Hermione
September 1
They were running late, it was the last first day of school, one of the last trainrides to Hogwarts and they were almost late. Well Hermione herself had been ready for hours but apparently Ronald had managed to forget where he put his book on Care for Magical Creatures and it had taken the entire household plus an entire hour for them to find it on his desk. Had it been any other book it would have been fine because they could just use accio and the book would appear at their hands but not this book because apparently Hagrid had chosen a book with an anti- spell ward, Merliin knows why.
Therefore they were now running across the platform to get on the train which would depart in mere minutes. Luckily they were able to get on the train on time and they sat down in a compartment in the end of the train as as many students wouldnt walk by and disturb them. Neville and Luna soon joined them and for a while the lot of them just talked and laughed. It was almost as if the war never happened, but then of course it did. Otherwise they wouldnt be there, if it hadnt happened they would probably already be taking their Masters or be working in the career path of their choice. It still felt almost normal though, to sit there in the compartment with their friends, in their uniforms with red and blue ties. It felt soothing, to have something just stay the same, normal.
But Hermione soon had to depart from her friends as she was Head Girl and would be requiered to sit in the Prefects compartment. Her nerves were building as she would soon meet the Head Boy who she had been wondering about since the day she got the letter. For starters she knew that it was not a Gryffindor as she knew that neither Dean, Seamus, Ron, Harry or Neville had been elected. It could be a Hufflepuff of course but she thought it more likely to be a Ravenclaw or a Slytherin as those houses were the houses who famously did better in school than the other houses and this year was no exeption. The top student was of course Hermione herself but she was closely followed by Draco Malfoy. Well closely followed in subjects like Transfiguration, Charms, Astronomy and Herbology. Dra.. Malfoy bested her in Potions, Arthimancy and Runes but they were pretty similar in Care for Magical Creatures, Alchemy, DADA and suprisingly enough Muggle studies and Divination when they had taken those classes. After Malfoy the top students were of course Theodore Nott, Blaise Zabini and Padma Patil. So the chance that the Head Boy was a Slytherin was relatively high but he didnt have to be, right? And if he was he didnt have to be so bad, really, she wasnt so sure that Nott had ever said a word to her outside of class so that wouldnt be too bad and none of the Slytherins were really death eaters either as they had actually been Double-Agents just like it had turned out Snape was.
She shook herself out of her thoughts as she got closer to her destination. She would just have to meet the guy, spend the rest of the train ride with him and then together with him lead the first years toward the lake and then into the Great Hall as that was a job that the Headmistress thought fit the Heads to do. No pressure. Also as the former Deputy Headmistress had been made Headmistress and another was yet to be elected, the Heads would have to handle the sorting too. Minerva had written that Hermione was to read the names and the Head Boy would put the hat on their heads. Absolutely no pressure.
Far too soon she made it to the right door and after taking a deep breath and checking the time with a Tempus charm which revealed that she was right on time, she slid open the door and stepped inside. She held her head high as she took a seat in the only empty spot and let her eyes wander over the room. On the table before her lay a shiny badge and when she looked closer she realized that it was in fact her Head Girl badge and she carefully put it on. The compartment was even more cramped than earlier years as there still were fifth- year prefects, sixth- year prefects, seventh- year prefects, two extra seventh- year prefects that would have been Head Girl and Head Boy if it wasnt for the additional eight year and finally the two Heads from eight- year. Looking around the room she already knew that Ginny and Luna had been elected prefects as they had left for their prefect meeting with their house prefects a couple of minutes before Hermione herself had left, but exept from them she didnt really recognize any others exept for Malfoy. Draco Malfoy. She really shouldnt be suprised as he was an exemplary student and was the only rival she had in her studies here at Hogwarts, but she couldnt help the dread she felt and mentally braced herself for an array of insults that... never came.
He sat directly across from her already sporting his badge and a seemingly closed of expression. She found herself studying his stormy grey eyes that seemed closed off which she realized was because he was using Occlumency. Instead for the insults she would have thought would spill from his mouth he said "Granger, may I speak privatly with you for a moment".
The chatter in the compartment immediatly stopped and she felt the worried looks sent by Ginny and the other prefects. They didnt really have anything to go over with the prefects so Hermione decided to take the olive-branch he was extending and be civil.
