As Hermione crawled back inside the portrait hole she saw the first years beginning to look sleepy as Ron and Harry ushered them up towards the dormitories.
"Good walk" said Neville approaching from her side.
"Yeah" was all she said.
"Mm-hmm"
He didn't seem all that convinced. If Hermione was being honest to herself, she wasn't sure how she was feeling. She'd always been good at compartmentalising, and Draco was in a box in her head she thought she'd locked away for good. Seeing him again however, didn't feel how she thought it would.
"He looks different" Neville thought aloud.
"Could you have imagined seven years ago today that this is where we'd be?" she asked. Neville gave a small smile noting the change in subject.
"No. I couldn't even keep an eye on my toad, how would I have believed I'd be head boy after helping defeat Voldermort"
"Trevor!" Hermione mused. "I'd almost completely forgotten about him. I remember that day. We met in a compartment right in the middle of the train. You felt awkward and didn't know what to talk to girls about so of course went to whip out your toad-"
"Not like that" Neville interrupted.
"Oh hush! You went to show us Trevor only for his cage to be empty. I of course organised an immediate search mission sending you to look in all the compartments towards the front of the train, and I would look in all the ones towards the back."
"Yes, how could I forget being forced to introduce myself to half the school as the new kid who lost his pet" said Neville, though he had a sense of fondness about the memory.
"That's when I first met him. On the train. Slytherins always sat in the back. I was in my uniform already, no house colours yet. He had no idea who I was or that I was muggle born. I didn't know who he was either" she reflected.
Hermione had already made her way through most of the train looking for Trevor. How had she found herself roaming the length of the train calling 'Trevor' when she should have been brushing up on her Hogwarts: A History textbook. The other students hadn't been particularly helpful and she was getting increasingly adjugated.
She knocked on another compartment before swinging the door open. This cabin was occupied by one lone boy with platinum blonde hair. He was in first year robes like herself and had been looking out the window before she caught his attention.
"Have you seen a toad? A boy named Neville's lost one" She said with the full frustration of the last half an hour.
"Why are you looking for it? If he lost it, it's his problem" said the blonde boy.
"I'm trying to be nice" she said
"No, you're not."
"Yes I am" she defended, unsure why she was arguing with this boy.
"If you were trying to be nice you might have started by introducing yourself. Did they not teach you any manners where you're from?"
Hermione wasn't used to people calling her out.
"I was going to. You didn't give me a chance" she said straightening up and extending out her hand. "Hermione Granger"
"Malfoy, Draco Malfoy" said the boy shaking her hand.
"Pleasure, Mr Bond"
"Who? I said Malfoy, weren't you listening"
"Never mind, Malfoy" she said letting it go. She realised Draco must have been raised fully in the wizarding world. She's read that some families didn't interact with the muggle world at all, so she imagined it would take too long to explain who James Bond was, and she really needed to find this toad.
"Whatever" He said returning to look out the window. He didn't seem to like not knowing something.
"Why are you sat alone?" she asked before thinking about it.
"I'm not alone. My friends are currently changing into their robes" he said noticing her taking the seat across from him. "They'll be back any minute" he added.
"Are we nearly there?" she asked looking at the Scottish Landscape out the window with him.
"How should I know?" he said, but the sharpness had fallen out of his tone.
"I don't know. I just wondered." She said.
In that moment, the train curved around with the track revealing a castle bigger than Hermione could have ever imagined. They both let out a small gasp in unison at seeing Hogwarts for the very first time.
"It's beautiful" said Hermione taking it all in.
"It is. Massive that is" said Draco. Hermione couldn't help but turn to look at the now wide eyed boy.
"Nervous?" she asked
"What? No, never." He protested.
"I am" she admitted.
Draco turned to look at her. He didn't say anything else, but there was a silent understanding in his face. The moment was broken quickly by the sight of two boys bounding into the Compartment.
"Crabbe, Goyle, what took you so long?" said Draco. His face turned hard instantly and his tone held a lot of authority for an eleven year old.
"Long queue" said the taller of the two.
"Who are you?" said the shorter one.
"Oh, I'm-"
"-Leaving" Draco interrupted with. He was almost glaring at her.
"Yes, leaving" said Hermione. She practically leapt out of her seat wanting to get away from the new atmosphere. As she left, she heard the boys talking about her.
"Who was she?" said one of the boys.
"Just some stupid Witch." Said Draco.
She slammed the compartment door not looking back and headed to her original seat at the front of the train.
"Are you ever going to tell me what you saw in him back in fourth year?" Asked Neville brining her back to her reality. They were the only two left in the common room now.
"He's just, different when he's alone." She said. She looks up to meet Neville's eyes. He looks like he's trying to figure her out what she's not saying.
"I was also fourteen, very hormonal and confused, and it had been a roller-coaster of an evening" she defended.
"I get all that. It's just you had Ron pining after you, you were on a date with The Viktor Krum and the whole school had their eyes on you as you danced the night away, but yet the one you ended up sharing your first kiss with was Draco Malfoy. I just don't get it"
"In all honestly Neville, neither do I." she said, and she meant it. She'd often found herself wondering what would have happened if that night had gone just a little bit differently, but then she'd always realise there's very little point worrying about what could have.
