Disclaimer:I don't make any money of this. Just for fun.

Chapter 1 – Prologue

Seldom is the case that one is able to pinpoint the exact moment when something in the dynamics of a relationship changes causing everything else to change as well. If someone was to ask him today, he probably could not say for sure, but he would guess that it all started that night in April…

Nearly one year had passed since the end of the Second Wizarding War and slowly things in the Wizarding World were getting back to normal. People had now started to let go of the fear that had been so present during Voldemort's uprising and accepted that he was gone for good this time and the Ministry of Magic was once again fully operating. Hogwarts had been re-built during one year and was now once again back to teaching young wizards and witches witchcraft and wizardry under the lead of Headmistress McGonagall. Due to the circumstances of the year leading up to the end of the Second Wizarding War both sixth and seventh year student were re-taking their year. Headmistress McGonagall would not stand for letting Hogwarts students graduate or even counting the year with Voldemort's curriculum. For the younger students; they advanced as usual since Headmistress McGonagall figured they would have time to make up for it during their later years.

During the year Hogwarts had been re-build Draco Malfoy had spent his time doing some serious soul-searching and he tried his utter most to become a better person. He had been quite successful in the matter actually; and this was one of the reasons he was now taking Muggle Studies this year. His newfound enlightenment and more sympathetic personality was also what had lead him to become Head Boy and was now cohabiting with the Head Girl, Hermione Granger. It had started out as a tense situation where they both just tried to avoid any awkwardness by seeing each other as little as possible but slowly they had become good friends. Once all tension had vanished they found that they actually quite enjoyed each other's company and were now voluntarily, occasionally, spending time together outside of their Heads' duties. Draco had found that Hermione, besides still being a bit of a know-it-all, was actually a reasonable and sensible person with a heart of gold. She had always been very understanding and forgiving towards him ever since they started cohabiting.

One afternoon in the middle of April Draco Malfoy was sitting on the floor in the Head's common room surrounded by five large boxes trying to figure out paintings on a piece of paper in his hand. He was so deeply concentrated he did not look up when the portrait swung open and the Head Girl climbed through the hole into the common room.

"Oi! Malfoy!" Hermione called out. "Look at this! They are having a sale at Quality Quidditch Supplies in Diagon Alley! You said you desperately needed a new broom after the last game, didn't you?" she continued and waved The Daily Prophet at him but as she saw the boxes she lost her track. "What's with the boxes?"

"It's my final Muggle Studies project." Draco said somewhat distracted and looked up. "I am to assemble these furniture without the use of magic. It ought to give understanding for everyday living without magic."

Hermione looked around and saw to her amusement the letters "IKEA" on the boxes and she could not help to chuckle at the thought of Draco Malfoy, the proudest and most stubborn person she knew who had not lived a day in his life without magic, trying to assemble IKEA-furniture - with out magic.

"Well, this I've got to see!" she smiled and sat down in the armchair next to him.

"Brilliant." he mumbled with total lack of enthusiasm. He then continued, "We actually ought to have a supervisor that makes sure we don't use magic. As long as you're no doubt going to sit here and heckle me the next hour you might as well do some good. Will you be my supervisor?"

"You expect this to take an hour?" she asked in disbelief.

"Well yeah. How hard can it be?" he replied and raised his right eyebrow.

Hermione smiled a kind smile; "It's just that most Muggles find this extremely frustrating and time consuming to do this and they're somewhat used to doing these kind of stuff with out magic. In my opinion you might be underestimating the time required for this project. But never mind that, of course I'll be your supervisor. Hand me your wand." Draco was happy she accepted the request and handed his wand over to her and started tare open the first box. He started to assemble the first piece of furniture, which was a black chest with three drawers in the Malm-series. Hermione watched and gave helpful pointers.

As the work proceeded they joked and talked about everything and nothing. Never had Draco thought doing Muggle chores could be this pleasant. Time flew by and it was nearly 7 o'clock when a knocking on the portrait interrupted them. Hermione opened and a furious Pansy Parkinson stormed into the common room.

"Draco Malfoy!" Pansy spat. "I've been waiting for you for over an hour and now I find you've seemed to completely forgotten about me!"

"Sorry Pansy, I completely spaced!" said Draco.

"I expect you to make it up to me!" Pansy was outraged, "Come on then, let's go!"

"Pansy, I really am sorry, but I can't make it to night." Draco begun to explain and as Pansy's eyes grew darker and her lips became thinner he continued, "You see, I got this project for Muggle Studies which I have to finish and it took far longer than I first figured. I have to take a rein check."