-"Of course Malfoy, Lead the way" she shakily told him and even though she tried to bring forward her Gryffindor courage in her voice she was quite certain that hadnt been heard. He stood up from his seat and slid open the door before her so she could pass. Together they walked along the corridor until they found an empty compartment and they both walked in and sat down across from each other.
Hermione being who she was was trying to figure out what he wanted to talk to her about and came to the conslusion that he probably wanted to insult her without people watching them and tensed. When she met his eyes though, she realized that he had dropped his walls and that all-consuming stormy grey had once again been released.
After seemingly taking a deep breath he started "Granger, I have been an arse, to many people but especially to you and you really didnt deserve that" He sounded sincere but Hermione didnt know if he really did mean it. As if realizing what she was thinking he continued "I know that you have absolutely no reason to belive me but I just want to tell you this. You were a kid thrown into a world you didnt know and you shouldnt have had to put up with children who had known this world since they were kids and thought they were so much better than you. You shouldnt have had to put up with the slurs, the hatred, the teasing, any of it and for that I am extremely sorry. I am not trying to excuse my behaviour, just trying to explain my point of view and why I did what I did. As you know I was born the only heir of the Malfoy family and my parent was unable to concieve more children after having me. I lived with my parents, who were not quite blood-purists but still thought muggleborns less worthy and my grandfather, Abraxas Malfoy. Since birth I have been told that I am better than others because of my family and blood. You may think that I should have thought for myself and I did, I really did. But every time I did something that I did in fact not think Muggleborns and Half- bloods less, my granfather would hit me with Crucio until I promised him that I hated them and I would absolutely never be kind to them. That started when I was about six years old and it only got worse as I got older and he would make the sessions longer. My father was not really a blood- purist, not as my my gradfather but he would still have to punish me by hitting me with his walking- stick when I in some way misbehaved in front of my grantfather. He always apologised after but he still did it. My mother never cared about blood, for her it was always a facade. She was the one who thaught me occlumency, well at least some, my aunt did it with more violent lessons during the war." He paused as if contemplating what to say. "When I got to Hogwarts I knew that if I was anything but mean to the muggleborns Crabbe and Goyle would report back to their father who in turn would report back to my father and grandfather. So I planned on not socialising with muggleborns at all but then when I said goodbye to Abraxas at the station he told me that I could not be inferior to anyone, I had to be the top student. And when I wasnt and got tortured for it I took it out on you because I needed an outlet. That was not fair to you, I know. But when I started I knew I couldnt stop because then that would get to my grandfather and her would torture me even more. I never wanted to hurt you, or anyone really. So I am sorry for causing you so much pain, you really dont have to forgive me but please know that I am sorry."
She was about to say something but was stopped by him holding up a hand, as if to say "I am not done" without speaking and she remained quiet.
-"And now, I want to explain my role in the war, just shortly because I am sure you have read the Prophet. Even though my grandfather died fifth year, we still had to be part of Voldermorts ranks as he otherwise would have hunted oss down, tortured us and then kill us" His voice was hard, still sincere, but not soft as it had been a minute ago. "None of us really belived in his case, well at least not me and my mother, my father just didnt want Mother to get hurt. So we went to Dumbledore and that old fool made us Double-Agents. We would have to live in a house which housed a psycopath, get tortured almost daily, watch people get slowly eaten by a snake. I had to torture people, watch people get tortured because if I dint he would hurt my Mother. She is my whole world. And I really mean it when I say I would kill for her, I did, too many times to count even though I wasnt able to kill Dumbledore, I killed others. We gave the Order the information, tried to stay alive and then I was once again sent back to Hogwarts for my seventh- year. There I didnt get tortured daily, but I had to torture, I invented another version of the spell that didnt hurt that much and the children learnt to scream as if they were really tortured, but I still had to hurt children. We Slytherins were the ones who healed the ones who had been hurt and then glamoured the cuts and wounds back onto their skin. It was pure torture, watching all those kids go through the hell that I had gone through for so many years at the hand of Voldermort, Bellatrix and my own grandfather. Then I was brought home, once again I had to watch the death eaters and get tortured