September 1, 1997
When they arrived outside King's Cross Station, Hermione felt Ginny squeeze her hand supportively. The brunette inhaled deeply and nodded to the younger witch before they all made their way into the station.
She spotted her parents…the Grangers over near Platform Nine. They were standing with a bloke who she had always thought she resembled. He had dark, chestnut hair and wise, mocha eyes.
Now, however, she thought she could see the differences between herself and Henry Granger. He was tall while she was rather short. He was lean and while she wasn't overweight, she had a certain amount of plump around her hips and thighs.
The differences suddenly seemed to be striking. Despite the pain and betrayal, she couldn't help but feel a warmth of happiness upon seeing the bloke she had always considered to be her brother.
She walked over toward the family of three and was immediately pulled into a hug by Peter Granger and then Elizabeth Granger.
"We'll miss you. Will you be coming home for Christmas Holiday?" Elizabeth asked her eagerly.
Hermione swallowed, wondering where her 'home' truly was. "Erm…I don't know."
"Are you okay, Minnie?" Peter asked quietly with concern in his voice.
Hermione nodded, feeling a sharp pain in her chest upon hearing the nickname she had been called her entire life. "I'm fine. Just tired."
Henry stepped forward, "Hey." He grinned, "You better behave yourself this year."
She felt her lips turn up into a small smile as she nodded, "I'll try."
"You know, seeing as it's your last year there, forget about behaving." He chuckled and pulled her into a warm, brotherly embrace, "I'll be at graduation."
She fought back tears and nodded, "Okay."
"Are you sure that you're okay?" he asked, looking at her with a knowing look. He had always known when something was wrong with her even if he wasn't certain what it was.
She nodded, "Like I said…I'm just really tired. I'll probably sleep on the train ride."
"Okay." he said with a glance at his wristwatch. "You'd better go, or you'll miss it."
She nodded, "I'll write you all." She said.
Peter nodded, "Good. We'll be sure to write back as soon as we receive each letter."
Elizabeth nodded, "I love you, dear." she said with teary eyes. "We all do. Have a wonderful term." She kissed Hermione on the cheek and hugged her tightly.
Hermione nodded, "I…I love you all too." She whispered before waving goodbye and going with Ginny, who had waited for her.
They both stepped through to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters and looked around for their friends.
"There's Harry with his parents." Ginny nosed toward the three Potters on their right.
Hermione nodded but wasn't looking in that direction. Instead, her mocha eyes were aimed at a group of Slytherins to their left. She spotted Draco Malfoy with his younger sister and brother. They were standing beside Theodore Nott who was speaking with a girl who Hermione recognized as Julianna Nott. She was a seventh year Slytherin. There were also two other Notts, younger ones, standing nearby.
Hermione exhaled, wondering how they were all related. Who were they to her?
Ginny shook her out of her thoughts, "Hermione, come on. We've got to find a cabin."
Hermione nodded with a sigh and followed the redhead onto the train. They found a cabin with Harry, Ron, Neville, and Luna.
She remained silent for most of the ride. Her mind continued to work, wondering how to find the genealogy information without raising too many questions.
Hermione inhaled deeply and closed her eyes. She waited until they were thirty minutes into the ride before standing up, grabbing her school uniform, and leaving the cabin with a heavy exhale.
"Where's she going? We never get changed this early." Ron asked, confused.
Ginny looked at her brother, "She's Head Girl, Ron. She has responsibilities. She's got to meet the Head Boy and all the Prefects."
Ron nodded, "Oh. Yeah, right. Is she okay? I'm concerned about her." He said with genuine unease in his voice.
"She'll be fine." She replied before turning back to Luna and changing the topic.
Hermione finished getting changed in the nearest washroom and took her previous clothes back to her school trunk before making her way to the Meeting Cabin.
She wasn't sure who the Head Boy was. Professor Dumbledore hadn't mentioned it in the letter he had sent her in mid-July. Originally, Hermione had been eager and honored to be appointed Head Girl but after her discovery…she now had more pressing matters to deal with.
She entered the cabin, finding it vacant of people but containing refreshments for the gathering of the Heads and Prefects. With a sigh, she crossed her arms over her chest and waited until she heard the door slide open behind her.
"I figured it'd be you." She heard him say in a casual tone. "No one else deserves to be Head Girl more."
She turned around, coming face-to-face with Draco Malfoy.
She swallowed, "Thank you, Malfoy. The same goes for you as Head Boy." She said, noticing the badge on his chest.
"Thanks Granger." He said with a small smile.
She visibly winced and his smile fell as his brow furrowed.
"Please, call me Hermione." she said quietly.
He studied her for a moment before nodding, "Okay. Why don't you call me Draco then? We will be working together quite a bit this year and living in the same dorm. May as well use our first names."
Nodding, Hermione inhaled deeply, "Okay…yeah."
"The Prefects will all be here soon." He said as he stepped further into the cabin, closing the door behind him.
"Do you have any idea who any of them are?"
"Yeah. My sister, Seren; she and one of Theo Nott's cousins are the Slytherin Prefects."
Hermione swallowed hearing the mention of a member of the Nott family before nodding, "Anyone else?"
Shaking his head, Draco replied, "I'm not sure of any of the others. Are you okay, Gra…Hermione?" he asked, correcting himself quickly.