The portrait hole opened letting in a slightly giddy looking Dean Thomas.
"You alright there mate?" asked Neville making the guy jump. He hadn't noticed his two fellow housemates on the sofa.
"Yeah, Yeah I'm good." Said Dean sobering up. He started looking around the room to find anything other than Neville to look at. Hermione couldn't help but look between the two men at the awkward encounter.
"Where did you go?" she asked making Dean feel obligated to take the sofa opposite them.
"Oh, erm just, out" he said. He'd started tapping his fingers against his leg.
"Really, I just came from out, I didn't see you?" she asked.
"Yes. Well yeah I erm, I guess it was less out and erm more, up" he settled on clearly pulling the sentence together word by word.
"Up" Hermione repeated.
"Yeah, up" Dean said realising how ridiculous this conversation was sounding.
At that moment Ginny Weasley descended the staircase in her dressing gown looking around before her eyes landed on the three Gryffindors on the sofas.
"There you are Hermione, I came looking for you, you haven't even unpacked yet" she said before taking a seat next to Dean. "What are we all talking about?" she asked
"Oh well you see Hermione has just come back from out and Dean has just come back from up" said Neville
"Right" said Ginny very confused.
"I went to get the peppermint night caps for the first years." Said Hermione.
"But I thought Nev-, never mind." Said Ginny shaking her head before turning to face Dean. She'd learnt over time that it was best to press Hermione in private. "So how was, up?"
"Good" Said Dean. His eyes began darting towards Neville before dropping back to his tapping hands.
"Oh I get it." Said Ginny clearly understanding something Hermione was missing.
"Get what?" she asked.
"Dean, Neville doesn't care" said Ginny ignoring Hermione's question.
"I don't care about what?" asked Neville who was also lost on exactly what had been happening in the past few minutes.
"Neville would you please tell Dean you are over your crush on Luna please" said Ginny.
"Luna?" said Hermione still very lost on what was happening.
"Dean, I am well and truly over my crush on Luna" said Neville. Dean finally looked up to meet his eyes seeing the sincerity in them.
"Oh thank god!" said Dean letting out a massive sigh of relief.
"I take it you have a crush on Luna" said Neville giving his roommate a kind smile.
"Pfft, more like madly in love with her" said Ginny.
"Hey!" said Dean giving Ginny's shoulder a playful push.
"Up meant Ravenclaw tower. Did this happen at shell cottage?" said Hermione finally putting it all together.
"Yes, we'd been prisoners in Malfoy Manor for two weeks before you guys got us out, I don't think I'd have stayed sane if it wasn't for her. She somehow knew exactly what to say to keep me going. Then it was pretty much just us two at shell cottage for a month. She wanted to go on walks every day and explore the beach. There was no way I was going to let her go on her own, she'd been kidnapped once before I wasn't going to let it happen again, so I joined her every day. One thing just kind of lead to another. I haven't spent one day away from her since." Dean explained. He couldn't help the smile that spread across his face as he spoke about her.
"Oh you've got it bad" said Neville jokingly.
"Shut up" laughed Dean. "You're really over her though right?"
"one thousand percent."
"See, I've been telling you for weeks." Said Ginny. "Besides, Neville's got his own love drama going on"
"Oh really?" said Hermione turning to fully face her friend. "You haven't mentioned anything to me"
"Gin" Neville warned. "There's no love drama. Miss Ginevra Weasley read too many romance novels as a child and has now got it in her head that Parkinson taking that Cruciatus Curse for me was a declaration of love" he explained.
"Okay have I been living under a rock or something because this is the first I'm hearing of any of this." Hermione asked. She had to admit that since the war ended she had become a bit of a recluse, but surely Ginny should have filled her in on everything.
"Yes you have been living under a rock, we barely see you, and no it's not in my head. Admit it, can you think of any other reason that The Pansy Parkinson would have done that? The only times she ever did anything that wasn't for herself was when she did things for Malfoy who we all know she used to be in love with" said Ginny.
Hermione tried to not let her face drop at the mention of Draco. Neville noticed it though.
"Oh yeah, when did she stop loving Malfoy?" Asked Dean oblivious to the looks shared between the other sofa.
"Something happened in sixth year, probably something to do with him becoming a death eater without her. She turned into a super bitch after that, well, right up until she took that curse that is." Said Ginny.
"Enough, can we just drop it" Said Neville. This was clearly a conversation he'd had several times over the summer with Ginny.
"What about you Hermione? How are things with Ron?" Asked Dean.
"Oh, he hasn't told you. Ron and I aren't together. We tried after the war but something just didn't feel right. It felt like I'd lost my best friend in exchange for a boyfriend rather than having both. Now I feel like I almost have neither." She confessed.
It was true. Something about being with Ron just didn't feel like how she always thought it would be. Ron had always craved awards and trophies his whole life, and it felt like as soon as they'd gotten together that he'd won her. Ron was better at telling people how amazing his relationship was than actually being in it. They'd broken up after a few weeks but kept it quiet. The papers had made it seem like the whole nation's post war happiness was built on the hope of their relationship. It was too much pressure and she felt like she couldn't let the nation down just yet.
