A/N: I know this is short. I wrote it when I was really bored. It's the beginning of what will be a non-fluffy Hermione/Draco fic. I just need to know from all of you if I should continue, so please R&R. The rating is
for future chapters, if there are any.

Always and Forever

by Scarlet Witch
 
 

Chapter 1
And So It Begins...
 

The summer was definitely uneventful for Hermione Granger. She hadn't ever wanted her 5th year to end,
but it did nonetheless. The days between school months always seemed so long, unless, of course, her best
friends Harry, Ron or Ginny came over for a visit. She had gone to the Weasley house for a week and she
had to admit that it was very... exciting, but a week was about all she could handle of them. She loved them
to death, but Ginny was very draining on your energy and the twins' jokes got a little annoying after a while.
She enjoyed seeing Harry for full days with no classes or Professor Snape, but now that school was
beginning again, she was ecstatic. She had already developed a new sleep pattern so she would get up two
hours before her first class so she could... beautify herself. Her shopping had been done a week in advance
and now she was waiting on the Hogwarts Express for her friends.

"Hermione!" She heard a voice and, looking up, saw Ginny and Ron headed her way.

"Ron! Ginny! Hey." She smiled and nodded toward the empty seats beside her.

Ron and Ginny sat down. "What's new?" Ron asked.

Hermione shrugged. "Nothing really. I read some of our new schoolbooks but I didn't get a chance to read
all of them. I'm a bit upset about tha-" She was cut off by another welcome guest.

"Hey guys!" Harry slumped down in the seat opposite Hermione. "What's new?" Ginny burst out laughing
and Harry looked questioningly at Ron.

Ron just shook his head. "She's just being Ginny." Ginny elbowed him.

"Nothing is new." Hermione said just to put an end to the redundant question. "Do any of you know who
our new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor is?"

"I asked around. No one really seems to know. Some say it's Lupin again, but I doubt that." Ron said.
"I hope they don't find a new professor, then we wouldn't have to take that stupid class."

"You like that class." Harry offered.

"Well... yeah, but it'd be one less class to worry about." Ron argued back.

"Excuse me," a feminine, Spanish-accented voice interrupted their conversation, "But the train has arrived
and you need to exit. Go stand with the other Gryffindors."

"And just who are yo-" Harry started, but Hermione flicked his arm. The voice belonged to a tall woman
with fluffy brown hair and a yellow-collared robe.

The woman had obviously guessed what the rest of Harry's sentence would be and answered, "Izabella
Martinez, 7th year, Hufflepuff House Prefect."

"Oh," was all Harry could manage to say. "Okay, we're going." He got up and walked out of the train with
Ron and Ginny trailing, but Hermione stayed behind.

"Do you by any chance know why I wasn't made a Prefect?" Hermione just asked outright.

Izabella smiled rather nicely. "I would, but I'm not sure who you are."

"Oh! Hermione Granger, Gryffindor House, 6th year." Hermione said this very fast.

"Granger... no, I'm sorry. I've heard your name before, and I would have thought that you would be one,
but I don't know anything about that."

Hermione nodded. "All right, thanks anyway." She began to walk off the train, but Izabella's voice stopped
her.

"Hermione, perhaps we could talk again sometime?"

"Sure, that'd be okay. I'm usually in the library."

"I've heard. See you then."

"See you." And, smiling broadly, Hermione walked off the train into her 6th year.
 
 
 

Chapter 2