The Hogwarts Express

It had been 6 days and all Ron and I had said to each other was 'Good morning', 'Good night' and the odd question here and there. With the way things were going a break up seemed imminent – but then I had to ask myself, did I want to be with Ron or not?

Early morning on 1st September the burrow was full of noise as Ginny, Harry, Ron and I all got ourselves ready to be at kings cross for 10:30 sharp, as Ron and I had to be there as soon as the train was to make sure everyone gets on alright as we were continuing our positions as Gryffindor's prefects – which also meant I'd be in the prefect's compartment with Ron and the other 6 prefects, so I was probably in for a long and unpleasant journey.
I sighed internally as I thought about this while we were in the car on the way to King's Cross station. I was sat between Ron and Ginny in the back seat with Harry in the front and Mr Weasley driving – after the incident with his last car (which had been magically modified) Arthur decided to stick with the original model of this one, rather than stretch out the back seat with an undetectable expansion charm – and numerous other things, needless to mention.

When we reached Kings Cross and found ourselves stood in front of the barrier between platforms 9 and 10 Ron stood next to me, put his hand on the small of my back and smiled at me timidly "When will you be my friend again Hermione? You know I love you."

I sighed, unsure how to answer. I just looked up at him and kissed his jaw, before walking through the barrier and emerging onto platform 9 and ¾ just in time for the train's arrival. There was no one else here so I made my way onto the train, right at the front where the prefect's compartment is, and I unloaded my trunk and put Crookshanks on a seat to sleep; he was far too old to go wondering off now.

As I took off my jacket and put it on my trunk Ron came in and put his things on the luggage rail as well. "So are we friends Hermy?" He asked, raising his eyebrows hopefully at me.

I gave with a sigh "I guess so. Just don't do anything like that again Ronald." I looked at him disapprovingly.

He pulled a face "There was just something about the way he was looking at you. And I'm sure he kept grinning and winking in that stupid arrogant way he does things." Ron said; that hint of venom resurfacing in his voice and my face turned a shade pinker.

"Really? I didn't notice… Surely he didn't…" I went on, lying slightly. Of course I noticed, how could I not? "Urm – I'm going to see if there's any butter beer on the trolley, do you want one?" I asked heading towards the door of the compartment

He nodded and sat down with a copy of The Daily Prophet in his hand "Thanks babe."

I rolled my eyes – he knows I hate being called babe but still insists on calling it me every other day. When I reached the trolley, Augustine, the small plump woman who walks it up and down the aisle, asked me if I wanted anything.
"Do you have any butter beers?"

"I'm afraid not my darling, they'll have some in the café over there though." She pointed across the platform to the little green café I'd never actually before.

"Oh thank you." I said and smiled at her before I jumped back off the train. I walked over to the café and realised I had lost a button off my shirt and my boobs were slightly more visible than I was comfortable with but there wasn't much I could do without a spare button so I shrugged it off and made sure everything was still in my bra before walking into the café and going up to the counter.
"Can I have a butter beer please" I asked the man, not before noticing him looking at my chest.

Just then I felt a hand on my back and got a whiff of a very attractive smelling after shave. "And another for me won't you." Said Draco Malfoy, as he handed the man money for both mine and his.

I looked up, shocked, and he smiled at me. As he smiled I noticed he had a dimple in his left cheek that I'd never had the chance to notice before. I also noticed how absurdly attractive he is! I'd never realised how lovely his piercing grey eyes were – not steel, cold and hard, but like the sky after a storm, brightening up with dark and light swirling around. I blushed deep pink as the thought crossed my mind "Well hello again. You're here early aren't you?" I said taking a sip of my drink, and then quickly thanked him for buying it out of the blue.

I only noticed his hand had still been on my back when he ran it round to my waist and pulled it away – I felt heat travel across my back where his hand had been.
He smiled at me taking in my pink cheeks and my boob to top ratio – I blushed harder and took a seat. "Well I am a prefect; it's my job to be here early." He wagged his eyebrows as he sat opposite me.