again and again. It was hell, I was sent on missions, killed muggles, children, adults and when I failed they tortured my mother in front of me or had me torture her with the threat of her death hanging over me. Then the three of you came and I lied, he realized soon enough of course and he tortured me for hours while my aunt used her knife to cut into my back." Either he didnt hear her sharp intake of breath because he continued with the same dark tone to his voice. "Still watching your torture without doing anything, Salazar, that was fucking horrible. The only thing that kept me from doing something to save you that would have gotten us both killed was the treath hanging over my mother. But still, I am extremely and truly sorry for what you had to endure. Then when I was sent back to Hogwarts, I had a mission from the order. I was supposed to get a Horcrux from the Room of Requierment and destroy it but Crabbe and Goyle followed me and that is how you found me. I once again had to pretend to be on the other side. Then at the battle I fought on our side, Daphne, Theo, Blaise and Pansy did too. None of the other four slytherins in our year survived but they were also all on the other side of the war. My mother then lied straight to Tom Marvolo Riddles face and told him Potter was dead even when he wasnt and we won. The rest you know but I thought you should know that I never thought you less because of your blood and I was never truly on the other side of the war. I am a murderer, I know but I still wanted you to know that I never wanted to do any of it and if you arent too against the idea I would very much like to be your friend."
He became quiet and she saw the spark of despair and fear in his eyes before they became closed off once again. When it became apparent that he wasnt going to say anything more she smiled slightly and began shakily "I would gladly be your friend and the others too. You should also know that I have forgiven you for you being a jerk to me all those years and that I do not hold what happened at Malfoy Manor against you. I also know what it is like to do anything to save your parents" She looked straight into his eyes and could clearly see the shock in them at her statement. "I obliviated my parents during the war, it is irreversible and I will never be able to get them back but they are alive and happy, they just dont know they have a daughter. So I understand more than you think." She smiled a little and she saw his mouth quirk slightly before his neutral face was once again back.
After that they went through the details of the day, as the sorting and the taking the first years to the lake. They also talked about which subjects they had taken and Hermione was suprised when he had taken the same amount of subjects as her. She took Potions, Charms, History of magic, Tranfiguration, Muggle studies- for an easy N.E.W.T, Astronomy, Herbology, Alchemy, Runes and Arthimancy while he took the same as her exept for DADA instead of Muggle studies. They also talked about rooming as they didnt really know where the seventh- and eight years would bee rooming as of yet.
When they had gotten of the train, she and Malfoy gathered the little first- years. It was a really small group this year with only 13 student, 6 girls and 7 boys. They looked scared but also exited and Hermione imagined they had looked just like these kids at eleven years old about to go to school to learn about magic.
Together with Malfoy they managed to get the little ones to board the boats without them complaining too much and then led them to the doors of the Great Hall where the rest of the returning students were sitting. They explained what was to happen and what each house represented. Hermione also made sure to answer all of their questions. They ranged from "Does the house matter?" to "Is this really real or is it just a dream?".
Soon they opened the doors and led the little group into the hall. They were stunned at the sheer size of the hall and by the ceiling and even Hermione herself who had seen it hundreds of times felt a little awed even as the images of the mauled Lavender and dead Remus and Tonks popped up inside her mind. A hand on her shoulder brought her out of her thoughts and she realized that it was Malfoy. The two walked up to where the chair and Sorting hat sat and once again listened to its song. When it was done she read the first name on her list, it was the name of a little girl who was sorted into Slytherin. The hall went quiet before Hermione and Malfoy began clapping and soon the rest of the hall followed. One girl and tree boys was sorted into Gryffindor, two girls into Hufflepuff, three boys into Ravenclaw and one boy and three girls was sorted into Slytherin. Hermione clapped happily for each aand every one of them, to her it didnt really matter anymore but she wanted them to know that they had people on their side.
After that the Headmistress had her speech, presented the teachers as well as the Heads- her and Malfoy, and she told the seventh- and eight years to stay after the feast as she had to inform them of something. Hermione sat at the Gryffindor table with her friends and talked lightly about classes. They promptly avoided talking about the war and that was good because at that moment there was too many reminders.