Chapter Text
Hello, welcome to my story. (The story and its content belong to me; I'm only using AI for help with punctuation and spelling mistakes.) The pilot chapter is a bit long.
Before we start, there are a few things I need to say. I've been writing for about three years, although not consistently, and I have stories I've put a lot of effort into, but they aren't finished yet. This year, since I started school, I haven't been able to focus on them, so I started this story just to keep myself busy. I'm publishing it completely as a draft and not paying too much attention to it. I enjoy writing it, and I think it's fun to read, but I don't recommend having too high expectations. Enjoy 💕
If you're looking for something with a very simple language, quick to read, and light, you're in the right place.
Silvia is also in our story. (For those who don't know, she's a friend of mine who makes vine videos set in the HP universe on Instagram, and I love her videos, so I wanted to include her as a character in the story as well.)
It was time to attend the school that had existed for centuries to educate witches and wizards: Hogwarts... With its good and bad, its talented and untalented, its wise and not-so-wise, it had graduated countless young people over the years. These young people had eventually become skilled witches and wizards. There were certain boundaries between these specially gifted individuals and ordinary people, the Muggles. Most people had no idea about the existence of wizards, and history suggested it was better that way.
Just as magic ran in the blood, for reasons still unknown, witches and wizards could also appear among Muggle-borns. Hermione Granger was one of them-a Muggle-born witch-and it had been four years since she received her acceptance letter to Hogwarts. In those four years, nothing at school had gone unnoticed by her; every kind of trouble had found its way to her.
She had two close friends at school: Ronald Weasley and Harry Potter. Hermione had a platonic crush on Ron, but she didn't expect any reciprocation or that something would happen between them, which left her feeling hopeless. And then there was Harry-the Chosen One, the one who defeated He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named (Voldemort), the psychopath who had terrorized Muggle-borns and Muggles long before they were born, and saved humanity. At least, that's how others saw him. Hermione and Ron, on the other hand, thought Harry was a magnet for trouble. Judging by everything that had happened in the past four years, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named couldn't really be said to be gone either. Somewhere in the shadows, he was waiting for an opportunity to grow stronger and return.
For now, at least temporarily, it seemed they had escaped him. Although Hermione was used to being dragged around and facing action-packed situations with Ron and Harry (and, to be honest, she even enjoyed it a little), she wanted this year to be a bit calmer and uneventful.
"A peaceful year," she thought to herself. All she wanted was to read the books she desired and immerse herself in her studies.
When she arrived at the Muggle station, she searched for the wall that read "Nine and Three-Quarters" for a while. This wall served as a portal that only witches and wizards could pass through, leading to the platform where the train to Hogwarts departed.
Taking a deep breath as she stepped through Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, she felt a surge of excitement. This was going to be her year.
Once she passed through the wall, she scanned the crowded station with her eyes and soon noticed two people looking at her and smiling. Ron's red hair and Harry's round, black-rimmed glasses immediately caught her attention.
She started walking quickly toward her friends, her excitement making her quicken her pace, when she collided with someone and stumbled. Hermione's protruding forehead bumped against someone's chest. She stepped back, rubbing her forehead and glared angrily at the person who had bumped into her-and met a pair of piercing blue eyes. Through her clenched teeth, Hermione hissed:
"Malfoy..."
Draco Malfoy twisted his face into a smirk.
"It's so nice to see you, Granger."
Hermione crossed her arms in disbelief and raised a single eyebrow, as if to say really? The crowd flowed around them. The station was filled with witches and wizards rushing to and fro, suitcases, and cages holding every kind of pet imaginable. The noise was nearly unbearable. Draco gave a disdainful look at Hermione's cat, Crookshanks, who she held tightly in her arms.
"That thing is a total Muggle animal. This cat suits you perfectly, Granger."
Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Have you finished with your ridiculous assumptions, Malfoy?" she said, emphasizing his name. Then she continued:
"Also, for your information, cats have historically been the animals most associated with witches."
Draco's face twisted in disgust.
"Nonsense! That's just something Muggles believe. No respectable wizard or witch keeps a cat. It's entirely a Muggle thing."
