"Have you gone mental!?"
The three were currently sitting in the Hospital Wing while Hermione paced angrily up and down in front of the two beds the boys were sitting on. Harry had only a few bruises and scratches here and there from colliding with the statue and didn't really see the point of being there. Draco, though, was a bit worse for wear.
He sat on the bed, his shirt draped over a chair nearby since Madame Pomfrey had tended to the giant fist shaped purple and blue bruise discoloring his normally pale skin. His right arm was swollen and broken from where he had deflected the hand a second time but was steadily healing from a potion he had just taken. He sat silently, wincing every once and a while from the mending bone. They were alone for the most part except for a groaning Neville a few beds down.
"You two could have almost been killed, or worse, expelled!" Hermione pulled at her hair, making it even more frazzled then it already was. She kept on pacing, occasionally throwing up an arm or two. "How did I know that you knew how to ride a broom? I was worried for the both of you and you just had to go off and do something stupid!"
Harry winced at the angry tone Hermione had. She could be extremely scary when upset. "Hermione were sorry-"
"Sorry!?" Hermione stopped pacing and whipped around to face Harry, a wild look in her eye. He flinched again. "You're sorry! You should have thought of that before-"
"Hermione," She turned her angry glare towards Draco but her gazed softened when she caught sight of the huge bruise on his torso, not even paying attention to the fact he was shirtless in front of her. He had gotten that awful bruise because of her. Seeing Hermione pause for a moment the blonde continued. "He said he was sorry...and I'm sorry to."
At this all the anger left the brunette like a cleansing stream. She shook her head and slumped tiredly into a chair between the two beds. "Well? What did Professor McGonagall say?" She asked as she massaged her temples with two fingers.
Harry seemed to forget Hermione's tirade at that and his face brightened. "She took us to talk to Marcus Flint, the Slytherin Quidditch captain! She wanted to recruit us for the house team!"
"Quidditch?" She asked incredulously. Harry nodded. "But she's the head of Gryffindor! Why would she recruit students for a rival house?"
Harry shrugged but his happiness suddenly faded. "I don't even know how to play Quidditch…I don't even own a broom!"
There was a snort from the other bed and they looked over toward the blonde. "That's what I'm here for Potter. I could teach you." Harry smiled at the news and nodded enthusiastically.
"What I don't understand is why she would get new players for a rival house." Hermione mumbled to herself, but loud enough for them to hear. "Not to mention being first years. There not even allowed to try out for the house teams. Harry I can understand but-"
"Me?"
Hermione looked toward him and blinked, cocking her head. "Why your dad Harry! James Potter. Didn't you know?" At Harry's head shake her smile turned sympathetic. She should have known he didn't know anything about his family. "He was a Seeker, for Gryffindor."
Harry's eyes widened and his mouth formed a small 'o' while Hermione turned and looked at Draco. "What position did she offer you?"
The Malfoy heir shrugged, "She said I could be either a Chaser or Keeper from how I caught and dodged that stone hand." Hermione smiled brightly. How did she get such helpful and talented friends?
"Which one are you going to pick?" Draco shrugged again and Hermione frowned. The blonde seemed deep in thought and slightly sad. She expected him to be extremely happy at being offered a Quidditch position. That's when Hermione caught sight of something. Scars. All over his pale torso and shoulders. They all seemed to vary in age and length. She leaned forward to try and get a closer look.
There was a flutter of movement that had snapped the girl out of her staring. She watched as Draco hastily grabbed his shirt and threw it back on. She was both concerned and annoyed at his attempt to hide them. How in the world did they even get there?
Hermione sat in her seat in Defense Against the Dark Arts class a few weeks later and quietly talked to the boy next to her. His name was Blaise Zabini, a fellow first year Slytherin. This was the only class of hers where the teacher actually picked where the students sat. Hermione was upset at first at the separation from her friends but soon decided that Blaise wasn't all that bad after a few conversations.
He was polite and sometimes quiet but when he did talk you could definitely tell he belonged in Slytherin with his teasing attitude. Not to mention he was quite handsome for an arrogant eleven year old. He even started to talk with Draco and Harry and now the four of them were finding themselves to be mutual friends with the boy.
