Story: New Events

Author: LadyLissaLight

Summary: "The Tri-wizard Tournament is to be held again" - "I could get any girl." "Even Granger?" "Yep." "I dare you to seduce her." "Done." - "Hermione, who are you going to the ball with?" "... Draco Malfoy." "WHAT?" Please read!

A/N So, I'm new to Harry Potter fics, but I am so in love with Dramione. In fact, I've opted to write this instead of updating one of my other 8 stories. So, I hope I do OK.

Alright so, Voldemort was defeated at the end of 6th year, Dumbledore didn't die, and neither did Fred. Here we go.

"Drakey!" Pansy Parkinson threw her herself towards Draco Malfoy, shrieking, in an almost revolting display of unwanted affection as he stepped aboard the Hogwarts Express. It was his 7th and final year at the school, and he planned to make this one count for something in a way the others hadn't.

Maybe this was why when Pansy locked her arms around his neck, saying, "Drakey I missed you so much!" and tried to kiss him, he turned his cheek slightly so that she missed his lips. She leaned back and pouted slightly. "What's wrong Drakey?" she asked, tightening her embrace.

Draco felt irrational irritation rise in him as he looked at her. She'd never bothered him before; she was always there when no one else was, always fawning on him.

But now... after everything that had happened in the War, Draco didn't know if he wanted to be the 'Drakey' that Pansy fantasised about anymore. That wasn't to say he suddenly wanted to become best mates with Potty and Weasel (god forbid), but he wanted to actually do something worthwhile this year, and sneaking out of lessons and snogging Pansy Parkinson wasn't the way to go about it.

So he untangled Pansy from him, his lips curling almost automatically in his common sneer, and said coldly, "get away from me," before stepping around her, ignoring her shocked expression, and making his way to an empty compartment at the very end of the train.

Once alone, he leaned back in his seat, stretching his long legs out on the floor in front of him, and glanced out the window at the families on the platform. His eyes were drawn to a group of 5, three of whom sported bright red hair.

He felt a rush of annoyance at the sight of lanky Potter, The Boy Who Wouldn't Die. One hand was straying towards the Weaslette's, who was standing next to him, while the other was brushing his totally unrefined hair from his eyes. He supposed that he bore no real animosity towards Potty, excepting the fact that the boy had infuriated him for the past 7 years. Stupid Potter with his scar and his broomstick, saving everyone and always, always the hero. It made him sick.

Putting his thoughts aside, he turned to glance at the other members of the group. A sneer flitted across his face as he laid eyes on Weasel. The slightly annoyed expression of the Blood Traitor's face as his mother rubbed his face with her handkerchief made Draco smirk with amusement. He watched as the Weasel tore himself away from the plum Mrs Weasley, who Draco almost admired -she had, after all, done everyone a favour and killed his Aunt Bella – and turn to the final member of the group.

Her brown hair had grown ever so slightly less bushy over the holidays, and her eyes sparkled with what he knew was excitement for going back to Hogwarts. She was dressed in simple jeans and a pink sweater, with her hair pulled back in a ponytail. He studied her carefully, expecting to feel the usual flash of hatred, disgust, wrongness, that he always felt around her. After all, she was everything that he hated. A Mud-Blood. She was filth. Below him in every way.

But he felt nothing as he looked at her. No hate, no disgust, nothing. He knew why. The incident at Malfoy Manor where Bellatrix had tortured her mercilessly had made him think of her not as a Mud-Blood, bit just another human being. And he had, after all, tried to cover for her.

To this day he was still unsure as to why he had covered for her – and for Potter too – but he knew that he didn't regret it. As much as he disliked the two, they didn't deserve to die. Perhaps it was this that had sparked his wish to change his attitude. If he could see Granger normally, he was well on his way to being the type of person Malfoy's despised.

But it wasn't as if he was going to be nice to her, or anyone for that matter. Malfoy's didn't do nice, and Draco was perfectly happy with that.

His lip curled with derision as he watched Weaselbee awkwardly try and put an arm around Granger, who jumped slightly. Weasel, he thought absentmindedly, was not the right choice was Granger. Almost as if she'd heard his thoughts, Granger looked up and met his eyes, instantly narrowing her own. He shot her a disdainful smirk before turning away.

As he looked away, the compartment door slid open to reveal Blaise Zabini who leaned casually in the doorway and offered him a smirk. Smirking back, Draco stood up slowly an extended his hand to Blaise, who took it before grinning. "Drake, man, I've missed you," he said.

"You too Blaise," he replied, sitting down as the other Slytherin sat opposite him. "I heard a rumour about you on the holidays," he gave his friend a sly smile. "Why didn't you share?"

Blaise laughed, "Please. As if Daphne Greengrass would be that type of girl. And since I'm clearly better looking..." He winked at Draco.

"I don't know," Draco disagreed, smirking. "I think Daphne's always had a thing for me. And as for whose better looking... Let's ask the girls shall we?" he cocked an eyebrow suggestively.

"I think you mean Astoria," corrected Blaise, "and who says I didn't have a little fun with her too," a grin stretched across his face. "And we both know the girl's will pick you, Slytherin Sex God," he mimicked a girls breathy voice as quoted Draco's nickname, and the two laughed.

It felt good to laugh again. He hadn't for over two years, and now that the troubles were gone, now that the weight was off his back, everything seemed twice as funny. He was glad to have Blaise when it came down to it. They'd been best friends since they'd met in first year, and shared everything, especially girls."

