Hey People. I Promise I'll try to get atleast one chapter up a week, but
its midterm time so it might take up to a week and a half. I really want
to take my time on this to make it as good as possible, so please dont
throw any tomatoes if it takes me that long to get the chapters up! Thanks
to all five of you that responded, it really means a lot to me to get your
feedback! Well, here's chapter 2...
Chapter 2: Arrival
There were only a few more hours left before Hermione was scheduled to leave on the train to Hogwarts, and for the first time in her life she wasn't excited to see her friends again. She had received an owl from Ron a few days earlier asking her to come stay at the Burrow for the remainder of the summer. She told them the only plausible lie she could think of; her parents wouldn't let her go. In reality, she didn't even ask. Hermione wasn't sure how she could face them again, now that she knew that the blood flowing through her veins came from the most horrible wizard in the world. The one that had killed Harry's parents, and had tried many times to kill Harry himself. She wasn't ready now, and wasn't sure she'd ever be.
In the beginning she was angry with her parents for never telling her about her heritage, but now had come to the point where she was placing blame on herself for going through the box in the first place.
"Sweetie?" She heard her mother call from the bottom of the stairs. "Are you awake yet?"
"Yea Mom." She called from her window seat.
"Why don't you come down for some breakfast, ok?"
"Sure. I'll be right down." Hermione had been awake for some time now, for she hadn't been able to sleep well since that fateful day in the attic. Her things were packed two nights ago when she couldn't sleep. She had been sitting on the window seat staring at the sunrise ever since she woke up that morning, wishing she still had months before she had to return to Hogwarts.
Hermione stood up slowly and made her way down to the kitchen. "I made your favorite.apple cinnamon pancakes." her mother said while placing a huge stack of pancakes on the table. Hermione helped herself to some pancakes and orange juice while her mother made some sandwiches for her to take on the train.
"I've made a few extra sandwiches in case your friends get hungry too. I can't have you rotting your teeth with all that candy, can I?" This made Hermione smile, there was no stopping the dentist in her mother.
"Thanks Mom." She said wile reaching over to hug her as she placed the paper bag full of sandwiches next to Hermione. "I'm going to go bring my stuff downstairs. Thanks for breakfast." She kissed her mother on the cheek.
"Alright Honey. But you better go get your father to bring the car around the front so we can load your things. I believe he's in his den."
"Ok." Hermione left the kitchen to search for her father and to get her things.
The car ride to King's Cross Station put Hermione in a considerably better mood. In fact, she almost forgot why she had dreaded coming here in the first place. She vowed earlier to not put any pressure on herself to tell her friends, and that had helped her relax her nerves. She was going to wait until she was completely ready before telling them.
She kissed her parents goodbye and walked towards the barrier between platforms nine and ten. Making a quick glance around the station to make sure the coast was clear she sprinted towards platform nine-and-three- quarters. She closed her eyes right before reaching the barrier, smacking into something hard on the other side.
"Oomph!" Hermione squeaked while toppling to the ground.
"Oh my! I'm incredibly sorry! I didn't realize I was standing in the way!" Hermione reached up and grabbed hold of the outstretched hand in front of her. After bending down to grab her things she looked up into the face of Mr. Weasley himself.
"Mr. Weasley?"
"Hermione? How good to see you." He reached over to give her a bear-like hug.
"Hermione!" She heard someone scream from the other side of Mr. Weasley. Standing there were Harry, Ron, Fred, George, and Ginny. She was thrown from person to person and hug to hug as her friends each took their turn saying hello. Hermione couldn't help feeling happy as they greeted her.
They each said their goodbyes to Mr. Weasley before boarding their train and heading to their familiar compartment in the back. Harry sat next to Hermione leaving the seats across from them for Ron and Ginny. During their usual conversation about quidditch and the events of the summer, Hermione desperately tried to ignore the nagging feeling in the back of her head that was telling her she didn't belong. She wanted nothing else than to be care-free as Harry, Ron and Ginny were acting, but the thought only made her more and more depressed. By the time they reached the halfway point Hermione was almost completely silent.
Hermione was deep in a day dream when the compartment door slid open.
"Hello Potter. Come back for another year of embarrassment, have you?" The slow drawl of Draco Malfoy filled the tiny car and quickly pulled Hermione out of her thoughts.
"Stuff it Malfoy!" Ron remarked as his body threatened to send his clenched fists into Draco's face.
"I wouldn't be the one to talk Weasel, for you know better than any one how embarrassment feels, coming from a household of fools!"
"Why can't you mind your own business you stupid, slimy git!" Hermione said while standing up and getting into his face.
"Why can't you, you filthy Mudblood." he spit the word mudblood in her face. "You scum have no right to talk to me that way."
