Hermione stared into the mirror. She stared at herself, a seventh year in her first week of her last year at Hogwarts. Voldemort had been conqured over the summer and Harry had told the ministry all the Death Eaters were to be released from Askaban. The Ministry was hesitant but agreed. Harry's popularity hadn't dwindled. His, fame had died down but he had grown up well. He had muscles to die for and very nice eyes. Hermione didn't notice this though. He was just her friend.
Hermione however, hadn't grown up well. In the mirror she saw her tired eyes and lanky hair that no matter how much she hoped it would, would never turn into a smooth and silky mass of hair that wouldn't break every brush in the world. She saw her too bushy eyebrows and big eyes. She was thin and with a flat chest and stick legs and arms. She sang to herself.
"T'was in the merry month of May when all gay flowers were abloomin'"
Hermione thought of what she would be when she left Hogwarts. She would definitely not be a model. Hermione smiled at her image. She had thought of becoming either a mediwitch (yes I know original) or a teacher, but since last year she had thought of the darker side of magic and how the Death Eaters thought. She thought of how loyal they were to their houses, their families. How they wanted to prove that they could be just as good as their parents. That they could be good supporters of Voldemort, just as their parents had and be just as rich and have just as many powerful friends. It had been then, in the end of her 6th year, that Hermione realized where Draco was coming from and why he insulted her. It was not because he actually believed that she was a "filthy little mudblood" but because his father thought she was. She realized she didn't just want to be an Auror, she needed to be one. She walked out of the bathroom to find Lavendar and Parvarti laughing hysterically on their beds.
Lavendar was almost crying she was laughing so hard. Parvarti almost got herself under control.
"Hermione, Harry…Draco" She burst out laughing again. Hermione stared at her robes and brushed them out before running down the stairs to see what kind of miserable misfit thing Harry had done this time. When she reached the common room she saw the sight of Harry on Ron's and Seamus' shoulders and every one was applauding him. She heard cries.
"You did that chap in, Harry!"
"Got what he deserved he did!"
Hermione scowled and ran down into the crowd, squeezing to get to the middle of the crowd where Harry was. She finally pushed her way to Harry and tugged on his robes. He did not look down, he was too enthralled with the crowd.
"Harry!" She shouted as she tugged hard on his robes but he assumed it was an over enthusiastic girl and didn't look down.
"Harry!" She tugged harder and he suddenly fell. The crowd went silent and crowded in more to see if he was ok. As he stood up and smiled the crowd cheered. Hermione decided that this was not the best time to figure out what happened from Harry. She didn't trust anyone else to tell her, she was afraid of a story told that was totally blown out of proportion and she would rather be told what happened by a friend who wouldn't blow it so out of proportion. She had to decide between asking McGonagall or Harry after reaching this conclusion. In the end she decided asking Harry was more convenient so she got dressed in her pajamas (which had people on broomsticks trying to catch flying books) and went to bed. She would ask Harry in the morning. The excitement would be over by then.
The morning came and she dressed in her gold and red pleated skirt, her black robes with a red stripes and gold buttons, her white blouse and red and gold tie. She picked up her black and gold bag and made sure her Head Girl Badge wasn't crooked on her robes and left for breakfast. When she reached the great hall she ran down the table and sat in the seat that Ron had been saving her.
"Harry, what did you do?"
"Good morning to you to!" Harry remarked snidely, helping himself to two more waffles. Hermione made a face.
"What did you do to Malfoy, Harry?" Hermione almost shouted.
"No one got hurt 'mione its all ok." Harry said pouring tons of syrup on his waffles. Hermione was boycotting food until Harry told her exactly what he had done.
"What did you do Potter!" Hermione had called him by his last name. Next thing she'd dock house points, regardless of the fact she was in Gryffindor, too.
" 'e 'ante' 'al'oy 'n 'un' 'im 'om a 'ee!' Ron muffled through his fifth pancake.
'What?" Hermione was very confused and Ron finally swallowed his pancake.
"Harry hung Malfoy on a tree and pulled down his pants." Ron said picking up yet another pancake.
"What!?" Hermione panicked, "No house points lost, or detention!"
"Nah," said Harry who was cutting his waffle, "Even Slug realized that Malfoy had this coming to him since he stepped in here."
"You will not do that to people, Harry!"
"You should've been there, Hermione!" Ron exclaimed, "It was bloody brilliant!"
"And I would have put him in bloody detention. Ron! That display of violence was uncalled for. Harry, when you let him see that you're riled you up he's won! I can't believe such behavior was preformed by a Gryffindor! 5 points from Gryffindor!"
"5 points, Hermione? That's it!" Ron was very happy and celebrated by picking up 3 sausages.
