Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters. They all belong to J.K. Rowling.
The train lurched forward as it started it's long journey back to Hogwarts. Students leaned out of the windows, giving final farewells to family and friends. As the last compartment left platform 9 3/4, it started to pick up speed, the wind whistling by the open windows.
Hermione was seated in a compartment with Harry, Ron, Nevile, and Luna, hoping to spend as much time with them as possible before taking up Head Girl duties. Hermione sighed, as the memories of the war flooded her brain. All the students had been given another chance for the year that they had missed, due to the battle against the Dark Lord, Voldemort. She was glad that all of that was behind them, but it would be had to forget it all, when they were going back to the battle scene. Looking across the bench to Luna, she spotted that Nevile was holding her hand. She had forgotten that they had gotten together. Hermione caught Luna's eye and smiled at her before turning her gaze to Harry and Ron. They, of course, were arguing about some Quidditch thing. She didn't pause to listen for she knew that none of it would make sense. Resting her head against the cool glass, she thought about the upcoming year. And the one question that she couldn't avoid. Who the Head Boy was.
"Hermione! Hermione, can you hear me?!" Hermione was snapped out of her daze to come to a very puzzled and annoyed Ron. "What?" she asked.
"Well, we have only been trying to get your attention for the past five minutes!" he practically screamed at her. Harry put his hand on Ron shoulder to try and wave off some of the annoyance.
"All you had to do was jostle me a bit, Ronald!" she yelled back. She didn't like it when he was angry at her. And she hadn't even done anything wrong! Calming herself, she looked around at her friends. "You all know that I have Head Girl duty, right?"
They all nodded their heads. Of course she had made sure they had known. That would have been very un-Hermione like if she hadn't. "I have to get going then. I think they should be expecting me now."
"Do you have to go? Can't you stay for a little while longer?" It was Luna that had spoken.
"Sadly, I don't think it would be very wise of me." she spoke. Ron made a small scoffing sound and Harry elbowed him in the ribs. "And I think that some," looking pointedly at Ron,"need some time with out me here." Ron continued to look anywhere but at her. "Plus, I will still see you all at the opening ceremony." 'If there is one...' she thought. Pulling her trunk from the rungs above their heads, she hulled her stuff out into the hall and then turned around to close the compartment door. Ron was now sulking in the corner, probably sorry about what he did. 'Good! Let him be sorry.' The others watched as she slid the door closed and then walked away.
Reaching the Heads compartment, she slid open the door. As she looked in, her jaw slacked in surprise and total disbelief. There, in front of her, sat the Slytherin Prince in all his glory. Draco Malfoy. He was sitting there smirking at her expression. "Even you can't say no to this, huh, Granger?" he said, motioning to himself.
Snapping her jaw shut she glared at him and drew out her wand. She was pleased with the sudden change in expression at her movement. Levitating the trunk up, she set it on the rungs in the compartment, and then sat herself the farthest corner possible from Draco. 'How could this happen?!?! He can't be the Head Boy! No! There is NO way that McGonagall would let this happen, right?!'
As if in answer to her question, McGonagall slid open the door and walking into the small space. Hermione glared at the professor for a second before looking back out the window. Professor McGonagall cleared her throat to grab her attention again. With a sigh, Hermione swiveled her body to face the professor.
"Granger, I understand the circumstances, but surely you are mature enough to understand the reasoning." Draco snickered from his corner.
"Both of you understand that you cannot keep up the rivalry this year. I expect you to be on your best behavior and set a fine example for the younger students. Your duty is like that of a prefect, except that you have the power to grant and deduct point. Make sure that you do not abuse that power." she added looking pointedly at the two. "As for you living conditions," so said as she closed her eyes, seemingly fishing for the right words to use. "You both will be living together."
The shock that registered in her brain sometime later overwhelmed her. Living together? With Malfoy?! It was bad enough that he was the Head Boy, but this was going too far. She looked over at him. If he was angry about this at all, he wasn't showing it. Hermione snorted. Just like him, to not care.
"I suggest that you both get dress in your robes. We will be stopping shortly and I need you two ready as soon as possible. Oh, and please try to keep from arguing." She said it lightly, but there seemed to be an added warning in there. As in, Please don't rip each others heads off. We don't have anyone else to choose.
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Subject: A Second Chance: Chapter One 
Sun 17 Aug 2008, 4:29 pm
