How Hermione Granger became a Malfoy
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters used in the story.
A/N: I have been in and out of the Harry Potter fandom these past years, but a recent plot bunny has developed and just won't leave me alone. Unlike my previous fics, I have this story planned out pretty much to the end. Hopefully, it won't take me too long to finish this. I am actually overseas on holiday right now, so updates may not be as frequent at the time being.
The story takes place after the War, which had ended two years ago. I know it doesn't go along with the last few books, but I feel this is the right place to be for the story.
CHAPTER 1
"Hermione dear, there's a letter for you from Hogwarts," Mrs Granger said to her bleary eyed daughter. "It must be the list of books you need to buy every year before school resumes again."
Hermione managed to acknowledge her mother before collapsing onto a chair. Yawning widely, she reached for the envelope, finding it to be slightly bulkier than previous years. Her curiosity aroused, she opened the envelope hurriedly and a hard, round object dropped face down onto the dinner table. Breathlessly, Hermione reached to pick it up, her hands shaking slightly as she thought of what it may be. Finally grasping the badge in her hand, she turned it over and saw the letters 'HG' engraved onto it. With tear-filled eyes, she turned to her mother and said, "Mum, I'm going to be Head Girl."
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Draco was rudely awakened by the sound of tapping on his window pane. Deciding that letting the disgruntled owl come in would allow him to return to his beauty sleep quicker, he opened the window for it to drop off the letter it clutched into his hands. His interest was aroused when he felt the letter to be heavier than normal. Tearing it open, he pulled out a small, round object, with the letters 'HB' glinting proudly in the sunlight. With a groan, he tossed the badge and the unread letter onto his desk and returned to his bed for some much needed rest.
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The Hogwarts Express was just about to pull out of Platform 9¾ as a bushy haired girl with a very flushed face managed to clamber onto one of the carriages. Not seeing somebody occupying the tiny spot of space available, she knocked into him in her haste and caused her luggage bag to fly open, her contents spilling out everywhere.
The somebody was not pleased. "Hey, watch where you're going…Granger?"
Hermione looked up from her position on the floor to see Draco looking down at her with a glare. "Oh, um…sorry about that, Malfoy. I didn't know I'd be this late."
Spotting the Head Girl badge pinned neatly on her robes, he smirked. "I suppose standing in front of the mirror admiring your badge doesn't happen to be the cause of this lateness?"
She was saved from answering by Harry's worried shout of "Hermione!" Running towards her, he gave his friend a concerned look. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, yeah I'm fine," Hermione replied, dusting off her clothes as she got up. "I was late, the train was just about to leave the station and I just managed to get on. I collided into Malfoy in my haste, but I'm fine. Really."
Ron, who had arrived mere seconds after Harry, had started packing all Hermione's belongings back into her luggage bag. Giving a curt nod in Draco's direction, he led his friends into the next carriage, the boys' belongings sprawled over every visible spot marking it their carriage.
Harry gave Hermione a sheepish grin. "Sorry about the mess, Hermione. Oh, and congratulations on becoming Head Girl. It's such a pity you were in Australia this holiday; Mrs Weasley was over the moon when she read the letter you sent us. She wanted to throw a congratulatory party for you, you know."
"Honestly, you should have seen her. Blimey, she even cried over this," Ron said, with a shake of his head.
Hermione laughed. "Yes, I do wish I could have been with you guys and the Weasleys, but oh, Australia was so much fun! You have no idea how warm winter is over there and…" Hermione continued to share the details of her trip with her friends for the remainder of the trip.
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"I'm really too full to have another treacle tart Ron. How do you manage to eat so much and stay so skinny all these years?"
Harry laughed. "Well then Hermione, would you like to see the tummy he has hidden under his baggy t-shirts?"
"Mmm, maybe another day," Hermione replied, a little distracted. She had been waiting all evening for Professor Dumbledore to announce the new Head Boy and Head Girl this year, but as supper was over and still no announcement was made, she decided it was finally time to retire. She had after all, only returned from Australia two days ago, and had barely slept a wink in anticipation of finding who the Head Boy would be. It must have slipped Dumbledore's mind to announce them. Still, she thought, I'll be able to see who he is once in the Head's common room. "Guys, I think I'll head off for the night now. Enjoy your treacle tarts Ron, and Harry, make sure his stomach won't show through his uniform tomorrow. You know they're not as baggy as his shirts," she said with a wink.
Harry smirked. "Will do. You go and rest now, you look absolutely exhausted."
As Hermione made her way to the Heads common room, her brain just would not rest. Exactly who did Dumbledore appoint as Head Boy? Once again, she went through all the possible candidates who may have been assigned the position, but she had already chatted with them and saw no badge clipped to their robe. Reaching the portrait hole, she said the password and it swung open, letting her inside. Seeing no Head Boy in the shared common room, she walked over to one of the open doors, hoping to glimpse her partner for the year. Disappointed that he still had not returned from the feast, she made her way to the other side of the common room and into the Head Girl room, finally retiring for the day.
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Draco yawned widely as he made his way up to the Head's common room. It really was just his luck to be spending his final year at Hogwarts with the Gryffindor bookworm. Stepping through the portrait hole, he grimaced at the sight of Hermione's shoes lying in the middle of the common room messily. He'd be sure to lay some ground rules with the Head Girl tomorrow over the state of the common, at the very least. Oh, and the bathroom too, spying the door which separated his room from hers.
