The Hogwarts Express

I had originally posted this story on Wattpad. It is still not complete, but I thought that I'd branch out and see if I could garner interest else where. This is the first chapter, if it does well, I will post more!

Hermione sat in a compartment on the Hogwarts Express, waiting for it to move. She had arrived at the station early, and she had been waiting an hour for Ginny and Harry to appear. Looking at steam billowing, and fogging, past her window, she couldn't help but think that everything was so surreal. They had defeated Voldemort. Voldemort as in the Dark Lord himself. She was alive, and Harry was alive, and most everyone she loved had made it through the grueling massacre. Lost in thought, she reflected on their deaths. They had lost so many. Too many, and it hurt. Fred, Tonks, Remus- she looked up, mid thought at the sound of someone opening the compartment door. Her heart fluttered with excitement, it had been so long since she had seen her friends.

"Well it took you long enough!" Hermione cried standing up.

"If I knew you would have been this excited to see me I would have come sooner, Granger." An unamused voice said. Hermione's heart sunk. There, at the compartment door- where she had expected to see here friends- was the classically handsome, blond haired, grey eyed prick that Hermione had known for more than she would have liked to.

"What are you doing here, Malfoy? Did you want to relive one of our better conversations from third year?" She sneered.

"Don't flatter yourself, I'm not here to speak with you." He paused repressing a shudder, "McGonagll wants to speak with us," looking at her questioning glance he chuckled, "yes the both of us."

"Why?"

"I guess we'd know if you could keep your overly large mouth shut, wouldn't we?" Malfoy replied coldly. Hermione pursed her lips, knowing it would do no good to hurl every foul word and insult she could. glancing down at her muggle watch, she realized she still had a good half hour until the train departed. Looking up at Malfoy, she nodded stiffly and got up.

"Where is she?" Hermione asked.

"The first teacher compartment, it's at the front of the train," Draco responded indifferently. Reaching the teachers car, they went down the line until they reached the very front of the train. This compartment was different, having no windows on the door or the inside walls, and had the gold lettering of "Headmistress" on sliding door. Hermione knocked uncertainly.

"Come in," she heard the naturally stern voice of Professor McGonagall. Hermione held her head high, and opened the door walking through. Rolling his eyes, Malfoy followed.

"You wanted to see us, Professor?" Hermione asked. McGonagall's eyes softened.

"Yes, Ms. Granger." She took up a deep breath, "the war was a great roadblock for the entire Wizarding community. The board of Hogwarts and the Ministry have concluded that they would like to continue the normalcy of this year at Hogwarts that would be any other year. This meaning we will need a Head boy and girl." She looked between Malfoy and Hermione, "it was in Professor Dumbledore's will that if there ever be a seventh year at Hogwarts for the either of you..." she paused, "he wished that the two of you become Head boy and girl."

"What?" Hermione breathed, feeling giddy.

"Yes, yes. So I've called you here to discuss your duties. You both of course have the freedom to hand out detentions and points, you also have the liberty to retract points from any house." Malfoy smirked, oh how he would make Potter pay, "you will also attend to the first years tonight. Since I am Headmistress, it has been decided that the Head Boy and girl will supervise the Sorting Ceremony. Once you leave this train, you won't be boarding the carriages with your schoolmates, you will have your own separate means of transportation to reach the school more efficiently." Hermione was holding her breath as McGonagall spoke, this is what she had worked towards her entire career at Hogwarts. Malfoy frowned, he'd have to share a carriage with Granger, and was opposed to the idea. "The Head boy and Girl are also entitled to skip classes due to any services or duties they must complete. They will share a common room, and will not have to ta-" McGonagall was interrupted by cries of protest.

"Professor, you can't be serious!" Hermione cried out while Malfoy shouted, "I will not be sharing a living space with her," with a disgusted look on his face.

Minerva McGonagall sighed feeling drained and continued, silencing their complaints, "you will not be required to take the N.E.W.T exams, as you are here partially due to your talents in wizardry and magic, also it has been taken into account that you are the two most gifted students of your year. You will however share a class every hour, and be seated together. That is all, you are dismissed."

