A/N: Hello everyone. This is based in 7th year after the 6th book, so there are a lot spoilers-if you haven't read it, you were forewarned. And I hate authors that keep saying "review! review! review!" so I'm only saying it once: I would love any kind of reviews. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the story!

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, or any of the other characters, only the words are mine.

My Safe Haven

Hermione Granger stepped off the train and glanced at the castle in the distance. She knew what it looked like, but she just had to reassure herself that it was there. Every year as the Hogwarts Express pulled onto the school grounds at the beginning of term she made sure to get off the train as soon as possible to look at it. It was her fairy tale, and she constantly worried that one day she would wake up from this wonderful dream. But especially this year, after all that had happened, it had been a wonder they were even coming back to the magical place. The ministry relenting to let the school continue had been a surprise to everyone, but a pleasant surprise nonetheless.

She smiled contentedly at the sight and turned to continue her conversation with her two best friends. "I hear they're announcing the heads at dinner tonight," she excitedly whispered to the boys.

"Bloody hell 'Mione, why do you worry so much? You're going to get it you know," Ron looked at her exasperatedly.

"Ron," she sighed. "Not necessarily. There are plenty of other qualified witches in our year!" Although she would never admit it out loud, she did think she would get the position. After all, she had held the highest marks for the past six years.

Harry seemed to pick up on this fact and looked at her skeptically after the last remark, but decided to remain silent so as not to fuel an argument between his two best friends. But conversation was not lost, the trio quickly picked up their previous hushed conversation about the newest developments from the summer as they made their way to a carriage and towards their home-away-from-home.

In a carriage not so far away from the trio's sat a surly looking blond boy with his own entourage. Slowly he turned from his fixation outside the window of the carriage to look at one of the other passengers. "Pansy, shut up." The girl in reference looked shocked, to say the least, as another boy in the carriage snickered. "That goes for you too Blaise," and the snickering stopped.

"Damn Draco, what's got your panties in a twist?" Blaise responded lightheartedly, but Draco gave him a stern look and resumed staring out the window. He did not want to be here; and that's exactly what had gotten his panties in a twist.

After the fiasco on top of the Astronomy Tower in June he was sure this year was going to be a living hell. McGonagall had not been thrilled, to say the least, when he had requested to return this year. Technically there was no reason he couldn't though; he hadn't done anything wrong; he had simply run. Besides he had to come back for his final year, because He had instructed it. A new year, a new assignment, and Draco was even less thrilled with the newest one.

Harry, Ron and Hermione sat anxiously eating their dinners at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall. There were far fewer students here than there had been last June, they noted. Not many parents trusted Hogwarts as a safe haven for their children anymore; and no one could blame them. The Gryffindors had been reduced to about 30 people total, including the freshly sorted first years.

"It's weird, Dumbledore not giving the beginning of year speech. I'm sure Professor McGonagall's speech will be fine and everything, but…it's weird," Hermione said. Next to her Ron nodded in agreement while Harry said nothing, but merely continued to stare at his food, eating little of it.

He had not been thrilled returning back to Hogwarts either. He loved the school dearly, but it just didn't seem appropriate. All summer he had been jittery, anxious to run at every moment, but Lupin had instructed Harry to stay at the Burrow, and instructed Hermione and Ron to make sure that he did. Ron and Hermione had struggled and fought frequently with Harry because of it, but in the end they managed to salvage their friendship with the promise to Harry that the second the school year finished he could leave.

In a moment the food disappeared from the tables and Professor McGonagall stood up to address the Great Hall.

"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts everyone. It's a pleasure to see so many of you back despite the times. I'm sure that many of you are already aware just how different this year will be. Dumbledore is no longer with us, so I have been selected to take his place as Headmistress of Hogwarts. I will remain head of Gryffindor House as well for the time being.

