Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Harry Potter. Please review!

Watching.

Listening.

Spying.

There was nothing Hermione Granger didn't know about.

Nothing.

Most people think Hermione Granger is above gossip, emerged only in her world of knowledge, but gossip is merely another subject in which to be all knowing. And Hermione Granger was all knowing… Except for several small things, of course, that had managed to escape her ever watchful eye. Such as, was Ernie from Hufflepuff gay? One could not quite tell. And Pansy Parkinson… death eater?

Perhaps.

The Parkinsons had always walked a fine line between good and evil. And, of course, there was still the mystery of the great Harry Potter. One could never quite figure him out. Although they were best friends, there were some things Harry just would not talk about.

His past.

His future.

Voldemort.

Hell, it was hard to get him to talk about much besides quittich! Hermione knew there was more to him than meets the eye… much more. But the greatest mystery of all was that of none other than Draco Malfoy.

Sometimes he seemed almost kind—humanlike if you will. But that was around his 'own kind'. The Slytherins. But his humanlike side had been seen away from the Slytherins, but only on occasion, very rare occasion. In fact, Hermione had only seen his 'humanlike' side clearly on one occasion. And the most bizarre thing about it was it involved Harry Potter.

Mortal enemies since day one of Hogwarts, and yet… Draco Malfoy took down his mask, if only for a moment, but nonetheless, it was down. All the way down.

Harry had been sitting at the lake, brooding about Sirius, and Malfoy had been on his way to… to who knows where.

"Potter," Malfoy said. He hadn't been rude to him, just acknowledging his presence, which was more than the two boys had done for each other any time before the incident, and also any time since.

"Look, Malfoy, I'm really not in the mood right now. I just…" Harry trailed off. He, once again, had been blaming himself for Sirius' death, and worrying about the others that he held dear. All he did was kill those he loved, in his mind anyways.

"Me either. I fucking hate it sometimes."

Harry started at this comment. "What? What do you hate?"

Draco sighed, his eyes full of more emotion than they had ever held before. "Everything… school... my father… Voldemort…" he continued in a softer voice, "Us."

Harry swallowed, and looked him squarely in the eye, "Me too."

Hermione had been coming after Harry to encourage him to come back inside. Ron was worried, and blamed (who else) Draco Malfoy for his disappearance. Honestly, Ron was so one-minded. If it weren't for that fact, Hermione often thought she could like him-love him even (Ron, that is). When she saw Harry and Malfoy sitting together, her mind automatically jumped to conclusions as well. They were fighting again, but then she looked closer, and in all of her cleverness, managed to notice they were being civil…

Civil!

"Potter… I, uhh," Malfoy paused, as if summoning up his courage to say something, but then changed his mind. "Good luck with all of this Voldemort shit," he said squaring his shoulders. The human form of him, which Hermione liked to refer to as Draco-and the mask he wore every day was Malfoy-was gone. It left her wondering if it was ever there at all.

"Errr, thanks," Harry said politely.

He couldn't want him to actually kill Voldemort, did he? Nah, he was a death eater… or was he? This added to Hermione's list of things she definitely did not know about Draco Malfoy.

Malfoy nodded once, and turned in to go to the school. Malfoy just sneered at Hermione at his exit, and Hermione looked blankly after him. She was still trying to comprehend what had just happened.

"'Mione… please don't tell anyone," Harry begged desperately.

"What? That you talked to Malfoy? Why does it matter? What did he say?" Hermione asked, bombarding him with questions.

Harry rubbed his temples, "Err, well, he said he was sick of it. Of us," Harry said, looking wistfully into the lake. "But—but he must have been joking right? I mean… I guess, I…"

"Oh Harry, I don't know what he meant either."

"But do you know what the most bizarre thing was? He said good luck with this Voldemort shit. He used the real name and everything. He seemed like he was going to say something else, and then he… changed. Bloody Malfoy."

Hermione chuckled quietly, and persuaded Harry to go inside before Ron went ballistic and hexed Malfoy into a million pieces.

