Hermione ran up through the Fat Lady's picture and into the Gryffindor
common room, setting down Crookshanks and throwing her trunk so that it
slid across the room.
"RON! HARRY! GINNY! ARE YOU HERE!?" She shouted at the top of her lungs. Crookshanks bristled at the noise, peered up at her malevolently, and trotted off to hide underneath an overstuffed chair, waiting for the next person to sit down for an attack.
"What's with all the yelling? Who's the screamer down there?" A bright red head of hair peaked around the corner of the dormitory staircase. "Hey! Hey, Harry! Guess who it is!" Ron Weasley came bounding down the steps, nearly missing the last one. He straightened himself, face flushed, when Harry finished his own decent. Hermione hugged Harry, and went to hug Ron, but awkwardly hesitated. It had been like this for years. Harry rolled his eyes.
"How's it been, Hermione? I thought you'd be staying at Ron's this summer, but when I saw him, you were no where to be found." Harry said to her. He had grown taller, and was nearly catching up to Ron. Ron, if one could believe, had continued to grow, now looking as if someone had laid him out on a stretching rack.
"Well, my summer was horrid! I thought my parents, being that they are muggles and all, would never have heard or even bothered with the whole V- Voldemort return-Ron, stop shuddering-but the moment I stepped off the train and found them, they were asking all sorts of questions! Seems that they bought their own owl, to try to understand wizarding culture, and have been getting The Daily Prophet all last year. They barely let me out of the house, they were so scared! So I wasn't able to go to Ron's. But I did get a lot of reading done! And do you know my mother actually insisted on driving me here instead of me taking the train? That's why I'm so late. She actually thinks Lord Voldemort would get me on the Hogwarts Express!" Hermione turned around at a small yelp. Seamus Finnigan had mistakenly sat on the chair over Crookshanks, and was now trying to pry the orange fur ball off his leg. "Crookshanks, play nice! Oh, Seamus, is it really necessary to treat my cat that way!?"
Hermione turned back to them. "Um, yeah, anyway," Harry muttered. "I was kind of stuck in the house too.Dumbledor's orders."
"He forced you to keep away from my house?" Ron looked incredulously at him. "Look, I know Fred and George can get carried away, but they're not dangerous."
Harry looked sullenly at the floor. "It's not that. Dumbledor has his reasons."
"But anything is better than the Dursleys!"
"I guess you could say they're what keep me alive, even if they are disagreeable."
Harry looked uncomfortable, so Hermione quickly changed the subject. "We should be heading down to breakfast, shouldn't we?"
The trio made their way down to the Great Hall, seating themselves with the other Gryffindors, who were moaning over the schedules that were being handed out by Professor McGonnagal.
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Draco strode into the Great Hall, still brooding, and sat down on the corner of the Slytherin table. He stared across the hall, sneering at the "Golden Three" beneath the red and gold banners of Gryffindor. God how he hated them!
Pansy Parkinson walked over with a twisted smile on her ugly face, and sat down next to him. "Morning, Draco." She shuffled a little closer to him, still suffering from her unrequited love for him. Draco totally ignored her presence, still scowling. "Something wrong?" No reply. She took a look to wear he was glaring. She suddenly understood, and figured this would be the perfect chance to gain a few points from her crush. "Ah, Potty Potter's still got you down? He really is such a show-off. Can't stand him, really. But the worst of them is that frizz ball Granger." Pansy ground her teeth. "Stupid little twit."
Draco grunted in approval. Pansy took this as a good thing and continued.
"You know, there's nothing I wouldn't like more than to bring them down. They damn near run the school. I wish I could do something."
Draco's eyes narrowed as he looked up at her. "What exactly did you have in mind?"
"Well, I'd be happy just taking care of that mudblood, Granger. I want to ruin her." Pansy glowered at the back of Hermione's head. "You know, I heard that she and Weasley have a little thing going on. A lot of tension between them, if you know what I mean."
"Is that so?" Draco's eyes widened. This is good news. Draco caught a glimpse of his reflection in his goblet of pumpkin juice; Dear God, he had those Malfoy looks. That will definitely come in handy. And Granger and Weasley as a potential item could work to his advantage. All he would have to do is work his way in there, devise a scheme to tear the two apart at the height of their feelings. Why, it could possibly even split up the whole trio! Pansy, hideous though she was, could be an adequate aide in his plans. He'd simply have to use her to his benefit. Draco stood up from the table and smiled down on Pansy. She began to blush.
"Thank you, Pansy. You've certainly brightened my day." He took her sweaty hand and bent over it for a quick peck, than walked out of the Great Hall.
