Chapter 1

Yet another Makoto and Draco yarn kiddies.

So this chapter as well as the second aren't very exciting and romancy, they basically just establish the storyline and characters persona. Yeah.

Other then that, keep all arms and other extremities in the ride at all times, or until it's over. Oh and of course, ENJOY!

-:-

The hallways of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was particularly a buzz this lovely September day, heavy trunks floating about the ever rotating staircases. It was the first day of school, the students fresh and well rested for another year of Quidditch matches, magical objects, and never ending high school drama.

And it was also the beginning of seventh year for an oddly excited seventeen-year-old Makoto Kino. She skipped along the bustling pathways of Gryffindor hall, auburn tail of chestnut curls swaying hind her and bright green eyes sparkling with eager jubilance.

Several people called to her and greeted her with a wave, which she replied with the same motion. The excited grin painting her features only widened as her irises snagged onto a trio of familiar faces.

"Hey guys!" the tall brunette called loudly, waving some to gain their attention as she bound closer.

A head whirled about at the call, a pair of warm amber brown eyes glancing about curiously. A mane of honey brown hair fell about a lightly tanned heart-shaped face in thick, heavy waves just past her shoulders. Suddenly, her umber eyes widened with surprise.

"Makoto!" she exclaimed with a smile, pulling away from the two boys at her side and beginning to approach the other brunette.

"Hey Hermione." The taller girl greeted, taking her shorter companion in a warm embrace.

After they exchanged pleasantries, both girls parted and returned to the two boys just yonder. One of the boys fiddled with his spectacles, before raising a hand and motioning to come closer, absently raking his other hand through his messy mop of ebony-black hair. The other one, a tall willowy boy with vivid jade green eyes and a disheveled, short-cropped mane of flaming red hair, smiled at the two girls. The red-head nudged his shorter companion forward, closer to the fast approaching ladies.

"Hey Mako," the raven-haired male murmured with a toothy smile, taking the tall girl in for a a short hug.

"Hey Harry, how was your summer?" the green-eyed brunette questioned as took a step back, tugging the knapsack slung over her shoulder a bit higher.

"Pretty good, all things considered." He replied somewhat sourly, taking a glance out of the corner of his eye towards the red-haired boy beside him.

The green-eyed teen blinked then sputtered with surprise, eyes round with incredulous disbelief. He turned his heel to face his friend full flush, fixing him with a somewhat offended stare.

"It's not MY fault that Fred and George put doxy manure in your sneakers!" Ron snapped in reply, expression irate but mischief banking his eyes.

"I never said it was!" Harry cried with a slight grin, holding up his hands in innocence.

The two girls giggled at their side as both boys fell into an friendly, but snapping argument about the unfortunate, highly messy incident. Their gaiety was put to an abrupt end as Harry and Ron stumbled aside a little, shoved from their standing by the pair of stocky, behemoth built boys Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle.

"Watch it, Crabbe." A highly livid Ron warned with a deadly glare, tone just the same as he returned to his feet.

The two brobdingnagian Slytherins growled at that, returning the lethal peer with one of their own, fists curling and anger coming to view. But before either could act upon it, a voice stopped them.

"My, my…big words from a boy who's all talk and no action."

And just then came strolling in a pale lanky boy dressed in Slytherin garb, ultra fine white-blonde hair cropped short just above his ears, wispy bangs sweeping past a pair of icy blue eyes. He stepped out and in front of the two boys, smirk arrogant and eyes glinting with something wicked.

Makoto was quick to respond, stepping in toe with the boy-man and glaring up at him with one fine brow raised, a hand on her hip.

"You're one to talk Malfoy," she snapped hotly, venom spread thick across her words.

"All you ever do is cry for daddy when the heat goes on. Ron and Harry at least stand their ground."

The Slytherin powerhouse bit back a laugh as he glanced over his shoulder towards his two cronies with a grin. Crabbe and Goyle blinked for a moment before chortling some, nudging at each other as they shot dark glares at the four Gryffindors.

"Will you look at that," The platinum-haired boy murmured as he turned to face the shorter auburn-haired female, eyes twinkling with abject amusement.

"Potter and Weasley have a girl to fight their battles."

