'Today is the day.'

Those were Hermione's thoughts when she woke up earlier than usual, looking around her room once more to make sure that all the things she needed, and didn't, were packed away in her trunk before she took it downstairs and kept swimming around in glee and excitement. For today was the day when she would start attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She had spent the remaining of her days reciting spells, charms, potion ingredients and practicing the wand movements (without saying the spell) from all of her textbooks. Her parents were smiling and shaking their heads and their daughter's antics as breakfast was being served, hoping to get her to calm down and eat something before they started their journey to King's Cross.

Once they have all eaten, they swam to shore and encountered very little muggles along the way to which they were grateful for since Hermione could barely be contained. Once her things were put in the car, Derek started the car and began the hour or so long drive to arrive at King's Cross with more than enough time to spare. Hermione sat silently at the back reading Hogwarts: A History again as her father drove and her mother looked on in silence, thinking on how much fun her new school was going to be and, hopefully, she would make some friends. A memory came back to mind when she thought about making friends, remembering the platinum headed boy, Draco. She didn't see him again after their first encounter and it sadden her in a way, he was the first wizard she had met, other than Dumbledore, that was her age. Arrogant as he may be, she liked his company even if it was short.

'I wonder if we could be friends.'

Shaking her head she noticed that they were almost at the train station, so she put away her book and looked out the window, watching people moving all around in different directions. Derek managed to find a parking place not too far and helped Hermione put her trunk in a little luggage cart, and all three of them headed inside. Hermione was excited yet a bit sad, since she won't be seeing her parents until the holidays and that felt a little to far away for her at the moment. She noticed other kids her age with trunks and pets with them, making her smile as she and her parents made their way to the wall between platforms nine and ten. Nervous once more, even though she knew what would happen, she started to slowly walk and then jog towards the wall and closed her eyes at the last second.

'I'm going to crash!'

She didn't. Opening her eyes she was met with a breathtaking sight.

A scarlet locomotive with smoke blowing here and there was before her and her eyes were captivated by it. Then she saw all around her students and parents together and some chasing kids much too young to go to Hogwarts just yet. Smiling she turned and watched her parents take in the surroundings with awe in their expressions as well, before moving forward and away from the barrier so they wouldn't get run over.

All three Grangers stand in a spot away from the train and hugged their daughter strong and tight. Tears could be seen on Hermione's eyes when they separated and she looked up at her parents. "I'm going to miss you both."

"Oh sweetheart, we will miss you too, but don't forget you can write to us."

"You'll be fine hun, and with all the classes you are going to be taking, I'm sure time will fly by and the holidays will come by faster than you might have thought." Derek said and smiled as his daughter gave a little chuckle at his words.

"You're right, I'm being silly aren't I?"

Her mother shook her head. "Not at all, this is all new to you and us, but it is normal." Just then the train whistled and Derek checked his watch, stating there where twenty minutes before the train left. "You should board the train hun, find a spot before it gets to full." With that, Derek and Helena hugged their daughter once more. "I love you sweetheart."

"I love you too mum, dad." Taking a step back she got her trunk and turned, boarding and waving behind her to her parents. She found an empty compartment and put her trunk up, looking out the window and noticing more and more students beginning to board and saying goodbye. Her parents were still there and she waved again and so did they before the train whistled again and the car doors began to close and the train slowly began to move, but Hermione kept her eyes on her parents and waved one final time before they were out of sight.

...

It couldn't have been more than an hour or so when Hermione's reading of her Transfiguration's textbook was interrupted by a round faced boy, looking at her a bit flushed.

"Excuse me, I was wondering if you might have seen my pet toad?"

"I can't say that I have." At that the boy looked down and was about to leave the compartment "Would you like some help?" The boy looked up at her and smiled.

"You would?"

"Of course" Putting the book away and standing up she offered her hand "I'm Hermione Granger."

Taking her hand and, instead of shaking it, he brought his knuckles to his lips even though he was blushing like mad. "I'm Neville Longbottom" he answered and seemed to be waiting for a comment on his surname but all Hermione did was smile while a small blush coated her cheeks.

"Come on, let's go find your toad."

...

Around that time, in another compartment, Draco Malfoy was sitting looking out the window with his 'friends' but his mind was somewhere else at the moment.

After his encounter with 'her' his summer was mainly dull. He had return home and spent the days reading and listening to his father's speech of him being a Malfoy and how he must always stay with his kind. If Draco was being honest with himself, he was tired of it. He couldn't wait for the day he would leave for Hogwarts for the first time, and get away from his parents, mainly his father. Now finally away from him, he couldn't help but wonder how it would be in Hogwarts, he hoped for respect and immediate friendship from others, still being smug and spoiled.

