Prologue
Hermione Granger wiped an imaginary smudge on her platinum Head Girl badge with a silk hankerchief, smiling at her own silliness, before opening the Prefects' compartment at the Hogwarts Express, allowing Crookshanks to enter before her. This is it, Hermione. Your first meeting as Hogwarts Head Girl. Ignore the fact that the Head Boy is a prat and just enjoy the moment.
The prefects from all of the Hogwarts houses were already gathered in the compartment, awaiting the arrival of the Head Girl and Boy. Anticipating, more likely. They all knew the acrimonious history between the Pure Blood Slytherin Head Boy and the Muggleborn Gryffindor Head Girl, and were quite looking forward to how the two would handle their current positions. This was bound to be an interesting year, at the very least.
"Hello, everyone. How were your summer hols?" Hermione greeted the prefects, smiling at the ones she was more familiar with like Hannah Abbot from Hufflepuff, Ernie MacMillan from Ravenclaw, Blaise Zabini from Slytherin, and the Gryffindor Prefects, Parvati and Neville, and noting that the Head Boy was still not in the compartment. Probably waiting for the last moment to join us so he could make a grand entrance, Hermione smirked inwardly.
Draco Malfoy may have decided to join the Light Side last year, claiming that he had seen the error of his ways and wanted to help in the fight against Voldemort, but Hermione knew better. Draco Malfoy's decision to work for Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix had less noble reasons. Simply put, Draco Malfoy had made a wise and calculating decision, betting on what he had thought was the winning side. It didn't matter to him one whit what the Light Side stood for. All that mattered to him was that it was the winning side. After all, if a group of teenage wizards and a handful of older wizards could capture Lucius Malfoy and some of the most seasoned Death Eaters and put them behind bars, what were the chances of the younger Death Eaters against the Light Side? Draco Malfoy's first and foremost consideration in his decision to fight against Voldemort was survival. Plain and simple.
His defection to the Light Side had unexpected results. Some of the Slytherins' parents had pulled their children out from Hogwarts, transferring them to Durmstrang, where they would be able to get more education on the Dark Arts and be away from Draco Malfoy's influence. He was a powerful figure in his house, no matter which side he was on, and the parents of some of his housemates feared that he would influence their children to betray Voldemort. Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle and Millicent Bulstrode were among the Slytherins transferred to Durmstrang. As a result, Draco had begun spending most of his time with more "respectable" Slytherins like Blaise Zabini and Daphne Greengrass, whose parents were not associated with Death Eaters. He had even begun dating girls outside of Slytherin in the name of inter-house cooperation and to prove that he was indeed in the Light Side.
His behaviour towards her and her friends had changed somewhat in their 6th year, but Hermione was well aware that he was the same snobbish, racist bastard he had always been. He may have stopped calling her "Mudblood" in public, but that didn't mean he was any kinder towards her. He may have tried to discourage his fellow Slytherins from attacking or insulting anyone outside of their "esteemed" house, but that didn't mean he still didn't think that he and the rest of the Slytherins were better than everyone else.
It was all an act, Hermione knew. Because the same glint of hatred and revulsion he had always sported upon the sight of her, Harry and Ron, was still in his silver eyes. Because the same arrogant tilt to his head, subtly letting everyone know that they were all beneath him, was still there. Because, when no one was around, he still took pleasure in insulting Hermione and her friends.
The act worked, though. It was enough to convince Dumbledore and the Hogwarts Board of Trustees that Draco Malfoy was reformed and worthy of the Head Boy badge. Of course, Hermione accepted, as far as his academic performance was concerned, no one else was as qualified for it than he was. Plus, she had to give him credit for pulling off a most convincing act. After all, the effort it must taken for him to stop himself from showing his true colours could not have been very easy.
Hermione hoped that he would afford her the same credit as Head Girl. No one else deserved the badge more than she did. Almost from day one in Hogwarts, everyone had predicted that she would be Head Girl, and she had done everything to prove those predictions right. She had given 200 to her academic life on top of being one of the critical players against Harry Potter's war against Voldemort. She, and everyone else, knew she deserved to be Head Girl, she only hoped that the Head Boy would acknowledge that. It was important to her that he did. Not because she valued his personal opinion, but because she respected his badge as much as she took pride in hers. She respected his brilliant efforts to get his badge and accepted that he had gotten it not because of being a Malfoy, but despite of it. That, to her, deserved a bit of respect. And her sense of fairplay dictated that he should return an equal amount of respect to her and her achievements.
The door opened and Draco Malfoy made his grand entrance, dressed impeccably in his school robes, his Head Boy badge gleaming on his chest. Hermione took a deep breath, bracing herself against his opening line.
"Hello, everyone." He nodded at the people in the room. "Granger."
"Malfoy." She nodded back.
"I'm not late, am I." He inquired, tilting his head towards her.
"Of course not, everyone just arrived here earlier. Well, shall we begin this meeting?" She looked at the prefects, then continued without waiting for Draco's response. "Right. According to the message from Professor Dumbledore, the first item on the agenda should be the schedule of Prefects evening rounds. I've drafted a proposed schedule, if you would all take a look at it and let me know what you think..."
