All summer long Draco had sat in his room in his parent's sumptuous mansion, bored out of his mind. It didn't help that the Daily Prophet kept Potter as a standing joke. All it did was remind Draco that his father and mother were off serving the Dark Lord and leaving him home alone, yet again, with only the house elf for company. Besides that, he missed her. Talking with that Muggle girl was so easy back then. She made everything simple; everything was black and white when he was with her. She had stopped speaking to him back in first year at Hogwarts. No explanations about it, and Draco had assumed that she was off at some Muggle prep school and had forgotten all about him.

Subsequently Draco had spent hours trying to distract himself, from letters to Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy, to reading his entire book collection over. He even practiced spells, charms, jinxes and enchantments that he knew would come up this year on their O.W.L.s. Still nothing that Draco did could keep his mind occupied for long. All he could think about was how lonely he felt again without her for company. Now that his parents were always busy again, he longed for her again. His comfort. His friend.

He would see his parents off and on during the week and share a stuffy dinner with them and an important guest from the Ministry, but as usual their business dinners never left Draco any chance to talk with his often absent parents. Pansy had quit sending owls to him, and he suspected that she was with another guy again. But it still hurt deep down to know that no matter how popular he was with his House, he really didn't have any friends. Not since her.

Draco was in his room listening to the Wizards Wireless Network when an owl hooted at him from outside his bedroom window. Looking up and thinking about the last letter he sent to Pansy's he was startled to see Potter's snowy owl gazing at him with wide untrusting eyes. Curious, Draco got up and opened the window for the owl to swoop in and deposit a lengthy scroll upon his bed, then glide right back out the still open window with a letter still tied to her leg.

Intending to see who had written to him foolishly and then throw away the scroll still unopened, he was startled to find it was the Mudblood Granger's handwriting, though it seemed oddly more familiar to him than just a passing glance at a hated schoolmates' homework. He tore open the scroll and began reading;

Draco,

I understand you have a deeply ingrained hatred of people such as myself to which you refer to as 'Mudblood' however I have information I would love to share with you and I am only willing to share such information if you would consent to keep all of our correspondence to yourself. You are not to tell anybody of this letter, not even that complete cow Pansy to whom you show such an intense interest in. Speaking of which I might inform you that Pansy is cheating on you with your sometimes friend Blaise Zabini. All last year when she was supposedly studying with her various girlfriends and disappearing for periods of time she was meeting with him at several different locations around the grounds. I only know because I kept running into them while searching for places to help Harry out with his training for the Triwizard Tournament. If you would like to know the information I have for you, then on the first of September meet me outside the bathroom near the prefects' compartment. Do not reply to me via owl.

Hermione

That was positively strange. Why in the world would Granger volunteer information to me? Draco asked himself uncertainly. He could not come up with any sane answer, but wasn't about to complain. If Granger was willing to part with information that could help Draco gain the favor of the Dark Lord, and his parents to see him more often, he was more than willing to try it. Yet, he looked down at her handwriting again, it still seemed more than familiar to him. He wanted to know what it was that made his chest constrict slightly looking at it. Either way he couldn't afford to waste time. As they say here in the wizarding world, time is Galleons.

Deciding thus, Draco applied himself more wholly to the activities which he'd been pursuing throughout the summer. His potions improved, his charms excelled, his jinxes were no longer as difficult and the enchantments he was looking up were much more difficult than what he imagined the first time he attempted anything with his wand. Even his hexes and curses were looking up. Draco wondered why that was but didn't ponder on it too much.

The next day he received a reply to his letter from Pansy and was infuriated.

'Granger had been right. The bitch was cheating on him and his friend Zabini was along for the ride. What a slut,' Draco thought savagely.

'Ugh, why did Granger have to be right? Now the Mudblood not only knew more about the magic he so ardently tried to beat her in, but she even knew more about his personal life than anybody in her status had a right to.'

Draco was still fuming when a barn owl from the school tapped imperiously upon the window with an officially stamped Hogwarts letter clamped in its beak. He furiously jerked open the window and snatched the damn letter out of the indignant owl's beak, before it whooshed off hooting reproachfully.

He noticed that the envelope was a bit heavier than normal and wondered what else was in the letter. He opened it up pulled out three papers instead of the normal two and read;

Dear Mr. Malfoy,

We are pleased to inform you that the Heads of House have each evaluated your merits and have decided to appoint you to the position of prefect for Slytherin House. You are to report to the prefects' compartment in the first carriage on the Hogwarts express on the first of September to receive further instructions from your superiors, the Head Boy and Head Girl of Hogwarts. You will be joined by members of the three other Houses also appointed to the position of Prefect. Your fellow prefect for Slytherin House is Miss Pansy Parkinson. Enjoy your Holidays.

Minerva McGonall, Severus Snape

'Well that was a surprise' Draco thought sourly, 'It may complicate the meeting with Granger though. I don't know how I'll be able to meet with her outside the bathroom on the train if I'm supposed to be getting orders from the Head Boy and Girl with Pansy and the other prefects. . . One thing for sure though is that I won't sit beside Pansy what with her being such a whore and running off with Zabini behind my back.'

Setting these thoughts aside, Draco conjured up his Patronus with a message to send to his mother about obtaining his school supplies for that year before she came home tonight. He watched his silvery dragon soar through the window off to his mother with a thoughtful expression on his normally scowling face. This was turning out to be quite an interesting beginning to an otherwise plain year..