A/N: it is my second story, my first is currently on hiatus, due to writer's block.
Disclaimer: If you recognise it, I don't own it.
…...
Hermione's POV
It was my first day, at my last year, at Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I was on my way to the station, when I really thought about that. I was in the Head student's compartment, and we had four Heads this year, one from each house. I was the one from Griffindor, obviously. Terry Boot was the one from Ravenclaw, he was a pureblood, but didn't really care about any of that. Hannah Abbott, Terry's girlfriend, was the one from Hufflepuff, and we weren't sure who the one from Slytherin was.
We all conversed for about five minutes, then Headmistress McGonagall stepped into the compartment, Draco Malfoy in tow. I just stared, open-mouthed, and Terry and Hannah simultaneously yelled "What!" as not a question, but an expletive.
"Hello, students. I assume that you have all been acquainted, well all of you that were here. We figured it safer for Mr. Malfoy, here that I bring him here, as the rest of the staff and I think that you would probably tear him to bits before he could get a word out if I weren't here." We all waited a minute,looking between ourselves, then nodded, agreeing with what McGonagall had said.
"B-b-but," I started, but Malfoy interrupted before I could finish.
"I am here to call a truce with the rest of you. I know that I have been a right-spoiled ass, but I hope you will understand. Please?" he added at the end, with an honest look in his molten-silver eyes that could melt anyone.
"That's not fair. You don't know how much hell I have been through because of you, Malfoy. I deserve to hate you."
"Miss Granger, in the hall." McGonagall told me, with a meaningful look.
"Yes, Ma'am." I replied, eyes cast down as I followed McGonagall out to the hallway, where nobody but us was. She cast a silencing spell, just to be safe.
"I understand that you are to hate Mr. Malfoy after what he has done to you. But, you don't know what he has been through, either. He has undergone the Imperious, and the Cruciatus curses. He had no choice but to become a Death Eater, or if he hadn't, he would've been killed. He really does understand what you went through. He really does. You are the one not understanding. I have put him under Veritaserum. He even told me that he looked up to you. Now, I will leave the rest of the secrets to be spilled by him, but just make an effort to be kind. Okay, Miss Granger?"
"Yes, Ma'am." I said, analysing all of the information she had just given me, as we walked back into the compartment.
"I'm sorry about my little outburst, Malfoy. I feel bad about it now. It was rude, and I didn't take into account your life. I-" I was cut off by Malfoy putting his index finger to my lips. It made my heart beat a million miles a minute.
"Hey, it's okay. And, call me Draco. We should be civil to each other, and seeing as Pot-head and Weasel aren't here this year, and are becoming big-headed aurors, it could work." he said, and I laughed at his nicknames for my best friends, well, more like brothers.
"Okay, Draco. And, since you invited me to call you Draco, I'd better invite you to call me 'Mione."
"Well, I was going to call you that anyway, but I guess it's better now that I have permission, 'Mione. It's actually a very fitting nickname, for you. Even though it sounds like 'my knee'." I giggled again. I don't exactly know why, but I felt a fluttering in my chest.
"Oh! The train's arriving at Hogwarts in two minutes! Hand me my trunk, will you, Draco?"
"Here ya go, 'Mione," he responded, handing me the trunk. I grabbed my robes so I could change out of the skin-tight skinny jeans and cropped tee shirt. I walked to the bathrooms, draco trailing closely behind. I paused right outside the door, to knock, and he came up right behind me, leaned in close, so I could feel his breath on my neck, and whispered in my ear, "I think you look fine in what you're wearing."
"Oh." was all I could answer, before I ran into the bathroom, changing as quickly as I could, half hoping to run into him on the way out, half hoping to avoid him for the rest of the night.
Later, in the Great Hall, Hannah and Terry were excused to go to the house tables, and call order. Draco and I were left to get the First years settled, and get them to calm down, so the sorting and speeches could begin. There were fifteen new Griffindors, three new Ravenclaws, seven new Hufflepuffs, and twelve new Slytherins. I really didn't care, as long as no one started randomly dueling.
