Hermione had been anxious for the majority of the train ride. With meeting new people, it meant questions. Personal questions. She knew that the moment her train companions found out she was a "muggleborn" that they would shun her completely. As well they should. It constantly made her own skin crawl to have to identify as such. However, now that Draco had pulled her onto the outside of their circle, she had wanted to impress them with her knowledge. To put some sort of doubt in their minds that she wasn't some common mudblood. Besides, she would need allies other than her family when this whole endeavor was over. It would be an easier conversion to her side if they were already partial to her.
"We'll be at Hogwarts soon," Draco said after several hours. He then turned to Hermione and added, "You'd better go find somewhere to change."
"Sure," she nodded as she stood. "I'll be back."
Hermione grabbed her rucksack and headed through the train. She did manage to find a compartment filled with girls her age and asked if they minded if she changed clothes with them. "I'm in a compartment with all boys," she had explained with a laugh.
"All boys?" a girl named Padma asked. "Did you know them before school?"
"No," Hermione lied. Well, half-lied. "I just met them when I came onto the train. One of them invited me to sit."
Another girl, obviously the other's twin, snickered. "No boy goes out of his way to ask a girl to join him. He must think you're cute!"
Hermione had lifted her foot to put on her sock, but missed completely and let her foot hit the floor. Draco? Thinking she's cute? He was her best friend. They were family, albeit distantly. Top it all off they had known each other since they were babies. Yes, she liked him and he liked her, but it was a completely foreign thing to imagine, him thinking her...cute.
Hermione shivered.
"Who was the boy?" a girl named Cho questioned.
It couldn't hurt to answer them, can it?
"Draco Malfoy."
Every girl in the room gasped. Hermione had finally managed to get on her socks, only her shoes left to put on, and she stood up straight as she stared at them all.
Hermione tilted her head. "What's wrong?"
"You should ride the rest of the way with us," Padma said sternly. "No Malfoy is a good person."
Immediately, Hermione's anger flared and she crossed her arms. "Do you know him? Any of them?"
Her sister snorted. "No. Don't have to. There are plenty of stories to go around, including that Malfoy's father was a Death Eater when You-Know-Who was around. They're bad people."
Hermione's eyes widened and she glared. "You're awful girls," she declared and stuffed her feet into her shoes before snatching up her rucksack. "You have no right to make judgments about people you don't know."
She stormed out of the compartment then, fully aware of the odd looks she was receiving and the whispers she had left in her wake. She didn't care. No one insulted her family. But then again...no one knew that they were, did they? Hermione slowed into a walk, stopped, leaned against the wall in between two compartment doors, and closed her eyes.
She had just made a mistake. A huge mistake, and now there was no coming back from that. Merlin forbid they all ended up in the same House...
"Can you help me find my toad?"
Hermione snapped her eyes open to find a poorly assembled boy standing in front of her. And he was standing far too close to her.
"I'm sorry?"
"My toad," the boy repeated. "I've lost him. I can't afford to lose him."
I bet, Hermione snorted in her head, but out of her mouth she said, "I can help you find him. What's your name?"
The boy smiled and stuck out his hand. "Neville. My name's Neville."
"Hermione," she replied as she gave him her hand. On the inside she squirmed because his hand was extremely sweaty.
"Thanks. Erm, could you check down this side of the train and I look on the other?"
"Of course. We can meet back here afterwards and hope one of us finds him."
Neville nodded vigorously and trotted down the part of the train she had just come from. Hermione stared after the boy with a frown, but took a deep breath and went on with her task. It would help to take her mind off of how badly she had screwed up moments ago. And so, off she went, knocking on compartment after compartment, politely asking if anyone had seen a toad although she was sure the look on her face betrayed how much she had rather be doing something else.
"Excuse me, has anyone seen a toad? Some boy named Neville lost his," Hermione announced as she popped into an open compartment shared with two boys. One had dirt on his nose and, well, apparently everywhere. And the other—
"Oh, my Merlin," Hermione gasped. "You…! You're… You're Harry Potter, aren't you?"
Harry exchanged glances with the other boy and he slowly nodded. "Yes, I am."
Hermione's excitement was evident. She couldn't help herself. This was the boy. This was the boy, the baby who had defeated one of the greatest wizards their world had ever known. She was truly grateful to him. Without the Dark Lord's demise, the way to her own glory would be impossible.
"Do you want to see a spell?" the dirty boy asked her. Hermione grimaced, but wasn't one to turn down an opportunity to see magic.
"Alright," she said as she turned to him. "Have at it."
The boy, looking rather proud of himself, pointed his wand to a large rat on his lap. Hermione was appalled.
"Sunshine daisies, bottom mellow, turn this stupid fat rat yellow."
A light came out of the wand, but the rat was still it's original hue. Not that Hermione had expected it to work anyway. She had officially deemed this boy useless.
"What spells can you do?" Hermione asked Harry. He looked startled at the question and fidgeted where he sat.
"I… I can't do anything."
"Nothing? Not a single spell? No charm? Nothing?"
"No," Harry replied with disappointment in his voice. "I only found out I was a wizard, or that magic existed, mid-summer."
