Author's Note: Hey Guys! I'm so sorry for the delay on a new chapter. I've been suffering from a mild case of writer's block. I hope you'll forgive me. I have a plot line but I'm not sure if most of you guys will like it. Please review and tell me what you think. Things might get OOC.

Disclaimer- I don't own Harry Potter and I'm not making any money out of this story.

Chapter Eight

Losing Old Friends and Making New Ones

Hermione and Draco arrived in Diagon Alley a few minutes later thanks to Floo Powder. After a quick stop in Gringotts, they went to Madam Madkin's robe shop. They both got a new set of robes since their old ones didn't fit them anymore. After getting measured, they got their new robes. They put a charm on the boxes which made them smaller, allowing them to fit in their pockets. They preceded to Flourish and Blotts, where they went to buy the books on their list. Hermione however, got some extra books on various subjects.

And so it continued. Hermione and Draco went from one shop to the next, getting things they would need for their seventh year. After an hour and a half of shopping, they went to Quality Quidditch Supplies to look at broomsticks.

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"I wonder if we'll see Hermione here," said Ron, trying to hold on to his boxes and bags.

"Yeh," replied Harry, staining under the weight of his school supplies. "We haven't seen here for months.

Mrs. Weasley had decided that today was a good day for buying their school supplies. School was starting in less than a week. Harry and Ron had just finished buying their new supplies and had decided to go look at the new shipment of broomsticks coming in. They walked towards the quidditch shop bumping into people while trying to hold on to their packages.

As they approached the shop, they stopped dead in their tracks. What they say, shocked and baffled them. It was Hermione and Draco Malfoy. Draco had taken a helmet and was putting it on Hermione's head. What baffled them was the fact that she didn't push him away. She didn't even yell at him. She GIGGLED and playfully swatted him.

"This isn't possible," thought Harry, " Hermione and Malfoy?? Flirting??"

Harry and Ron were rooted to the ground, unable to move. They silently watched as Draco took the helmet off Hermione's head, took her hand, and gently led her out of the shop.

Immediately, Ron dropped his packages and ran towards the couple. Harry followed suit.

"Hermione!" shouted Ron as he came closer to her, "What are you doing with this- this...ferret? Don't you know what you're doing?"

"Excuse me?" said Draco in a deadly voice.

"You heard him Malfoy!" spat Harry.

Draco looked as if he was going to punch him but Hermione stopped him. Hermione put her hand on Draco's chest gently, but firmly. She pushed him back so he couldn't punch Harry or Ron. She turned around and looked at Harry and Ron.

"Thanks, but I think I can hang out with anyone I want," she said.

"Hermione," replied Harry weakly.

"No Harry," replied Ron viciously, " forget about that whore."

"How dare you Ron!" exclaimed Hermione.

"No Hermione," replied Ron, " Don't tell me that I'm rude. I think we all know what you've been doing this summer. You've been hanging around with this git," he gestured to Draco, "you can forget about being our friends because obviously, you don't care about us."

"Harry-," began Hermione, but she was soon cut off by him.

"Forget about it Hermione," interrupted Harry, "Ron is right, you don't care about us at all." he turned around and walked away.

Ron glared at them before following.

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Hermione was shocked. Because of her secrecy, she lost her two best friends. Is Draco really worth that? How did she know this wasn't all just an act? She just went with Draco against Harry and Ron. Since her very first year, Draco had been her enemy and she had only just started being friendly with him this summer. Harry and Ron on the other hand, had been her friends since first year. What was going to happen she thought? One summer had ruined her six years of friendship with them. But was her friendship with Harry and Ron all that good anyway?

In their first year, Ron and Harry had ridiculed her, and all throughout their friendship hadn't they constantly asked her to let them copy her homework? Was that all she was to them? Someone to copy off of? Did she really need them?

The week passed by quickly for Hermione. She spent most of it alone, except for mealtimes and occasionally spent her time with Draco. Her lessons continued, even though it was almost time for school.

On the first of September, she woke up at 9:30. She took a quick shower then put on some low rise jeans and a white, fitted polo shirt. She left it unbuttoned. She used a spell to make her hair dry and wore it down, allowing her curls to cascade down her back. She quickly dabbed on some chapstick and put on some mascara and black eye liner. Hermione had never been one to wear too much make up or spent too much time applying it. She didn't know it, but she was considered naturally beautiful. She was always one to be ignorant about those kinds of things about herself.

By 10:15, she was down for breakfast. Everyone else was already there. By 10:30, she and Draco were done with breakfast. After a hurried goodbye she and Draco went inside the limo that would take them to King's Cross.

