A/N: Yes, this is another Draco/Hermione tale. Deal with the OTP-ness of it all.

MASSIVE thanks to my most awesome beta-reader Falcon Falmorgan. You can find her under that pen name on the Perfect Imagination beta reader site. She rocks the Harry Potter world with her superior English skills and knowledge of the book. And I probably would never have finished even a chapter without her help! Thank you, dear.

Disclaimer: Harry Potter, all character, places, and storylines within are not mine. Also, Harry Potter, all characters, places, and storylines ARE COOLER THAN YOU.

How Draco Malfoy had managed not to get expelled from school was a wonder to Hermione Granger, as she found herself face to face with him on the Hogwarts Express. It just went to prove that even with Lucius in Azkaban, the Malfoy name held some sort of power, somewhere. Exactly who still worked under their influence, she did not know, but what she did know was that it wasn't a good sign in the slightest. If a ruthless Death Eater still had people wrapped around his finger from within the walls of wizarding prison, who knew what else could be going on? She would have to talk to Harry about it later.

Her own attendance had come as quite a shock, as well. She, Harry, and Ron had planned to be long gone on the quest for the remaining Horocruxes by this time. They had moved into Grimmauld Place only a week after school had ended. It would have been sooner if Harry hadn't insisted that he must go back to the Dursley's one more time. He had told them later that Dumbledore had requested he do so, as it was his last chance to gain some of the protective magic living with his family brought. At first, everything went well. They trained together without interruption, excepting a few days for Bill and Fleur's wedding. The moment Harry turned seventeen, the three of them were inducted into the Order with a simple ceremony. Later that day he had taken his Apparition test. The next week they attended their first meeting of the Order of the Phoenix. None of them had known just how much had been going on. From the simplest hexed muggle items to the most brutal killings, they were filled in on all of the Dark side's happenings. Then, instead of all of the Order's research and espionage paying off, everything seemed to dry up. The Death Eater activity dramatically fell, and even the investigation into the Horocruxes came to a dead end. It was as if the information was water from a faucet that had been shut off with a quick turn of the wrist. Hermione guessed that the wrist belonged to Voldemort, but with their inability to move forward, they were reduced to doing housework as they had been before their fifth year.

Looking grave, McGonagall had informed them that they would be attending school in the Fall once again. The disappointment of the news was immeasurable, but the three of them had mixed reactions. Harry, predictably, had been livid when he found out that he would be confined to the castle, once again left to wait for Voldemort to make the first move, but McGonagall had insisted that if He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was going to act as if everything was normal, then so were they. Hermione had been irritated at the sudden delay, but the idea that she might do a bit more research was a comfort. Gaining access to the Restricted Section would be less of a chore this year, considering her position in the Order and the fact that she had been selected as Head Girl. Ron had acted as angrily as Harry, turning his usual shade of red, but later confided in her that he liked the idea of another year in school before being shoved out to face reality.

Hermione gave Draco a nasty, tight-lipped smile. "In case you haven't noticed, this is the Heads' compartment, and there is going to be a meeting starting in only a few minutes."

The Slytherin just looked at her sceptically for a moment before side-stepping her and moving into the compartment.

"I didn't expect you would be back, Mudblood. Aren't you supposed to be off saving the world?" he asked, spitting his words at her as if she were lower than the dirt on his shoes.

"Aren't you supposed to be destroying it?" she shot back, crossing her arms over her chest with defiance and glaring icily.

Instead of answering, Draco took his time sitting down. He spread his arms over the back of the seat and leaned back, managing to look both casual and arrogant at once. "You might think that, but Father thought it better that I graduated first."

Hermione snorted at him. "Still Daddy's little boy? Well, no matter what your disgusting father thought, you don't deserve to come back. You don't deserve to even stand outside the gates and look at the school. I know that you intended to kill Dumbledore. I know that you didn't succeed. You had to have your favourite professor finish the job for you. I can't believe you have the gall to show your face here, much less anywhere else, after what happened."

Something flickered in his grey eyes, but almost before she noticed it, it had passed. "Yes, well, Snape did finish it, as you said, so I technically did nothing wrong. I was just a boy. I didn't know what I was doing." He smirked up at her. "At least that's what I told the governors," he added, a menacing tone to his voice that sickened her.

"You disgusting…" She paused to pick up the pieces of her shattered composure. "I don't care how you snaked your way back into Hogwarts. Just get out before I take so many points from Slytherin that a hundred Quidditch matches won't make up for it."

