Disclaimer: I did not come up with any of Harry Potter, or else I'd be enjoying first class seats to the Olympic games. Instead I'm sitting on my couch writing this story as I watch the games on my tele. Hope you enjoy, please let me know!

Chapter 1: The Heads

Hermione Granger leaned back against the seat in her compartment, curling up with a cup of tea and her book. As much as she enjoyed the Hogwarts Express rides with Harry and Ron, she enjoyed the peace and quiet that the private compartment reserved for the Head Boy and Girl provided her. After Hogwarts had been rebuilt, and its students re-enrolled, it did not shock her to find the Head Girl badge along with her list of seventh year classes and books. The position of Head Boy was highly debated at the Burrow, mostly by Harry and Ron, who were convinced it would be Justin Finch-Fletchley. Hermione knew better. She knew it before Professor McGonogall refused to tell them when she dined with them one night, instead giving her a resigned and weary look, shaking her head slightly. She knew it could only be him, as he had always been hot on her heels in academics, challenging her number one ranking and keeping her on her toes.

At least he's not here yet, I'll have a moment's peace, she thought only a moment too soon.

"Granger," he drawled, acknowledging her presence with a curt nod. Draco Malfoy entered the compartment, waving his trunk to the racks above their heads. Hermione looked up at him, offering him the same greeting. "Malfoy," she said quietly, then immediately returned to her book as he took a seat on the bench across from her.

"What are you reading?" he asked after a while. She looked up from her book and noticed that he was simply sitting there, no book, no magazine, nothing to entertain him. She sighed and lifted the book from her lap, showing him the title.

"Lord of the Rings," he read out loud.

"It's written by a muggle, you've probably never heard of it, " she said, resuming her place in the chapter.

"A fair assumption," Malfoy remarked, lying down on the bench to take a nap.

And that was the end of their conversation. Hermione peered over her book to look at him again, as he dozed off. He was no longer the skinny, awkward boy she had once hit, but strong and manly, taller than even Ron. His decision to betray his family, to join the Order's side of the war was met with a lot of resistance, from both sides. Harry and Ron refused to let him be a part of anything, due to his role in Dumbledore's death. But Hermione could see that he wasn't a killer, couldn't be one if he tried. It was his one redeeming quality. That and his hair, she thought with a smirk, as he brushed away one of his locks of blonde hair in his sleep. Though she had not forgiven him for his atrocious behavior towards her in their years at Hogwarts, she had begrudgingly grown to respect him whilst fighting by his side. She closed her eyes, blinking away the tears as she thought about what could have happened to all of them if he hadn't been there. When she opened them, he was staring back at her, his grey eyes alight with amusement.

"Enjoying the view, Granger?" he smirked, turning to face her.

Hermione rolled her eyes and returned to her tome. "Bugger off, Malfoy," she retorted. Seeing that there was no keeping her from her book, Malfoy rolled onto his back and dozed off again.

As annoying as he was, Hermione was grateful that he at least let her have her peace, to read and enjoy her tea. She finished off her cup and refilled it again, reclining and resuming her place in the novel.

Malfoy was in and out of sleep, all the while thinking about the girl sitting across from him, nose firmly in the depths of that book of hers. She was curled up in her seat like a cat, taking up as little room as possible. She was tiny.

Tiny, but not weak or frail, he knew that. He knew first hand just how strong she was, having been on the receiving end of her curses many times. But he saw her true strength during the war, when she fought so bravely, like a true Gryffindor, against the people he once called family. She had been the only one to trust him at first, though she was ever cautious around him.

He remembered the one time she had shown kindness towards him, affection even. Waking in the sterile room in St. Mungo's amidst the sea of red-hair, he saw her sitting in the chair beside his bed, nervously wringing her hands. As she looked up at him, seeing him finally look back, her chestnut eyes shone with unspent tears and she threw herself at him, hugging him tightly to her. He wouldn't have been able to move even if he tried he was so shocked by her actions, even more so when she placed the softest of kisses on his lips, whispering, Thank you, before she slipped away.

He awoke to that, looking over at the girl who had once shown him…what? Love? Affection? He didn't even know what to call it.

She had looked up from her book when he startled awake. She looked at him quizzically, then rolled her eyes and returned to her book, now much further along in it then he had seen before.

Well there's none of that left there now, he though bitterly, though he knew they were all to blame for that.

He noticed that she was no longer wearing the jeans and sweater she boarded the train in, but her robes, the Head Girl brooch neatly pinned on her chest.

