(A/N) Heyy! We're at 3k readss! That's totally wickedd. Thank you all a bunchh! This chappie is going to be longer than usual to celebrate. <3 It's also in mixed POV because.. why not. I love you all so muchhh! Also, I know I said that Year 2 was going to be a bit short, but I realised that it actually was a really important year for Dramione, with the Heir of Slytherin shit and all that, so it's going to be normal-sized, or even longer than Year 1 (and I'm adding the Chamber of Secrets stuff, just so y'all know). But I promise that Year 3 will be just as exciting as I said before. Also, this story may update a little slower than normal, since I'm working on an original story :) I don't really have much to say here, except that y'all are totally amazing (don't you EVER forget that), so onward with the story!
Loves,
~Iresine

Draco

     I had a little spring in my step as I walked back to my compartment. I couldn't believe that Hermione actually talked to me. She talked, to me! Me, of all people. Merlin, my world was spinning. I had to stop and steady myself against a wall for a moment. My heart was so fluttery that I was afraid that it might fly out of my chest. Wow. Just... wow. And it was obvious that Potter and the Weasel weren't on the train. Maybe they quit Hogwarts! Which would literally be a dream come true. I didn't like the way they stuck with Hermione 24/7, like flies to flypaper. Can't they just leave her alone? Especially Weasel. I would never forget the time... yeah. But if they quit Hogwarts... I might actually faint. With happiness, I mean. How amazing that would be! Hermione and I could become friends, or maybe even... No, Draco, one step at a time. She was obviously upset with them, that's a start. We'll just have to wait until we go to Hogwarts. Then we'll see what happens. Baby steps, okay?

     "Hey, Drake! Congrats! You won the game!" Theo patted me on the back and handed me a small, white silk bag as I sat down on the seat next to Blaise, closest to the window.

     "Yeah..." I mumbled. I was still lost in a world of possibilities. Oh, how wonderful that would be! Yasss! Ooh, that would be cool too. Ugh, yes! Wait, no. Not that one. Maybe when we're older. Geez, Draco.

     "Draco? Why aren't you happy that you won ten galleons from each of us? Theo, Pansy, Daphne, and me. Crabbe and Goyle even donated a galleon each. That's, like, forty-two galleons!" Blaise asked, sounding (incredibly believably) shocked. As if he didn't know why.

     "I dunno. I mean, another day, another pile of money from you guys." I smirked, trying to liven up a bit.

     "Ugh, you're no fun." Daphne groaned, but she was giggling. Even Crabbe and Goyle, who were sitting in the corner stuffing their faces with assorted junk food that we bought from the trolley witch, smiled. 

     For the rest of the train ride, Blaise, Theo, Daphne, and Pansy (Crabbe and Goyle were too busy eating to talk) chatted about random stuff, like Quidditch, and the new Nimbus 2001. Oh, speaking of those, my father said something about getting a ton of them, but I had no idea what it was for. Me, on the other hand... sigh. All the possibilities! But we only had a few minutes, because the conductor's voice rang throughout the train, announcing that we would be arriving in ten minutes. Then, we each took turns making trips to the bathroom to change into our uniforms, and spent the last couple of minutes scrambling over each other to get the best and first view of Hogwarts emerging from the mist. No matter how pure our blood was, Hogwarts was still our home. Blood purity actually made us love Hogwarts even more than Halfbloods, because they have loving parents and we... don't...

     But enough of all that stuff. A year of wonder was yet to come! I'm sure this year will be better than last year, because there was no Weasel and Potter! I floated out of the train with a smile on my face. I hardly heard what the bearded man said, just going with the flow and following the crowd. I hardly noticed that we weren't heading towards the lake, but into carriages this time, but there wasn't anything hitched to it. I just assumed the horses weren't ready yet. All I could think of was... her. I settled down on the seat, and the rest of the crew jumped in and startled chatting excitedly. And then... she got into the carriage behind me. With a few other girls and one boy who looked extremely uncomfortable. I felt a twang of jealousy because I envied him so. Okay, the girls were cool and all, but she just lit up the forest with her presence, and her laughter rang through the trees like the bright jingling of bells on a fresh spring day. It was only when the carriage jerked and started moving that I came a little back to reality.

