Anmarie Island

Hermione found it just as difficult to sleep the next night. She tossed and turned restlessly, wishing with all her might that the boat would speed up. She was unbelievably anxious for Anmarie Island. I wonder if Harry's awake, she wondered.

Giving up her will to sleep, Hermione rolled out of bed and shuffled down the corridor outside her room. The ship's silence was deafening. Every creak of the wood beneath her feet sounded like an explosion. She found herself in front of room number 11. She couldn't recall whether Harry was in 11 or 12. Thinking it over for just a moment, she decided to try 11. As she reached for the knob, it turned violently on its own and the door flew open.

Hermione froze, every muscle in her body tense, her right arm still extended to grab the handle. A tall shirtless boy emerged from the darkness. "What is it with you?" he frowned nastily. "You want to see me every night? Am I really that charming?"

Draco stared at her, waiting for a response. She yanked her arm back and crossed both of them over her chest. "For your information, I was looking for Harry's room. I thought this was his," she said, giving him a cold stare.

His lips curled into a sinister smirk. "Looking for Potter at midnight? Hmm, I wonder why."

"Get your mind out of the gutter and grow up," Hermione demanded. "I couldn't sleep and I wanted to talk to someone. Why am I even telling you? I don't owe you an explanation." Then it dawned on her. "Why are you out of bed?"

Malfoy quietly closed the door behind him and leaned over to be eye level with Hermione. "I don't owe you an explanation, now do I?" he whispered to her stern face.

Hermione glanced at Malfoy's chest once he stood upright again. It was indeed muscular and tan, but also littered with scars. Her expression softened and Malfoy noticed.

"What happened to your..." she began, but was cut off by an icy voice behind her.

"Mr. Malfoy, Ms. Granger," Snape walked toward them. "Is there a reason why the two of you are up at this time of the night together?" He focused his glare on Hermione.

She swallowed hard, browsing for a good excuse, but eventually settled on, "I-I couldn't sleep, sir."

"Ms. Granger, don't make me deduct points from Gryffindor already. You don't want your class to start the year off with negative points, do you?" he warned.

Hermione gently shook her head.

"Go back to your room," he commanded.

Hermione glanced at Malfoy and his scars one more time before leaving. He wore a totally blank expression and stared off into nothing.

Once they heard her door click, Snape narrowed his gaze at the boy in front of him. "I'm sure you have a good reason for being up at this hour," Snape said to Draco, "but go back to bed."

Draco nodded solemnly and went back into his dark room.

"Maybe they're from quidditch," Harry suggested the next morning at breakfast.

Hermione shook her head and swallowed a jam-covered piece of toast. "Do you have scars like that from quidditch?" she asked.

Harry shrugged. "No, but you know Malfoy. He's more violent than me. Why do you even care, 'Mione?"

"I don't," she insisted. "I'm just curious."

There was a silence and Harry figured the conversation about Malfoy was finally over. But Hermione couldn't let it go.

"They looked like they were from magic, Harry," she said, salting her deviled egg.

He rolled his eyes. "Maybe he got into a fight with a better wizard. Who cares?"

She ignored him. "I think they could be from that bastard of a father he has."

Harry wanted to glue her lips shut. Draco Malfoy was not a topic he fancied. "Don't tell me you think Malfoy is a sad little abused boy, Hermione. If you really believe that, then there is something wrong with you. All he ever does is talk about his rich and powerful father, so I doubt Lucius has ever harmed him."

Hermione snuck a glance over Harry's shoulder at Malfoy, who was quietly reading a red-covered book and chewing on a blueberry muffin. I'm going to find out how he got those scars, she thought.

Wednesday went by surprisingly quickly and Hermione actually got a good night's sleep that night. She, Harry, and Seamus spent the day playing shuffleboard (Seamus won every game), practicing spells in their rooms, and cheering on The Weird Sisters, the boat's entertainment. Hermione hadn't had such fun in ages. She never even saw Malfoy to ruin her day.

After the band's last song, all the Hogwarts students had to get to bed in preparation for the next day's excitement. Anmarie Island would no longer be a fantasy tomorrow. Every student went to bed with wild ideas of what it would look like and what he or she would be doing. Some dreaded who their roommates would be, some feared the difficulty of the lessons, and some anticipated Friday's social event that Snape had referred to more than anything.

Hermione sunk into her soft mattress and drifted away, dreaming of what would await her the next morning.

Harry lay rigid in bed, nervous about the island. He didn't sleep for a long while.

Draco sat in a chair in his room, not the least bit tired. The island had scarcely crossed his mind amidst his jungle of thoughts. He tried to relax, knowing that he would be away from home for a while.

A woman's friendly voice awoke every student as the sun rose. "Good morning Hogwarts Prefects, and welcome to Anmarie Island."