"How long was I asleep?" he asked, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and stretching the kinks out of his muscles. Remind me never to sleep on these hardboards they call seats, he thought to himself, sore from the uncomfortable sleeping position.

"The entire ride," she replied, never looking up. "We're less than an hour away."

He noticed her clothes folded neatly on the seat beside her and wondered, "Did you change into your robes in here, Granger?"

She blushed slightly from behind her book and he got his answer. "What? No! Of course not, Malfoy," she cried out indignantly.

"No? Then why the red face?" he continued, smirking and looking at her up and down lecherously.

Hermione grasped for a retort but couldn't think of one, giving in. "Oh whatever. The loo is all the way down at the end of the train car and you were fast asleep."

"Was I?" he quipped, regretting being unaware to the half-naked woman in his compartment, though thoroughly enjoying how uncomfortable Hermione was with the topic.

"Yes you were," she said definitively, snapping her book shut. "And I put up a barrier just to be sure." She got up from her seat, putting her Muggle garments and book away. "Anyway, you should probably change as well. We'll be arriving at Hogwarts soon enough and we have to lead the first years."

Draco shrugged as she opened the door to leave, only to be faced with Blaise Zabini and Theodore Nott at the entrance to their compartment.

"Hello Granger," Theo said genuinely, nodding at her with a slight smile.

"Nott. Zabini," she answered in greeting, stepping aside to allow them to come in.

"So you're the Head Girl?" Blaise asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm, a smirk playing at his lips. "I never would have guessed."

"Your wit knows no bounds Zabini," Hermione replied dryly, leaving the boys in the compartment alone.

"Drakie-poo!"

Hermione cringed and groaned outwardly at the shrill voice that belonged to Pansy Parkinson.

"Oh, what are you doing here mudblood?" she sneered, noticing Hermione and glaring at her with utter revulsion. Hermione looked back at her in kind.

"That word could get you expelled from Hogwarts, Parkinson," Hermione retorted coolly. "Surely even you're smart enough to know that."

Pansy reared up to insult Hermione again when she saw Draco emerge from the neighboring train compartment, Blaise and Theo behind him. Pansy smiled and waved at him, then looked at Hermione with confusion and disgust.

"How did you ever get Draco to sit in a compartment with you, muddy? Did you spike his drink with a love potion?" she said with a snort.

Hermione narrowed her eyes and walked towards the pug-faced girl. "Mmm yes, and then I had my wicked, wicked way with him," she said in a seductively low voice, though the three boys at the end of the hall could hear her perfectly. She brushed past Pansy, rolling her eyes and could hear the low laughter from the Slytherins behind her.

Pansy raised her wand at the girl, but before she could breathe out the words of her spell, her wand snapped out of her hand and flew into Hermione's open palm. Hermione whipped around, her calm face now sharpened with fury, her eyes ablaze. The hall was quiet with fear and even Pansy had the sense to cower.

"If I ever catch you cursing anyone from behind again," she fumed, aiming at Pansy with her own wand, "I'll break it." She gave her one last glare before tossing Pansy's wand at her feet and turning on her heels, making her way to Harry, Ron, and Ginny's compartment.

Pansy, shaking, reached down to pick up her wand. She turned around to see Nott looking relieved to see Hermione and her fury gone, Blaise smirking, his eyes mocking her, and Draco looking at the retreating girl's back, a look in his eyes she couldn't place. Respect? Admiration? Lust? Whatever it was, she knew he had never seen him look at her like that and she didn't like it one bit.

"Head Boy: Draco Malfoy!" Professor McGonogall called out amidst raucous cheers from the Slytherin table and scattered applause from the other three houses.

Draco walked up from his seat by Blaise and Theo, to where the Headmistress stood at the front of the hall.

"And our Head Girl: Hermione Granger!" Professor McGonogall cried as soon as Draco had reached her side. Hermione smiled, rising from her seat to join the Headmistress and her fellow Head, her friends patting her on the back and cheering for her as she walked.

"Prefects, please lead your houses to their common rooms. You know where they are now. Go swiftly and carefully, and remember children," she warned, looking pointedly at the first years, "don't forget your passwords."

The Great Hall emptied quickly as the students were herded to their new common rooms. As the last students exited, Professor McGonogall turned on Hermione and Draco with a soft smile. "Let me show you to your chambers," Professor McGonogall started, leading them out of the Great Hall.

Hermione was confused, though she followed along. "I thought the Heads were to stay in their own Houses?"