Speaking of the two boys, they turned around to face her from the table in front of them seeing at the Professor had yet to arrive. They moved there stools closer to the other end of her table, draping their arms over it.
"Not that I mind the free period, but does anyone know what happened to the Professor?" Draco drawled with a yawn. Hermione shrugged. She truthfully was a little miffed that their stuttering and normally nervous Professor hadn't shown.
"Oh?" Blaise stated from beside Hermione with a raised brow. "Is Draco worried for our dear P-P-Profssor Q-Q-Quirrell?" Harry and Hermione laughed while the young Malfoy glared and playfully swatted Blaise's arm.
"Oh yeah? What about that little crush you have on the new Professor?" Draco countered. The blonde was satisfied when he watched Blaise give a snort and turn his head. It was his attempt at hiding the blush that was forming on his face.
Harry laughed and Blaise saw an opportunity for redemption. "Don't you laugh Potter! You've sent her glances to!"
Harry blinked as his cheeks colored slightly in embarrassment. "Don't bring me into this Zabini!"
Suddenly the door at the back burst open loudly, startling the students and causing all heads in the room to turn. At the doorway was a smiling Professor Romaldi as she strutted towards the front of the class with a small clacking of her boots, her deep purple and white robes fluttering like she were a poltergeist.
She turned and faced the class with a heart melting smile. "Welcome to Defense Against the Dark Arts, I am you new Professor."
"I don't believe it." Hermione stated with her arms crossed as she sat in an oversized chair. Hagrid had invited Harry down to his hut on the grounds and the boy had asked that his friends accompany him to see the gentle half-giant. Of course they had accepted the extended invitation, though rather hesitantly, and were now sitting in various seats while the scruffy looking man leaned over a roaring fire.
"Professor Quirrell suddenly resigning in the middle of October? It doesn't make any sense." Draco and Harry shrugged not having anything to comment on. Hagrid leaned up a tray of steaming tea in his oven-mitt covered hands.
"Maybe the poor bloke finally had 'e 'nuff. Nearly had 'e heart attack 'e did when 'e met ol' Fang." Said dog's head lifted with a tilt of his head at the sound of his name before laying it back down on his paws. The three could see why the nervous Professor would be scared; the dog wasn't exactly a Chihuahua.
"Don't any of you think it's strange?" Hermione continued, now with a warm chipped mug in her hand. "If he was so scared, why come back for the year in the first place?"
"Maybe they expected him to quit." Harry stated as he absent mindedly traced the rim of his mug. "Professor Romaldi was the assistant teacher."
"What I don't get is Romaldi." Draco sighed. He ran a hand through his already slicked back hair. "Maybe she got rid of Quirrell to take his job."
"Ugh! Maybe I'm over just over thinking it." Hermione mumbled to herself. She hopped up out of the large chair and set the untouched tea on the table. "I'm sorry Hagrid, but I must be going. I have some unfinished homework to do." With that she turned sharply on her heel and exited the hut. Draco sighed before standing up himself.
"We better follow her to before she works that bushy little head of hers to the ground."
"I've never seen her like this." Harry commented as they walked slightly behind a nearly jogging brunette after Charms class. "Is she always going to be like this every time she can't figure something out?"
Draco shrugged as they struggled slightly to keep up, even with their longer legs. "I don't know but she did sit next to Weasley in Charms today, maybe that's why her knickers are in such a twist."
Hermione couldn't believe her luck. After working on all the essays that would ever possibly be due in the next month she had found herself waking up late this morning and running to Charms class. As a result, she was stuck sitting next to none other than a rather irritable Ronald Weasley.
And she couldn't believe it now as she had found herself walking right behind him and another group of Gryffindors…
"It's Levi-O-sa not Levio-SA! Mental that one. Honestly, that's why she hasn't got any friends other than Harry and that stuck up Malfoy git." She heard the redhead say, the group of boys around him laughed.
Hermione clenched her jaw. She didn't care if they insulted her but bring her friends into it, then there would be hell to pay.
"Not to mention poor Harry! He has to spend all day with her and the stupid git! He must have the heart of a saint. If I were him I would just tell the two to bugger off an-" Hermione quickened her pace, nearly shoving Ron completely over in her haste.
"Hermione!" She heard from behind her as the two boys called her name. She ignored them and just walked faster.
