Hermione hummed lightly to herself as she boarded the train to Hogwarts at platform 9 ¾. She was feeling particularly proud of herself that day, ready to begin her seventh and final year as Head Girl and Hogwarts top student. She still hadn't decided what she wanted to do after school ended, having been asked the question numerous times the previous year, but that didn't phase Hermione a bit. She took a deep breath, inhaling the familiar scent that hung in the air with the beginning of every new school year, but she was thoroughly determined to make this year the best.
First thing was first, and that was the meeting with the prefects to discuss who would be the next Head Girl and Head Boy. It was something that she'd been dreaming about all summer. Hermione Granger never really considered herself to be a hopeless romantic, but she couldn't help dreaming that she and Harry would both be given the positions, and then things would sort of take off from there. He'd finally really notice her as more than a book worm or the girl who Ron occasionally pulled his head out of his ass to flirt with. Sure, the first few weeks would be awkward. They might spend some time avoiding one another, but they'd come around.
Not long after that, Harry would be asking her help with homework, and while she was busy trying to teach him arithmancy, he'd make a comment about what brilliant insights she'd had into the professor notes. He'd make note of all the things that she liked to read, and even try and read some of them himself. By Christmas, he'd be skipping lunch dates with friends or pretending that he was having trouble with something just to spend time with her.
But Valentines day, Hermione thought, was when it would all really come together. Valentines day was the day when they would consummate their love for one another, in a romantic midnight rendezvous. He'd kiss her passionately, slipping his hands beneath her shirt and cupping her well-hidden-but-voluptuous breasts and kneading them in his hands. She'd be tracing her hands across his chest, well-muscled from years of hard quidditch training.
Then, just as he pushed her back against the wall and lifted her up, pushing up her skirt and rubbing against her, he'd lean forward and whisper lightly in her ear, "What the fuck are you doing, mudblood?" Hermione's eyes shot wide open to the person standing in front of her, before screaming.
"Malfoy, you great prat!" she screamed, jumping back a few steps into her fellow classmates. "Don't touch me!"
"Me?" Draco scowled. "You're the one who was just running your filthy hands across on me!" Crabbe and Goyle let out low laughs and sneered at her from behind Draco.
"I did no such thing!" Hermione snapped, scandalized at the mere accusation. Draco's eyebrow rose and he took a step towards her.
"You were muttering something about my hand in your panties." Draco said, looking her up and down. "As if I'd stoop to something as lowly as you." Draco brushed past her and opened the door to the compartment where she was heading, followed closely by Crabbe and Goyle. She stared at them, watching Draco walk away. That's odd... usually when I dream about Harry, I don't get so lost in it.
"Um... Hermione?" Hermione turned around and saw Ginny giving her an embarrassed look.
"Ginny!" Hermione greeted her, trying to pretend that whatever had happened just a moment before hadn't bothered her. "How was your summer?"
"Fine." Ginny said, shifting uncomfortably. "Um, Hermione... you might want to..." Ginny fidgeted with the top few buttons of her shirt. Hermione watched her for a few moments, uncomprehending, before looking down at her own shirt. She was surprised to find it half unbuttoned, with her simple white bra (which Hermione had grown to fill out completely over the past summer) leaving absolutely nothing to any body's imagine. She blushed a deep crimson and quickly did up the buttons, nodding a quick 'thank you' to Ginny. Ginny and Hermione hastily entered the compartment where the others were waiting, slipping somewhere in the back.
Professor McGonagall spoke for a few minutes and Hermione paid close to everything she was saying, though she couldn't stop her eyes from wandering. It had been a long summer, and she'd desperately missed most everyone she knew from Hogwarts. It wasn't that she didn't like her parents or that she didn't have muggle friends – although she didn't really – it was just that Hogwarts was the first place she'd ever met someone who didn't call her bookworm and make fun of her behind her back. At least, not after the first few months, anyway. She kept in touch with most of them, like Harry, and Ron, and Ginny. Lavender and the Patil twins occasionally dropped her notes or spoke to her through the fireplace, mostly about boys.