"Shit, I'm sorry" said Dean, she could tell that he meant it.
"It's okay. I think we just need time, but we'll be back to best friends soon. Just wait till tomorrow when he gets his homework and realises how much he needs me to study with him. We'll be fine"
"Yeah, besides who knows, maybe Neville can set you up with one of Pansy's friends" said Dean.
Hermione almost froze at his words.
"Oh god no" said Ginny shaking her head.
"Oh so it's okay for me to date a Slytherin but not for Hermione?" said Neville.
"No, I just, I can't picture it at all. Can you? I mean who would it even be? Zabini?" Said Ginny.
"Nott?" said Dean enjoying this game.
"Malfoy?" Neville offered up. Hermione wanted to smack him around the head right there and then. He was playing a dangerous game.
Ginny however didn't give the disgusted reaction Hermione was expecting. Instead she looked like she was almost considering it.
"Ginny!" Hermione demanded.
"What? No obviously there are a millions reasons why you two would never work, main one being he's a death eater and literally the worst of them all, but…"
"But what?" Hermione demanded.
"But you'd look cute together. You can say what you want about Malfoy but he's always been hot." Said Ginny causing the two men to break out into fits of laughter. "Plus he's a quidditch player which is clearly your type" she added.
"No that's Harry's type" countered Hermione.
"True, but it's also yours, and even Malfoy is better than McLaggen"
"Okay, I'm going to bed" said Hermione standing up. She knew Ginny wouldn't be making such jokes if she knew the truth, but a small part of her couldn't deny how she felt hearing her best friend speak about Draco without total hatred.
"Oh don't be like that 'Mione. I'm only playing" said Ginny
"He is better than McLaggen though" added Dean. "Did you know he used to drop by our dorm room all the time to ask us about you?'
"It was so annoying, and Ron used to try and stand in an intimidating pose across the room but it looked more like he needed the loo. Harry would just make things up to get him to go away. He got quite inventive with his lies" Said Neville.
"They never told me that" said Hermione sitting back down.
"You should have seen Ron's face when he found out Cormac had been scouted by the Chudley Cannons. He tore all his posters down so fast. The one good thing though is that we don't have to deal with him this year." Said Ginny.
"Now that would have been a sight to see" said Hermione.
"So what is your type then?" said Neville. He'd gotten a lot bolder in the last year and far less afraid to speak his mind. This was something Hermione usually loved, but now, about this, she wished she had quiet Neville back.
"I don't have a type" said Hermione.
"Everyone has a type" said Ginny.
"Not everyone" said Dean. "Sometimes you can think you have a type, and then the unexpected walks into your life and makes you question everything"
"See Neville" said Ginny not letting her vision go. She hadn't been known to give up on anything she wanted.
"No Gin, my type is quite simply someone nice. You need to give up this Pansy pipedream."
Ginny however didn't look like she was planning to give anything up.
"Whatever, come on 'Mione, what's your type? And try not to just describe my brother" she said scrunching her face up at the thought of someone finding Ron attractive.
"Well that's no fair, you have more than one brother" quipped Hermione earning cheer from the guys and a glare from Ginny.
"Not funny"
"Actually very funny" she said feeling a little better she'd managed to catch Ginny out. "Okay fine, I guess my type would have to be someone intuitive. I don't want to have to keep telling them what's wrong, they should know me well enough to understand. Someone academic. I've always dreamed of someone I could spend the whole day just reading with and then talking about what we read and really caring about it. Someone who hates the spotlight as much as I do, and someone who puts me before anyone else"
"Okay that is the complete opposite of anyone you have ever dated" said Ginny
"And I'm still single, so maybe I need to stick to my type"
"Fine, I'll play along. Anyone know anyone who fits the bill?" said Ginny looking around at the guys for their suggestions.
"Well it rules out Ron, Cormac and Krum" muses Dean. "Also most Gryffindors, I swear you're the only quiet bookworm in our whole house"
"You might be right about that" said Hermione.
"So we're looking for a Ravenclaw then" concluded Ginny.
"Not necessarily" added Neville. "Slytherins are also quite academic"
"Yes, but they only put themselves first and love the spotlight" Dean countered.
"Not anymore" said Neville. "The Slytherins that are still here are only here because they literally put others before themselves, and none of them have attempted to get any praise or recognition for it."
"Sounds to me like you think very highly of them" questioned Ginny narrowing her eyes at Neville.
"For the last time I'm not in love with Parkinson" said Neville with finality in his voice.
"Whatever you say. Well it looks like your type is a former Death Eater Hermione so I am afraid to say I am significantly worried for your future happiness and I think you need to reconsider"
Hermione didn't really know what to say to that. The fact that her friends could even joke about her dating a former Death Eater was more confusing than she could let on.
AN:
Hi Guys, thank you for being so patient in the wait between chapters. When I wrote the first one I didn't expect such a positive response and didn't have any more written. I have quite a busy schedule but will try and update more frequently but I make no promises! Thank you for all the support!