Hermione laughed as she watched Harry, Ron, Ginny, and the twins fly in their makeshift Quidditch field, an orange cat in her arms. "They need to come in." Percy said. "It's time for dinner."
"All you have to do is wave them down." Hermione said. "Are you ready to be Head Boy?"
"Oh beyond," Percy smiled at her. "It has always been my dream, my next goal is to work in the ministry."
"What do you want to do in the Ministry?" Hermione asked him.
"Hopefully be Minister of Magic."
"Wow. I wish you luck." Hermione said.
"What about you? Have you thought about what you want to be after Hogwarts?" Hermione shook her head. "Well, I trust you will figure it out. You seem very bright." Hermione blushed and looked down as the group lowered onto the ground.
"Is it time for dinner?" Ron asked.
"Yup, Mister and Misses Potter are waiting." With that the group walked to the house.
"It's so nice to meet you Miss Granger." Lily said as Hermione entered the house.
"You too Misses Potter." Hermione smiled at the only non - Weasley ginger in the house.
"Please call me Lily." Lily said. "I remember starting at Hogwarts. If you need anything, have any questions, or just want to complain about the culture change from muggle to wizarding feel free to write to me."
"Thank you." Hermione smiled. "That means so much." The two muggle borns sat and talked about things they miss when in the wizarding world.
"How was your summer?" Daphne asked hesitantly as she stood at the door of Hermione's train compartment.
"It was good, my family went to France again." Hermione said.
"Good…good…" Daphne trialed off.
"I got a cat, want to see him?" Hermione took Crookshanks out of his carry case.
"Aw," Daphne cooed. "Can I pet?"
"I doubt it." Ron scoffed. "That cat is a menace and not worth anyone's care." As he spoke Crookshanks jumped onto the floor and nuzzled Daphne's legs.
"I told you Ron." Hermione said. "Crookshanks is part kneazle, he must find you untrustworthy."
"Whatever." Ron scoffed.
"Well, I should be returning." Daphne said. "Do you want me to tell everyone hi for you?" Hermione sat for a moment. "Everyone but Draco? You know we do not share his opinions."
"I know, but I still need time." Hermione said.
"I get that, see you later." With that Daphne left.
"I don't see why you're still friends with her." Ron said. "Not after what Malfoy said."
"Well, considering Daphne and Malfoy are two different people," Hermione said. "I don't see why what Malfoy said has anything to do with my friendship with Daphne. Now, I'm going to read." Hermione opened her book and proceeded to ignore Ron and Harry.
On the first day of classes Hermione walked into Ancient Runes to find Theo, Blaise, and Draco sitting all together. Theo and Blaise gave her small waves while Draco just ignored her. Hermione just gave a weak smile to the boys before sitting at a desk by herself. Professor Babbbling started going over the plans for the school year. "And you will be partnered up, as this is your first Ancient Runes class you are going to need to work with someone to make sure you are understanding it. Now let's see…" Hermione packed her bag back up. "Nott and Granger." Hermione looked up as Theo slid in next to her.
"Awesome," Theo smiled. "Now I have a chance to try and repair the relationship Draco messed up."
"So how do you want to work on these?" Hermione asked.
"Come on Granger," Theo groaned. "You know Daph misses you, Pans even misses you but will not admit it."
"What about you? What about Zabini and Malfoy? Oh yeah," Hermione scoffed. "Malfoy made that perfectly clear. Now again, how do you want to work on these?" Theo just sighed and together they made a game plan.
Hermione sat in the library as Daphne approached her. "Are you going to Hogsmeade?" Daphne asked.
"I am. Do you want to go with me?" Hermione asked her.
"Can I? I did not want to seem presumptuous."
"Of course, I'm sorry I let what Draco said interfere with our friendship." Hermione apologized getting up and hugging her friend.
"I am sorry he said those things. I have no idea what happened. He was actually pretty happy being your friend."
"Maybe his parents decided as I am a muggle born I am not worthy of being his friend."