Unbeknownst to Hermione, the Prefects had arrived and were now watching the exchange with expressions of interest. Draco was so infuriating that he commanded her complete attention.

"Don't you think we had better start?" He disregarded her threat and beckoned the waiting Prefects into the compartment. Hermione turned around, blush rising in her cheeks, and tried to cover her embarrassment with a smile.

"I'm sorry. I'm having a problem with some pests. Come in." They moved forward and into the compartment while she looked over her shoulder and saw Draco pinning something onto the front of his uniform. A cold feeling of dread washed over her as she realized what he must be doing. When he knew that she was looking, he moved his hands to show her the Head Boy badge. She stood stock still in a state of shock as Draco stood up and took his place by her side.

"Go ahead, Mudblood. Let's get this over with," came a whisper in her ear. Her lips thinned and she looked ready to hex him into next week, but after a moment her face relaxed and she turned back to the waiting Prefects.

"Welcome to the Heads' compartment, and congratulations on becoming Prefects," she said, launching into the short speech she had prepared. "You will now have privileges that the other students do not, such as use of the Prefects' bathroom and a more relaxed curfew, but you will also have more responsibility. You will have to constantly monitor those around you to be sure they are behaving, and you will sometimes have specific duties, such as patrolling the corridors or helping a teacher, as well. The most important thing you can do is set a good example. You must never be caught breaking the rules. In addition, you must have good marks in all of your subjects to retain your positions. Too many violations may result in removal."

She paused, giving them a chance to ask questions, and also leaving a moment where Draco might say something. When she glanced at him, he was staring at a point just above the Prefects' heads and made no signs of speaking.

"Tonight you are to show the First Years the way to your common rooms. Do your best to tell them about any trick doors or staircases along the way. You must also choose a password for your common room. This time we will allow the ladies to choose the password, next time the gentlemen. Any questions?" Hermione looked from face to face until she was satisfied that none of them needed clarification. "Now, I want you to take shifts patrolling the train corridors. Ravenclaws and Slytherins first, and then the Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors. You'll switch in about an hour." Again she paused to let the students and/or Draco get a word in, but neither party made motions of speaking. "If that is all, you are dismissed." The younger students filed out the room and started down the train to find their companions or start their duties.

When they were a safe distance away, Hermione turned on Draco. "I know you think it's mighty impressive that you got Head Boy despite being a Death Eater and despite what you did last year, but I'm going to let you in on a little secret. No one is impressed by your ridiculous wealth and power. Everyone knows how weak you are when it comes to what truly matters. Furthermore, the second I catch wind of you doing anything that even annoys me I will have you expelled, no matter what it takes." Without giving him a chance to answer, Hermione snatched up the bag she had placed on the seat and stalked away from the compartment and down the corridor.

The Head Girl stormed into the compartment her two friends occupied, without a glance or word to either of them. Instead, she glared at the window nearly hard enough to break the glass with both her arms and legs crossed, muttering annoyances under her breath. After a minute, she felt the prickle of their eyes on her and turned on them. "What?" she asked, irritably.

Harry looked at her sceptically, his face framed by his typically untidy mop of hair. "Oh nothing, except that you just stormed in here and started talking to yourself after just a short meeting with the Prefects. Other than that, everything is normal." Ron smiled beside him, and she had to laugh a little. "Don't tell me we need to reserve you a room next to Lockhart's, already."

"You're right. I'm sorry. It's just that I found out the worst news before the meeting." She paused, biting her lip as she looked at the two of them. "Malfoy is back."

Immediately Ron stood up with his hands balling into fists. "I'll kill him, I will," he said, setting his jaw. Just as quickly, Harry grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled him back into his seat.

"He's a bastard, but he has connections, and I don't want you risking yourself because of him. Remember, we have much more important things to worry about."

"I was thinking though," Hermione started. "If the Malfoys still have power enough to keep their son in Hogwarts after attempted murder, then what else could they be controlling? I mean, what if the rumour about the Dementors turning against us really is true? Maybe Malfoy is important enough to worry about. There must be a reason the Death Eaters want him here."

Harry nodded along, poring over the details in his mind as he always did when it came to this subject. Ron gritted his teeth. "Hear that? Hermione says he's important. Let me at him. Just one hex." The redhead was only joking, trying to lighten the mood, but there was no denying the look in his eyes that said he would be all too willing to point his wand at Draco.

