Chapter 1

Author's Note: Hello everyone. This story will be a bit different compared to my other stories as the characters won't be as dark. It'll focus mostly on the relationship between Harry and Hermione, so be prepared for fluff, cuteness and later, romance. Though do expect some action in later years.

As for Reap What You Sow a new chapter of that should be uploaded soon. Rest assured it is not abandoned, chapter 8 is just waiting to be beta-ed.

My thanks to members from the HMS Harmony Discord for beta-ing this chapter.

1st September 1990

"So how was your first day back at school, son?" asked James Potter grinning from the passenger seat.

"It was good," Harry replied a bit disinterestedly, his mind elsewhere. "But there was this girl who kept answering all the questions before I had a chance..." he grumbled quietly.

Harry couldn't see it but knew there was a smirk growing on his mother's face. "Are you saying there is someone smarter than my son? My, I might need to meet this girl."

He rolled his eyes, "She's not just smart, she's miles ahead of everyone, enthusiastic—" He paused not entirely sure where he was going with that train of thought. "She knew the answer to questions before I even had time to figure out what was asked. She's ten or eleven but is definitely a genius." He sighed. "I can't compete."

Lily let out a small giggle. "It's only been a day Harry and you're already admitting defeat. I never knew my son to give up so easily."

James joined in. "Giving up is certainly not in your Potter blood. You know that I waited for seven yea—"

"Yes, yes I know dad," he interrupted before his father began rambling about how long he waited for his mother. He didn't need to hear it for the tenth—twentieth—thirtieth time.

"Urgh, I'm not giving up. Just… accepting?" He questioned almost as if to himself.

"Now I really must meet this girl. What's her name?" asked Lily.

"Hermione Granger," he answered, the name rolling off his tongue naturally, although he paid it no mind.

"What a lovely name," she commented thoughtfully. "Maybe you should try making friends with her."

"Oh, C'mon Lily you haven't even met this Hermione Granger and—" began his dad before being interrupted.

"Says the boy who took one look at a girl—" replied Lily with a raised brow, but never taking her eyes off the road.

James clapped his hands together. "So what will you do?" he asked, snapping his head back at Harry.

"Um," he started a bit affronted by the question.

Make friends with her? Make a friend…

It was an unusual notion to him. He had met people and talked to others before but never really struck up a friendship with anyone. He wasn't particularly interested in sports or games like most of the boys his age, save Quidditch, not that his Muggle peers knew of such a sport. Besides, he had Uncle Remus and Sirius to entertain him.

But he did like the idea of making a friend.

Still, he wasn't entirely sure.

"She's a bit rude," he said remembering how she acted in class.

Lily thought for a moment before replying. "Maybe she just comes off like that. She probably doesn't even know she's doing it."

He supposed that made sense and considering it sounded like his mother had first-hand experience he trusted her word. Regardless, the brunette was still pretty intimidating.

However, even after only having seen her yesterday Harry could tell there was something about her. She seemed smart and mature and he felt like she would be a good friend.

But she probably has friends of her own, he thought glumly

Seeing that their son had been deep in his thoughts for a few minutes, and afterwards made no comment and the Potters dropped the topic and moved onto other subjects as they drove back to Godric's Hollow.

But for some reason, even as they talked, Harry's thoughts were set on the idea of making a friend.

School the next morning was relatively boring for Harry. While he loved to read, he wasn't a very big fan of learning in general, having been more accustomed to simply reading a book alone in the quiet. Numerous times Sirius and his dad had called him out on acting too much like his mother, but personally, he didn't see anything wrong with that. The smiles his Mum gave him when seeing him read, only reaffirmed his opinion.

Following lunch, the teacher announced that they would be doing a group project with a partner. When it was decided that students could choose their partner, his classmates quickly got into pairs. Naturally, Harry thought that he would be partnerless as he knew no one in the class. But then he noticed that same bushy-haired brunette from yesterday.

