I promised myself I would never write a Dramione story but here it is, after 6 years on this website I'm finally giving in! This story is for the Ouran High School Host Club Challenge and Competition by msProbie and the Soulmate!AU Category Competition by DobbyRocksSocks. I hope you enjoy it!

In a world where everything was black and white Hermione Granger was dying to see color. She was more excited to see things as they truly were than she was about meeting her soulmate. But at the age of 11 it was normal to not be focused on romance. She heard her parents talk about the color of flowers or the sky. But hearing about it wasn't enough, she wanted to see it for herself.

When she got accepted to Hogwarts, a school of magic she had dreamed of her whole life, she was optimistic that her soulmate was waiting for her inside those castle walls. Finally she would be able to see the color of her own eyes, or the clothes she wore. It was just a matter of time, once the school year started, before she met the person who would expose her to a whole different side of the world she knew.

Hermione arrived at platform 9 3/4 with her fully packed bags and hope in her heart. She was sure that it was only a matter of time before she met her soulmate and see the world as it was meant to be seen. With a wide smile on her face she boarded the train and went to nearly every compartment to introduce herself. Yet 10 minutes later, at the end of the train, everything was still in shades of grey and black. But she wasn't going to let herself get discouraged. It was the first day of seven years of school. Her soulmate might end up being a year or two younger than her. She would just have to be a little patient.

Almost two months into the school year, Halloween afternoon, Hermione was running down to the girls bathroom with tears in her eyes. All she wanted to do was to make friends and then stupid Ron Weasley, someone she thought she might have been able to get along with, was so openly making fun of her to his friends. She could tell he thought he was so cool, that making fun of the "know it all" to his other friends would make him such a big shot. He must have been even stupider than she thought. On her way down to the bathroom her tears clouded her eyesight so much she couldn't see where she was going very well and slammed into someones shoulder. Hermione quickly wiped her tears away so who she had bumped wouldn't see them.

"How about you watch where you're going?" The boy in front of her snapped.

She looked up to snap back at him, to tell him that he could have easily stepped to the side when he saw her coming, but her words were caught in her throat. When her eyes looked up into her face her world exploded into color. The green of the grass under their feet, the blue of the sky above their heads, and the pale blonde of his hair. It was all so overwhelming and she developed an instant headache. They were all colors that were nameless to her, but she loved each and every one. But her favorite by far was the royal green on his robes.

He seemed just as shocked as she felt. His eyes, grey like she was used to but with the smallest hint of blue, flickered from her face to their surroundings. Shock painted his face, but only for a few fleeting moments. He seemed to realize he'd let his guard down, and forced his shocked expression back to a sneer. Hermione's heart sank with the realization that this boy, her soulmate, might be a bully. Her suspicions were only confirmed when he spoke again.

"If you're gonna cry go do it in private. You almost ran me down."

Her eyes narrowed at him. How could someone so nasty possibly be her soulmate? It didn't make sense. She knew that she could sometimes be annoying and a know it all like Ron said, but she wasn't mean. "Where I cry is my business." She told him, "And you have eyes of your own. Watch where you're going and maybe people won't bump into you."

"Whatever." He said, shaking his head and stepping away from her, beginning to walk away. "Have fun crying in your room like a pathetic baby."

The two turned their backs on one another and went their separate ways. But both were left with the same thought; could they really be the one?

3 years later Hermione once again found herself crying over Ron Weasley. Though this time she was dressed much better. Instead of spending the end of what had been a magical night dancing with her handsome Bulgarian date she sat on a staircase with her head in her hands and tears streaming down her cheeks. Why did Ron always managed to ruin everything just when she was feeling her best? It was a special talent he seemed to posses, and use quite often. Though he tried to be supportive Hermione knew Harry only wanted to keep the peace between them. And, as usual, he walked away from the fight by Ron's side. Many times before she had promised herself she wouldn't shed another tear over the deadheaded boy, but that was a promise she couldn't seem to keep.

"Well, what do we have here?" A voice asked, interrupting her pity party

Hermione looked up to see Draco Malfoy, dressed in the best suit his money could buy, with a delighted smile on his face. Over the years his malice had only gotten worse, to the point that her tears were now a source of entertainment for him. On a normal day she would have comebacks at the ready for him, but she felt drained. What was the point of their back and forth? It only gave her a headache, and he always made sure he got the last word in anyway.

She pushed her hair away from her wet and puffy face. Hermione could only imagine how pathetic she looked, especially to someone who already saw her that way. But she truly didn't care. She'd spent the whole night wondering what people were thinking about her, but she'd finally reached her peak. "Just leave me alone, Malfoy." She said, her voice sounding just as tried as she felt. "I'm really not in the mood, right now."

"What's wrong Granger?" He asked, his tone clear that he didn't really care about the answer. "Problems with Weasley, as usual?"

She rolled her eyes at him. It was a shame that his good looks were wasted on such a rubbish personality. "Why do you care?"

"I don't." He said, walking up the first few steps. His hair, which only a few hours before had been gelled with precision was now starting to fall out of place, and his jacket was draped over his arm. Yet he was still far from looking as undone as she did. "But I am curious about something."

Her brown eyes narrowed at him. "About what?"

He shrugged his shoulders. Through his careless facade she could see a hint of genuine interest in his eyes. "If all Weasley does is hurt you over and over again why do you even bother with him?" He asked, "Wouldn't you be better off without him?"

"He's my friend." She said, the answer so automatic it came out without her having to think about it. Malfoy wasn't the first to question her friendship with Ron, and he wouldn't be the last.

"Is he?" He raised a pale eyebrow at her. "Last time I checked friends didn't fight at least once a week. And I'm pretty sure a friend wouldn't leave you here crying."

Hermione got to her feet, her shoes and the fabric of her dress in hand. Who did he think he was, giving her advice? What made him think she wanted to hear what he had to say? "What do you know about friendship?" She snapped at him, going down the stairs until they were eye level. "And what do you know about me? Ron is a hell of a lot nicer to me than you are, which is reason enough for me to not listen to a word you say."

Before he could respond, have the chance to get the last word in as always, she turned and stomped up the steps. She was more than ready for the night to be over. All she wanted was to take her make up off, let her hair down, and get out of the dress that had attracted her so much attention that night. In a few days her and Ron would once again be on speaking terms and would never again talk about their fight at the Yule Ball. That's how things were with them. The more they ignored a fight the easier it was for Hermione to forget about the hurtful things he'd said to her.

"Granger?"

She stopped, turning once again to face the boy who had brought color into her life. As much as she hated him her world would have painfully dull, and she was thankful that they met. But it didn't change who he was or the things he'd done to her and her friends. She would never love him, and it was clear he would never love her.

"You looked nice tonight."

The compliment was so unexpected, so out of character, that she found herself at a loss for words. Moments passed and she found herself still unsure of what to say. So without saying a word she turned her back to him one last time and ran up the rest of the stairs.