he like, then?" He asked, almost afraid of the answer.
Hermione smiled hopelessly, "She… is very nice. She's transferring over to Hogwarts, actually." Ron's face changed quickly from sad to relieved. Hermione continued, "She attended a private witches' school called, 'The New York School for Witches' or NYW."
"Oh, wicked. What's her name?"
"Alatriel."
Ron looked a bit confused. "Alatriel? What kind of a name is that? Its… weird!" He said, while stifling a laugh.
Hermione smiled and playfully punched Ron on the arm. "Be nice, Ronald. She's a very good friend. She's very trustworthy."
Ron grinned slightly, "I'm only fooling. I'm just glad you're back. To be honest, I'm glad you haven't replaced me with some New Yorker bloke, either."
Hermione beamed, "Oh, Ron. No one could ever replace you."
Then, movement from behind Ron interrupted her gaze. "'Mione!" Harry blurted out from the crowd with Ginny in hand. He hugged Hermione with a mixture of longing and friendly passion.
"I missed you so much. I've got loads to tell you later!" Ginny piped in once she's was able to embrace her best friend; ignoring Ron's bad attempt at hiding his annoyed expressions (it was obvious that he was still just a little bit irked at the fact that Ginny was now his best mate's girlfriend).
"Great, I can't wait to be filled in on everything that's happened while I was away." Hermione stated excitedly. "Oh I forgot to tell you, I received a letter from the new Head Mistress at Hogwarts, former Professor McGonagall, the day I got back from New York. I'm the new Head girl, isn't that wonderful?"
Both Ron and Harry congratulated her. "I knew it was going to be you, this doesn't surprise me." Ginny crossed her arms and smirked. They all had a laugh.
"Okay, time to put these…things away and have some sweets." Hermione grunted as she placed her trunk onto the train.
"Here, here!" Harry agreed, and they all boarded the train together looking for a compartment. After a few minutes of searching, the quartet found an empty one just a few compartments away from where the professors stayed. They went inside and began to get comfortable when the compartment door slid open.
Everyone looked up and there in the doorway stood the last person any one of them wanted or expected to see. Draco Malfoy. Both Harry and Ron rose to their feet with their wands at the ready.
"Easy, Potter. Down, Weasley. I've come on official Hogwarts busisness." Draco said, egotistically, looking at Hermione the entire time.
"You have no business here, Malfoy. Please leave." Harry replied, in an equally calm voice and pointed to the door.
"You couldn't be more wrong, Potter. I've come to collect Miss Granger, here. The Head Mistress wishes to speak with her." He shot back, coolly.
"Why would he send you to come and retrieve me, Malfoy?" spoke a calm Hermione.
"I don't know, and frankly, I don't care. If you don't want to come with me, fine, take it up with McGonagall, instead." Draco answered a bit annoyed.
Hermione pondered this for a moment and soon rose from her seat to join Draco in the doorway. "I'll be back; I don't want to take the chance of getting into trouble." She smiled and left. The blonde boy in front of them, who had been leaning against the door, straightened up and proceeded to follow Hermione.
"Was it me, or did Malfoy seem a bit civilized?" Ginny asked Harry.
"I think he was." Harry replied still slightly confused. He didn't feel angry towards the malicious Malfoy anymore. It took him a while but Harry did a little growing up since the end of the war. He knew everyone had their reasons for doing what they did, the Malfoys included. He didn't exactly forgive them. As far as he was concerned, as long as the Malfoys didn't cross any boundaries, he could tolerate them. Ron, however, felt a bit worried about Hermione. But, like Harry, he also tolerated the Malfoys. He forced himself to think of something else and remembered what Hermione told him about the American student transferring in from New York. Thinking that now would be the perfect time to lighten the mood, he told both Ginny and Harry about it and about how relieved he was to find out that this new friend of Hermione's was not a guy.
"You should just tell her how you feel, you git." Ginny all but scolded him.
Meanwhile, Hermione and Draco walked towards the Head Mistress' compartment and Draco knocked on the door. The door slid open to reveal a very content McGonagall. "Come in, both of you. Have a seat, please." She invited. Both Hermione and Draco went inside and sat down. "First I want to congratulate you both on your academic success." McGonagall stated. She looked from Hermione to Draco, both of whom smiled enthusiastically (well, actually, Draco smirked, as always; smug as a bug).
"Congratulations, Miss Granger, as you know, you are now Head girl. And congratulations, Mr. Malfoy, as you know, you are now head boy." She continued and took no notice of the dumfounded looks on Hermione's and Draco's faces, once she mentioned each of their "good" news. McGonagall continued, "And with such big roles in this year's events, comes great responsibilities and unity. After all that we've been through, all that we've lost..." She saddened a bit, but a smile soon returned to her face as she continued, "I bequeath to you, Mr. Malfoy, and you, Miss Granger, the task of working together despite your differences, to bring back a sense of harmony to our school. It is of great importance that we show all of the houses how to get along, now and forevermore. You two will be the prime example of unity. Is that understood?" Both Hermione and Draco nodded in defeat and without argument, although each knew it would prove to be no easy task.
