Chapter 2
Disclaimer: We don't own or claim to own… belongs to JK Rowling… not stealing…just borrowing… don't sue us… no money… not smart enough to be lawyers… don't bother.
A/N: Old chapter, edited. Please read, and review (as always =P)
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Ron turned and moaned, before his arm hit the ground with a soft thud. Sitting himself against his own bedside table, he felt groggy and his mouth tasted funny. He pulled his hand against his forehead, and brushed away his tangled hair, only to have the sun hit his face with full force. Coiling back into the couch like a vampire just before dawn, he noticed that Harry had not only left but, to his dismay, joined the others for breakfast.
"I can't believe he didn't wake me!" he muttered angrily to the darting figures in his Quidditch posters.
He scanned his room quickly, and his eyes fell onto the calendar. Without having to read it, he knew what today was. Today was the beginning of a new year at Hogwarts. Ron smiled, his mood apparently lifted, he couldn't wait to get back. But his high spirits left as soon as they had come.
'Malfoy as Head Boy?' Ron thought, slightly less gleeful than before. 'I'd rather belch slugs again. He probably only got it because he's father probably threatened to curse the ministry or something.'
But as soon as he had thought this, he decided he probably didn't have the worst of it. Nonetheless:
'Nah, Malfoy's no trouble for Hermione. She could take him on any day.' Ron stood up and shook his head ('what is the world coming to?'). Quickly getting dressed, he fixed his hair in record time and sprinted off to the kitchen, still wishing he could apparate.
At the table, breakfast had almost been cleared and his mother was humming a tune as she magicked the dishes to wash themselves, she paid no attention to him at all. The only ones left at the table were Harry and Hermione.
"Hermione!" he said warmly, and pulled her into a hug. "You didn't say you were coming!"
She looked bewildered for a second, but turned slowly to look at Harry, whose face was split in a huge grin.
"Harry!" she scolded.
"It was a surprise," the boy grinned.
"And why didn't you wake me?" Ron said, mimicking a very high Hermione.
Harry's grin widened and he shrugged, "Forgot."
Ron shook his head, but couldn't help but smile, "I would miss potions. Which is NOT a bad thing. It would have been trade-off."
Harry just smiled slightly, but Hermione frowned.
"Hey, guess who are visiting soon," he said, mentioning his older brothers, both of whom had completed school not long ago. Both had also achieved huge success in their prank business, something even their mother could not force them to give up.
"Really? When?"
Ron explained the details as he dug into his breakfast and Harry listened intently. Hermione had stayed for the dates but left soon to help Mrs. Weasley with the last of the chores.
~
"Bye Mom!"
"By Mrs. Weasley!"
"Thankyou for having me!"
"Bye."
"I'll bring back my Quidditch Captain Badge for you to see!"
The last parting remark was aimed more at Harry than any one else. After Angelina Johnson (former Chaser and Quidditch Captain) left Hogwarts, Ron (who achieved the position of keeper, after the departure of Oliver Wood), and Harry (youngest seeker in a century) have been favorites for the title of Quidditch captain.
"No, you're not! You missed the last 3 goals shot by Slytherin last season. Like they're going to vote for you after that!"
"Well, who else would they vote for, YOU?!"
"Yeah."
"Yeah right, more like it. You lost our last game by 80 points to Ravenclaw cause you were to busy watching that Chang girl, rather than catch the snitch!"
"Oh, you mean Cho," Harry said apologetically, "Actually, she left some years ago"
"No, I mean her sister, Yvonne (A/N: this is a joke that only Emma will understand. Sad, huh?)" Ron snapped. "Who else?"
"Her sister is four years younger than me!" Harry retorted, "Why would I like her?"
"Plenty of reasons," Ron said calmly, "I also recall you liking that Cho, even though she was older than you, so I guess, age doesn't matter."
Harry fell silent, after failing to come up with a suitable comeback at that remark. Ron smirked at Hermione, who had taken to listening to their bickering in silence.
She snorted, "You two are ridiculous. Will you never grow up?"
"No. I mean, yeah." Harry grinned. "Even though I'm going to be Quidditch Captain." His laughter could still be heard even as he disappeared through the familiar wall between platforms nine and ten.
