Chapter 8: The Hogwarts Express

Disclaimer: We only own the brilliant JK Rowling's throwaways

Hermione's POV

After the party, Draco and I became friends, but he still didn't know that I was Hermione. The band also got a lot of gigs, and soon my dad, yes I called him dad, felt it was necessary for me to always be accompanied by at least one adult.

I always brought Draco with me everywhere, even though I didn't have to. I didn't have any more run-ins with Harry or Ron. I was looking forward to going back to school, but I was nervous about how everyone would react to my new look and identity. A lot of the school was muggle-born and saw us on T.V. and also some of the magic population knew about us.

On the day that I was due to go back to school, my dad recommended that I wore simple plaid skirt with a black t-shirt. I put on my tight black dance leggings with my shortest red plaid skirt, a tight black long-sleeved shirt with a white t-shirt over it that said "Roses are red, violets are blue. God made me pretty, what happened to you?" I put on my black high-heeled shoes and finished the look with a bar in my ear, silver earrings, my tiffany chain necklace and bracelet, and the ring Draco gave me last night.

Flashback

We were watching Romeo and Juliet at my America house with the rest of my friends (the Baz Lurman, or however you spell it...the one with Leonardo DeCaprio). Draco was sitting next to me on the couch. I told him how I loved the mausoleum scene with the ring. The next morning I woke up with an exact copy, in silver, on my nightstand with a note that said

'From Draco'

Back to the Present

I headed for the room where I was supposed to meet the death eater who was going to be escorting me to platform 9 ¾ .

At the train Station

I stepped out of the limo my dad rented for me to ride in.

"Oh my god! You're E.R!" A girl said. Soon there was a ton of people surrounding me. Thankfully, three extra death eaters accompanied me, so one caused a distraction while the other three took me, Artemis, and my stuff through the wall to get to the Hogwarts Express.

I was making my way to the compartment where I was supposed to meet Harry and Ron in.

"You may leave me" I told the Death eaters.

"Your father ordered us-" one of them started

"What is going to happen to me in this crowd?"

They started to stutter

"Exactly, so just leave me alone, I'll be fine"

They walked away, but didn't leave the platform

"I wonder where Ron and Harry are" I told Artemis, "I bet you miss Athena and Aphrodite also?"

Artemis nodded her head.

'SHIT! I'm talking in parseltongue again! I hope no one noticed (A/N but someone did...)' I thought to myself.

"Hi! I'm Parvati!" Parvati said from behind me.

"Hey, where's Lavendar?" I asked her. She looked confused. "It's me, Hermione"

"Hey Hermione, sorry, I thought you were E.R."

"I am" I said plainly

"OH MY GOD!"

It went on like that for the next then minutes, with a ton of other people.

Draco's POV

"Hey Draco!" Blaise Zambini said from behind me.

"Hey man! You know what's with the crowd?" I asked

"Yea, that hot girl E.R. is here!" he told me

"WHAT! I didn't know she was coming to Hogwarts! She never told me!"

"You know E.R.!?"

"Yea, we met in July, we've been hangin' out all summer"

"Why would you want to? It's just mudblood Granger" Pansy said as she passed us, "And to think, you could have spent all that time with me Drakie."

"Back off you slut" I said. I stormed my way into the middle of the crowd. When I got there, I saw Emma in the middle of the crowd, trying to get into the compartment.

"What are you all doing to her! Go away and leave her alone!" I yelled as I grabbed her wrist and took her to my compartment.

"Thanks" she said

"This isn't your first year here, is it?"

"No" she lowered her eyes and she spoke in a small whisper, knowing what was coming

"You Knew Potter and Weasly before the party thing, right"

"Yes"

"The name you've been going as for the past sixteen years of your life is Hermione Granger, right"

"Yea"

She was looking down, and I thought I saw her eyes start to tear.

"You thought you could play me for a sap just because of who your father is"

"NO!" She looked up at me "That was what I was originally going to do, but then you started to act like a decent person and I couldn't! You're one of the best friends I've ever had"

"And I actually confided in you!"

"But..."

"But nothing! You lied about who you are and took advantage of me because of MHF!"

She leant in and kissed me in mid-sentence.

"I'm sorry, I'll go" she turned and went into the next compartment (she was going to go through the train to get back to her compartment) and closed the door behind her before I could stop her.

I ran down through the compartments until I finally found an empty one. I locked myself in the compartment at the end of the train. I didn't even have Artemis to talk to because she wanted to stay with my stuff to wait for Athena and Aphrodite.

When the train stopped, I ran into the carriage on the other side of the station, so no one would see me. Unfortunately, there were only enough carriages for everyone (exactly four in a carriage, no more or less). I looked over the carriage and saw Harry and Ron...HOLDING THE DOOR OPEN FOR LAVENDAR AND PARVATI!