The boys reached the Gryffindor gang as the girl had already disappeared down a corridor. Draco looked over at the sound of laughter. He spotted a begrudgingly familiar redhead as he laughed with a few others. He growled and grabbed hold of the boy's collar.
"Alright Weasley what did you do?!" Ron's eyes grew wide in shock before he gathered himself and glared.
"I didn't do anything! The know-it-all did it all herself." He snarled back as he attempted to pry Draco's hands off. The blonde clenched his jaw and was about to retaliate before a hand on his shoulder stopped him.
"Malfoy!" Draco paused as he heard Harry say his name. "We need to find Hermione." The angry boy just clicked his tongue in annoyance before he shoved the gangly boy and he stumbled back into the arms of his friends. Draco turned sharply and together he and Harry walked down the corridor they had last seen the brunette run through.
"Did you find her?"
Harry shook his head at the other boy. They had spent the majority of the afternoon searching for the girl, checking all her favorite hide outs. The library, the common room, and as much of the halls they could scour. The last place they had checked was the majority of the upstairs corridors. Each place turned up empty.
"Come on we better get going, it's almost time for the Halloween feast." Draco nodded his head in agreement and together they silently made their way to the Great Hall. Once they were halfway down there was a sudden jerk and the boys were nearly knocked off their feet. The staircase they were descending suddenly started to move to the left slowly.
"What the bloody hell is this?" Draco stated as he attempted to right himself with the railing.
"I forgot! The staircases, they move." Harry said as there was another jerk. The staircase had finally stopped moving, landing at a different platform.
They had arrived at the third corridor.
"Let's just get moving before the staircase decides to move on us again." Draco said as he walked past the other boy.
They opened the wooden door before them, the hinges giving a loud creak of protest. They had entered a dark hall, the only light being from torches lining the walls. The yellow light seemed to illuminate the cobwebs that were covering everything in sight.
"Hermione?"
Draco turned his head at the sound of Harry's voice. Sure enough the brunette stood unmoving and staring at the wall before her. They ran over to her, happy that she was okay. She didn't move.
"Hermione?" The blonde questioned. She just lifted a finger and pointed in front of her. Draco turned his head gaped.
A portrait. A rather large on at that. It was surrounded in a gilded golden frame and was the only thing that didn't seem covered completely in dust. Yet that wasn't what caused the three to stare. It was the people in the portrait.
"It's…"
"Us." Hermione breathed quietly.
"But how?" Harry stated as he gazed at the three behind the thick frame.
The picture was moving but didn't seem able to talk back or notice the ones before them like the other portraits in the castle. The people painted looked older, about sixteen, and were smiling and looking at one another happily. It looked like the painting was done in Hogwarts, as one of the corridors was their background, and each was wearing older versions of Slytherin robes. But that's when they noticed small differences in the facial features of the people before them.
Harry, or at least the portrait Harry, didn't have the lightning scar on his forehead but on his cheek, right below his left eye and obscured by his glasses. When he smiled, one of his canines was slightly crooked, but that did nothing to hinder his appearance at all as he was still quite handsome. His body was much taller and defined, as they were older in the picture, but his hair and eyes remained the same as the current Harry.
Portrait Hermione seemed the most different as her body was slightly curvy, yet she was still quite petite in height and quite pretty. Her hair was still curly but wasn't as bushy, instead falling in a few tangled curls here and there and was a slightly lighter color. When she smiled her teeth were normal and fit her mouth but there was a small beauty mark by the corner of her mouth.
Draco the portrait was quite tall and towered over the two beside him. His blonde hair was no longer slicked back but hanging on his forehead slightly tasseled. He didn't smile but his smirk was ever present just like the eleven year olds. His silvery grey eyes seemed haunted though, as if something was plaguing his mind. Finally the main difference was a long scar on his on his handsome face that ran from the outside corner of his eye down his neck and disappearing in his robes presumably all the way to his collarbone.
Suddenly, there was a creak and the kids gasped, whipping their heads around back towards the door they had entered from. On the floor sat a small animal, one animal in particular.
"It's Filches cat!" Hermione hissed.
"Run!" Harry said and they turned, running farther into the corridor. With each step the cobwebs seemed to disappear slowly and soon they had found themselves on the third floor in the second corridor, away from the portrait and Mrs. Norris. Finally they stopped running, their hands on their knees as they panted from exertion.
