Hermione Granger boarded the train to Hogwarts for her last year alone, unable to find her friends. As she walked through the small corridors of the train, dodging out of the way for other people, she smiled faintly to herself at the events she's been through, and it all started in a certain carriage, in this very train, seven years ago.
Hermione knocked and waved through the window. Harry and Ron perked up and smiled, wide ones, and Harry opened the door immediately, pulling her inside and engulfing her into a hug.
"Woah! Hey Harry! I missed you too!" She said chuckling, hugging back.
"I just missed you so much. Can you believe it?-" He said letting go of her. "-we're going to be experiencing our first normal year?" Harry said happily. Harry had every right to be happy about this. She smiled and nodded, then looked awkwardly at Ron. It brought her back to after she had been petrified, meeting the boys in the great hall.
"Hello Ron, how was your holidays?" Hermione asked, setting her bag above her and sitting down across from him, next to Harry. The train started moving slowly, and she saw all the different kinds of witches and wizards wave goodbye to their children.
"It was great, actually." He smiled nervously."- I got to work at the joke shop and Fred and George showed me the ropes. It was fun but I like quidditch a bit more." He said finishing. Hermione just nodded understandably and had gotten out her book, and a comfortable silence fell in the compartment.
There was a small faze where Hermione did like Ron, of course she did, but it was only a small crush. I guess she saw all her friends meet new people, she felt that she had to like someone, and Ron was there. Ron didn't really show any signs of liking her back, except in the Chamber of Secrets, where they did have a small moment, and it looked like he was about to lean in, but she looked to the floor quickly and brushed herself off.
She didn't really regret it, she didn't think anything would last between them, and was happy she still had her first kiss to save for someone she truly liked.
"Hey!" Ginny said opening the door abruptly, startling them.
"Oops, sorry! Anyway, come Hermione, I missed you!" Hermione smiled at her and got up, hugging her tightly.
"And take your bag, you're going to come to a compartment with me." Ginny said turning around.
"Hey, but she's with us!" Ron contested. Ginny rolled her eyes.
"She has friends that are only boys, let her have some girl time Ronald." She said irritated and took one of Hermione's bags, walking out. Hermione looked awkwardly to them.
"Sorry! But I need to catchup with Ginny." Hermione nodded and left slowly. "Seeya!" Harry said happily going back to his newspaper.
"But what about catching up with us?" Ron muttered, looking out the door where she had left.
Hermione quickly ran up to Ginny to catch up to her.
"Hurry up woman!" Ginny said from behind her shoulder. She stopped and opened the compartment, pushing her in roughly on the seat.
"Hey! I've missed you. Anything nice happening lately?" Ginny said puffed out, raising her eyebrows.
Hermione blinked multiple times to process what had happened. "No, nothing. Just catching up with my parents and shopping in the muggle world." Hermione said shrugging and giving her a small smile.
"Boring!" Ginny said looking at her watch. Hermione rolled her eyes.
"What did you expect me to do, Gin?"
"I don't know! Find a cute guy?" Ginny said looking up at her.
"I'd rather focus on my education and job, thank you. I have a very thorough plan." Hermione said smiling.
"I will ruin that plan." Ginny mumbled to herself.
"Speaking of education, we need to get changed into our uniforms." Hermione said.
"But we've just left." Ginny whined.
"Better safe than sorry." Hermione said getting up and ushering Ginny out with her uniform. They walked slowly down the empty corridor.
"See how empty this is, Hermione? Because no one's getting changed!" She whined loudly and stopped, making Hermione stop in front of her and turn.
"Ginny, see? We're almost there, it doesn't matter!" Hermione said, shaking Ginny by her shoulders.
"Whatever, I guess I can spend time altering it how I like with magic, to make it more appealing." Ginny said thinking out loud.
"There you go, that's the spirit." Hermione said and moved out of Ginny's way so she could walk past her to the changing rooms, and they left.
Although, what they did not notice, is that they stood right in front of a Slytherin compartment. Two Slytherin boys sat there. One slept and one was awake.
"Woah.." Blaise said as they left, and he quickly shook his friend violently awake.
"Listen-" Theo mumbled. "-just tell the train to turn around back home, then it can come back to Hogwarts. I'll be awake by then, promise." He said, turning his head away from Blaise.
"Wake, up!" Blaise said, slapping his ear. Theo jolted awake and looked at him tiredly.
"Yes? My best friend?" Theo asked unbothered.
"Did you just see that!?" Blaise asked in a loud whisper.
"No, I don't think I did, since I WAS ASLEEP AND YOU JUST SHOVED ME AWAKE!" Theo said angrily in his face standing up, then sitting down when he was done, huffing.
Blaise sat back as far as he could away and wiped his face disgustingly, but then smirked. "Didn't know your mouth watered just by looking at me." Blaise said very extra.
"Please. Anyway, what did you see that you had to wake me up for?" Theo asked putting his fingers through his hair.
"Mate, it was Granger and Weasley, and let me tell you, the holidays transformed them. They look hot!" Blaise said smiling.
Theo gave him a tired look. "You're the one who needs sleep, mate. Last time I checked, they were dating or something, and you're straight." Theo said crossing his arms. Blaise opened his mouth but Theo cut him off with a surprised look on his faces like a light bulb blew up in his head. "Unless!-"
"-No, it's not what you're thinking. I'm talking about Ginny." Blaise said rubbing his forehead.
"Oh. So they were hot?" Theo asked curiously.
