"Anything from the trolley dearies? We've almost arrived, so make a purchase to take goodies with you to Hogwarts," The trolley lady says, opening the compartment door.
Ron looks at Harry hopefully.
Harry smiles awkwardly,
"Um, yes please. What would you like Ron? And you, Hermione?" Harry asks, smiling.
"Well, for starters, a chocolate frog, and some exploding bon bons if you will please!" Ron says, smiling hopefully.
"I'm good, thanks," Hermione says, flipping through a book.
"Okay then, a chocolate frog box and a box of exploding bon bons, it is," Harry says to the lady, but ends up buying a bunch of other stuff as well.
"Nothing for yourself, dear?" She asks, picking out the stuff.
"No, not today thanks," Harry says.
"Oh c'mon! Honestly, don't make me feel bad that I was the only one out of the two of you to pick out something!" Ron wails.
"No, honestly. You take it Ron," Harry says. Hermione giggles.
Ron frowns at her, but stays silent.
"Thanks," Harry says to the lady as she walks away.
"Alright then, here you go," Harry says, handing over the delicious goodies to Ron ooh yummy yum yum.
"Oh god, this is a haul of goods!! Thanks Harry," Ron says, grinning from ear to ear, eager to chomp away at the first thing he holds.
Hermione looks at him wide-eyed.
"Unbelievable. You still haven't lost your habit of eating a lot, have you Ron?" She says to him, eyeing the snacks.
"What Habit? I eat because I'm hungry," he says, starting to peel of the box in which the magical chocolate frog is neatly packaged.
It tries to jump out of Ron's hands but Hermione catches it.
"Brilliant!" Harry says, as Hermione quickly shoves it in Ron's mouth.
"Bloody Hell Hermione! Why would you -oh! wait, that's good, that's so good," a happy Ron says as he licks his lips appreciatively, loving the flavor of the chocolate in his mouth.
"There. I get scolded even when I try to help," hermione says. Ron just grins.
Just then, a familiar pair of identical looking red heads enter the compartment, smiling from ear to ear.
"All grown up are we, eh Hermione?" Fred says, coming to sit beside her.
"Yeah, you look very different. In a good way, ofcourse," George says, sitting on her other side.
"Cut it off," Ron tells them off.
Fred smiles smugly and snatches some of the snacks.
"Hey those are mine!!" Ron says, snatching them back.
"Oh honestly Ron, can't you share?" Harry says uncomfortably.
"Not with him, no," Ron says childishly.
"Well, I'll take it anyway," Fred says, helping himself to more candy.
"Right then, we're about to arrive soon. Why don't you go and change into your robes, the three of you?" George says, munching on Bettie Botts every flavor beans.
"Eughh, Bogey flavor. Do you have a tissue to spare?" George asks Hermione.
Hermione's sighs, but gives him a tissue nonetheless.
"You've always got everything," Fred says, smiling at her.
"Well, I like to be prepared for everything. Even if it's George needing a tissue paper to spit into," Hermione snaps, and Fred laughs.
"She's gotten fiery! Better be careful you two," Fred says, winking at Harry. George laughs cheekily.
Hermione groans but doesn't complain.
"How're you two getting on with your classes?" Hermione asks them.
"That's a question for another day darling," Fred says, winking at her cheekily and getting up.
"You cheek!" Hermione says, blushing.
"Alright then, see you at school," they say in unison, before walking away.
"Funny pair," Harry says to Ron. Ron rolls his eyes.
Hermione smiles.
After they finally change into the robes, they wait inside their compartment.
Hermione's met Seamus, Dean, and her best friend Parvati too! All of them seem to have had a glow up in one way or the other.
Surprisingly, even Neville.
"Look at you Neville! Have you been exercising?" Harry says, surprised.
Neville blushes a deep shade of crimson.
"It's nothing like that," he says embarassed.
__________________________________
Hogsmeade Station, Hogwarts.
__________________________________
"We've arrived!" Ron says, as everyone hurtle down on the platform. They breathe in the fresh air of the evening dew.
Hermione stretches her arms, and looks around, as she's so happy to finally be back.
She suddenly looks at a bunch of students wearing the green robes. They come walking towards the Gryffindor crowd.
"Trouble?" Ron whispers to Harry, as they see Draco Malfoy. But he doesn't seem to notice them.
It seems they've only gathered to wait for Hagrid. Along with many other students of different houses.
Hermione glances at Draco. She thinks he looks quite...good looking. He was quite good looking when he was small, but now, he just looks dashing. He hasn't gelled his hair, so that it flops down his forehead.
It is at this moment that Draco Malfoy glances back at Hermione. She blushes a little, but smiles.
He only looks at her solemnly for less than a second, before finally looking the other way.
~~~~~~~~~~
"Her parents are muggles.
That makes her a mudblood."
~~~~~~~~~~
He clenches his fists, resisting his urge to look at her.
She's a mudblood, afterall.