The ride to King's Cross was.....silent. Neither Hermione nor Draco said anything. Hermione wondered why. It wasn't like him to stay too quiet for too long. She noticed he was looking much more solemn. She told herself that he just didn't feel like talking and stayed silent herself.

When they reached King's Cross at 10:45, Hermione was the first to speak.

"We'd better hurry if we want to get our own compartment." She headed towards the door of the limo.

"Actually, I want to talk to you about that," he said in a cold voice. Hermione stopped and turned to look at him.

"About what?" she asked.

"Well," he began, in the same cold, emotionless voice, "maybe it would be best if we...continued acting the same way we have been towards each other."

Hermione laughed, " You mean as if we hate each other? Come on Draco. We're going to be late for the train."

"I'm serious Hermione, or should I go back to calling you Granger? It would be better for our images."

"What do you mean?" replied Hermione, all traces of laughter gone. "Everyone already knows I'm not a muggleborn. They know I'm a pureblood, and a princess at that! How would it hurt your image?" she was starting to get angry. "Is that all you really care about Draco? Your image is more important than me? Even thoguh I'm a pureblood, you still think of me as 'mudblood Granger'?" she spat, "I'm never going to be good enough for you am I?" she finished angrily.

Even with all the anger and spite in her voice, Draco could still detect a hint of sadness and hurt in her voice.

She stared at him. When he didn't reply, she scoffed and got out of the limo, slamming the door behind her. She charmed her trunk to hover behind her and started walking towards the barrier. She could hear the limo door open behind her and Draco calling her name, but she continued walking. After calling her name three times, he stopped. Hermione went through the barrier to Platform 9 3/4 and boarded the train.

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After hurting Hermione, Draco felt horrible. He tried to tell himself that it wasnt for his image, but he knew it was true. Why else would he do it? If he wanted certain things to happen, he couldn't be with Hermione. She was a good friend, but that's all she was. But in the path he was planning to take, friends would count for nothing. He knew she would never follow the path he would take.

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Hermione was blinded by her tears. She didn't know where she was going. Luckily, she already put her trunk in the back of the train where all the luggage went or she would be walking around with a trunk, bumping into people.

Hermione didn't know when she had ever felt so sad. She hated herself at that moment because she knew she had made the wrong decision. She chose Draco over her friends and now, Draco had completely hurt her.

"He doesn't care about me at all," she thought.

She tried to find am empty compartment but they were all full. She looked in the window of the very last compartment and saw that there were only three figures. She quickly wiped her eyes and went inside without looking.

"Could I sit here?" she asked while wiping her eyes.

" Erm...sure," said a female voice.

"Thanks," she replied, sitting down.

"Tell me. Why would someone like you, sit with someone like us?" said the voice of Pansy Parkinson.

Hermione's eyes shot open. Shw saw, for the first time, that she was in a compartment with Pansy Parkinson, Blaise Zambini and Milicent Bustroude. "Oh no! Er...I think I'll leave now, sorry." She got up.

"There's no point," said Blaise, "all the other compartments are taken. It would be better if you just stayed here. Unless you want to sit in the hallway.

Hermione knew she was right. She gingerly sat back down.

"Well. Nice to know you're a pureblood Granger, even though you're still a Gryfindor," said Millicent.

"Isn't it Habsburg-Burbon-Granger now? That's a bit long though," replied Pansy.

"Why are you being so nice to me all of the sudden?" asked Hermione abruptly.

The three Slytherins laughed.

"Trust me," began Blaise, "we're not being nice. We can't just suddenly be all buddy buddy with you. We haven't been in the best of terms. We're just being nicer."

"Besides, we don't have any grudges against the Habsburg-Bourbons. They're a respectable family and they've always been neutral. Never on the dark side, but never on the light side either." said Pansy.

Hermione was shocked by this piece of information. She had never really talked about this issue with her grandmother or even learned about it in her lessons. She had just assumed that they were on the light side.

"So," began Hermione, " you're only being nice to me because you found out I'm not a muggleborn?"

"I know that seems really superficial of us, but, yeah, pretty much. Besides, we are Slytherins." replied Millicent.

"But what if I'm still friends with Harry and Ron?"

They laughed again.

"Don't tell me you don't know?" replied Blaise, " the whole school already knows about that fight you had with them. Apparently, some girl named Lavander saw the whole thing and told everyone. Right now, we're the only friends you have."

"Friends?" said Hermione in a shocked voice, " why would you want to be friends with me? Especially this quickly?"

"Like we said," replied Pansy, "we don't have any grudges against the Habsburg-Bourbons. They're friends of our family. We have no grudges. Not even against you. We might if you were friends with Harry and Ron, but you're not."

Hermione knew they were right. By now, all the Gryfindors were probably on Harry and Ron's side. She might as well gain some allies. Even if they were Slytherins.