Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Harry Potter except this fanfic, otherwise I would have published this instead of posting it on here to relish in my fantasies.

This is my first fanfic on here so please send me your thoughts!

~Letters~

A family of three sat around the dining room table in silence, staring at the letter that lay in the center. None knew what to make of its contents. The mother looked to the father and the father turned to the daughter. The daughter kept her eyes glued to the parchment, as if at any moment it were going to sprout wings and fly away. After everything that she had been witnessing as of late, she wouldn't have been surprised if it had decided to do just that.

Finally, she could stand the silence no longer and decided to shatter it. "This has to explain everything." Before either parent could think long enough to interrupt their 11-year-old daughter, she pressed on. "Think about it! When I walk past a dust bin down the street, the lid flips over and falls all on its own. A strong wind couldn't have done it, otherwise I would have felt it or been knocked around by it at the very least. And how else do you explain Le Petit Prince burning right in my hands when I was merely reading it? And I think it's safe to say that we all agree there's no other explanation for how I was able to levitate a cup of water all the way from the parlor to this table without touching it. This letter has to explain it all!" With a twinkle in her eye and excitement in her voice, she leaned forward and spoke in a hushed, suspenseful tone the undeniable truth: "It's magic!"

Her parents shared an uneasy look, not sure how to process this. The Grangers have never seen their daughter so excited to have solved such a predicament with the most illogical solution. She's always loved watching crime shows, predicting everything that would happen and who was guilty or innocent. This, though? Her parents couldn't believe their little girl was becoming so overjoyed by the idea of magic, something that until very recently they had always believed to be purely fiction. Hermione Granger had only ever based her choices on logic. Now she believed in...magic! "Hermione, darling…you can't possibly—"

Mr. Granger cut off his wife. "Elizabeth, sweetheart. Hermione truly believes this letter from…" Squinting, he read, "'Hogwarts', and I'm inclined to as well." Before she could throw a fit, he tried to reason with her. "Nothing else could explain how Hermione is able to do things no one else can. And don't you remember telling me about your cousin Eliza?" Hermione and her mother both furrowed their eyebrows together in confusion, but it was Hermione's next question that stumped them both.

"Eliza told you about it as well?" When both of her parents shared yet another confused look, Hermione decided to explain. "Well…she sort of came by while you both were working late a few nights ago, to keep me company and whatnot. She started to tell me about a school for witchcraft and wizardry called Hogwarts. According to her, the school is actually a castle and is headed by a wizard named Albus Dumbledore, who is supposedly the most powerful wizard alive today. So I showed her that I could move things without touching them, and she told me that I would most likely be getting my letter any day now. When I asked how she knew so much, she told me she went there as well and even showed me a bit of her magic by fixing the bathroom light."

Elizabeth Granger looked quite bewildered, but her husband merely rubbed his chin and nodded thoughtfully. "Ah, so that's how the flickering was fixed. I was beginning to wonder what had happened."

"How did you find out about Eliza, Dad?" Hermione asked curiously. If her father told her that he was a wizard as well and had been hiding it all this time she would have words for him.

He smiled sheepishly as he began to answer. "Well, your mother once told me that when she and Eliza were around 11 years old, Eliza's parents had sent her off to school but never seemed to let anyone know what the name of the school was. She would always come home and talk to her parents of such strange things when she thought they were alone. Your mother was a bit nosy as a child," he teased, causing Elizabeth to blush. "Anyway, I overheard Eliza speaking to her mother and they mentioned something that sounded awfully similar to the name Hogwarts." Now he had their full attention. "I made myself known and asked what they were talking about, but they just said they were talking about a bedtime story Eliza's mother used to tell her. Once I read this letter, I remembered them and put the pieces together." Looking at his daughter, he asked, "Did she say anything else?"

Hermione shook her head and replied, "Not really. She told me that my letter would contain a list of all my required school supplies for the year and that she would take me to a place called Diagon Alley to buy them. She did mention something about buying me a few early birthday presents that would help get me ahead in my classes and explain more history on magic and Hogwarts. Don't you think this is all quite fascinating?" she suddenly beamed, stunning both parents speechless. "I think I'll phone Eliza now! I'll be in my room if either of you need me, alright?" Untrusting of their voices, they merely nodded and watched their little girl bounce up the staircase as happy as could be. They glanced at each other, down at the letter, at the stairs and then back to each other. All they could think at that moment was: What have we gotten ourselves into?

