Chapter 5: To Hogwarts!

It was just like before: the Hogwarts Express just sitting there in a beautiful light. Parents with their children for sending them off to Hogwarts.

Draco had said goodbye to his parents as soon as possible and did something that he knew Hermione wouldn't approve of: He sat in the compartment where Harry would sit in.

He sat on the seat, with the book of time turners in his lap.

SLID!

Draco looked up and then said "Potter! Need a seat to sit on?"

"You don't mind, do you?" he asked unsure.

"Not at all," Draco said, quickly putting a spell on the cover of his book.

Harry walked in and over to the empty seat.

"So…how does this work?" Harry asked him, trying not to feel so weird.

"On what?" Draco asked, looking up at him.

"This train. Will it …fly or something?" Harry asked him back.

Draco chuckled and said "No. No flying until our lessons at Hogwarts. It's just a normal train, can't have the muggles see us or anything like that,"

Harry nodded and said "Okay. What else can you tell me of this world?"

Draco was going to answer when their door slid open.

"Malfoy!" Hermione said in surprise.

"Come on in, don't block the door, Granger," He said back to her.

Rolling her eyes, Hermione walked in and put her small bag next to her.

"This is …my girlfriend….Hermione Granger…" Draco said to Harry, blushing.

"Nice to meet…holy cricket! You're Harry Potter! I read all about you," Hermione said, remembering this from before.

"Nice to meet you as well, Hermione," Harry greeted her, eyeing her Hogwarts robes.

"I didn't want to wait until five minutes before we got to Hogwarts. You two should get into your robes as well," She told them.

Draco rolled his eyes and said "I'll wait until then, Granger,"

"Just ignore him, Harry," Hermione said, smiling.

Harry chuckled and said "You two do make a good couple,"

Hermione glanced at Draco, faintly blushing with "I…I guess we are,"

"You see, Harry, with my family, they look down upon witches and wizards like Hermione," Draco spoke up then.

"Why? Hermione is nice," Harry protested back.

"It has to do with the person's blood. What I mean by that is that there are terms within our world. Terms that are: Pureblood, half blood, muggleborn," Draco launched into explaining this to Harry.

"They call people like me, Mudblood," Hermione chimed in then.

"What does that mean?" Harry asked them both.

"It means dirty blood, which I know Granger's blood isn't dirty. There's a myth going around that Muggleborns get their magic from stealing from other witches and wizards," Draco said, looking down at the floor.

"But that's absurd!" Harry said, looking at Hermione.

"It's what all of the pureblooded families think. If you don't up hold the old ways, then you're not a part of this …sacred club," Draco said knowing that this will always haunt him and his family's name.

"And your family is a part of it?" Harry asked him next.

"My parents uphold it, but I don't," Draco said at once more, almost glaring at Harry.

Harry nodded and said "I saw a family that helped me get onto the platform,"

"Know the surname of them?" Draco asked, forgetting his hatred for what his parents are.

"Weasley," Harry told him.

"Oh. They…they are what my parents have called them, blood traitors," Draco said "They're not that bad of people or a family,"

"They were very nice to me," Harry said, leaning against the seat.

"Did they know it was you?" Hermione asked him, pulling out her school books.

"No," Harry said to her, eyeing her book.

"Hogwarts, a history. My favorite book," she told him, smiling.

Draco rolled his eyes and muttered "bookworm,"

Hermione pretended to not hear him, which had Harry chuckling again at them.

"So how did you two meet?" Harry asked them both curiously.

"I live close to London, and well, it's very up keep neighborhood. The park that is down a few blocks …" Hermione began, wringing her fingers; trying to come up with a convincing lie to Harry.

"My father was trying to get me to understand what happens with people who are not purebloods and their mentality," Draco stepped in then, holding his stare with Harry.

Harry paled a little and then said "Oh,"

"I found him on the swings, crying because a little boy was trying to be an adult before he had the chance to live his childhood," Hermione then said, glancing at Draco.

"You did this when you were younger?" Harry asked him in horror.