"Hermione?" Draco asked, hoping to catch my attention, while the younger students dug into their food.
"Yeah?" I asked in return.
"I'm sorry I made that comment earlier. It was inappropriate, and-" I cut him off, with my finger up to his mouth.
"No. Don't apologise. It was fine, but no repeat performances anytime soon, okay?"
"Okay." He said, moving his lips against my finger. I realised that it was still up, and took it down and held it in my lap, looking down.
"I-err, I'm going to go ask the Headmistress if I can go to the Head's room."
"All right. I'm going to stay here, maybe talk to Blaise, a bit."
"Okay. I am going to go. If you need some help finding your way, I will help you, as I am supposed to do patrols tonight. With you, actually. Meet me at the hump-backed witch statue at eleven."
"Okay." He muttered, but I had already left.
I walked to the teacher's table, and asked McGonagall if she could show me, Terry, and Hannah the dorms.
"Where will Draco be?"
"Oh, off talking to his friend, Blaise. We are doing patrols tonight, as you assigned, and he agreed to meet me at one of the statues at eleven."
"Okay, Miss Granger." and with that, she led me out of the hall, Terry and Hannah trailing behind, holding hands.
When we reached the portrait hole, the picture was one of a dead flower, wilted, and sad. The background was grey and sad, too. Draco was supposed to choose the password when he got back, so we put a temporary password on the door: Magic Bananas. He was supposed to say, "Flower, Magic Bananas, Flower," to the portrait to change the password.
Eleven o'clock came, and I ran to the witch statue, arriving one minute late. Draco was already there, and said, "One minute and seven seconds late."
"Really? Counting seconds?"
"Yep. I was bored."
"Okay. Let's go, and get the patrol over with, then seal the doors."
We came across some Slytherins snogging in the library, and deducted ten house points from each of them. We also found some lost Hufflepuffs, undoubtedly high on something, as they were yelling at a dragon statue, and we took them to their common room, and deducted twenty points from each, ten for being high, and ten for being out after curfew.
When we were done with the patrols, we headed back to our dorms, as it was one a.m., and we both needed some sleep even though it was a Saturday the next day. I told Draco how to change the password, and he changed it to, "Les dragons sont toujours sexy."
"What does that mean?"
"Oh, just that Dragons Are Forever Sexy."
"You are just so full of yourself, aren't you." I teased in a joking, yet tired tone.
"Go to bed. It's one-forty five, according to my watch." he said, pointing down to his wrist.
"Fine. But only because I'm tired, not because you told me to." I told him.
"Go. We have to plan the Halloween ball tomorrow. The other two are planning the spring one." he yawned, then realised that his last words had gone unheard, as Hermione had fallen asleep already, on the sofa next to him.
What to do, what to do! Do I carry her upstairs to her bed? Or do I leave her down here? Or, do I take her up to my bed, as I don't know her password. Oh! I'll try once, then take her into my room, if it doesn't work!
He picked her up carefully, then carried her up the stairs to where the bedrooms were. Each door was painted with a house symbol, their animals. He went up to the door painted with a lion, and whispered to it, "Hogwart's: A History!" The door opened. He was semi-disappointed, but also relieved. It would be scary to wake up to her reaction. He carried her in the door, transfigured the clothes she was wearing into sweatpants and a tight tee-shirt emblazoned with the Slytherin crest, then pulled back the fluffy gold quilt, and settled her into the red silk sheets, tucking her into bed. Then, after a moment of thought, kissed her forehead, and strutted into his own room.
He changed into his pajamas, just a pair of boxers, no shirt, and threw back the green quilt to settle himself into bed. After a moment, he heard a sleepy girl's voice at the door. "Thank you, Draco. But now I have to change my password!" He laughed at Hermione's statement. "Goodnight!" She called, then heard him return the phrase.