His thoughts were interrupted by a question directed at him from one of his friends, Pansy Parkinson.

"So Draco, are you hoping to be placed in Slytherin? I can't see you being placed in any of the other houses. Can you imagine, you in say...Gryffindor? That is just preposterous."

Scoffing, Draco turned to her, mask in place and spoke "Of course I'll be in Slythering, it is my destiny to end in the best and most prestigious House in Hogwarts" 'it's my fate after all' he said the last part to himself. Draco knew that those thoughts were dangerous and shouldn't even be in his mind. Turning once more to stare out the window, Draco became silent once more.

Pansy smiled, satisfied by his answer and went back to talk again, when their compartment door was opened.

"Excuse me, have you seen a...toad?"

Draco's head turned so quickly, one would think he would've gotten whiplash. There, standing by their compartment door was the girl that plagued Draco's mind since he returned to The Manor from his little celebratory summer vacation, making his eyes widen some.

She looked just as he remembered. Brown bushy hair, freckles on her nose and cheeks, front teeth still a little bigger than normal, skin slightly tanned and her eyes, brown with the golden ring around them.

Her eyes had also widen a bit at recognizing the platinum headed boy that sat by the window. Perfectly gelled back hair, pale skin and silvery grey eyes. She could still see arrogance in his eyes, but was quickly washed away by the look of surprise and...was that relief she saw as well?

Their eye contact was interrupted by a snarky reply "No, we haven't. Now get lost beaver face."

Hermione turned to look at the pug nosed girl that insulted her. The other boys in the compartment let out rude snickers at the comment, and made no effort in hiding them. She looked back at Draco for a second before looking back at the girl. "Well, thank you anyway" and with that, she took a step back from the compartment, closed the door and left.

Draco just sat there, confused and bewildered at what had just happened. He heard as Pansy began to sneer and then laugh.

"By Salazar, Hogwarts' standards really are the worst. Letting ones such as that to attend school with us."

Anger began to course through his veins at her words, but so did realization. 'No...it couldn't be. She wouldn't be...' Slowly he stood and walked towards the door. "I'm going for a walk. Alone." He added when he saw his lackeys making to stand, and quickly left the compartment and walked away. Towards the direction were Hermione had gone, in hopes to talk to her before he looses his chance. When he catches a glimpse of her heading his way again, he hides in an empty compartment and waits for her to be right at the door. Once she was, he grabs her and pulls her in, closing and locking the door.

"Hey! What's the big..." Her question was left unfinished when she recognizes who it was that had pulled her in the compartment. "Draco? What are you doing?"

"I should be the one asking you that. What are you doing here?"

She puts her hands on her hips and narrows her eyes before answering "Going to Hogwarts as a new student, or have you forgotten where this train leaves and what the passengers are?" She watched as his cheeks turned pink at his own stupidity and look around for a moment before resting his eyes on her again, only for her to continue talking. "Nice friends you had back there, they seemed very...inviting didn't they?" her eyes hardened some after that statement and looked as Draco had the decency to looked apologetic. Sighing, Hermione softened her gaze and waited for him to say something.

"I...sorry about that. You got me by surprise is all, I wasn't expecting to see you again, much less here at the Express." Draco looked at her and the compartment fell silent for a few moments after that before Hermione nodded in understanding, and Draco kept talking "So you're a witch. That's cool! Oh, I guess I should tell you my full name, I'm Draco Lucius Malfoy." He offered his hand to her in greeting and his thoughts went back to the day they had first met and he suddenly felt fear wrap around him when she took his hand and shook it in return.

"Hermione Jean Granger, pleasure meeting you."

He froze, his mind reeling and going through every surname that he knew before coming upon the Granger surname. "Granger? You're related to the potioneer Hector Dagworth-Granger?" Draco asked, not daring to breathe as he waited for her response 'she has to be, she just has to be' were his thoughts. When her eyes gave a sad glint, fear took hold of him once more. "I'm afraid I'm not Draco. I'm Muggleborn." As soon as she had finished her answer, Draco let go of her hand as if it had shocked him and looked at her with anger and disgust before walking out of the compartment as quickly as he could, never seeing Hermione's pained expression.

