Preface

Welcome! This work is a compilation of Dramione oneshots created from Twitter prompts. Updates sporadically, with ratings/warnings posted at the top of each new chapter/story.

Prompt: Were you spying on me?

Rating: K

Warnings: None

Title: Undeniable Magic

Summary: With the help of a new friend, Hermione performs magic for the first time.

Hermione kissed her mum and dad goodbye, apprehension and excitement forming a curious mixture inside of her. Smoke from the scarlet steam engine billowed overhead, barely muffling the din of friends calling out for each other and families saying goodbye until the holidays.

Pulling her trunk behind her, Hermione pressed through the crowd towards the Hogwarts Express, hardly believing her good fortune. She had been ever so delighted to receive her letter, of course; it explained many of the odd occurrences from her childhood, but more than that, Hermione had always felt… different. Maybe here she would finally belong.

A kind, round-faced boy called Neville helped her shove her trunk onto the train.

"Thank you," she said, beaming at him.

"No problem," he replied, looking around anxiously. "You haven't seen a toad anywhere, have you? I've lost mine."

Hermione frowned. "Sorry, no. Would you like help searching? I'm happy to check the train."

He nodded eagerly, thanking her as he resumed his search of the platform.

Keeping an eye out for Neville's toad, Hermione moved down the corridor, searching for an empty compartment in which to stow her trunk. She was halfway down the carriage when the sound of shattering glass drew her attention.

A cool voice floated out of a nearby compartment. "Goyle, you oaf," it drawled.

Someone grunted.

"Oh, I'll fix it," the voice responded. "Just go. See if you can find Crabbe. He probably caught sight of the lunch trolley."

The door behind her slid open and a tall, hulking boy shuffled out, moving in the opposite direction. Hermione stepped forward, peeking around into the open compartment.

A pale boy with sharp features and white-blonde hair had his wand out, pointed at the shattered remains of a wall sconce.

"Reparo," he said confidently, moving his wand in a small circle around the sconce. The pieces rose and flew back together neatly, mending the sconce as if it had never been broken. Hermione let out a quiet gasp; it was the first time she'd seen real magic performed up close.

The boy's eyes snapped to hers. "Were you spying on me?" he asked coldly.

Hermione's eyes went wide. "No," she said immediately. "I mean, well… sort of. Aren't we not allowed to do magic until we get to Hogwarts?" Leaving her trunk in the doorway, she stepped into the compartment, inspecting the sconce.

The boy smirked. "Maybe not, but they can't stop us. I do magic all the time at home."

In awe, Hermione ran her fingers along the cool metal. "I've learned all our course books by heart, of course, but I've never tried…"

The boy seemed pleased by her admiration. His smirk widened. "Would you like to?"

Hermione hesitated, tucking her bottom lip between her teeth. It was against the rules, but… she nodded, a smile tugging at her lips.

"Here," he said, turning to rummage through the trunk sitting open on the seat labeled 'G. Goyle'. He plucked out a textbook, letting it fall open in one hand. With the other hand, he swiftly tore out several pages. Hermione gasped in shock this time.

"Don't worry," he said, sniggering at her reaction. "You're going to fix it. Like this." He mimed the wand movement again and repeated the incantation.

Fumbling in her jacket pocket, Hermione drew out her own wand. The wood was just slightly warm to the touch, and the carved vines pressed gently into her palm. Holding it in her hand felt so… right. The boy held out the pages for her with an encouraging smile.

Taking a deep breath, Hermione waved her wand. "Reparo." Immediately, the pages wove themselves back into the binding. She let out a delighted laugh.

"See?" he said, grinning at her. "You're a natural. Your parents must be really strict if they never even let you do magic at home."

Hermione flushed with pleasure. Beaming at him, she was about to respond that she'd only recently learned that magic even existed, but then the boy called Goyle was back, standing in the doorway in front of another thickset boy, slightly shorter but still hulking.

Hermione stowed her wand back in her pocket, quickly moving to pull her trunk out of the doorway so the other two could get inside the compartment.

"Hey, what's your name?" the pale boy called out.

She looked back over her shoulder. "Hermione. Hermione Granger," she said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Well I'm Draco Malfoy." He stuck his hand out in front of himself. "You can call me Draco."

Hermione turned and took his hand in hers, shaking it firmly. "Thanks, Draco," she said with a smile.

Draco grinned back at her. "See you around, Granger."

The train began to pick up speed as Hermione moved down the corridor, spirits soaring. She'd just performed magic. Actual, undeniable magic. It all suddenly felt real; she wasn't dreaming, she was going to Hogwarts to learn magic, and she'd already made her first friend.

Still smiling, Hermione moved into the next carriage, looking for both a toad and an empty compartment. She slid open the first door she came to, finding two boys already inside. One had vivid ginger hair and a smattering of freckles across his face, and the other had dark, untidy hair and a pair of broken glasses perched on his nose. Well, she thought to herself, she could fix those.

She smiled brightly. "Hello. I'm Hermione Granger."