I looked down into my lap and then to the bench at the other side of the carriage. In front of me sat Ginny Weasley, Colin Creevy and Luna Luvgood, each holding Artemis, Athena, and Aphrodite! I smiled at them as Athena and Artemis made their way towards me and Aphrodite flew on my shoulder.

"Hey Hermione, or are you now known as E.R.?" Ginny said. I was grateful for their friendships and normalcy towards me.

"Hey guys, how were your vacations?" I asked

"Fine, Harry came over and the two were obsessing about your new look, but mum didn't believe them when she overheard them talking about it." Ginny said

"I went to a muggle camp where I studied photography and techniques" Colin said excitingly.

"Daddy and I traveled Europe looking for a (whatever they were planning on spending their summer looking for)" Luna said.

"Cool, well I guess you all know how I spent my summer"

"Actually, we only know about your public life. What was with ferret face before in the crowd?" Ginny urged

"Oh, we met up over the summer and he didn't know who I was and I didn't recognize him, so we hung out. When we met up here, he didn't realize, but I did. Don't worry, I still hate that bastard" I lied.

"I also heard that a green haired girl made a scene while breaking up with Vicktor Krum at the magical beach games this summer, but that can't be true because you are his girlfriend" Ginny started. She knew about Krum and me even the time-out thing, which not even Judy knew about

"Yea, I saw a picture of her, you know, she kinda looked familiar" Colin said. It was like they had rehearsed this, which I think they did.

"Daddy and I took a break off of traveling to go to the games. I saw it. Her voice sounded familiar, and Krum was calling her 'Herm-own-ninny', that name sounds familiar too." Luna added

"What do you think about it Hermione?" Ginny asked.

"Would you look at that. We're at the front doors already. I see that all four of you made prefect, congratulations. Well, I'll be seeing you" I said, quickly making my way out of the carriage, running into the Great Hall.

I was sitting at the end of the table, waiting for everyone to come when I realized that I forgot to change into my uniform.

"Shit!" I cursed aloud. Thankfully, nobody heard me.

I looked up and saw some of the Gryffindor students about to sit in the seats next to me, but I quickly told them that I was saving the seats for Harry and Ron. they walked away and my two best friends in the world came into the hall. I waved for them to sit next to me. They came over, but Lavendar and Parvati sat across from us.

"Hey E.R." Harry said mockingly. I smirked at his lame joke.

"Hey guys, I was saving us a carriage, where were you?"

"Where were you on the train?"

"Why does everyone keep questioning me! First Ginny, Colin and Luna and now you guys! I can't deal with it! It's annoying!" I accidentally said aloud.

"Whoa! We're sorry Mione, we didn't realize. We just thought... " Ron started

"What, that I'd be used to it? Just forget it, it's no big." I reassured them

"OK, but if we start to annoy you again, tell us" Harry said. He was always like a big brother to me.

"Yea, and it's really bad for your skin to hold in emotions" Lavender said, sounding like a total ditz.

Harry and I snickered, but Ron's mind was somewhere else, and Harry noticed. Quickly, covering his friend he said "Mione, where's your uniform?"

"In your compartment" I smiled weakly.

"Here, you can wear my robes so no one notices"

"Thanks Harry" He took off his robe and put it over my shoulders.

"Besides, you wouldn't want anyone to think that you're getting special treatment just because you're famous, would you?" he joked. Harry always made the lamest jokes.

"I'm not famous, a lot of people like my music so they hire me and my friends to play"

"Yea, even Good Charlotte"

"You saw that?"

Harry and I were in a world of our own when the double doors opened and a bunch of first years walked into the room. The feast began as usual. The sorting, warnings and notes, announcement of a new DADA professor, the usual. We ate, talked and got up to got to the dorms, but right before anyone left the hall, Professor Dumbledore stood up.

"Would Miss Hermione Granger please see me after the feast." He said before sitting back down. Soon, people started to leave. I made my way to the professors' table to speak to Dumbledore.

"Yes professor?" I said

"Miss Granger, I am aware that you found something out this summer, am I right?"

"What do you mean sir?"

"To receive information about a student, the ministry must first contact me, it is very complicated so don't ask me why. I would appreciate it if you would keep your father and adoption on a low scale. I would also appreciate it if you and you band would play at our back to school dance?"

"I'll contact them before I go to bed, but you might be stuck with just me and transfigured items resembling them." I said/joked.

His eyes twinkled and I walked off to go to my dormitory. Halfway out the room I remembered that I didn't know the password. I turned around to go ask Dumbledore. He looked at me and mouthed 'Crimson Ruby'.

I turned and walked out of the Great Hall.