Disclaimer: Everything except the plot belongs to J.K. Rowling, and not to
me.
"Hermione, would you stop studying! It's the holidays!" Ron pulled 'The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 6)' out of her hands, slammed it shut and pushed it into her bag. "It's Christmas! Take a few days off!" Hermione opened her mouth to protest, realised it was pointless and shut it again.
It was the first day of the Christmas holidays, and Hermione, Ron and Harry were all on the Hogwarts Express, bound for London. The Weasleys had invited Harry to stay with them for Christmas, and he'd accepted immediately.
"If you two start talking Quidditch, I'll get my book out again." Hermione warned.
"What else is there to talk about?"
"Let's talk about… Malfoy." Harry said. "What's going on, Hermione? You can't run away now, you're stuck on this train with us for at least another hour. Why are you suddenly friends with him?"
"He's all right really." Hermione stared out of the window at the passing scenery.
"He's a Slytherin. His father's a Death Eater. Malfoy's evil."
Hermione shook her head.
"Not really. He's mean to Gryffindors and people from Muggle families in the same way that I clean my teeth."
"What?"
"It's just how we've been brought up. Mum and Dad consider dental hygiene to be a priority, Malfoy's parents think that pure blood and ambition are important. You pick up your values from your family."
"But how can you be friends with him? He's been mean to you for years! He calls you Mudblood!"
"Not any more he doesn't. I can hold an intelligent conversation with him."
"Are you saying that you can't with us?" Ron pretended to be indignant.
"Well…"
"Slander!" Harry also assumed an indignant expression.
"That's a long word for you, Harry."
"Right! That's enough! Get her!" Hermione gave a little scream and then dissolved into fits of giggles as her friends attacked her. She was extremely ticklish, and they both knew it.
"What's going on?" A familiar voice made them all stop and look at the door. "No, don't tell me, I can see what's going on." Malfoy surveyed the compartment. Harry had just retreated to the far side, nursing a sore scalp after Hermione had grabbed a fistful of his hair in an attempt to protect herself. Ron had now got her pinned to the seat by her wrists. If you didn't know what they'd been doing, it would all have look highly suspicious.
"Some of the first years told me that there was a prefect being attacked in this carriage. But it doesn't look like you need any help." Malfoy smirked and walked away. Hermione pushed Ron off and straightened her robes. The three of them looked at one another for a moment, then burst out laughing.
"Did you see his face?" Harry spluttered.
"He thought he'd walked in on an orgy!"
Hermione laughed as hard as the boys, but in the back of her mind a little voice pointed out that she'd been enjoying the close contact with Ron. And why did she feel guilty when Draco looked at her?
"Bye Hermione, have a good Christmas!"
"You too, Harry!" She hugged him quickly.
"Don't work too hard!" Ron grabbed her and she hugged him back.
"Don't you work too hard either!" she joked as she disentangled herself. "Hadn't you better help Ginny?" Ron's sister was struggling to get her trunk onto a luggage trolley. The Creevey brothers were trying to help, but neither of them was particularly muscular, and Ginny obviously hadn't packed light.
"Honestly." Ron muttered and went to help. Harry grinned at Hermione.
"See you next term."
"Bye!" She pushed her own trolley towards the barrier into the main station.
"Hermione, wait!" She paused and let Malfoy catch up with her. "We can go through together." They walked at the barrier and out into the bustle of Muggle King's Cross.
"Did I interrupt something earlier? I thought that you and Ron weren't together any more?"
"No! I'd just insulted them and they were trying to tickle me."
"Oh."
"Did somebody really think I was being attacked?"
"Yeah." He grinned suddenly. "Two first years came bursting into our compartment, all worried." Hermione laughed.
"Not setting a very good example, was I?"
"You should be ashamed of yourself, Miss Granger." Malfoy's Professor McGonagall impression was actually quite good.
"Hermione! Over here!"
"There are my parents. See you next term, Draco."
