You've made it to Chapter Two, where the real story begins! I'm uploading a few chapters all at once to get this started.
FIVE YEARS EARLIER
Hermione laughed loudly as Ron barreled towards her across the platform. Harry followed behind, lugging his trunk, as well as Ron's.
"HERMIONE! Bloody hell, I missed you!!" Ron bellowed as he enveloped her tightly in his lanky arms.
"Language, Ron!" Hermione reprimanded cheerily.
"Oy, Hermione, loosen up. What are you going to do, give me a detention?" Ron laughed
Hermione untangled herself from Ron's embrace and stepped back, smiling smugly.
"Actually Ron, yes, I may just have to do that."
Harry puffed up behind Ron in time to hear the last exchange, as well as glimpse the badge pinned beneath the Gryffindor insignia on her lapel.
"Hermione! Congratulations! You've made Head Girl!" he cried excitedly, pulling her into his arms for a large bear hug.
Hermione laughed excitedly, pushing her bushy hair out of her face. She was so happy to see her two best friends after the long summer. And now, at the start of their seventh year, she was more ready than ever to catch up with them.
The three chattered excitedly as they dragged their things along the train and looked for an empty compartment. The door slide shut with a band behind them, and they sat down, all slightly out of breath.
Hermione glanced at her wristwatch and noted that it was nearly time for her to make her way to the front of the train and meet with the Head Boy.
Truthfully, she was not very excited about this, as neither Harry nor Ron would be joining her in the Head's living quarters, and she would miss the company of her roommates.
Hermione also nursed a sinking suspicion that a certain albino ferret would be sporting a badge similar to her own. She had grudgingly admitted to herself that her marks were only marginally above his own, and that Dumbledore, for some reason she could not fathom, trusted Malfoy.
All these added up to only one thing…
The door banged open, and Hermione glanced up irritably. She was not taken with loud noises that interrupted her reveries. She first saw that silver badge, and felt her stomach lurch.
As her eyes traveled upwards, she heard Harry growl, "Get out, Malfoy!"
Her eyes connected to the haughty gaze of none other than Draco Malfoy.
"Granger. Potty. Weasel. How…lovely…to see you all. Of course, I'd rather kiss Snape's arse than to stick around here, but it seems that Granger here is late for our little meeting," He sneered.
Hermione sighed inwardly, and got up, casting a pained glanced at her two friends, who stared back at her pityingly.
The walk to the front of the train was agonizingly long and silent. Malfoy has already changed into his robes, which billowed out behind him as he strode down the passage.
This, Hermione thought, was going to be a long train ride.
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Hermione flopped back onto her new bed, exhausted. After flicking her wand at her suitcase, she closed her eyes and listened to the rustle of her clothing putting itself away. It was a handy little spell she had picked up in Housekeeping, and she was quite proud of herself for mastering the technique so quickly.
The train ride had been trying to say the least. She and Malfoy had sat in stony silence for most of the ride.
She had offered him a packet of sandwiches when lunchtime came about, but he had simply glared at her and taken out a book.
It looks like the Head's quarters are going to be awfully quiet this year, Hermione thought dully. She had always imagined her final year to be filled with shared jokes and study time in front of the large fireplace in the common area. Now, it seemed doubtful that two words would be shared between them.
Hopping up, Hermione decided to explore her living space. Her room was nice, with a large bay window looking out over the grounds. The bed was pushed against the far wall, different from her bed in Gryffindor tower in that it lacked a canopy. Otherwise, the same maroon bedspread lay across it, with two crisp white pillows.
The chest of drawers near the doorway was full of her nightclothes, knickers, socks, and other small items. The standing closet near the window where she had sent her robes, blouses, and trousers had a long mirror on the inside, as Hermione discovered on opening the right hand door.
She stepped outside her room onto the landing overlooking the common area. A wide staircase led up to the landing, which housed 3 doors. One door to her room, the opposite, she assumed, to Malfoy's.
The middle door, however, Hermione opened carefully to reveal a sizeable bathroom. The familiar sunk in tub was the first thing one noticed in stepping into the bathroom, but on closer inspection, Hermione observed a long counter with two sinks along the far wall. On either side of her were to narrow doors.
Opening the right door, Hermione found a little tiled room with a showerhead protruding from the wall.
The opposite room housed the loo.
Stepping onto the landing once more, Hermione walked down the stairs into the common area.
The room was elegant, but plain. The floors were a dark wood, although thick area rugs had been placed tastefully about. There were two large tables with comfortable chairs, as well as a large couch in front of the fireplace.
Overflowing bookshelves lined the walls, and Hermione smiled happily. Each Head Boy and Girl left several books that had been most important to him or her during school on those shelves. Over the years, a vast library of sorts had accumulated, and Hermione couldn't wait to start working her way through it.
Tying her hair back with an elastic, Hermione pulled a dusty volume off the nearest shelf. Blowing grime off the gilt letters, Hermione made out the title, Wandless Magic: Fact or Fiction?
She settled in with the book in front of the cheerily crackling fireplace.
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The portrait hole swung open and Draco stalked in.
Granger was sitting on the couch, intently reading an aged volume. Typical, he thought and smirked to himself.
He then thought of the conversation that had just taken place, and the task before him. The smirk faded, and Draco stood frozen in his spot, closing his eyes and wishing that he could be anywhere but this room.
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The portrait swing shut with a bang, causing Hermione to jump. She looked up to see Malfoy standing at the entrance to the Common Room.
Nodding quickly to him, she looked back down at her book. Best if I just stay out of his way, she thought to herself.
But Malfoy, it seemed, had other ideas.
A shadow fell over the words that Hermione was reading, and she looked up again, to see Malfoy looking down at her with a slightly pained expression on his face.
"May I speak with you a moment?" he asked, voice strained.
Hermione nodded again, and motioned for him to sit down. She braced herself for what she was sure was about to be a stream of insults.
He sat stiffly on the edge of the couch and ground his teeth together.
"I've been to see Dumbledore. He says I need to talk to you about…something…" he trailed off.
Hermione's expression softened. It didn't seem that he was about to insult her.
"Go on." She said quietly.
"Well…I suppose I must. Dumbledore said I must, Draco mumbled, more to himself than to Hermione in particular.
"You see," he began in a louder and more composed voice, "there have been some changes over this summer, and Dumbledore thinks you would be the easiest one for me to address…"
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