Things were definitely coming along well.
"RON! HARRY! GINNY! ARE YOU HERE!?" She shouted at the top of her lungs. Crookshanks bristled at the noise, peered up at her malevolently, and trotted off to hide underneath an overstuffed chair, waiting for the next person to sit down for an attack.
"What's with all the yelling? Who's the screamer down there?" A bright red head of hair peaked around the corner of the dormitory staircase. "Hey! Hey, Harry! Guess who it is!" Ron Weasley came bounding down the steps, nearly missing the last one. He straightened himself, face flushed, when Harry finished his own decent. Hermione hugged Harry, and went to hug Ron, but awkwardly hesitated. It had been like this for years. Harry rolled his eyes.
"How's it been, Hermione? I thought you'd be staying at Ron's this summer, but when I saw him, you were no where to be found." Harry said to her. He had grown taller, and was nearly catching up to Ron. Ron, if one could believe, had continued to grow, now looking as if someone had laid him out on a stretching rack.
"Well, my summer was horrid! I thought my parents, being that they are muggles and all, would never have heard or even bothered with the whole V- Voldemort return-Ron, stop shuddering-but the moment I stepped off the train and found them, they were asking all sorts of questions! Seems that they bought their own owl, to try to understand wizarding culture, and have been getting The Daily Prophet all last year. They barely let me out of the house, they were so scared! So I wasn't able to go to Ron's. But I did get a lot of reading done! And do you know my mother actually insisted on driving me here instead of me taking the train? That's why I'm so late. She actually thinks Lord Voldemort would get me on the Hogwarts Express!" Hermione turned around at a small yelp. Seamus Finnigan had mistakenly sat on the chair over Crookshanks, and was now trying to pry the orange fur ball off his leg. "Crookshanks, play nice! Oh, Seamus, is it really necessary to treat my cat that way!?"
Hermione turned back to them. "Um, yeah, anyway," Harry muttered. "I was kind of stuck in the house too.Dumbledor's orders."
"He forced you to keep away from my house?" Ron looked incredulously at him. "Look, I know Fred and George can get carried away, but they're not dangerous."
Harry looked sullenly at the floor. "It's not that. Dumbledor has his reasons."
"But anything is better than the Dursleys!"
"I guess you could say they're what keep me alive, even if they are disagreeable."
Harry looked uncomfortable, so Hermione quickly changed the subject. "We should be heading down to breakfast, shouldn't we?"
The trio made their way down to the Great Hall, seating themselves with the other Gryffindors, who were moaning over the schedules that were being handed out by Professor McGonnagal.
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Draco strode into the Great Hall, still brooding, and sat down on the corner of the Slytherin table. He stared across the hall, sneering at the "Golden Three" beneath the red and gold banners of Gryffindor. God how he hated them!
Pansy Parkinson walked over with a twisted smile on her ugly face, and sat down next to him. "Morning, Draco." She shuffled a little closer to him, still suffering from her unrequited love for him. Draco totally ignored her presence, still scowling. "Something wrong?" No reply. She took a look to wear he was glaring. She suddenly understood, and figured this would be the perfect chance to gain a few points from her crush. "Ah, Potty Potter's still got you down? He really is such a show-off. Can't stand him, really. But the worst of them is that frizz ball Granger." Pansy ground her teeth. "Stupid little twit."
Draco grunted in approval. Pansy took this as a good thing and continued.
"You know, there's nothing I wouldn't like more than to bring them down. They damn near run the school. I wish I could do something."
Draco's eyes narrowed as he looked up at her. "What exactly did you have in mind?"
"Well, I'd be happy just taking care of that mudblood, Granger. I want to ruin her." Pansy glowered at the back of Hermione's head. "You know, I heard that she and Weasley have a little thing going on. A lot of tension between them, if you know what I mean."
"Is that so?" Draco's eyes widened. This is good news. Draco caught a glimpse of his reflection in his goblet of pumpkin juice; Dear God, he had those Malfoy looks. That will definitely come in handy. And Granger and Weasley as a potential item could work to his advantage. All he would have to do is work his way in there, devise a scheme to tear the two apart at the height of their feelings. Why, it could possibly even split up the whole trio! Pansy, hideous though she was, could be an adequate aide in his plans. He'd simply have to use her to his benefit. Draco stood up from the table and smiled down on Pansy. She began to blush.
"Thank you, Pansy. You've certainly brightened my day." He took her sweaty hand and bent over it for a quick peck, than walked out of the Great Hall.
Things were definitely coming along well.