     "Woah! That was unexpected." "EEK!" "Hey, get off of me Theo!" "Is the carriage pulling itself??" 

     That last remark caught my attention.

     "What do you mean, the carriage is pulling itself, Blaise?" I asked, facing the boy who sat on the opposite side of the carriage.

     "I mean, look!" he pointed to the front of the carriage. And there it was, plain as day. Or rather, there it wasn't, plain as evening. There was nothing hitched to the carriage, only air, but there was the clip-clop of hooves and hoof-shaped dents on the damp leaves, new ones appearing every so often.

     "That is so cool! Are they, like, invisible horses or something? But how do people see them in the stables? How are you supposed to find them if they're lost? This is a very interesting topic." Theo mused. "Does the food they eat turn invisible when it goes into their mouth, or does it just hang in the air? If they bleed, is it clear like water or just invisible? Is their poop invisible too?"

     "Okay, TMI Theo," Pansy made a face. Then she brightened. "But hey! Did the Falmouth Falcons win the last game, or no?"

     And the conversation was like that for the rest of the trip to Hogwarts, leaving me to gaze behind me at the One and Only. She had her back to me, but she was still easily the most beautiful thing in the forest. Hogwarts was as magnificent as ever, with its golden windows and towering, uhm, towers, but it's beauty paled next to hers.

     "Second years, this way please." It was the man with the flashing smile. Ugh. I forgot that we had him for Defense Against the Dark Arts. I doubt that we'll actually learn anything though, he seems clueless. And he wouldn't have to do any spells of his own anyway. All he'd have to do is smile and the enemy would be permanently blinded, so it's not like he has any experience actually fighting. The entire trip was composed of us walking in a somewhat organized blob to Hogwarts while the man named Gilderoy Lockhart yakked on about his adventures while showing his teeth as much as possible. I knew there were a lot of people here, but I couldn't resist shooting a glance at Hermione. She was gazing at Lockhart dreamily. What the actual frick. Did she have a crush on him? She could do way better than that. Like, oh I dunno, me or something.

     The food was delicious, and the Sorting hat song was kind of dumb, as always, in both topics. I felt a little sad that she was so far away from the Slytherin table, on the other side of the entire Great Hall, next to the huge windows. I wonder if people could sit at other houses' tables? I heard a crash, which made heads turn, like something slamming into a tree, but I didn't think much of it. But for the entire feast, Potter and Weasel were nowhere to be seen. I closed my eyes and said a silent thank you. The feast ended, and we went up to our dorms. I flopped down on my bed after changing and brushing my teeth and stared at the deep green roof of my canopy bed. All was silent, except for the sound of water running and Blaise humming some annoying song I'd never heard of before in the shower (because he's a weirdo). Theo was the first one to speak.

     "So. You're really quiet today, Draco. Is something bothering you?"

     "No. It's just... I have a lot on my mind." I mumbled. She deserved more than "a lot," but I thought "the most beautiful being on the face of this planet" wasn't fit for the occasion. Theo raised an eyebrow but didn't ask anymore.

     That night, I couldn't sleep. I was just so darn happy that Potter and Weasel were gone. For a whole year! A whole year with Hermione! Wow. I couldn't get the smile off of my face. I managed to get a few hours of sleep before dawn, but I was still the first one to wake up, exhaustion not showing its face at all.

     "Rise and shine, boys! We have a whole day ahead of us, let's not be late!" I said cheerily, almost skipping across the room. I threw open the heavy curtains and unlatched and opened the large window. Gray morning light flooded the dark room, the sounds of early day broke the musty silence, and a fresh breeze swept in, filling the room with a new sense of purpose. At least, that's what it felt like to me. Theo just groaned and pulled the blanket over his head, Blaise turned over and muttered, "Five more minutes," and Crabbe and Goyle just kept on snoring. I rolled my eyes. Well, they could miss this wonderful day, but I wouldn't. I pulled my robe over my pajamas and slipped on some fuzzy socks and shoes, and headed downstairs. A sign on the door and an empty Great Hall told me that they were still preparing food in the kitchen, so I decided to spend my time in the library.