She recognized Will, who was a couple years behind her, but was an incredibly promising student who'd risen to the task of becoming a prefect without any problems whatsoever. There was Jack, who was a trouble maker and mostly abused his power, but he was known to help people if they were really having problems. There was even... Draco. She scowled to herself. Why had he attended the meeting? Why was he in the same part of the train? Why can't I stop staring at him? She shook her head, trying to get her mind to focus. She saw Ginny out of the of her corner, smiling. Hermione was happy for her friend. She was obviously making eyes at a boy. Hermione thought for a moment. Last year it was Seamus. I wonder who she's going for this year...
Hermione sighed happily to herself as she finally laid eyes on the one person who she'd been dying to see all summer. There, at the other end of the room, was Harry. His dark hair was still unruly and out of control, but it had a windswept look to it, as though he'd just played (and won, Hermione thought) a game of quidditch. His bright blue eyes were visible behind his round lens glasses, and he looked at peace for the first time in Hermione couldn't remember how long. Possibly never, she thought. He was not quite as in shape as she'd been imagining, his muscles not as developed and perhaps not as lean, but that didn't matter to her. All that mattered to Hermione Granger at that exact moment was that they announce Hermione and Harry as quickly as possible, so that Hermione could make some those steamy dreams of hers come true.
Almost as though on cue, she glanced back at Professor McGonagall. "Now, I know you're all anxious and excited about this year and want to get back to your friends, so I'll make this as brief as possible. With You-Know-Who still in hiding, Dumbledore has asked that we all be extra careful this year, and pay special attention to any students who appear to be slipping behind. It will especially be the responsibility of the Head Boy and the Head Girl to keep a close eye on things. And so, to finish this meeting, I'll ask Hermione Granger to take a step forward and take her badge to accept the post of Head Girl." Hermione beamed as she took a step forward, glancing around the encouraging faces of her friends. She graciously took the badge from McGonagall and pinned it to her chest. "Now, I will ask Draco Malfoy to do the same as Head Boy." Hermione, along with everyone in the room, save perhaps Crabbe or Goyle, froze. She watched Draco shove aside a few people to make his way to McGonagall.
"You can't be serious!" Hermione cried. She pointed at Draco. "He just attacked me in the hall!" Why do I suddenly feel so flush... Draco glared at her.
"If I was going to attack you, you'd be writhing in ecstasy before you had a chance to unbutton your shirt." Draco growled. Hermione's face felt hot, among other things, and at that moment she would have given anything for a small breeze to waft through the room. Although the idea of being with Draco Malfoy wasn't appealing, in any other sense than the physical, writhing in ecstasy sounded pretty damn good. She could feel his eyes staring at her, and it only made her more self-conscious. She glared at McGonagall, wanting to look anywhere but at him.
"But he hasn't even done anything to deserve being Head Boy." Hermione declared. She pointed to Harry. "You should give it to Harry! Harry wants it!" Draco rolled his eyes.
"Pothead the Magnificent." Draco mumbled, glaring at Hermione. "Is that your answer for everything?" Professor McGonagall sighed and glanced at the side of the room with Harry.
"Harry, do you feel this outcome is in any way unfair?" she asked, and Hermione almost thought for a moment that even the Professor looked shocked and as though she was begging Harry to say that Draco was unfit for such a position. Unfortunately, Harry just shrugged.
"Actually, Professor, I think... I'm okay." Harry said. Hermione's jaw literally dropped. She turned to look at Draco, who had that familiar smug look on his face, as Professor McGonagall declared the meeting over. The other students shuffled out as Hermione stood there glaring at Draco, watching all of her carefully planned dreams for herself and Harry slip away. She wouldn't be bunking in the same room with Harry anymore. She'd be bunking with Malfoy.
Malfoy, with his holier-than-thou attitude, and his slick, greasy hair and bad cologne. His perfectly sculpted chin and deep green eyes and perfect lips... Wait, Hermione thought, I'm not going to think about Malfoy in... THAT manner. He took a haughty step toward her and glowered at her. "Just remember to keep your hands to yourself." He pushed past her, and Hermione's arm tingled where he'd touched her. She scowled at Crabbe and Goyle as they stalked out of the room behind him. Hermione felt completely disgusted with what had just happened, yet strangely, not as disgusted as she thought she should. She walked out of the door and glanced around, finding most of the students had found their way back to where they belonged, before she took a step out. She walked wearily down the hall, not completely paying attention to where she was going.