"Yeah! Let me tell you, I'm going to have so much fun, if Ginny and Hermione look different then-"
"-I got your stupid sweets." Draco barged in, and threw the sweets at Theo's face, but he caught them with ease. Draco sat down tiredly and looked out the window, then at them.
"Why were you talking about Granger and Weasley?" Draco asked, squinting his eyes at them.
"Blaise was just saying how hot they looked." Theo said goofily holding in his laugh at the look on his friends' faces.
"Blaise, I didn't know you liked guys?" Draco asked, his eyes wide in a bit of worry. "I'm your friend, did you not think I was trustworthy enough for you to tell me?" Draco said, eyebrow raised.
"No, no no no!" Blaise said scoffing in his smile. Theo smiled at them and crossed his arms. Draco looked at them confused. "I'm talking about Ginny." Blaise cleared up.
"And don't be silly, you know all my secrets." Blaise said rolling his eyes at Theo. Theo just looked obliviously out the window.
"You think Ginny and Hermione are hot?" Draco said grimacing. "No, apparently they've changed. Ooooo!" Theo said waving his fingers about in the air like a fairy. Draco laughed and Blaise stayed silent.
"No, trust me! They've changed. Now as I was saying. If they've changed, who knows how many girls have changed over the holidays." He said rubbing his hands together, smiling at the unamused faces.
"I'm going to have fun this year. Finally my normal year has come!" Blaise continued ignoring them, raising his fist into the air.
Draco shook his head at him as he started arguing with Theo.
No, Ginny Weasley was the ugly red head and Hermione Granger was the ugly haired, know it all, big toothed girl that he always knew, and it was going to stay that way. Besides, not even a person like Hermione could change her looks, even with magic.
Draco scoffed.
She probably thought her appearance was acceptable. Ginny Weasley was just as bad as her, thinking she's good at Quidditch when in reality Harry Potter is the only reason she made the team.
"...In conclusion," Blaise said loudly over Theo, putting a finger in the air. "they looked really beautiful." He said calmly and Theo looked at him dumbfounded. "Whipped." Draco said and Theo laughed with Draco.
"Hey hey, I'm just thinking of the future. You guys can continue it alone. I don't know about you two, but I want a family." Blaise scoffed folding his arms. Draco looked at him unimpressed, and Theo let his words sink into his mind.
He could have a completely new family that were accepting and that loved him, who gave him better memories and who made him smile everyday. And best of all, they wouldn't force him into taking the dark mark on their own dining room table, in front of their own parents who tricked him into getting it, because in this case, he was going to be the head of the estate who didn't force their kids into anything! Theo quietly snickered evilly, rubbing his hands together.
He was a bit crazy, but definitely sane.
"See! Even Theo is thinking about it." Blaise said pointing to Theo while looking at Draco.
"No, what you've done here Blaise, is give him a stupid idea; family, wife and children. No. Way." Draco said counting them on his fingers, dismissing him.
Draco didn't care, his friends could do what silly thing they wanted, but Draco wasn't going to follow Blaise's absurd idea of a perfect family when there is no such thing.
"I want you to imagine, we are alllllll 50 years old.." Blaise said in a drunk like manner, tearing up from smiling too hard. He leaned in closer to Draco. Theo listened in. "And it's some holiday, and we've invited you over, of course, you're alone." Draco rolled his eyes. "And you come and see all your nieces and nephews, and one of my cute kids comes up to you and asks..."Uncle Draco, where's your family?"" Blaise said putting an arm around Draco and moving his free hand in the air in a rainbow shape.
"And you'll say, "I don't know." And you'll cry and then my child will be freaked out and leave while you dry your tears." Blaise said closing his hand to his heart. Theo wiped a fake tear, and Draco stood still looking into the space where Blaise had waved his hand.
"Or, the other scenario-" Theo butted in after 5 seconds of silence. "-Theres another scenario?" Blaise whispered and Theo waved him off and leaned in to Draco and Blaise a bit. "Or, we just forget about you over the years since your family-less and we celebrate on our own thinking, 'oh, remember that Derek Malfie?' and Blaise will be like, 'no, I don't think that is the name.' in his old granddad voice." Theo said happily, leaning back. "And then we just dismiss the conversation, forgetting about you in your mansion." He said putting his hands behind his head.
"I'll be gone by 50 years old." Draco scoffed, shoving Blaise away.
"-You guys seriously think that I'll go have some kids so you don't forget about me?" Draco asked them, like they were stupid. "I could care less if you guys remember me." Draco said leaning back in his seat and glaring at the ceiling.
There was an uncomfortable silence set between the three. Blaise knew he didn't mean it and Theo didn't know anymore since he'd say things like this all the time. But he was always hopeful in getting Draco in the right track.
"You could.. adopt." He looked at him nervously and Draco looked at him in disbelief. "Just..shutup." Draco said dismissing him and closing his eyes to sleep. "Wake me up to get changed into my uniform." He mumbled and drifted to sleep. Theo and Blaise gave each other awkward looks.
"Adopt, seriously?" Blaise mouthed, but his words were audible.
"Hey! There are a lot of children in need." Theo said back in the same voice as him. Blaise moved his attention out the window and the conversation ended.
Blaise looked at Draco. He was never going to move on or try to be happy. Voldemort's gone, his children wouldn't be forced into the Dark Mark or the Death Eaters, but Draco had stated multiple times to them that he had wanted to end the Malfoy name with him, and was not planning to change his mind anytime soon.