Hermione frowned, noticing something. While her friends were waiting for her, Draco was trying to engage her in conversation. Why was she even paying attention to Malfoy's usual nonsense? Shrugging nonchalantly, she turned away and muttered:
"I have to go. My friends are waiting."
Draco chuckled and called after her:
"Which friends? Scarhead and Carrot Top? If I were you, I'd give up on the carrot."
Hermione flushed and clenched her fists. She turned angrily toward Draco-but he was nowhere to be seen. Surprised, she scanned the crowd, then exhaled through her nose, straightened her shoulders, and walked directly to Harry and Ron. Draco, watching her from behind the wall where he had hidden, chuckled quietly to himself.
Hermione felt she was being watched. That Malfoy boy had managed to annoy her again. She was certain, beyond any doubt, that he was spying on her from somewhere. She remembered how relieved she had felt when she had punched him in the face last year-a punch that was well deserved if she ever had to defend herself. Right now, she felt the urge to do the same thing again. She thought, coward. How had he even guessed that she liked Ron?
When she reached the front of the carriage, her head spinning and frowning, she greeted Harry. Seeing Hermione's gloomy expression, Harry asked, surprised:
"Hermione, did something happen?"
Hermione shrugged.
"It's nothing important."
She glanced at Ron, who was indifferently chewing on his licorice stick. Harry thought for a moment, then his face brightened and his eyebrows shot up:
"Wait, Malfoy was talking to you earlier. Did he upset you?"
Yes, Malfoy had upset her, but she couldn't tell Harry and Ron the truth.
"No, it's about our friends. Nothing important," she replied, keeping it vague.
Ron flinched at the mention of Malfoy. He listened seriously as they talked. When Hermione stayed silent, he swallowed the candy in his mouth and asked again, "Are you sure nothing's wrong?"
With a weary expression, Hermione said, "Yes." Ron and Harry exchanged a look and silently agreed not to push her further. After that, the trio-later known at school as the "Golden Trio"-boarded the carriage in front of them and settled into their seats.
Draco, meanwhile, emerged from behind the wall where he had been hiding and boarded another carriage after Hermione and her friends had gotten on the train. There, his friends Crabbe and Goyle were waiting. Draco was in high spirits. Though he hadn't dared to call Hermione "Mudblood" to her face since getting punched, his opinion of her hadn't changed. He took great pleasure in annoying her. In his eyes, it was unfair for a Muggle-born like Hermione to succeed. He thought to himself, She deserves a Weasley. And inwardly, he mused:
"I hope that arrogant Granger marries her precious Weasley and they live a life of misery."
While Draco was lost in these thoughts, Hermione soon forgot about their encounter. She bickered with Ron while simultaneously soothing her cat Crookshanks whenever he became restless.
Hermione's hair and her cat's fur were strikingly similar. Ron had once dared to mention this, thinking it was funny. Of course, Hermione had rewarded his boldness with one of her icy, terrifying stares, and after that, Ron decided to keep his thoughts on the matter to himself.
The cat's fur, like Hermione's hair, was brown, blonde, and fluffy. Besides these features, Hermione had a rather wide forehead and long front teeth. Today, she was wearing her usual red sweater, topped with a long, thin, brown coat. With this coat, she looked more like Crookshanks than ever. Her pale skin glowed in the light reflecting from the train windows.
As the train approached Hogwarts, she would need to go to the girls' compartment to put on her student robe. Just as she was about to check how much time she had for that, Ron spoke, crunching the cardboard candy box in his hands. He had gotten it for two Galleons from a compartment attendant earlier:
"Isn't it ridiculous that we're forced to wear robes on the first day? We're literally changing clothes on the train."
Harry and Hermione nodded in agreement. This was something all the students complained about.
Ron was about to continue talking with his mouth full when Hermione interjected:
"If you eat any more of those things, you're going to choke, Ron."
Ron pouted and fell silent, and Harry grinned.
"And if you die, no one would even notice one less Weasley. I'm not even sure your dad knows how many of you there are."
Ron furrowed his brows at first, but when Harry and Hermione started laughing, he couldn't help himself.
"I think after a while, they just stopped counting us."
Hearing this, Hermione chuckled lightly again, letting out a strange little noise through her nose.