This year was supposed to be different, she thought. She was supposed to be on top of things, to get the guy; she was supposed to be happy. Instead, she'd been attacked by Draco in the hall, as she would have never done such a thing as he claimed, and she was to share her bathroom and common room with a Slytherin STD. It was not at all like she'd imagined. She was supposed to be talking to Harry at this very moment, making plans about routes and routines, and talking about their summers. She was supposed to chiding him gently every time his attention slipped or he forgot something important. She was supposed to be reminding him to change into his uniform, fixing his glasses for him; not watching him kissing Ginny's breasts in a dark corner of a compartment as she gasped and dug her nails into his back every time he shifted and thrust.
Hermione stopped and stared, crestfallen. So it was Harry that Ginny had her eyes on. Hermione clenched her eyes closed and shook her head. It was wrong. It was all turning out so very, very wrong! She opened her eyes, praying that what she had thought that she'd seen wasn't really there, but it was. She swallowed and numbly took step after step past the compartment, trying to keep her eyes on the hallway, and not on Ginny as she gave Harry a look of total satisfaction.
She paced past compartment after compartment until she found one unoccupied and made herself comfortable, waiting for Ron. She was happy that they'd finally reached a point after their childish sometimes romances where they could actually be friends instead of dodging the uncomfortable (and slightly embarrassing) moments of touching hands or trying not to be too forward when asking the other out on a date.
She sat back and scowled, staring at the compartment door for a long moment. She heard Ron stumbling down the hall, dragging his trunk and yelling to Dean and Seamus about how this year was going to be the best he'd ever had. Hermione tried to smile – so she wasn't the only one with determination for the new year. She looked around the compartment as though seeing it a new. This was home, she thought to herself. Ron clumsily yanked the compartment door open and shoved his trunk in. Hermione yelped as it ran over her foot before making a loud thud as it collided into the wall. She glared at her friend. "Ronald, that was completely unnecessary!" He scratched his stark red head sheepishly and grinned.
"Heh, sorry 'bout 'Mione." Ron said, chuckling. "Guess I packed more junk that I thought I had." The train whistle blew, signaling that it was about to begin the journey to Hogwarts. Ron got a triumphant grin on his face. "Made it just in time." Unfortunately, just as the train was beginning to move, it jerked his suitcase, which bumped between the two seats before running right into Hermione. She growled and gave it a good shove, pushing it toward Ron, who it crashed into and finally spilled all of it's contents upon. Hermione straightened her button up shirt and stared down at it indignantly. Then she raised an eyebrow, that same feeling of pride that she'd had all day suddenly swelling up in her again. Ronald Weasley had packed his trunk full of books.
"Ronald, what on earth did you pack in there?" Hermione asked, reaching down to help him up. He grabbed her hand and pulled, and Hermione did her best not to be dragged down with him as he pulled himself up, books falling to floor.
"Oh, just some light reading." Ron said nervously. Hermione noticed his cheeks flush and gazed down at him curiously as he tried to grab all of the books as quickly as possible.
"Here, let me-"
"NO!" Hermione jumped back, frowning. Had Ron just yelled at her? "I mean, uh, it's okay. I can do it." She sighed and watched him for a moment.
"Why did you pack so many books anyway? I mean, there is a rather large library at Hogwarts. I'm sure you could find many things that interest you." Hermione said. Ron mumbled something under his breath that Hermione thought sounded like 'not these kinds of books...', which made her curious. She reached down and grabbed one of the books he had missed, examining it. "Magical Sex and You: A Guide to Sexual Positions?" Hermione gazed at her friend who flinched. "Ronald Weasley!"
"It has nothing to do with you!" Ron said quickly, jumping up to grab the book from her hands. It was too bad for him that he didn't notice where his foot was, because just as he went to grab the book from her hands, he pulled the trunk down once more and sent the books flying. This time he couldn't stop Hermione from grabbing them and reading the titles, and with each title she read, she gazed up at Ron in horror. He had brought a trunk full of sex books and 'Play Wizard' issues to take to Hogwarts. He yanked them from her hands, his face turning red to match his hair. "You don't understand!" Ron said, pointing at her. "You don't know what it's like!"