Harry made no move to acknowledge Ron's jest, still wrapped up in his own thoughts. "We'll have to bring it up at the next meet-" he started before he was cut off by the arrival of the snack cart.

"Would you like anything, dears?" The friendly witch had poked her head in the compartment and was now smiling cheerfully at them.

Harry looked at his friends and realized that he was quite hungry. "I'll buy." He fished in his pocket for some Sickles and the three of them all picked out something to eat. When they were seated again, Hermione's eyes drifted towards the window again, as thoughts about a world where someone could try to kill the Headmaster, yet end up Head Boy, when she remembered that she hadn't even told Harry and Ron about Draco's position. She bit her lip and glanced at her two friends. Harry grinned at her and she returned a smile, but not genuinely. Dread mounted as she prepared to tell them the news, but Ron beat her to it.

"So who is Head Boy? I'd have thought for sure that Harry would get it, especially with McGonagall as Headmistress." The raven-haired young man tried to look detached, but it was obvious that he had thought he would be chosen as well, but Ron took no notice of his discomfort.

"Well, actually, the Board of Governors has quite a bit of influence on who is chosen. The Head of the school just presents whom they think is right and why." She was merely delaying the inevitable, not wanting to see how they reacted.

"So…" Harry prodded.

Hermione knew very well what they were talking about, but couldn't bring herself to tell them. "What?"

"Who is it?" Ron asked, seemingly annoyed with her. "Really, Hermione, you must need more rest or something."

"Oh…well…" She looked pleadingly at them. "It's horrible. Absolutely…It's Malfoy."

"What?" they both roared, standing up.

"How could this happen? How? What the bloody hell is wrong with them?" Ron was seething now, his face red with rage. Harry was a bit quieter in his anger, only balling his fists and locking his jaw.

"I'll tell you how. He paid them off, or they were 'friends' of his father who are still too afraid of his ties with Voldemort to stand up for what is right," he grated, his emerald eyes flashing.

"There's no use getting angry. We cannot change the way things are. Please sit down. Let's do something other than think about the War for a while." Though Hermione spoke calmly, she was enraged, as well. It was just unbelievable, but the boys might do something rash if they brooded over it too long. After a minute, Harry suggested Exploding Snap, and so they played, albeit without the usual chatter and laughter that accompanied the game, until it was time to put on their robes.

After the Head Girl had finished helping to gather the First Years into the castle, Draco no where to be found, she slipped into the Great Hall, taking a place that had been saved between Harry and Ron. Just as she sat down, the doors opened and the First Years were led in. Their faces were uncertain as they looked up at all of the older students who in turn stared back down at them. Hermione could remember when she had been in their position. She had been afraid, though confident that all of her studying would pay off and put her into the House she deserved. Her hair had been bushier then, and she had been shorter, but most of all, she hadn't known of the danger that the Magical world held. Then she had thought that all she needed to do was read the books, and everything would go her way. Now she knew that courage, quick thinking, and sheer determination were also necessary for her survival.

Professor Sprout, who was the Deputy Headmistress after McGonagall took her new position, placed the Sorting Hat on its stool in the centre of the room.

As things went every year, a rip near the brim opened up and the Hat began its song.

"Here we are once again

All of us, foe and friend

So sit down, take a seat

And lend an ear to me

There's Gryffindor

Brave as a lion

With the strongest will

Of them all

Then Ravenclaw

With wit sharp like an eagle's

And enough drive

To reach for perfection

Slytherin's the tricky sort

Slippery like the snake

With cunning enough

To fool the best and brightest

Lastly, but not least

There's Hufflepuff who's

As loyal as a badger

Is to its young

With all these qualities

This school can be great

Even when we are suffering

This war's weight

But unless we can unite

We might as well

Forget the fight

And raise a flag of surrender

So, if you will

Don't be divided

Don't let your houses

Be how your fate's decided."

Hermione listened to the Hat with interest, as did Ron and Harry. After last year's song, they figured that it would once again offer advice. It had, but it had only been the same advice as before. She supposed that it wasn't satisfied with what they had done last year. They hadn't done anything last year. The school was still divided over lines drawn by their Houses, and she didn't see another song by the Sorting Hat changing that anytime soon. How could it? The Gryffindors and the Slytherins were the main rivalry, and they disagreed on more than just petty Quidditch matches. After sharing a significant look with Harry, she attempted to pay attention to the first years that were now being sorted.