Pale Skin, a Touch of Blush, Shaky Hands, a Taste of Blood
Chapter One: The Train Ride

Autumn was in full bloom: cherry blossom trees were smelting their violet flowers, the days grew more and more windy, and scarves were tied tightly around each and every student boarding the train for a new and exciting year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. However, the season wasn't the only thing blooming. Romance was also in the hearts of the older students, a common goal spread out among them.

The unstoppable trio made up of Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger were about to embark on their fourth year at the magical school. During their journey on the Hogwarts Express, they had decided to try and make the best of the coming term. Danger was constantly lurking on the horizon and they knew it would be wise to enjoy what freedom they had left before something terrible happened. They had already encountered the Dark Mark during the Quidditch World Cup and everyone had been on edge since.

In any case, their goals were simple. Ron had vowed to finally find the courage to talk to a girl, Harry was going to attempt and divert the spotlight from him, and Hermione just wanted something new and exciting to happen. The boys raised their eyebrows at Hermione's resolution and told her punching Malfoy had gotten to her head but she didn't mind their teasing. She had a feeling this year would be different for her. Maybe coming out of her shell would be all it would take but her ideas of what she wanted were far vaguer than Harry's or Ron's so there was much more a possibility of something good happening.

She relished in this logic as the whistle blew from the engine. This was the signal to dress in their robes for the sorting ceremony. Hermione stood and dropped the newspaper she had been reading on the seat beside Ron. She reached into her bag and pulled out a cascade of new, black robes. With a grin, she held them up to her shoulders and twirled in them, showing them off to her friends. Ron looked entirely jealous while Harry seemed to hardly draw his eyes away from the window.

"New robes? How did you afford those?" Ron asked, ogling them with envy. His mouth was half-full with a Pumpkin Pasty.

"Some wizard friends of my parents accidentally gave them too much wizarding money in exchange for muggle money," she replied with a witty smile that Ron saw right through.

"I suppose you were conveniently gone while this happened?" he asked with a snide smile. He meant well and Hermione let out a small giggle before slipping the robes over her head.

"You should probably change as well," she said brightly and then paced over to Harry. "Harry, we're almost there. Are you alright?"

He had seemed fine earlier on in the ride when they had been talking about their goals for the year but now something was obviously on his mind. He looked up slowly like he was waking from a dream. He took in a breath of air and scratched his head.

"Sorry guys," he said softly. "I was just thinking about Sirius and how I haven't heard from him in a while."

"Are you afraid something's happened?" Ron asked, digging through his bag for his robes.

"I just- I'm afraid the Ministry will find him," Harry replied. "Or already have."

Hermione's lip twitched and she sat next to him on the seat and leaned forward, looking at him with an intensity that could bore through him. "Harry, write him a letter if you're so worried," she said.

"She's right," Ron said but it was hardly distinguishable because he was chewing something else from his collection of candy that was sprawled on his seat.

"You're not going to have any room left for the feast tonight," Hermione nagged but Ron looked doubtful. She turned back to Harry. "I'm sure he's fine but he's all alone except for Buckbeak and what kind of company is he?"

"You're right," Harry replied and Hermione beamed happily with an 'I know I am' look in her eyes.

He pulled out some stationary from his bag and scrawled a messy note to Sirius that said:

Padfoot- I'm starting to worry the Ministry's got you. Please write back but don't use Hedwig. He stands out quite a bit. Give him a bit of food and send him back to me. When he returns I'll know you're safe but I won't be content until I receive a letter. Please write soon. With all sincerity, Harry.

It was a sad excuse for a letter and seemed entirely too impersonal but he didn't have any time to revise it because at that moment, the compartment door slid open. Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle all marched in, hands crossed over their chests. Malfoy had a sneer grin on his face like he had just accomplished something dramatic. Ron immediately stood defensively and Malfoy sized him up, his gaze wandering about Ron's ragged and faded robes.

"What do you want, Malfoy," Ron spit angrily.

"Still using formalities, are we?" Malfoy hissed with a warm smile. "Nice robes you got there. I see your friend Granger wasn't kind enough to loan you some money."