"Don't know what what's like?" Hermione growled through gritted teeth. Ron looked fearful for a moment before continuing.
"Harry always gets the girl!" Ron yelled. "Ginny, Angelina, Pavarti and Padma and Lavender – at the same time! Do you know how many girls he's been with?" Hermione's heart sank.
"How many girls?" she asked in an almost whiny voice. Ron glowered.
"Even Lovegood's had a go." he mumbled. Hermione gazed down at the book in her hands which had a picture of a witch scantily clad and twisting her leg around in a very uncomfortable looking manner. So Harry had been with girls... well, that wasn't exactly surprising, Hermione thought. He was an intelligent, handsome person. Of course he'd been with girls... That didn't mean that it wasn't breaking her heart, however. She sighed. "This year's going to be different." She glanced up at Ron. "This year, I'm getting laid!" Hermione rolled her eyes. Men... She and Ron glanced at each other at the sound of voices echoing down the hall, familiar voices of people who didn't really want to see.
"Pugface Pansy?" There was a burst of laughter. Hermione and Ron quickly set out to grab all the books and set them in the trunk. She'd tried to be neat at first, but as the sound grew closer, she'd panicked and just started throwing books in the trunk unceremoniously. "She'd do anything for a good fuck..." Another burst of laughter.
They'd managed to grab the books quickly enough, except for the last one which had been knocked under the seat in the corner. She reached past Ron to grab it, listening to the footsteps reach just outside the door, and let out a small howl as Ron went to stand and placed his foot on her hand. He jumped quickly and fell forward into the suitcase, groaning, before falling back down on Hermione, the two now covered completely in inappropriate literature. The howl of laughter she heard now was not from the hall as they made their down it, but from Draco and his flunkies as they gazed in and laughed at the sight before them. Hermione glared at Draco with a kind of hatred that she didn't know she could muster. He leaned in the door. "Oi, you're really that desperate?" Draco asked. He reached down and picked up one of the books. "Pathetic. You were better off before, Granger." And with that, he stalked away.
"I wonder what he's like in bed." Ron murmured.
Attending the meeting was merely a formality for Draco. He'd known he had the position ever since... well, ever since he'd come to Hogwarts. Someone with his particular... peculiarities had certain needs and requirements, which had previously been controlled to an extent out of sheer necessity. Now that he was going to have his own room, he could explore things more fully and have more control of what happened when, and with whom.
Granger attacking him the hallway was a bit unexpected, though not really surprising. She was lucky he'd stopped it when he had. She was just about to rip off his pants and start humping him in the hallway, in view of all of the prefects and Professor McGonagall. I wonder if she would get expelled for that... Not that he would even consider laying a hand on a mudblood, especially not Granger. She was particularly dissatisfying to him, and that was saying something.
She had grown in the past year, however, he had to admit. She'd gotten taller, grown long, shapely legs. Her hair wasn't quite so bushy and with it's shorter length, was a bit more controlled. It was light and feathery, almost like a pixie. Then there were her... assets. She had really filled in all the right places.
If she weren't a mudblood, she could have some real potential, Draco had decided. It was a possibility he would contemplate later that night, with Millicent, and possibly Melinda...
Hermione scowled the second she and Ron set foot off the train and met up Harry and Ginny, who were holding hands and a certain glow to them that Hermione recognized. She covered up the scowled quickly and as best as she could, trying to seem happy for them as they climbed into the carriage to Hogwarts. She had to be supportive of her friends. So what if she didn't end up with Harry? Of course he'd been all she'd thought about during the summer, during the long nights when all of the children she'd known before Hogwarts were pretending as though she didn't exist or resorting to calling her names and throwing things at her when they thought parents or authority figures were looking. But it wasn't really all that important, Hermione told herself. As her mother would say, things don't always turn out the way you plan, but often for the better.
She just needed to find something positive in all of this, and that was that her friends were happy. That was good enough for her... right? "How the bloody hell did Malfoy make Head Boy?" Ron growled. Hermione shrugged.
