A/n:

Sorry for the late update, as I promised. I have been struggling with finding the words in my writing. After all, English is not my mother language. I have already planned out the next few chapters but I'll need time to write them down. Hopefully, I can put out a few more before my work starts pilling up next month.

Enjoy!

Updated A/n:

Within 24 hours of releasing this chapter, I've gotten 2 reviews about copying and plagiarism. I want to address this accusation before anyone starts reading this chapter.

I have NOT copied my work from anyone or any site. All my work has been my own creation.

*Some lines were taken directly from the books to fill in the context.*

I have only read about 10 fanfics about Dramione, and they are all about post-war. Being accused of unoriginal work is the most frustrating as my creativity and efforts have been denied and not recognised.

To be honest, there were probably millions of different fanfic about Dramione before I even joined the club. It is hard to avoid a similar context as all fanfic writers are writing based on the same stories.

However, if you ever find my work being too similar to specific stories, feel free to send me a message along with reference to that fanfic. It is hard for me to know what I am copying when I haven't actually read them before.

As for other readers, I hope you can simply enjoy my work as a little fantasy of mine. This is just my imagination of how Dramione could be together without having the bullier-victim relationship between the two.

Thank you for reading and your support.


Things didn't go smoothly for Hermione. Her non-magical background was spread around the campus, and soon most students knew that she was a muggle-born. It wasn't a big deal unless she came across students from Slytherin, where most pure-bloods were sorted into. They would laugh at her face while calling her nasty names. They would always bad-mouth her that she wouldn't last a year in Hogwarts. Being underestimated triggered Hermione the most. She knew she would be a bright witch. She was a great witch. She knew she had to outshine her schoolmates to prove that even a muggle-born could be as powerful as a pure-blood.

Her hard work and brilliancy soon paid off, as she quickly got the acclaim of the brightest witch in all first years. Her performances in all lessons were exceptional. She was able to perform all spells in the first trial. Her excellency had earned over 50 points for Gryffindor as well.

Of course, Draco didn't take it well. Throughout his childhood, he had been showing signs of great magical potential. His father happily agreed with it, and he never would lie about his son's abilities. Hence, Draco couldn't believe a girl from no wizarding family could beat him so quickly.

Charms lesson was a humiliation for Draco when Professor Flitwick introduced the levitating spell. Draco was the last student who entered the classroom. He looked around the classroom and found himself having no choice but to sit next to Hermione. He gazed over to Crabbe and Goyle, who were sitting in the back of the classroom, trying to make one of them swap seats with him. However, the two were too focused on their little chat and laughter to notice Draco.

"Mister Malfoy, there you are. The lesson will begin, and please quickly take your seat, right next to Miss Granger," said Professor Flitwick.

All eyes were on Malfoy while he slowly dragged him to the empty space. He placed down his textbook and reluctantly pulled out the chair next to Hermione. He tried to move his chair away from hers as far as possible, but there wasn't much space. He took a peek at her and sensed her unwillingness.

Well, the hatred was mutual, Draco thought. That's probably the only thing they had in common.

"Alright, settle down," said Professor Flitwick. "Today, we will be learning the levitating spell. You will be working in pairs for practice." Professor Flitwick started putting the class in pairs, and Draco's worst nightmare came true. "... and the last pair, Miss Granger and Mister Malfoy."

Draco rolled his eyes and sighed, and Hermione did the same. Harry and Ron, who sat in the row behind Hermione, were grouped as another. She envied them so much that they could feel her anger from behind.

After some introduction and instructions, Professor Flitwick demonstrated the spell. "Swish and flick, remember, swish and flick. And saying the magic words properly is very important."

Professor Flitwick levitated white owl feathers onto each students' desk. The whole class took out their wands and started flickering their wands at their feathers. The spell looked rather simple, yet there were no floating feathers.

"Wingardium Leviosa. Wingardium Leviosa!" Draco started to get frustrated with the spell while pointing his wand at the feather viciously. He looked at his partner and found that she was watching him.

"What are you looking at?" Draco said with annoyance while trying to avoid any eye contact.

Hermione didn't respond. He saw that both her wand and feather were lying on her desk. He realised she had still not tried the spell and without skipping a beat, said, "Looking for advice, aren't you? Afraid to fail, Granger? I can't blame you tho. After all, you're just a..."

"You're saying it wrong," said Hermione.

"What?"

"The spell. You're saying it wrong. It's Wing-gar-dium Levi-O-sa, not Wing-gar-dium Levi-o-SA." Hermione said confidently. Seeing Draco still processing her words, she gently picked up her wand and, with the lightest flick, "Wingardium Leviosa." Her feather slowly rose from the desk and floated above the class.

The flying feather instantly caught the attention of the whole class. "Wonderful, Miss Granger," Professor Flitwick clapped. "Well done, on your first trial. 10 points to Gryffindor for your excellency."

Students from Gryffindor were quietly cheering for Hermione, and others were impressed by her cleverness.

