Chapter I

HERMIONE GRANGER'S BLACK shoes clacked smartly on the stone steps as she made her way down to the dungeons for Potions Class. She always tried to get to classes a few minutes early before the other students arrived so that she could get a good seat in the front. She arrived at the large thick wooden door of the classroom and pushed it open.

Professor Snape was there, but so was someone else. That person was talking to Snape, and when his blond head turned, Hermione felt annoyance flare up in her chest. It was Draco Malfoy.

Why is he here? she thought, hurrying down the aisle to the seat she wanted to sit in. He never comes to class early. She set down her books softly and avoided the sneering silver gaze of Malfoy. After a second or so, she sensed that he had turned away. There were low murmurs as the student and teacher resumed their talk. Hermione ignored them and pulled out the cauldron which sat underneath the large wooden double desk.

As she neatly arranged her books next to the large pot, students began to flood in through the door. Hermione noted that Harry and Ron were among the crowd and smiled when they waved at here. But they went to sit in a desk far in the back, away from the hawk-like gaze of Professor Snape. The students chattered and laughed, either not yet noticing that Snape was already in the dungeon, or knowing that he was there but hadn't told them to be quiet. A magnificent dark brown horned owl soared over the students' heads and landed on the teacher's desk. Snape took the envelope from the bird's beak, seemingly to the annoyance of Malfoy, Hermione noticed. As the bird quickly flew out of the dungeon, Snape opened the letter and read through it quickly. His eyes widened in shock, and he re-read the letter, as though he couldn't believe the contents written upon it.

Now I wonder what that is, Hermione thought. I've never seen the professor look so concerned.

Malfoy tried to peer over Snape's shoulder to see the letter, but the professor hurriedly pushed him away. He then seemed to grow aware of the students in the room, who had grown quite noisy now.

"Silence," he said loudly. And the room silenced.

Malfoy grudgingly took that as a cue that he had to go take a seat, so he jumped down the three steps that rose up to the teacher's desk and looked around the room for a place to sit. Hermione shivered as his silver eyes stopped on her momentarily. Malfoy's gaze narrowed and Hermione returned with a glare.

"Professor," Malfoy said in his usual drawling voice, "there isn't a seat open, it seems."

Snape looked up from the letter he had been reading. Hermione looked at the piece of paper in his hands. What was so important about it that Snape had to read it over and over again?

"Perhaps," Malfoy continued, glancing at a desk of two Gryffendor girls sitting in the back and gesturing to them, "one of them could move."

Snape stared at him blankly and looked down at the letter. He sighed, which seemed very heavy, and stood up. When he looked at Malfoy again, he had the same dull look in his eyes like he normally did. "Mr. Malfoy," he said slowly, "perhaps you failed to notice, but there is one seat left open."

Hermione glanced around the room. Where? She couldn't see a seat open. But then she noticed that no one had sat next to her. Eyes turned to look at her, the Gryffendors with pity in their gaze. Ron and Harry's eyes widened. Oh, gods, no… Hermione groaned inwardly.

"Come on, Professor," Malfoy said in a tight voice. He too, it seemed, understood the situation and didn't like it either. "Surely you must be joking? I can't sit there."

Unfortunately, he doesn't know how to joke, Hermione thought. But she did, for once agree with what the ferret was saying. She did not, under any circumstances, wish to sit with Malfoy, even if it was just for one class period.

"I refuse to sit with that mud-!"

"Language, Mr. Malfoy," Snape said, raising his voice slightly to interrupt him. "You will sit with Miss Granger now. Any further arguments and you shall find yourself in here tonight for detention."

Malfoy's pale mouth snapped shut. Picking up his books which were on the cold stone floor, he shuffled over to Hermione's desk and set his belongings down with a loud thump. He slid into his seat as Professor Snape turned to the board and told the class to open their text books to page 320. Hermione shifted as far away from Malfoy as possible and pushed the cauldron in the center of the large desk so that there was an iron wall between them.

She stiffened as Malfoy suddenly leaned over and whispered in her ear, "You had better not mess up whatever potion we're doing, Granger." His breath felt warm, and yet Hermione shivered.

