A/N November the 27th, 2006 – In response to many reviews and PMs asking me to clarify the status of this fic, it is still a work in progress. No, I am not done. Yes, I intend to finish it. Yes, I will be updating in the near future. Thank you all for the interest and to those of you just starting out for the first time, I hope you enjoy it!

Hermione had been ecstatic when her letter from Hogwarts came, informing her that she would be Head Girl. She had spent the last month of the summer happily wondering who would be made Head Boy. She'd rolled over the possibilities in her mind, considering Tony Goldstein, Harry Potter himself, even Ron Weasley, before finally deciding that Ernie Macmillan had the best chance. She'd boarded the train back to Hogwarts eager, excited, and slightly nervous for her final year at Hogwarts and what being Head Girl would mean.

And now, here she was, ready to plunge ahead.

She strolled to the Head compartment of the train expecting to open the door and find Ernie grinning at her, ready to congratulate her on getting the Head Girl position. Instead she opened the door to find none other than Draco Malfoy, pompous git and snob extraordinaire, sneering at her. She instantly froze and glared back at him.

"What are you doing here, Malfoy?" Hermione snarled. She slid the door closed behind her forcefully.

Malfoy leaned back comfortably in his chair and continued to sneer at her. He stretched his legs out and rested his feet on the soft bench across from him.

Hermione glared even harder as his feet usurped her seat.

"Move your feet and tell me what the hell you're doing in the Head Compartment, Malfoy."

"Language, Granger," Malfoy taunted. "I don't believe I will move my feet. I'm quite comfortable where I am, even considering your foul Mudblood stench is assaulting my nostrils."

Hermione's eyes flared as her jaw tightened. She pushed his feet aside roughly and sat down across from him. The Draco Malfoy she'd known for six years surfaced as she had predicted he would.

"Get your filthy hands off me, Mudblood!" he spat, his body stiffening.

Hermione had never been afraid of him; she'd never let herself be intimidated by him and she wasn't about to start. She glared evenly at him and ignored his last insult.

"Are you going to tell me what you are doing here or am I going to have to hex you?" she asked coldly.

"You wouldn't dare," he growled.

"Try me," she escalated loudly.

"Well, children," a voice said from bedside them.

Both of them froze. Neither had noticed Professor McGonagall enter the compartment.

"Please tell me that Professor Dumbledore hasn't made the wrong decision in choosing the two of you as Heads. I'd hate to think of reassigning the positions because you two couldn't control your tempers."

Hermione stared at her and then registered what she'd said. Heads? As in plural?

She turned her stare toward Draco who was smirking, and her mouth fell open.

"He's Head Boy?" she hissed in disbelief.

"That's right, Granger," Draco said smoothly, icy as ever. "Took you long enough."

"But, Professor -"Hermione started, trying to think of something to say to Professor McGonagall that would convey the sheer horror she felt.

"Miss Granger," said her teacher, "Mr. Malfoy has been given the position of Head Boy as you have been given the position of Head Girl. You have both earned it. Please display the maturity that the Headmaster trusts you to possess."

Malfoy smirked unkindly at this and McGonagall turned sharply to him. "The same goes for you, Mr. Malfoy. You have both been given the assignment fairly. We are trusting you to put your differences aside long enough to do your duties this year. Professor Dumbledore has faith that you will succeed at this, making this a wonderful and worthwhile year for yourselves and your fellow students."

Hermione resisted the urge to tell McGonagall that she was insane, the qualities that had earned her Head Girl pulling rank on her anger. She stuffed down her pride and smiled. "I'll do my best, Professor."

"I'm sure you will, Miss Granger," McGonagall answered confidently. She handed them both a small packet of papers and spoke again. "I've just given you your patrolling schedules, list of duties, rules you will adhere to and the names of this year's prefects. You will agree on a time to meet with the prefects and assign them their duties. Everything you will need is in your hands. I suggest you study it."

Hermione looked down and thumbed through the papers in her hands, eager to read through them, and then looked back at her teacher.

"Again," continued McGonagall, "I am registering my deepest hope that the two of you will be able to put your childish differences behind you and work as a team."

Hermione smiled up as McGonagall left. She almost forgot who was still sharing her compartment until she heard Malfoy's voice again, jolting her up from her reading.

"Brownnoser," he sneered.

Hermione sighed in exasperation. "Were you even listening, Malfoy? I don't like this any better than you do, but if we're going to spend the year in close proximity to each other, maybe we should listen to her."

At this, Malfoy scoffed. "No fucking way, Granger. We may be stuck in this, but there is no chance you will ever be anything but a brownnosing Mudblood to me."

"You make me sick, Malfoy," fumed Hermione. "You are arrogant, snobby, bigoted and ugly. You stay away from me. Don't look at me, talk to me, or touch me unless it's necessary for our duties."