Draco remained quiet for most of the meeting, only speaking up when Hermione asked for his opinion or to express his approval on the decisions being made. But inside, he was seething. The damn Mudblood thinks she can out-do me. That she can take control of our shared positions. We'll see. I'll let her have this meeting, but I will put her in her proper place. He savoured the image in his head of crushing the bushy-haired know-it-all beneath his heel.
Hermione prepared to leave once the meeting was adjourned, picking Crookshanks up from his comfortable spot beside her, eager to head back to the compartment where Harry, Ron and Ginny were, and more than relieved that their first meeting as Head Girl and Head Boy went without any hitch. Perhaps he has finally accepted that I am worthy of this position and that I am as brilliant as everyone says I am. Perhaps this year won't be so bad, after all.
"Granger, a moment, if you will." He said as everyone left the compartment.
"Don't you think we would be able to work better if we addressed each other by our first names, Draco?" She suggested.
He made sure that the door was closed before turning to face her and saying, "Do not think for a minute, Granger, that I will ever allow you to address me in such a familiar manner. You may have been given the Head Girl badge and I will work with you as Head Boy, but in no way does that make us equals. No matter how much you keep that badge shiny and bright, it will never distract anyone from who you really are, from where you come from. You are, and will always be, beneath me. Do try to remember that." He smirked and then left the compartment.
Hermione remained standing and staring at the door Draco had just exited from for a few minutes, stunned, her eyes watering at his cruelty. That hurt. She could feel her face blush in shame. She had worked too hard and too long to prove herself worthy of her place in Hogwarts, in the Wizarding World. With a few well-chosen words, Draco Malfoy had managed to dash all of that and remind her of the one thing that was against her as a witch: she was Muggleborn. And that was something that no amount of brilliance and talent would ever change.
But do you really want to change that, Hermione? a reasonable voice echoed in her head.
No, of course not. It's just frustrating that it always gets in the way! I'm so tired of trying to prove myself.
The hurt and shame she felt at Draco Malfoy's cruel words were gradually replaced by a slow, burning anger that began to rise from the darkest recesses of Hermione's heart. Malfoy had no right to talk to her that way. Malfoy was no better than she was just because she didn't have his Wizarding pedigree. Flashes of his past cruelties and insults passed through her mind, exacerbating her anger, giving life to a calculating and cold shard in her mind. Draco Malfoy had always represented and exhibited the harsh racism that she would always face as a Muggleborn witch -- he knew that and he took pride in that.
Beneath you, Malfoy? I'll make an example out of you. Watch me.
Hermione Granger wiped an imaginary smudge on her platinum Head Girl badge with a silk hankerchief, smiling at her own silliness, before opening the Prefects' compartment at the Hogwarts Express, allowing Crookshanks to enter before her. This is it, Hermione. Your first meeting as Hogwarts Head Girl. Ignore the fact that the Head Boy is a prat and just enjoy the moment.
The prefects from all of the Hogwarts houses were already gathered in the compartment, awaiting the arrival of the Head Girl and Boy. Anticipating, more likely. They all knew the acrimonious history between the Pure Blood Slytherin Head Boy and the Muggleborn Gryffindor Head Girl, and were quite looking forward to how the two would handle their current positions. This was bound to be an interesting year, at the very least.
"Hello, everyone. How were your summer hols?" Hermione greeted the prefects, smiling at the ones she was more familiar with like Hannah Abbot from Hufflepuff, Ernie MacMillan from Ravenclaw, Blaise Zabini from Slytherin, and the Gryffindor Prefects, Parvati and Neville, and noting that the Head Boy was still not in the compartment. Probably waiting for the last moment to join us so he could make a grand entrance, Hermione smirked inwardly.
Draco Malfoy may have decided to join the Light Side last year, claiming that he had seen the error of his ways and wanted to help in the fight against Voldemort, but Hermione knew better. Draco Malfoy's decision to work for Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix had less noble reasons. Simply put, Draco Malfoy had made a wise and calculating decision, betting on what he had thought was the winning side. It didn't matter to him one whit what the Light Side stood for. All that mattered to him was that it was the winning side. After all, if a group of teenage wizards and a handful of older wizards could capture Lucius Malfoy and some of the most seasoned Death Eaters and put them behind bars, what were the chances of the younger Death Eaters against the Light Side? Draco Malfoy's first and foremost consideration in his decision to fight against Voldemort was survival. Plain and simple.
His defection to the Light Side had unexpected results. Some of the Slytherins' parents had pulled their children out from Hogwarts, transferring them to Durmstrang, where they would be able to get more education on the Dark Arts and be away from Draco Malfoy's influence. He was a powerful figure in his house, no matter which side he was on, and the parents of some of his housemates feared that he would influence their children to betray Voldemort. Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle and Millicent Bulstrode were among the Slytherins transferred to Durmstrang. As a result, Draco had begun spending most of his time with more "respectable" Slytherins like Blaise Zabini and Daphne Greengrass, whose parents were not associated with Death Eaters. He had even begun dating girls outside of Slytherin in the name of inter-house cooperation and to prove that he was indeed in the Light Side.