"Don't I get a hug?" He pulled a face, pretending to be hurt. Hermione laughed.
"Go on then." He let go of his trolley and pulled her against him. They stood for a moment, then pulled apart.
"Let's hope nobody we know was watching!"
"Bye Draco."
"Have a good Christmas, Hermione."
Hermione went to join her parents, her stomach flipping just like it had done when Ron had hugged her.
"Who was that girl you were hugging?" Lucius Malfoy asked as they pushed Draco's luggage towards where their car was waiting. He looked rather uncomfortable in Muggle clothes, but he could hardly stand in the middle of King's Cross in his usual robes.
"Hermione Granger."
"Granger. Granger…" Lucius thought for a moment. "Isn't she that Mudblood who keeps beating you in the end of year exams?" Draco avoided his father's gaze.
"Yes."
"Why were you hugging a Mudblood, Draco?"
"We're friends."
"And why are you friends with a Mudblood?" They'd reached the car, and their driver was loading Draco's luggage into the boot.
"Because she's good company. There's nobody in Slytherin worth talking to." Draco was expecting his father to shout at him for that statement, but to his surprise Lucius laughed.
"True. If they're anything like their parents, they're all as stupid as anything. Useful, but not too bright. But still, a Mudblood?"
"We've been studying together."
"Well, you need to bring your marks up to her level."
Draco gathered his courage for his next statement. "And I don't mind that she's from a Muggle family. I like her."
Lucius followed his son into the car. "How many times have I told you, Mudbloods are inferior, we don't mix with them." He sounded cross, but not as angry as Draco had expected.
"You've also told me that nobody tells a Malfoy what to do. And you've said that you hate weak-minded people who just follow orders mindlessly. Hermione's bright, and she's good company. And personally I think that friends are more useful that enemies."
Lucius stared at his son for a moment, then shrugged.
"I can't argue with you without contradicting myself. I don't like you mixing with riffraff, but I'd rather my son knew his own mind. And if she hangs around with that Potter boy, you can probably find some useful information out while you're there."
"Hermione, would you stop studying! It's the holidays!" Ron pulled 'The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 6)' out of her hands, slammed it shut and pushed it into her bag. "It's Christmas! Take a few days off!" Hermione opened her mouth to protest, realised it was pointless and shut it again.
It was the first day of the Christmas holidays, and Hermione, Ron and Harry were all on the Hogwarts Express, bound for London. The Weasleys had invited Harry to stay with them for Christmas, and he'd accepted immediately.
"If you two start talking Quidditch, I'll get my book out again." Hermione warned.
"What else is there to talk about?"
"Let's talk about… Malfoy." Harry said. "What's going on, Hermione? You can't run away now, you're stuck on this train with us for at least another hour. Why are you suddenly friends with him?"
"He's all right really." Hermione stared out of the window at the passing scenery.
"He's a Slytherin. His father's a Death Eater. Malfoy's evil."
Hermione shook her head.
"Not really. He's mean to Gryffindors and people from Muggle families in the same way that I clean my teeth."
"What?"
"It's just how we've been brought up. Mum and Dad consider dental hygiene to be a priority, Malfoy's parents think that pure blood and ambition are important. You pick up your values from your family."
"But how can you be friends with him? He's been mean to you for years! He calls you Mudblood!"
"Not any more he doesn't. I can hold an intelligent conversation with him."
"Are you saying that you can't with us?" Ron pretended to be indignant.
"Well…"
"Slander!" Harry also assumed an indignant expression.
"That's a long word for you, Harry."
"Right! That's enough! Get her!" Hermione gave a little scream and then dissolved into fits of giggles as her friends attacked her. She was extremely ticklish, and they both knew it.
"What's going on?" A familiar voice made them all stop and look at the door. "No, don't tell me, I can see what's going on." Malfoy surveyed the compartment. Harry had just retreated to the far side, nursing a sore scalp after Hermione had grabbed a fistful of his hair in an attempt to protect herself. Ron had now got her pinned to the seat by her wrists. If you didn't know what they'd been doing, it would all have look highly suspicious.
