Chapter Five
"You just disappeared last night. What happened?" Harry asked at breakfast. They were leaving Hogwarts in just a few hours. Hermione was looking forward to seeing her parents once again. She had been missing them so terribly.
"I.. got tired of Cormac. He was trying to drag me under the mistletoe," Hermione lied. She had returned to the party after her talk with Draco, but Cormac had showed up just seconds later, which made her leave. She just could not deal with any more boy trouble at the moment.
Hermione saw Ron react on the name 'Cormac' even though he was lip-locking with Lavender.
"Luna and I was looking for you, but we thought you had just given in for Cormac," Harry chuckled. Hermione could not imagine Harry come to that conclusion. He knew she would not do something so stupid. Not even to piss of Ron.
"Going anywhere for the holidays?" Ginny Weasly asked Hermione at Hogsmeade Station later that day. It had been snowing toughly all month, so the station was full of a beautiful white layer of what looked like a veil.
"No, not really. I love London at Christmas time. It is such a beautiful place, with all the decorations and snow," answered Hermione. Even though she was wearing a big coat and scarf she was freezing her butt off. She wished the train would hurry up a bit and bring her back home. She needed a break from everyone; Harry, Ron..
"I can imagine. Mum never lets us leave the house. We do, if we are lucky, visit Diagon Alley for some shopping and a cup of cinnamon tea." Hermione could spot a tear in Ginny's beautiful eyes.
"Oh, I am sorry. I would like to bring you one day," she suggested with a smile. She meant anyone whom had not seen London at Christmas had not lived.
The Hogwarts Express could be heard metres away. It all of a sudden hit Hermione that she did not have anyone to sit with. Harry was defiantly sitting with Ron, and Ginny would be cuddling all up with Dean.
Hermione boarded the train, deeply caught in her own thoughts. She walked down the very crowded train that was full of chaos. She found a free spot halfway through the train. She did not look around to see who was there, she just sat down beside the window, and closed her eyes. She was very exhausted from everything. Just, everything.
The Hogwarts Express left Hogsmeade Station. Hermione leaned her head against the window, and tried to fall asleep. She wanted the train trip to be over as fast as possible, so that she could see her parents again.
"Following me around, are you, Granger?" Hermione sat up in shock.
"Draco.. I had not seen you there," Hermione replied, looking directly into Draco Malfoy's very light blue eyes. Draco was seated right next to Hermione. He had clearly not been there when she had found her seat, so it was actually him who was following her, but she did not point that out.
"You got away in a hurry last night," said Draco. Hermione could not imagine that this was the same boy whom had done nothing but hated her for the past many years.
"Yes, I had a date, you see," explained Hermione.
"Oh.. Of course you did. Did you enjoy his, er, company?" It wondered Hermione that Draco seemed to care.
"Honestly, no. Cormac was rather, er, uninteresting." Hermione could easily have had lied, but weirdly she did not feel the urge to.
"Cormac? Cormac McLaggen?"
"Yes, him. My first choice was not able to join me anyway." Hermione made sure she sounded a bit angry, in hopes Ron would be standing behind her and hear it all. Oh how it would please him to see her talking to Draco Malfoy.
"First choice?" Draco looked confused. His eyes were shining. "Oh, you mean that Weasly kid you enjoy so much." It was clear that Draco did not think good of Ron.
"Enjoy is not really the right word," Hermione chuckled. "He is a real pain in the arse, actually. Too bad it took me so long to realise." Hermione felt tears pressing against her eyes, but she tried to hide it.
"The Weasly's are not completely sane. My father does not speak good of them."
It did hurt Hermione a bit to hear someone talk so badly about a family she actually cared a bit about. Well, maybe a bit more than a bit. She was, truth to be told, sad that she would not be spending any time of the holiday at The Burrow. She loved it there.
"Your father does not speak good of anyone," she said under her breath, but she had a feeling Draco heard her anyway.
"If you want to go back to sleep you can do so. You can lean on my shoulder if the window gets too uncomfortable," Draco suggested. Hermione looked at him in pure surprise. She had not seen that offer coming.
"Since you mention it, it actually is. How did you know?"
"Spent my first many years sleeping at the train ride. Not as comfortable as you hope for." They both chuckled. Draco tapped on his shoulder to let Hermione know that he meant what he said. She smiled, then leaned her head against his shoulder, and closed her eyes.
"Sorry, but can I have a word with Hermione?"Hermione looked up, and did in surprise see her old friend Ron Weasly. He had that glimpse in his eyes, that glimpse that Hermione fell for every time. That glimpse she hated that she loved.
Hermione sighed. She had no idea what Ron would like to talk to her about, but she felt like she had no other choice.