"His parents probably paid for it." Harry said.
"And you have to live with him." Ron looked at Hermione with pity. "How are you going to manage?"
"Oh, honestly, Ronald. I can always hex him if need be." Hermione said. Not that there was going to be a need – after all, she was going to be avoiding the boy at all costs. She would come up with a system, and if they simply couldn't avoid each other, well... she couldn't think of what to do off the top of her head, but she was positive that she would come up with something. She was not going to be attacked again!
"Yeah, he'll probably be too scared of 'Mione to mess with her – remember when she punched him in third year?" Harry said, grinning. Hermione smiled, a real smile, and it felt good, until she heard Ginny laugh and she leaned against Harry, clutching his arm against her chest. The smile faded ever so slightly. This year was going to be different, of that she was sure.
She sighed and looked out the window, leaning her head against it and closing her eyes. The thoughts that she was trying to push away kept coming back, tears that she was determined to keep to herself threatening her. It seemed almost impossible that in a split second her entire world had crumbled to the ground, but it had. Now all that was left was to deal with the wreckage.
Oh, it had been a long, hard summer, and it was going to be an even longer year.
The ride to Hogwarts didn't pass in silence, Ginny and Ron, and Harry all talked animatedly about all of the things that had happened, and all of the things that they were looking forward to doing in their final year. When they asked Hermione why she wasn't talking more, Ron immediately piped up with a comment about having to share living space with Draco Malfoy. Hermione gave a slight smile and let it be implied that that was the reason, for which Ginny and Harry tried to comfort her.
She stared at Harry longingly, perhaps for longer than she should have, before turning her head back to the window and closing her eyes. She had to push it aside. There were plenty of other things to look forward to that year. Studies, quidditch matches, passing the end of the year exams, graduating. Her parents were going to be so proud. She imagined the two of the them there, at Hogwarts, watching her as Professor Dumbledore gave his usual speech. They were waving at her and smiling proudly. She let a small smile touch her lips and felt fatigue pull at her. Hermione made herself comfortable in her seat before gratefully letting sleep take her.
Ron looked beside him at his sleeping friend. Hermione looked so peacefully when she slept, he wondered if that was what all women looked like, what everyone looked like, as they slept. He thought for a long moment about the past years they'd spent together in Hogwarts. He hadn't loved her, that was true, but he'd cared for her. He wished her health and happiness, and much love and laughter. Then he frowned.
Ron wondered what having Draco Malfoy for a roommate would be like for Hermione. She was so studious, so proper, and Malfoy was so... Malfoy... There wasn't a girl in Slytherin that he hadn't slept with, at least, that's what they all said. There were even rumors about some Ravenclaw girls. He'd didn't like the Hufflepuffs, and goodness knows he would never go near a Gryffindor. So Hermione was set to have a bloody awful year. Not only that, but... having to be that close to Malfoy...
Then his frown turned to a deep scowl, as he pondered the biggest question of all. Just because Malfoy was, well, Malfoy... and he entertained the thought of...
No, he wasn't going to think of that. Ron Weasley shook his head. No, he wasn't nearly that desperate.
He hoped.
Okay, so this first chapter isn't quite as long as I usually make them... but hang in there with me, I really like the story for this one. I've been reading a lot of Draco/Hermione fics lately, and the other day when I was in the store, I started reading this book which gave me this incredibly brilliant idea that I just HAD to write. My brother suggested I do it about Harry, because there aren't enough good fics about him and somebody other than Ginny... but seriously, Draco fits this part much better than Harry, and I'm not that of a writer anyway...
Secondly, I use openoffice, and I wanted to ask you guys, has anyone been having any problems with it lately? Because I've been saving the same file over and over and over again as .odt (or whatever the file extension is for openoffice), and it doesn't read the extension. My computer is just listing it as a file. It makes me pick what program to open it with. I had to save this chapter as an .rtf using wordpad. I swear, it's just doing it to piss me off. Maybe I just need to finally break down and buy microsoft word...
And finally, I will shamelessly plug my blog. If I ever take too long to update, or you just feel like annoying/stalking/want to be my friend, OR if you have an LJ account, drop a note by my journal! The link's in my profile...
More's on the way!