"I just realized something," Draco drawled as he leaned against the wall slightly out of breath. His two companions looked up at him curiously. "We just ran... from a cat."
"What? A troll?" Hermione glanced up from the book she had propped up against the table, her face a mask of disbelief. "How could a troll possibly reach the grounds?"
Blaise shrugged. "You guys weren't at the feast last night. That scruffy groundskeeper barged in saying a troll was spotted on the grounds near the forest."
"Did it get into the school?" Hermione asked as she closed her book, setting it down beside her.
"Not that I know of."
"But why would a troll be on the grounds? Aren't there wards for this sort of thing?" Draco asked, not truly worried. "How did they get it to leave?"
Blaise shrugged and Hermione caught sight of Harry picking at his plate out of the corner of her eye. "Harry you have to eat. You need your strength."
Today was the first Quidditch match of the season and it just so happened it was against Gryffindor. His friends could tell he was nervous as he had hardly spoken a word all morning. He had spent his spare time with Draco and Marcus Flint practicing but he still wasn't sure if his skills would be up to par. Suddenly there was a screeching of an owl as it carried a long package, dropping it on the table before Harry.
"This can't be for me. I never get mail." Harry stared blankly at the long package before him and reached to untie the strings holding in place the wrapping. As soon as the brown paper was off it revealed a new shiny Nimbus 2000.
"It's the new Nimbus!" Hermione cheered, "Harry you have to play! You can do this."
"But who would have sent me something like this." He asked, lightly touching the broom's handle.
"I think I know," Draco said, jerking a thump towards the teacher's table. Harry looked up to see McGonagall nod at him with a smile.
"She's doing it again." Hermione questioned. "How can she help a rival house? Were playing against Gryffindor today."
Harry shrugged. "What about you Malfoy? What are you going to do for a broom?"
Draco smirked. "I have my ways."
"Slytherin must really be losing it if they think they can win, allowing two first years on the team."
The three students stopped walking as they made their way to the Quidditch pitch and turned to face a glowering redhead and a few other Gryffindors, all decked out in their school scarves. Harry and Draco were both dressed in their new Slythering Quidditch robes, brooms in hand. Hermione had on her school scarf and a scowl on her face.
"You won't be saying that when Harry and Draco whip the floor with your house team." Hermione huffed with her arms crossed, her face red not just from the harsh wind.
Finnigan scoffed from beside Ron. "How are we supposed to know they didn't bribe their way onto the team? A first year hasn't played on the house team in-"
"A century," Hermione finished. "Just shows that they have talent, which is more than I can say for some."
Ron snorted. "Talent? I still say McGonagall must be barmy for letting them on the team." Hermione had had enough; she uncrossed her arms and stepped forward toward Ron, punctuating her words with a harsh poke in his chest.
"Listen here Weasel," She growled. "Don't you dare insult my friends or McGonagall, ever again! I'm tired of your useless mouth as nothing sensible ever comes out of it!"
Draco was trying, and failing, not to laugh and Harry still seemed in shock when Hermione turned around and stormed off, leaving behind a group of stunned Gryffindors. The boys turned and ran to follow the steaming girl.
"Blimey Hermione, that was bloody brilliant!" Draco stated smugly, he had learned his lesson quickly that the girl next to them had quite the fiery personality when provoked. You never wanted to get on Hermione's bad side.
"He's just so infuriating!" She huffed with a small childish stomp of her foot. Hermione took a deep breath as they were nearing the pitch. "Anyways, tomorrow I was thinking of taking a trip to the library."
Draco rolled his eyes, "As if that's news."
"Oh hush!" Hermione berated lightly, whacking the blonde on the arm playfully. Draco rubbed his arm and played as if he were hurt, earning himself a smile. Yet when the girl had turned back around he whispered a small 'ow!' under his breath.
"Is there any specific reason?" Harry asked while watching his friends interaction. Just then there was a shrill whistling sound.
Hermione turned around one last time before she took her leave towards the stands. "We'll talk later, you have to go. Just know one thing... portrait."
The pitch was filled with noisy students as Hermione shuffled her way through the Slytherin stands, through people, and toward the front. Suddenly she heard her name being called out and turned her head to see Blaise waving her over.