"They were," Professor McGonogall replied, leading them down a passageway that was new to both. "But the castle was changed drastically when it was rebuilt, giving the two of you the opportunity to experience the Head chambers for the first time." She stopped in front of a portrait of a snake and a lion intertwined together and Hermione and Draco realized what she meant.

"We're supposed to live together?" Hermione exclaimed incredulously. She looked over at Draco, who was smiling lecherously back at her, his eyebrow cocked in challenge. "No way, I'm not sharing a room with him!"

"Calm yourself Miss Granger," Professor McGonogall consoled, not unaware of the look Draco just gave the girl. "You'll only be sharing a common room and a bathroom. Your bed chambers will remain separate." She glanced over at Draco, who merely shrugged.

A place all to myself, he thought. He hadn't had that in years, first sharing his home with Death Eaters and killers, then sleeping in whatever bed or on whatever floor the Order could spare him. Well, not all to myself, he corrected, watching as Hermione climbed into the portrait. Her I can live with, he smirked, following her through the hole.

Hermione gasped at the beautiful common room, it's warmth enveloping her like a bear hug. This definitely feels like home, she thought, stroking the plush arm of the sofa. The sofa sat in the center of the room, in front of a giant fireplace and surrounded by armchairs and a coffee table. Behind the sofa was a round table, large enough to fit both of them and all of their books, with a tall bookcase beside it. To the right, a kitchenette with a small refrigerator, stove and sink was separated from the room by an island with two barstools. To the left, a winding staircase brought them up to the mezzanine, which no doubt housed their rooms and the bathroom.

The shared bathroom, Hermione thought with a pout, looking back at Malfoy who was opening the cupboards in the kitchenette. She shrugged, figuring she could put up with sharing a bathroom with him if it meant staying here. She climbed up the stairs quickly to the center of the mezzanine. There was a railing along the edge, where she could look over the entirety of the floor below. On the other side of the door was a curved wall with two doors. One was a dark oak door with the Gryffindoor lion holding the letters HG within it grasp. She ran her finger over the royal-looking emblem, casting a glance at the second door. The door was black as ink, with a silver snake looped around the letters DM in a slender, serpent-like font. Even Hermione admitted it was beautiful as she turned away from it to enter her room.

She smiled at the comforts of the room, looking first at the plush four post bed with scarlet linens and a mountain of pillows. On either side of the bed there was a nightstand, made of the same oak as her door, and across the room there was a dresser in the same kind. There were two doors next to the dresser; on the right, a solid door leading to the bathroom she guessed. She'd look there last. Instead she strode over to the door on the left, the one with a giant pane of glass in its center. When she opened the door, she entered the largest walk-in closet she'd ever seen. As she flicked on the light, the glass pane altered, transforming into a mirror she could see herself in. She smiled at the simple but beautiful magic, switching off the light and heading towards the last door.

She opened it to find a long countertop with two sinks leading into a large bathroom with a marble-tiled shower as well as a long tub on the other end. Even the bathroom was luxurious and grand she remarked, looking up at the skylight above the tub. She closed her eyes and smiled, thinking about how she would be able to relax in that tub after a long day of work and patrols.

The door at the other end of the countertop opened suddenly and Hermione was brought out of her daydream. Draco entered, unclipping his outer robe and hanging it on the door hook behind him.

"Out then, Granger," he drawled. "Unless you fancy watching me undress." He continued, approaching her as he loosened his green and silver tie. "I think I'm going to like being just a door away from you."

Hermione backed away, rolling her eyes and angry with Draco for ruining her relaxing moment. "The door locks both ways, Malfoy, so don't even think about trying anything funny," she replied as she turned away from him, walking back to her own room.

"Does it?" he called out after her. "I guess I'll just have to come in through the window then," he said with a wink.

Smarmy prat, she thought as she closed the door and locked it. Her mind strayed back to that day on the battlefield, when he lay on the ground not moving, Arthur Weasley struggling to bring him back to reality. The water started running and could hear Malfoy jump into the marble shower she was admiring before. She walked over to the window and peered out of it, looking over the lake on the grounds of Hogwarts. She closed it soon after, not wanted the fall chill to permeate her room. She looked out the window for a second longer before she locked it quickly.

Just in case, she thought to herself, beginning to unpack her belongings.

Clearly this is a Dramione fanfic, and clearly I have not kept true to Rowling's ending (though I loved it, I always hoped Draco would somehow redeem himself). Read and review if you think the story is worth continuing!