Sitting in the Great Hall of Hogwarts should feel amazing. Surrounded by excited conversation and anticipation of the coming year with friends. Familiar faces of classmates illuminated by the soft glow of candlelight, greeting you with a smile and laughter as you exchange the last stories from you summer.

But not this time. The Dementors had ruin the excitement and happy feelings. They just turned up on their way to Hogwarts, it was awful. A sudden chill had filled the Hogwarts Express, an oppressive feeling of fear wrapped around their chests like an iron armour. Hermione had felt her hands tremple- which they still do. A feeling of darkness had spread, letting them feel hopeless, let them feel like a living nightmare. Especially for Harry, who had fainted after a dementor tried to suck his soul out of him. The memeory of that moment felt awful, Hermiones chest tightened at that. Hermione thought they were lucky, Lupin was sitting with them in the compartment and could help Harry. Seeing the professor use the Patronus charm she remembered reading about it but yet she could not master it. Harry had told them about a woman screaming, apparently only he had heard it.

Now sitting in the Great Hall was different. Everyone seems off. No one is talking but if someone decides to it is in a hushed whisper. The teachers notice- well aware of what had happened in the train. The first years are being sortet in their Houses- the cheering rather low but who can blame them. This time Dumbledore has no problem catching everyones attention.

"Dear students and esteemed colleagues,

I would like to welcome each and every one of you to gather here within the walls of Hogwarts.

As for the recent incident on the Hogwarts Express during your journey, I must address the presence of Dementors. Their intrusion was both unexpected and unwarranted, and I can assure you all that the matter is being investigated. It is highly unusual for Dementors to enter a place for no reason, and their presence here at Hogwarts is purely a precautionary measure.

Dementors are, as you may know, strange creatures. They know no mercy and only act according to their instructions. I therefore ask you to exercise caution and not to approach them. By avoiding contact and not provoking them, you will remain unharmed.

On that note, I sincerely wish you a wonderful and fulfilling year at Hogwarts. May it be filled with moments of wonder, growth and friendship.

Let the feasting begin." After that being said, the food appears on the table and everyone starts digging in. The first years are still visibly in shock, not daring to even touch the food.

Hermione tries to change the subject of dementors for a moment and turns to Harry and Ron. "Do you know what I've heard? Professor McGonagall has chosen a new reading for Transfiguration class this year. I hear it's quite an interesting treatise on animagi."

Harry and Ron looked at each other for a moment. "You're honestly thinking about school now, Mione?" Ron asks, stuffing chicken wings into his mouth.

Harry nods in agreement. "Let's just enjoy the last few hours of our summer and not think about school."

Their conversation is rudely interrupted by a mocking tone. "Hey, Potter, is it really true that you fainted because of some Dementors?" Draco Malfoy asks with a spiteful grin from his seat at the Slytherin table.

Harry looked at Draco with a scowl, before he can say anything back he sees Hermione holding Ron back while saying, "What's it to you, Malfoy?!" His hands are clenched into fists. Hermione is still holding him back, worried he would attack Malfoy.

With a scornful look at the blond Slytherin, she says sharply, "You'd better mind your own business, Malfoy."

Draco mimics her mockingly and leans back, obviously satisfied that he had upset her. "Well, I just thought it would be interesting to know if Potter really is as weak as he seems," he says and then turns away as if the matter is settled for him.

You can tell Ron is still seething with anger and Harry feels a little embarrassed. "Malfoy's getting on my nerves. Don't worry about it Harry, as usual he has no idea what really happened." Hermione says, pushing some pumpkin soup towards Harry.

It is getting later, many pupils are still sitting in the main hall. The first years have already been taken to the common rooms. "Mione, what do you think about taking flying lessons with us? You did really well yesterday."

"Oh, I don't really know, Harry. I am going to be pretty busy with school this year. I just couldn't decide which subjects to choose, so I chose all of them." The witch confesses. "All?! Hermione were you planning on spending any of your time at all with us this year?" Ron asks. "I'll still have time for you guys, but I'm going to be busy studying this year." Hermione shrugs her shoulders. The two boys tried to convince Hermione to fly together, but Hermione was adamant. After the incident yesterday, Hermione has a queasy feeling about getting on a broom again.
"Oh, what's that?" Harry asks as he takes a piece of paper out of his Gryffindor robe. He opens the note to see if it was a note from the previous school year. Something was written in very neat handwriting that he couldn't remember ever having seen before.

"Let me see." Ron asks curiously. His eyes fly over the piece of paper and his face contorts into a confused grimace. Hermione takes the note from his hand and reads it out loud.

"In the shadowed guise of the grims form,
lies no threat, only thruths and norms.
A friend awaits, dispelling storm,
Beneath the cloak of darkness worn."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Ron asks.

"I wouldn't know, that note is not mine." Harry says taking the note back. "It doesn't matter, it's not like it means anything or has anything important written on it. Probably gonna throw this out or something. Someone must have tried to write a poetry or something like that." He shrugs and shoves the note back in his robe, forgetting it's existence.

The next day came way to fast in Rons opinion, no one was eager to start school this early except one student- Hermione Granger. She was already up and ready, waiting for the boys. To used her time wisely she decided to study for potions. Half an hour later the two boys strode down the stairs into the common room. "Ready for breakfast?" She asks, she knew Rons answer anyway.

Harry, Ron and Hermione enter the Great Hall, greeted with a tantalising aroma of freshly prepared breakfast that makes their stomachs growl. The hall is filled with excited voices and the clatter of crockery as the students settle down at the long tables, looking forward to the school year ahead. The dark memories from yesterday almost forgotten.