"Are they nervous?" He asked as soon as she had reached him.
"A little, Harry more than anything. He feels like he has to live up to his father." She said while she adjusted her white and green scarf. It was quite chilly out, being the first day of November and all.
"What position did Draco end up picking anyway?"
Hermione shrugged, "He said he wanted to keep it a secret and that we would find out at the game."
There was another whistle blow and the chatter in the stands turned to full on cheering as the teams were announced. The Slytherins booed as the Gryffindors made their way onto the pitch and hopped on their brooms. They circled the pitch close to the stands and the Lions in the red and gold tower went crazy.
"Now welcome onto the pitch, Slytherin!" Hermione and Blaise yelled loudly as they walked out with Flint in front, Draco and Harry on either side of him followed by the rest of the team. They took to the sky and circled the pitch in a similar way as the Gryffindors and the snakes cheered.
The two new members of the team waved happily at their friends as they passed and Hermione gave them a thumbs up. The teams then took their positions. Hermione could see Harry sitting a few feet higher than the rest and she found Draco in the center on one of Flint's sides. A Chaser.
"Scared Wood?" Flint taunted with a crooked smirk.
"With a face like that Flint, who wouldn't be?" Oliver countered with a smirk of his own and a raised eyebrow. Madame Hooch entered the field and blew her whistle from her position by a trunk. Wood went back to the goals after harshly shaking Marcus' hand.
"Now I want a good clean match!" She called before bending and opening the trunk beside her. Hermione could feel the anticipation from all the houses coming to watch as it was the first match of the year. The announcer for the game, Lee Jordan, began his commenting.
"The trunk is open, and the Quaffle is released! Let the game begin!"
Harry was both excited but nervous at the same time. This was his first time watching an official Quidditch match and he actually had to participate in it. At least the book Hermione had given him had actually helped. Quidditch Through the Ages.
He watched as the pitch suddenly became like a war zone, balls and people flying everywhere with Gryffindor currently in possession of the Quaffle. Slytherin was not far behind as they were hot on their tail. The Quaffle was passed to a dark skinned girl with Flint and a boy named Adrian Pucey on either of her sides, trying to trap her in.
"And Angela Johnson has possession of the Quaffle, she throws and- TEN POINTS TO GRYFFINDOR!" Said house's stand goes wild and Harry could hear Slytherin start to groan. From far off there was the sound Flint yelling instructions to Miles Bletchley, theSlytherin Keeper.
"Draco Malfoy has possession of the Quaffle!" Harry turned to see a blur of blonde and green whiz past and knew it was Draco flying toward the Gryffindor goals. Angela wasn't far off and was gaining on him quickly from behind. Draco picked up speed and Flint bumped the darker skinned girl, causing her to fall back slightly. Suddenly Harry could see some rapid movement out of the corner of his eye.
"Malfoy watch out!"
Draco looked up and made eye contact with Harry just in time for a Bludger to zoom past, right where his head had been just a split second before. It had narrowly miss him but the mear shock had lead the blonde to lean back to far from the tempermental ball, causing Draco to flip and fall off his broom. He could feel himself plummiting for a split second before he reached up and grabbed hold of the broom with only one arm. The Malfoy heir had still managed to hold onto the Quaffle.
"Pucey!" Draco yelled as he tossed the ball to Adrian. He caught it right before a different Gryffindor chaser could intersept. The older Slytherin stood on his broom and used his fist to hit the ball towards the goals.
"Ten points to Slytherin!"
The stands roared and with both hands now free, Malfoy lifted himself back on to the broom. He gave a nod of thanks toward Harry before flying off into a different direction and back in the game. The dark haired boy beamed, happy that his friend was okay and at the fact that Hermione must be having a small heart attack just about now.
Suddenly a flick of gold caught Harry's attention.
Hermione was not pleased. In fact, she was nearly seething as she watched the match from the stands. She was going to murder the blonde for not being more careful. If it hadn't of been for Harry's warning, Draco would be sitting in the Hospital wing right now! Did her lecture on flying safety not stick at all? It wasn't like-
"Harry Potter has spotted the Golden Snitch!" Hermione's head snapped up as she watched the once stagnant Harry soar toward what appeared to be a small glint of gold in the sky. She bit her lip and clasped her hands, tightly together. There was a reason she wasn't particularly fond of Quidditch…or flying in general.