"B-but, Professor!" Hermione stammered, outraged.

"You can't expect me to live with her and then go to every class with her too!" Malfoy protested.

"I said you were dismissed Mr. Malfoy and Ms. Granger." Professor McGonagall looked at them with a stern face. Malfoy turned annoyed and went to the Slytherin compartments to sulk, alone. Hermione stared at her Professor for a few seconds until she followed suit. "I don't know what you were thinking, Albus," Minerva McGonagall murmured to herself.

. . .

"Hermione!" A happy voice called out to her. Hermione broke her thought process to look up.

"Hey, Neville," she replied smiling softly.

"I haven't seen you in ages!" He called, "why didn't you write to your best mate?" Hermione snorted. Something had happened to Neville after killing Voldemort's snake, Nagini. He seemed much more confident.

"Since when have you been my best mate, Longbottom?" Hermione asked.

"Since I was the first person to see you after the battle, Granger." He teased back, "that reminds me, Harry was looking for you."

"Hmm," Hermione responded, "thanks, Neville. I'll go find him." She left Neville to the empty compartment before she set out to find her best friend. She passed the Slytherin compartments, looking at Malfoy, barely giving him a second glance.

Malfoy was sulking, why was he the one that had to be paired up with stupid, know it all Granger. Why couldn't Dumbledore have chosen the poor Weasel or big headed Potter?

"Hey, Mate," a voice called out to him, and Malfoy looked up to see Blaise Zabini. "Haven't seen you all summer." Zabini said looking sliding into the seat across for Malfoy.

"Yeah, mother and father dearest didn't want me to be in any company until I had to be. You know even joining the right side in the end doesn't change people's views about you." He put on a forced smile, "what have you been up to lately?" Zabini stared at his friend and hurts out laughing. Annoyance flickers across Malfoy's face. "What's so funny?"

"You!" Zabini gasped in between laughter, "what have you been up to lately? You're either whipped or something is annoying you, a lot." He examined Malfoy, "okay, out with it."

"Out with what?"

"What's bothering you?" He watched his friends sigh and slide down farther into his seat.

"McGonagallmademeheadboyandGrangerheadgirl."

"I'm sorry, what?" Zabini cupped his ear.

"McGonagall made me head boy and Granger head girl," he's a bloody moron Malfoy thought silently in his head. Zabini stared at him with huge eyes and burst out laughing again.

. . .

"Hey, Harry," Hermione said, a feeling of happiness surging through her after finally seeing her best friend. Harry looked over from over Ginny and broke out a huge grin.

"Hermione!" He called jumping up to hug her. Ginny stood up too, giving her a hug right after Harry. "It's so good to see you, I haven't heard from you in ages."

"Yeah..." Hermione squirmed awkwardly, "do you... do you know if Ron's here?" She asked quietly instantly regretting it as Harry's features darkened.

"What do you want with that bloody git?" He said as Ginny sacked him. Harry looked at her questioningly.

"That git happens to be my brother," Ginny raised her eyebrows and Harry lowered his head.

"Sorry, love," he took her hand and smiled turning back to Hermione. "Ron's on the train, why?" He asked.

"Oh..." Hermione blushed, "we... we um fixed things up between us over the summer, he helped me look for my parents, right now we can cross off Sydney and Adelaide." She smiled nervously.

"What do you mean, you fixed things up?" Harry asked as Hermione became a deep scarlett. "Hermione!" Harry groaned, "that shite cheated on you with fecking Lavender! Lavender Fecking Brown The Lunatic!" Harry got sacked again by Ginny, but he ignored her, "how could you have fixed things up?" He repeated.

"Well, you know he, um... maybe apologized?"

"He..." Harry pinched his nose and turned to his girlfriend, "Ginny, I've been keeping this to myself for some while, but it's been eating at me, Love." Harry looked her in the eye, "this summer, I cheated on you with Cho, it was a two week thing, that's it. I'm so, so, sorry, will you take me back, my love?" Harry swallowed nervously, and I stared at him with outrage. Ginny's eyes grew wide.