Hermione looked over at Draco and smirked before turning around to help Harry and Ron with their spells. Draco could feel his face turning red and heated. He picked up his wand again and whispered the spell. The feather lightly floated for a few seconds before falling back to the hard surface.


The professors constantly praised Hermione, and even Professor Snape couldn't deny her talent.

Professor Snape was the Potions Master and the Head of Slytherin. He was known for being biased towards Slytherin students and cared less about the other houses. Draco thought that with his father's relationship with Professor Snape, he could be getting all the advantages he needed. He decided that it was time for him to stand up against Hermione in Potions Class.

Professor Snape started the first lesson with a roll call. When he got to the name "Harry Potter", he didn't hold back his sarcasm. "Harry Potter. Our new... celebrity," said Professor Snape while staring coldly into Harry's eyes. Draco and other Slytherin students were giggling at the teacher's mocking.

"Tell me, Potter. What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

"I don't know, sir." The sudden attention caught Harry off guard. He didn't know the answer. Probably the whole class didn't know the answer either, except for Hermione, who had put up her hand immediately.

"Huh, fame clearly isn't everything." Professor sneered at Harry. He was not pleased and went on asking Harry two more questions, one about how to obtain bezoar and the other about the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane. Harry failed to answer both questions.

Hermione knew all the answers but she didn't understand why Professor Snape wouldn't let her answer. She almost jumped up and flung her hand to try and catch the professor's attention.

"How disappointing. Thought you wouldn't open a book before coming, Potter?" He glared at Harry.

Harry could sense the defensiveness of Professor Snape's voice. He had no idea why the professor was picking on him and never paid attention to Hermione's waving arm.

The Gryffindor's bravery kicked in, and Harry decided to say something back. "Hermione seems to know the answers. Why won't you..."

"Professor, can I answer the question?"

The most unexpected voice cut in. Draco saw the chance of beating Hermione and quickly seized it. Little did he know, he actually did Harry a favour from getting into more trouble.

"Please do, Mister Malfoy," said Professor Snape while keeping his eyes on Harry. Hermione's jaw dropped. When students said that Professor Snape had a good level of bias towards Slytherin students, they weren't joking. She was literally sitting next to Harry, and there was no way on earth that Professor Snape couldn't see her. He purposely gave the chance to Draco.

"Monkshood and wolfsbane are the same plant. They are also called aconite." Draco knew the answer straight from his heart. He would never forget that he once got poisoned when he accidentally touched one at the age of nine. He still couldn't understand why his mom decided to plant aconite in the Manor's garden without a warning sign. Since then, he had stayed far away from this particular plant.

"Very well," said Professor Snape. Draco grinned at Harry and Hermione as he knew that would piss them off. Before he got to enjoy their glares, Professor Snape continues, "what about the other two questions, Mister Malfoy?"

Draco froze. He thought being able to answer one question was plenty to show off to his fellow schoolmates and impress the professor. Everyone had their eyes on him, and he was not prepared for the sudden pressure. The long silence and the puzzled look on Draco's face were enough for Professor Snape to know the boy had no answers. Hermione noticed her chance. She stood up and shot her hand up.

"Sit down! Miss Granger."

Professor Snape looked around the classroom, and there wasn't another student who could answer his questions. He sighed, "tell us about the other two questions, Miss Granger."

Hermione couldn't hide her confident smile. "Yes, Professor. Asphodel and wormwood make a sleeping potion known as the Draught of Living Death, and a bezoar is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat, which can save people from most poisons."

Professor Snape took a look at Hermione, and she knew her answers were correct. She was delighted and proud of herself. Before she got carried away, Professor Snape turned back to his desk and continued the lesson. The lesson went on smoothly, with Hermione's group first to finish mixing up a simple potion. Professor Snape didn't praise her, but she knew he acknowledged her.

On the other hand, Draco was frustrated that his plan had gone south. There must be something that Hermione would fail, he thought. He quietly mixed his potion and wondered in his own thoughts.


"I don't like it," said Hermione with pursed lips.

"Are you bloody serious? Did you hear that, Harry?" Ron almost had his jaw dropped.

The trio were spending time at the Great Hall. Ron and Harry were playing the Wizard's Chess while Hermione was reading. Ron and Harry were rather excited about the upcoming lesson, flying. They had been talking about the Quidditch Cup all the time, and they finally got the chance to feel what was like to be up in the air. It was only 15 minutes before the next lesson when Hermione started to feel nervous about it.

"Muggles don't fly, Ron. It's not normal for me to be away from the ground," said Hermione while snapping her brows. She realised her argument wasn't strong enough, knowing that magic wasn't normal to muggles either.

"I thought muggles are into flying," Ron wondered. "My dad once brought a book with drawings about a guy called... Superman? He flies all the time."

"That's a comic book, Ron, and is not real," Harry explained, trying to hold his laughter.

"Oh," Ron was puzzled out by the new information. "Anyway, my point is that it's just a little height. There's nothing to be afraid of."

Hermione shut her book and cringed. "I don't like height, alright? For God's sake, I am scared of it," she defended while trying to calm herself. "I...I fell when I was young, and I broke my arm. It took three months before it healed. So I don't like heights."

