Hermione fed up with the talk of Quidditch from Harry and Ron finally made her way down the train. That was all they seemed to talk about lately, after multiple spats about whether or not Draco was trustworthy between the three of them that seemed the only way their strained friendship could actually continue. She loved her boys, she had been through everything with them but after Draco's trial she couldn't think about anyone but him. She loved the lessons her and Harry would give her and when he asked her questions she found herself wanting to tell him everything and he listened like she was the most important thing in the world to him. It pained her to remember how he looked so lost sitting alone as she and Harry testified his innocence. She knew despite his memory being damaged from the spell, there was very little damage left to anything but his perception of others and trust. "Trust," she mumbled walking by a few compartments of the returning students as they gawked at her "that was what Draco and I have a trust."
Draco had never felt as vulnerable as he felt when he was with Hermione Granger, she was an angel that came straight from heaven to save him and he wanted to make sure she knew he wanted her. He didn't want her just physically, although as a teenage boy that was part of it, he wanted her emotionally and mentally. Her intelligence was stunning to him and he hoped he could prove it to her. So when Draco saw her pass his compartment he knew what he had to do.
"Hermione" he called motioning to his empty compartment. "Hello Draco" she replied stepping in as he let the scent of roses overwhelm him he sat nearly speechless. She settled in across from him and with a glance at the book he was reading laughed and went on into a lengthy explanation. "The difference between Petrificus Totalus and Locomotor Mortis are that the initial locks the persons' whole body and renders them completely unable to move, while the latter only locks the legs." He listened carefully as her voice dropped, "Then there is the Impedimenta curse that is capable of tripping, freezing, binding, knocking back and generally impeding the target's progress towards the caster." Her gaze dropped and he gently let his hand rest on her knee forcing her to look up to his eyes. "Hermione," he mumbled wanting to comfort her, he assumed she was lost in a memory of the war, but suddenly the Honeydukes Hogwarts Express sweet trolley came to the door. "Anything for you dears?" They both shook their head and she left but their moment was broken and Draco removed his hand from Hermione's knee. After a while they fell into a conversation about Hogwarts and the school year to come, both making hints as to spending much time together, but neither actually saying it.
Harry was sick of all this prancing around Ron, he had spoken to Ginny a lot this summer as she was the only one even willing to talk to Draco, and the only Weasley that believed that Draco had in fact been Imperiused. He and Ginny however had been better off as friends and with him and Hermione living the latter half of the summer as quietly as possible in number 4 Grimmauld place while Ron used his status to get other girls, a rift grew between Hermione and Harry and the Weasley's.
Harry sensed there was something his best friend was not telling him about her relationship with Draco however, she was the one teaching him most of course, but there was something else there, something Harry had seen before Ron had gotten with Lavender the first time, but he couldn't place it. He knew it wasn't lust, or love, but definitely like. He wasn't as oblivious as people thought, not with Hermione. Never had he once forgotten her birthday or her favorite sweets. She was the closest thing to family he had, and he intended on keeping it that way. Ron continued to drone on and on about Quidditch, and finally sick with all of it he started to think of other things and made a mental note to watch Draco with Hermione, a bit more carefully.
It had been hours when Hermione went back to her compartment with Ron and Harry who had together not acknowledged her absence, but rather greeted her with the lackluster that came with being forced to live together and knowing one's tendencies. As Ron continued to drone on about Quidditch something Hermione did not like in the first place she spoke up "Really Ron, does nothing else matter to you?" Ron seemingly dumbfounded and angry then proceeded to storm out of the compartment. Harry stared at Hermione and noticed her in thought as she ran her hand where Draco's had been earlier.
Hermione had always thought of Draco as being special to her, but one thing Hermione knew after their conversation in his compartment is this year would be nothing like she thought; because, instead of being in love with Ron like everyone wanted, Hermione Granger was falling in love with Draco Malfoy without a second thought.
Harry could see it in Hermione's eyes, that there was something in her head. "Knut for your thoughts Mione?" he watched her register his question and briefly debate whether to tell the truth. "No Harry," she whispered "no need to worry, just worried about Draco is all." Although Harry saw the concern in her eyes and knew it was the partial truth he continued to push. "That isn't all is it Mione?" She sighed and shook her head "He's different Harry, I- I'm not sure what to think."
Draco Malfoy sat in his compartment completely mesmerized by her. He would have Hermione Granger marked as his girlfriend within the year of would die trying. She meant the world to him, and he didn't want to lose her. She and Harry meant everything to him, and there was nothing he wanted more than to protect her at all costs.
He thought back to the moment with his hand on her knee, how badly he wanted to kiss her, and it excited him that it was reflected in her eyes too. Oh to kiss Hermione Granger, he felt his father would have cringed, and this made him even more excited to do so.
As they exited the train Draco started plotting his first move. He liked Hermione and he couldn't see why anyone wouldn't she was beautiful, kind and truly the brightest witch of their age. She was a woman with big dreams and a bigger heart. She had been hurt to many times by the imperiused Draco and many who behaved like him and he was determined to see to it that it never happened again. He felt his heart soar and unbeknownst to him the same thing happened to her. The Malfoy family prided themselves with pure blood, but Draco truly didn't care, which was probably the reason he'd been Imperiused by his parents in the first place, and the soaring in his heart had only meant one thing, that this was a piece of fate falling into place.
He had since being 'awake' considered changing his name, but the Malfoy family deserved a little more "shame" before he actually did such a thing. He laughed inwardly while going up to the "boy-who-lived-twice", Ron and Hermione. As they sat down at the carriages to the castle he was nervous; Harry, Draco, Hermione and Ron had been promised a house (although on a much smaller scale considering it would only house a few) in a letter. He knew Ron had refused but was nearly shocked when Harry and Hermione hadn't, he would be with his real friends for the year, and he was legitimately happy. After the trial and war McGonagall had this arranged to prevent harassment from the Slytherin house and other students, and he had to say he was excited. For the first time in his life, that Draco could remember, he took the ride in the thestral drawn carriages, up to Hogwarts.