"Some of the first years told me that there was a prefect being attacked in this carriage. But it doesn't look like you need any help." Malfoy smirked and walked away. Hermione pushed Ron off and straightened her robes. The three of them looked at one another for a moment, then burst out laughing.
"Did you see his face?" Harry spluttered.
"He thought he'd walked in on an orgy!"
Hermione laughed as hard as the boys, but in the back of her mind a little voice pointed out that she'd been enjoying the close contact with Ron. And why did she feel guilty when Draco looked at her?
"Bye Hermione, have a good Christmas!"
"You too, Harry!" She hugged him quickly.
"Don't work too hard!" Ron grabbed her and she hugged him back.
"Don't you work too hard either!" she joked as she disentangled herself. "Hadn't you better help Ginny?" Ron's sister was struggling to get her trunk onto a luggage trolley. The Creevey brothers were trying to help, but neither of them was particularly muscular, and Ginny obviously hadn't packed light.
"Honestly." Ron muttered and went to help. Harry grinned at Hermione.
"See you next term."
"Bye!" She pushed her own trolley towards the barrier into the main station.
"Hermione, wait!" She paused and let Malfoy catch up with her. "We can go through together." They walked at the barrier and out into the bustle of Muggle King's Cross.
"Did I interrupt something earlier? I thought that you and Ron weren't together any more?"
"No! I'd just insulted them and they were trying to tickle me."
"Oh."
"Did somebody really think I was being attacked?"
"Yeah." He grinned suddenly. "Two first years came bursting into our compartment, all worried." Hermione laughed.
"Not setting a very good example, was I?"
"You should be ashamed of yourself, Miss Granger." Malfoy's Professor McGonagall impression was actually quite good.
"Hermione! Over here!"
"There are my parents. See you next term, Draco."
"Don't I get a hug?" He pulled a face, pretending to be hurt. Hermione laughed.
"Go on then." He let go of his trolley and pulled her against him. They stood for a moment, then pulled apart.
"Let's hope nobody we know was watching!"
"Bye Draco."
"Have a good Christmas, Hermione."
Hermione went to join her parents, her stomach flipping just like it had done when Ron had hugged her.
"Who was that girl you were hugging?" Lucius Malfoy asked as they pushed Draco's luggage towards where their car was waiting. He looked rather uncomfortable in Muggle clothes, but he could hardly stand in the middle of King's Cross in his usual robes.
"Hermione Granger."
"Granger. Granger…" Lucius thought for a moment. "Isn't she that Mudblood who keeps beating you in the end of year exams?" Draco avoided his father's gaze.
"Yes."
"Why were you hugging a Mudblood, Draco?"
"We're friends."
"And why are you friends with a Mudblood?" They'd reached the car, and their driver was loading Draco's luggage into the boot.
"Because she's good company. There's nobody in Slytherin worth talking to." Draco was expecting his father to shout at him for that statement, but to his surprise Lucius laughed.
"True. If they're anything like their parents, they're all as stupid as anything. Useful, but not too bright. But still, a Mudblood?"
"We've been studying together."
"Well, you need to bring your marks up to her level."
Draco gathered his courage for his next statement. "And I don't mind that she's from a Muggle family. I like her."
Lucius followed his son into the car. "How many times have I told you, Mudbloods are inferior, we don't mix with them." He sounded cross, but not as angry as Draco had expected.
"You've also told me that nobody tells a Malfoy what to do. And you've said that you hate weak-minded people who just follow orders mindlessly. Hermione's bright, and she's good company. And personally I think that friends are more useful that enemies."
Lucius stared at his son for a moment, then shrugged.
"I can't argue with you without contradicting myself. I don't like you mixing with riffraff, but I'd rather my son knew his own mind. And if she hangs around with that Potter boy, you can probably find some useful information out while you're there."