Stormy Eyes (A Dramione Fanfiction)

You better call me Hermione

Going back to Hogwarts this year was going to be, well... different, she reasoned. She had been purposely avoiding the burrow this summer. Instead, she spent her time playing board games with her parents, along with studying and reading. It was just like how it had always been. With Voldemort gone, life was a lot simpler.

Lucius Malfoy along with any death eaters still alive were in Azkaban for life. And that scar on her arm had finally healed completely, thanks to the magic from the healers. Everything was normal again. Apart from her still-lingering crush on Ron. She was happy for her best friend, having Lavender, she had convinced herself.

They all hated Lavender. Harry said she was a dumb bimbo. Hermione said she was childish. Ginny said she had less brain cells than a beetle and threatened to hex her whenever she came close to her. Well, that was Ginny for you.

The only thing Hermione could say she was truly happy about was the now-confirmed relationship of Harry and Ginny. Harry had loved her for years, and Hermione was the happiest she had ever been when she found out. But returning to Hogwarts was surely about to beat that.

She had arrived at Kings Cross, in grey joggers and a periwinkle hoodie. It was practical, comfortable, and modest: just the way Hermione Jean Granger liked to dress. She had already hugged her parents at the car, and recalling the memory from mere minutes before brought a sweet smile to her face as she remembered her Dad telling her to 'beat them all'. And, just like that, Hermione Granger went through the barrier and boarded the train.

She walked aimlessly through the corridor, not being able to see the famous fiery Weasley hair in any of the comfortable compartments. How hard could it be to spot two Weasley's, a brown haired bimbo and the famous Harry Potter? And then, suddenly, fiery red hair was all she could see as pale hands threw themselves around her tightly.
Ginny.

"Hermione!" Ginny shrieked, pulling her into a tight and loving hug.

"I've missed you so much! I threatened to bat bogey hex Lavender, Ron wasn't happy about it but she did scamper off like a rodent. She's so annoying, calling him her 'Won-Won' all the time," Ginny laughed, ending with a surprisingly accurate impression.

"I've missed you to- where are the boys? I want you all to tell me everything about this summer,"

The pair of now-hyper girls entered the compartment together, and instantly received two crushing embraces from their best friends. Hermione melted into the hugs: Godric she had missed them.

"Hermione!" they both exclaimed.

"I missed you all so much: tell me everything," she grinned as they let go and she sat down beside Ginny.

Harry talked about playing quidditch with Ginny in the field behind the burrow ("She's so much better than me!", he smiled shyly at her); Ginny talked about quidditch with Harry and a bit about the relationship, earning a blush from Harry and a very audible gag from Ron.

Ron.

All he talked about was him and Lavender this, him and Lavender that until he could tell that they were all so bored and sick of it: then he talked about quidditch and they all perked up a bit. This felt like home.

After hours of ecstatic banter and excited news sharing, Hermione decided she needed a break to think properly.

"I just need the toilet, I'll be right back," she said as I she left the compartment, carefully closing the sliding door silently. She walked down a bit, and her brown eyes met someone else's. A pair of stormy grey eyes. It was none other than Draco Malfoy.

"I know I'm ridiculously handsome, but you don't need to stare so much," he snapped.

She jumped back to reality.

"Malfoy."

"Granger."

"If you don't mind, I'll be on my way- and I was not staring!"

"Not so fast, Granger. I've got a plan. And it involves you. You need to get over Weasel, and I need Pansy to take a hint,"

"And what exactly are you implying?"

"Merlin, and they call you brightest witch of our age? We fake date."

"Are you mad? That's preposterously unbelievable!"

"Think about it: I need Pansy to leave me alone, you get to experience a relationship with the 'Slytherin Prince',"

She hated to admit it, but he was right. She did need to get over Ron. And she supposed Malfoy must of changed since Harry saved him and his father was locked up. After sighing internally- she found herself agreeing with Draco Malfoy for the first time in her life. And she wasn't mad about it.

"Fine," she sighed, "You better call me Hermione,"

"So, Hermione, we better make this believable. I'm doing you a favour you know. Weasel doesn't want you, he wants that bimbo Lavender." he stated simply.

And she knew he was right. It was the cold, hard truth. Ron only saw her as a best friend; and she was determined to not change his opinion on that. Besides; she reasoned that Draco must be a bit nicer than he had been to her in their youth. At least, he called her by her first name and that was new. It was really a win-win situation.

"Damn, Hermione, you're staring again. Am I really that hot?" he drawled.

Same old Malfoy. A blush did start to creep up her cheeks though: it was nice hearing him actually call her by her name, and she found she quite liked it.

"And now you're blushing. If anyone saw this they wouldn't think it was fake, darling,"

Darling. Hermione decided she liked that a lot. She had never truly been loved, I mean there was Krum but he was only in it for 'a quick shag', as he'd called it. His intentions at the ball had been pure enough but it was only after the tournament had ended that his intentions turned, well, dirty as it can get. Being fake loved would be nice, she finally decided. And she was ready to 'beat them all' in this.