A/N: Just a warning but only like one chapter of this story (chapter 21 I think) has actually been beta-ed. If anyone is up for the challenge email me. Befuzzled@hotmail.com
*Disclaimer-Unfortunately for me I do not have the privilege of owning any of the Harry Potter characters, J.K. Rowling Does.*
Falling Head Over Heels
The Story of Hermione Granger and
her relationship with Draco Malfoy
By: Befuzzled
Chapter One ~ Back on the Hogwarts Express
"When I get there, I'm finally free;
When I get there, I'm home.
When I get there, I'll turn the key.
When I get there, I'll know."
~Dream
The now sixteen year-old girl walked through the brick platform barrier as she would through air. Coming out on the other side, she once again marveled at the beautiful scarlet steam engine that would transport her through the country side of Scotland to her school: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. After a moment she was forced from her state of awe to avoid being in the way of the secret passageway, away from the muggle portion of the King's Cross station to that of the magical world.
Hermione Granger scanned the platform for any sign of her red and black haired best friends. Amongst all the exciting students and they're parents they would be leaving behind for the next nine months she was having trouble spotting her other counter parts of the Dream Team. She paused several times on her mission to find them to give greetings to several of her house members and classmates.
"Hermione! Hermione!" The girl spun around looking for the owner of the calls, although she had immediately recognized the voice. Ron Weasley and Harry Potter were running towards her dodging people as the practically flew to greet her. "Oh gods Hermione it's great to see you. We missed you this summer at the Burrow."
Ron picked her up in a completely platonic hug and then passed her on to Harry, who did the same. Hermione just laughed. "Hey, it's nice to see you too. Did you miss me that much?"
Harry chirped, "You have no idea."
"What are you saying that you didn't miss us?" Ron assumed dejectedly.
"Of course I did," Hermione exclaimed pulling them both into another hug.
The rest of the Weasley Clan came over, and greeted the girl they hadn't seen since June. Fred and George were there, advertising, demonstrating, and selling some of their more tested products of Weasley Wizardly Wheezes, commonly arbitrated as 'W3'. Their joke shop was opening up in Hogsmead, and they were hoping to attract lots of business from the Hogwarts students. Percy, although there physically distractedly glanced at his magical watch and muttered phrase about Mr. Josten, his new boss, and how much work he could be doing instead of waiting around a 'stupid station'.
"Hullo, Hermione. Would you care to try some 'Dye Powder'?" asked a suspicious looking George whose eyes darted between the container he held out and Hermione.
"Um, what does it do?" Hermione eyed their creation apprehensively not sure if she wanted even to be with in a ten foot radius of either of the twins.
"Oh, glad you asked," announced Fred, raising his voice to get the attention of possible customers. "Just sprinkle some over your hair, clothes, linens et cetra and it changes them into a rainbow of flashing colors, everything from squash to periwinkle."
Hermione back away, now positive she didn't want any. "You know what? I don't think I need any right now, but I'll be sure to stop in 'W3' if I get the urge." Still backing away she bumped into the every so fidgety Percy Weasley. "Oh hi, Percy. How's work at the ministry going?" She instantly regretted letting the words leave her mouth, as she was forced to listen to the completely un-fascinating stories of the quality of inkpots.
"Some just aren't made like they were used to. They break so easily now. There used to be a time when you didn't have to put an 'unbreakable' charm on them but those days are long gone. Now all of them are poorly made and twice the price. My report is going to convince the Ministry to install regulations and what not to insure that the production standards are met." He was completely devoted to all his work, and thought everyone else should be too. Most found it extremely boring and managed to back out of every conversation with Percy possible so when someone unsuspecting or too polite chose to communicate with the twenty-one year old it was hard to get him to shut up.
Hermione just smiled and nodded her way through the exchange occasionally adding an "oh yes," or "I completely agree" just to make it sound like she hadn't rudely fallen asleep. Thankfully, Harry spotted her and came over to rescue her from her current disposition.
"Oy, Hermione we have a train to catch. Best be off." He grabbed her elbow just for some encouraging effect.
"Oh, sorry Percy, but you know the train doesn't wait. We'll have to finish this conversation later. It was quiet, er, interesting." She waved and made a mental note never to ask Percy about his work again.
"Geez, Hermione have you forgotten everything you learned from being at the Burrow?" Harry asked accusingly.
"No, I just thought, well I figured that he would have had to move on to a different assignment than the current length of quills. I just didn't think it could possibly be more boring. Don't worry I've already made a mental note never to bring up Percy work again. But you were right about one thing we should be boarding the Express. Where's Ron?" She turned her head and found him talking to Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan.
