The Hogwart's express was well on it's way, yet there was still a great bustle about the train as students were greeting one another with a hug or with a "hey you!" from across the way. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were together at the moment, as her Head Girl's duties didn't completely hinder her from having a social life. Even if her social life did consist of sitting near her friends while she read something that would definitely be beneficial to her as a person.

"I can't believe it," Harry said out of the blue.

"Hmm?" Hermione looked up from a manual with the Hogwart's shield on the cover. It was called, So you're head boy/girl. What now?

"This is it," he replied. "The last year I'm going to spend at my real home."

Hermione didn't say a word. She had been thinking about this being their last year, but never once had the sympathy to think of what it might be like for those who have no life outside of Hogwarts. She had her family and a bright future free of dark wizards trying to kill her at every turn. What did Harry have? Hogwarts,She thought. Harry had Hogwarts… And he has me! He has me, doesn't he? We've always been friends. We always will be.

She was about to say something to him, when Ron opened his mouth first. "There's always my home, mate."

"Yeah," replied Harry. "We'll see." And with that he turned back to the window, not wanting to talk about it any longer.

This was going to be one long, quiet train ride. The three didn't seem to keen to talk in this dim mood. And it wasn't even the end of the year yet.

Hermione glanced over to Harry quickly, who was resting his head on the window in a daze, before she turned her eyes back to her manual. Her eyes, however, were not focused on the words before her. Instead, she was thinking about what Harry had said, on top of her own wondering what she was going to do to make this year special. Before she could even organize her thoughts, she could nearly feel the burn of eyes on her skin. She knew Ron was staring again. Again!This seriously was starting to irritate her. She couldn't be in the same room as him without him checking her out. She may as well just be naked in front of him, the way he stares.

Hermione shut her book and looked up. "Honestly, Ron," she said before she even thought about her words "I think you should just take a picture and let me be for a while!"

Harry's head swung around to see what was going on, and Ron looked quite taken aback by Hermione's sudden words. She knew she was kind of out of line to have jumped all over him like that, but she felt the need to get out of the heavy atmosphere within the compartment, anyway. This was a great reason to leave.

"I'm going to go see what's going on in the corridors." With this, she got up and hurriedly left the compartment.


The train seemed to have calmed down significantly. Most of the students were done with their greetings and were settled in with their closest friends and cliques within the train compartments. Good,Hermione thought, it will be much easier to make sure everyone is behaving if they're not running all over the place. She also just realized that she had seen very few of the prefects, and had yet to find out who the new ones were; as well as who the new Head Boy was. She wasn't too concerned, for the staff always chose wisely.

She peeked into a couple of the compartments, one after the next. As she exited one of them, she didn't look where she was going before turning to the left and taking a step. She found herself walking into somebody and dropping her Head Girl's manual.

She bent over to pick it up and arose to find herself face-to-face with none other than a shiny Head Boy's badge. She turned her head up slightly, but rather slowly, to face the wearer of this badge; but by the green accents of his robes, she knew who it was before she even looked.

Malfoy?She thought with a glare on her face, I have to work with him? Everyone knows he despises my very existence! What were they thinking? Malfoy! She stared straight ahead in his direction as she was having this mental rant. She didn't move a muscle, and neither did she. She did notice Pansy Parkinson run up from behind Draco and grab his arm, clinging to him as if afraid he was going to run away. Still, Hermione stared at that badge, silently furious that this was the best they could come up with for her teammate in leadership.

"Would you like to take a picture Granger?" He finally said, "I know this badge is very becoming on me, but I'd prefer to not be gawked at by… your kind," He spat out the insult as if speaking it was as dirty as her very blood itself. Pansy smirked as if to say "Yeah, he's mine." She was proud of him. Good catch, Pansy, really.

"Well," Hermione said in a snotty tone, without really thinking first, "I'd rather not gawk at you, but as chances have it, I'm the Head Girl, and we're going to be forced to look at one another as we work… together."

He eyed her up and down with that infamous Malfoy scowl. "Not much to look at even if you weren't a filthy Mudblood." And with this he walked away, and Pansy quickly followed.


