I feel like I'm flying, through the sky, and the wind, and the air.
I feel like I'm unhooked from everything. The chains of my world
When I'm out here, I feel like I'm finally free.
Nothing matters except my calm breaths.
Hermione had always loved the rain as a child. Even now, at the age of seventeen, she still loved it.
'I'm stationary' She thought, 'It's the world that's spinning. Not me.'
'In this one moment, I lose sense of time, and all else. The only thing that matters is the rain hitting my skin. I feel weightless as I turn, and turn, and turn. Until I feel nothing, but bliss, everything is in perfect harmony. And I lose myself.'
Hermione sat in the middle of the merry-go-round at the park near her house. She cast a spell, making it spin continuously. It was raining heavily outside, causing large puddles to accumulate on the ground. Her soaked hair flew out around her as she sat in the center of the turning metal playground piece. Her clothes clung to her body loosely. And she laughed, as she spun around and around.
It was getting late. The already dark overcast sky was getting even darker. Hermione opened her shut eyes and noticed this; she flicked her wand and made the merry-go-round slow to a stop. She lifted herself from the center of the metal piece and walked off, stumbling slightly from the previous spinning. She steadied herself and started walking away from the park, when she heard rustling from the bushes near the swing set. It was now very dark, and she was worried that a person might be there.
"Hello?" she asked, in an unsure tone. No reply came back. She walked cautiously towards the bush but before she could reach it, the voice of her mother calling her in, distracted her, she ignored the bush and walked back home.
"Come on Draco." Narcissa urged, "We've got to get going!"
"But I don't want to go to muggle London. There are so many…muggles!" he complained.
"You're coming with me and that's final."
"But I don't want to touch that muggle filth."
Narcissa stared at Draco and quickly walked towards him. She lowered her voice.
"There is nothing wrong with muggles. Despite what your father has taught you, they are not below us. Don't believe everything Lucius says, for he has said many untrue and horrible things. Every single thing he teaches you, he teaches you because it's the Death Eater way of thinking. Do you want to become a death eater?" Draco shook his head. "Then listen to me when I say this. Give everything a chance; you've been brought up to hate too many things Draco. Now hurry up, we must be going." The two rushed out of the
Malfoy Manor and into a large limo that was waiting outside of their mansion.
Two hours later the limo pulled up to a large building in downtown London. Draco and Narcissa thanked the limo driver and walked into the building.
They sat down in a waiting room.
"This is boring." Draco stated.
"Yes, well we did come slightly early." Narcissa replied.
"I still don't understand why I have to be here."
"Because I wanted you to get out of the house, and to get you more acquainted with muggle London."
"Well I'm not 'acquainting' much in here, now am I." he huffed.
"You're absolutely right." Narcissa fished through her purse and finally found what she was looking for. "Here is some money, go explore. Apparate back home when you're done." Draco smiled and left the building.
"What should I do…?" He wondered as he walked around. Rain clouds were gathering in the sky. "Maybe I should see what they sell in the muggle world." Draco soon found a row of small shops that sold a various amount of things. He entered one and noticed a great deal many of odd items, sitting neatly on shelves. He picked up one item that kind of looked like a quill, but much shorter and an odd tip. He looked around where he had found it and couldn't find an ink well. A piece of paper was taped to the shelf that had many different colors of ink scribbled on it. Draco placed the object on the paper and made a small circle with the tip. To his amazement the circle that he drew, was on the paper, in blue ink. It was a quill that had the ink in it! He grabbed a couple of the objects and kept looking. He came across a couple more items that spiked his interest, and bought them with the money his mother gave him. When he stepped out of the store, it was raining and it had gotten much darker. He walked around for a while longer, slowly getting his clothing soaked. He came across a park and saw a girl, twirling on a metal contraption. Her long brown hair was waving outwards, as she spun. The rain had soaked her clothes as well, and had now clung to her curves. She had her eyes shut tightly and she was laughing as the rain hit her face. She was beautiful, yet she looked familiar to Draco. She opened her eyes and pulled out…a wand? This girl was a witch! He quickly hid behind a bush, thinking that it would be awkward if she saw him staring at her. She cast a spell and made the spinning thing she was sitting on, stop. She staggered, and then continued walking. Draco lost his balance and hit the bush, making a quiet rustling sound. The girl looked toward him.
"Hello?" Her voice sounded familiar as well. After hearing no reply, she started walking towards him, his breath becoming rapid. What would it look like if there was a random guy, hiding behind a bush?
She was about look behind the bush when a faint voice caught her attention.
"Hermione! Come inside, it's getting late." She turned away from the bush and walked into the darkness.
'Hermione? As in Granger? Not possible, that person in the rain looked beautiful. There is No way that she was buck toothed, mud blood Granger!' Draco thought in disbelief. "How many other people do I know that are witches, that have long brown hair and that are named 'Hermione'? None." Draco walked away from the park. "I couldn't have thought that Granger was pretty… Not just pretty, but gorgeous. No. a mud blood can't even be remotely good looking." Suddenly Draco recalled what his mother said.
"There is nothing wrong with muggles. Despite what your father has taught you, they are not below us. Give everything a chance; you've been brought up to hate too many things Draco."