This was when Hermione Granger realized her new project. Draco Malfoy. She had to know him. Understand him. See what was under his metal shield. Hermione Granger was determined to crack Draco Malfoy!

Naturally, her quest to understand the most mysterious person at Hogwarts began studiously. Hermione was determined to dig up as much information about the Malfoy family and heritage that she could possibly find... But the first things she had to do, she reasoned, would be to make a list of things she was sure she knew about him, and a list of things that were questionable and that she would like to answer in her quest.

Things I know as facts about Draco Malfoy:

-father's name: Lucius Malfoy, death eater. (that fact cannot be disputed, but the fact of whether or not Draco is remains to be proven either way)

-Only child

-In Slytherin

-Pureblood

-Mother: Narcissa Malfoy, formerly a Black

Wow... I guess I don't really know a lot about him. I don't suppose I could count his appearance? No... that really isn't solid evidence concerning on thing or another. There are multiple other things I could possibly write down, but nothing actually concrete...

Time to attempt the other list. Questions swirled through Hermione's list, and she began jotting down only the most obvious questions.

Things I desire to learn about Draco Malfoy:

-Is he a death eater? (More than likely--after all, his father is, and he is in Slytherin...)

-And if he is... does he already have the mark and participate in rituals, or is he merely a 'death eater in training', and intends to receive the mark when he is older and out of Hogwarts?)

-Did/does he desire to be a death eater, or was he pressured into it by his father?

-Malfoy's sexuality (Not that I care, of course, but much of the gossip in Hogwarts concerns someone or another shagging Malfoy... but many of those sources just can't be relied on. And, after all, he is a bit more into his appearance than most males of his age!)

-And about the gossip... is it true? Does he shag different girls every night, or is that simply a ploy to make him seem more desirable? (Not that he isn't already... most all of the girls drool over him when he walks past, and many of the boys despise him for his good looks. And, of course, I can't go against it... it's so obviously true. He is bloody hot.)

-Why does he despise Harry so much? (Most of Harry's hatred towards Malfoy stems from the fact that he has spent years being terrorized by Malfoy for no reason. Now their hatred has gotten to the point where neither of them seem to know where it stemmed from...)

-What is Narcissa Malfoy like? Has she followed in the footsteps of her husband and become a death eater? (That is more than likely, but the controversy remains of whether or not she actually believes in it. It is possible that she was forced to join the ranks merely because of her husband's influence on her.)

-And what is Malfoy's relationship with his mother like? Is she loving and caring, or mean and cruel? Are they close? Does Malfoy respect her?

-And Malfoy's father? He idolizes him... right? (After all, he does talk about him enough. Yes, of this I am almost certain, but I'll wait to add it to the other list until I am absolute.)

-Does Malfoy study? (I can't help to be curious about this fact. I am often in the library and have seen him there only on rare occasions, and yet he still manages to receive almost top grades, I am the only student above him in the school. Perhaps he is just naturally smart, or picks up on things in class easily... I would so desire to know the answer to this predicament!)

-What about Malfoy's friends? Are they death eaters? Pansy, Blaise, Crabbe, and Goyle? (As I mentioned earlier, one could never be quite sure about the Parkinsons... and I suppose I don't really know much of the Zabinis. Although, I quite remember Mr.'s Crabbe and Goyle being in Voldemort's ranks, if my memory serves me correctly.)

-Does he actually like them? (Crabbe and Goyle are so dense, I honestly can't help but wonder how Malfoy can associate with them. Contrary to what people may think, he is an extremely intelligent person.)

-Now, the tougher questions... Malfoy's mask. Why is it there? Why isn't he more open about emotion? (It's rare to see anything but annoyance and anger on his face, and yet I know it's there. How is it that he doesn't show it? Does he do it on purpose, or naturally? Who taught him, and why?)

-Malfoy's personality. Contrary to how he always acts... is there a nice side underneath him? He does have some friends, after all, and why else would they be friends with him if the couldn't stand him? Money and fame can only go so far in a friendship, after all.