She looked into Draco's eyes and saw them filled with hate, her mind flashed back to the image of her birth certificate. "I'm.I.I." She stammered before beginning to cry. Frustrated with herself and with Malfoy for being such a jerk she did the only thing logical to her at the time. She pushed him to the side and ran towards the bathroom. Her face buried in her hands.
The rest of them stood there for a moment shocked at the scene that just took place before them.
"GET OUT!!" Ginny said firmly pointing at the doorway.
"But, I didn't mean."
"I SAID GET OUT!" She yelled while standing up and pushing Draco out the cabin and slamming the doors shut.
Draco glanced back at the cabin before making his way to the bathroom at the head of the train, swearing at himself the whole way. He knocked on the door gently, for he could hear the sound of soft sobbing inside.
"Granger? You in there?"
"Who else would it be Malfoy?" She barked at the back of the door.
"Let me in." He demanded through the crack in the doorframe.
"NO."
"Look, I never meant to make you cry. Now let me in." He softened his voice a little, his vast experience with women taught him that yelling would get him nowhere, fast.
He watched the handle of the door turn slowly as Hermione opened the door to peak her head out. "It wasn't you. Well it was, but not entirely." She said while staring at the floor.
"You're not making any sense woman." He said while pushing past her and entering the bathroom. He took a seat on one of the sinks while Hermione shut the door.
"You only made me upset, but that's nothing new. It wasn't you who made me cry." He watched her blot her eyes with a piece of tissue. She straitened her clothes before walking up to him. "I've had some problems lately, that's all. I will be fine." She paused a moment before looking him in the eye. " Why'd you come after me anyway?"
"Wanted to make sure I didn't crush you tiny mud blood feelings. I've got to keep something around to keep me entertained while I'm bored."
"I thought that's what Pansy was for."
"Please, there's only one thing that dirty woman is good for," He hopped off the sink and stood inches from Hermione. "But I think we all know what that is, now don't we." He gave her the infamous Malfoy smirk.
Hermione made a face, the mental picture was enough to make her grimace. "Nice to know you care." She said sarcastically before sauntering past him and walking out the door.
Back in the cabin, Hermione apologized to Harry, Ron and Ginny before taking her seat next to Harry. Ron began his play-by-play of the quidditch match he attended in Ireland. She leaned her head back against the wall of the train and sighed. She could already tell between herself, her friends, and Draco Malfoy, her sixth year was going to be the longest and most complicated year she'd seen at Hogwarts.
Chapter 2: Arrival
There were only a few more hours left before Hermione was scheduled to leave on the train to Hogwarts, and for the first time in her life she wasn't excited to see her friends again. She had received an owl from Ron a few days earlier asking her to come stay at the Burrow for the remainder of the summer. She told them the only plausible lie she could think of; her parents wouldn't let her go. In reality, she didn't even ask. Hermione wasn't sure how she could face them again, now that she knew that the blood flowing through her veins came from the most horrible wizard in the world. The one that had killed Harry's parents, and had tried many times to kill Harry himself. She wasn't ready now, and wasn't sure she'd ever be.
In the beginning she was angry with her parents for never telling her about her heritage, but now had come to the point where she was placing blame on herself for going through the box in the first place.
"Sweetie?" She heard her mother call from the bottom of the stairs. "Are you awake yet?"
"Yea Mom." She called from her window seat.
"Why don't you come down for some breakfast, ok?"
"Sure. I'll be right down." Hermione had been awake for some time now, for she hadn't been able to sleep well since that fateful day in the attic. Her things were packed two nights ago when she couldn't sleep. She had been sitting on the window seat staring at the sunrise ever since she woke up that morning, wishing she still had months before she had to return to Hogwarts.
Hermione stood up slowly and made her way down to the kitchen. "I made your favorite.apple cinnamon pancakes." her mother said while placing a huge stack of pancakes on the table. Hermione helped herself to some pancakes and orange juice while her mother made some sandwiches for her to take on the train.
"I've made a few extra sandwiches in case your friends get hungry too. I can't have you rotting your teeth with all that candy, can I?" This made Hermione smile, there was no stopping the dentist in her mother.
"Thanks Mom." She said wile reaching over to hug her as she placed the paper bag full of sandwiches next to Hermione. "I'm going to go bring my stuff downstairs. Thanks for breakfast." She kissed her mother on the cheek.
"Alright Honey. But you better go get your father to bring the car around the front so we can load your things. I believe he's in his den."
"Ok." Hermione left the kitchen to search for her father and to get her things.
