*There's really not that much to say for this chapter except I hope you have enjoyed it so far! Please review unless you only have mean things to say, in which case I don't want to hear it! Also anyone been to ? It's brilliant! Check it out!

Hermione POV

Quietly, I head back to my compartment, trying not to cry. I accidentally bump into someone. Again. When I look up, I see that it is the boy who lost his toad earlier, Neville.

"Um sorry to bother you again, Hermione, but I still can't find Trevor and I want to go ask some boys if they've seen him but I'm afraid," Neville says stuttering horribly. He really is far too anxious about this toad. But, a promise is a promise, and I promised I'd help him find this toad. With difficultly, I put Draco from my mind and go with Neville to talk to the boys.

Well, that went well, I silently think to myself. I managed to make myself look like a bossy know it all in front of Harry Potter. Way to go, Hermione. I sigh as I head back to my compartment, but before I can get there, I get a surprising, but I can't say unwelcome, visit. Draco Malfoy is standing outside my compartment door. Without a word he takes my hand again and leads me inside my own compartment. I'm beginning to get a little nervous when he closes the blinds.

"Look, I'm sorry I ran out back there and earlier before," he begins. "But you have to understand something…I can't be your friend."

Immediately, my world starts spinning. He can't be my friend? Why not? What did I ever do to deserve this? Why does he hate me so? Instead of saying what's really on my mind, I hold my chin high and look him in those captivating storm grey eyes.

"Fine. I didn't really even care about you anyway, Malfoy. You're nothing but scum. You want to be in Slytherin and be an evil wizard? Go for it. I personally just met Harry Potter and we're going to be friends so go back to your freaking bodyguards and leave me alone," I say all this without the tiniest trace of regret in my voice, but the second I look into those sad eyes, my façade falters. They're so sad. The angry mark is pretty much gone, and you can still see that he's not really an "evil wizard" as I'd previously stated, just a confused little boy. I hesitantly back away, but he grabs my hand and looks into my eyes as if trying to force me to understand.

"I didn't mean I didn't want to be friends," he practically shouts at me. "I just meant that we couldn't! It would cause me too much trouble! And as for that saint, Potter, I wouldn't get mixed up with him if I were you! He'll be getting into more trouble than I will! Listen, I have a proposition," he pleads with me. He seems a little too concerned about my acquaintance with Harry Potter. It was kind of a lie anyway; I'd only managed to make myself look like a fool.

"What proposition?" I ask, skeptically. I'm not about to get all mixed up with some boy who keeps running. Plus I don't entirely trust my feelings around him. Something is wrong with the way he makes me feel, yet so right at the same time.

"I propose that we become friends…but in secret. I can't risk anything that might happen if we were to bring a friendship like this out in the open. For one, you could say goodbye to being friends with Potter. He hates even the mention of my name, and I can't stand him that much either to be perfectly honest. Plus my father would have a fit which would only result in…unpleasantness," as he says this, I can only think he's referencing the red mark on his cheek.

But I think about this, seriously. A secret relationship with Draco? What exactly does that entail? Would he be a complete jerk to me in public? Why couldn't we openly be friends? Was there something wrong with me? And what was the deal with him freaking out about my parents?

Instead of voicing these concerns, I think about what would happen if I were to refuse this offer. That would mean walking into a strange school, friendless and alone. I can't even think of that. Plus it would mean leaving this boy. For some odd reason, that makes my stomach ache. I can't leave Draco.

"Deal," I say, much more confidently than I feel. "When and where do you want to first meet?"

"Let's wait and see if we're in the same house first," he replies. "Things would be much, much easier if we were in the same house."

Draco POV

Naturally, my luck isn't holding out at all today. Hermione has agreed to be secret friends with me, but after that, everything falls apart. I'm sitting in the Slytherin common room right now, but she's not here. At the sorting, she eagerly put on the hat and I awaited it to shout the one word I needed to hear. No such luck. The minute it shouted "GRYFFINDOR!" she looked in my direction and gave me a sad little look. I knew she didn't want to be in Slytherin, but I was hoping she would anyway. She sat near that saint Potter and jumped up Weasley. I hate the thought of them becoming all cozy together in one common room. I jump up and mutter something about going off to my dormitory, where I'm only left with my dreams to torment me.