She glared at him and leaned away, hissing, "Oh, please, Malfoy. You're obviously forgetting who I am…"

DRACO MALFOY HEADED down the torch lit corridor to the Prefects' common room and living quarters, a scowl on his face.

Who does Snape think he is, pairing me up with that filthy mudblood? he thought in annoyance as he stepped up to the portrait door. The painting was a pride of lions, yawning drowsily, ready to sleep underneath a tree. "Butterbeer," Draco growled, his cold voice echoing off the walls. The leader of the pride glanced at him, flicking an ear, and the portrait swung open.

Draco stalked through the entryway, muttering a curse or two under his breath, and went up the staircase on the left of the common room to the Head Boy and Girl living quarters. He stopped at the top of the stairs, hand lightly touching the wooden railing, and stared at the two doors in front of him. One was labeled Head Boy, which was his room, and one was labeled Head Girl, Granger's room.

Draco glared at the Head Girl's door as though it were her itself and went into his room. He figured that everyone else was either in bed by now or patrolling the corridors since the lights downstairs were very dim and not a sound could be heard coming from the Prefects' quarters downstairs. Draco loosened his tie and changed into his sleeping garments. As he headed for his large canopy bed, he thought he heard a faint tune, so he stopped and listened.

It sounded close, but not in his room. He looked around for the source as he sat down on the bed. It sounded closer now. He frowned and looked behind him at the wall. Was it coming from there? He pressed his ear to the silver ivy patterned wallpaper and listened. It was definitely coming from the mudblood's room. He knew that it was an instrument but couldn't tell which one, though, because it was muffled.

Draco growled. He had to be partnered with her in Potions today, and now he was being kept awake by her music, by muggles no less, he supposed. Leaping up off the mattress, he left his room, wand in hand, and raised the other to bang on Granger's door. He was surprised to see that the door was cracked open.

Now that's something odd and rare, he thought, pushing it open and peeking inside. Usually she keeps her room under lock and key. It was dark inside the room. Draco couldn't see much except for dark silhouettes. He could just barely make out the faint outline of the bed a few paces in front of him. So our beds are back to back, eh? he thought, stepping into the room and going over to stand by the bed.

He could hear the music quite clearly now. He looked down and could tell that the motionless form on the bed was Granger, and she was asleep. Oh, he knew that she was asleep alright, or else she would have slugged him already. Just like in third year, he thought, then shook the unpleasant memory from his head.

"Lumos," he whispered, and the tip of his wand lit up. Now he could see things a bit more clearly. Granger had fallen asleep in her school robs and her curly hair was splayed across the pillow she lay on. Now her still hand lay what Draco recognized as a muggle CD player. A soft sweet tune was playing through the speakers. The instrument was a piano, he now realized. But Draco wasn't swayed by the music. He leaned forward with his wand to try to see how to turn the device off.

As he did, his hand brushed Granger's hair. He ignored the softness of her locks as he picked up the CD player and looked it over. There were small buttons and two dials on it that he didn't have the slightest clue how to work. After a minute of frustration, he let the device drop back onto the pillow.

"Just shut up already," he muttered, waving his wand and casting a silencing charm over the CD player. It fell silent. Satisfied, he straightened up to leave and get some sleep. A hand on his arm stopped him. He looked down and saw that Granger had rolled over in her sleep and had a hold on his arm. Draco's eyes widened. The little mudblood was actually touching him!

"Granger! Oi, Granger!" Draco hissed, tugging at his long nightshirt sleeve which was trapped beneath her hand. "Gods, wake up, stupid!"

Not caring if he woke her up now, he wrenched his arm out of her grasp and stormed out of the room, slamming the door loudly behind him. He stood out in the hallway in front of the stairs for a minute, listening for any movement from inside the girl's room. Nothing.

Sighing and running a hand through his blond hair, he went back into his room and dimmed the lamps on the wall. He set his wand on the dresser by the door, and climbed into the canopy bed. That stupid girl, he thought as he closed his eyes. How dare she. Father will have to hear about this in the morning. He opened his eyes a bit and looked down at his arm where the girl had touched him. A quick blush rose to his cheeks in the dark and he shook his head. Then he closed his eyes again and fell asleep, a certain piano tune playing through his mind.