"Oh yeah, I forgot you were a prefect…" I said thoughtfully. Then it suddenly dawned on me that I was going to spent the majority of the train ride in a compartment with Ron and Draco; my body filled with dread.

I think he noticed when he said "Are you alright Hermione? You look like you've seen a ghost…" He waved his hand in front of my face slowly.

I blinked a couple of times and came back to reality "You called me by my name."

"Well, yes…" He said looking confused.

"You've never called me by my name before… Well you used to just say 'Granger' – rather venomously now I think about it…" I wondered back off into my thought, thinking of the time in second year when he had called me a 'mudblood'. I felt hate rise up against him again and my eyes narrowed slightly.

"Yeah…" His eyes turned sad again, the same sad they turned when he talked of his parents. "I'm sorry Hermione. You didn't deserve any of that. You're probably the most brilliant witch of our age and you are worthy of nothing but respect and kindness. I will make amends for everything I did wrong to you – for every time I offended you or upset you in any way. I'll make up for it all." He was looking at me with big solemn eyes and I had just noticed that we had been unconsciously leaning in closer to one and other while talking, our fingertip almost touching in the middle of the tiny table and I could feel his warm, minty fresh breath on my face spearmint toothpaste I noted mentally.

Apparently neither of us had heard the door go, because just then – as I flirted with the idea of reaching forward just a tad more – Ron was right next to our table looking down at both of us angrily.
"I thought you were going to get butter beer." He said to me through gritted teeth and I quickly sat back in my seat with my hands on my side of the table.

Before I had the chance to apologise for the length of my trip, Draco spoke up, lacing his words thickly with sarcasm. "Oh I'm sorry Ronald, did you want one too? I should have got you one when I got ours, silly me." He grinned wickedly and I frowned at him then stood up without a second glance and got Ron his drink then headed back to the train.

When it reached 11 O' clock and the train had just set off I wondered lazily where Draco was as I sat talking to the prefects in the compartment. All the other prefects were younger than us but still in their 7th year. I was sat in the corner of the compartment with Crookshanks curled up on my lap and Ron was sat opposite me and still had the face on because I had spoken with Draco for a while.

Just then Draco arrived and everyone turned silent and stared at him in shock. He raised his eyebrows and walked through them all "Guess I better get used to people acting like this when I'm around…" He said as he sat right next to me, hip to hip, and grinned at me, his eyes shining in the light. He stroked Crookshanks who was sat on the table in front of me with the back of his hand and he started purring in response, and then Draco whispered in my ear "Well Miss Granger, it would appear that your pussy likes being stroked by me."

My eyes widened, my face went bright red and I couldn't help but choke out a laugh "Shut up Draco." I said back to him and shook my head smiling a little.

"Ooh!" he exclaimed happily with a silly smile on his face "You called me by my name! You've never called me by my name!" He quoted me from earlier. "Does that mean we're BFF's now?" He asked jokingly.

I replied with "Oh of course Draco best friends forever!" I shook my head and laughed, actually shocked I allowed myself to go along with his play – I felt strangely comfortable talking to him like I would a friend, but when I noticed Ron staring daggers at him I thought maybe I should have just left it… He was going to hate him either way though.

After that everyone started talking again and it was Ron and Sebastian's turn to monitor the train – Seb was the male prefect for Ravenclaw. He was a tall thin boy with a crooked nose and messy blonde hair.
Draco then turned slightly so his body was angled towards me, and he started to stroke Crookshanks again. "So, do you like it when I stroke your pussy like this? Or do you want it a bit gentler?" He whispered, grinning at me – a sexy yet wicked grin, and I quickly turned bright red again.

"Are you trying to be as inappropriate as possible?" I asked under my breath.

He laughed "Not really…" He took his hand off Crookshanks and stroked my burning cheek with the back of his fingers. "I just love that blush of yours." The moment he said it I blushed even harder and he smiled again, then moved his hand back down to the cat. "Sorry. I'm making you uncomfortable." He muttered and shifted his weight ever so slightly away from me.