"Good. That settles that. You will both share a compartment for the remainder of the trip and will also share the Head Common room and bathroom at Hogwarts. You will, of course, have separate Head Dorm rooms and will have to come up with your own passwords as well as to agree on a single password for the entrance into the Head Common Room... any questions?" McGonagall finished.
"No, Professor McGonagall." both Hermione and Draco answered.
"Very well, follow me." She left the compartment followed by Hermione and Draco.
After passing a few compartments, Hermione and Draco found themselves in front of theirs. "Here it is. You will remain here until we've reached the school." McGonagall said before heading for the door. She looked back and added, "And do try to behave appropriately. Any problems or complaints, please... I am just down the hall." With that she slid the door closed and her footsteps soon faded.
The only sound heard was the rumbling of the train on the tracks and a slight patting of fresh rain on the windows.
"Well," Hermione spoke, "if we're going to be thrown together like this, we might as well be civilized."Draco stared at her with a cold expression and rolled his eyes towards the window. "Look, Malfoy, I don't like this any more than you do, so please, lets just make the best of it." Hermione spat.
"Fine, Granger. I'll be 'civilized'." Draco half mocked.
Hermione, surprised by this sudden new, semi-contradicting Malfoy, sat bewildered. "That's it? That's all you're going to say?" she finally asked after a few minutes of silence.
"What else am I supposed to say?" he asked, looking slightly confused.
Even more surprised, Hermione said, "Um… nothing, I guess. I'm just wondering why all of a sudden you're being so… not like you."
Draco looked at his feet and smiled.
Did Malfoy just smile? Hermione thought. No way. It was a smirk, it had to have been.
Draco looked up at Hermione and smiled again. "'Not like [me]'? You don't even know me." he calmly said. "You only know the me that my parents wanted you to, remember? That's not the real me." He finished while looking away from Hermione and out the window.
Hermione didn't know what to think or even what to say. Should she say anything at all, or just leave him be? "Malfoy, do you expect me to believe that every single time you hurt someone, or you called someone a name... it was all because it was what you were expected to do?" she asked, not sure if she wanted him to answer.
Draco looked back at Hermione and dropped his gaze to the floor. "I never meant any of those things. I never liked hurting anyone. I mean, granted at some level I did quite like it; the power behind it and the fear I instilled... but I was taught to be that way for as long as I can remember... I must admit, though, I never did enjoy hurting you the way that I did in the last eight years. It was all for show... and I was very good at it. But, you have no inkling as to how horrible a life I had to lead. If they ever knew how I really felt, it would've been the end of my life for sure. My parents wouldn't have had it... and Voldemort especially... he would've ordered my death at once!"
He paused for a moment, and continued, "Even now that Voldemort is gone, I'm still supposed to prance around all high and mighty because I'm a pureblood. I'm 'better than everyone else' because I'm a Mafoy! Truth be told, I'm a pureblood, sure, but I don't particularly enjoy thinking that I'm better than everyone else. I'm just tired of being someone that I'm not. But, how can I be anyone else, when all my life I've been taught to act a certain way, dress a certain way, talk to certain people?" Tears began to glaze his already icy blue-grey eyes.
Malfoy is crying? Hermione thought.
He wiped away at his face with the sleeves of his robes. "I bet you think I'm nothing but a little pansy prat. 'Look at Draco Malfoy, what a whiny little baby.' I bet you and your friends will have a field day with this, won't you?" he was now really upset and refused to look at Hermione.
Hermione felt a huge lump caught in her throat; her eyes almost filled with tears. How could I have missed this? Of course we haven't been the only ones to suffer during Voldemort's reign, or even after it...he's been suffering this whole time as well! It's understandable, isn't it? Poor ferret... She thought to herself. After a few minutes, she spoke, "Mafoy… I… never knew how much you hurt. I never really understood why you were the way you were. I don't think you're a pansy, or a whiny prat." She said smiling. Draco shifted in his seat and slowly raised his eyes to Hermione's. She continued, "No one could have possibly known about your situation because of the way you carried yourself... but I understand now, why you had to do what you did, and said the things that you said. And as for telling my friends the details of this conversation, I promise you I won't. That is for you to decide for yourself, if at some point you wish to." By now Draco had faced her completely and a smile began to form on his face.
Finally, after a long silence, he replied, "I really can't see us ever being more than acquaintances, but I guess I can see why Potter and Weasley hold you in such a good light, Granger." He held out his hand, "I'm not sure about you, but I would like to start anew. A clean slate. No more childish name-calling and no more threats. What's past is past. What do you say, Granger?"
Hermione smiled and dried her eyes, "A clean slate sounds wonderful to me. But… What would your parents say ? And what about your friends?"
Draco, still with his hand held out replied, "I don't think that I can face them just yet, but I do plan on telling them that I refuse to live like this anymore. Just as long as you don't go around blurting out our decision to the entire school!" He smirked.
She gave him one last glare, as if testing his civility. Then, she held her hand out and shook Draco's hand, "That won't be a problem." She said.
He looked deeply into her eyes, smiled, and said, "Good, that's that, I guess."
AN: Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please review, thanks! :)