Chapter One (The Journey from Platform 9 ¾)
Neville seemed to be in a slightly better mood after meeting Harry Potter, but the smile on his face didn't last long. Three boys, two of them very large and beefy, the third with bright blonde hair and skinny, walked on to the train car.
"Uh oh." Neville whispered.
"What's wrong Neville?" Hermione whispered toward him.
"It's Malfoy."
"Malfoy?" Hermione didn't have to wait long for an answer.
"He's the short blonde boy. His family is one of the oldest wizarding pure blood line families." With every word Neville's voice got lower and lower, as the three boys got closer until the five of them were standing face to face.
The boy Neville called Malfoy, stood with authority and blocked their way with his two friends behind them. Hermione stood there waiting for them to move, but no one did. She looked over at Neville, his head was down and was slowly inching his way to hide behind her. She looked back toward the boys.
"You losers going to move out of our way?" A slick, smooth voice came from the blonde.
"Or you could, since you are taking up the whole isle."
"Hermione just move to the side." Neville said from directly behind her. She looked over her shoulder and saw him cowering behind her against the wall.
"Listen to your friend, bushy hair" Malfoy said with a bossy tone.
"No." Hermione told him simply.
"No! What do you mean 'no'!"
"You can move to the other side. You and your two friends as well."
Malfoy looked at the girl in front of him curiously. "You're not going to get out of my way are you?" He said as if he was stating a fact.
"No." She replied simply.
"Alright. Ladies first." And with saying that he stepped to the side with his arm out. Hermione didn't move, she was staring at Crabbe and Goyle. Malfoy looked over to see them staring at him.
"Well boys, move out of the way for this bushy haired girl." With confused looks on their face, they two boys obeyed.
"Thank you." Hermione told him confidently.
"I'll see you later bushy hair." He smiled at her, then turned around and walked away.
"Come on Neville, let's go look for your toad" and with that Hermione walked the other way. Neville rushed after her still amazed how Malfoy listened to her.
"Stupid boys! Fighting and we're not even at school yet." Hermione muttered under her breath. She sighed and reached her train compartment. It was empty at the moment and that relaxed her. She picked up her book and sat by the window. The sun was out and shining down on the train. The sun's ray hit directly on the pages of her book making it difficult to read. She got up and moved to the chair across from her, the sun now hit her face but she just held her book higher and the problem was solved.
A half hour passed when her train compartment door opened. But Hermione didn't even notice, she had Hogwarts, A History and was completely engulfed in the book. The boy who came in felt satisfied. He sat down right across from Hermione hoping she'd look up but with the book in front of her face, but he guessed that probably wasn't going to happen anytime soon. So he thought of a different approach.
"Hogwarts, A History. I read that book the first time I got it as well. Not many people read it unless it's for class, but a few read do," and to the boy's luck Hermione drew the book away from her face.
In front of Hermione was the boy Neville called Draco Malfoy. Hermione slowly put the book down in her lap then waited for him to say something.
Draco sensed this and was trying to think of something to say, but all he could feel were the butterflies in his stomach. He swallowed and said the first thing that came out of his mouth, "I found you bushy hair."
He saw her narrow her eyes and Draco felt bad. He didn't really mean to be rude; it just came as a defense mechanism when he was nervous. She still hadn't said anything so he continued to talk. "I'm Dra-"
"Draco Malfoy." Hermione finished for him, he looked at her shocked. "I know who you are, I'm not stupid and I do know people."
"Longbottom told you. What else did he tell you?"
"Just who you were. But why don't you tell me who you are?"
"Fine. I'm Draco Malfoy. Most people call me Malfoy. I'm 11 and on my way to Hogwarts. I'm also talking to this girl who's got fascinating bushy hair but I don't know her name." Hermione blushed when he finished.
"I'm Hermione Granger, people don't call me by my last name; they call me by my first."
Draco nodded. He wasn't sure what else to say so both just sat in front of each other for a couple minutes. Hermione looked right at him and Draco found it slightly uncomfortable. He wasn't used to people being so forward with him and not afraid of him.
"So why are you reading Hogwarts, A History?" He finally asked her.
"I wanted to know about Hogwarts." Hermione replied softly.
"Are you muggle born?" He asked and Hermione nodded.
"Ah. Well if you have any questions about the amazing wizarding world, you can always ask me." He said triumphantly with a warm smile.
Hermione thought back to what Neville said about the boy in front of her and how sacred he seemed to be when Draco approached. And now she wasn't sure if Draco was just mocking her and making fun of her or just trying to be nice. It seemed like a fifty-fifty going either way.
"Did you go and start a fight with Harry Potter?"
Draco stared at her, shocked. "I didn't really start a fight. Weasley's rat started it. Besides Potter was being rude as well."
"Mhmm," was all Hermione said. She didn't believe him.
"I'm not as mean as everyone says I am. Promise. It's just happens. Growing up I learned that fear got some people power. So I've been testing it out on the train, so far it's worked."
"That's rude! You know fear isn't the only way to make friends. You could try being nice."
"Well I've been nice to you the entire time I've been here."
"Well you weren't very nice to me before. When I saw you in the corridor, you practically told me to get out of your way, like you were so above me in every way." Hermione stated to Draco.
"Yeah then I moved so there." He stuck his tongue out at her and thought man she's really annoying. She always has to be right and keeps correcting me.
"Why did you move?" Hermione was curious about this, since the entire time he built a status of trying to be better than everyone.
"Because you stated a true fact. Besides no one ever has stood up to me, it was impressive." He said simplyHermione looked at him, she still couldn't figure him out and what his character was like. Before she could figure out more of his personality a voice boomed throughout the train.
"Hello kids this is your conductor speaking. We will be arriving in Hogwarts in ten minutes. So now is the time to collect your belongings and make sure you have them packed and all together. You don't want to be losing anything now, but if you do just tell a professor at the school and they shall take care of it. Thank you for riding the Hogwarts Express. Have a great semester and I shall see you all later."
Hermione's eyes lit up and a huge smile formed on her face. She was finally here and she couldn't believe it. She hadn't even stepped foot on the Hogwarts ground but she started to feel complete. She knew all the questions she carried with her during her childhood would start being answered. She stood up and took down her bag, opened it and put Hogwarts, A History away; then sat back down right by the window to see if she could get a glimpse of her school.
"Well, I should be going. Got to get back to my friends."
Hermione's head snapped up, she forgot Draco was here and she blushed. "Oh, right. Well it was nice talking to you."
Draco nodded. "Yeah it was, well I guess I'll see you later bushy hair," and he started toward the train car door.
"It's Hermione. Call me Hermione."
He paused at the door and turned around. Her face was stern and he knew that her request was an order. He nodded again and thought of the light that lit her face when the conductor said they were almost at school and smiled. "Sorry, bye Hermione."
"Bye Draco." Then she turned to look out the window again and Draco left with a smile on his face.
(The Sorting Hat)
Draco and Hermione did run into each other again; when they just got out of the boats after crossing the lake. He found her and held his hand out to help her out of her boat. She was surprised and couldn't hide it from him.
"How'd you like the view of the castle?" He asked her as they began to walk up to it.
"It's so huge and amazing." She told him with amazement in her voice and this made him smile.
When they walked into the great hall and Hermione saw the stars on the roof, she mentioned how she read it in Hogwarts, A History and was surprised she remembered. It made him give a small laugh, with a result of her eyes giving a little glare to him. They walked up together and stayed together until she was sorted into Gryffindor and him into Slytherin. That's when they parted ways.