A/N: Okay, guys! I know. I know. I keep deleting and re-uploading stories, usually with the same name, and generally the same topic, but this time I swear it's different. This story is replacing The Truth About Draco, so hopefully, you'll find this one a little easier to read! As always, reviews are more than welcome! (They're practically required! Just kidding... kind of.) Hope you enjoy!

Summary: After the Second Wizarding War, most everyone who took part in the Battle of Hogwarts was offered a job at the Ministry. But not Draco Malfoy. So what's a seriously bored Slytherin to do while his parents are on House Arrest? He goes back to Hogwarts to finish his education, of course! When he's made Head Boy alongside Hermione Granger, (who, let's face it, is the obvious choice for Head Girl) will he let his old hatreds die hard? And more importantly, when he discovers a horrible family secret on All Hallows Eve, the night of a full moon, how is he going to explain to Hermione that he requires her help in brewing a certain potion? And how will the two of them react when it becomes very, very apparent that Draco's inner beast has chosen Hermione as his mate? Things at Hogwarts might just get a little furry.

- Draco -

Draco Malfoy had never been one to wonder after the thoughts and feelings of a girl, much less care about what she thought about him. But as he sat at the Slytherin table, staring dejectedly down at his untouched plate of food, he had to wonder how she was doing it.

Hermione Granger sat on the other side of the Great Hall, her tinkling laughter clear above the din of the other voices. Usually, the sound of her laughter was a cause for great annoyance with the blonde Slytherin. But today, it was a cause for great confusion. Out of all people, the last person Draco would expect to be in a good mood was Granger.

She, along with Draco and the rest of their class, had been invited back to Hogwarts for the newly formed eighth year. While it wasn't at all mandatory, Draco hadn't received the offer of a job at the Ministry, like everyone else had. He had nothing better to do.

Draco sat alone at the end of the Slytherin table – none of his old "friends" had deigned to return to Hogwarts, and none of the newer students wanted anything to do with him. He was an ex-Death Eater, after all.

But despite that, McGonagall had selected him as Head Boy. The badge that was pinned to his chest had been the cause of several whispered discussions, ever since he'd gotten on the damned train.

He was already aware of whom his female counterpart was. Of course it was her – no one else was smart enough. Even from across the hall, the glint of Granger's Head Girl badge taunted him.

Sure, many of his old prejudices had died with Voldemort, but he still wasn't thrilled with the idea of facing Granger after what his deranged aunt had done to her. He had been horrible to her, and it had taken her being tortured right before his eyes for him to realize it.

Shoving his plate away from him, he glanced up and across the hall. Granger was deep in conversation with the Weaslette, the younger and new Gryffindors hanging onto their every word. They were the heroes of the war.

He was the reason the Death Eaters were able to gain access to the castle. He was the reason Dumbledore was dead.

Groaning inwardly, he dropped his head down onto the table with a hollow thunk. By the time the feast was over, Draco's mood had grown considerably darker. When Flitwick dismissed the students to their dorms, Draco stood with a grunt. As Head Boy, it was his job to lead the First Year students down to the Slytherin dorms.

Glancing across the hall, he sighed. Of course. Granger was herding the First Years out of the Great Hall like she'd been born to do it. Rolling his eyes, he glanced back over his shoulder and jerked his chin in the direction of the doors. Nervously, the gaggle of First Years hurried after him, most of them whispering to each other.

Closing his eyes for a moment, Draco just continued walking, leading the First Years down into the dungeons.

Once they reached the wall which concealed the common room, Draco turned on his heel to face the students.

"Right. Well, this is how you get in and out of the common room. The password is top secret – you cannot tell any members of any other House this password. Doing so will result in Slytherin House losing points. Does everyone understand?"

"But sir..." one of the braver male students mumbled. "This is just a wall."

Draco's lips twitched into an almost-smile.

"That's what you think." he murmured. Turning his head, he whispered the password, and a previously concealed stone door slid to the side, revealing a rectangular entryway. Several of the students gasped, and Draco smirked before turning back to them.

"Any other questions?

The First Years around him all shook their heads, several of them still gaping at the hidden door. Draco nodded once at them.