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Hermione gaped at the piece of parchment laid on her study table in the common room.
Granger,
I am most displeased with your lack of neatness. Seeing as we are to share this place for the reminder of the year I would like to lay down a few ground rules.
Rule #1: Pick up after yourself. I would rather not see your belongings flung carelessly around the common room. You may do so in the privacy of your own room.
Rule #2: Refrain from leaving trails of mud across the carpet. Think of the extra work the house elves will have to do. Remember to thank me later for cleaning it.
Rule #3: I don't want to hear you sprouting all the S.P.E.W stuff. I come from a Pureblood family and have grown accustomed to be waited on. Don't bother changing it or I will not be very happy with you.
If I see any need to, I shall add more rules later.
Malfoy
The main content of the letter flew right over Hermione's head. So Malfoy was Head Boy. It now made sense as to why Dumbledore didn't announce the Heads of this year. Despite his change of allegiance and immense contribution in the War, the name Malfoy was not popular or well liked amongst the public. Lucius had simply done too much damage and killed many innocent people before he saw the error of his ways. Although Draco was more readily accepted by the public, his school mates were not as forgiving, remembering the way he used to bully those who were weaker than him. Malfoy's continual cold treatment of his classmates only added fuel to fire. Hermione and the Order members however, had been witness to another side of Draco during the last period of the War as he provided information upon information to them of the movements of Voldemort. They had seen him suffer greatly under the enormous burden of betraying the Dark Lord.
Recalling the pain he had went through, Hermione decided that she'd try her best to work together with Malfoy this year. They wouldn't be friends, but at least they'd be able to work together without much conflict. If Malfoy allowed it, that is.
Looking up from the parchment, Hermione saw the Head Boy stride across the common room and towards the portrait hole. "Malfoy, can I have a word before you leave?"
Draco sighed silently, but stopped in his tracks.
"I was just thinking, since we're both made Heads this year - and it's such a huge responsibility too - I thought it'd be best to try and work together rather than argue and fight all the time. It would be so much easier on the prefects and teachers, not to mention ourselves, if we could at least communicate with one another without snapping at each other. Besides, once we…Malfoy, are you even listening to what I'm saying?"
Rolling his eyes, Draco turned to face Hermione. "Of course I am Granger, why else would I be standing here listening to you jabbering on when I could be downstairs eating my breakfast by now?"
"Well the least you could have done was turn around when I was talking to you," Hermione huffed. "Am I that inferior to you that you can't even acknowledge my presence when I'm speaking to you?"
Draco couldn't help but smirk. "If that's what you think, I'm not about to change it. However, if you plan on having us getting along this year, you better check your temper first. I'd rather have no communication whatsoever if that's the way you reply to me." Turning back towards the portrait hole, Draco glimpsed the piece of parchment still in Hermione's hands. "Oh, and make sure you follow those rules I gave you to the dot. I expect the common room to be neat and tidy, at the very least. I could care less about your room."
Hermione was feeling rather indignant of the Head Boy's attitude by this stage. Just where does he get off to boss me around like this?! Oh I'd love to strangle him so much right now…deep breaths, Hermione, deep breaths. No matter how hard Draco made this for her, Hermione resolved to try hard to be understanding of his actions. She had seen how he changed during the final period of the War – that he was capable of differentiating between right and wrong – contrary to her previous assumptions.
"Well Malfoy, just make sure you're back here tonight by ten thirty, we still have to work on the Patrols roster."
Draco headed towards the portrait hole and muttered a barely audible "whatever" before he disappeared through it.
"Oh, and I plan on adding a few rules to the list myself," Hermione called out as the portrait door swished back into place.
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Malfoy, I've made a few amendments to the list of rules.
If you wish for me to follow yours, do so accordingly with mine.
Rule #4: Stay out of my room.
Rule #5: No inviting of our friends into the Heads rooms. It is for us only.
Rule #6: You must return to the common room by 11pm the latest on the nights we need to work on the Patrols roster.
Hermione
Draco merely tossed the piece of parchment aside after he read it. He had had a long day of classes, frequently becoming annoyed with a certain Head Girl and her never ending fountain of knowledge. She just never seemed to understand that shooting up her arms to answer every darn question wouldn't get her brownie points anymore. Merlin knows all the teachers are well aware of her level of intelligence. I'm going barmy, Draco thought, I just complimented Granger in my head. He picked up the parchment and proceeded to scrunch it up before throwing it into a nearby bin. Granger could write whatever she liked, but Draco wasn't about to follow those stupid rules. Especially not rule #6. Just who did she think she was! He was Head Boy and he'd be damned to have an 11pm curfew. He ignored the fact that it would only be one evening a week. One evening was already too much, he thought with a sniff. And she still owed him a thank you! Malfoys never cleaned up after anyone. Ever.
His eyes grew slightly larger when he saw a familiar bushy head resting on one side of the armchair in the common room. Draco shook his head. The girl is crazier than I thought. Why sleep on that uncomfortable armchair when there's such a spacious bed awaiting her in her room?
As if sensing someone watching her, Hermione stirred from her position. Seeing Malfoy standing by his study desk and staring at her, she scrambled up into a sitting position and checked the time on her watch. 12:30am. She sighed. This was going to be a long year.