Disclaimer: Don't own it. Be sweet if I did, though.

Change of Heart

"You've got to be kidding me." Hermione Granger felt her heart drop. She was standing as though someone had petrified her in front of the door, her mouth still slightly opened from the shock. This couldn't be happening. Someone was playing a prank on her. Please let someone be playing a prank on her. She momentarily searched through the files in that big brain of hers for any spells she knew to reverse bewitched words. But alas, the two little words written beneath the Head Boy sign could not be magicked away.

Draco Malfoy.

Hermione released a breath she hadn't even realized she'd been holding and immediately her fingers shot up to pinch the bridge of her nose.

"Well isn't this just bloody perfect," she breathed, eyes shut tight as if to block out the truth. Draco Malfoy. Head Boy. And she had thought her super-seventh year was starting so well, too.

She rubbed her face in her hands as she began the short walk across the shared common room back to her door. Give her someone else, anyone else besides Malfoy. Hell, she'd even take Snape right about now. There was a better chance of her painting her potions professor's nails and talking about boys than there was of her even so much as getting along with that horrid blonde git.

With an elongated sigh, Hermione closed the door behind her and plopped herself face first onto her bed. Once again, she squeezed her eyes shut as she tried to sort through her racing thoughts. A lot had changed since the war ended, maybe it was possible he had too. Hermione snorted almost as soon as the idea spun itself together in her brain. Yeah right. And I'm sure he now loves the color pink. And ponies.

Hermione rolled her eyes as she flipped herself over onto her back. She stared at the ceiling for a while, allowing herself to trace non-existent patterns out of the decorative swirls as she reasoned with her thoughts. Honestly, though, who did she think was going to make Head Boy - Neville Longbottom? Not in this lifetime. Well, if she was being honest, her thoughts countered, she really didn't expect Malfoy would be making a return appearance to Hogwarts at all.

Her mind wandered back to a certain memory of the war she had replayed countless times over the summer and would replay again undoubtedly countless times more in the future. She just couldn't make sense of it and if there was one thing her bookwormish mind rejected - it was a problem she couldn't solve.

Draco stood outside the portrait, drawing on all the leftover shards of his dignity. His plan upon returning to Hogwarts had been to avoid Hermione Granger as much as possible. You can see how well that worked out. He had tried to refuse the position, knowing full well who his partner would be, but McGonagall was now the Headmistress and she was just as much a bossy bint as ever. She had informed him, quite smugly in his opinion, that the only way he was returning to Hogwarts would be as Head Boy. Honestly, what other choice had he had?

"Glumbumble," he muttered, watching sullenly as the portrait swung open to reveal his new living quarters. It was like being shown to the gallows. He wondered for a moment if he really wouldn't have rather stayed at the Manor.

Quickly and quietly, Draco stepped through the threshold and scanned the common room, searching for his door. Just up to his left, he could see his name glimmering on the Head Boy sign. He didn't even have to look at the Head Girl's door to know whose name would be written there. Just as his hand touched the doorknob and he thought he had made it scot-free, he heard the door behind him creak open. A barely audible sigh escaped his lips. Well, now's as good a time as any he reasoned. Draco whipped around to eye up his hated female rival.

Their eyes meet for one split, unsure second, before Draco narrowed his into a glare. His upper lip curled in disgust and Hermione could feel her face molding into a replica of his expression. So this is how it's gonna be, huh.

"Granger," Draco spat in acknowledgement. Merlin, how he despised her and her perfectness. The beloved Gryffindor princess, saves the wizarding world and still has time for tea.

"Malfoy," Hermione replied in an equally disgusted way. "I'm surprised to see you here. The ministry must have made a pretty galleon off of you, especially seeing as how you've somehow managed to still make Head Boy."

"Trust me, Granger, I would have paid all the money in Gringotts to not be rooming with you," he replied with a sneer. "However, it would seem McGonagall wishes me dead. If your incessant nagging hasn't killed me by the end of this year, I'm sure I will have very well killed myself for simply being forced to see your hideous face day by day."

Hermione's frown grew deeper, if possible.

"Well, why don't you just get started with that then?" she suggested, cocking an eyebrow in invitation.

Draco sent her a glare that would have chilled her to the core - had she not witnessed it too many times to count over the last seven years for it to have any effect on her.

And with that, their conversation was over. Draco promptly turned around and had slammed the door behind him in a heartbeat, leaving Hermione to stare at that stupid sign again.

Head Boy. Draco Malfoy.

She was making it a point to tear that sign down one of these days and light fire to it.