In my dream, she is there. She runs through the forest, her brown hair waving behind her. Every now and then, she'll look back, giggle, and wave for me to come on. Entranced, I follow. We get to a clearing and she sits on a nearby log. She's making sobbing noises, but when I go to comfort her, she turns into my father, smacking me across my face. I wake up clutching the area where my father had struck me earlier, covered in a cold sweat. Checking my clock, I see that it's 5 in the morning. I try and go back to sleep, but by 5:30, I know it's no use. I decide that I think I'll leave the common room and go wandering around. I'm only a first year; surely I can't run into that much trouble.

No, instead I run into none other than Hermione Granger as I reach the entrance hall.

Hermione POV

I fall to the ground as I run into something solid. Boy have I fallen down a lot lately. Thinking it might be a teacher, I get up quickly and start speed walking to the door that leads to the stairs so I can go back to my dormitory. Only the all too familiar voice saying "Wait!" stops me.

I turn around and see myself looking at the one and only Draco Malfoy. He gives me a small smile and motions for me to come back over to him.

"Hey," I start out awkwardly. He looks pleasantly disheveled, if you know what I mean. His hair is mussed, but it doesn't look bad and he's still wearing his night clothes. He's awfully pale, but he smiles nonetheless when he sees me. "What are you doing out so early in the morning? Or late at night, I suppose. Whichever way you want to look at it," I give a nervous little laugh.

He smiles at me and simply replies, "I couldn't sleep." Oh. Well that's way simpler than why I'm out here. I guess you could say I was looking for him. No, I definitely was looking for him. I just thought I'd see if I could find him so we could set up our first meeting.

"Well, I won't pretend it's not good to see you after tonight," I say with a big smile. I hope I'm not being too eager but I really wanted to discuss the finer details of our arrangement. "Do you want to go for a walk, or maybe out on the grounds?" I ask, excited at the prospect of spending some time with him.

"Yeah, let's go out to the lake," he replies. The lake. It seems so simple and natural to meet there. I've loved water for my entire life; I'd feel most comfortable by the lake.

When we get there, we just sit in silence for a bit. The sun isn't fully raised, but we watch as it comes up. It's then that I pose my first question.

"Draco, why did you freak out when I said my parents were Muggles?"

He heaves a sigh, much too large and tired for an eleven year old. He looks out at the lake sadly and doesn't say anything for a little bit. I'm almost getting ready to ask again, or leave when he begins to explain.

"First off, you must understand that I don't think for one second that I'm any better than you are. But my family…they'd look down upon you, just because you're parents are Muggles. They'd call you a Mudblood. Mudblood is a word for someone who is born of Muggle parents. Most people like my family frown upon any association with people like you. But I don't! I think that you're normal and I won't discriminate against you…in private," he looks down and tries not to meet my eyes. His explanation swiftly brings up my next question.

"What does that mean, 'in private'? Does that mean you'll act like we're not even friends when we're around other people?" I ask, confused, and somewhat hurt.

Another big sigh. "Yes. I don't want to, but if anyone were to see how nice I am to you they'd…they'd…" he trails off, looking into the distance.

Suddenly, I'm furious with him. He's just going to treat me like dirt when we're around others, but he'll further confuse me when we're alone? How is this a win-win situation? It's not, that's how!

"They'd what? See that you're actually a decent guy and not just the offspring of someone who is…who is…racist!" it's the closest term I can get to the situation. "Well fine then, you can treat me like dirt, but I won't be you're secret, Draco. Find someone else to sneak around with," I shoot at him. He's being so immature and I'm not going to stand for it. I take off, rushing across the grounds and not looking back.

And that's the last time I spoke to him. Until the end of that year…