Hermione's next step was to form a cunning plan in which she would get close to Draco. Yes... Draco, she had forced herself to begin calling him by his proper name; after all, if she was going to understand him, she was going to have to be friends with him... This was going to be harder than she thought!

How does one go about becoming friends with Draco Malfoy? He's not exactly the friendly type... it's not as though I (or anyone else for that matter) can just approach him in the hallways and say, "Hello, Draco, care to go for a walk?"

Ha! As if! He'd laugh in my face!

Yes... I do believe that the way to Draco Malfoy is through his friends. Perhaps Crabbe and Goyle are so dense I can con them into being friends with me, and therefore getting to Draco. Or perhaps Crabbe and Goyle aren't the best choice... he does seem to respect the opinions of other said minions better than Crabbe and Goyle. Yes, they were the answer.

"'Mione, are you coming?" Harry asked, lightly shaking her shoulder. "We've got Potions in five minutes!"

"FIVE MINUTES! HARRY, ARE YOU INSANE? WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY SOMETHING SOONER! WE'LL NEVER MAKE IT ON TIME... SNAPE WILL GIVE US DETENTION FOR EVEN THINKING ABOUT BEING LATE! HURRY UP, THEN, LET'S GO!"

"Errr, okay?" Harry said, being whisked out of the Common Room. By the time Hermione finished ranting at him, they were already half way down the hallway outside of the Griffindor Common Room.

Despite the Potions room being on the opposite side of the castle, Hermione and Harry managed to make it on time. They plopped into their respective seats (on either side of Ron), and doubled over, breathing heavily. After all, they had been sprinting for over four minutes... one is bound to be out of breath.

"Potter. Granger. Thank you for taking time out of your wonderfully busy schedules to make it to class... Ten points from Griffindor for failing to come early enough," Snape sarcastically spat.

Their mouths dropped, "But Professor, we're on time! The bell hasn't even rung yet," Harry whined.

"Would you rather I made it twenty points, Mr. Potter?"

"Errr, no sir."

"Good. Today we will be beginning a rather difficult potion--one which could be lethal to not only the drinker, but to those brewing it, if not made correctly. To avoid unnecesary deaths, there will be pairings of one competent in potions, and a less than competent student. The potion we are making binds magic along with regular potion ingredients, and therefore you will be required to work with your partner and pool your magics together to make the potion. You will have to have complete faith and trust in your partner, or there will be disastrous effects. The potion is called Imbyssm Catticus. Can anyone tell me what it does?"

Ignoring Hermione's waving hand he continued, "No one... how sad. It is used to track other witches and wizards, and keep a record of what they do. It is also possible to watch their every move."

"But professor, isn't that dangerous? Couldn't Voldemort be using that against Harry or Dumbledore or someone? Or couldn't we use it on him?" Hermione uneasily replied.

"Ten more points from Griffindor for speaking out of turn. But no, most powerful witches and wizards can feel the presence of the potion, and many are even able to block it out. Therefore, it would be unwise to use it on such people."

Much to the dismay of many students, Snape continued on to announce that everyone would be paired with someone from the opposite house. Each Slytherin would be with a Griffindor, and so on.

"Bullstrode, Longbottom. Granger, Zabini. Parkinson, Finnegan. Weasley, Goyle. Malfoy, Potter," he continued on until all of the students had been listed. I suggest you begin quickly--the potion takes over one-hundred hours to brew, and all must be completed at exact times. Along with creating the potion, you and your partner will be required to create a presentation about a specific, interesting aspect of the potion and several ten foot long essays, one for each of the following topics: the properties of the potion, the brewing process, how and why it was created, why each ingredient in it is used and what it does for the potion, effects if it was made incorrectly, how to recognize if you or someone you know is under effect of the potion, and lastly, how to get rid of the potion if you were under it's effects. That is seven essays, each ten feet long. Seventy feet of essays. They, the presentations, and the potions are due in exactly One-hundred and fifty class time hours. This gives you more than enough time to brew in class, and I suggest that you work outside of class with your partners in order to finish on time. You and your partner must collaborate on the essays, I will not allow one person to do each of the essays. Late work will not be accepted."