Draco held Hermione's stared for a second and said "Unfortunately yes, Harry. Being a pureblood, or with the sacred 28 group, isn't normal or easy,"

Harry nodded, taking all of this in and said "What you just explained makes my aunt and uncle with their son, my cousin, look like a pampered stay,"

"What do you mean?" Draco asked him, looking him up and down.

"I've lived in a broom cupboard since I was dropped off, the night that…He killed my parents," Harry told him.

Draco paled a little.

"It wasn't until my Hogwarts letter arrived that I was moved to Dudley's second bedroom to make it into my own. Anything that needed doing; making breakfast, getting the post, gardening or cleaning the dishes, I did," Harry continued.

"So you were basically their own personal house elf?" Draco asked in disbelief.

"What's a House elf?" Both Harry and Hermione asked him.

'After tonight, I am so going to need to talk to Granger,' Draco thought to himself.

"Erh…it's a small creature that is bound to one wizarding family for life. They get to do the dishes, take out the trash, clean the house up or help you with your shopping," Draco said shifting uncomfortably.

Hermione then glared at Draco and said "That's barbaric!"

"They like it, Granger. What do you want to do? Give them all clothes? They won't come within a ten mile radius of you if you do that!" Draco snarled at her.

"Give them clothes?" Harry asked him curiously.

"That's how you set a house elf free, but only…only if that house elf has done something horrible to the said wizarding family," Draco told him, feeling nervous.

"So you can just give them clothes? And they're set free?" Hermione asked him, already knowing this answer.

"No. It's their master; usually the man of the house or the father of the family," Draco said, glaring at her.

It was then that their door slid open and they all looked to see an old woman with a trolley cart and asked "Anything from the Trolley dears?"

"We'll take everything you have," Draco said, giving her a few gold galleons.

She nodded, giving them all that was on her trolley.

"Is it two already!?" Hermione shrieked, looking at her wrist watch.

Draco glanced out the window and sure enough they were nearly there. But what also happened to Draco was the feeling of him sharing what he bought with the other two. It felt nice?

"So what are these?" harry held up the chocolate frogs.

"They're not real frogs, it's just a spell," Draco told him "but it's the card that you can collect that is important,"

"Hey! I got ….Dumbledore?" Harry said, looking up at Hermione.

"He's a very famous wizard. All of the wizards and witches on the cards are famous for something," She explained, opening one up and holding a card that showed Merlin on it.

"I always thought he was a myth," Harry said in awe.

"Apparently he's real or was," Hermione said back, smiling.

Harry and Hermione went through all of the candy together. Draco helped with some information, but when it came to the flavored beans, he just watched them.

"EH!" Harry made a face, taking a Bertie Bott's every flavored bean out of his mouth.

Draco laughed at this.

"You go and try one. Go on!" Hermione dared her "boyfriend".

Draco smirked, picking up a weird looking one and popped it into his mouth "Not bad, peppermint,"

"You're impossible you know that, right?" Hermione glared at him.

Draco just smirked at her in return.

It was then that Hermione saw the door slid open, again, to see a boy with a round face with tears trickling down his face.

"Hi…I'm Neville Longbottom….have any of you seen…." He began but then dashed away.

Draco stood up and walked hurriedly after him.

Hermione waited as Harry looked at her and asked "What was that about?"

"I don't know. Oh look, Draco is back with Neville," she said, nodding to the door opening.

"He lost his toad that his uncle gave to him. We haven't seen any toads here, but I did say that Hermione would help you Neville," Draco told them all.

Hermione nodded and said "Of course I'll you Neville. Come on,"

"Thank you, Hermione," Neville said, walking after her in the tight corridor.

Draco sat down and then said "Longbottom. Another pureblooded family that fought against him,"

"How come no one says Voldemort's name?" Harry asked Draco, getting his robes down from the upper trunk shelf.

"Because he's a very powerful wizard and will do anything to those that are lesser in his eyes," Draco said, copying Harry of getting his robes on too.

