Eleven-year-old Draco Malfoy walked slowly down the train.
He had boarded the Hogwarts Express half an hour ago, and now the trolley was coming extremely slowly up the carriages. He couldn't wait any longer for food; he was ravenous.
"One pumpkin pasty, and two chocolate frogs." Draco said, handing over six sickles and twelve knuts.
"There you go." The old lady said, passing him his food, before returning to her loud calling. "Anything for the trolley?"
As Draco walked back up the carriages to his own compartment, he began to open one of the chocolate frogs. As soon as he peeled of the packaging, the frog leaped sideways. He glanced up, and saw that it had landed on a book. The girl holding the book, who was leaning against one of the corridor walls between two compartment doors, was watching it with a mixture on confusion and amusement on her face.
"Sorry." Draco mumbled, scooping up the frog.
"That's a chocolate frog!" The girl exclaimed excitedly. "I've read about those. The charm they use to make them jump is actually quite simple. It's called -" Draco let the girl's voice fade into the chattering of the other students, and the rumbling of the train. He glanced down at the book she was reading.
He could have sworn his heart stopped for a second.
She had taken her finger off the pages, and they had flipped all to one side, so that Draco could she the inside of the front cover. Written there, in impossibly neat lettering, were the words: Hermione Jean Granger. Just then, Hermione realised what had happened, and she snapped the book shut. She didn't, however, see him re-reading the name over and over, eyes widening.
"Are you ok?" She asked suddenly, and Draco guessed that his face had paled rather a lot.
"F-fine." He stammered, holding out a sweaty hand. "I'm Draco Malfoy."
"I'm Hermione Granger." Hermione said, shaking his hand. Draco noticed that the spark of excitement that had entered her eyes when she had begun talking had dulled. "Malfoy - you're from one of those pure-blood families, aren't you? The ones that are involved in all the anti-Muggle stuff." She bit her lip as she awaited his reply, and Draco felt - for the first time in his experience of meeting new people - a wave of shame so very overwhelming that it made him feel sick as he nodded. He watched Hermione Granger's face fall, and her eyes clouded completely. "Oh." She said softly. They stood in an awkward silence for a few moments, before a small, plump boy came up to them both.
"Sorry - but, has anybody seen my - my toad? His name's Trevor. I can't find him. I'm Neville - er, Neville Longbottom." Hermione, for a second or two, couldn't conceal her relief, before she quickly forced her expression to become worried.
"I've not seen him, sorry. I'll help you look, though. How many compartments have you checked? Er - bye." Hermione said over her shoulder to Draco, as Neville began leading her down the corridor. "How many carriages have you been on? Where did you last see him?" Draco tried to listen to her voice for a little longer, but she disappeared into another compartment. He sighed, and began to unwrap the pumpkin pasty, and make his way back to his compartment. He stopped after a few steps, though - because he caught a waft of lavender-scented air.
The memory was brought back to him even more vividly than before - Hermione's hug, the understanding that had passed between them - and he swore to remember that day, and to remember Hermione.
Forever.
Always.
AN: This chapter didn't go exactly right, but thank you for reading it, and thank you for the reviews on the last chapter :)