1.       Giggling in the Rain.

This would be the last year for our friends. After that they won't be attending Hogwarts any more. No more Potions by Snape, and there wouldn't be any protection from the dark world. This would be the last year, and after that no more Draco Malfoy.

And that was something that they wouldn't miss, Hermione thought with a look of dislike on her face. She was staring out of the window, when the boy she was thinking about came strolling in arrogant as ever, his bodyguards right behind him.
Ron and Harry looked at him instantly but Hermione didn't, she kept staring out of the window like he wasn't even there. But just right before Draco opens his mouth Hermione stood up, looking right at him. "Don't you ever get tired of this Deatheater?" she asked with poison in her voice.

A anger appeared in Draco's  normally cool eyes and he rolled up his sleeve "No Mark!" he hissed grabbing Hermione's  shoulders, shaking her. Harry and Ron where so surprised that they couldn't move an inch. "Let go of me!" Hermione shouted, but Draco didn't let go.  In a flash Hermione pulled up her leg, hitting Draco square in the family jewels.  Draco curled up, moaning from the pain Hermione inflicted and Hermione pushed him out of the compartment without any remorse. "There, that was that." Hermione said brushing of an invisible piece of dirt.
For one moment Harry and Ron just stared at Hermione. "Wow Hermione!" Ron shouted excited and Harry grinned broadly while saying "Cool Hermione! Just like that time with the Time-Turner! Only then you hit him in the face." "I just didn't want to listen to his rambling right now." Hermione said like she did that kind of things all the time and sat back in her seat. She grabbed a book and hit behind it, listening to the two boys over talking her action for about ten minutes.
She doubted if her action would  turn out right, Draco had become more and more dangerous the past years. Some even said that he was the heir of You-Know-Who! Hermione shook her head trying to forget that last thought. She didn't listen to gossip! She was Hermione Granger, the bookworm, she never listen to such foul lies. And beside that, he didn't have a Dark Mark, so that was a good sign. That meant that she was somehow safer, even if she was, in his point of view, a mudblood.
To that term she had to get used to, for hearing it so much the last couple of years. It didn't matter to her any more, did it?

Thinking further Hermione realized that he might be after revenge. How could she get herself out of that one? Cause one of the other rumours was that Draco got what he wanted, how he wanted and when he wanted it. The way he got it didn't matter, but that where just rumours, right?

Hermione sighed and looked at her watch, they would be arriving soon. "We'll be arriving in about half an hour,  if you two would be so kind to wait outside so I could change into my robes." she said and the two boys left without complaining. Hermione changed quickly and let the boys back in, before the would get themselves into trouble. They had changed in another compartment and where very quiet when the returned.

"What's the matter?" Hermione asked "You're awfully quiet." She saw that the two boys hesitated to answer her, she had to know what bothered them. "How did you change so much?" Ron suddenly asked in a very blunt tone and Hermione could see that Harry was thinking of a way to soften Ron's question. "What Ron means is that you've changed. You turned down the position of Headgirl en just now you kneed Malfoy. What on earth happened?" Harry asked on a soft tone. Hermione sighed, this question was really annoying. "Some people grow up Harry and I've set my priorities. Being Headgirl isn't that important." The use of difficult words seemed to confuse the boy's and from that time they kept their mouth shut. When the train stopped they still hadn't said a word, but it didn't bother Hermione.

When they got out of the train it was raining very hard and Hermione ran giggling to a carriage. She never giggled much but the rain made her happier than she had been in an long time.
She jumped into the first carriage she saw and right after her Harry, Ron, Ginny and Neville hopped in too. "Its raining." Ginny said rummaging in her pockets, searching for her mirror. "Aah! Look at my face!" she screamed in horror when she finally found it and every one in the carriage looked at her. "Its just you make-up." Hermione said brightly and looked out of the small round window.

The rain was still falling down, but by now the carriage started to move towards Hogwarts. It seemed that a dark veil had fallen over the entire magic world. Filling them with fear, fear for what may come. But Hermione, now wet and tired, had never felt better and couldn't even worry about tomorrow.  She looked out of the window, seeing the dark veil, but not fearing it.

By now the carriage had arrived at Hogwarts, but no one in the carriage moved. "Its still raining." Neville said and looked at his hands. "Oh come on!" Hermione exclaimed and opened the door. "A bit of rain isn't going to melt you." she said en jumped down, running towards the castle. Not seeing the cold eyes looking at her from the shadows…

What she had done to him earlier, he could not let it pass without an punishment. Oh no, that filthy little mudblood would wish she was never born by the time he was finished with her. A vague smile crossed his features and Draco slowly walked into the great hall.
He didn't have the Mark, but he was to join the Dark Lord one day. But that also was just a mudblood. His father wanted him to join a mudblood on a purification war! He was never to serve, he was to rule! And that was what he wanted to prove, not only towards his father, but to the whole world. Starting with mudblood Granger…

As Draco sat down at the Slytherin table he looked at the Gryffindor table and saw her sitting, between Potter en Weasel her two best friend. But even they weren't going to save her this time… He would mentally torture her until she was thinking that she was nuts. Then, maybe then, he would kill to end her suffering. 

That would be a great game, Draco just hoped that Granger would put up a fight. That would only make it better. But, he thought, I will find out if she's going to fight me or not. To bad that it wouldn't be tonight, she refused the position of Headgirl so now he was stuck with Patty Parkinson. How she made it was a great mystery for him, he would be surprised if she knew the difference between the front and back of an owl.

Mumbling something that wasn't repeatable Draco converted his eyes towards Prof. Dumbledore, who was holding his speech. "I'm in for a boring evening." Draco mumbled knowing he was right about that.