The boys didn't expect to hear about such an accident. They tried to comfort her, but she refused. She wasn't sad. She just felt uncomfortable with the idea of flying on a broomstick.

"Let's go, shall we? I need some time to get my head around it," she signed.

Harry flickered his wand to tidy up the chess, and the trio left the Great Hall to the training ground.


It was late Autumn when the first-years had their first flying class. A light breeze went through the grounds and filled the air with the smell of grass, and in the middle of the field laid about twenty broomsticks. The Slytherins already gathered around the brooms. Ron once said that pureblood families would let their children learn to fly before school, so most Slytherins were familiar with flying already. That's probably why they looked pretty excited about the lesson.

Two chubby figures hastened towards the group of Slytherins and whispered something to Draco. Hermione could feel that Crabbe and Goyle were eyeing her and a smirk appeared on Draco's face. An uneasy feeling filled her stomach, and she felt something was off.

"Attention!" Madam Hooch shouted. "Everyone stand by a broomstick. Come on, hurry up."

The students quickly lined up next to the broomsticks, waiting achingly for the next step. Well, except Hermione, of course.

"Stick out your right hand over the broomsticks, and say 'Up!'".

Everyone shouted the word, but only a few broomsticks jumped up.

Draco got his broomstick in his hand without saying anything. He had been flying since the age of nine, and it was one of his favourite things to do. After his failure in potions class, he was determined to outshine Hermione in flying. When Crabbe and Goyle told him about her fear of heights, he was certain she would struggle.

He looked over and saw Hermione getting frustrated with her broomstick. It moved a bit but fell again onto the ground.

"The so-called brightest witch can't even handle a broomstick. What a joke!" Draco said, and the other Slytherins laughed along.

Hermione could feel her rage running through her veins. She could almost taste the bitterness on her lips. She didn't want to be looked down on by anyone, especially not by Draco bloody Malfoy.

"Are you okay, Hermione?" Harry asked with concern. He had gotten the broomstick in his first trial but still tried to hide it from Hermione. She remembered reading about Harry's father and knew he would be talented in flying. She was grateful for his kindness, but she didn't want help from anyone.

"I am good. Just need to practise," said Hermione.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. You can do it, Hermione, she said to herself. She fought off her fear and embraced the magic inside her.

"Up!" The broomstick beneath her rose to her hand. Her lips curved into a smile, and the pressure was relieved. The laughter immediately stopped and turned to quiet murmuring.

After some time, all students got the broomsticks. Madam Hooch then showed the students how to mount their broomsticks. "Now, when I blow my whistle, you kick off from the ground, hard," she said. "Keep your brooms steady, rise a few feet, and then come straight back down by leaning forward slightly. On my whistle - three - two-"

Neville, who somehow always got into trouble, flew up uncontrollably up to twelve feet before falling facedown onto the ground. Madam Hooch quickly checked on Neville and declared that he had a broken wrist. She warned the rest of the class not to fly and immediately took Neville to the hospital wing.

The Slytherins burst into laughter, and Harry wasn't pleased. When Draco found Neville's Remembrall, he rode his broomsticks into the air and threw the Remembrall far away to tease Harry. Despite Hermione's urges not to go after the Remembrall, Harry surprised everyone with his flying talents when he got up into the sky.

Harry dived down with speed and caught the falling Remembrall. Before crashing into a window of the castle, he made a sharp turn and stabled himself. When he returned to the training ground, everyone, except for the Slytherins, cheered for him. Everyone was amazed by Harry's impressive performance until Professor McGonagall called his name, and they disappeared into the castle.

Draco was not happy at all. He wanted to embarrass Harry but instead made him a hero. He didn't expect Harry to be such a natural at flying, especially for his first-ever flight. With the sudden appearance of Professor McGonagall, he just hoped that Harry would receive some sort of punishment for flying without permission.

The lesson continued when Madam Hooch returned. She had been notified about Harry's absence, and she seemed to be quite proud.

When the lesson came to an end, most students could fly a few feet above the ground. Hermione, however, was struggling to stabilise herself in the air, so when Madam Hooch offered the students to stay behind for practice, she gladly took the chance. Since Ron already had experience with flying before admitting to Hogwarts, he decided to check out Harry to see if he had gotten into any trouble.

Hermione got back onto her broomsticks and started practising. Draco watched her as she wiggled in the air and jeered. He couldn't stand her stupidity any longer, so he turned to leave. He was surprised to see that Crabbe and Goyle were heading back to the training ground.

"What are you guys doing?" Draco asked with a lifted eyebrow.

"We uh... want to practise," Crabbe replied.

"I thought you know how to fly already."

"It's been a long time since we flew. We will meet you at the Great Hall later," said Goyle with a weird smile.

They were acting weird, and Draco suspected something was off. But that's Crabbe and Goyle. Who knew what was cooking in those brains of theirs.

"Well, be my guest. Just don't do anything stupid that will make me look bad," said Draco.

"Oh, we won't. Why would we, right Crabbe?" They looked over to the witch in the air with a mischievous smile.