What Could Have Been
A/N: I have actually come up a plot with this. Sorry for the lack of updates on my other fic, it will come eventually.
Disclaimer: I don't think I'm good enough to write the Harry Potter series just yet.
Chapter Two – Those Mindless Idiots
To say Hermione was shocked would be an understatement. Slumping down on her seat, she resisted the urge to bang her head against the window. This is just a bad dream; I am hallucinating, I am hallucinating…
Meanwhile, her two best friends were looking at her worriedly. She had been like this ever since she had arrived back from her meeting; sitting slouched in her seat, and staring into nothing. Neither one of them were willing to break her from her trance, but also not wanting to act so tentative around her any longer. Finally, Ron gathered up the courage to sit down hesitantly next to her and ask her what was wrong.
In response, Hermione just smiled reassuringly at him, told him not to worry, and walked out of the compartment. The two boys stared at each other, shrugged, and got out a pack of Exploding Snap.
On the other end of the train, Draco Malfoy, also known as the "Slytherin Prince", was also having difficulty in digesting the conversation he just had with the school bookworm. Damn, what are all those other people going to think when they find out I offered that proposition with Granger? And what would his house think; when they found out that he had offered a truce to the Bookworm Head Girl? Not only them, but the rest of the school would think he had become insane. His reputation would surely go spiralling downhill rapidly.
Damn it, damn it, damn it, he thought, while continually hitting his head against the window. His group of fans stood outside his compartment, horrified at his action. Wanting to rush in and comfort their adoring "Prince", but not having the courage to do so caused the group of them to continue watching, with their forlorn expression masked onto their faces. They grimaced and winced each time they saw his beautiful porcelain face make contact with the clear window pane.
He finally grew tired of sacrificing his brain cells to a mere piece of glass. Instead, he flopped back onto his chair, and his face contorted with pain as his head hit the back of the seat.
The sky flying by outside was gradually changing and becoming darker with each passing minute. At first, he thought it was because the train was nearing Hogwarts, but upon glancing out the window a second time (at which he scowled at; after all, it was the cause of his pain), he saw that it was not the result of the time passing. A storm was brewing, and with his experience of storms, he knew this was not going to be a gentle one.
His partner, on the other hand, was currently hiding in a toilet, all the while assuring herself that she was not becoming insane. She figured she would have to get out soon; there were quite a number of voices telling her to hurry up, and finish her business already.
Finally admitting defeat to the sounds of angry voices outside, she opened the door, only to be faced with many red faced girls, who mostly belonged to the oh-so-adoring fans of the one and only Draco Malfoy. The literally dragged her out and bombarded her with questions, which ran along the lines of "What have you done with our Drakie-poo?" She flinched at the absurd pet name for the "Slytherin Prince", all the while denying the accusations flung at her. Finally, she was able to escape from the impossible throng of girls and run into the nearest compartment. She locked the door with the most complex spell known, and made to sit down on the seat, only to find an occupant already there, watching her with a mixture of curiosity and distaste.
She flushed out of embarrassment; to think her mortal enemy was sitting there right nest to her, while she had come fleeing into his arms. Well, not really right into his arms, but the compartment was close enough. To have escaped those imbecilic girls, only to be stuck with the ferret, the object of her trouble. Thinking through the pros and cons of staying in the same carriage as the ferret or running through the train to the other side and back into her own compartment, she finally decided to stick with him. For now anyway.
The sky had visibly darkened since five minutes ago. It now looked as if it were about to pour any second. And it did. The first round of thunder and lightning came so suddenly, it caused Hermione to jump in her seat from fright. She had not expected this; indeed, she had thought the darkening sky was a sign that they were almost at Hogwarts. The most unfortunate thing was not the storm itself, it was more the fact that she was deathly afraid of them, and no-one, not even her two best friends knew of her secret. And now, her enemy was about to discover it.
While she sat there, straight as a board, he observed her, wondering why she was so rigid. Realisation suddenly hit him, and a smirk made its way onto his face. The storm had not even arrived yet, and she was already terrified. Ah, this was going to become a great blackmail item. He was about to rub in the fact that she was scared, but then another flash of lightning and thunder occurred, and she screamed, clutching onto his arm rather solidly, pulling it up to her mouth.
His eyes began to water in pain, as her nails dug deep into his skin. He yelled at her to let go, but she was beyond petrified to even hear him. Had the carriage door not been locked, his fans would have surely rushed in and helped him out of his predicament. Unfortunately for him and them, the door was locked, and they were not smart enough to know the counter-spell to the lock. So to the complete horrification of the group of girls, they watched him being used as a chew toy (not that any of them knew what it was, being purebloods and all) by the Head Girl.
Fortunately for the 'ferret', she finally let go, but not before a huge set of teeth marks were embellished onto his pale arm. He looked at it with shock, not registering the fact that the person who had caused the mark had quietly and discreetly slipped out of the carriage, somehow creeping through the fans without them noticing.
As the train sighted the Hogsmeade Station, Hermione stumbled back into her carriage, seeing Harry and Ron nearly wetting themselves with worry over her disappearance. Assuring them that she was alright, she shooed them out of the room so that she could get changed. Once they were out of the carriage, she collapsed onto the seat, willing herself to calm down. The storm had gone as sudden as it had arrived, but she was still shaken.
With the train finally screeching to a halt, Hermione stood up, and looked at her reflection in the window. If one did not look at her closely, she could almost pass for looking like her normal self.
Hopping off the train, she was glad to find Harry and Ron waiting for her anxiously, with her luggage already packed into the horseless carriages. They ushered her in, with her squashed in between Ginny and Neville. She tried to settle down; mentally preparing herself for the wondrous year she was in for.