During their breakfast, they study their new timetables. Hermione's timetable was packed with overlapping lessons, Harry caught a glimpse of her timetable but couldn't comment on it. It was impossible for Hermione to attend all the subjects.

With her timetable in hand, Hermione makes her way to her first class of the day: Arithmancy. The class was held in one of the high towers of Hogwarts, in a spacious classroom with large windows that offered a breathtaking view of the castle grounds.

As she sits down, Hermione quickly notices Draco Malfoy on the other side of the classroom. She gives him a suspicious look, but Malfoy ignores it and turns to the blackboard. With Malfoy in the same class, there could only be problems again. Whilst Hermione had been watching Malfoy, she hadn't noticed who had sat next to her. "Oh, hi Kai!" She says excited. "You're also trying your hand at Arithmancy?"
"Yes, to be honest, I don't even know what to expect yet. My aunt insisted on this course." The girl next to her confesses.

Professor Vector enters the room and all conversation stops. Arithmancy class is in full swing and Professor Vector has set the students a tricky task. Hermione and Malfoy - each at a different end of the classroom - are engrossed in the assignment.

Professor Vector turned to the class. "Suppose you have a this formula," she said pointing to the blackboard, "HOw can you solve the Value of x and what do you know then?"

Hermione frowns as she does her calculations on the parchment. After a few minutes, she then raises her hand. "Professor, I think I've found the solution," she announced, beginning to explain her method.

"So, I divided the equation by 3 to isolate the expression first," Hermione beginns. "Then I transformed the remaining equation to find the value of x. It was a bit time-consuming, but I'm sure this is the most accurate way to get the result."

But before she can continue, Draco interrupts her with an arrogant smile. "Sorry, Granger, but I think my approach is more simple and more efficient," he says confidently and begins to describe his own approach.

"My approach was much more direct," Draco explains. "I simply divided the equation by 3 and then worked out the value of x directly. No unnecessary reshaping or extra steps, just a quick fix."

Hermione frowns, unconvinced by Draco's method. "But what about accuracy?" she objected. "My method ensures a precise solution, with no room for error."

Draco laughs derisively. "Accuracy is important, Granger, but so is efficiency," he replies. "You don't always have to take the most complicated route to get the right result."

Hermione sighs and shakes her head. "But what if your method leads to the wrong result? Then we'd have to check the equation again and transform it to find the error."

Draco shrugs his shoulders indifferently. "Then we'll just find the error and correct it. But I'm confident that my method is just as accurate as yours, Granger, if not more so."

Their disagreement quickly turns into something more personal. Whoever thought mixing the houses was a good idea must have been under some influence.

Hermione replies with a forced smile, "Of course, Malfoy, your methods are always as precise as a hiccup."

Draco replies with an even tone of voice: "Ah, Granger, your thoroughness is admirable, if a little tedious."

At a certain point in their discussion, or rather argument, Draco suddenly rises from his seat with a twinkle in his eye. "You're just being stubborn, Granger. You can't even see that another way is sometimes okay too!"

Hermione jumps up as well and glares at Draco. She takes a deep breath and starts her counterattack, but before she can finish her sentence, Professor Vector interrupts the heated debate.

"Enough," her voice comes through. "It's important to realise that there are often several possible ways to solve a problem. What counts is the result. And in this case, you've both achieved the same result, albeit in different ways. If something like that happens again, you'll both face consequences. It's okay to have a discussion, but you should stay on topic." Professor Vector looks at the two of them with a stern look. Hermione and Draco glare at each other once and then sit down again. Kai puts her hand on Hermione as she sits down. The rest of the arithmancy lesson passed without further incident.

After class Hermione only wanted to leave and not see Malfoy again, but unfortunately she had Lupin as her next class. Defence Against The Dark Arts is a class with only two Houses since it is compulsory, therefore Kai wouldn't be with her but the Slytherins would.

Lupins class was rather chill, Malfoy also seemed to not wanting to be anywhere near her. Today was a very theoretical lesson, no interaction with other students. Lucky her.

As the day drew to a close and the Gryffindors made their way back to the common room, Hermione, her frustration palpable, couldn't hold back her complaints about the earlier altercation with Malfoy.

"What's the matter, Mione? You've been off since your first period class." Ron asks as Hermione huffs and pushes a lock of hair out of her face for the hundredth time.

"I can't believe Malfoy." Hermione exclaimed as they climbed the stairs to Gryffindor Tower.

Ron glanced over at her, concern etched into his expression. "What happened? Did he insult you?"

Hermione sighed in exasperation. "We were working on a problem in class and he insisted that his way was the only correct way to do it. And yes, he did kind of insult me. But not for the way I was born, just for the way I act and think."

Harry raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "And you disagreed and fought back, I take it?"

"Absolutely," Hermione confirmed, her frustration evident. "I tried to explain my approach, but he wouldn't listen. He just kept belittling me and insisting that I was wrong. Professor Vector was really angry with us for fighting."

Harry and Ron share a look.

Harry shook his head in disappointment. "I'm sorry you had to deal with that, Hermione. Malfoy can be such a prat."

"I just don't understand why he's so determined to cause trouble," Hermione said, her frustration growing. "How can he have any fun. I just wish he'd learn to be civil," Hermione muttered, her irritation obvious. "But I suppose that's too much to ask of someone like Malfoy."

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allie here, I guess this is the second chapter. Let me know what you think about it I'm open for constructive criticism. Thanks