Hermione stepped forward, anger raging within her. She hated Draco with every bit of her soul but the sight of him at the Quidditch World Cup came back to her for some reason. She, Harry, and the Weasleys had been waiting for the match to begin when Draco, his father, and his mother had passed below and sat in the same box. Mr. Weasley and Mr. Malfoy had had a bit of a row but Draco didn't stop staring at her – or so she thought anyway. It seemed like such an odd encounter and Hermione was having difficulties pushing away the image of Draco illuminated by flood lights in a tailored suit. She wished their enemy wasn't so good looking because it was hard to scowl at him when she was trying not to blush at the same time.

"What do you want, Draco," she demanded. Her words cut through her image of him like ice and she saw him as the cruel, cold Malfoy again.

"Weasley, you better control your girlfriend," Malfoy said, taking in Hermione from the ground up. "Nice new robes, by the way. They suit you."

It was the first compliment she had ever heard Draco offer before. It was like he was showing a weakness of his. Normally, she wouldn't have bought such a comment but his voice was sincere as if it were… in awe. She physically shook her head, trying to remove such thoughts from it. Everyone noticed her strange action but she just glared on at Malfoy. He was still studying her when Harry stood up between her and Ron. His face was taut and the letter to Sirius was wrapped tightly in his fingers.

"Don't you have a hole to occupy, Malfoy?" Harry shouted, his spine erecting in pride. He was also trying to match Malfoy's height.

Draco had matured magnificently over the summer. His face had grown longer and more pointed, accentuating his pale, striking features. His hair was no longer slicked completely back, but hung about his brows and ears a bit. He had sprouted remarkably and now towered above Ron and Harry but his thin, angular composition remained. If he had bulked at all, it was in the broadness of his shoulders and tone of his chest. They were prevalent under his dark green-tinted robes. No matter how much he had grown, the same first-year grudge with the trio had remained.

"I just wanted to see the look on your face when you saw the Dark Mark," he replied, holding up the Daily Prophet with a large picture of the skull with a snake crawling through it and a headline that read Dark Mark at World Cup. "It probably doesn't amount to your expression when you saw it that night. Were you scared, Potter?"

Harry leapt forward, aiming a punch at Malfoy who scowled and lurched backwards. Ron grabbed Harry in time and held him back while Malfoy and his cronies took the opportunity to leave the compartment, laughing all the way. Hermione shut the door and faced Harry with her hands on her hips.

"You can't let him get to you," she said softly. "Your weakness is his strength. You know this, right?"

Harry relaxed and pushed Ron off of him. "Yeah, I do," he said. "But I still would have liked to punch him and see blood royally sprout from his face. You're lucky you got that opportunity."

Hermione gave him an incriminating look but Ron mustered a smile. It was contagious and soon all three of them were grinning at each other, remembering how Hermione had punched him after threatening him and how impressive it had been. It was truly one of the memories they would be able to hold above Malfoy's head forever.

With a quick glance, Hermione looked up and saw Draco gazing through the compartment window. When he saw Hermione look at him, he left immediately. Something held her back from telling Ron and Harry what she had seen. It would be her little secret.

Only moments after Draco left, Fred and George fought their way into the trio's compartment. Between them like their prisoner was the handsome, Cedric Diggory, captain and seeker for Hufflepuff. Normally, when he entered a room, every girl let out a sigh of admiration but since Hermione was the only one, she managed to stifle what awe she had. Cedric looked completely bewildered to be in the compartment with a bunch of fourth years. He opened his mouth like he was going to talk but never did and instead looked from person to person.

"This is punishment for your brutalizing us last year, Diggory," Fred said delightfully.

"We're showing you off like a trophy," George said in rhythm with Fred.

"We caught the great Cedric Diggory without getting hexed," Fred finished.

The twins looked up and saw the trio for the first time. "Hello Harry, Ron, Hermione," George chorused.

Cedric raised an eyebrow, smiled to Harry – who was the only one out of the three who he ever noticed – and wiggled his way free of the Weasley twins when they were paying less attention. They did a double take in unison, looked at each other, and ran out. Fred peaked his head back into the compartment with a brimming grin.

"Looks like we've a seeker to catch!" he shouted. "See you at the feast!"

A/N
As much as I wanted to write out the whole title, FF wouldn't allow me so that's the best I could do. This is my first time writing fanfiction but I write original stories all the time. This was an urge. Let me know if you like it! It'll get really good because I have the most unlikely surprises and ships planned.