"Well, you are my friend." Daphne said. "And, Pansy has been missing you too."
"She can come with us to Hogsmeade." Hermione smiled. "But now I have to return to work, I'll talk to you later."
"Alright." Daphne laughed as she left the library.
The night before the Hogsmeade trip Hermione sat with Ron, Harry, Neville, and Ginny. "Where do you want to go first?" Ron asked Harry.
"I don't know, Hermione?" Harry looked at her.
"Oh, I'm going with Daphne and Pansy." Hermione looked at the two boys. "I thought I told you?"
"We thought you were joking." Ron said. "You are seriously refriending them? They are snakes."
"And they were my first friends." Hermione countered. "What is your problem with Slytherins anyway?"
"The Slytherin and Gryffindor houses have had rivalries forever." Ginny explained. "No one knows when it started and it has continued on generation after generation."
"There have only been a few times Gryffindors and Slytherins have been friends." Harry stated. "Once, was my mum and her old Slytherin friend before he messed it up. And obviously Sirius and his brother Regulus."
"So, because I am in Gryffindor and they are in Slytherin I should not be friends with them?"
"And the fact that you are a muggle born and they are blood purists." Ron muttered.
"You know, besides Malfoy. You are the only one who keeps bringing up my blood status. Well, you and Lily. And she seems to only care in the fact that she knows how hard it is to go from the muggle world to the wizarding one. Now if you excuse me." With that Hermione got up and walked out of the common room.
"She has a point." Ginny said, following her friend.
The next day Hermione met Daphne and Pansy at the entrance of Hogwarts. "Ready?" She asked.
"Are you sure you are okay with us hanging out?" Pansy asked.
"Of course, you did not say those things. Malfoy did." Hermione shrugged as they started down to Hogsmeade. "Now what do you want to do? Lily says the book store is amazing as well as the candy shop."
"Oh, candy." Daphne said. "I do not get candy often."
"Neither do I." Hermione agreed. "Let's go there." With that the three girls started towards Hogsmeade. "How is everyone?"
"Good, Theo and Drake got into it again." Pansy said. At Hermione's confused look Pansy explained. "Theo thinks Draco is an idiot for messing up our friendship. Draco thinks Theo is an idiot for trying to fix what Draco thinks is obviously broken."
"Well he's the one that broke it." Hermione muttered.
"We know," Daphne reassured her. "We are trying to get him to apologize."
"The only way apologizing will do any good is if he also admits he does not think how he did." Hermione said. "I don't want to be friends with someone who calls me…well…you know." The two Slytherin girls nodded. "Now, let's have some fun girl time."
"Agreed." Pansy said as they entered Honeydukes.
Over the next few months Hermione, Daphne, and Pansy started to repair their relationship. Theo and Blaise joining in closer to Christmas. During the last Hogsmeade trip before Christmas holidays Hermione was off on her own looking in the book store when she heard a cough behind her. She turned to see Draco standing behind her. "Can I help you?"
"I wanted to apologize." Draco said. "Will you walk with me?" Hermione looked at him for a second before putting her books down and following him out of the store. "I just wanted to explain that I am not that much of an arse. I just got upset that it seemed you were choosing your Gryffindor friends over your Slytherin friends."
"There is no choosing Malfoy. All of you are my friends…or were. It's just easier with them being in Gryffindor as I get to see them in the Common room and sit with them at meals."
"You could sit with us." Draco mumbled.
"What was that?" Hermione asked, only just barely catching what he said.
"Nothing, I just…" Draco groaned. "This is so hard."
"I can return to my books and you can continue what ever this is." Hermione offered, noticing that they had ended up in the forest.
"No..it is just.." Draco groaned. He ran his hands through his hair before taking Hermione's face in his hands and kissing her. "I have been wanting to do that." Draco said after releasing her. Hermione looked at him in confusion.
