Going To Kill Me?

Prologue

She was standing in the bright sunlight. The first day at Hogwarts had just begun, and she was enjoying the semester's first recess. Harry and Ron had gone to greet Hagrid, but she hadn't felt like going along. She closed her eyes and felt the warm beams on her beautifully rosy cheeks.

"Well, well, well…" came a drawling voice from behind her. "Mud-Blood all alone, without her precious friends the Scar-Head and the Weasel."

Hermione turned around, facing the evil Slytherin pride, Draco Malfoy.

"Hopefully soon without even the Ferret…" Hermione scowled, and turned away.

Draco straightened his pose, snorting, placing his hands on his hips. His gray eyes produced a spark of anger.

"Oh, clever we are being now eh? Rather much of a ferret then than a mire-blooded nosy showoff."

"You're good to say, being a nosy showoff yourself."

Hermione suddenly took a few steps closer to Draco, closing the space between them. This action startled Malfoy so much that he almost stumbled to his robes.

"Hey, remember personal space, Granger."

Hermione only smiled, an odd gleam in her eyes.

"Don't you remember that you invaded my personal space, first."

Draco flushed and once in his life couldn't find anything to retort back. Hermione tossed her hair and grinned at Draco very self-confidently.

"Aw, you're so sweet when you forget to be evil, Malfoy," she teased cunningly. She thought Malfoy had grown a bit more manly during the last summer holiday, actually. Perhaps even more than just a bit. The figure of his body was sporty, with a spice of vigor. The sun's dusky last beams goldened his platinum locks with a white halo.

"And you're so ridiculous trying to be evil, Mud-Blood," he snapped with a puff. But his eyes revealed the confusion storming in his heart. Hermione was behaving quite in an unexpected way. And he did not comprehend how to take the change.

Draco observed Hermione's figure calculatingly. She had this weird self-confidence shining from her features, and she actually didn't seem to fear him anymore. Her almond eyes were having a chaffing, almost laughing glint. And nobody was allowed to laugh at Draco Malfoy. Nobody.

"Don't stare at me that way, Granger. It's disturbing."

"So why don't you do us both a favor and bugger off."

To this, Draco only cast a razor sharp gaze at Hermione, and really went away.

Harry and Ron were sitting in Hagrid's cabin, having some tea. They were happy to be together again, after the long summer holiday. Especially Harry was enjoying to be back, leaving behind the earthen Inferno of the Dursleys.

"Did you notice how much Hermione has changed over the summer?" asked Ron. "She was really… eh… beautiful," he continued, getting some pink flush on his ears.

Harry grinned. "Of course I noticed. Who wouldn't have?"

"I mean… she really isn't quite the same Hermione we've used to. I mean… uhh… her hair, her looks…"

"Meh, usually 'ey get sum change durin' the seventh grade", a raspy cough was heard from behind the boys. "Them gals I mean. They then ter become more woman."

Both the young men received a good amount of redness to decorate their cheekbones.

"Well yeh boys don't look all that much like kids any more either…" Hagrid gave a merry laugh.

Ron and Harry looked at one another, trying to find some differences from their outer appearances.

Indeed, Ron was at least ten centimeters taller than in the sixth year. He was admittedly a bit slim, but enough fit, too. The freckles of his skin were tamed by the tan, and his hair was gelled spiky. All in all, he was quite handsome.

Harry felt a bit ashamed, being noticeably shorter than his best friend. But how could he have helped it? Having lived with the Dursleys yet again, hadn't given him exactly the best summer holiday what it came to nutrition. Dudley was on diet again. But still, there was the change. Harry was better formed than before, his black hair falling in wild curls over his shoulders, and his ever-green eyes were no longer covered with the glasses, after he had started to use contacts. Generally speaking, he was quite good looking, despite the lack of his height.

Smiling, both Ron and Harry turned to their teacups again, and listened to Hagrid telling about a letter from Madame Maxime.

…TBC…