"I've been brought up to hate Granger, other than her being friends with pot head and weasel-bee, she's never done anything to me. I was told to hate her because she was a Gryffindor, a muggle born and the golden boys' best friend. but none of those things are her fault. I've done horrible things to her… and she didn't deserve any one of them. I've completely misjudged her."
With a loud pop, Draco apparated back to the manor.
A week before the start of school Hermione received her letter from Hogwarts, giving her a list of things to buy for her seventh year. Enclosed in the envelope she found a small badge. It read 'Hogwarts Head Girl' in gold lettering across the school's coat of arms. A huge smile grew on her face. She was head girl!
Draco opened his letter, to find the usual letter and list of items to buy, but there was something else inside, something heavy. He pulled out the small piece of metal to find a badge that said 'Hogwarts Head Boy' in silver letters across the school's coat of harms. A smile crept onto his face. He was head boy!
Draco sat in an empty compartment on the train, thinking about two weeks ago, when he was last in London. 'She was so…free.' He hadn't been able to get his mind off of her. Thinking about Granger had now become a regular past time for him. He replayed that moment again and again in his head, until he realized something; He had a crush on Hermione Granger. He smirked, it was time he was getting to the heads cabin.
Hermione sat with Harry, Ron, and Ginny, happy to be with them again. They had met at the station and found an empty cabin on the train, settling in nicely. Twenty minutes of talking, Hermione excused herself to go to the heads cabin, she was eager to find out who the head boy was.
"Bye 'Moine." Ron said, happily amusing himself with a chocolate frog.
"bye guys." She smiled and left to go to the back of the train.
Hermione entered the heads compartment and saw her worst enemy sitting contently on one of the padded benches, she sighed. She should have expected it, after all, he did have the second highest grades in Hogwarts. The brown hair girl walked to the bench, opposite of Draco's.
"Hello Hermione." He said, using her first name; She stopped mid step and turned her head to him quickly.
"What did you just call me?" she said, still in shock. Draco smirked, she was rather cute when she was surprised, he could see the girl from the park standing in front of him, never noticing how truly beautiful she was.
"Is that not your name?" his smirk grew. Hermione looked at him still in shock.
"Y-yes, but why are you addressing me by my first name?" he was silent, his smirk still present. This confused the seventeen year old even more.
"This is all some sort of sick joke isn't it? Well, it's not going to work." She sat down on the bench and crossed her arms over her chest. After five minutes of silence, Draco staring at her and Hermione trying not to notice she finally broke.
"What!" she yelled at him, his piercing stare was unnerving to her.
"Nothing, Hermione." He said her name slowly, and to her, mockingly.
"Why are you staring at me?" she asked, annoyed.
"Because you're beautiful." He said plainly. Draco never was one to lie; he just distorted the truth, often.
"What!" she almost had a heart attack when he said that, Draco on the other hand, burst out laughing at her expression. Thankfully professor McGonagall walked in.
"Congratulations!" she said as she stood in the doorway, "Miss Granger, sit on the other bench, so I can face both of you." Hermione reluctantly sat on the bench with Draco, while Professor McGonagall sat down where Hermione was previously.
"As head boy and girl, you will take on many more responsibilities, which include planning balls, patrolling, checking regularly on prefects, planning hogsmead trips, and giving out and taking away points within reason of course. As both of you were prefects last year, you know all about patrolling so I don't need to go over that, planning dances and trips will be timed accordingly with holidays, and there will need to be a written report given in for each of the prefects at the end of the year, it will aid in the decision for the new head boy/girl. Do not abuse your positions, or they will be taken away from you." McGonagall paused, noticing how uncomfortable Hermione looked, sitting next to the head boy. "Living arrangements will be changed from previous years, since there hasn't been two heads from the two most rivaling houses, for over fifty years, Dumbledore has decided to open up the heads dorm once more. You will share a common room and bathroom, while each of you will have separate dorms. Draco your room will be to the left, Hermione, to the right." Draco smirked; he would get to live with Hermione for the entire year! Hermione on the other hand was furious.
"Professor, you can't honestly expect me to live with, him!" she said pointing at Draco.
"Yes, I entirely expect you to live with him, not only that, but to get along with him. That goes for you too, Mr. Malfoy. You two are to represent house unity, if I hear of any fighting between you, we will reconsider your positions. Is that clear?" they nodded. McGonagall stood up and left. As soon as she was out the door, Hermione jumped over to her bench.
"Living with me won't be that bad." He said innocently. Hermione looked at him oddly.
"Why are you acting so strange?" she asked, confused beyond belief.
"Strange? How do you mean?" he played oblivious. Hermione scoffed.
"You know exactly what I'm talking about."
"Would you rather me be a 'cold heartless bastard' as you once called me?" Draco asked, staring her down.
"Well…no, but why the sudden attitude adjustment?" She asked. Draco smirked, but gave her no answer; he looked at her one last time before walking out the cabin; leaving Hermione shocked for the third time that day.
A/N so? What do you think? I enjoy my intro. Anyway, review please, it would make me happy inside! Yeah I know Draco is somewhat OOC but, that's how I choose to portray him, so that's the way he's gonna be!