"I am sorry, I have been wanting to do that for a while now and it was the only way I could get my thoughts across. But that is why it hurt me so much when you seemed to have chosen them over us." Hermione nodded. "I am sorry, you can return to the bookstore." Hermione nodded as she left the forest and Hogsmeade.
Once she returned to the castle Hermione went straight to her dorm, thankfully Lavender and Parvati were not there. She paced for a few moments before sitting at her desk and writing out a letter. She folded the letter and made her way to the owlery, calling down a school bird. "Get this to Lily Potter please." Hermione told the bird before returning to the castle.
"There you are." Pansy said as Hermione entered the entrance hall. "Draco told us you might need some girl time. We found Ginny, do you need to talk?" Daphne and Ginny appeared on the steps behind them.
"Actually…yes, where can we go that's private?" Hermione asked.
"Do you care if you go into the Slytherin common room?" Daphne asked. "We only share with two people and Pans and I share a dorm so no one else will be coming or going." Ginny and Hermione looked at each other.
"Lead the way." Daphne lead them down into the dungeons and into the Slytherin common room then her and Pansy's dorm. "So…Malfoy apologized."
"Good, we told him you should." Daphne said.
"But then he kissed me." The three girls looked at her in shock. "Yup, in the forest. He said it was the only way he could get his thoughts across." The three other girls sat in silence.
"What did you do?" Ginny finally asked.
"I just stood in shock before he said I could leave if I wanted to."
"What are you going to do?" Pansy asked.
"I wrote Misses Potter." Hermione said with a shrug. "I just need advice on where to go from here. And according to Harry she had a Slytherin friend." Hermione froze. "I wonder if that's what Mister Potter was talking about." The three girls looked at her.
"Me and my father walked up to an argument between the Malfoys, Potters, and Weasleys. And Mister Potter said 'Maybe your son should learn before he screws up like a certain friend of yours did.' I didn't know what he was talking about now I'm starting to figure it out."
"Talk to Misses Potter over the break." Ginny suggested. "Maybe she can help you."
"Speaking of break," Daphne said. "Are you coming over? Ginny you can come too." The two Gryffindors looked at each other.
"I'll have to ask my parents…" Ginny said. Pansy and Daphne nodded in agreement. "But for now, we should return to our own common room."
"Of course." Daphne said before leading them back out of the dorm and the common room.
A few days later Hermione got a letter from Lily. "Is that my mum's handwriting?" Harry asked spotting the letter.
"Don't worry about it." Hermione said putting the letter in her bag. "Are you ready for the christmas holiday?" Hermoine asked her friends.
"Yup, I'm going to Ron's after New Years. You?" Harry asked her.
"I'm thinking of going over to Daphne's again." Hermione said, ignoring Ron's groan. "Trying to repair that friendship."
"Enough with those bloody snakes, you have us now you don't need them." Ron groaned.
"It has nothing to do with 'need' it has to do with 'enjoy' I enjoy being their friend. We get along." With that Hermione got up and walked out of the Great Hall. She sat on the steps of the entrance hall and opened the letter.
Hermione,
I'm sorry and happy to have heard from you. I wish I had advice for you at the moment. But my Slytherin friend never did anything like that. I wonder if he had if that would have changed our relationship. Why don't we meet once you are on break, I'll come over and it'll be nice to see a muggle household that has no wizarding aspects. James tries but he is a pureblood, there is only so much muggle only things he can even understand. Write to me with your address and I will come over.
Lily Potter.
Hermione folded up the letter as Daphne and Ginny approached her. "What did she say?"
"That she will come visit me and we will talk. Come on, classes will start soon." With that they left the entrance hall towards their respective classes.
Hermione walked with Ginny to the Hogwarts Express, making eye contact with Draco. Hermione blushed as she looked away and entered the train with Ginny. "What happened?" Ginny asked.
"Don't worry about it." Hermione said, sitting down and biting her lip. "Let's just enjoy our holiday."
"Agreed." With that the two girls started talking about their various holiday plans and what they got for whom for Christmas.
