Draco Malfoy's First Love

Chapter One: Coming "home"

Hermione sighed as she departed from the Hogwart's Express in Hogsmeade Station. She looked around at her fellow classmates and thought "sure glad to be back." In fact, Hermione thought the safest place for a Muggleborn witch to be right now was under the protective watch of Albus Dumbledore. Since the return of the Dark Lord, Hermione felt a little less safe in her bed at night. It was stupid, really, she thought, "Like You Know Who's gonna swoop down into my room and kill me. This must be how Harry's felt for the past four years."

Speaking of which, Hermione hadn't seen Harry, Ron, or Ginny because she boarded the train too late. Unfortunately, the only free compartment left (she didn't know her friends were saving her a seat at the far end of the train) was with the vile Pansy Parkinson and her tight Slytherin click.

During the grueling hours, Hermione sat in the far corner immersed in "Standard Book of Spells, Grade Five." She tried to ignore the constant whispers and giggles of Pansy and her girl gang. "It could have been worse," she thought now, "I could have been stuck with Malfoy and his cronies."

Now as Hermione neared the platform with the horseless carriages, she saw her friends for the first time in three months. As she drew closer, she noticed Harry had grown quite a few inches. He used to only be about an inch or so taller, but now he grew to about 5'10". He also, she noticed, seemed a bit more muscular in his upper body (due to summer Quidditch training) and the biggest difference; he wasn't wearing his glasses. "Either Dudley broke them beyond repair, or he got contacts," she was amused with her little joke. He actually looked quite handsome, now, but he was so much like her brother that this didn't interest her at all.

Ron had also grown a bit over the summer. He was already quite tall, but now he stood like a six-foot tower. He was still long and lanky, and it seemed that Quidditch practice (as the new Keeper) hadn't done him as much good in the muscle department. As Hermione drew closer, Ron looked at her with keen intent. "She seems more grown up," he thought, "and her hair isn't bushy anymore." It was true. It seemed as if though by magic, Hermione's hair was a bouncy set of curls, shiny and sleek. This was due to a trip to the Muggle hairdresser before the start of term. Hermione then used a special potion when she shampooed to keep it in the same style.

"Hello Harry, Ron, it's so good to see you!" She embraced the two in turn and gave them each a peck on the cheek. "How were you're summers?"

With that they boarded a carriage which took them to Hogwarts Castle as Harry and Ron described their Quidditch adventures of the summer.

Chapter Two: The meeting

Harry, Ron, and Hermione walked quickly from their potions class. They didn't want to be hanging round the dungeons with Snape their first day back.

"That was hell," Ron whined. "Who would of thought we'd get Double Potions as our first class back." Ron had received a week's worth of detentions from Snape for not having his summer holiday work done. "I was gonna finish it tonight, Hermione," he explained as she gave him a skeptical look. Now Ron was even angrier "And we had to have the class again with those gits in Slytherin!

"Cheer up, Ron," Harry said with a smile. "At least Malfoy wasn't there. Maybe he transferred to Durmstrang. He always wanted to go there."

"This year I'm not taking any crap from Malfoy." Said Ron, with even more malice.

"Oh Ron, you say that every year. I've yet to see you stand up to him."

"Well, Granger, I'm here now." A cold, drawling voice answered hers. "I was at Professor Dumbledore's office all morning. It seems I was made a last minute Prefect. Anyway," he continued, "I'd love to see that little son of a Muggle-lover show me what he's made of."

All three of them turned around to see Draco Malfoy standing there in the corridor. Hermione looked at Malfoy, but he wasn't the Malfoy she remembered.

Malfoy stood a good six-feet tall. It seemed he had shot up over summer to stand as tall as Ron. He wore his Hogwart's robes (with shiny Prefect badge) underneath a green silk cloak with a silver edging and silver serpent to fasten in on him. Hermione could see that his Quidditch training had done him good--he was no longer a scrawny boy, but a muscular teen whose robes didn't hide his perfect body. His silver-blond hair was slicked back, but a few stray pieces hung by his face as they always did. He looked devilishly handsome. Hermione had to remind herself that this was Malfoy. Then she went back to despising him.

"Well, well, Malfoy," was her answer, "Has your family gone broke? I would have thought with your fortune you could buy some manners, but clearly, I was wrong."

"You better watch it, Granger, now that the Dark Lord's returned you Mudbloods will be first to go."

Ron lunged toward Malfoy with daggers in his eyes. Harry made an effort to restrain him without Malfoy noticing--he didn't think it wise to start a fight the very first day of term. Malfoy took no notice, though. He was too busy staring at Hermione with his cold, steel eyes. She had grown quite pretty, he thought. Her curvy figure was visible through her school robes, and her delicate curls framed her perfect face. This was clearly not the Hermione he remembered. As he thought this, though, he said, "It's a wonder they even make Mudbloods like you into Prefects. You'd think their filthy hands would tarnish their perfect badges."

Hermione came this close to slapping Malfoy for the second time in her life. She restrained the pleasurable thought and retaliated by saying "Pity they make ferrets like you into Prefects, Malfoy. You'd think they'd s*** on their badges."

Ron and Harry looked at Hermione with disbelief, then burst out laughing at Malfoy. Malfoy's pale face turned a slight pink. Either he was too angry to retaliate, or the memory of last year's incident was still hurting his pride. With that he turned on his heel, and made his way down to the dungeons. Ron and Harry stood next to Hermione, still in a fit of giggles not usually made by them. "Come on, you two," said Hermione with impatience, "you're making a scene."