"Come on Ron, I hate to pull you away from another exciting discussion of Quidditch but I need your help to get my stuff on the train. Hi Seamus, Dean." She pulled Ron away over to where she had left Harry waiting by her trunk.
They carried her belongings on the train and headed to their usual compartment near the back. It was almost secluded and they weren't usually every bothered, with the exception of Draco Malfoy and the lady with the Treat cart.
Once off by themselves, Harry and Ron gave Hermione another hug. They hadn't seen her all summer, and missed her at Ron's house. " Oh, I feel so loved."
"You should," said Harry settling into a seat across from the brunette.
"So I guess you had a good summer than?"
"It was GREAT! It got boring though. You weren't there to tell us how immature we were behaving. And I had no one to argue with." Hermione just laughed, it was totally like Ron, and the sad thing was she had missed their little tiffs as well..
"Typical. I'm used for arguments. I go from loved to feeling used. Well did you at least finish your essays for class?"
"Um, most of them."
"That's good. "
"So, Hermione what did you do this summer that you were too busy to come see us?" Ron asked jokingly.
"Hey it's not like I never talked to you; I sent you both about 50 owls this summer. Plus my parents took me to the United States. We went to the Florida Keys, Washington D.C., and Cape Cod."
"You went all the way to Florida to look at keys?" Ran asked with his voice filled with confusion.
"No, no, no. The Florida Keys is kind of like a chain of islands. It has a lot of nice beaches and tourism stuff."
"Oh, okay." Ron said this with his faced still contorted with confusion.
"What sorts of trouble did you get yourselves into with me not around?"
Harry and Ron looked at each other and wondered what they should tell her. Harry just started to talk, "None, without you around there was really nothing to do, well I'm sure there was, but it just wouldn't be the same with only one of your best friends there."
At this Hermione got up from her side of the compartment and went to sit in between Ron and Harry putting an arm around each of their necks. "Well we have the whole year ahead of us to make up for that. I few have to that is. I don't want to making trouble and risking getting killing or expelling. That would just be a tragedy."
"What getting killed or expelled?" Harry asked remembering their first year after the first time they had mistakenly passed on the third floor corridor.
"Both!" she answered as if everyone should know the answer.
Ron wanted to change the conversation and keep up the banter they had going between them, but he didn't expect Hermione's reaction. "Ginny missed you an awful lot too."
'Oh dear you mean she was stuck there with all you boys? I have to go talk to her and see how she's been. I'll be back." Hermione got up and left the compartment.
"Nice job Ron, you made her leave. We haven't seen her since the end of last year and you go and make her feel all bad about leaving Ginny with a bunch of guys."
"Aw shud up."
Hermione was wandering through the train looking in several compartments for Ginny. She would pop her head in to a few and ask Gryffindors, "Have you seen Ginny?" and then ask the other houses if they had seen "a tall red-headed girl".
She was working her way up to the front of the train but wasn't having much luck.
She was near the middle of the train. She peeked her head inside another compartment, "Have you seen…" then she looked up and saw that it was Draco Malfoy and his goons Crabbe and Goyle. "Oh..nevermind."
She turned to leave when she heard "Who are you looking for? Are you a transfer student or something? I don't think I've seen you before but you're too grown up to be a first year."
Hermione turned back into the compartment, " I'm looking for Ginny Weasley."
"Why would you want to find her?"
"I have my reasons."
"Whatever so what school did you transfer from?"
Did he really think she transferred? Well she was going to have her fun. "Oh, um I used to go to Durmstrang. My parents moved into the family manor in Scotland and they thought Bulgaria was too far away for me to travel to school so now, I'm going here."
"Oh, then you'll probably be in Slytherin, with us. Do you have a name?"
"Doesn't everyone?"
"Well what is yours?"
Come on Hermione think! Just a stupid name!
"Oh my name is Aurora, Aurora Jackson, but all my friends call me Dawn. You know the whole goddess of the dawn thing. I guess it's an inside joke, though. You can call me Aurora, or Rory I guess. I answer to everything though."
"That's a name you don't hear everyday.'
"I do. And who would you be?"
"I'm Draco Malfoy. This is Crabbe, " he said pointing to the right. "This is Goyle," making the same gesture in front of him.
"Pleasure, I'm sure," she said but she facial expression stated otherwise.
"Have a seat you're welcome to join are compartment."
"No that's all right I already have one. I'll be off now. Bye buh bye." She did a girly wave and a giggle.
Draco took a moment to comprehend that she had left before muttering his good byes. He turned to Crabbe and Goyle, "That girl was hot." He couldn't help but think she looked almost familiar.
