Our Seventh Year: A Dramione Fanfiction

Chapter One: Seventh Year

Hermione couldn't wait until the Hogwarts Express arrived at Hogwarts. After the Battle of Hogwarts, the school had allowed to let the students come back. This would be Hermione's last year. Ron and Harry had refused to come back with her. But that suited Hermione just fine. Ever since her and Ron's breakup, they had both been ignoring her anyways. So she was honestly glad that they had refused to come. She couldn't deal with their horribleness anymore. "Anything from the trolley dear?" The trolley witch asked as she passed Hermione's compartment. "No thank you." Hermione replied politely. The Trolley Witch nodded and went to the next compartment. Finally, the train arrived at Hogwarts. The, what she once believed to be, horseless carriages arrived. And Hermione finally saw what Neville, Harry, and Luna had been talking about. She saw the Thestrals for the first time. There were very few people at Hogwarts that would be incapable of seeing the Thestrals now. Hermione wanted no part in riding with anyone at all so she waited until the last carriage came before she climbed on. And then, right before the carriage left, a familiar head of platinum blonde hair dashed into the carriage and plopped down across from Hermione. Hermione groaned inwardly but remained emotionless on the outside. "Sorry, Granger. There's no other carriages left." Draco Malfoy said quietly. Hermione nodded. He didn't expect her to talk, and she didn't want him to. So they rode in an awkward silence up to the school. But right before he got out, Draco turned to Hermione and blushed. "You look really nice, Hermione." He muttered, just loud enough for her to hear him. With those last words, Draco walked quickly up to the doors of Hogwarts. Hermione was in shock. Did Draco Malfoy just...compliment her? Hermione snapped out of her daze and grabbed Crookshanks and her trunk and walked quickly into Hogwarts. The Great Hall, which had gone through many repairs, looked just like she had remembered it looking. She sat down at the original Gryffindor table and waited for Professor McGonagall to begin her speech. Once everyone had arrived she stood up and cleared her throat. Everyone's chatter stopped at once as they turned to face her. "Now, I understand that this year will be very different for all of us." She began. "But I would like to tell you about all of our changes. Due to our lack of teachers and the fact that we are still repairing parts of this castle, there will be no houses until we can build ourselves up again. I assure you that as soon as we can, we will return to having houses. Until then, however, the Slytherin common room, which had the least damage due to its location, will belong to all houses. The Hufflepuff common room is also open for use but the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw common rooms are not fit for use just yet. Now, enjoy your dinner!" She sat back down at the head of the teacher's table. With that, the food appeared on the table. Hermione silently fixed herself a plate of mashed potatoes, lamb chops, and spinach. She reached into the pocket of her robes and pulled out her worn copy of Of Mice and Men. She had fallen in love with this book ever since the break up with Ron. She had needed something to read to get her mind off of stuff so when this book popped up at a yard sale in her parent's muggle neighborhood, it had seemed like a blessing. Draco watched as Hermione read and ate her dinner. She didn't talk to anyone. For some reason, she was different without Harry and Ron with her. She was quieter and a lot more antisocial. But there was something else about her that was different. Something he couldn't quite put his finger on. After everyone was done with dinner, they all headed down to the Slytherin common room. A handful of students went to the Hufflepuff common room instead though. Only a couple of Slytherins had returned to Hogwarts anyways so there was a lot of room in the common room. Hermione hurried through the common room and found a bed in the girls dorms. She changed into an oversized T-shirt and short shorts and pulled hair up into a messy bun before she climbed in bed. She was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. Draco couldn't believe his misfortune. He had been one of the last people to arrive at the Slytherin common room and there were no more open beds...except for the three open beds in the same room as Granger. She looked beautiful in her sleep. Her hair wasn't bushed out around her face and the sheets had been pushed back off her legs. She was lying in fetal position, shivering. Draco couldn't help himself. He walked over to her bed and pulled her sheets and her comforter back over her. She smiled contentedly in her sleep. Draco smiled softly before changing into his pajamas and climbing in the bed beside hers.