~
Harry, Ron and Hermione seated themselves comfortably on the Hogwarts Express' spotlessly clean seats. Both Virginia (Ginny) Weasley and Neville Longbottom soon joined them. The ride was familiar in a way, almost a sense of déjà vu. Their first couple of years had been so similar. Then, of course, came fifth year. And everything had taken a drastic turn.
But these memories could only go so far. Sure, finally being able to join Harry on this single trip felt much better than leaving him alone for the Prefect's Compartments. But things such as going through about three dozen chocolate frogs between them, most of which the cards ended up wedged in the back pockets of Ron's robes, was something they longed to forget. And listening to Hermione recite the ingredients for an Concealing Potion for the twenty-third time, while everyone else was just about ready to explode in frustration, was another of these.
"Hermione? You coming?" Ron's voice broke her trance.
"Going? Going where?"
"C'mon 'Mione," Ron sighed, "It's only a couple of carriages away. And don't worry, we'll be back soon Harry."
"Yeah, I'll be fine." But Harry's tone still worried Ron just that tiniest amount.
"Well, after two years, I STILL don't know how I made a Prefect." He added lightheartedly.
"Yeah, I bet you only made it in 'cause you were the only choice left, that was reasonable by the slightest amount," Harry remarked, but Ron knew he was joking.
"Oh really? Well, I see they didn't let Goyle or Crabbe become prefects, have they?' Ron replied with a hint of a smirk.
"Well that's because they aren't reasonable," Harry answered, reasonably.
Ron fell silent, and he and Hermione walked alongside to the carriage down the back. Hermione herself, was lost in the ice mountains they were passing, and didn't realize Ron was prodding her.
"Then, what about Malfoy? Is he all that reasonable?"
Apparently, he was still thinking of the conversation with Harry.
But Hermione interrupted, "Malfoy's not really-"
"Not what?"
They had just reached the door and spun at the voice. Draco had been behind them, she realized suddenly. He was now standing alone looking rather flustered. He leaned against the door frame in front of them and sneered.
'But he's alone, instead of being flanked by his faithful goons. Wonder what's wrong,' Hermione thought. 'He's changed hasn't he? He's not as bad as he used to be right? He's been acting different. He's not that bad.'
She almost yelped aloud when she realized she had been trying to convince herself that Malfoy was alright. This was Draco Malfoy. DRACO MALFOY. But when she shook her head, he only smirked lazily, waiting for her to reply.
"Not what, Mudblood?" He repeated.
Ron jerked at the remark, Hermione however, ignored it and knocked the door calmly. She had heard enough of it in the last two years. It didn't hurt anymore, at least, not from Draco Malfoy. She just didn't feel it, even though she didn't know why. Habit, maybe. Hermione waited until all three of them were let in and seated before answering.
"I don't know, maybe, qualified to be Head Boy?"
"What's that, Granger?" His cold, blue eyes now held amusement.
"What do you think, Ferret?" Her tone was surprisingly nonchalant.
He winced slightly, so slightly, you could barely notice it. Just like 'Mudblood,' the term, 'Ferret' had stuck, but Hermione was rarely irritated enough to use it. What he didn't know was that she said it out of the pure enjoyment of seeing him flinch. He pretended he didn't care, like the words had not hit him, but they did, and it surprised him.
'Why do I care so much,' he thought, 'I already told her I was… hell, attracted to her. But I suppose the stupid Mudblood only believes in true love or stuff like that. Impossible Muggle myths. And I also suppose she thought I was drunk or something. Hell, I probably was. Man, why did I say anything? If Lucius found out, he would –
Then Draco remembered Lucius was in Azkaban, and shut himself up.
"You suspected I thought something that I would tell you, Granger? Or did you believe I cared what about what you thought?" He snorted and as if throwing the comment aside, turned and pretended to be very interested in the passing landscape outside.
Hermione smiled inwardly, strangely relaxed in the situation. But she was still staring at him. She forced herself to look at Ron, who had been listening tentatively to their conversation, and faked a casual tone.
"So, do you wanna play a game of chess?"
"I thought you hated wizard chess."
"Oh, never mind," she said, slightly irritated. Then, she too, took to staring out the window, a thousand thoughts running through her head.
***
Okay, my chapter finished. Let's see if Alex will ever get around to write. If we can't convince her, Emma, you write the next one.
Please review… pretty please? (No cherries though.)
