Draco and Hermione, Love and Hate

A Reason To Not Steal A Car

Hermione sat on the Hogwarts Express with Neville and Ginny waiting for Harry and Ron to aboard the train. After not seeing the two aboard the train, she decided she would wait for them. Shortly after sitting down in the compartment Neville joined her. Neville was then followed by Ginny and the three happily sat together. Hermione was quite glad to have some familiar faces to talk to, but she worried where Harry and Ron could be. After the train left the station Hermione decided to go look for the two lost boys.
"I'm going to go find Harry and Ron," she said to the other two in the compartment.
"I'll come too!" Neville said, starting to rise from his seat.
Ginny started to get up too.
"No. You two should stay and save the compartment so we can all still sit together when I find Harry and Ron and we come back here."
Ginny quickly sat back down as Neville gave a questioningly look at Hermione and eased his way back into his seat.
"I promise I'll be back. It shouldn't take long to find them." She smiled at the two. "I'll see you in a few minutes."
She closed the door to the compartment and headed down the train's corridor to the back of the train.
Hermione looked into a compartment and found four second year girls, two of which were from Gryffindor, huddled in a circle.
"Did you hear Gilderoy Lockhart is coming to Hogwarts to be the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?" Hermione heard one of the girls giggle.
"I'm so excited!" giggled another, "He is so attractive! And very smart too. Do you think he will sign my copy of Magical Me?"
"Oh, I hope he signs mine too!"
The four girls turned and noticed Hermione standing at the door.
"Hello Hermione, can we help you with something?" smiled one of the girl's whose name was Parvati.
"I was just wondering, have any of you seen Harry? We were going to meet on the train, but I haven't seen him yet."
"Sorry, no. We haven't." Parvati frowned.
"Oh, I'll keep looking," said Hermione, "Goodbye."
Hermione closed the door and kept walking down the corridor. Surely they are somewhere, she thought to herself.
As Hermione went into the next car she bumped into a familiar Blonde stepping out of a compartment.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •  •  •  •  •  •

Draco decided to change into his robes after listening to his compartment go on about Gilderoy Lockhart. Draco didn't think much of Lockhart, for most of his stories seemed too good to be true. And his constant battle for being in the spotlight also made Gilderoy seem dull to Draco. Most wizards and witches, however, really looked up to Lockhart even having him join the Order of Merlin. The talk of him tired Draco, so Draco decided to make the excuse of needing to change into his robes to escape the uninteresting conversation.
As Draco closed his compartment door and turned to leave for a dressing room he ran into a familiar bushy haired brunette.
"Woah, be careful, you don't want to fall," he said, catching Hermione Granger before she tripped.
"Oh, hello Draco." Hermione smiled. "Are you excited for this new year?"
"Erm, yes," Draco said looking around. "Here follow me so we can find a place to talk."
Draco dragged Hermione into an empty dressing room.
"Why'd we need to come into here to talk?" Hermione asked.
"Um..."
"It doesn't matter. I just wanted to say I'm sorry about last year and being so rude to you. I guess I was just really hurt after Halloween and all of that, but I'm ready to forgive now, and perhaps we can be friends again this year?" Hermione asked, staring into Draco's eyes hopefully.
Draco almost took her deal to be friends, but then he remembered his father. He couldn't be friends with a muggle born. It'd disappoint his father and disgrace his family's name. But Hermione was actually pretty likable and Draco felt like he had a lot in common with her. Draco frowned.
"No, I don't think we can be friends again," he said stiffly.
"Why not?" Hermione said furrowing her eyebrows.
"Hermione, I come from a really powerful family, a long line of pure blooded wizards. . . ."
"So?"
"So, it would be an abasement to my family's good name if I became friends with you. You are muggle born."
"So you're saying you won't be friends with me because of my blood? Is that what you're saying?"
"Yes, that is what I am saying. If you were pureblood then of course I would be your friend. . . ."
"I can't believe you! You arrogant, conceded, filthy little Slytherin!" Hermione's face grew red as she turned on her heel and stormed away.
Filthy? Draco thought to himself. She is the one with dirty blood. Draco shrugged and put on his robes. After all, he thought to himself, she couldn't possibly believe that he would be friends with a muggle born when he is someone of his blood. She couldn't understand the position he was in, for she had no sense of the importance of blood growing up the way she did.
After dressing into his robes, Draco returned to his compartment with his fellow Slytherins.