"The password is 'Loyalty'. Easy enough to remember, right?" he mused. The First Years bobbed their heads in agreement, and Draco blew out a sigh. "Right. Good. Well... I'll leave you to it, then. Have... a good year."

Offering a small wave, Draco turned back down the hall, hurrying away and leaving the First Years in the hands of the Prefects.

His shoulders hunched, he headed for the third floor, where the Head's Dorm was located. Pulling the map McGonagall had given him out of the pocket of his robes, he studied the directions that would lead him to what would very probably be potentially the most dangerous moments of his life.

Sighing, he glanced up when he came to the portrait he was looking for. A rather severe looking woman arched a brow down at him, her lips pursed and her jaw set.

"Password?" she asked, tone clipped.

'Wonderful,' he thought bitterly. 'Even the bloody paintings hate me.'

"Albus Dumbledore." he replied quietly. The woman in the painting smiled very faintly, as if she could sense his guilt and was pleased by it, before the portrait swung open.

Taking a deep breath, he ducked through the portrait hole, and into the corridor that would lead him to the dorm room he would be sharing with the Gryffindor Golden Girl.

Steeling himself, he stepped into the room. Granger sat on a red leather couch, a book in her lap, and her sleeves on her sweater pushed up to her elbows. Her scars were in full view.

Glancing up at him, Granger smiled sweetly.

"Evening, Malfoy." she said chipperly.

He stood stock still in the entrance, blinking at the woman in front of him. Her eyes were slightly narrowed, and if the line of her jaw wasn't a clear indication of how she felt about him, Draco didn't know what was.

"Look, Granger..." he muttered, averting his eyes. "There was nothing I could have done about that... if I had, we would have both been killed."

Granger's eyes narrowed even further, but her smile didn't fade.

"Whatever are you talking about?" she asked, her chipper tone not changing. Draco did look at her then, his own eyes narrowing.

"The bloody scars, Granger. I'm sorry, alright? I know you're fucking pissed at me. I am pissed at me. I should have bloody helped you, but I was scared. Is that what you want? For me to admit how much of a fucking coward I am?" he snapped. "Because it's the truth. I was a bloody fucking coward, and I was too terrified for my own ass to do the right thing. I let you bleed, because I was too much of a fucking coward. Are you happy now?"

Granger studied him for a few moments, before finally, her jaw unclenched, and her eyes softened.

"No, I'm not." she said quietly. "I'm sorry – this wasn't your fault, and it's unfair of me to blame you. You're right... we both would have died. I don't blame you for this."

Draco blinked at her, feeling like he'd just been kicked in the gut. After all he'd done to her, after everything he'd put her through... here she was, telling him that she didn't blame him for something that, by all rights, she should have set him on fire for.

"Uh..." he muttered brilliantly.

Granger offered what might have been a smile, had it not been for the tense situation, closing her book.

"We're going to be living together all term, Draco." she said quietly. "Which means that we're going to have to find a way to get past this... hatred you have for me."

Draco shot her a look, momentarily dismissing the fact that she'd used his given name.

"I don't hate you." he said forcefully. "Not anymore... and I'm sorry that I was a complete ass to you. You saved my bloody life, after everything I put you through. For me to hate you now would be childish."

Granger arched a brow.

"Well." she muttered. "I... uh. I'm glad you feel that way."

"You are?" Draco asked, raising a brow of his own. Granger chuckled, getting to her feet.

"Well, yes, it is a bit of a relief to know that I won't be miserable for the duration of the year." she mused, a small smirk on her face.

"Ah... yeah. I guess." he muttered, averting his eyes again. Granger chuckled again, and he felt rather than heard her move closer to him.

"I don't hate you, Draco Malfoy. The sheer fact that you're here in this dorm with me leads me to believe that your intelligence is at least comparable to my own, and I look forward to getting to know you. The real you." she said, and he looked up at her. She wore a small smile, and her head was tilted to the side in the most damnably adorable manner he had ever encountered.

"'At least comparable'?" he blurted. Granger was startled into laughing.

"Well, until you prove me wrong, I have to believe that Professor McGonagall was running low on options for the position of Head Boy." she teased. Draco blinked at her.

"Ouch." he muttered, and she laughed again. He found himself smiling at the sound.

'Maybe this won't be so bad, after all.' he thought.