"I hate Slytherins," Ginny Weasley said, throwing herself down on a bench in her friends' compartment on the Hogwarts Express.
"What have Potter and Malfoy done this time?" her best friend, Anastasia Pascal, asked sympathetically.
"Released a bunch of spiders in the girls' toilets," Ginny sighed. "Worst part is that I can't tell them off because Malfoy is Head Boy and I'm not even a prefect."
"Did you tell Hermione?" Colin Creevey, another friend, asked.
"Of course," Ginny nodded. "She's going to tell the headmaster. Not much she can do to the Head Boy though, even as Head Girl. She's going to talk to them though."
The others nodded, and the trio fell in to a comfortable silence.
"Did you see the look on Weaslette's face when she caught us?" Draco Malfoy chortled.
Harry Potter laughed and ran a hand through his messy black hair.
"Mate, that was priceless! You know she's going to tell Granger though."
Draco gave a shrug.
"Like I care what Granger thinks. Gryffindors think that they are instantly superior. I can't stand any of them."
His best mate shuffled uncomfortably.
"Some aren't bad. My parents and most of their friends were in Gryffindor…"
The door to the compartment that the two boys were in opened and a tiny, dark-haired girl appeared.
"Harry, can we sit with you?" she asked softly.
Harry grinned at the little girl.
"Course you can, Bay! You remember Draco, don't you?"
The girl smiled with relief and nodded, pulling another girl with blonde curls in to the compartment with her.
"I think we're second cousins… right?"
"Something like that," Draco agreed.
Harry gave a smile to the blonde girl.
"How's it going, Addie?" he asked.
Addie blushed.
"Okay," she said quietly.
"Potter! Malfoy! There you are!" an angry voice called, as the frizzy haired Hermione Granger appeared in the doorway.
"Didn't know you cared so much to find us, Granger," Draco drawled.
Hermione rolled her eyes, and seemed to spot the two girls for the first time.
"Terrorising first years now?" she asked the boys furiously. "And I thought you could sink no lower!"
"We're not terrorising them!" Harry defended.
Hermione ignored him and smiled at the girls.
"What are your names?" she asked.
"I'm Bayonetta Black and this is Addison Lupin," the dark-haired girl said bravely.
"Right," Hermione said. "You two would do well to stay away from Potter and Malfoy while you're at Hogwarts. Why don't you come with me and I'll help you find somewhere else to sit?"
Bayonetta looked at Harry helplessly.
"You don't have to go with her, Bay," he told her.
Hermione glanced between Harry and the girls suspiciously.
"You know each other?" she asked.
Harry rolled his eyes.
"Bayonetta is my god-sister and Addison is practically a sister too… not that it is any of your business, Granger."
Hermione turned slightly pink.
"Well, I still think that you two girls would be better off coming with me to find some other first years to sit with," she informed them bossily.
Malfoy groaned.
"For Merlin's sake, Granger. Did you just come in here to try to turn them against us or are you wasting our time for something else?"
Hermione glared at him.
"The spiders in the toilets," she stated.
"Don't know what you're talking about," Draco and Harry said in unison.
The head girl narrowed her eyes.
"This is just to let you know that I will be informing the headmaster and there will be consequences for your behaviour," she told them snootily.
"Ooooh, consequences!" Harry mocked. "I'm quivering with fear."
"Nice to know our head girl is just a little tattle-tale," Draco added spitefully.
Hermione huffed and crossed her arms.
"Whatever, I'm leaving," she said, turning on her heel.
"Oh no, so soon?" Harry asked, eyes glinting with malice.
"Go die Potter," Hermione snapped, disappearing.
There was silence in the compartment for a few moments before little Addison piped up.
"I don't like her," she declared. "She's mean."
Harry grinned at her and ruffled her hair affectionately.
"Give her hell for us if either of you ends up in Gryffindor, yeah?"
Addison and Bayonetta both nodded, smiling.
Hermione threw herself onto the bench next to her boyfriend, Ron Weasley, who was napping in an otherwise empty compartment, and huffed furiously.
Potter and Malfoy infuriated her. The two of them had egos bigger than a Ukrainian Ironbelly and seemed to have a penchant for mischief. How Malfoy had ended up as head boy, she had no idea, although she suspected that Potter was the real trouble maker, and a lot of the time his best mate just went along with his ideas. Perhaps Dumbledore had thought that the head boy badge would encourage Malfoy to keep his toes in line a bit more, and hopefully keep Potter in line too. Whatever the reason, he'd made Malfoy essentially untouchable to any sort of discipline other than by teachers and the head master himself.
Hermione's thoughts turned to the two nervous first years that were sitting with the boys. Addison and Bayonetta seemed like lovely girls. The best she could hope for was that they would not be put in Slytherin with Potter. Perhaps if they were in Gryffindor, she'd be able to get them on the right track. Nevertheless, she couldn't deny that Potter seemed to care for the girls.
She gave a sigh and decided that the Slytherin boys had taken up enough of her thoughts. She cuddled in to Ron's side and he sub-consciously wrapped an arm around her. She closed her eyes and let herself drift off too, as the train trundled ever closer to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.