Chapter 5 - Year 1 Spring
As Hermione made her way onto the platform, a platinum blonde head popped into her vision and waved her over. Draco was standing between two equally blonde adults who smiled at her.
“Well Miss Granger, it’s a pleasure, we’ve heard so many good things from Draco’s letters,” as Narcissa held her hand out towards her. Draco flushed pink and avoided her gaze.
“It’s lovely to meet you too Mrs. Malfoy, Mr. Malfoy,” she beamed turning to Lucius as he took her hand and made a small bow to kiss it the way he might a proper lady. She giggled, as Draco scoffed.
Lucius turned to his son with a smirk, “Well son, I can see what you mean,” and turning back to her said, “Miss Granger, it was a pleasure we’ll have to have you over for dinner during the holidays. Now, you two better go find a seat on the train,” shooing them off.
Once they had found a compartment Hermione threw her arms around him, “It’s beautiful thank you!” He grinned at her. “Just wait until we’re older,” he turned with a smirk to sit across from Theo, leaving her momentarily stunned until Daphne called her over asking for the most recent Vogue, which she passed over watching Pansy and Daphne disappear behind it.
-
“Hermione!” Draco’s voice called from across the common room. He waited until she had made her way over to him and Theo, sitting together near the fireplace. “Look at this curse Father taught me over Christmas,” and she watched as the apple he was aiming at melted from the inside out until there was nothing left but 3 seeds sitting on the table. He grinned up at her.
“Nice one!” She smiled, taking a seat next to him on the sofa. “If only we could curse every wretch that sneered at us for being Slytherins with that,” she laughed but trailed off into a sigh.
“One day they’ll all regret it, we’ll make them pay I promise,” he looked at her seriously.
Just then Harry burst into the common room. Panting, he wheezed out, “Hermione guess what,” and before she had time to contemplate what could have caused him to run all the way here, he hurriedly finished, “Hagrid has a dragon.”
“WHAT?” she screeched. “Harry, he lives in a wooden house!”
“I know, but you have to come see,” and he pulled her up.
“It’s after curfew, you can’t,” scolded Theo, “We’re already trailing behind the Gryffindors in points, if you’re caught you’ll lose even more.”
“Did I forget to mention my favorite Christmas gift?” Harry asked slyly. At the confused faces of his friends, he pulled out a wad of fabric from his bag and slung it over his shoulders. Draco and Theo’s mouths fell open, Hermione looked even more confused.
“An invisibility cloak?” gasped Theo. “But those are really rare, who gave it to you?”
Harry shrugged, “Dunno, there was a note saying that it belonged to my dad, but no signature. Anyways come on!”
“I’m good, you three have fun,” called Theo over his shoulder as he stood up, moving to sit with Daphne at a table nearby. Hermione could see Pansy glaring at them from her seat next to them, but didn’t have time to consider it as Harry threw the cloak over her and Draco and led them back out into the corridor.
“Draco, stay under the cloak and don’t say anything, Hagrid won’t want to let us in if he knows you’re with us,” Harry instructed before removing it from himself and Hermione and knocking on the door to the gamekeeper's hut.
“Harry, yer here!” he exclaimed as he pulled open the door, “and yer brought ‘Ermione too. Are you sure that’s wise?” He turned away but Hermione thought she caught the words “untrustworthy Slytherin” amongst the grumblings.
“I knew she’d want to see it! And she does so much reading she might be able to help!” Harry explained brightly, pulling Hermione over to the fire where she could see a large rock sitting in the middle of the flames.
“What -” and it dawned on her the same moment she heard a sharp intake of breath from somewhere on her right where Draco must have seen what she had.
“Wow Hagrid, do you know what kind of egg it is?” she asked, trying to appear mildly interested.
“A Norwegian Ridgeback!” he stated proudly, looking at the egg. “I’ve always wan’ed a dragon, can’t believe I got so lucky.”
“And how exactly did you get the egg Hagrid?” asked Harry, looking slightly paler than usual.