She nodded, "I'm fine."
The wizard nodded but looked at her with a bit of skepticism on his face. Before either of them could say anything else, the door slid open again.
They looked over as a beautiful blonde girl with grey eyes entered with a boy who had short, light brown curls and hazel eyes.
Draco walked closer to Hermione and cleared his throat, "Hermione Granger, this is Seren Malfoy and Trevor Nott, the Slytherin Prefects."
Hermione nodded as more fifth years entered. She recognized a few of them.
The Hufflepuff Prefects both had older siblings Hermione knew. Alexander Abbott and Sara Diggory entered and sat down, waiting for the others. Hermione didn't recognize the Gryffindor boy, Michael Retton, however Katherine Brown's older sister had been one of Hermione's dormmates every year. When the Ravenclaw Prefects arrived, they both introduced themselves respectfully to the others. Hermione hadn't known that Cho Chang had a younger brother named Jun until then, but he appeared to be quite polite and gentlemanly as he let his fellow Ravenclaw Prefect, Levine Tittle, take the last seat while he remained standing.
Draco and Hermione began explaining the responsibilities of a Prefect to the eight students. They told them everything they would need to know until their next meeting, which would be the following evening at six o'clock in the Head's Common Room.
When they finished, they asked if any of the fifth years had any questions. No one did, so all the Prefects left to go back to their cabins.
Draco and Hermione remained there so they could discuss the best schedule for Prefect Rounds. They ended up deciding rather quickly which pairings would do rounds on which nights.
"What now?" Draco asked leaning back. "Do you want to go back to your friends?"
She was quick to shake her head, "No. You can go though. But I'm staying here until we get there."
After a moment of silence, Draco spoke up, "So, I know that you and I aren't really…friends, and we haven't talked much throughout the years, but you don't seem fine…Hermione." he said with a slightly raised brow.
The brunette huffed, nodding thinking over how to respond as she too, leaned back.
"You don't have to tell me anything that you don't want to. I'm merely making an observation." He added quickly while watching her closely.
"It's just that it's…complicated." She sighed, closing her eyes at the word.
The wizard nodded slowly, "You know…complicated is a relative term." He remarked.
Hermione opened her eyes and looked at him before laughing and shaking her head, "What an apt choice of words." She said as her laughter died down.
He furrowed his brow in confusion, "What do you mean?" He asked before thinking about it a moment and saying, "Oh…relative? So, it's family then?"
She nodded with a long exhale, "Yeah. Something like that. Let's just say, it's been a tough two weeks."
"I'm sorry to hear that." He said quietly and with complete sincerity.
She met his eyes and swallowed, "Thank you, Draco."
He nodded, keeping eye contact.
The Hogwarts Express arrived at Hogsmeade Station around seven o'clock that evening. Hermione went back to the other cabin to collect her things before making her way to the carriages with her friends.
The Sorting Ceremony and feast went by without her speaking much.
Afterwards, the Prefects showed the first-year students to their dormitories while Draco and Hermione assisted the Professors in ensuring that the rest of the student body didn't loiter in the corridors.
It was nearing ten o'clock before the Head Boy and Head Girl arrived in their Dormitory.
Their Common Room was nicely sized. Mostly made of stone, it had the occasional touches of Gryffindor or Slytherin memorabilia. The large fireplace was surrounded by two cushioned lounge chairs, a large sofa and a coffee table. There was also a small table with four chairs as well as a small kitchenette on the far side, between two distinct doors.
The door on the right had the Gryffindor emblem on if along with Hermione's initials while the door on the left had the Slytherin emblem and Draco's initials.
"I'll see you in the morning, Draco." Hermione said quietly, "Goodnight."
He nodded, watching her for a moment, "Goodnight, Hermione. Sleep well." he replied.
She looked over at him just as he walked into his dormitory and smiled.
She stepped into her dormitory, finding her school trunk in there already. Deciding to bathe, she gathered her toiletry bag, a towel, and her pajamas before entering the ensuite. She turned the water on and stripped off her clothing before stepping underneath the showerhead as the water rained down.
She allowed her mind to go blank for the first time in a long time so that she could simply enjoy the hot shower.
Afterwards, she pulled on her pajamas and grabbed the folder from her trunk. She slid underneath the covers of the large bed and opened the folder, reviewing the documents once again. She knew she had practically memorized each one but seeing them in front of her helped. She wondered if, perhaps, she had missed something, but she hadn't.
There was nothing different…of course, but she knew, being at Hogwarts, she'd find the answers she was searching for.
Her mind drifted to the boy in the next room. Not only did they share a Dormitory, but they were forming what appeared to resemble a friendship. With his best friend being Theodore Nott, she wondered, and hoped, if perhaps Draco would be able to help her find those answers quicker and with less hassle.
Staying focused on Draco for a moment, she couldn't help but smile a bit.
She shook her head. She needed to focus. She had important tasks that had to be handled before she could even consider thinking about such a thing.
Though…he was intriguing.
With a sigh, she flicked her wand, turning out the lights and laid back. She'd begin to research everything the next morning, so she needed to rest. But even as she closed her eyes, a blond-haired, grey-eyed wizard with a mesmerizing smile appeared behind her eyelids.
So much for focusing.