While they were joking like this, Draco had left his compartment to find the attendant, walking down the corridor. He was about to call out to the attendant, who was pushing a trolley ahead of him with his back turned, when he heard the voices of Hermione and her friends. All this laughter and joking felt very unfamiliar to him. Losers, he muttered under his breath, yet he couldn't stop himself from pricking up his ears in curiosity. Without realizing it, he approached their compartment and started watching them out of the corner of his eye.
Even though he wouldn't admit it, Hermione looked good when she laughed. At those moments, she seemed like a completely different person. For him, the worst part of her being Muggle-born wasn't that-it was her arrogance. Hermione was at least as egotistical as he was, and he couldn't stand her looking down on him or speaking condescendingly. Now he saw that she could act perfectly normal around her friends. That annoyed him. So she was only like that toward Draco.
Curious, he continued listening to their conversation. Hermione, just like at the station, suddenly felt she was being watched again, and when she reflexively raised her head, she locked eyes with Draco. For a moment, her smile froze on her face. She furrowed her brow and looked at him. Draco, not expecting to be noticed, didn't know what to do at first but then decided to play it cool. He slipped his hands into his pockets, smirked at her, and leisurely walked back to his compartment. Hermione scowled at him. What did this lunatic want?
When Draco returned to Crabbe and Goyle, he noticed that they had already finished the snacks they-or rather, he-had given them when they boarded the train. Crabbe and Goyle looked disappointedly at Draco's empty hands. Draco slammed the compartment door and nodded at his friends as if to say, What now? Crabbe, the bolder of the two, dared to speak after a swallow:
"Our sweets are finished, Draco."
Draco glared at the two of them, then looked meaningfully at the candy boxes and packages in front of him. Clenching his teeth, he said:
"Didn't you eat enough?"
Crabbe and Goyle paled and nodded helplessly. Draco smiled.
"Then that's enough for today."
Draco hated how Crabbe and Goyle clung to him like ticks, constantly exploiting him. He wasn't even sure why he was friends with them-or if they were really friends at all. He guessed that he had chosen this path because he didn't want to be alone, and somehow it had continued this way. Thinking about Hermione and her friends, a wave of jealousy washed over him. Even that Mudblood had friends. For a moment, he felt incredibly lonely. The only person he could call a friend was Silvia, a Hufflepuff, who mostly only played pranks on him. In fact, Silvia often played pranks on everyone, and sometimes even bullied people. Draco was amazed that she ended up in Hufflepuff instead of Slytherin.
(At Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, students in their first year were sorted into one of the four main houses based on their personality and abilities: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Hufflepuffs were generally known for being more helpful and friendly, while Slytherins were known for their cunning. The house with the darkest history was Slytherin. Most of Voldemort and his followers had belonged to this house, just like Draco and the entire Malfoy family.)
Draco got lost in the scenery for a while. This might be his last peaceful moment. Soon enough, Silvia would appear, hair flying and her chirpy voice filling the compartment. For a moment, he imagined Silvia talking rapidly, and it made him swell with irritation. Yet, whether he wanted to admit it or not, he liked the girl as a friend. She could even be considered pleasant, as long as she wasn't talking breathlessly and puffing up her head.
The train sped along. As they neared Hogwarts, the number of trees and elevation increased. Draco had stopped counting the hills some time ago. Once he decided they were close enough to Hogwarts, he turned to the quietly sitting Crabbe and Goyle:
"We'd better get dressed now."
They nodded in agreement. Goyle checked to make sure the compartment door was fully closed. Then they all began dressing. As Draco pulled down his black cloth trousers, the compartment door suddenly swung wide open, and Silvia's high-pitched, sharp scream rang out:
"Oh my God, did it never occur to you to lock the door?"
Half-naked, Crabbe blushed.
Silvia had already put on her robe. Most of the time, her long brown hair flew around because she moved so much. Now it swayed from side to side as if the compartment were filled with wind. Her usually large eyes had doubled in size, staring at Draco in shock. To make matters worse, everyone froze, unsure of what to do, while Draco's trousers slid further down toward his knees. His cheeks started burning with embarrassment, and claw-like red marks appeared on his face.
