A.N.: Hi everyone who is reading this story of mine. It is the first chapter of my new story. I apologize to all those who were reading my other story and waited for chapter 17, I think for about a few months now. I apologize again. It's just that my heart was really no longer in that story, and it was going in a different direction then I had intentionally thought. I will finish that story at a later date and time when I'm up to it. But it might be hard to do it if my mom continues to want to read it. I don't want her think I'm perverted or anything. So she will not know about this story, hopefully. I apologize once again and I thank everyone who read it and/or reviewed it because they gave me a lot of support. So here is my new story and I think it will be better then my last, and hopefully not so predictable. Thanks for reading this authors note. So without further ado read, review, and hopefully enjoy.

Disclaimer: This is the only time I'll do because it becomes annoying when repeated. And I can be forgetful. But I own absolutely nothing. I just hope I own the plot.

What Lies Within

Chapter One: Train ride

Hermione Granger sat upon the bench inside an otherwise empty cabin in the scarlet train that would transport her to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She pet her cat Crookshank, (A.N.: If anyone knows how to spell this damn cats name, I'll give them a cookie! Not literally though.) who lay lazily on her lap as she stared intently out the window. Her chocolate brown orbs fixed on the entrance between the muggle platform and platform 9 ¾. She knew Ron, Harry, and Ginny would show up about the time they usually did. Which just happened to be a minute before the scarlet train left to journey towards Hogwarts.

While she waited Hermione thought of all the new things that could happen this year. She knew her and her two best friends would once again be thrown into adventures as they had done with every pervious year. It was not as though they really searched for danger and adventure, it usually thrust itself upon them. They knew they had to always do something, they couldn't just sit by and not solve another mystery.

Think of this brought many memories of what had happened over the last six years. The mysteries they had solved, the adventures they had experienced, the people they had helped, and the people they have lost. These memories brought her joy and sadness. But she was suddenly brought out of her thoughts as she noticed the heads and faces of the people she was waiting for appear through the barrier. She glanced at her watch and smile. 'Yep, only one minute to go or they would have missed the train.' She thought to herself as she watched Harry, Ron and Ginny say good bye to six adults on the platform that were clearly there for protection.

"Hello Hermione." Ron said with a cheerful smile as appeared at the door of her compartment. He took the seat next to her after placing Pig, his miniature owl that was in a cage, onto the storage rack along with their trunks.

"Hello Ron." She said smiling back.

Harry appeared next and after placing both his and Ginny's things onto the storage rack sat across from her and Ron. Ginny proceeded and took the seat next to him.

"Hi Hermione." Harry said after sitting down. He smiled brightly, but his smile has never been as bright as once was a few years back. It had faded slightly over time and Hermione understood completely why. It had diminished slightly just as had the sparkle had seemed to be almost lost in his bright green eyes.

"Hi Harry, hello Ginny." Hermione said smiling brightly at them and seeing them smile back even more.

She never realized how much she had missed her friends over the summer until now. She wasn't able to see them because until a few days ago she had not even been in the country. She had been in Greece with her parents for it was her last summer before graduating.

"So what did you guys do all summer because you obviously know what I was up to?" She asked them knowing full well what they had been up to.

"Well, you know." Said Harry looking as though he wasn't sure of what to say. "Basically just the same old stuff."

"Yeah I know, but I want details." She stated.

"Well, we spent most of the summer at the headquarters." Ron said gesturing to both himself and Ginny, his little sister. "Harry didn't join us until the middle of last month when Dumbledore finally allowed him to leave the Dursley's."

"It wasn't all that bad this summer." Harry said looking somewhat content. "They left me alone most of the time and were nice to me when I was around them. That might have been because I was officially allowed to do magic as of my birthday. Even Aunt Petunia took us off that horrid diet. But I think that may be because because Dudley's fat has been turning into muscle from boxing. It's kind of wierd when you think about it. He looks even bigger than I have ever seen him before."

Everyone laughed at the last comment for they had all seen Dudley at least once. It surprised Hermione that he had not died of a heart attack yet.

Everyone was still laughing when the compartments door open. Nobody seemed to notice that Draco Malfoy was standing there with Crabbe and Goyle standing behind him in a menacing way. Draco glared at them waiting for someone to notice his presence. ' They are all a knut short of a gallion.' is what crossed his mind as he still stood there.

Hermione was the first to perk her head up and notice Draco standing there. She saw a smile spread across his lips as he realized he was finally noticed.

"What are you doing here Malfoy?" Hermione said standing up, a tone a disgust was clearly stated in her voice.

Her sentence alone seemed to sober everyone up as they all stood, save Ginny, and glared at the blond boy/man in front of them.

"Why Granger I just thought I would stop by and grace everyone with my presence." He said in a tone that suggested boredom, but he couldn't hide the smirk form his face.

"Ha, that's a laugh Malfoy!" Hermione replied sarcastically before giving anyone else a chance to speak. She didn't want a fight erupting before the first day of school. She was after all, the new head girl. And the badge shinned proudly upon her robe. "Won't you ever grow out of you childish antics? They are become quite old." She said with a note of boredom in her own voice.

Harry, Ron and Ginny were just looking back and forward between the two, to shocked to really speak.

"Ah, my dear sweet mudblood, I shall never grow old of these antics because they always seem to irritate you in such a way nothing else will." He said with poison dripping off his tongue.

This woke Ron and Harry from their shock as both stepped towards their enemy.

"Just Sod off Malfoy!" Ron practically screamed his face become the color of his hair. He could never take the word Draco used to insult one of his best friends.

Before Draco could respond the jolly witch with the cart of goodies step up beside the compartment. "Don't you children of tire of this?" She asked. "I will not stand fighting on this train. Get back to your separate compartments now."

With this Draco Malfoy and his crew walked away and the witch sold treats to the four Gryffindor companions.

They spent the rest of the train ride talking and playing games until they had reached Hogwarts. But Hermione's mind kept focussing on the flash of silver she had seen on Draco's robes as he had walked away.

A.N.: Thanks everyone for reading this first chapter and please review and tell me what you think. I will not write the next chapter until I get this next question answered. Should Hermione share a common room and basic living space with the head boy, or not?