Chapter Three

'''Hermione's mouth hung open in a perfect "o" of shock. She could not believe the words she

heard coming from the compartment, and it was with greater shock that she realized the voice

she hear was the soft, nervous voice of...Neville Longbottom?! She shivered slightly,

remembering with sudden clarity the furtive looks Neville would send her during Herbology.

Don't get me wrong, Neville is a nice guy, but...ugh! She thought in disgust.

'''Bracing herself, Hermione opened the door of the compartment and stepped inside, ignoring

Neville's gaping stare. She sigh with inward relief when he stuttered something about having to

find Trevor and backed out of the compartment. Harry looked at Hermione in amusement.

'''"So, how much of that conversation did you listen in on?" He asked cheerfully.

'''"Harry Potter! Are you accusing me of...just enough to hear Neville's confession" she finished

guiltily.

'''Harry chuckled and patted her on the head, while Ron shot her a sympathetic glace. As much

as everyone liked to believe, there were no romantic feelings between any of the three, and it

amused the teens immensely.

'''Hermione looked up at Harry, amused anger sparking in her eyes.

'''"Harry, you just gave me the MOST condescending pat ever" she said

'''"Yes, and...?"

'''"I HATE condescending pats, and I'll have you know that if you ever do that again, you can

kiss having children goodbye." She said with a smirk.

'''Harry paled, and promptly sat on his hands. Ron and Hermione roared with laughter, and after

a moment, Harry joined in grudgingly.

-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-

'''The Great Hall filled with the noise of hundreds of students ravenously eating the first meal of

the year. The Sorting Ceremony had gone quickly, and Dumbledore has stood, giving a

characteristic speech, "Students, I would like to say a few words: cabbage, nose hair, sponge,"

and had seated himself, clapped, and dug into the food that appeared before him.

'''Ron was busily trying to fit an entire meat pasty in his mouth, and swallow it whole, while

Hermione watched in disgust, primly sipping her pumpkin juice. Harry was engrossed in

conversation with Seamus about Quidditch. Hermione had given up S.P.E.W. a year ago, but

she still was disgusted by the lack of respect shown to the animals, and to her, the Beginning of

Year Feast was yet another example of their mistreatment. She was pulled out of her musings by

a soft tap on her shoulder, and she spun around and looked into the twinkling eyes of Albus

Dumbledore.

'''"Congratulations on making Head Girl, Ms. Granger," he said softly, and beckoned for her to

follow him. Once they had exited the Great Hall, Dumbledore stopped, and looked around

expectantly. As if on cue, the slim form of Draco Malfoy appeared from the shadows, his Head

Boy badge gleaming in the eerie light of the empty foyer.

'''"As Head Boy and Girl, as you may know, you will be sharing a Common Room,"

Dumbledore began, smiling at the sulky expression on the two teen's faces.

'''"As Headmaster, I must warn you that there are responsibilities that go along with these

privledges, but, I am sure that you can find these guidelines in Hogwarts, A History. Am I

correct, Ms. Granger?" When Hermione nodded vigorously, he continued, "With that out of the

way, let us proceed to your quarters."

-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-

'''Dumbledore paused in front of a painting of...a lemon drop? On closer examination, Hermione

saw an impish yellow fairy perched on top of the lemon drop.

'''"Good evening Lisette. Hot Fudge." The fairy nodded and winked, and the portrait swung

open.

'''Draco heard Hermione gasp beside him, and as he looked around, he realized why. The room

they stood in was enormous and exquisitely decorated. The vaulted ceiling rose 30 feet into the

air, and a crystal chandelier hung from its center. A sweeping black marble staircase was

centered against the back wall, and spilt into two curving staircases halfway up. At the top of

each stair was a small landing and an ornately carved mahagoney door. The polished wood floor

gleamed warmly, and two comforatable looking couches created a living area in front of a large

fireplace where cedar logs burned merrily. Bookcases lined an entire wall, and Draco could

almost sense Hermione's excitement over the selection of books that were displayed there. On

the opposite wall were a set of double doors, one emblazoned with the Slytherin serpent, the

other with the Gryffindor lion.

'''Dumbledore smiled at the two student's expressions, and bid them goodnight before sweeping

away out the portrait hole. As the portrait swung shut behind him, Draco and Hermione spun to

face each other...