"Draco, your letter's just arrived," Narcissa Malfoy called from her little table out in the garden. A platinum-blonde haired boy around 11 years of age came stumbling from the dining hall of the Malfoy Manor, a sleepy gaze in his eye. As he neared the beautiful, middle-aged woman, she smiled at him. "Sweetheart, it's nearly noon. You really should be up and about much earlier, darling. After all, school will be starting very soon for you." When the boy failed to reply, Narcissa sighed. "If you don't start waking up by 9:30 at the very least each morning, I may have to assign you a certain time for bed to prepare you, you know."

This elicited a bitter response from the tired child. "Mum, I'm not a baby. I don't need a stupid bedtime," he growled. It was quite evident, however, that young Draco Malfoy was not a morning person. Finally, after rubbing the sleep from his droopy eyes, he noticed the unopened envelope on the crystal surface of the garden table. "Oh, Mum! Has my letter finally arrived?" She couldn't help but smile at his sudden change in attitude, and handed it to him.

He eagerly wanted to rip it apart so that he may read and reread his letter a thousand times over, but he didn't want to show his excitement. After all, he was a Malfoy—the heir, to be exact— and he had a cold, professional reputation to uphold. His father would never let him forget it, either. And so, he gingerly undid the seal and slipped the parchment from its holder. As careful as he was being, his mother could still see the eagerness in his eyes, and she minded not at all. Lately, his father had become even stricter about Draco perfecting his cool, calm, and collected façade now that he was about to head off to school and establish himself amongst his peers who would later become his business partners and colleagues in the future. Only she saw Draco in such a state of emotion, and it saddened her. A Malfoy is taught to hide their emotions, no matter how strong they were. Narcissa was intent on making sure her only son did not turn out as heartless as his father had become. And so she allowed Draco the freedom to express himself around her as he wished.

She smiled as she watched her son animatedly read first through his acceptance letter and then his list of supplies with such vivid excitement. It had been awhile since she last saw his face brighten. It was a shame, for he was brilliant. Though he may still be young, his mind was eager to take in everything that it possibly could, and being able to finally explore his potential and harness magic as he'd never done before gave him such a rush like no other. He was more than ready to leave, and knew the wait for September 1st would be a long one. "When do you think we should go to Diagon Alley for my things?"

As always, he was an impatient one. "We shall discuss that with your father as soon as we can. Does that sound alright, sweetheart?" Draco Malfoy nodded his head halfheartedly, disappointed but understanding that they weren't leaving that very moment. His mother saw the disappointment in his eyes, and pursed her lips. "Draco, darling," she said, placing a tender hand upon his shoulder. He looked into her eyes, giving her his full attention. "I understand how you feel. I was just like you at your age, about to be sent off for my first year at Hogwarts. I was so excited and so ready to get away and discover what I was capable of—to find out my true self. I know your need to express that. But you are a Malfoy—the heir to the Malfoy legacy. You will grow up to be a leader. A leader must keep his emotions in check. I don't agree with your father's extremities, but he does have a point. A leader must be strong. A leader must not show fear or weakness. Too much excitement…hope…that in itself can be a weakness to not only you but to those around you. I wish so desperately for you to find the right balance that best works for you."

Draco Malfoy blinked for a moment, but quickly understood. His disappointment melted and was replaced by a small smile. He stood tall and nodded, showing her that he was capable of leading. He could do whatever was expected of him for the sake of those that needed him. He was determined to do his very best, if only to make her proud. She was the one thing in his life he wanted to protect above all else. He would live for her, die for her, and do absolutely anything for her. At such a young age, he still knew she was worth fighting for. They were always in sync; in perfect harmony.

Well, that's that for the first chapter. Just a heads up, I may be updating current chapters and whatnot as I go along and reread them, so please bare with me. I'm writing through all the books to show how Draco and Hermione's relationship develops behind the scenes, but this first book is the one that I'm going to be really detail oriented with because this is their first year together figuring things out. The rest of the books up until the last one will be more of skimming and focusing on the major points and whatnot. Please review, favorite, all that good stuff.