It seemed like much of her enthusiasm had died since yesterday, and she was quietly sitting at the back, which he found quite odd. Her eyes were darting between the other students, and she looked like she wanted to speak up, but upon noticing no one wanted to be her partner, her eyes returned to her lap.

Harry decided then and there, that his previous view of the girl yesterday were wrong. He stood from his chair and made his way over to Hermione. Perhaps, she wasn't so different from him.

"Um, hello," he said to her awkwardly.

Hermione sniffed before realising she was being addressed to and looked up at him, her eyes slightly red.

Harry gave a nervous smile. "Do you want to be partners?" He asked, resisting the urge to scratch the back of his neck.

She looked straight at his eyes, whatever sadness that laid on her features before, gone. Replaced by first curiosity, then confusion.

"You want to be partners with me?" she asked sceptically, her voice hitching when she spoke.

"Yes, would that be alright?" He asked.

Her eyes searched his face before she gave a short nod.

He sat down next to her and held out his hand in a greeting. "Harry Potter."

She took his hand and shook it. "Hermione Granger."

He gave a smile to which she returned, albeit hesitantly.

"Has everyone found a partner?" asked their teacher. "Yes? Good, let's begin."

Their job was to make a makeshift model of sorts, using everyday items.

Luckily for him, Hermione seemed to know exactly what to do.

"Um, is there anything I can do to help?" he asked, feeling a bit left out.

"Oh," she replied probably used to doing all the work herself. "Well you could…" and suggested what he could do.

Instead of doing what she asked he suggested an alternative to her. Hermione stopped what she was doing, and looked at him with admiration.

"Why didn't I think of that?!" she exclaimed. "Let's add that, Harry," she added with a smile.

They spent the next couple of hours working hard on their model, all the while talking to each other. Although the topics at first had been solely about the task in front of them, it had slowly gravitated to other things.

"So you're new here?" Hermione questioned.

"Well kind of, you see I used to live here nine years ago, and we only just moved back. But yeah, this is the first time I've attended this school."

She gave a small chuckle, "Well I can say Harry Potter I'm glad you came here and I partnered up with you." And waved her hands in a gesture at their finished product, having just put the final touches on.

"Wow," Harry said. "I think we've won," he added in a soft whisper, and a sly smile.

She clicked her tongue. "Indeed."

Although their model was rated the best in the class, he thought that theirs was better than everyone else's by a mile, not that he'd say that aloud. However, he did want to complement Hermione.

"You're brilliant Hermione, I don't think any of the other groups ever stood a chance," he commented.

He didn't notice the way Hermione's face glowed at his words.

"Harry?" she asked, barely above a whisper.

"Hemione," he replied with a smile turning to look at her.

"Um, do yo—do you want to…" she trailed off. "What I mean is do you want to be friends?" Before he was given a chance to respond Hermione began talking again. "I mean if you want! That is…" she said lamely. "I haven't had any friends before, but I think we could be really good friends! You're smart and nice and uh—look at what we made together! I think—" Hermione seemed to be thinking on the spot and would pause and speak every few seconds.

Harry let out a small laugh, causing Hermione to instantly stop her rambling and look at him a bit fearfully.

He quickly reassured her. "Of course, I'll be your friend, Hermione," he said with what a genuine smile.

"Really?" she questioned, her face hopeful.

"Yes," he replied with a grin. "I'm sorry for laughing, but it was just amusing to hear you go on about everything, oh and the compliments too."

"Prat," she replied and instinctually flinched at what she just said.

He laughed again. "I am a bit, aren't I?" And saw Hermione's slight mortification fade into a smile. He found it so easy to talk to her casually and wasn't the least bit offended by her statement.

"Well, what do you say, let's be friends to the end?" And held his pinky out in an obvious gesture with a sheepish smile.

She raised an eyebrow but was smiling nonetheless. She linked her pinky with his and declared, "Friends to the end."

"Friends to the end," he repeated back.

They then laughed it off and began talking about anything and everything. It wasn't long before they came to the topics of books, and upon revealing that he was quite the bookworm he didn't think that Hermione's smile could grow any larger.