“I won it,” he explained offhandedly
“Won it?”
“Off a stranger in the pub.”
“What an odd thing to bring to a pub,” Hermione mused.
The trio made their way back to the castle musing about what a terrible idea it is for Hagrid to have obtained a dragon egg.
“I just want to know how he got it,” mentioned Draco for the fifth time as they walked into the common room.
After several days, the dragon hatched. Hagrid had requested that Harry come down and visit Norbert. He came back to dinner that night pale and looking horrified.
“There’s a reason you’re not supposed to keep them as pets,” he muttered.
“Shall I write to father?” Draco asked, knowing Lucius would take immediate action.
“I’ll go to professor Snape tonight,” he shuttered, “come with me though? He really hates me.” The other two nodded and so after dinner they traipsed down to the dungeon office.
“A dragon?” He drawled, “Really? And you’ve seen it yourselves have you?” He pointedly asked Draco and Hermione.
“Yes sir. He said he won it,” explained Hermione.
He gave her an appraising look. “Thank you for bringing this to me, I’ll speak with the Headmaster.” Recognizing a dismissal, the three students turned to leave.
“Oh Miss Granger,” she paused and turned, “Your last potions essay was quite advanced, but in the future, know you only need answer the prompt given and not every tangent.” She grinned, and not wanting to push her luck, left the office.
-
The final quidditch game of the season was approaching and the excitement in the common room was palpable, leaking out from the left hand dormitory door. While they had beaten Gryffindor earlier in the season the team had had a few injuries in the last match against Ravenclaw and had been unwilling to hold formal tryouts, so they would be on much more even footing during the Championship game.
Blaise had dragged her, quite literally, out of the study room, thrown an extra scarf around her neck and walked her down to the pitch without so much as a “would you like to come to the game”, although knowing her response would be “no”, it wouldn’t have done much good.
Hermione sat shivering in the stands, wedged between Greg and Blaise, Theo and Daphne sitting in front of them. And the one thing she could say for this game was that it didn’t last very long at all.
“McLaggen gets the snitch! Gryffindor wins 350 to 110!” called the announcer, “Gryffindor wins the cup!” and the crowd around them erupted as a rainbow sea cheered at the Slytherin loss, booing the team as they left the field dejectedly.
“I wish I would’ve stayed in the common room and studied,” huffed Hermione, “I don’t like losing.”
-
“My teacup is still covered in fur!” wailed Daphne as her cup clattered to the table. Hermione reached across Harry’s own cup, still complete with tail and whiskers, to adjust Daphne’s grip.
“Here try it like this and give it a slight flick at the end of the incantation,” she directed, making Theo roll his eyes focusing on a new charm while his own teacup, not the delicate china of Hermione's, was a perfectly acceptable ceramic. Her concentration was broken by a loud laugh courtesy of Blaise who was practicing cheering charms with Draco nearby.
“Well done Drake!” cheered Pansy, letting her own mouse loose as it scurried off the table. Hermione rolled her eyes, summoning it back and handing it to Pansy, who took it with a sigh.
The Easter holidays proved to be much less relaxing than the Christmas ones. While Hermione spent it with her parents, most of her time was taken up studying charms or pouring over old potions essays, trying to absorb as much information as possible.
Harry utilizing his cloak and being one of the only students at the castle over break, had taken to exploring the castle after hours. On the last night before break was over, his watch beeped at him, indicating it was 3am, knowing he had class the next morning, he pulled himself away from the image of his parents.
“I’ll be back mum, promise,” he whispered as he left the empty classroom.
Yawning over breakfast the next morning he leaned into Hermione, “I have something to show you tonight.” She nodded, reaching for the jug of pumpkin juice.
“Where are we going?” she asked as Harry pulled her along that evening after curfew.
“I can’t explain it, but you’ll see.” he whispered back, “should be just up around this corner.” And sure enough as he led her into a classroom up ahead he saw the mirror.