"If you're not being sarcastic I swear, Harry James Potter, you will not live to see tomorrow." Ginny said threateningly. Harry looked back to Hermione.

"See?" He asked her. Hermione tried to keep her face neutral, he did have a point. A very small, trifling, negligible one, but a point none the less. Instead of nodding her head in agreement, which would have been the rational thing to do, Hermione rolled her eyes at her best friend.

"Well it doesn't matter, Ron apologized, and it was an accident, Lavender probably snuck up on him or something." Harry scoffed.

"Sure, Hermione. Wake up! I'm not going to be there for you when he does something!"

"Fine!" Hermione shouted, and turned out of the compartment to go find Ron. Ginny turned towards Harry who was scowling at the door, if one could scowl in a sad way.

"You know, that wasn't really nice. She's your best friend." Harry looked defeated.

"I didn't mean any of it, but your brother..."

"Go, just apologize, and I hate him too, but I have to forgive him, Harry, he's blood" Harry nodded racing after Hermione.

"Hermione!" He shouted, running after the witch, but slowed to a walk when he saw that she had stopped. Hermione was staring inside the compartment in front of her, tears streaming down her face. Harry slowed down to see what she was looking at, only to realize that Ron was kissing Lavender Brown. "That Bastard." Harry muttered under his breath, pulling out his wand. Ron might have been his friend- a little less once he had cheated on his practical sister the first time- but now, the boy who lived was ready to shoot every single hex he knew at the red-haired wizard, and was ready to tarnish their small, almost nonexistent, friendship.

"Don't, Harry." Hermione heaved through sobs. "I'm not forgiving him. Not again." The brown-haired witch dried her eyes with the sleeves of her cable-knit sweater. She went up to the closed compartment door, held her head up, put on a forced smile, and knocked. Through the thin door she could hear scuffling.

"Come in," she heard Ron's voice crack. Hermione slid open the doors smiling.

"Hello, Ron." she forcefully beamed at him, and Ron started turning scarlet. He didn't bother standing up to give her a hug, she was Hermione after all, just Hermione.

"Hello, Love," he said immediately turning his nervous expression to one of ease. Ron glanced over at Lavender and he didn't miss the glare that she shot him, Hermione didn't miss it either. "I missed you over the end of Summer," Ron said with a small, sham smile, "I know that we can find your parents," he promised, and the look on his face, of pure sincerity almost made Hermione lose her resolve, but than she remembered him sitting in the corner, with Lavender on her lap, running his hands across her thighs.

"Well, I hate to say this, Love," Hermione forced out and she silently enjoyed the paling and look of dread creeping in on Ron's face, "But it's just not going to work out between us."

"What do you mean, 'Mione? I love you, we can make it work. I'll do anything, get you anything, I'll change for you." Hermione rolled her eyes, this was it, this was going to set it in stone.

"Anything?" she asked, and Ron nodded. Lavender looked as though she was blinking tears back into her eyes. "Well, there is one thing that I can think of," she pouted down at him and Ron stood up.

"Of course, Love!"

"I want..." she bit her lip, looked down and sighed for dramatic effect, when she looked back up she was smirking, and Ron was taken aback by her sudden change in personality. "I want you to stop sleeping with slags like her, you bastard!"

"Hermione... what? n-no. you're the only one that I've been with! You're the one that I love."

"Really, Ronald? You have a funny way of showing it."

"I've never even touched Lavender," he said as though it was the absolute truth.

"Well, thats not what I saw outside the compartment as you were snogging like it was going out of fashion!" Hermione felt like she was going to cry, and Ron reached out a hand to console her. "Don't touch me, Weasley!" she screamed, and slammed the door of the compartment.

"Hermione?" Harry asked as she walked out with tears on her face yet again, he drew her up in his arms, "Don't," he said, "don't cry over that idiot, he doesn't deserve you." she nodded into her chest, but kept crying in an empty compartment even as the train pulled away from the station and towards Hogwarts.