     I began walking in the direction of the library, going the long way just to admire the paintings hanging by the moving stairs. Hey, I had time to kill. I walked into the library, inhaling the strangely calming smell of books. But I suddenly saw something that made my heart almost stop.

     It was her. Her... mione. She took a book out from a shelf and opened it, eyeing the page for a few seconds, then shut it and put it back. Then, she began to turn around. Panicking, I looked around frantically and dove behind a (not life-sized, but large enough) stone replica of Hogwarts that sat near the door and peeked through one of the tiny windows. She stood still, listening. I didn't even breathe. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity later, she shrugged and took out another book from the shelves, thumbing through the pages. I relaxed, allowing myself to breathe softly.

     That was not a very smart thing to do.

     The Hogwarts replica had obviously been here for a long time, and a blanket of dust coated the grey stone. When I exhaled, the dust stirred, and when I inhaled... well, you can finish the rest. 

     The sneeze rang like gunfire through the noiseless library. You know whenever it's quiet, everything you do sounds 10 times louder than normal? Yeah. That's what happened. And this sneeze was so hard, it hurt my throat, so you can imagine how loud it was. Unfortunately, this sneeze stirred up even more dust, so I sneezed a total of four times before stopping, each one no quieter than the first.

     Hermione wasn't deaf. She heard the whole thing. She whipped around, eyes scanning the library until she found the Hogwarts statue that undoubtedly had a small cloud of dust from my brief fit of sternutation. And she started walking towards it.

Hermione

     "Who's there?"

     It came out squeaky and airy. That wasn't the vibe I was going for. I was trying to be - or at least sound like - a powerful, brave heroine who would fight anything and was afraid of nothing. My voice could have been easily mistaken for a mouse. Totally the opposite of what I wanted. I stopped walking and cleared my throat, trying again. This time, it was a bit louder and less airy, but it was still not heroine-worthy. I took a deep breath and opened my mouth to try again, but the "who" that was "there" stepped out from behind the Hogwarts statue.

     "Malfoy?" I was totally confused. Why was it just Malfoy and not, like, an evil monster of darkness? Past-me would have argued that he really was an evil monster of darkness, but now I guess he's not so bad after all.

     "Granger. Having fun in the library, huh? As always. Is your nose permanently attached to a book? Why can't you just remove it with a spell? Oh, yeah, you're not bright enough." he sneered.

     Okay, I may have spoken too soon. But maybe he's just in a bad mood or something. But that made me slightly irritated nevertheless.

     "Hey, why so mad?" I shot back. "I should be the one mad at you, with you spying on me and all."

     He blinked. "I was just retrieving my wand, which had fallen out of my pocket and rolled behind the statue. Which, unfortunately, happened to be in the same area as you."

     Merlin, why was he being so fricking rude? He was practically an angel yesterday, and now he was, well, nothing less than an evil monster of darkness.

     "Wait, are you mad about Harry and Ron?" I suddenly asked as the thought hit me.

     He seemed surprised. "I thought they didn't come," he said, his voice shaky, with a kind of sadness under the words.

     "Well, they did. Crashing into the Whomping Willow in a flying car. We Gryffindors had a perfect view."

     His face seemed thoughtful, and I thought I saw a hint of angel again, but it was quickly replaced by a hard, emotionless mask. "Why don't you join your little friends then? Turns out, they didn't abandon you after all. Why hang out with someone like me when you could be with them?" he said bitterly, turning and starting to walk away.

     "Wait!" I called out, suddenly overcome with loneliness. He paused but didn't turn around. I racked my brain for an excuse. "You still owe me that book! From last year!"

     He didn't respond, and for a moment I thought he'd fallen asleep standing up. But the second I opened my mouth to say something, he started to answer.

     "I didn't bring it home over the break. It might be a while until you get it." was all he said.

     And he was gone before I could protest.

Dam, 2400 words, not including A/N. New record, whoot!

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