"Yes it is." Hermione sighed in defeat and picked some sausage and eggs. She snickered.
"What's so funny?" asked Ron.
"I was just imagining Malfoy hanging with his pants pulled down." Hermione said cutting her food.
"From a noose or upside down on a tree?" asked Harry. Hermione simply shook her head while smiling.
Hermione left dinner early, she felt like vomiting and the closest bathroom, unfortunately was Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. Disregarding the fact that Moaning Myrtle would probably stare and giggle at Hermione while she threw up, she entered the nearest stall. She retched and then, being the nice person she was flushed the toilet so that the next person who would come here (likely a first year on their first day in their first minutes of Hogwarts seeing how usually the older students told the younger ones not to "venture into the great insanity of Moaning Myrtles bathroom") would not have to see her vomit. She opened the door. She saw a flash of blond hair leaving the bathroom with bloody footprints. Hermione waited until the footprints were almost out of hearing. She then creeped silently into the hallway and saw the bloody footprints on the floor. She followed them, always keeping out of sight of the bleeding person in question. Suddenly the footprints led into the cupboard. Hermione cringed at the possibility that a dead person was in the cupboard. She opened the door fast. She saw Draco lying on the floor. She could see his chest moving so he wasn't dead but he was close. She kneeled next to him.
"Draco, I'm bringing you to the nurse, now!" Hermione took out her wand.
"Loco Motor!" Draco was lifted up into the air and Hermione directed his body in the direction of the Hospital Ward. She ran with Draco floating by her side, blood dripping down to the floor. Hermione had slipped on it several times. They finally reached the ward.
"Madame Pomfrey!" Hermione shouted, "We need you!" Hermione lay Draco down on of the beds. Madame Pomfrey ran towards Hermione with a flask.
"Make him drink this, Granger. I'll be back." Hermione took the flask and ran to Draco's side.
"Draco…You have to drink this." Draco either wasn't responding or couldn't hear her. Hermione sat him up with pillows. She opened his mouth and lifted the flask up to his lips. She poured a little bit of the red substance into his mouth. Some of the liquid trickled down his chin; she brushed it off with her thumb. She emptied the flask into his mouth. He coughed but that was it. He was breathing still. Pomfrey ran back. She whispered a collection of spells and a green vine came out of her wand. It wound itself around Draco, and then exploded. His wounds disappeared in seconds. Draco gasped and opened his eyes. Hermione gave a sigh of relief. She took his hand.
"You'll be ok Draco." She whispered. She seemed unaware that it was Draco's hand she was holding.
Draco looked up. His vision was blurry but seemed to get clearer every time he blinking. He saw a pile of bushy hair above him. Hermione he though. He smiled. He seemed unaware that Hermione was holding his hand.
Madame Pomfrey shook her head. Teen Hormones she thought. How wrong she was. This was much more than that.
Draco fell asleep. Hermione had been told by Madame Pomfrey that she should go to class and she would be alerted if Draco woke up again. Hermione heard the bell and ran to lunch. As she ran down the hallways she realized that the blood prints had been washed away and the cupboard was no longer there.
She walked to the Great Hall. She walked to the Gryfinndor table and saw Ron had saved her a seat.
"Hello boys."
"Hey." Harry sounded depressed. He hit his sushi with his chopsticks.
"Hermione!" Ron shouted. He moved his bag from the saved seat and Hermione sat down.
She whispered to Ron, "Why's Harry so depressed."
Ron said loudly, "McGonagall said that she wasn't going to punish Harry because he would feel the consequences for what he had done to Draco soon. Harry is now convinced that his sushi poisoned."
"That's so stupid, Harry. Here let me have a sushi." Hermione reached over the table to get a sushi. Harry covered the dish.
"No, they are poisoned." Harry stared at her.
"That's so stupid, Harry!" Hermione held up her wand and a piece of sushi flew into her hand. She ate it. It tasted normal, "Its fine Harry." Harry began shoving the sushi into his mouth, five at a time. By lunch Ron and Harry had each had 20 plates of sushi. Hermione almost threw up and muttered something about boys and their bottomless stomachs. Ron and Harry merely took some desserts and shoved them in their pockets to eat during Transfiguration. When they arrived she saw that they were the first ones besides a blond haired boy in the front. Hermione, Ron and Harry took seats in the front, near the blond boy who Hermione immediately recognized as Draco. Draco turned slightly towards Hermione and nodded his head in greeting. Hermione looked in her lap, blushing lightly. Their eyes met and they both smiled a little. Ron then hit Hermione in the back.
"Hermione, take out your books." Ron seemed unaware of the moment that had just passed between Hermione and Draco. Hermione took out her books as did Draco. Suddenly a stream of students ran into the classroom silently. Class was in session.