I said "No." far too quickly and his grin returned. He knew exactly what effect he had on me. Every time he touched me I felt as though he was running through my veins. "I mean, I'm not uncomfortable. I just don't know what to say to you a lot of the time. We haven't exactly talked much over the years have we?" I regretted saying it as soon as I saw the sadness appear in his eyes again.
That look is why I believe everything he's told me – about wanting redemption and a new start as a new man. Because that look told me that he did regret everything from his past, and that that wasn't who he was and he didn't want that to be his label.
I reached my hand down to his and held his hand – mine felt tiny in his. "Hey, don't look so sad." I smiled and stroked his hand in a friendly way and he smiled back looking so sexy that I wished it wasn't friendly.
The moment I thought I internally hit myself. You have a boyfriend! You can't be thinking these things!

He stood up then "I'm going to get some food you want anything?"

"Um…" I hesitated, stuck between not wanting him to spend money on me and being very hungry and poor.

"I'll take that as a yes." He said smiling and winked at me before setting off down the train to find Augustine with her trolley of goodness.

I talked to Lucas and Pamela – the Hufflepuff prefects – for a minute or so before the door slid back open and Ron slumped back in and sat opposite me again looking glum "Where's your BFF gone?" He asked in a harsh tone and I automatically wanted to scream at him again, but I held back – nothing like a domestic on a train full of wizards.

"It was a joke Ronald, to try and ease the tension when he came in – and he's gone to get food." I said calmly. He just rolled his eyes and crossed his arms then insisted on looking out of the window with his bottom lip jutted out ever so slightly so that he looked like a sulky child. I decided to ignore his childish behaviour and went back to talking to the others.

Pamela was a very petite girl with long dark curls and eyes that could almost pass as orange against her olive skin; she nudged me and whispered "What's the deal with that Malfoy boy? I thought he was one of you-know-who's followers?"

I shook my head and whispered back quickly "He's good at heart, I can see that. He was brought up in a family that supported Voldemort and he had no other choice but to do as they did – he's making amends."

She contemplated it for a moment then nodded and moved on – if only Ron could do that so easily.

Draco walked in then with two pasties and two cartons of apple juice. "Pumpkin pasty for me 'lady." He said smiling at me holding out one of the pasties to me.

I accepted it and laughed a little "Why thank you kind sir." I said rolling my eyes, playing along with his little game.

He carried on "And would me 'lady like a straw with her juice or would she prefer to rip it open with her teeth?" He bit his teeth at me, grinning as he passed me the carton oh my lord, he's so sexy I thought to myself.

"I think a straw would suit me better, thank you sir!" I said, giggling as he passed me a straw then took the seat next to me again. "You're silly." I said smiling at him. "It's nice to see this side of you Draco."

He smiled and took a sip of his drink. "It's nice for this side of me to be seen. It's really depressing hating everything all the time you know?" We then ate our food and chatted happily about our subjects this year – noting that we'd probably be in the same potions class again – and I'd basically forgotten all about my sulky boyfriend sat opposite me.

We arrived at Hogwarts at 6PM and had to escort the 1st years to the boats by the lake. I got into one boat with 7 of them and so did all the other prefects – and Hagrid of course. We set off, leading the way for all the other students so they knew they weren't getting lost in the self-rowing boats.
Draco somehow managed to get his boat next to mine and offered me a race, but being a model student I fought against the urge to say yes and simply stuck my tongue out at him like a child when he looked at me disappointedly.

When we got to the castle we handed the 1st years over to professor McGonagall and headed in to the great hall and to our own house tables, which were clearly bigger than usual. As we walked down the aisles I noticed people whispering and looking over at Draco as he walked down the length of the Slytherin table, and I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. He just walked quickly acting as though he didn't notice them, then sat down where the bench was free.

At that moment the 1st years came filing in, looking terrified and excited, and I smiled, remembering my first day here 7 years ago exactly.