Just as she was about to yell at Silvia about what she had done, Hermione, searching for a compartment to get dressed in, locked eyes with Draco. Through the still-slightly-open door Silvia insisted on keeping ajar, Hermione saw Draco in that state. She tried to hold back at first, but couldn't resist bursting into laughter. When everyone, including Silvia, turned toward the sound in surprise, Hermione quickly turned her head and stepped away:
"Excuse me, please continue with whatever you're doing."
At the same time, she thought, Wow. She had just seen Malfoy in his underwear. Karma, she thought. She was certain Draco was now dying of embarrassment, and she was right. As she walked away, Draco's roar toward Silvia echoed down the corridor.
Startled by Draco's shouting, Silvia slammed the compartment door and ran down the corridor, disappearing from sight. Draco stared at the closed door for a moment, wondering if he had been too harsh on Silvia. He felt a twinge of guilt. On top of that, Hermione's laughter, still ringing in his ears, made him even angrier, and he took it out on Goyle. His grumbling, which started with:
"Weren't you the one who closed the door? Why didn't you lock it?"
soon turned into scolding, and only after a while did he stop. This time, he went and locked the door himself, and they resumed dressing.
Meanwhile, Hermione was also putting on her clothes, while Harry and Ron kept an eye on Hermione's cat, Crookshanks. They had already put on their robes. Crookshanks was a very grumpy cat; his long brown fur shed everywhere. In Hermione's absence, he grew even grumpier, searching for his owner. Ron caught the cat, which was scratching the door to escape, for the third time and reluctantly set him on his lap. A little later, he was certain the cat would get up again. Scrunching his face, he looked at Harry and indicated the cat:
"My God, I don't want to say it, but he really does look like Hermione. Look at him, so grumpy."
Harry rolled his eyes.
"Don't exaggerate, Ron," he said, though inwardly he agreed.
As they watched the cat warily, fearing further scratches, the compartment door opened, and Hermione entered, skipping in. She looked cheerful. Seeing Draco bright red made her even happier, but for now, she decided not to tell her friends.
"School is almost here, I'm so excited! Do you get the feeling this year's going to be really good for you too?"
Ron raised an eyebrow, as if to ask really? After glancing at Harry, he spoke cautiously:
"Yes, I think this year will be good. At least it feels like we won't get ourselves killed this year. Of course, the opposite is also quite likely."
Hermione frowned.
"Ugh, shut up, Ronald."
(She always used his full name when she was annoyed.)
She immediately smiled afterward. Excitedly, she looked at Hogwarts, now growing larger in silhouette through the window. As she sat next to Harry, Crookshanks, lying beside Ron, leapt into her lap and started demanding attention. While petting Crookshanks, Hermione began to talk about her plans for the year:
"First of all, my Arithmancy lessons are going to have more hours this year, and I'm really happy about that. Maybe if I don't end up working at the Ministry later, I could be an Arithmancy professor at Hogwarts. There are very few wizards working in this field."
Ron asked with his usual indifferent attitude:
"Why's that?"
Hermione, ignoring his lifeless tone, spoke with great enthusiasm:
"Muggles are definitely much better with numbers than we are. They are far ahead of the wizarding world in mathematics. That's why they've made so much progress in science."
She spoke with admiration. Hermione's mother and father were Muggle dentists, and quite successful in their fields. Hermione admired them and wanted to be as accomplished as they were.
Harry nodded in agreement:
"Hermione's right. Muggle schools really do teach advanced mathematics."
Even though Harry hated math, he had received enough education among Muggles to understand its importance for modern technology and science. Hermione had similarly attended a Muggle school before receiving her Hogwarts letter. Ron, however, was different. Born into a wizarding family, he had learned even basic things at home from his mother until a certain age. Though he used phones and computers, he never cared much about how they worked or their background, unlike most Muggles. Someone else handled that, and he simply used them.
"Advanced math is nonsense," he muttered.
"Why bother? The Muggles do it anyway."
Hermione shrugged:
"Why can't we do it too? They aren't smarter than us; they just try."
Ron laughed.
-I don't think most wizards or Muggles are as smart as you.