Makoto growled lowly under her breath, fists tightening as her scowl deepened. If this smug bastard wanted a fight, well sure on her parent's grave, she would give him a fight! But before she could take the devastatingly handsome boy to task, a call for the students to gather for the first meal of the year interrupted them.

"See you around, mudblood."

The tall brunette watched wide-eyed and mouth gapping as Draco Malfoy spun his heal and made his way to the Great Hall, his two cohorts hurriedly trailing after him. She continued to stare after them with trembling fists, hellfire banking in her eyes before she whirled about to her ring of friends and let out an exasperated grunt.

"Don't worry about him," Hermione called sensibly from where she was snugly tucked underneath Ron's arm, her own snaked about his middle.

"What goes around, comes around."

Makoto sighed heavily, shoulders hunching forward in sulking defeat, expression utterly downtrodden.

"I suppose so, but I wanted to really punch that smirk of his smug face."

The three friends laughed at that, Harry suddenly coming to her side and throwing a companionable arm about her shoulders. He grinned as he peered down at her, lips pursing together before he spoke.

"Along with you, me, Ron, Hermione and the rest of the Gryffindor House."

-:-

"I can't believe how much you've changed," Makoto suddenly commented as she spooned a mouthful of pasta and chicken.

Her remark was meant towards a now 6'1 tall Neville Longbottom, a once pudgy boy with angular, uneven teeth. And it was true her words for his teeth had evened out and his fat disappeared to reveal and lean, washboard torso.

"I suppose so, but everything's really odd and uncomfortable now." Neville groused with a slight frown as he shifted in his seat for the umpteenth time, a fruitless attempt at finding a comfortable position.

"But it has definitely lined up prospective dates for the Yule Ball." Ron called with a grin, motioning with his head further down the table towards the gaggle of ladies staring in their direction.

The tall, very well-built male blinked with uncertain surprise at that, staring at them before slowly reaching up and waving. This resulted in the five or so girls to swoon over themselves, giggling with giddiness. Harry and Ron chuckled some at that as they turned to pin their now red-faced companion with a teasing stare.

Makoto pulled her attentions away from the half-eaten plate below her, instead taking a look over at the surroundings about her. Slowly, an affectionately warm smile began to spread across her face as she caught sight of the new first years.

She recalled fondly her first year, an awkward eleven-year-old who had accidentally stumbled in on the same compartment of another brunette, nose tucked behind a thick book. The brunette turned out to be Hermione, who lowered her book to fix the source of the sudden intrusion with a curious stare.

Red-faced eleven-year-old Makoto murmured apologies venomously, slowly inching her way out of the small cubicle. But before she could leave, the book-reading girl smiled warmly and invited her to take a seat beside her, saying she could use some company.

And thus started a wonderful friendship, Makoto's outspoken, action before thought manner a perfect foil for Hermione's reserved, conscientious one. The two later met with the infamous Harry Potter and his fiery-haired chum Ronald Weasley. The four clicked almost instantly, slowly becoming the best of friends.

Since Makoto lost her family at the tender age of four, the three Gryffindors served as the family she never had. It was almost out of some after-school sitcom, there for one another through worst and even graver times.

Times were at a high until they met their now arch-adversary Draco Malfoy. From the first day, when Harry had firmly refused shaking his extended hand, the Slytherin had gone out of his way to make Harry's (as well as Hermione, Ron, and Makoto's) a living, breathing hell.

Makoto's reminiscent moment was put to an abrupt stop when her green irises snagged onto Hermione, who had her face hidden behind a book. This caused the taller girl to roll her eyes, head shaking.

Some things never change.

So with a heavy sigh, Makoto hunched over and skillfully swiped the reading material right out from the unsuspecting female's nose. Hermione's head snapped up instantly at that, eyes wide with surprise.

"It's our first day Herms," she drawled with a playful grin, beginning to fill her companion's golden plate high with tasty delicacies.

"You have no reason to be studying…"

The seventeen-year-old stopped after that, serving spoon falling in a loud clatter back into the pasta bowl. Her wide-eyes stared hard at the book cover, trying to see if what the cover said was really true, maybe she had dyslexia or something.