As the times are more troubled than they ever have been before, security has been significantly increased within and around the school. Wandering the halls after curfew is strictly forbidden, and anyone caught will receive a month's worth of detentions. The Room of Requirement has also been closed permanently, so do not attempt to open it. Hogsmead trips for this year have yet to be decided upon, but we will inform all of you as soon as things are determined. Leaving the grounds of the school without specific instruction will result in immediate expulsion and the person who leaves will not be permitted back on, and do not be mislead into thinking there are ways to get around the charms.

After much deliberation, the Head Boy and Girl for this year have also been selected. The staff is all quite sure that Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy will no doubt do a most admirable job of representing our school during these troubled times.

Besides the new regulations, I'm truly hoping that this year will be one of best yet. Remember, it is not what is going on around you that matters, but how you choose to respond to it that does. And I believe it is finally time for desert" McGonagall finished and sat down as most of the students stared at her dumbfounded. Harry though, was enraged.

"MALFOY! MALFOY! WHAT WERE THEY THINKING? He tried to KILL Dumbledore! He's a DEATHEATER! Didn't we figure all of this out LAST YEAR? And Hermione, you have to share a common room with the bastard!" his rant continued after he had spit out the last word venomously, but Hermione was just as stunned as he was and heard little of it. Instead she was staring at the Slytherin table and at the boy she would undoubtedly be spending much of her time with in the coming months.

"I can't believe it…" she said, in almost a whisper. "I just can't believe it…"

The moment that Harry had mentioned the shared common room Ron's face had gone a deep shade of red and he had looked stricken. It took him quite a few minutes before he said anything, but when he did, it was obvious he was just as upset as Harry at the situation; just for a different reason. "Share a common room. But what if he tries to kill you, Hermione? What if he tries to get in your…There's no one there to stop him! What are you going to do Hermione? And I thought McGonagall was smart!" he said quietly, but quite forcefully.

Hermione took that as her cue to try and calm the boys, though she was far from it herself. Truthfully, she had many of the same fears as Ron. "It'll be okay, I mean, I'm sure Professor McGonagall has a good reason for giving him the position, right? They're not stupid, they all know what happened. There must be something else we don't know. And anyway, he didn't kill Dumbledore you guys have to remember, he couldn't do it. That means he really can't be all that dangerous. It'll also look really good for the school if parents think the heads are from Slytherin and Gryffindor and getting along even during these times."

"But you two DON'T get along! You hate each other! He calls you a Mudblood Hermione!" Ron spat out. Harry was breathing deeply and clenching his teeth staring at Ron as he spoke. He then turned his head toward the staff table though and gave an extraordinarily nasty face to McGonagall.

"It'll be fine guys, you'll see," but Hermione wasn't even convincing herself.

Draco sat across the Great Hall from the Golden Trio, staring at them. He knew they were beyond mad at the news that he was Head Boy, and he couldn't blame them. He himself was even more shocked. Dumbledore had been a bumbling idiot, but Draco had thought McGonagall to at least have a head on her shoulders. It hadn't even been three months ago that he had the previous headmaster at wand-point, ready to kill the man, and now the colleagues of the man were bestowing him, Draco Malfoy, as Head Boy. Something wasn't right.

What was worse was now that he had been given the title, he would be expected to carry out his assignment even quicker. Voldemort would no doubt expect him to finish by the end of the month, and Draco wasn't sure at all whether he would be able to. After all, everyone knew he hadn't been able to kill Dumbledore, and now they expected him to kill someone he knew better than the old man? Not that it was killing a friend, but he had to do it to someone he interacted with almost every day. Someone he had known for years.

A slap on the back brought him out of his reverie. "Damn good job mate," laughed Blaise. "I would never, in a hundred years, have placed you as Head Boy, but I didn't expect Potter to ever beat You-Know-Who either, so what do I know?" He shook his head still smiling and continued talking with the other Slytherins around him. Draco again found himself uninterested in taking part in their conversation though.

Instead, he was staring deep in thought at his next assignment. But as soon as she looked up from the food that she had so intently been staring at, Draco looked down at his. It was at that moment he became keenly aware that he was going to have a very hard time killing Hermione Granger.