“Look it’s my family,” he said excitedly standing in front of it while she looked on.
“I don’t see anyone Harry, it’s just you.”
“Here stand in front of it properly,” as he pulled her to stand in front of him.
Hermione gasped, blinked twice and turned away from the mirror. “Harry I don’t know what this is but I don’t think you should come back to it.”
He frowned, “One last look,” he hurriedly continued as she opened her mouth to respond, “Please Hermione, I’ve never seen them before this mirror.” And she nodded.
Half an hour later, tucked into her four-poster, Hermione couldn’t help but dwell on what she had seen, her heart racing as she fell into a fitful sleep.
-
The end of term was quickly approaching and the stress level was at an all time high for the young Slytherins. Hermione herself was in near constant occupation of the quiet room, only leaving for weekly study group and classes. Millie had taken to bringing her sandwiches from the great hall and silently leaving them on the table in front of her.
As the final exam approached that afternoon Harry was sitting by the lake having dragged Hermione into the fresh air to study. Theo and Daphne had accompanied them and they were busy levitating their quills, when suddenly Harry started massaging his head.
“What’s up?” asked Theo, causing Hermione to turn and look at her friend, feather falling to the ground.
“My scar hurts, it’s never happened before.” he managed. Hermione frowned.
“Maybe you should go see Madam Pomfrey?” suggested Daphne.
“Yeah maybe,” he admitted as he stood, gathering his things.
“Wait,” Hermione paused, “has it happened before?” Harry shook his head. “I think you should go to Snape. It’s a cursed scar, I don’t know if a simple pain potion would help.”
He nodded, “I’ll go now and meet you in Charms. He packed up his things, “Good luck!” he called over his shoulder.
“You say your scar is hurting? And it’s never happened before?” Snape sneered. Harry gulped and nodded.
“Hermione said I should come to you since she reckons it’s a cursed scar,” he quickly explained.
“Very well Potter, take this for the pain,” he handed him a vial of purple potion, “I will speak to the headmaster. If it takes a turn for the worse please do go to the Hospital Wing and I shall meet you there.”
-
“Did you hear? Quirrell was escorted out by aurors last night! Stephanie Huffington saw them on her way back from the prefect's bath.”
Hermione did a double take as she passed the gossiping students the next morning at breakfast.
“Do you reckon that’s true? What do you think he did?” whispered Draco from her other side. Hermione shrugged. “I bet Theo knows.”
Theo didn’t know, but Lucius did, and when the post arrived the Slytherins all received a second hand account of how the Defence professor had broken into a forbidden corridor, and attempted to steal the sorcerer’s stone, which had been hidden in the castle. Something had failed him however as he was unable to get his hands on it until Dumbledore had returned late in the night from a trip to the Ministry and headed off to apprehend him with several other professors. Aurors had been called at once and Quirrell had somehow lost the ability to reason, simply going on about never being alone, and a master he referred to.
“You don’t think that had anything to do with my scar hurting?” Harry asked her quietly after hearing the tale.
“I don’t know, but I think it might Harry. Just promise me you’ll be careful this summer?” she asked.
Vince and Greg hosted a Chocolate Frog eating contest on the train home, leaving Hermione fairly nauseous as she ducked out early. She saw Neville and Hannah sitting together and waved to them as she walked by, both smiling at her. Ron attempted to curse her as she passed his compartment, and in retaliation put a sticking charm on the door.
As she made her way back to her friends, the train was pulling into the station. She hopped out with her trunk, excited for the holidays, and hugged her friends.
“Don’t forget!” called out Pansy.
“I know I know, I’ll pick them up when we’re on holiday,” she laughed to herself. As the perfect pureblood, Pansy was certainly obsessed with muggle magazines.
“Maybe we can meet up over the summer?” Draco asked slyly, looking over at her.
“Sure, I’ll have to go to Diagon for more reading material anyway once we’re back from Greece.” He grinned at her and with a parting wave walked off to join his parents on the platform.