"Like I'd ever want to make myself filthy by touching you," Malfoy said sarcastically. "You, on the other hand, I'm sure, will have a hard time keeping your hands off me." With this, he gave a wickedly suggestive smirk that made Hermione's blood boil. "You know," he continued, "this means we'll be sharing a dormitory. You'll lie awake at night wishing I would come to you and do erotic things to your body, and I'll lie awake wishing you were any other girl in the school so that I'd want to. It hardly seems fair, does it?"

Hermione snorted disgustedly as Malfoy titled his head confidently. "In your dreams, Malfoy," she said defiantly, grinding her teeth.

"On the contrary, Granger, in your dreams."

Malfoy stood up quickly and walked out of the compartment, no doubt headed to join his pack of piggish Slytherin friends, leaving Hermione livid in her seat.

Hermione left shortly thereafter to join her friends. When she reached their compartment, Ron, Harry, Ginny, Luna and Neville greeted her, all wanting to know who her counterpart would be.

"You are not going to believe this," Hermione said darkly, plopping down next to Luna and Neville.

"Who is it, Hermione?" asked Harry.

"Yeah, tell us!" echoed Ginny.

"Is it Ernie?" asked Neville excitedly.

Hermione looked around for a moment before dropping the bomb. "It's Malfoy."

There was a horrified silence until Ron broke it. "What?" he gasped.

"You heard me, Ron," muttered Hermione irritably, "Malfoy. Draco Malfoy."

"Oh fuck."

"Ron!" shouted three upset female voices simultaneously.

"What?" he asked with a shrug.

"He's not worth it, Ron. Don't lower yourself to his level," chided Ginny.

Hermione and Luna nodded their concurrence.

"He's going to make our life a living hell," groaned Neville.

"No, he won't," said Hermione firmly, "I'm still Head Girl. I have the same power he has."

"Yeah," said Harry. "But you're not an obnoxious arsehole."

Ron and Neville nodded in agreement.

Hermione chuckled darkly. "Oh, don't worry. I'll keep an eye on him. A very close eye on him. I'm not about to let him ruin this year for any of us."

This topic of conversation went on for a while until everyone grew tired of abusing Malfoy. Granted, this took rather a long while, but by the time they were done discussing it and everything else they could think of, and Hermione had read through her Head packet several times, it was dark outside, and time for everyone to change into their school robes.

When the students reached the grand Castle, there was an excitement buzzing that was typical of the first night back. Everyone arrived at the feast starving and eager. The sorting went by quickly and before long, the feast was over and everyone was filing off toward his or her dormitories peacefully, stuffed with food.

Hermione had already received instructions on where to go to find her new quarters. She found her new rooms easily and gave the password to enter. Cooperation.

The Head Suites were impressive. A medium sized study was the common room. It had two desks close to each other on the opposite wall, a large couch, two comfortable looking armchairs, two partially filled bookshelves - which Hermione would have overflowing in no time, and a very nice coffee table with two posh looking wooden chairs at either end. It was obvious that whoever had designed this room wanted its two occupants to be comfortable and to spend a lot of time together in it. Hermione snorted. Fat chance of that.

There were three plain wooden doors against the right wall. The first lead to Hermione's new bedroom, the middle to the bathroom, and the last to the Head Boy's room – Draco's room. She walked into her room and looked around. It was a lot bigger than her room in Gryffindor Tower. Actually it wasn't, but it only had one large bed, as apposed to three, and there was a lot more space. Hermione could look out the window and see the lake. She was looking forward to decorating it the way she wanted.

She walked back out to inspect the common room more closely and at that same moment, Draco burst through the portrait hole imperiously. His sudden entrance startled her back to reality and she glowered at him. Draco spared only a moment to glance around the room, taking it in before he advanced on Hermione.

"You will stay out of my room and away from my things. Is that clear?" he asked commandingly.

She narrowed her eyes and said, "The same goes for you, Malfoy."

Malfoy chuckled meanly. "You have nothing I want."

"Likewise!" snapped Hermione.

"You just keep telling yourself that."

Hermione rolled her eyes and began to walk to her room. "You really do disgust me," she said coldly.

"Get out of my way, Granger!" growled Malfoy. She stumbled sideways as he pushed past her and walked into his bedroom.

The common room was a decent size, especially for two people, but Hermione knew it wasn't going to be big enough - not nearly. Draco slammed his door behind him and Hermione plopped herself down on the large, flower printed couch in the middle of the room. She let out a deep sigh and closed her eyes.

This was going to be hell.

More A/N - I'm in the process of having each chapter beta'd so that I can submit the story to Sycophant Hex, something I hadn't done before. So if there are any mistakes or inconsistencies in later chapters, bare with me – they will be fixed soon.

Reviews are always appreciated!