Ignoring the fact that Blaise had gotten with both Greengrass girls over the holidays, while he had spent them making his house habitable again, he replied, "and they call me that for a reason."

Blaise snorted. "I'm sure. So I saw Pansy in the corridor. She looked upset." He shot Draco a questioning look.

The blonde rolled his eyes. "I gave her the flick."

Blaise gave him a look of mock horror. "Surely not! She's been panting after you since we met her in the compartment first day, and you've never cared. Why now?"

"I don't want to be her boyfriend or whatever she thinks I am," he replied defensively. "I want this year to be different. I want to be... I don't know. The type of person who isn't followed around by mindless heavies and ditzy girls." He glanced at Blaise out of the corner of his eye, waiting for a reaction.

To his slight surprise, Blaise shrugged coolly, before saying, "Well I never liked her anyway."

"Only cos she'd never get with you" Draco replied, playfulness back in an instant.

"Well now that you've 'given her the flick', she'll come running to me, you watch. And your bed will be cold and lonely for the year," Blaise grinned mockingly at his friend.

"Pfft. I could get any girl," he said dismissively.

"Hmm..." Said Blaise.

XXXXXX

Hermione's eyes flashed with excitement, and she hugged her numerology and grammatica to her chest as she took a seat next to Ginny, opposite Ron and Harry. They were going back to Hogwarts. After a long year of catching Horcruxes, and finally, the last battle in which Dumbledore had almost been killed, they were going back to the place Hermione called home.

She gazed at her three best friends. As Ron and Harry already in an intense conversation about Quidditch this year "-I wonder if Malfoy will dare show his face on the pitch-" she turned to Ginny, who gave her a grin. "You're really excited aren't you?" she glanced at Hermione's hands that were clutching her book tightly.

"Of course I am!" She told the red-head. "Besides, we're in the same year now so I'll have someone to talk to other than Pavarti and Lavender."

Ginny smiled at her sarcastically, "I'm sure you got along great with them. All that talk of hair and make-up - where are you going!" For Hermione had suddenly jumped to her feet.

"I just remembered," she laughed slightly. "I'm head girl."

Even Harry and Ron looked up at that, and Hermione blushed slightly as the three laughed at her.

"How could you forget that 'Mione?" Ron asked "You've been going on about it once or twice-"

"A minute-"Harry chimed in

"All summer!" Ginny finished.

Hermione rolled her eyes at the repeat of Fred and Georges joke. "I am not Percy!" she huffed indignantly.

Harry gave her a grin that suggested he thought she was indeed like Percy, so she rolled her eyes and strode out of the compartment.

As she made her way to the head's compartment, she passed Pansy Parkinson, who appeared to be crying in the corridor. Feeling it was her responsibility as head girl, she paused, before saying hesitantly, "err, are you ok, Pansy?"

The girl turned around, her eyes narrowing into slits. "How dare you speak to me, filthy Mud-Blood!?" She exclaimed at Hermione.

"Don't mind her, she's just upset because Drakey gave her the flick," someone laughed condescendingly, and Pansy glared at them while Hermione turned around. It was Blaise Zabini.

Feeling slightly uncomfortable being near two Slytherin's, Hermione glanced at Blaise and said, "Oh, Ok," before hurrying on her way. She wondered why Malfoy had dumped Pansy. The two had always seemed like a perfect couple – him to be nasty and her to titter like the ditzy slut she was.

Reaching the Head's compartment, she slid the door open to reveal - Draco Malfoy? What?

"What?" She said stupidly, voicing her thoughts.

"Granger," his lip curled. "Don't worry, I'm not head boy. I'm waiting to speak with Professor McGonagall. Not that it's any of your business," he added insolently, as if she were being nosy.

"I have no wish to hear or know anything about your business Malfoy," she said icily, scowling. "Maybe you should wait outside, since this is the heads carriage."

He looked like he was trying not to laugh at her words, and seated himself on one of the seats with a smug look, as if daring her to get angry and force him out.

"So, not that I care, why is Pansy crying?" she asked, forcing herself to make conversation. He rolled his eyes.

"Because I got bored of her," she told her shortly, avoiding her eyes.

She was about to tell him that she didn't think he was telling the truth, when the door slid open to reveal Anthony Goldstein – A Ravenclaw that had been in the D.A He surveyed the room before pausing with a confused expression.

"Malfoy, what are you doing here?"

Malfoy got to his feet, a lithe motion that showed his gracefulness. "I was just leaving; I'll talk to McGonagall tomorrow. Granger," he gave a curt nod in her direction, leaving her in complete shock, before exiting the compartment.

"Hi Hermione," he offered her a friendly smile, and she greeted him in return. They had just got to talking about the holidays when Professor McGonagall opened the door.

"Welcome back Miss Granger, Mr Goldstein," she said crisply. "Congratulations on being Head Boy and Girl. Now, I have actually called you here for a reason. It will be announced tonight at the start of term feast, but as Head's, you have the privilege of knowing the information before any other student. I trust that once I disclose this, I will have your secrecy until the feast tonight?"

"Yes," they both said, and Hermione saw Anthony looking as curious as she was.

"The Tri-Wizard Tournament will once again be held this year."

I know that i'll be pretty lucky to even get one review for this chapter, so I hope that one of you reviews!