Hermione and Draco : How To Save A Life

Chapter 2 : Cold As You

Platform nine and three quarters was as crowded as every year, despite the upcoming war. The atmosphere was tensed though, as if everyone was waiting for someone or something to jump out of the tracks and attack them. Goosebumps covered her arms and her thoughts drifted away to a topic she felt more comfortable with. She finished her OWLS last year, which means that a lot will change for her, at least educationally. She had one rule, a rule she did not follow as much as she wanted : studying. Her final year got closer and closer and she still wanted to soak in as much magic as she could. Sometimes, in dark times, she thought about how grateful she was for being a witch and for living in this world. People like Ron would never understand why she stood up all night to read text books or to practice charms, because it was not special to him. This has always been his reality, unlike Hermiones. Moreover the fact that her parents were so proud when the acceptance letter came..She let her thoughts ramble to the best moment of her life and smiled.  While Ron talked to his mum about the subjects he chose for this year and Harry talked to Mr. Weasley a few steps away from them, she let her eyes glimpse through the mess of students. She did not know who she was looking for until she found him.

He was standing at the very end of the train in front of the Slytherin carriage and talked to Pansy Parkinson. Well, talked was probably the wrong word. She literally threw herself onto him, playing with his hair and letting little dimples appear on her cheek. She was not ugly, but she was mischievous and that was more than enough for Hermione to hate her. She was vicious in a way Draco was not, something she could not explain. She was not just evil, she was cruel. Hermione could not help but feel a stab inside her stomach. Probably because she saw Parkinson and her slimy behavior, that had to be it. A few days went by since her and Malfoy's last  encounter at Madam Malkin's and she caught herself thinking about him a few times after it. Not at least because Harry talked about him a lot. After they have seen him reserving a mysterious thing at Borgin & Burke's he was thinking Draco Malfoy became a death eater during summer holidays and for some reason Hermione felt the need to defend him. She did not think he was a death eater. He was only sixteen ! What use would Voldemort probably see in him ? 

"Disgusting, aren't they ? How she's rumpling his greasy hair..Looks as if she wanna hide in it", Ron made a disgusted noise that sounded similar to vomiting. 

Hermione forced herself to laugh. His hair was not greasy, it was styled with hair gel. She imagined how it felt like when it was washed, not styled,  and how she twisted it through her fingers. 

"Are you okay ?", Ron said, waving his hand in front of her face. 

"Sure.", she assured.

Harry came back from his talk with Mr Weasley, a frown on his face.

"Are you coming ?", he asked and took his luggage. 

"We can't.", Hermione answered for both of them and as Harry and Ron gave her a questioning look she added :"Prefects.", as if it explained everything. 

The first thing Hermione noticed when they arrived at the  prefect compartment was that Draco was not there, neither was Parkinson. She tried not to think of what the two of them could do together. The second thing she noticed was that the other prefects turned quiet when they entered. Ron and Hermione both took a seat next to the door, opposite each other. Ernie Macmillan, a Hufflepuff they remembered all too well, broke the silence first.

"Hey, how were your holidays ?", he asked.

"Long, as usual.", Ron answered and shrugged. 

"Interesting !", Hannah Abbott said a bit too enthusiastically. 

"Okay guys, what's going on ?", Ron became curious. 

Hermione was quiet, her thoughts still circling around Malfoy. She hated the fact he did not take his prefect duties seriously and automatically wondered what could keep him so busy to stop humiliating first years.