"HARRY! RON!" Screamed a curly haired girl on platform Nine and Three Quarters. Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley spun around just in time to feel their best friend, Hermione Granger go crashing into them. In a three way bundle they laughed in happiness at being reunited again under the smoke that billowed from the scarlet steam train that was the Hogwarts Express.
"How sentimental" said a sarcastic voice came from behind them.
They detached themselves from each other and wheeled round to find that they were face to face with Draco Malfoy.
"Malfoy" Said Hermione calmly as she smoothed her black skirt that reached just below her knee, and straightened her grey Hogwarts jumper. "I trust you had a good summer?"
"Nine weeks away from you Granger? It was heaven!" Crabbe and Goyle chuckled as Malfoy began to twist his fingers round her hair. "I see you sorted… this… out" and with that he walked away with Crabbe and Goyle, as usual, at his sides.
Harry and Ron exchanged glances as they realised Malfoy was right, which didn't impress Ron who was clenching his fists silently by his sides. Hermione's hair was no longer bushy but formed in perfect ringlets.
"FUCK I hate that guy!" said Harry and Ron in unison, which made them all laugh and the episode that just happened slipped from their minds.
After about two hours on the train Neville Longbottom came running in. It was their sixth year at Hogwarts but still he hadn't worked out how to open the compartment doors. When he finally got in he stumbled over Ron outstretched legs but regained his balance before he started to speak.
"Guess what?!" He said enthusiastically
"What?" Harry, Ron and Hermione replied in a monotone unison. They had had enough of Neville's guessing games. But no-one had the heart to tell him.
"There's a new girl this year!" said Neville, and he grinned as he realised they were interested.
"Well done Longbottom" and with that Draco Malfoy stepped into the carriage "I bet you really enjoyed telling Potter that, after all, not much gets passed the Boy Wonder. Well…" he said eyeing Neville's jumper that was stretched over his stomach. "You did, so that may not be true"
There was a chuckle from outside the compartment that let Harry know Crabbe and Goyle were outside.
Neville turned scarlet and Hermione jumped to her feet
"Get out!" she said, trying to control her voice.
"Well well Granger" he said in his usual drawl. "Aren't you the feisty one?" eyeing Ron's hand that he had absentmindedly left lying over Hermione's chest when he kept her back from Malfoy. Ron snatched his hand away.
"I asked you to LEAVE!" she said shouting the last word.
"But don't you want to know all about the new girl? It's not everyday there's a transfer from Durmstrang" he replied cocking his eyebrow.
"Okay then" said Harry stepping forward and sounding interested "tells us what you know"
"Not in front of a Mudblood" Draco said looking at Hermione
As Hermione slapped him he caught her hand within an inch of his face. Hermione gasped at his reactions that must have doubled over the holidays and felt that his hand was smooth to touch not like the coarseness of Harry's after six years of Quidditch or Ron's after two. As he lowered her hand she could see his muscles working through his shirt and she realised with a start, as she stared into his blue eyes, that he had grown up.
"You tried that three years ago Granger and the results weren't too good" he held her hand at waist length and bent down to kiss it. Hermione's hand tingled. He stood up and dropped her hand.
Malfoy backed out of the compartment and made a gesture that made Crabbe and Goyle follow him down the train and as she watched his retreating back she realised depressingly that after six years of enmity she had fallen for Draco Malfoy.