Disclaimer: I own nothing of the world of Harry Potter. Those rights belong to J K Rowling and Warner Bros.

Chapter 1

Stepping onto the Hogwarts Express brought with it a feeling of great relief for Hermione. The summer had been a stressful one, to say the least! Trying to make 12 Grimmauld Place inhabitable had been hard enough in and of itself, with the millions of cursed objects and magical creatures that had made it there home over the years. Add to that her constant squabbles with Ron and Harry's feelings of betrayal from finding them together in the Order of the Phoenix's secret headquarters after weeks of, admitted, frustratingly empty letters from them. Needless to say it was a volatile mix and had put a rather large strain on her nerves.

After leaving her suitcase in a compartment with the others she excused herself to the bathroom. As a prefect she was expected to report to the prefects carriage early on in the journey and Hermione liked to change into her school robes promptly anyway. Passing the other carriages, it was easy to see who had and hadn't taken heed of the Prophet's drivel about the 'Insane and possibly dangerous Harry Potter' they'd been spouting all summer. The eyes of every other student seemed to follow her as she moved up the train, some looked wary, some looked sympathetic and others looked downright hostile.

It wasn't like Hermione was a stranger to being caught in the after effects of something Harry had done. It came with the friendship really and she had never resented him for the effect his actions had on other's fickle opinions on her, but the reaction this time did seem to be somewhat more extravagant than usual. In all honesty, it made her feel a little nervous.

Despite all this she walked down the corridor with her head held high and her back straight. There were people everyday that questioned her right to the magical world, what with her being a muggleborn, and those around her now would get no more satisfaction than they did. Harry was not crazy or dangerous and she would support him against all of them.

Once inside the bathroom, however, her shoulders slumped just a little. Some of the people giving her hostile glares had been people she liked, people she conversed with. For Heaven's sake, a few of them had been in her own house. Putting on a strong façade when around people was one thing, she couldn't let them think she doubted Harry or, perish the thought, let Harry somehow think she doubted him, but alone it was different. Alone she could let the effect their stares had on her show, just a little. Even though when she did she felt just a little guilty, knowing that the stares and glares she got were nothing compared to what Harry got. If being his best friend was tough, it was easy compared to being the boy himself.

Ten minutes later, Hermione stood in front of the door to the prefects carriage. She couldn't deny that she felt a little excited. Being a prefect was something she'd wanted for a long time but not necessarily expected, after all she'd bent quite a few school rules in the last five years.

Upon entering, she was not surprised to see that Ron had yet to arrive; she was a little early and it was practically a given that he would be late. Deep down Hermione wondered why Ron had been made a prefect, he wasn't exactly a shining example of studiousness. Although, he was probably a better choice than someone like Seamus, who seemed to be incapable of not blowing up a goblet at least once a week, even now.

She was, however, surprised to see Draco Malfoy lounging casually on one of the sofas towards the rear. Hermione had not really given much thought to who the Slytherin Prefects would be. After all, the only ones who bothered to talk to (insult) her were the pureblood supremacists. The others just ignored her. On first seeing Malfoy sat there, she couldn't fathom why Dumbledore would even think of making him a prefect. On second thoughts, however, she was forced to admit that his grades in most subjects were second only to hers and the influence he had on the rest of the Slytherins was undeniable, even if he did not always use it for commendable purposes. She supposed if they wanted someone to keep Slytherin house in check, there really wasn't anyone else capable of the job. Whether he would actually keep them in line or not was another matter entirely.

At the sound of the door sliding closed behind her, Malfoy looked up from the book he'd been leafing through. The lack of surprise on his face suggested that he had certainly expected her to be joining him at some point. It was oddly funny that Malfoy, who was, for want of a better word, her enemy, had more confidence in her scholastic ability than she did. The thought made her smile slightly, and the small frown that pulled at his face gave her the impression that this wasn't the reaction he expected to see from her. Schooling her face, she decided to take the polite approach and gave him a nod before taking a seat near the front. After all, neither Harry nor Ron were here so perhaps it was possible for them to be civil and not dissolve into arguments.

Draco had other plans. Before Hermione had entered the compartment, he had been rather bored. Pansy had had yet to turn up and the book he had brought with him was one he had read before. Her arrival gave him something to do before this stupid meeting started. He sauntered up to the front of the carriage and took a seat directly opposite Hermione, who had started pulling a book out of her bag.

A quick cough got her attention and he leaned back into the comfy seat with a superior smirk on his face.

"So they gave you a badge then, Mudblood?"

"Clearly Ferret, looks like they gave you one too. I suppose wherever there's dirt there is bound to be vermin."

Hermione's lips curled up into a smirk that mirrored his own. Malfoy, it had to be said, was a little bit surprised that she would accept his insult to throw back a wittier one of her own.

"Maybe so, Muddy, but vermin walk all over dirt."

Malfoy's smirk widened, convinced he'd gained the upper hand but Hermione was not to be beaten.

"But in doing so, the vermin become filthy themselves, Malfoy."

Hermione winked at him. Draco couldn't believe it. Not only had she just been a bit suggestive, which he wouldn't have expected from prudish Granger, but that wink had turned their conversation into something a little bit, well, nicer. After seemingly realising what she'd done, Hermione's teasing smirk turned sour. Trying to save face, not wanting to admit she'd kind of enjoyed there small banter, she scowled.

"Just buzz off, Ferret! I don't have anything more to say to you."

"Easy enough, Mudblood. It's not like I enjoy talking to you either."

With that Draco got up and swaggered back to the rear of the compartment. He sat, staring intently out of the window, not wanting to admit to himself that he'd sort of enjoyed their swapping of insults and that wink, either. Thoughts of both were wiped from his mind as Pansy came flying through the door to the compartment and towards him, squealing dreadfully. He began to idly wonder whether the annoying pitch of her voice had anything to do with her horribly pug like nose or whether the two were just unfortunate coincidences.

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