She decided Ginny could wait she had to go tell Ron and Harry about what she just did. She could barely contain laughing on the way back.
"You'll never guess who I just met, or what I just did!" She looked up at Harry, Ron and Ginny. "Wait you've been in here the whole time, Ginny?"
Harry chirped, "She came in just like a minute after you left."
"And you two didn't think to come and get me? Never mind I'm glad you didn't." She stated before beginning on her story. "I was looking for Ginny, obviously, and I accidentally walked into Draco Malfoy's compartment. For some reason he didn't recognize me, but that's okay." Everyone around certainly knew why.
It was true that the ball of frizz she had call hair for fifteen years had finally shaped its self into beautiful round curls, and of course her teeth were straightened and smaller after that incident a few years back. She had grown a few inches to reach a tall and lean five nine. She had also "filled out" nicely over the summer. Her usually light skin had become slightly darker while on her summer vacation, but still covered with splattered freckles to add to that innocent appeal. To anyone else but her best friends she would be hard to recognize.
"He thought I was a transfer student so I played up to it. I told him my name was Aurora Jackson, and that my friends call me that Dawn, but he could call me Aurora or Rory. He bought the whole thing. What a stupid git. One would think a person could remember what one looked like after making fun of them for five years."
"In Malfoy's defense, you have changed a lot, 'Mione." Ginny spoke. "You were pretty before, but now. I myself almost couldn't place you."
"Well I'm not the only one who has changed," she protested looking direct at Harry and then shifting her glance to look at Ron.
They both were now were about two meters, although Ron edge Harry but half a decimeter. Quidditch practicing and a summer full or de-knomming and other yard work helped in the transformation of the scrawny boys into to the now toned 'men'.
"Yeah, and what did Rory do to Hermione? They Hermione we know would never have done that?"
"I just wanted to have fun before the school year started. I had the plane rides back and forth across the Atlantic to do my reading so now I have free time."
They spent they rest of the time talking about their vacations and plans for the school year. "Hey you guys I have a story to tell you!" Hermione said excitedly.
"Okay tell it."
"One bright day, in the middle of the night,
Two dead men stood up to fight.
It took three blind men to see fair play,
And forty dumb mutes to yell "Hur-ray!"
Back to back, they faced each other,
Drew their swords and shot the other.
If you don't believe my story is true,
Ask the blind men they saw it too."
The compartment broke up into a fit of laugher but was interrupted with a slow, steady clapping. They looked up and saw Draco and his bodyguards standing in the doorway. Then Draco saw Hermione. "Aurora, what are you doing with these arses?"
"Um it appears that I'm telling them completely ridiculous stories."
"What Malfoy, disappointed that Rory would rather hang with us than you?"
"Yes, Dawn is quite able to take care of herself."
"Yeah to bad Hermione isn't here to put in her two cents."
Things began clicking in the think skull that belonged to Malfoy. "What the hell? Granger? That's you."
"No, I'm just a figment of your mediocre imagination. Of course it's me, you stupid git. You actually believed that I was a transfer student?"
She stood up to face him, flanked by Harry and Ron. "Well, I can't say it's a bad transformation," he said looking her up and down.
"Ewe, you perverted bastard, don't look at her like that." Harry said.
"I'll curse you to next century if you even think about touching her." Ron growled.
"Well, Malfoy I don't think you welcome here. So why don't you just do us all a favor and disappear." Hermione turned and sat back throwing a dismissive wave in his direction. "Tah-tah."
He stormed out angrily.
They topic changed instantly and the four started talking about the summer. Hermione finally brought up the topic on Harry's godfather, Sirius.
"Oh I didn't want to tell you this by owl, but he's been freed on all changes thanks a lot in part to Dumbledore."
"What? Why did you wait until we were almost at Hogwarts to tell me this?"
"Cause I wanted to see you do that." Harry laughed.
"Do what?"
Ron supplied the answer, "Get all excited, turn red in anger, I don't know, just you being you."
The train was slowing down and they were still not in their robes so Hermione suggested that the boys leave while the girls change, and then they'll switch. So that's what they did and they were all seated again just in time for the train to stop so they could get up again.
"Wow," Hermione gazed up at the castle that held Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, "I can't believe we're already in sixth year."
"Yeah, I know," said Ron.
"And I can't believe we've managed not to get expelled after all they things we've done over the past five years," Harry laughed.
The four loaded into their magical horse-less carriages that transported them up to the castle. "I hope the sorting ceremony goes fast, I'm starved."
'You're always hungry Ron!"