At first it looked like Pansy thought she hadn't heard Draco right, but when she understood she had heard him correctly she spoke in a voice that trembled with anger, "So you mean to tell me you rather stay here and do your 'home work' with her…" Pansy nodded at Hermione, "… with that mudblood, rather that to be with me?!"

Draco got up walked over to Pansy, took a firm grip around her arm and escorted Pansy past Hermione and up the stairs that lead to the dormitory. Pansy whimpered slightly at the pain caused by Draco's firm grip and she took a breath of relief when Draco let go of her arm as he stopped in the stair case, on what he though was out of ear shot from Hermione, and turned around to face Pansy.

"If I ever hear you call her that again I will personally make sure you regret it, mark my words," he hissed at her and his grey eyes had turned ominously dark.

Pansy looked too scared to even dare to ask what exactly he would do to make her regret it. Instead she looked at him and gathered just enough courage to say in a defiant tone, "So that's it then? You're ditching me for her?"

"Me ditching you tonight has nothing to do with either you or Granger, but my studies." Draco explained but Pansy would not let it go.

"This is not you, Draco. The fact that you blame studying as the cause of you ditching me is pathetic. And Muggle Studies non the less? Come on!"

Draco felt the rage build up inside him to the point where he almost snapped. He wanted to scream out his frustration right in her pug face. But instead he looked away for a moment and took a deep breath.

"Leave." he said in a short tone.

"I beg your pardon?" asked Pansy, clearly insulted.

"You heard me. I want you to leave. We're over." said Draco as he looked at Pansy again.

For a moment Pansy just gasped at Draco. Then she came to her senses.

"Fine! You want me to go, I'm gone," she said as she turned around and stormed down the stairs and out of the common room. Draco just stood there contemplating what had just happened. He then slowly walked down the stairs into the common room again and sat down in the sofa with his head resting in his hands.

Hermione, who had heard every thing despite the fact that she knew she was not suppose to have, stood there awkwardly and watched Draco for a few moments. She was shocked over the way he had told Pansy off when she had used the M-word. Draco would never consider using it himself in this day and age, but that he reacted so strongly when someone else used it, Hermione had no idea. She walked over and sat down next to him, carefully putting a hand on his shoulder, not sure if he wanted her to touch him. When he didn't shake her hand off she softly spoke;

"Draco… I know I wasn't supposed to hear that, but I did. And I just want you to know that I admire your values, and if you want to, or need to, talk about it I'm here for you."

Draco looked up. This was the first time he'd heard her call him by his first name. He didn't expect words to come out of his mouth and before he could stop himself he blurred out everything he had been thinking about for quite some time;

"It's just so frustrating! I really AM trying so hard to be a better person but it's like she is fighting me all the way. The war didn't have an impact on her, she is still the same immature and narrow-minded person she was when we first started going out. I know I was the exact same horrible person back then, but I grew up during the war. I realised how horrible the values I was brought up to have were and at least I'm trying to make a change. Even though it's hard work I find myself being happier now, but it's like she doesn't want me to be happy."

Hermione was a little shocked over this outburst of bottled up emotions Draco now shared but quickly found herself and said,

"Well, just like me, you were forced to grow up way earlier than anyone should have to do, and during hard circumstances as well. I can tell you've worked hard to find your self in this new personality and I must say I think you've done very well. You've gone through, what I can only assume, has been a terrible inner battle with yourself as you've questioned who you really are and at the same time having to deal with other peoples opinions, such as your father's. Which I can also assume has not made it easier for you."

Draco just stared at her as she spoke, scared of how accurate she actually was. Hermione continued;

"As far as you and Pansy go I know it feels terrible when you realise you and your first love both have grown up, but sadly you've grown apart…" She trailed off,

"But for what it's worth I think you are an amazing person, Malfoy. This last year I've gotten to know you I realize you're a strong person and I'm happy to call you my friend."

As Draco heard Hermione say all these wonderful things to him he felt a huge weight lifted of his chest, as if all the years of anxiety he had build up finally starting to release. He felt a relief he could not really explain, other than the fact that Hermione, the kindest and smartest person he knew, saw something good in him.

"Thank you, Granger. That really does mean a lot to me, coming from you. I mean it." He said and smiled a weak, but perhaps his most sincere, smile. Hermione leaned forward and embraced Draco in a warm hug. Draco, a little startled at first, returned the hug and as he had his nose in Hermione's hair he took a deep breath that filled his nostrils with the sweet smell of her vanilla perfume.