The car ride to King's Cross Station put Hermione in a considerably better mood. In fact, she almost forgot why she had dreaded coming here in the first place. She vowed earlier to not put any pressure on herself to tell her friends, and that had helped her relax her nerves. She was going to wait until she was completely ready before telling them.
She kissed her parents goodbye and walked towards the barrier between platforms nine and ten. Making a quick glance around the station to make sure the coast was clear she sprinted towards platform nine-and-three- quarters. She closed her eyes right before reaching the barrier, smacking into something hard on the other side.
"Oomph!" Hermione squeaked while toppling to the ground.
"Oh my! I'm incredibly sorry! I didn't realize I was standing in the way!" Hermione reached up and grabbed hold of the outstretched hand in front of her. After bending down to grab her things she looked up into the face of Mr. Weasley himself.
"Mr. Weasley?"
"Hermione? How good to see you." He reached over to give her a bear-like hug.
"Hermione!" She heard someone scream from the other side of Mr. Weasley. Standing there were Harry, Ron, Fred, George, and Ginny. She was thrown from person to person and hug to hug as her friends each took their turn saying hello. Hermione couldn't help feeling happy as they greeted her.
They each said their goodbyes to Mr. Weasley before boarding their train and heading to their familiar compartment in the back. Harry sat next to Hermione leaving the seats across from them for Ron and Ginny. During their usual conversation about quidditch and the events of the summer, Hermione desperately tried to ignore the nagging feeling in the back of her head that was telling her she didn't belong. She wanted nothing else than to be care-free as Harry, Ron and Ginny were acting, but the thought only made her more and more depressed. By the time they reached the halfway point Hermione was almost completely silent.
Hermione was deep in a day dream when the compartment door slid open.
"Hello Potter. Come back for another year of embarrassment, have you?" The slow drawl of Draco Malfoy filled the tiny car and quickly pulled Hermione out of her thoughts.
"Stuff it Malfoy!" Ron remarked as his body threatened to send his clenched fists into Draco's face.
"I wouldn't be the one to talk Weasel, for you know better than any one how embarrassment feels, coming from a household of fools!"
"Why can't you mind your own business you stupid, slimy git!" Hermione said while standing up and getting into his face.
"Why can't you, you filthy Mudblood." he spit the word mudblood in her face. "You scum have no right to talk to me that way."
She looked into Draco's eyes and saw them filled with hate, her mind flashed back to the image of her birth certificate. "I'm.I.I." She stammered before beginning to cry. Frustrated with herself and with Malfoy for being such a jerk she did the only thing logical to her at the time. She pushed him to the side and ran towards the bathroom. Her face buried in her hands.
The rest of them stood there for a moment shocked at the scene that just took place before them.
"GET OUT!!" Ginny said firmly pointing at the doorway.
"But, I didn't mean."
"I SAID GET OUT!" She yelled while standing up and pushing Draco out the cabin and slamming the doors shut.
Draco glanced back at the cabin before making his way to the bathroom at the head of the train, swearing at himself the whole way. He knocked on the door gently, for he could hear the sound of soft sobbing inside.
"Granger? You in there?"
"Who else would it be Malfoy?" She barked at the back of the door.
"Let me in." He demanded through the crack in the doorframe.
"NO."
"Look, I never meant to make you cry. Now let me in." He softened his voice a little, his vast experience with women taught him that yelling would get him nowhere, fast.
He watched the handle of the door turn slowly as Hermione opened the door to peak her head out. "It wasn't you. Well it was, but not entirely." She said while staring at the floor.
"You're not making any sense woman." He said while pushing past her and entering the bathroom. He took a seat on one of the sinks while Hermione shut the door.
"You only made me upset, but that's nothing new. It wasn't you who made me cry." He watched her blot her eyes with a piece of tissue. She straitened her clothes before walking up to him. "I've had some problems lately, that's all. I will be fine." She paused a moment before looking him in the eye. " Why'd you come after me anyway?"
"Wanted to make sure I didn't crush you tiny mud blood feelings. I've got to keep something around to keep me entertained while I'm bored."
"I thought that's what Pansy was for."
"Please, there's only one thing that dirty woman is good for," He hopped off the sink and stood inches from Hermione. "But I think we all know what that is, now don't we." He gave her the infamous Malfoy smirk.
Hermione made a face, the mental picture was enough to make her grimace. "Nice to know you care." She said sarcastically before sauntering past him and walking out the door.
Back in the cabin, Hermione apologized to Harry, Ron and Ginny before taking her seat next to Harry. Ron began his play-by-play of the quidditch match he attended in Ireland. She leaned her head back against the wall of the train and sighed. She could already tell between herself, her friends, and Draco Malfoy, her sixth year was going to be the longest and most complicated year she'd seen at Hogwarts.