Hermione blinked. "You're kidding. You, a powerful wizard who defeated someone even more powerful than yourself, didn't know that you were magical until mid-summer?"
Harry furrowed his brow. "How did you know about Voldemort?"
"Oi!" Ron shouted. "Don't say his name!"
"There's nothing wrong with saying his name," Hermione snapped at the redhead before turning her gaze back to Harry. "And I knew because I read," she lied. "I'm...a muggleborn. I wanted to know about any and everything magical once I found out I was a witch. You were basically a history lesson and an important one."
Ron snorted. "You didn't know you were magical until mid-summer too, I see."
Hermione shot him the deadliest glare that shut him up instantly.
"Pleasure meeting you, Harry," she said politely. She turned to leave, but didn't go before saying one last thing to the other boy. "You've got dirt on your nose. Did you know?"
Hermione smiled to herself as she left before making her way back to Draco and the other boys.
"There she is," Blaise said. "We thought you died or something.
Crabbe and Goyle laughed, but Draco didn't. He was the only one showing true concern.
"Everything alright?"
"Everything's fine," Hermione grinned as she sat down. "I just met Harry Potter."
Everyone gasped.
"The Harry Potter?" Goyle said. "He's really on the train?"
"What was he like?" Draco asked earnestly. He was the only one who knew how much this encounter meant.
Although she knew he was expecting some great news, she had nothing to really give him.
"Ordinary," Hermione replied. "He was just...a normal, boring kid. He didn't even know he was a wizard until this summer."
Draco cocked a brow. "You're kidding."
"I wish. After everything," she said vaguely for Draco's benefit, "I expected more."
"Me too," Draco mumbled, and she knew exactly what he was thinking.
These last six years were a waste.
Hermione rode in an enormous boat with Draco and the others led by some giant. The castle was beautiful. The only place she had ever thought was magnificent was Malfoy Manor, but this? Hogwarts was a dream. Despite the grandeur she was headed towards, her attention often wavered as she caught sight of Harry Potter, the boy who had crushed all of her hopes with one meeting.
Hermione sighed and then felt a hand patting hers. She looked over at Draco who smiled. She returned it and braced herself for when the boat finally docked.
All of the students were led from the boats and to the beautiful castle. Hermione, much like the other children, was mesmerized as she looked at the surroundings of the place that would be her home for the next year.
"Stand here, please," a stern-faced woman said to the new students as they stood on a staircase leading to two wide doors. "Welcome to Hogwarts. Just beyond these doors you will be sorted into your Houses and join the rest of your classmates. Wait here and you will be led inside momentarily."
The professor unwisely left the bunch of eleven-year-olds and disappeared beyond the doors. "Unwisely" Hermione determined because she saw the mischievous glint in Draco's eyes. She followed his gaze and saw that he was focused on the Potter boy who was still with that low-class redhead. It wasn't until now that she realized that she had never gotten the boy's name (not that she truly cared to know). He clearly wasn't worth knowing, but with the classic red hair, he must have been a Weasley or at the very least related to one. Draco confirmed it quite boldly when he marched over to the pair of boys.
"Draco!" Hermione hissed, but he was out of earshot. Now she had to watch him make a fool of himself for this could only end badly. She couldn't even watch. Of what she could hear was the name "Weasley," "hammy-downs," and "wrong sort." Her curiosity got the better of her and she finally turned to look. Draco had his hand out and obviously expecting Potter to take it. It didn't happen, and while Hermione couldn't hear the boy's reply, it obviously wasn't to his liking.
"Young man, do return to your place in line," the professor from earlier addressed Draco. The blond gave a curt nod before glaring at Potter and heading back over to Hermione. "We're ready for you now," the professor addressed everyone and then encouraged the students to follow her inside.
Beyond the doors was a stunning dining hall with a bewitched ceiling Hermione had read about in Hogwarts, A History, but the brunette was too focused on Draco to enjoy her surroundings.
"I hope you're proud of yourself," Hermione chided. "You've essentially made an enemy of him."
"What does it matter?" Draco grumbled. "He was never going to be our friend anyway. We don't need him to be."
"You don't, but I—"
Hermione didn't get a chance to finish her reply for all of the students had been halted just before the stage. Hogwarts professors sat towards the back, and of the group Hermione recognized two. The first was Severus Snape. The second was the Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore. Unlike the brooding professor who made sure to avoid all eye-contact, Dumbledore appeared to latch his gaze onto her quickly. Merlin, she hated him.
"Now, when I call your name, you shall come forward and have a seat. I shall place the sorting hat on your head and once you are sorted, you will join your House. The Houses are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Let's begin."
Hermione took a deep breath as student after student went up to the stage to get sorted. The boys she had ridden the train with all got sorted into Slytherin. Draco, too, also made it into his family's House. She smiled broadly at him once his sorting was through and watched him head off to the Slytherin table. Of the girls that she had gotten dressed with, the twins had made it into Gryffindor while that Cho girl was sorted into Ravenclaw. Hermione's attention wavered as some no-names got called up, picked back up briefly when the Weasley was called (Gryffindor), but then fully invested when Potter's name was announced.
