Ok, as ususal I don't own anything you recognise, the plot is mine though, so please don't go stealing it. I'll set my rabid dogs on you if you do, although I'm pretty sure that you guys will be the ones setting rabid dogs on me. I am sooooooo sorry that this has taken me so long, but I've been having a pretty rough time recently, sorry, but it's here now. Hope you enjoy it! And remember REVEIW!!! waves

"What!?" ideas flashed through Hermione's mind, each worse than the previous one.

"Guess who's in school this year!"

"Is that all Harry! Good Merlin, you had me worried!" Hermione reprimanded him as the train began to move out of the station, gaining speed all the time.

"Never mind that Mya! Just guess!" Harry sounded more like the excited nine year-old he once was than the 'supposedly' mature 12 year-old he now was.

"I don't know Harry. Dumbledore? Fudge?"

"No Mya. Malfoy! Draco Malfoy!"

"And this matters to me why?" Hermione looked completely and utterly confused, extremely unusual for her.

"Because he is the hottest piece of blonde arse that the wizarding world has to offer!"

Now Hermione knew that Harry was gay, she had no objections to it, in fact she quite supported him in any aspect of the entire affair, but she didn't realise that he had a 'thing' for hot blondes.

"Harry, is there something you want to tell me?"

"Mya, you know I'm straight as an eight."

Harry had come to terms with the fact that girls would never be more than friends to him only a few months ago, but was perfectly comfortable with his sexuality. Hermione voiced her 'idea' that Harry didn't like blondes, and was brushed off with a rather patronising "I know Mya, I was thinking more for you… you see?"

"HARRY JAMES POTTER! Don't be ridiculous! Me and Malfoy! That's mad. Brilliant, but utterly mad!" Hermione's shrieks could probably be heard all the way back in King's Cross.

"So you admit it, he is hot! You two would be soooo perfect together! Well Draco makes anyone look good, but you two would be the cutest! Ever!" Harry was the epitome of 'gay-ness', all he needed was the little hand flick, and he would be the definition of gay.

"Harry, you are completely mad, not to mention gay. Besides Malfoy is guaranteed to be in Slytherin, and I'll be dammed if I'm not in Gryffindor. He wouldn't look twice at me." Hermione slumped on the seat, treason to her pure blood, and her upbringing.

"Well they say it can only take a glance to fall in love Mya!"

"HARRY! Just shut it ok. I'm never going to have a chance with Dra… Malfoy, so don't make it worse ok?"

Harry just shook his head, settled on the seat, and started to finger-comb his hair. A muttered "'course Mione." was met with a stern glare.

The bond that Harry and Hermione shared was displayed as Harry let her settle into mindless chatter, without constantly bringing up the 'Draco' subject. Of course he couldn't keep quiet for that long, and so, occasionally, tried to give Hermione advice on how to 'woo' the aforementioned Draco, Hermione instantly changing the subject at this point. Of course the peace wouldn't last forever.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Granger. And this must be Harry Potter. I thought I saw you useless pieces of trash earlier." The drawl was unmistakable, even if you had never heard it before, the shocking blonde hair only adding to the obviousness of who the intruder to the compartment was.

"Draco Malfoy. We didn't expect to be graced with your presence until the feast. How kind of you to join us."

Hermione's words were inviting, and in keeping with her heritage, but her tone, that was a different matter, she sounded like she was about to kill Malfoy. That may have had something to do with her earlier conversations with Harry, but of course she wasn't about to admit that.

"Oh, how pleasant of you Granger. I had hoped that I could be civil to you, obviously not." The sarcasm laced words dripped from Malfoy's mouth as the other two occupants of the compartment glared at him.

"Shut up Malfoy! Just because you're hot doesn't mean that you can go prancing about like you own the place!" Harry leapt to his feet, defending his best friends' honour.

Hermione groaned and covered her face… trust Harry and his big mouth. This was bad… very bad.

"Well, well, this is interesting. You think I'm hot Potter? Merlin, best friend of The-Girl-Who-Lived, gay? I never thought we'd see the day." Malfoy circled Harry who stood stock still in the middle of the compartment, as of resigned to his fate. Hermione sat, frozen to the seat looking on, awed.

Harry found his voice and whispered, "I never said I was gay Malfoy. I never even said that I think you're hot. I'm just voicing the opinion of most of the teenage wizarding population."

"I know that I'm hot Potter. You really don't need to point it out, but honestly, who do you think you're fooling with the whole 'I'm not really a poof' thing? Seriously, it's sad Potter. And Granger, stop cowering. You're a pureblood for Merlin's sake!" Malfoy, turning on his heel, waved at Hermione and Harry, and, signalling to his goons – Crabbe and Goyle – left the compartment.

Harry continued to glare at the doorway until Hermione stood and slammed the door shut.

"Who does that stuck-up, egotistical, over-dramatic, slimy Slytherin bastard think he is!?!?! He can't just waltz in here and start acting like he owns the place. Bloody arsehole. Seriously Harry if I get my hands on him… he'll be in the Infirmary before he knows what's hit him!" Hermione paced, lividly around the compartment, grinding her fists together.