Draco was once again in possession of the Quaffle as Marcus had passed it to him before he dipped on his broom to avoid another rogue Bludger. The Slytherin captain was going to have a nice long talk with the beaters after this was over...
Malfoy could see a mop of black hair out of the corner of his eye and knew that Harry was racing against the unknown Gryffindor Seeker. Draco leaned forward on his broom as Terence Higgs, one of their Beaters, had hit a Bludger towards Wood. He saw his opening as Oliver moved to the right to avoid getting hit. The blonde sat up and threw the Quaffle while the Gryffindor captain was distracted. It soured through the left hoop.
"Another ten points to Slytherin!"
Draco whooped with the crowd and threw up a fist but caught himself as he had nearly fallen off his broom again. That would have been embarrassing considering he had just made his first goal. Boy did scoring feel good.
"Don't get to cocky now Malfoy!" Adrien teased from Draco's left. "It's only your first, you have plenty more to go if you want to catch up with me!"
He almost had it. Harry reached forward; he could feel the beating wings brush his finger tips.
Just a little bit more!
"Oof!" There was a collision at his side, nearly causing Harry to swerve. A boy with light brown hair glowered at him and brought his broom closer, trying to shake Harry off course. The glasses wearing boy clenched his teeth and looked back forward only for the Snitch to be just out of arms reach again.
So close!
Harry positioned his broom's head down as the Snitch dipped lower towards the sand at the bottom of the pitch. It was just in front of him now. He steadied himself and stood up, as if he were surfing in the air.
"Potter!" For a moment Harry felt a sense of Déjà vu as he looked up at the sound of Malfoy shouting his name. When he looked he found that same Bludger heading straight for his head. "Get out of the way!"
There was a crash and Harry felt himself being thrown violently forward and from his broom. The world spun as he flipped through the air. There was the sound of Harry's body tumbling to the ground along with another's. The dark haired boy groaned as he sat up, a boy with blonde hair lying not to far from where Harry currently was. Draco must have thrown himself at Harry to knock him out of the way from the ball, causing the both of them to fall and crash into the sand below. The stands were suddenly quiet as they watched the ground of the pitch with rapt attention. Draco sat up with a hand on his head, seemingly nursing a bump that was no doubt about to form.
"You alright Potter?" He asked as he helped Harry stand. It was then that the other boy noticed something wrong as he held his stomach and put a hand over his mouth.
"Potter?" Draco questioned. Suddenly his eyes grew wide as a realization dawned on the blonde. "Oh no you don't! You better not get sick out here! I am not watching that!" Harry's stomach then gave a final convulse and something popped out of his mouth. The boy opened his hands to reveal a small ball.
The Golden Snitch.
"Harry Potter has caught the Snitch! Slytherin wins!"
A/N: Another chapter done and I decided to update because I'm bored at home when I should be at school...Anyway! I hope I did okay with the Quidditch match and everything. Yes Draco is Chaser vased on the small 'vote'! THANK YOU REVIEWERS! They make me so happy. :)
Now I wanna give some answers to a few questions I got!
TennisRebels15:Yup you'll find out what Hermione's wand core is made of soon as well as who the two 'brothers' her wand has!
Nymph: You bring up really good questions on Hermione's heritage! Hermione's parents don't know that she knows that she's adopted, I wasn't sure if that was clear. I looked up family potions and there are none mentioned in the Harry Potter universe but that is a good idea for in the future. I hoping to save that for a bit (actually it was going to be addressed a bit in the next chapter...)
SPOILER: I probably not do this but in order to answer the next question on Hermione's parents. NO THEY WILL NOT BE OCs! Ther name is mentioned in the book but if you didn't catch it in the book then you may think they are OCs. Hermione's parents and what happened to them will be a big factor that will come in later. Remember I said it was a long story meaning all through Hogwarts. I may split it into different books so Its not so overwhelming.
I'll give you a clue and if you PM me the answer you'll get a special request of your choosing fufilled by me! :)
CLUE: Surename of Scottish origin, may be translated as "love."
Any more questions? Yeah its kind of a big mess right now but things will come together eventually!