Snape's next statement, "Get to work," was followed with a chorus of groans from each of the houses.

Hermione sighed, she was stuck working with Zabini, but there were worse things, right? Like if she got stuck with Crabbe or Goyle... yes, they were even denser than Zabini! And this also would help her along in her plan very nicely... very nicely indeed."

"Okay, Granger," Zabini sighed. "Let's get started."

Hermione nodded enthusiastically. She was already immersed in her text book, reading the instructions to the potion. "We should begin with chopping ingredients today, they all have to be added at precise times, so it would be better if we got the majority of the ingredients ready so we can begin on the potion in class tomorrow," she instructed. "I'll get the dragon liver, asphodel root, and doxy eggs. Those have to be added first. You get the knives out."

She briskly walked to the supply cabinet, already more than nervous for this huge assignment, how would they ever finish! She remembered that Harry had been paired with Malfoy, and looked up to see how they were doing. Said boys were already bickering quietly about what they should do first. Hermione sighed; this was going to be a long couple of weeks!

"Soo, Granger," Zabini said once they had begun dicing doxy eggs. They needed exactly 15.65 pounds of them diced to perfection. "Looks like Potty and Malfoy are having a good time, eh?" he asked, gesturing to the two. Harry was ashamedly looking at the dragon's hide he had been peeling (it looked more like sawdust than perfect shreds that were each three inches long) while Malfoy waved his knife around frantically, yelling how incompetent Harry was at potions.

"Don't call him Potty!" she yelled, glaring at Zabini.

"Woah... back off! I was just trying to be nice and talk to you!"

"Oh..." Hermione said, coloring slightly.

The rest of the class passed rather uneventfully. Hermione and Blaise diced their doxy eggs. Harry and Draco managed to escape the class alive--no small feat for either of them. And all Gryffindors managed to escape detention... well, except for Neville who had already managed to blow up his cauldron.

As they were leaving class Hermione asked, "So, should we get together to work on the essays?"

Blaise groaned, "Already? Can't they wait? I despise essays!"

"Oh, honestly! We have seventy feet of essay that we have to write, not to mention the presentation that we have to get together, and we'll be spending most of our class time just brewing the potion... I really think we should get started!"

"You just want to be around me... already finding it hard to resist my charm, are you?" Blaise taunted.

"Hardly!" Hermione exclaimed, blushing a bright shade of crimson. Although he was rather attractive...

Blaise grinned at her, "Yeah, fine, whatever. I'll meet you in the library, but not until after dinner. I have quittich tonight."

"O-okay," Hermione said in a small voice. "See you then."

Hermione watched as he walked away and clapped Malfoy on the shoulder, joking about his partner. She marveled at how much at ease they were with each other, and how they weren't (like most boys) afraid to express their friendship with Pansy by giving her a quick peck on the cheek, or by returning her quick hug. They certainly were good friends... but Crabbe and Goyle definitely weren't included in their ritual. They stood awkwardly near by; chomping on several candy bars they had produced from their pockets.

Hermione headed off to find Ron and Harry who were, no doubt, talking about Harry's misfortune at being partnered with Draco Malfoy. And Hermione, at the moment, saw no reason to think otherwise. After all, Draco was quite the ruddy bastard.

A/N : What did you think? This chapter just kinda introduces the story. I kept trying to write my other stories, but this plot just kept playing around in my head, and I finally gave into it. I'm really excited for it because I've been itching to write Draco and Blaise for quite a while... I think they're characters that have SOO much potential. So I'm kinda toying around with different ways I could write the two of them. Blaise is gonna be a happy-go-lucky, lady charmer, and Malfoy is... well, Malfoy! Hopefully they'll be in (or very close to it) character. But I'm afraid Ron doesn't have the biggest part in the story, let me know if I start to exclude him too much.

Much love, and thanks for reading! Please, oh please review, I like to know who's reading. Let me know if I made any major mistakes... and I did make up the potion, so don't worry about that. And I will take any suggestions you have to heart. XOXO