"She won't talk to you, blood traitor!" Draco Malfoy said with an angry tone. He was sitting very close to Hermione, and had his arm tightly around her, as was he showing that he owned her.
"She can speak for herself, you know!" Ron was yelling. His face had turned red for being angry. With his ginger hair it looked like he was on fire.
"I am sure Hermione would be saying the exact words!"
"She would never call me a blood traitor! What are you even doing with her? She is Muggle born, you know?" Ron said. Hermione felt anger grow inside of her. Firstly for the boys talking about her as was she not present, and now Ron calling her a Muggle born.
"That is absolutely none of your business, Weasly! Hermione wants nothing to do with such a useless, poor.." Draco got cut off.
"Now, both of you just stop!" Hermione said. She was standing up with her hands pointing towards both Draco and Ron. "Such bad words you are using. You should be disgusted!"
Ron looked as if he had swallowed poison. He hated that Hermione made him feel guilty for talking trash to Draco Malfoy.
"Sorry, Hermione. I just did not like him calling you so," said Draco, turned around, and kissed Hermione on her forehead -just under her hairline. Hermione took a step back in surprise. She had not seen that coming. Since when had it been all right for Draco Malfoy to kiss her?
Ron looked just as surprised as Hermione -he had turned even more red in the face, if possible.
"Oi, what are you doing?" he asked Draco.
"I am kissing my bloody girlfriend, you moron! What does it look like I am doing?"
Both Ron and Hermione jumped with Draco saying 'girlfriend'. Firstly Hermione was confused, but then she all of a sudden felt completely all right with the thought of being someone's girlfriend.
"So that is who you are now, eh? Forgotten all about me and Harry have yeh? Great, that''s just.." Ron turned around and was about to leave them behind. "Great."
"Ron, wait," whispered Hermione but it was too late. Ron had already left them. Hermione glared at the spot where he had just been, sort of hoping he would appear again.
"Thank goodness we got rid of him, right Hermione?" But Hermione had not heard Draco speak. All of her concentration was put on Ron; her mind, her eyes, her ears..
"Hermione?" Draco repeated, "Hermione?"
Hermione sat up in a rush. She had fallen asleep on Draco's shoulder. Judging on the busy students around her and the fading sun outside the window, they would soon be arriving at King's Cross.
"Hermione?" said Draco. Hermione turned her head towards him.
"Hm?" Hermione felt a slightly feeling of awkwardness by looking at Draco. The dream she had just had, had been feeling so real-life. But of course, why would Draco ever want to kiss her in real life?
"We are at the station in a few minutes. I just wanted to wake you up. You sleep pretty heavy." Hermione chuckled.
"So I've been told."
"Well, I will see you after Christmas then?" asked Draco. Hermione nodded.
"Yes, I suppose so. I don't know what should keep me from coming back." Hermione felt like she had just lied to Draco. She actually could not think of a reason to return, but as the minutes passed Draco sort of turned into a reason..
The Hogwarts Express stopped at Platform 9 ¾ only a few minutes later. Hermione followed Draco out of the train among hundreds of other students. It was all one big chaos. Owls were screaming from their cages -making their owners go insane-, frogs jumping out of hands and pockets, Quidditch brooms hitting people in the heads.. True nightmare.
Hermione all of a sudden felt Draco's hand in hers. He was leading the way out, making sure she did not get lost in the crowd. Hermione was too stressed out and exhausted to make up an opinion about Draco taking her hand. She just lot him. It actually felt a bit nice. Only Viktor Krum had ever held her hand, and he had left without never returning. Hermione felt her heart drop a bit with the thought of her first ever love. She did not want to think much about it, and she had never mentioned him to anyone since the Yule Ball.
"Hermione!" voices were yelling as Hermione and Draco finally reached the platform. Hermione gazed around at the station, but she could not find the source of the voices. It was probably her parents. They would be easy to spot, though, since all wizards were wearing Muggle clothes, but just not from this century.
"Hermione!" the voiced sounded again.
"There," Draco whispered, and pointed at Hermione's parents whom were standing quite a few inches away from them. Hermione started walking towards them, forgetting all about Draco being attached to her.
"Mum, dad!" she said with a happy tone. She felt so pleased to finally be seeing them again. Hermione might be in her late teens but she would never stop loving her parents.
"And who is this young bloke, I may ask?" Hermione's mother said with a pleasant look at Draco. Hermione had never before mentioned him.
"Huh?" Hermione turned her face to see who her mother was talking about. "Oh, this is Draco. He is a, er, schoolmate." Hermione knew her parents would both misunderstand this, and her mother smirking confirmed that.