Hermione blushed slightly and lowered her head. Seeing this, Harry gave her a sly glance and smirked, which horrified Hermione. Seriously? she thought. Had Harry noticed too? How many more people knew? Was it that obvious? Judging by Ron, he didn't seem to know. But Ron had always been indifferent and careless toward those around him. With that, they didn't speak much more until they reached Hogwarts. The Golden Trio-and even Crookshanks-fell into a deep silence.
Light rain drizzled against the train windows as Draco, Crab, and Goyle prepared to disembark. Crab and Goyle were remarkably similar in build and appearance. Both had very short brown hair, and from the outside, they looked less like Draco's friends and more like his bodyguards. Their families, in turn, made a living by sucking up to the Malfoys and were now among Voldemort's fallen followers. Thus, they constantly felt obliged to shadow Draco.
Carrying not only their own belongings but also Draco's, Crab and Goyle disembarked without difficulty. Draco, trusting them, had brought a lot. Their trunks were full of suits mimicking his father's black suits, each a small replica. Truthfully, his nearly platinum-blonde hair contrasted nicely with the black clothes.
Crab and Goyle walked to the boats with the luggage without complaint. As they reached the lakeshore and waited for the boats, Silvia approached Draco hesitantly. Seeing her frightened state, Draco felt guilty for having been harsh earlier and reassured her, apologizing. With Silvia back in her usual cheerful mood, she joined their boat.
Silvia didn't stop talking. She went on about the tights she had bought at a Muggle store and even mentioned that her friend didn't like them. Goyle at one point started to doze off. Draco, meanwhile, regretted not apologizing to Silvia a bit sooner. Crab was the only one paying close attention to her, seemingly enjoying her chatter. Draco thought to himself, If I see Crab's stupid infatuation any more, I'll throw up. Finally, unable to resist, he grabbed Silvia by the shoulders and looked into her eyes.
-Silvia, I need to ask you something.
Silvia nodded eagerly and mumbled something.
-Sure, sure, you can ask. What is it?
Draco took a deep breath.
-Be quiet.
-What?
-I swear, just be quiet, Silvia.
Silvia frowned, crossed her arms, and faced forward, remaining completely silent until the boat reached the shore. She even had Draco carry her powder-colored suitcase. Draco looked at the patterned luggage with disgust at first. Normally, he wouldn't touch anything of that color, but he reluctantly accepted it to please Silvia. The suitcase was quite heavy. Apparently, she hadn't just bought tights at that Muggle store-Draco figured she must have bought almost the whole store. She was extremely tall and thin. How on earth had she carried this suitcase all the way to the train?
Draco was also tall and thin. Unlike Crab and Goyle, he wasn't strong, which sometimes annoyed him. If a rebellion ever broke out against him in this trio, he wouldn't know what to do against those two. There was no choice but to hope such a thing wouldn't happen at least until the end of the school year. But now he had a more immediate problem than a potential rebellion: how to carry this damn heavy suitcase with pink bows up to the girls' floor without injuring his back. He started struggling with it, puffing and groaning. He could have used Wingardium Leviosa, a spell for levitating objects, but it seemed shameful to him to use magic while everyone else was carrying their own luggage. And if Silvia could carry it, he should be able to do it easily too. He was wrong. He made it to the entrance of the school only with great effort.
When he reached the Slytherin common room, he was out of breath. He parted ways with Crab and Goyle here. The girls' dormitory was on an upper floor. Draco muttered to himself, Alright, let's go. Leaving the suitcase at the entrance of your floor should be enough, right? Besides, it's forbidden for us to go to your floor anyway.
He asked eagerly. Silvia seemed distracted, nodding absentmindedly.
-Sure, sure, I'll handle the rest.
Draco exhaled and with one last effort carried the suitcase up the stairs to the girls' floor. He set it down, wiped his forehead with the back of his hand, and smiled at Silvia:
-That's all from me. See you at dinner.
Silvia smiled back.
-See you.
With unexpected agility, Silvia picked up her suitcase and walked effortlessly down the corridor toward her room. Draco watched her with his mouth slightly open. She was far stronger than she looked. What a strange girl, he muttered to himself as he followed her with his eyes.