His behaviour towards her and her friends had changed somewhat in their 6th year, but Hermione was well aware that he was the same snobbish, racist bastard he had always been. He may have stopped calling her "Mudblood" in public, but that didn't mean he was any kinder towards her. He may have tried to discourage his fellow Slytherins from attacking or insulting anyone outside of their "esteemed" house, but that didn't mean he still didn't think that he and the rest of the Slytherins were better than everyone else.
It was all an act, Hermione knew. Because the same glint of hatred and revulsion he had always sported upon the sight of her, Harry and Ron, was still in his silver eyes. Because the same arrogant tilt to his head, subtly letting everyone know that they were all beneath him, was still there. Because, when no one was around, he still took pleasure in insulting Hermione and her friends.
The act worked, though. It was enough to convince Dumbledore and the Hogwarts Board of Trustees that Draco Malfoy was reformed and worthy of the Head Boy badge. Of course, Hermione accepted, as far as his academic performance was concerned, no one else was as qualified for it than he was. Plus, she had to give him credit for pulling off a most convincing act. After all, the effort it must taken for him to stop himself from showing his true colours could not have been very easy.
Hermione hoped that he would afford her the same credit as Head Girl. No one else deserved the badge more than she did. Almost from day one in Hogwarts, everyone had predicted that she would be Head Girl, and she had done everything to prove those predictions right. She had given 200 to her academic life on top of being one of the critical players against Harry Potter's war against Voldemort. She, and everyone else, knew she deserved to be Head Girl, she only hoped that the Head Boy would acknowledge that. It was important to her that he did. Not because she valued his personal opinion, but because she respected his badge as much as she took pride in hers. She respected his brilliant efforts to get his badge and accepted that he had gotten it not because of being a Malfoy, but despite of it. That, to her, deserved a bit of respect. And her sense of fairplay dictated that he should return an equal amount of respect to her and her achievements.
The door opened and Draco Malfoy made his grand entrance, dressed impeccably in his school robes, his Head Boy badge gleaming on his chest. Hermione took a deep breath, bracing herself against his opening line.
"Hello, everyone." He nodded at the people in the room. "Granger."
"Malfoy." She nodded back.
"I'm not late, am I." He inquired, tilting his head towards her.
"Of course not, everyone just arrived here earlier. Well, shall we begin this meeting?" She looked at the prefects, then continued without waiting for Draco's response. "Right. According to the message from Professor Dumbledore, the first item on the agenda should be the schedule of Prefects evening rounds. I've drafted a proposed schedule, if you would all take a look at it and let me know what you think..."
Draco remained quiet for most of the meeting, only speaking up when Hermione asked for his opinion or to express his approval on the decisions being made. But inside, he was seething. The damn Mudblood thinks she can out-do me. That she can take control of our shared positions. We'll see. I'll let her have this meeting, but I will put her in her proper place. He savoured the image in his head of crushing the bushy-haired know-it-all beneath his heel.
Hermione prepared to leave once the meeting was adjourned, picking Crookshanks up from his comfortable spot beside her, eager to head back to the compartment where Harry, Ron and Ginny were, and more than relieved that their first meeting as Head Girl and Head Boy went without any hitch. Perhaps he has finally accepted that I am worthy of this position and that I am as brilliant as everyone says I am. Perhaps this year won't be so bad, after all.
"Granger, a moment, if you will." He said as everyone left the compartment.
"Don't you think we would be able to work better if we addressed each other by our first names, Draco?" She suggested.
He made sure that the door was closed before turning to face her and saying, "Do not think for a minute, Granger, that I will ever allow you to address me in such a familiar manner. You may have been given the Head Girl badge and I will work with you as Head Boy, but in no way does that make us equals. No matter how much you keep that badge shiny and bright, it will never distract anyone from who you really are, from where you come from. You are, and will always be, beneath me. Do try to remember that." He smirked and then left the compartment.
Hermione remained standing and staring at the door Draco had just exited from for a few minutes, stunned, her eyes watering at his cruelty. That hurt. She could feel her face blush in shame. She had worked too hard and too long to prove herself worthy of her place in Hogwarts, in the Wizarding World. With a few well-chosen words, Draco Malfoy had managed to dash all of that and remind her of the one thing that was against her as a witch: she was Muggleborn. And that was something that no amount of brilliance and talent would ever change.
But do you really want to change that, Hermione? a reasonable voice echoed in her head.
No, of course not. It's just frustrating that it always gets in the way! I'm so tired of trying to prove myself.
The hurt and shame she felt at Draco Malfoy's cruel words were gradually replaced by a slow, burning anger that began to rise from the darkest recesses of Hermione's heart. Malfoy had no right to talk to her that way. Malfoy was no better than she was just because she didn't have his Wizarding pedigree. Flashes of his past cruelties and insults passed through her mind, exacerbating her anger, giving life to a calculating and cold shard in her mind. Draco Malfoy had always represented and exhibited the harsh racism that she would always face as a Muggleborn witch -- he knew that and he took pride in that.
Beneath you, Malfoy? I'll make an example out of you. Watch me.