"What do you mean he's? As in present time?" Harry asked, bare chested but quickly put on his shirt.

"No one knows what happened that night, Potter, when he came for your family. A lot of people think he died, a lot of people still think that he lives. Do…not trying to be rude here, but…" Draco began but couldn't ask Harry it.

"Do I remember what happened that night? A little bit. There's laughter, and then bright green flames," Harry told him.

Draco felt sick, quickly standing up and rushing out of the compartment as he found the bathroom and threw up in the toilet.

Harry hurried after him but waited outside.

Draco came back out after a few more seconds of heaving up. He looked extremely pale.

"You okay?" Harry asked him worriedly.

"Yeah. It's just…let's head back to our compartment. I'll …I'll tell you there," Draco said, pushing himself to walk.

Harry nodded and they walked slowly back.

A door slid open and said "Get out of here Blood traitor and mudblood!"

Draco stopped and then wrapped his arms around Hermione's waist, sticking his head inside the compartment.

"Watch what you say, Zabini," He sneered; holding his wand out to them.

"And what are you going to do to us, blood traitor?" Blaise said back, smirking with his arms behind his head.

Inside this compartment, Harry could see two boys who were almost as big as Dudley but looked kind of dumb too.

"You can pick on me all you want, but you leave my girl alone," Draco said, not knowing what caused him to be like this.

Blaise was going to say something when he spotted Harry glaring back at him and said "Why, it isn't the famous Harry Potter. Thought the rumors on this train were made up, but I guess they're true. I wouldn't be going around making the wrong sorts with these low lives,"

"I think I can figure out the wrong sort myself. Thanks," Harry drawled back.

Blaise glared at him and said "You will soon regret it Potter!"

"Oh yeah, Zabini?" Draco spoke up then, glaring at him "A mother who is literally every inch of the words: Black Widow?"

Blaise paled at this mention.

"Now, you leave us alone," Draco told them, moving them away from this compartment.

Hermione and Neville during all of this were shell shocked.

They entered their compartment once more and sat down.

"Th-th-thank you….Dr-Draco," Neville stammered to him.

"You're welcome, but if I were you, I would study some spell counter curses. They are not kidding when they want to bully people, who are weaker in their eyes, they will do it repeatedly," Draco warned him.

Neville nodded as he stood up and walked back to his compartment.

"Did you mean it, Draco?" Hermione asked him next.

"That you're my girl?" Draco asked her in return.

She nodded 'yes'.

"Yes? Who in the bloody hell was I talking about? The girl that was with them?" He retorted back.

Hermione felt a blush spread across her face. This wasn't supposed to happen. She was supposed to be with Ron, right?

Speaking of Ronald Weasley, Hermione wondered where he was on this train.

"I'm sorry; if I couldn't have been anymore help to you two," Harry said to them both.

"Don't worry about it, Harry," Hermione spoke up first. "They clearly are bullies,"

Harry nodded and they all settled into a silence that was a little awkward.

"Draco, how come you were pale?" Hermione asked him curiously.

"Just talking about …you know," Draco said, leaning against the back seat.

"No, who?" Hermione pushed it.

"It's OK, I think I have a good idea from what we were talking about earlier," Harry told them both.

Draco stared at him and said "If you need any help, Harry, just owl me. Do you know which house you're going to be in?"

"Gryffindor for me," Hermione said at once.

"I honestly don't know. What about you?" Harry replied, looking at Draco.

"If I get sorted into another house that isn't Slytherin….I think I'll be disowned," Draco told them both.

"Already there, Draco," Hermione said to him.

"What do you mean?"

"My family hasn't come to terms that I'm a witch. My little sister is now getting all of the attention and the push to pursue her dreams of a muggle. I just…don't understand how they can do this,"

"Forget them then Granger!"

"How can I forget my parents, Malfoy?! Can you actually do the same or is it all talk with you?" She snapped back at him.