"Mya, calm down. He's not worth it. As much as I would love to go and beat the crap out of him right now, I don't fancy taking on his goons, and also, I just couldn't bear to ruin his good looks." Harry said, easing Hermione onto the seats. "He's just a pest. We should just leave him be, and it will be fine. Let the teachers and prefects deal with him. Ok?"

Agreeing, Hermione settled down. Stretching her arms above her head, she sighed, and lay down. "Wake me when the food trolley comes along, I'm shattered."

Harry nodded and picked a book out of his bag, as he too settled down for the long journey ahead.

Night was rolling in like a blanket of darkness, and the scarlet Hogwarts' Express was nearing her destination. Hermione rolled off the banquette and hit the floor with a sleepy 'thud'.

She rubbed her head, and groggily looked around, noticing the colour of the sky.

"Ahh, Harry! Why didn't you wake me!?!? We'll be there in a few minutes!"

Hermione dashed madly around the compartment, not easy in a space only six foot wide, and four foot across, looking for her trunk. Obviously she was still half-asleep, as she couldn't quite grasp the concept that her trunk was above her head.

"Mya, above your head." Harry laughed, pointing up to Hermione's trunk in the luggage rack.

"Don't you laugh at me Harry James Potter!" Hermione glared at her life-long friend, reaching for her trunk.

"Soz Mya. But you have to admit its amusing that you, 'The-Girl-Who-Lived' and all that, couldn't find her trunk." Harry sung Hermione's praises in the hope that he wouldn't be killed by the angry first year.

Hermione 'hmph'ed and began to rummage in her trunk for her robes. Harry, shaking his head, did the same, and, finding the plain, black, uniform robes pulled them over his head. Turning round to find that Hermione was dressed and pulling her long, wavy hair into a loose ponytail, he ran a hand through his hair in a useless attempt to make it lie flat.

A voice sounded throughout the train "Attention students. We will be arriving at Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train. It will be taken to the school separately. Prefects and Head's please assist new students. Thank you." the voice spluttered and faded out.

The train was slowing down, and the mountains outside glowed purple in the moonlight. Hermione glanced at Harry. He was pale, and she felt exactly the same. The mixture of nerves and excitement was finally getting to her, and she couldn't wait to arrive, but also had a feeling of foreboding.

Finally the train stopped.

People clamoured and pushed their way off, spilling out onto the once silent platform. Hermione and Harry stood together, shivering in the cold night air.

A light shone at the end of the platform, a giant of a man with beetle black eyes holding it.

"Firs'-years! Firs'-years over here!"

The man's large, hairy face beamed down at the shivering first years who had started to cluster nervously near him. Draco Malfoy could be heard muttering to his goons about 'a pathetic excuse for a wizard' and 'says my father'.

Harry and Hermione moved along the platform together, following the group of children clustered around the giant.

"I'm Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds here at Hogwarts. C'mon now, follow me – any more firs'-years? Mind yer step, now! Firs'-years follow me!"

Slipping down a narrow, rocky path, they followed the giant-man, through a large, dark group of trees. Nobody spoke much, only in whispers if they did, and a small, mousy boy kept sniffing.

"Mya," Harry whispered, "how much longer till we get there?"

Hermione shook her head, indicating that she didn't know, and pressed a finger to her lips.

"Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," Hagrid called over his shoulder, "jus' round this bend here."

There was a loud 'Oooooh!" as everyone rounded the bend, and looked up at their home for the next seven years for the first time.

Suddenly the first years found themselves on the edge of a great, black, lake. They gazed across the glassy water, up at the vast castle, sparkling with many lights.

"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called, pointing to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water a short way along the shore. Hermione and Harry scrambled into a boat along with the small mousy boy – named Neville Longbottom– and were soon joined by a tall, dark, Italian-looking boy who introduced himself as Blaise Zabini.

"Everyone in?" shouted Hagrid, who had a boat to himself, "Right then – FORWARD!"

The fleet of little boats moved off as one, gliding soundlessly across the water towards the cliff face below the castle. This time everyone was silent, even Malfoy. They all watched without a sound as the castle loomed overhead. By the time they reached the cliffs, Hermione would have sworn that the castle went on forever.

"Heads down!" yelled Hagrid as the first of the little fleet neared the curtain of ivy spilling down the cliffs, hiding a wide opening in the cliff face. They ducked their heads, and were carried onwards, down a tunnel, lit by flickering torches, until they reached a harbour of sorts, and clambered out onto a rocky shore. Nervous chatter started to spread through the first years, as the clustered on the rocks and pebbles.

"Right th'n firs'-years. Follow me again. C'mon now. Keep on movin'!"

Hermione strode forwards, eager to get to the castle, and started to follow Hagrid up the winding stone staircase, Harry, and the rest of the first years in hot pursuit. After pulling themselves excitedly up the stairs, the group at last emerged onto the damp, grassy lawn, overshadowed by the huge castle.

They walked up a small flight of stone steps, and crammed themselves around a huge, oak door.

"Everyone here?"

Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door.

Well, what did you think? Good, bad, awful? Tell me please! Cookies to my reveiwers, and also, does anyone want to be a beta for me??? Let me know if you do, because I'm sure that this is full of spelling and grammer mistakes, even though I'v checked it tons.

Ciao, pixie xx