Partners. ~A Harry Potter, Dramione FF~

Chapter 1

Chapter One:

'Sixth year already, is it?' Hermione thought as she boarded the Hogwarts Express. 'Summer wasn't to long. I wonder what this year has in store for us.' She walked the isle, looking for Harry and Ron; they weren't hard to find. She put her bag overhead and took a seat across from the boys. They both seemed to be deep in a Quidditch conversation.

"I heard there was a new Potions professor this year." She said, cutting into their pointless discussion.

"Yeah, I met him over the summer. Professor Slughorn, his name is." Harry said.

"As in, Horace Slughorn?" Hermione asked. "The professor who taught when your parents were still in Hogwarts?"

"Yep, Dumbledore took me to his house to reinstate him as Potions master." Harry said.

"His name is Slughorn?" Ron asked, chuckling.

"Don't be rude, Ronald." Hermione said, firmly.

"Sorry, I just thought it was funny!" He exclaimed.

Hermione scowled at him and he put his hands up in surrender.

The train ride passed slowly for Hermione. The boys went deep into a conversation about Quidditch, again, and she couldn't seem to find Ginny anywhere. She found herself roaming the train most of the time. She had put on her robes early, so when the train stopped she hopped out as quickly as she could.

She caught the first carriage to the Hogwarts gates, but didn't pay any attention to who else was there. She had buried herself into her favorite book, Peter Pan. She loved this book, because her mother would always read it to her before bed when she was little.

She was sucked out of her book when she heard voices. She listened quietly, not putting down her book.

"Do you think they will have a Christmas dance this year?" Asked the ever so familiar voice of Pansy Parkinson.

"I, really, don't care." Said the even more familiar voice of Draco Malfoy.

"If there is one, we're going together, right?" Pansy asked Draco.

"Erm... Sure, why not?" He said, not sounding very interested in the conversation.

Hermione lowered her book so she could just see their faces, but they couldn't see hers. Draco was looking into the woods, his arm slung across Pansy's shoulders. Pansy was snuggled into Draco's side with a soft smile on her face.

The carriage pulled to a stop and Hermione rushed out quickly, not bothering to put her book back in her bag.

"Was she there the whole time?" Hermione could just hear Pansy ask Draco. But Draco's reply was drown out by the sound of the big front doors of Hogwarts opening.

Hermione rushed in, happy to be out of the uncomfortable situation. She sat down at the long Gryffindor table and, as the rest of the students filed in, waited for Dumbledore's speech.

The whole room was silent while Dumbledore made his speech. After he finished, it took a while for everyone to adjust to the sudden change in the mood. Dumbledore has always had that effect on people, but never like this. The Great Hall was quiet until someone decided to break the silence and everyone started to talk.

Hermione headed to bed early that night hoping to get an early start the next morning.

~~~

As Draco read through his schedule, everyone was slowly pouring out of the common room. He didn't leave the common room until his first class, skipping breakfast.