On his way down to the Great Hall, he came face-to-face with Hermione on the stairs. She didn't have that odd cat in her arms this time. She stood in front of him in her robe. Her red-and-gold striped tie was slightly askew, and her upper lip and broad forehead glistened with sweat. Apparently, Hermione had just settled her luggage too. Her brown hair looked even more voluminous than usual, cascading over her shoulders. What a careless girl, Draco thought. He had been amazed last year when she had charmed someone like Viktor Krum in this state. While the whole school was talking about it, he had thought, Viktor must be quite a strange one himself.
Hermione had made a habit of crossing her arms over her chest, which to Draco only reinforced her know-it-all attitude. Very irritating, indeed. Then again, what about her wasn't irritating? She had her arms crossed again. Despite looking tired, she wore a sly, crooked smile. Of course, she would take her revenge-classic Granger. And this time, he had seen her in her underwear. What did I do to deserve that? he thought, and many other thoughts followed.
He looked at her, avoiding her gaze, and asked impatiently:
-What do you want, Granger?
This time Hermione mimicked his morning tone:
-How lovely to see you, Malfoy.
Draco grunted.
-What do you want?
Hermione paused as if thinking, then shrugged.
-Nothing. I was just surprised there was no Dark Mark on your underwear and wanted to ask why.
(The Dark Mark was a symbol used by Voldemort's followers.)
Draco froze for a moment, then hissed:
-You little-
Hermione raised one eyebrow threateningly, preventing him from finishing. She hissed perverted freak and quickly passed him, descending the stairs two at a time. Hermione grinned, showing her large white teeth. Score: 1/1. We'll see, Draco thought-the year had just begun.
After placing their luggage in their rooms, they needed to go to the Great Hall immediately. Knowing that Crab and Goyle had set his luggage, Draco went straight to the Great Hall. Slowly, the hall began to fill. Within five minutes, almost everyone had arrived. Hermione was among the last. Before joining her friends, she checked on her cat, Crookshanks, one last time. Draco had scurried away to his room.
Crookshanks had grown accustomed to his Hogwarts room, so he caused little trouble. He was comfortable, but during her first year he had driven Hermione nearly mad, requiring constant attention between lessons. Now, he waited quietly until classes ended.
Hermione straightened her shoulders and quickly joined Harry and Ron. Over her robe, she wore one of her usual oversized burgundy sweaters. The frayed old sweater was perfect for a Gryffindor. With her yellow-brown hair and burgundy sweater, she looked like a faded autumn leaf. Her hair was as voluminous as a Gryffindor lion's mane. Though Muggle-born, she resembled the witches of ancient tales in Muggle stories. A strange cat and rebellious, bushy hair... No, calling her a witch wasn't quite right. More like a Muggle crone, Draco thought, absentmindedly watching Hermione with his hand on his chin.
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Meanwhile, Harry and Hermione were arguing about which classes to take this year. Hermione was determined to take Arithmancy, so at least one of their classes would be different. Harry, on the other hand, was desperately trying to convince her that mathematics was awful. Why couldn't she just take Flying Lessons with him and Ron? Wouldn't it be more fun?
Just as Hermione started to defend Arithmancy, Ron touched her arm.
-Hey, is Malfoy looking at you?
They all turned to Draco at once. Sure enough, he was leaning his chin on his hand, watching them. Ron scowled.
-What's his problem?
Hermione let out a deep sigh.
-How strange.
Harry jumped in.
-Not as strange as Crookshanks, though.
Hermione lightly tapped Harry on the shoulder.
-Hey, what's wrong with my cat?
Harry pursed his lips.
-Nothing, dear.
Ron, looking frightened, muttered:
-That thing makes my hair stand on end, Hermione.
Hermione, confused, asked:
-Which one? Crookshanks or Draco?
Harry and Ron, as if agreeing silently, answered at the same time:
-Both.
Hermione couldn't help but laugh.
-Still, it's not fair to compare my sweet cat to Draco.
Ron asked in horror:
-Sweet?
Immediately after, he showed her the scratches Crookshanks had left on his hands while she was away.
-He's a monster, Hermione. You only think he's calm because he's around you.
Hermione looked at Harry with disbelief. Harry nodded in agreement with Ron, but then added:
-Still, of course, thinking about it, comparing our sweet Crookshanks to Draco would be unfair to Crookshanks.
Harry grinned. Even Ron seemed to agree with him on that.
..... Part2>>>