"Of Wedding Bands & Magical Wands: Seven Steps to Making Sorcerer Marriages Work."

This caught the attentions of the arguing boys beside them almost instantly, conversation stopping all together as their heads whipped about to face their female comrades.

"Marriage?" Neville sputtered with wide eyes, shooting an oddly calm-faced Hermione a flabbergasted look.

Before she could respond; Makoto, Harry, and Neville slowly peeled their dumbfounded stares over to the ashen-faced Ronald Weasley beside her. The little color from his face soon enough drained from his freckle speckled face, a cold sweat beginning to break his brow.

Soon to be eighteen-year-old Ron loved his three-year beau Hermione Granger very much, he really did. He was a lucky bloke to have snagged such the gorgeous intellect and he well knew that. But MARRIAGE! It was way too early to be talking about the rice and church stuff.

"Oh will you stop it, Ron and I aren't debating on getting married." The slight prowess murmured with a slight exasperated tone to her voice, sparkling brown eyes rolling.

"Then what's with the book Hermione?" Harry questioned, slipping his glasses off to give the lenses a good cleaning.

"Well," the brunette started, taking a quick sip of her bumbleberry juice before continuing.

"Remember Viktor Krum?"

She waited for their nod of recognition, taking a nervous glance at the corner of her eye towards her boyfriend. To no surprise, Ron's cute face was rather sour, lips curved into a stubborn pout. He never liked the mention of her old Bulgarian flame, his jealousy always seeming to get the best of him.

"Go on with it Herms," Makoto called to her, snapping her fingers in front of the shorter girl's face to gain her attention.

Hermione blinked a few times, jerking back as she was shaken out of her inner musings. She shook her head some, brown tresses swishing about her as she did, before turning back to the task at hand.

"Well, as I was saying, I got a letter from Viktor a few days ago before school started." She says, but doesn't get that far until a,

"Saying what exactly?" Ron snaps with a frown, slowly turning to glare down at his girlfriend.

"Oh come on Ron," Makoto murmurs over the rim of her glass, emerald eyes sparkling with wicked mischief.

"You know Herms only got the hots for you and you only. Stop stressin over that oversized European."

The two love birds blushed almost instantly at the girl's words, gazes falling shyly down to their laps, where their hands were entwined unbeknownst to the others. Neville rolled his eyes at that, nudging the red-head at his side.

"Get on with the news, why don't you." He demanded with a slight annoyed tone to her voice, gesturing with his large calloused hands for her to continue.

Hermione sighed and shook her head once more, face hardening with resolve.

"As I was saying, I got a letter from Viktor and he told me that during seventh year, the students are obligated to do a…'project'." She pauses, throwing a slightly hesitant glance at the Gryffindors around her.

"Well what was the project about?" Makoto asks curiously, thoroughly interested.

At that, Hermione glares pointedly at her best friend of seven years, frowning some as she hinted towards the book in her hands somewhat blatantly. The green-eyed brunette blinked in perplexed confusion, staring questioningly at her friend.

Her eyes varied between the book and Hermione several times, book and Hermione, book and Hermione, book and Hermione…

Then, suddenly, her eyes grew really really round.

"A marriage project?" she exclaimed with wide, disbelieving eyes.

The petite little genius nodded slowly at that, finally retaking hold of her fork and beginning to finish the remains of her now cold pasta alfredo.

"How do you know that they'll do it here?" Harry questions as he slips his spectacles back into place, fiddling about with them some.

Hermione only shrugged at that, gently wiping at the corners of her mouth to rid any lingering fragments of the cream sauce.

"It doesn't hurt to take precautions." She replies just before the school bell rang, signaling to everyone that they were to head for their sixth period class.

The already noisy room seems to grow even louder as kids rose from their seats and grabbed their knapsacks, dispersing to the directions of their next class while waving good-byes over their shoulders to their departing friends.

-:-

(sucks in air through my teeth) And the this is the end of the never ending, damn boring, overly detailed chapter one. Yeah. So i haven't updated any other shit besides my Draco and Mako fics...for that i am sorry. Anyone wanna continue Spring Love for me? as long as I get credit for the chapters I've written I'll be fine if you take it.

anyway, review. yeah.