Hermione made her way back toward the compartment to sit with Ron and Harry, trying to blow off her confrontation with Malfoy. After all, no ride to Hogwarts seemed to be complete without running into him. It happens every year, its inevitable. But shrugging it off was not so easy, not with the knowledge that she would be spending the entire year working withhim. And that's not even to mention sharing a common room with him. He'd probably have his slut of a girlfriend, or whatever he called her, in his room every chance he got. She couldn't help but allow her face to contort into a sickened scowl over this thought. That's simply disgusting.

This year was supposed to be different, even better somehow. How was she supposed to do that spending so much time around someone with whom she shared a mutual loathing?

She was walking rather slowly, keeping her eyes and ears open despite her thoughts. After all, someone with responsibility needs to know what is going on around her at all times. Besides, it was distracting her from her own despiciable thoughts at the moment.

She saw Luna and Neville looking at some sort of triangular or pyramid shaped contraption; it looked as if it were wooden, with some sort of metal around the edges, and even what looked like some sort of seaweed dangling off of it. She was speaking animatedly about what happens if you hang the Rorrdaggle in the window of somebody you really care about. Hermione kept moving, not wanting to be dragged into a spiel about something out of The Quibbler, or something.

This was probably the most interesting thing she witnessed on her way back. Mostly there were just people talking about Quidditch, their teachers, or who was dating who now that the summer holiday was over. Nothing too interesting, and nothing that concerned her at all.

She was nearly back to her compartment. She could hear Ron and Harry's voices, but had no idea what they were saying yet. As she got closer, she couldn't help but eavesdrop a bit. It's not like they ever get to talk guy-on-guy when she's around…

"…really don't feel comfortable with that, Ron."

"But she'd listen to you. She likes you better, and you know it!"

"That is completely different and youknow it. It would mean a lot to her if you did it, you can't leave her on her own like that."

Hermione listened, rather intrigued, but worried. They weren't talking about her, were they?

"…But she likes you, Harry!"

"I'm not into her. Now drop it, and decide if you're going to do it for her or not. If not, then she'll probably never have another chance."

"Yeah. Alright."

It sounded like Ron and Harry both were left silent at this. Hermione awkwardly entered. "Did I miss anything?" she asked.

"Not really," Ron replied. "Anything interesting going on out there?" His tone of voice implied that he was really looking for some conversation with her. No one could blame him, they haven't talked properly in days.

"No," Hermione replied, "Unless you have ever wanted someone to hang a rorrdaggle in your window." She sat down and opened her manual again. I'm going to need a lot more than a few simple guidelines to work with Draco Malfoy, She thought.

Ron was left with a forced, sad, smile on his face as he went to get his school robes out so he could change out of his muggle attire. Hermione just felt too awkward around him lately, as he had been around her. She didn't want to hurt her friend, and hoped that they weren't talking about her earlier when she eavesdropped. But who else would they be talking about?

She did in fact get the strong impression that Ron liked her. And he thought she liked Harry? She glanced at him. Well, he's cute enough. And a great friend… but…

But what? Everyone always thought it would be Harry she should be dating, could she blame Ron for thinking the same? But Harry said he wasn't into her. Well, why not? What's wrong with me that Harry finds me so unappealing? She wondered in the very back of her mind. But he could just be saying that as so not to hurt Ron, who likes her. But he had said that she can't be left on her own, this may be her "last chance." Last chance at what? Did they think she was so pathetic that they were the only ones who would ever like her?

She wanted to sigh, but she didn't want to attract their attention. She didn't know how to handle Ron's feelings for her, and she was strangely hurt that Harry had said such things about her. Then there was always her working with Draco situation, which she didn't even want to think on until she had to.

She dove back into her manual, this time actually taking it in. And for some reason, she really didn't want to talk to her friends right now. They caught the hint when she ignored everything they said to her all the way to Hogwarts.


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There's chapter 2. Sorry about the random errors, I'm working on them but seem to miss them when I proofread. You know how it is to try to re-read your own work. You read it your way and don't think about anyone else.

Anyway, let me know what you think, if you'd like- but honestly, you have noooooooooo idea yet. Beginnings are always slow.

Until next time!