241Hermione
Once I was convinced that this was the start of Year Seven, I was enticed to give it my all; to thrive at its end. I met up with Harry and the Weasleys at Kings Cross Station. Although the same familiar process of shaking hands and asking last-minute questions seemed to take forever, I dealt with it. Perhaps the opening of a magical year wasn't as exciting as its middle.
"Hello Harry, hello Ron," I greeted, running up to them, feeling my purse bounce under my arm. "How have you two been?"
Harry let out a wearisome sigh. "I'm just glad that I'm back to where I belong. I can't stand another long summer with the Dursleys."
"Why haven't you been writing, 'Mione?" Ron asked, popping a piece of chocolate into his mouth. "Harry and I have noticed."
I bit my lip. Every time now, I've been trying to convince them to write letters over the break, and as with all of them, I wrote back. But this time I had completely forgotten, due to the recent struggles of my parents' new jobs. They were now officially doctors, and the whole career of being dentists just faded away.
"Oh, sorry, my mum didn't let me write as often because I had to help her with things," I said matter-of-factly, just in case it seemed like I was lying. "My parents had been so busy with their new jobs I had to take care of the house more than I usually did."
"As often? As often?" Ron swallowed a piece of chocolate before making another remark. "You didn't write at all!"
The look in Harry's eyes meant that he had detected the irksome tone in Ron's voice as well, so I allowed him to speak first.
"Why are you so concerned?" Harry and I started to laugh at the facial expression on Ron.
He opened his mouth and attempted to speak, but he just kept shaking his head. "Whatever," was his response.
It was now 10:59. The train left at exactly 11:00 O'clock, so we said our final farewells to the Weasleys and boarded the train.
The passageway was crammed with students and was very difficult to get through. Being in-between Harry and Ron, I tried to keep moving.
"Say, let's go find a compartment with Ginny and Neville," Harry spoke more loudly than usual, due to the bickering of the students around us. "And maybe Luna will be there too."
"Oh, um, Harry," I kept walking until there was a clearing in the passageway. Ron stood by me. "About that…well, Ron and I are still prefects, so we're going to have to go to a different compartment."
The dismayed emotion met Harry once again. "Oh, right," he started walking away from the two of us. "Don't worry about it. See you later."
"Bye," Ron said before turning to me. "Well, let's go."
I followed him all the way until we were stopped by a woman. The trolley lady.
"Whereabouts are you headed, dears?"
Thinking quickly and not wanting to get into any trouble (although I didn't see what I have done wrong), I flashed her an amiable smile. "We're heading towards the Prefects' compartments. Excuse us."
When I tried to get past her once more, she stopped me again. I started to get impatient.
"Sorry, dear, but you're headed the wrong way. It seems that this year an unexpectedly large batch of first years had arrived, so we had to shorten up the space a bit. The Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff Prefects are to sit in one compartment, and the-"
"Slytherins and Gryffindors," Ron finished.
"-Yes, the Slytherins and Gryffindors. The door is right there to the left." she pointed behind us before wandering off.
Ron and I walked towards the door quite slowly, each step gradually making its way there. When we stood directly in front, we could see blurred figures inside.
"Ready?" He asked.
"Well, I don't know if we really have to 'prepare' for anything. It's just Malfoy and that Parkinson girl; we have nothing to worry about."
"If you say so." He opened the door.
Draco
I knew something was wrong when Pansy had stopped stroking my hair.
"What is it?" I asked, demanding an answer.
She didn't speak. She remained there, completely frozen. When I arose from her lap, I turned to her. Pansy was wearing quite an angry mask on her face that didn't seem to come off. "Pansy, are you-"
Then I realized what she was glaring at. In front of our door stood Weasley and that Filthy Mudblood. But I wasn't afraid of them, no, never – they were merely particularly annoying.
"Well, well," I started. "If it isn't the Weasel and the Mudblood."
Weasley furrowed his brows at me. How I loathed him. "Shut up, Malfoy."
Before I could throw another insult at him, Pansy beat me to it.
"And why do you think you can sit here? Don't you have your own stupid friends to prance around?" I must say, I was quite impressed on how quick she could think of things. I smirked.
"Wipe that smile off your face, Parkinson," Granger snapped. "We wouldn't sit here in our right minds. Apparently there isn't enough room for individual compartments so we were ordered to sit here." She sat down opposite of me; Weasley to her right.
My face grew cold and I let anger take over me. "Don't think you can tell us what to do, Mudblood."
She shot me that revolting smartass look. "Whenever did I say I was going to?"
Five minutes. Five irritating long minutes of silence passed after her question. Whenever did I say I was going to? Ugh. I hated how she had to be here, out of all places.
Pansy seemed to run out of insults as well; something unusual. I wondered if something was all right; if something was troubling her. But oh well. I'll leave her problems to her.
Well, it couldn't get any worse than this.
The trolley woman rapidly slid open our door, sending out an ear-piercing screech. Pansy and Granger reached for their ears and covered them.
"Sorry about that. I'm here to inform you that there is another compartment however, with two seats available. Two of you can proceed there."
Finally. I stood up from my seat and Pansy held my hand. But, the lady remained where she was, blocking the doorway.
"Excuse me-" Pansy began.
"-But it really would be better if one student from each house would go over there," she interrupted. "Well, to patrol things. So one Slytherin and one Gryffindor can go. Girl and boy."
Girl and boy! That means I had to be stuck with Granger and Pansy had to suffer with Weasley.
"You," the woman pointed to Weasley. "And you," following Pansy. "You two may go into the compartment with the first years. Move along, go, now." She 'shooed' them away.
Before reaching completely out of my sight, Pansy waved farewell in such an effortless way. I then closed the door of the compartment, sitting down, across from Granger.
"What?" I queried; she was glaring so fiercely at me I had to ask.
She decreased her infuriation slightly and it toned down to a pout. "Nothing."
Did she really think she could convince me to give in? No, I wouldn't lose, not to a Mudblood like her. I thought about how Pansy would be enduring the annoyance of sitting with Weasley. Pity.
Twenty minutes passed with complete, uninterrupted silence. I grew tired of this. Well, we had to at least talk about something, right? Even if was with someone like her.
"So, how's Potter doing?" sniggering, I squinted so that my eyes were but slits. "Still going up for all the fame and glory?" That Potter. Always up for all the attention.
"I don't have to tell you anything, Malfoy," she put such enthusiasm in my name is rubbed off on me. "Actually, why don't you figure it out yourself?"
Furiously widening my eyes, I stared at her. "Shut up and don't talk to me like that, you wench," I sat back in my seat, crossing my arms, trying to frighten her.
But it wasn't working. She just sat there, looking stern but calm, staring at her feet. A bell rang from outside the compartment.
"Anything from the trolley?" The woman outside bellowed.
Granger ascended and walked out of the compartment to get some candy; glowering at me before she left the compartment.
Well, she was beautiful, but as I mentioned before – particularly annoying.