The entire dining hall was silent and everyone's eyes were solely on the boy. Unlike some of the students the hat had sorted where it was a quick decision (Draco, case and point), there seemed to be a bit of difficulty this time around. The seconds ticked on before the sorting hat could make a decision, and Hermione could see Potter whispering to the hat. Eventually, the sorting hat did make a decision, and it loudly roared out "Gryffindor!" The House of the Brave got The Boy Who Lived.
How ironic… Hermione snorted to herself just as her name got called. She inhaled deeply before making her way up to sit on the stool and glanced at Draco as the sorting hat was placed on her head. Almost immediately she heard a deep voice inside of her mind. An interesting effect, she mused.
"Why Miss Granger… You have quite a lot of things here in your head. May I continue to call you Miss 'Granger?' Or would you prefer Miss 'Rosier?'"
"I would prefer if you got the sorting over and done with."
The sorting hat laughed in her ear. "You hide many secrets, my dear. You are also determined and resourceful. A perfect fit for Slytherin…"
Not much of a surprise, Hermione gathered. She would love to be in Slytherin with Draco, but after the mess he had made with Potter a mere moment ago, not to mention the blood status she was forced to adopt, Slytherin would not be the proper place for her. She let her gaze wander over to the Gryffindor table, and her heart sank as she realized what she had to do.
"Put me in Gryffindor."
"Gryffindor? Are you sure? You share a great many qualities suited for Slytherin. It would ensure success which is your true aspiration. Slytherin could—"
"—Listen to me, you stupid hat. I've read about you. I know that you take people's choice into account. I want to go to Gryffindor, so sort me there right now!"
"…As you wish."
The sorting hat blared out "Gryffindor!" Hermione could sense Draco's disappointment from where she sat, and she fought hard not to look in his direction. Instead, she headed to her House's table, noticing immediately how much Weasley was disgruntled at the new addition. Potter was aloof. From where she sat, she could finally see Draco's face. It was nothing but pure sadness.
Hermione ate her dinner in relative silence as the rest of her classmates rambled on about the castle, the food, and what their classes were going to be like. She, on the other hand, occasionally spied on Potter —the boy who knew nothing of his past and was as normal as any other kid here. How on earth did he defeat the darkest wizard the magical community has ever known since Grindelwald? Hermione kept her huff internal and continued mulling things over until it was time to make it to her common room. It was bright red and gold which was a stark contrast to the silver and green she was used to, but she supposed it could do. What she could have done without was sharing a room with those twins. She didn't need a walking reminder of how royally she had screwed up on the train.
Sighing, Hermione began unpacking her things but paused briefly when she noticed a note on her bed. She instantly recognized the writing as Draco's, and while she had expected a message from him at some point, she didn't think that it would be so soon. He was asking her to meet her outside of the Great Hall at midnight. Unwise, as there were sure to be teachers and prefects about, but for Draco's sake she would do it.
Thanks to her dear, Uncle Lucius, she had learned the Chameleon Charm once she had gotten her wand and used it to traverse the sparsely filled common room after her roommates had fallen asleep. Hermione had been a tad nervous about getting lost, but Hogwarts, A History, had several maps of the castle which she had studied extensively. It made the trek to the Great Hall easier than she imagined. As she neared the meeting point, she was happy to note that there weren't any teachers about, but she did bump into something solid, albeit invisible.
"Draco?" Hermione whispered. As an answer, Draco appeared out of thin air with his wand in hand. She smiled and removed her own spell, but her lips fell flat when she realized just how upset he truly was.
"What happened up there?" he immediately questioned. "You were a shoo-in for Slytherin; I know you were."
"You don't know anything," Hermione huffed with a cross of her arms. "Just because you think I belong in a certain House doesn't mean that I actually do."
"The sorting hat took too long to sort you," he rebuffed. "Something went on, Ivie, so tell me."
Draco wasn't angry, she realized. He was sad. Any annoyance she might have had with him disappeared then and her shoulders slumped with an unhappy resolve.
"The Potter boy is in Gryffindor, Draco. I had to do it."
"Do what?"
"I asked the sorting hat to put me in Gryffindor," Hermione reluctantly admitted. "If I hadn't insisted, I would have ended up in Slytherin with you."
"Merlin's beard, are you joking? What were you thinking!" Draco chided. "He's ordinary! You said so! Even I think he's a twat after he shrugged me off!"
"It doesn't matter what either of us thinks. The world believes he's extraordinary —a brilliant young wizard. I need to be surrounded by that, true or not. The odds of things going my way are better if I'm in the same House as him."
"And if things don't go your way? Then what?"
"…I'd rather not think that far to be honest," Hermione frowned. "I've already been disappointed enough, and it's only been day one."
Draco followed suit in her displeasure and pulled her into a hug. He felt her melt into his arms as he promised things would work out. He sure hoped so.
Author's note: I love this chapter so much because of Hermione's first interaction with Harry and Ron on the train. I'm going to really enjoy spinning these scenes :D
-WP