Walking in long strides, he found the loo and went inside, locking the door after verifying that it was empty and began to pace back and forth, his breathing erratic and his mood getting worse by the second as her words kept repeating in his mind. "I can't believe it. She...she's one of them! A thief of our magic..." Draco slowly stopped his pacing when he realized he couldn't use that word to insult her. "Mu..." he tried to call her but couldn't, confusing him even more. Isn't that what his father called them? He uses it all the time...why couldn't he use it?

Fist clenching, he looked up into the mirror and stared at himself. Slowly he started to calm down and think a bit more clearly. He thought about what he saw those days he stayed in the hotel, what he saw Muggles do and were capable of doing, and what he had learned from Hermione with just that little encounter. She wasn't dirty or unworthy he realized. She was just...Hermione. Closing his eyes he held the sink and bowed his head, turmoil inside of him like he's never felt before. Weighing the idea he got in his mind before standing straight and leaving the loo to return to his compartment, thinking on how to approach Hermione again once in the castle.

Yet those thoughts were put to a halt when he passed a compartment and he heard the words "Harry Potter" "Coming to Hogwarts" and "He's here." A smug smirk appeared on his face, unable to help himself, as he went to his compartment and looked at Crabbe and Goyle with that same smirk, "Come on, we've got someone to find."

...

Hermione had kept searching for Neville's toad after Draco had left in such a fashion, keeping herself occupied in doing so.

To say that she was hurt would be an accurate assumption. After he had left, Hermione stood there for some time, her hopes of them two becoming friends all but gone and she had to take quite a few deep breaths so as to not let the annoying tears fall before leaving and resuming her former task. So far her search has been plain and unsuccessful but she kept going and went to another compartment, were an odd sight greeted her.

Two boys occupied the compartment, which had candy all around. One was a red hair boy with freckles practically all over his face with blue eyes and dirt on his nose, tall with robes that seemed to be second hand, a sleeping rat on his lap and a wand on his hand. The second had a bed of uncontrolled dark hair, clothes that seemed too big for his small and lanky frame, a pair of broken glasses and the most intense emerald green eyes she had ever seen. Both boys had turned her way when she opened the door.

"Has anyone seen a toad? Neville's lost one," she said.

The red head answered her but Hermione didn't hear him, she was once again focused on his wand. "Oh, are you doing magic? Let's see it, then." Her voice was bossy but she wasn't going to apologize, in her mind she wasn't doing anything wrong, she was doing what she believed would be right to be accepted. She focused on him again when he lifted his wand.

"Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow,
Turn this stupid, fat rat yellow."

He waved his wand...nothing happened. The rat was still very much gray and asleep.

"Are you sure that's a real spell?" She said, a frown on her face. "Well, it's not very good is it..."

...

Searching and demanding.

That was what Draco and his lackeys had been doing for some time now, looking for Potter. So far he had been told that yes, Harry Potter was on the Hogwarts Express but he still had yet to find him. Just then he heard that he was in a compartment with a red headed boy near the end of the train. Without further delay, Draco started to head over, Crabbe and Goyle close behind.

Finally he reached the compartment were Potter was and he opened the door as if he owned the place and his eyes landed on the dark haired boy that he had seen in Madam Malkin's robe shop.

"They're saying all down the train that Harry Potter's in this compartment. So it's you, is it?"

"Yes," said Harry. Draco's smile got even more smug and even a bit excited. Here he was, the Boy-Who-Lived and Draco wanted more than anything to have him as a friend, a real friend. Yet with Crabbe and Goyle right behind him, he had to stop those words from leaving his mouth unless he wanted to receive a letter from his father.

Focusing on Potter again, he noticed he was eyeing Crabbe and Goyle behind him. "Oh, this is Crabbe and this is Goyle. And my name's Malfoy, Draco Malfoy."

The red head let out a cough to cover up what was a snigger, but Draco caught it and turned to him, his mood suddenly sour.

"Think my name is funny, do you? No need to ask who you are. My father told me all the Weasley's have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford."

Thing's weren't going as Draco had hopped for. He only wanted to start a friendship with Potter, but after what he said to Weasley, everything went downhill.

Potter declined his offer to be friends and a confrontation was on the cusps of happening, then the rat that Weasley had jumped and bit Goyle's knuckle, making him leave the compartment quickly towards his own.

On the way back, he passed a girl with wild brown hair and he turned to see her looking at him as well but not stop. His thoughts from before came back with a vengeance, along with the turmoil.

Holds a white flag up, waving it

Please don't kill me!! You won't get to read more if you do. Sorry it took me forever to update, hopefully this chapter is long enough to sate you until the next one.

Pretty sure you found some words from the book and/or movie. I tried to not copy it all.