Draco glared at her and then said "I know it will be difficult and couldn't understand the reasoning behind their path in life, but I would do it,"

Hermione glared back at him with tears welling up in her eyes. Draco heavily sighed and then stood up, walked over to her and sat back down. His arms wrapped around her as she finally started to cry in his shoulder.

He knew how to push her buttons and this was a way for her to release all of those bent up emotions from their stay here.

Harry didn't know what to do. He honestly thought that these two were far beyond anyone's years here, just how they acted with each other.

"I hate this!" Hermione screamed into Draco's robes, crying harder.

Draco didn't say anything. He knew better then to speak to a grieving woman who was in a lot of emotional pain.

Harry stood up and sat on the other side of Hermione, gently patting her back.

They didn't say anything for a long time. Draco knew that Hermione fell asleep on him, but wasn't going to wake her up just yet.

"Draco, what can we do for her?" Harry whispered low, seeing that she was asleep on him.

"Let her come to you. It's just now that she's been able to open up about this subject to me. And I've been trying nearly all summer to see how she's doing emotionally," Draco whispered back.

Harry nodded as they both felt the train starting to slow down.

Draco heavily sighed and then gently shook Hermione's shoulder.

"Mmm mum," she whined.

"Come on, Hermione, wake up. We're at Hogwarts," Draco whispered in her ear.

She popped up at that.

SMACK!

"OW!" Draco said, holding his nose.

"Wha? What? Draco! You alright?" She asked him stunned.

"Fine….just fine…" He said in a high voice as he held his nose.

Harry chuckled at this.

"Oh shut up, Harry. I think she broke my nose," Draco hissed at him.

"I swear you're such a baby," Hermione told him, getting her wand out.

"I am not a baby, Granger! That bloody hell hurt!" Draco retorted back to her.

She cleaned up their mess and put their sweets in her book bag.

When the train slowly crawled into the station, everyone got up and walked out of their compartments. Draco was still holding his nose; nursing it for all it was worth to Hermione.

"Is he always like this?" Harry whispered to her.

"Only when he's hurt," she whispered back.

Harry chuckled at this as the first years heard "First years! First years! Don't be shy! This way, first years!"

"Hagrid!" harry greeted him with a smile.

"Hello there Harry!" Hagrid said in a hushed voice.

Far enough away from their peers, Draco and Hermione started to whisper.

"What do you think?" Draco whispered to Hermione.

"I don't honestly know. We shouldn't be here, Malfoy," she whispered back to him.

"Like I said before, we have not seen the other one of us. And if I remember correctly, this isn't like one of your muggle entertainment…photographs," Draco whispered.

"Films and…sadly enough, you're right. This isn't like those times where I was in 3rd year," She whispered back to him.

Draco looked at her and asked "You used a time turner in 3rd year?"

"So that I could go to the other difficult classes," she answered him.

"Right! Follow me first years!" they heard Hagrid yell up to them.

They all followed Hagrid down a steep almost slippery dirt path where the lake met them. Draco and Hermione were put into a small boat with that of Neville and surprisingly enough, Harry.

"Everyone in? Right. Forward!" Hagrid said loudly to the boats.

Just past the shore, they saw the massive castle all lit up on a cliff.

"Hogwarts," Hermione barely whispered in awe of it still.

Author's Note:

Hello! Hello! Liked this story so far? Give it a follow! I update every Wednesday's, so don't miss out! Is it your favorite? Why thank you, you are too kind. No, really, you are too kind for favoriting it. Want to tell me what you honestly think of it. I got my shields ready, so don't be afraid to give me a review! (Don't forget, if I miss an update on Wednesday, you can in a joking manner, Blast me in a review for being late)

I know! I know! It's a short chapter, but I'm going to have the sorting and feast in the next chapter. So please have some patience for it? Thank you!

Okay. So, Hermione being abandoned by her family because she's a witch. It's something that COULD have happened. I honestly can't understand why a person would do that to another person, let alone their child. If any of you got some kind of issues with me putting that in, think of it this way: It's a Possibility.

Anyway, that is all!

Alonia143.