Hermione was squealing inside with the excitement of having made so many new friends. Of course, she considered that boy Draco her friend, as flighty as he was. And there were Neville and Abby who she'd sat with on the train. And she'd even met a few others, although she wasn't sure she could say they were quite friends yet. But that was three friends in just one train ride! She couldn't wait to write to her parents that night.

As the train began to slow, her excitement gave way to new anxieties. Oh, she was still terribly excited, but the dark windows gave no sign of what was to come, and her, being such a know it all, couldn't quite sit still as she wondered what was yet to come. The train finally came to a halt, and students began to leave their cabins and fill the long halls of the train to make their exits. Her, Abby, and Neville, all linked arms to avoid getting separated, but as the hustle and bustle grew thicker, the three children lost each other.

Hermione's heart was pounding as she stepped out onto the platform.

"First years!" She heard a deep gruff voice. "First years this way!" An abnormally tall, largeish man with a beard that hid most of his face was holding a bright lantern for all to see. Quickly she pushed her way through the crowd to meet him.

"Hello!" She cried as she found him, Crookshanks trotting after her meowing. "I'm Hermione Granger, I'm a first year."

"Well now, I bet ye are." The man said. His eyes twinkled, and she bet underneath that dark beard he was smiling grandly at her. "And me names Rubeus Hagrid."

Picking up poor, flustered Crookshanks, she turned to look around her. Kids her age were starting to swarm around the man with her, and soon enough they were off down a beautiful, but dark and effectively eerie path through a short forest. On the other side of the trees was a magnificent sparkling lake, and beyond that, was a castle so magnificent Hermione felt a lump form in her throat. This was all so very overwhelming, but so delightful all at the same time.

"Into the boats ye go," Hagrid told the large group of first year students in a booming voice. "An follow me."

As they all filled into the small boats, they found they didn't have to worry much about following, for the boats followed Hagrid all on their own. Hermione found herself seated behind a boy so shy he could barley stand to look at her, but she didn't really mind, she was so wrapped up in the scene she hardly even noticed him.

"Hermione!" She heard from nearby, and searched around the nearby boats, dimly lit by a pretty lantern in the front, until her eyes found a waving hand. "Don't fall in, yeah?" The boy chortled.

She waved back at the blond haired boy, now wearing the same black robes as she. "I reckon I'll beat you there!" She shouted to him.

"Fat chance!" He called back, then turned his attention back to the two large boys he shared his boat with.

The castle grew nearer, and eventually the group was making their way up a stone staircase adorned with gargoyles on each side who, from their perches, flicked their tails at them and shook their heads with territorial glee. Two impossibly huge doors opened, and finally the inside of the castle appeared. It was somehow just as beautiful as the outside.

Someone bumped her as she began her way up the stairs. "Which house are you hoping for?"

"Oh, I don't know, they all sound lovely." She bumped Draco back.

"No way, if I don't get Slytherin I'll go live out my days in the forest."

Hermione rolled her eyes at the dramatics, but couldn't respond because Draco had already moved away to greet someone else. She chuckled. He was probably as excited as she, but where she was taking everything in, he appeared to be maintaining the attention span of a common backyard squirrel.

The night grew more and more thrilling as the first years were sorted. Draco, as he'd wanted, ended up in Slytherin house. Hermione did not. She was placed in Gyffindor by the sorting hat. The professors were introduced, the feast began, and then by the time Hermione was sitting on her new bed, she was already half asleep.

"Come on first years!" There was banging at the door. "Time to wake up!"

The first year girls groaned awake but upon realizing that their first day was beginning, they were all up and scrambling to get dressed, each with matching red and yellow ties, symbolic of Gryffindor house.

Hermione could barely get down any breakfast, she was just bubbling with anticipation of all the things she was going to learn. Her first class turned out to be charms, which she shared with Ravenclaw. And then there was potions, which she shared with Slytherin. She was quick to find out in that class, that Draco was just as quick as her at raising his hand. Her excitement was painfully reduced in that class though, when not only did Draco not return her hello, but Professor Snape took points away from Gryffindor faster than could be gained.

It wasn't until later in the library while she was finalizing her letter home while surrounded by a mountain of books she intended to read, that her excitement began to come back. A small folded paper that looked like a swan flew onto her pile of books, folding its wings carefully behind it when it landed. When she picked it up to inspect the curious magic, the bird lifted one wing, showing her ink inside of it. Feeling rather guilty about it, she unfolded the swan until it was just regular parchment once more. Inside was written, Think you can do as well as me on the potions test? Do try to keep up, Gryffindor. She looked up to see Draco sitting with his two large friends. Underneath his writing she added, Luck to you if you think you can get a higher grade than me. Fancy a game of chess? She folded the swan back up, and immediately it came back to life. It leaped out of her hands and flitted toward her friend across the library. It soon returned with a new note inside. Me? Seen with a Gryffindor? She rolled her eyes and took the chair opposite from where she had been sitting, hoping that the move would be enough to get her point across. It must not have, because halfway through her book on the uses and misuses of wormwood, a new swan arrived. This one read, See you in arithmancy. She turned around, but Draco had left.

A/N: This is the last intro chapter. We'll be getting into it after this. Would you all prefer a slow build with lots of relationship development, or a more scattered, almost one-shot style fic for these two?